Stuff You Should Know

Latest Episodes:

SYSK Selects: Whatever happened to acid rain? Nov 21, 2020

Show notes

Along with the hole in the ozone layer, acid rain was one of the first international environmental threats. It's fallen to the wayside in the face of climate change, but we have yet to lick it. Join Chuck and Josh as they revive the 80s drumbeat in this classic episode.

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The Great War of the Worlds Panic Myth Nov 19, 2020

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On Halloween 1938 young radio star Orson Welles scared the pants off of America with a fictional news bulletin claiming Martians had landed and were destroying the country. People across the nation ran wild with panic in the streets – or did they?

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Short Stuff: Squirrel Nuts Nov 18, 2020

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We know squirrels hide nuts. But it's actually more complex a system than you think.

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How Pain Works Nov 17, 2020

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In recent decades we’ve come to understand that there’s a lot more to pain than: touch hot stove/feel burning hand. Pain is a far more sophisticated experience and, unfortunately, a system that can often go haywire, with terrible effects.

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SYSK Selects: Who Gets to Name Continents? Nov 14, 2020

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America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, right? Maybe not. And who named Australia? Find out the unusually uncertain origins of the continents and other interesting stuff in this classic episode.

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How Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Works Nov 12, 2020

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For almost a century, Macy’s department store has kicked off the holidays in America with a grand parade. And when you march thousands of clowns, lip synching celebrities, bands, and giant balloons through New York things get remarkable.

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Short Stuff: Plastic Pink Flamingos Nov 11, 2020

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Plastic flamingos started out as innocent yard art, transformed into folk art, and have become a (kind of mean) symbol of high campiness. There’s a lot to this particular plastic yard art.

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The Bay of Pigs Disaster Nov 10, 2020

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The Bay of Pigs is one of the blackest of eyes on American foreign policy. Learn all about this dark spot of American history today.

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SYSK Selects: Geysers: Nature's Innuendo Nov 08, 2020

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The spectacular eruptions of steam and water we call geysers are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, the result of thousands of years of specific natural conditions and physical processes. Learn the Stuff You Should Know about geysers in this classic episode.

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All the Gold In Fort Knox: Meh Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

When Fort Knox was built in the 1930s to house America’s gold supply, it was billed as an impenetrable, impregnable, don’t-even-think-of-trying vault. But as the world has moved further away from gold, the stockpile’s lost a bit of its luster.

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