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Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

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Episodes

Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 2

Listen in to this classic episode for the conclusion of the story of the Manson Family Murders.

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2024-09-14
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Celebration Florida: The Story of a Utopia that Never Was

The town of Celebration, Florida was supposed to be a utopia. What it ended up as is a mediocre neighborhood on the outskirts of Disney World. 

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2024-09-12
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Short Stuff: Uncle Sam Wants YOU!

Who is Uncle Sam anyway? Was it a real person or just a marketing exercise? And why does he refuse to go away? Listen in to find out.

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2024-09-11
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Henry Ford: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Henry Ford was an odd guy, but one who had a vision for America that centered around a populist, affordable and reliable automobile. He was also a noted antisemite and not a great father. Today, we dive into the life of FMC's founder. 

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2024-09-10
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Selects: How Futurology Works

Science fiction writers have made some amazingly accurate predictions over the years, but in 1945 the pace of technological change created a field that spun off of sci-fi forecasting, futurology. Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.

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2024-09-07
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Ludwig II: The Only Real King of the 19th Century

Outside of Germany, King Ludwig II is relatively unknown. And, yet, he is one of history?s most tragic and romantic kings. He was a gay icon and a ruler who eschewed public appearances for turn inward into a fantasy realm of his own making.  

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2024-09-05
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Short Stuff: Rescuing Mistreated Pets

You ? yes, you! ? can be a hero to neglected and abused animals. But there?s a right way to do it, and that does not involve sneaking onto a neighbor?s property and stealing their dog or cat. Learn how to do it real legal-like in this episode.

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2024-09-04
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The History of Streaming Music

When Napster reared its head in 1999, it marked the beginning of the end of the compact disc era. Today, we trace the history of the slowly evolving death of physical music media. 

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2024-09-03
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Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 1

The '60s ended with a lot of turbulence, not the least of which was the Manson Family Murders. What made Charles Manson so alluring to his family? What makes one person kill for another? And what did The Beatles have to do with it all? Learn all this and more in this first part of our two part classic episode.

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2024-08-31
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How Bomb Disposal Works

Out of all the jobs a person can have, few are as overtly dangerous as making sure bombs don?t go off and if they do, making sure they?re away from people. Learn how bomb technicians do it safely, without a 100% turnover rate.

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2024-08-29
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Short Stuff: Skid Row (not the band)

How did a large section of downtown Los Angeles become a permanent fixture of unhoused individuals? Will it always be this way? Listen in to learn all about LA's famous Skid Row.

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2024-08-28
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The Strange Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon

The Olympic marathon of 1904 is an incredible story filled with wacky characters, cheating, heat and humidity, dust and dirt, and oh yeah, a few actual qualified athletes. 

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2024-08-27
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Selects: Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom

If you didn?t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also lightning fast and have the endurance of a marathoner and a telethoner put together. Get up to speed on these wonderful creatures in this classic episode.

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2024-08-24
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The Luddites: Misunderstood Working Class Heroes

Today we think of Luddites as people who don?t know how to use technology or are maybe even afraid of it. That?s pretty far from what the original Luddites were all about. They were the first workers to fight for fair treatment. They were not successful.

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2024-08-22
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Short Stuff: Chupacabra

What in the world is a chupacabra? Is it even real or is it the stuff of legend? Listen in to find out. 

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2024-08-21
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True Mysteries of the Internet

There is A LOT of made-up stuff on the internet that gets passed off as true. But once in a while something truly odd comes along. Here are three stories of real mysterious events in the internet?s recent history that are yet to be fully explained. 

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2024-08-20
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Selects: Body Language!

Body language is how you communicate without words. Some say it bears more impact in communication than speaking words. In this classic episode, learn about how you say what you say could mean more than you think.

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2024-08-17
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The Cher Episode

Cher is an icon, with hits spanning an unbelievable SEVEN decades. So kick back as we laud the singer/actress/legend. 

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2024-08-15
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Short Stuff: Tarring and Feathering

Being tarred and feathered is an old trope in America, but the actuality of it was pretty brutal, not the least of which included burning skin. Let's dive into history - now!

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2024-08-14
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Minecraft! Minecraft! Minecraft!

It?s so simple, yet so compelling: you mine blocks and cut down trees to put things together to make cool new stuff. There isn?t really a point and there?s not really a way to win. Minecraft is a non-game and it?s the second-most popular game of all time. 

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2024-08-13
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Selects: Genghis Khan: Madman or Genius?

Depending on who you talk to, Genghis Khan was either a sadistic madman or one of the great leaders in world history. One thing is sure, he was one of the most advanced military minds of all time. Learn all about him in this classic episode.

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2024-08-10
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The Call of the Void: Don?t Pick Up!

Many of us have experienced the odd sensation that we shouldn?t trust ourselves not to simply jump from a high place for no reason. Some even feel an urge. Philosophers and psychologists have tried to make sense of this senseless urge for centuries now. 

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2024-08-08
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Short Stuff: Pruney Skin

We know how our skin prunes, but we don't know for sure why. Chuck likes the leading theory, Josh does not. WHO WILL WIN? (nobody)

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2024-08-07
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The Story of Rudolf Diesel

Rudolf Diesel was a game changing inventor, though his most famous product was not used how he envisioned it. Listen in and learn about his life and mysterious death.

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2024-08-06
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Selects: Timber! How Timber Works

Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting practices. This has come at the cost of much legal battling and a century of practice. Find out all about it in this classic episode.

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2024-08-03
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The One About Car Washes

The car wash you get to ride through on a journey to sparklingness is made of a handful of different tools that have been developed over the last century. They have just now reached the point where it all works together so well the industry is booming.  

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2024-08-01
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Short Stuff: ZIP Codes!

ZIP codes are pretty self-explanatory, but there are all kinds of fun facts around the topic. Listen in to find out.

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2024-07-31
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Who was Dr. Bronner?

You may have his soap in your shower, but what do you know about the man himself? Buckle up, here comes Dr. Bronner!

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2024-07-30
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Selects: The Tulsa 'Race Riots'

In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to history until 1997, and still not widely known outside of Oklahoma until HBO's The Watchmen put it on the cultural map. Learn all about this dark chapter in American history in this classic episode.

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2024-07-27
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The KILLDOZER Rampage

The Killdozer rampage is one of those stories you just couldn't make up. Yet it happened. And we're here to tell you the story. 

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2024-07-25
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Short Stuff: The Ritchie Boys

Who were the Ritchie Boys? Listen in to find out. 

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2024-07-24
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Phone Phreaking: The Advent of Hacking

Years ago the telephone network was like the internet is to us today: a vast, interconnected means of communicating and sharing information. And, like the internet today, it attracted people who were interested in learning how it worked by hacking it.  

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2024-07-23
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Selects: The Duality of Caffeine

Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad and ugly about this everyday stimulant in this classic episode.

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2024-07-20
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HPV and You

Human papilloma virus, HPV, is an unusually common bug among humans. Most of the time it?s benign and your body manages to overcome the infection. Sometimes it can linger and cause warts.  But in the worst cases, HPV infections can actually cause cancer.

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2024-07-18
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Short Stuff: Sitzpinklers Unite

Sitzpinklers - men who sit down to pee - is a big thing in Germany, and a handful of other places. And if Josh and Chuck have any say it?ll catch on like wildfire around the world. 

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2024-07-17
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The Puritans in America

The founding of New England by the Puritans is quite a story. Today, we dive into who those people were.

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2024-07-16
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Selects: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Feminist Physician

Becoming the first licensed woman physician in America was tough, convincing male surgeons to wash their hands between patients was even tougher. In this classic episode Josh and Chuck pay tribute to a genuine pioneer in medicine and society.

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2024-07-13
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Salsa: NOT THE DANCE

Salsa is one of the great inventions of the culinary world. Here in the USA it's mainly a vehicle for tortilla chips. In Mexico, it's more like a sauce to add to, well, anything. Get ready to be hungry!

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2024-07-11
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Short Stuff: Milk Wars

If you?re a mobster and you can?t make money off of booze any longer what should you move to next? How about milk?

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2024-07-10
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Jane Goodall: All Good

There aren?t too many people walking around today who get a pass from the entire world for anything remotely negative they do or say. That?s just how the world receives Jane Goodall, and she?s earned that from a lifetime of building greater human understanding of our animal relatives.

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2024-07-09
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Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part II

In this classic episode, we finish revisiting our 2017 tour of the best sights of the ancient world when we get deep into the history of a lighthouse that stood for 1200 years, an unsettling statue of Zeus, the world?s first mausoleum, and Chuck?s favorite, the Colossus of Rhodes!

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2024-07-06
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Salute to Women Inventors

Women inventors have always had a tough time, for obvious reasons. So we're here today to pay tribute to those who persevered in the face of the laws and customs that prevented progress. 

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2024-07-04
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Short Stuff: POW Olympics

While it sounds like something out of a movie, some POWs in WWII really held an Olympics. And it happened more than once. 

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2024-07-03
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How Dopamine Works

Dopamine is perhaps the most talked-about, most misunderstood biochemical in our bodies. It?s linked to not only addiction and depravity, but also focus, motivation, and living a productive life. How can one molecule be so many things to so many people?

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2024-07-02
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Selects: How Restaurant Health Inspections Work

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know the feeling that occurs when the health inspector pays a visit. While nerve wracking, it's the best insurance patrons have that their food will be prepared and served in a proper environment. Learn all about how these inspections work, from their past history to current incarnation, in this classic episode.

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2024-06-29
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EXTRA! EXTRA! The Newsboy Strike Episode!

When paperboys stopped delivering a couple of very big newspapers in 1899 it was a big deal. Big enough that the two biggest publishers in the world got pretty scared. But did it actually accomplish anything? 

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2024-06-27
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Short Stuff: James Dean's Car

The story of what happened to the car that James Dean crashed.

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2024-06-26
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Whistling!

Whistling is pretty cool when you think about it because it can mean many things, from simple happy tunes to legit communication. Learn all about this ubiquitous skill today. 

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2024-06-25
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Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part I

Long before slide rulers and pocket protectors, civilizations across the world used their noggins to build some impressive structures. Almost all have crumbled to ruins over the millennium, but thanks to the earliest tourists, we admire them still today. Explore some of them with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.

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2024-06-22
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The Big Episode on Wikipedia

Wikipedia changed the world. Before it came along, you had to go to the library to get the answers you sought. And you and your friends had to just agree to disagree on facts. And as the internet grew and commercialized, Wikipedia remains free and open.

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2024-06-20
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