Podcast · 451 episodes
Stuff You Should Know, page 2
by iHeartPodcasts · English
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.
All episodes, page 2
Short Stuff: FlappersThe rise and fall of the 1920s flapper—how H.L. Mencken’s 1915 essay helped popularize the term, and how World War I, the 1918 flu, Prohibition, and women’s suffrage reshaped gender norms and fashion.9 Sep 2026 · 11 min · 6 chapters
Nickelodeon:The Best of SlimesThe history of Nickelodeon, from its origins as a commercial-free preschool cable channel in Columbus, Ohio (Pinwheel) to the network’s “slime” era, game-show boom, animated dominance, and later…8 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 17 chapters
Selects: Blacksmiths? You got that right!The “Stuff You Should Know” episode “Selects: Blacksmiths? You got that right!” explores blacksmithing history and how iron/steel are made and worked—plus what modern blacksmiths do today (tools,…5 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 16 chapters
Social Identity Theory: Your Group Rules, Others DroolSocial identity theory—how people’s sense of self and belonging comes from group membership, leading to in-group favoritism, prejudice, and intergroup conflict (even without material conflict).3 Sep 2026 · 48 min · 12 chapters
Short Stuff: Hisashi OuchiThe “Takaimura nuclear accident” (Sept 30, 1999), a criticality incident in Japan where workers at a uranium-fuel processing facility used an unapproved, high-volume mixing method that triggered an…2 Sep 2026 · 12 min · 5 chapters
Terry Fox: Greatest Canadian HeroThe life and legacy of Terry Fox, focusing on his childhood athletic drive, cancer diagnosis and amputation, training with a prosthetic leg, and the Marathon of Hope across Canada to raise money for…1 Sep 2026 · 47 min · 17 chapters
Selects: Flagpole Sitting: A Real FadThe episode of Stuff You Should Know (July 14, 2020) explains the American fad of flagpole sitting and compares it to other 1920s endurance crazes, especially dance marathons.29 Aug 2026 · 50 min · 26 chapters
The Fall of the USSR, Pt IIPart II of “The Fall of the USSR,” covering the USSR’s formal dissolution (Dec 8, 1991) and the early Russian Federation transition, then the economic “shock therapy” era, the rise of oligarchs, and…27 Aug 2026 · 44 min · 14 chapters
SYSK Tribute: Why does everyone love Dolly Parton?Tribute to Dolly Parton—why she’s universally beloved, spanning music, personality, politics, business, and philanthropy; includes a visit to Dollywood and discussion of her cultural impact.26 Aug 2026 · 56 min · 19 chapters
Short Stuff: CyclosporaThe Short Stuff episode “Short Stuff: Cyclospora” explains the 2026 U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak.26 Aug 2026 · 14 min · 7 chapters
The Fall of the USSR, Pt IPart 1 of “The Fall of the USSR” explains how USSR collapse accelerated from 1985-1991 via Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms (perestroika and glasnost), economic dysfunction, and the domino effect across…25 Aug 2026 · 41 min · 19 chapters
Selects: How Narcolepsy WorksNarcolepsy—what it is, its symptoms, how it works biologically, and how it’s diagnosed and treated.22 Aug 2026 · 53 min · 20 chapters
Rope, yeah ROPE!The episode explains rope as a type of cordage—how ropes are made (twisting/braiding under tension), how rope terminology differs from cord and cable, and how rope evolved from ancient natural fibers…20 Aug 2026 · 44 min · 15 chapters
Short Stuff: Did a shipwreck double the size of the United States?A Gulf of Mexico shipwreck discovered in 1993 is tied to Spain’s 1784 loss of 19 tons of newly minted silver coins from the El Cazador/Hunter, and how that loss helped set up the Louisiana Purchase…19 Aug 2026 · 12 min · 5 chapters
Isn't It Ironic, Dontcha Think?The podcast episode explains what “irony” is and why it’s hard to define, tracing the concept from Greek/Latin rhetoric (eirōn/ironia) through Socratic irony, situational (“irony of fate”), dramatic…18 Aug 2026 · 49 min · 19 chapters
Selects: The Manhattan GridThe episode explains how Manhattan’s grid was planned and implemented, focusing on the Commissioner's Plan of 1811, why it was adopted, and how it still shapes navigation and perceptions of New York.15 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 15 chapters
Who was Robert Maxwell?The “Stuff You Should Know” episode “Who was Robert Maxwell?” profiles Robert Maxwell (born Jan Ludwig Hoke, 1923), a Jewish Czechoslovak-born tycoon who reinvented himself as a British soldier/spy,…13 Aug 2026 · 47 min · 22 chapters
Short Stuff: Nero and His FiddleThe “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” claim, tied to the Great Fire of Rome (AD 64) and the scapegoating/propaganda that followed. Guests: None.12 Aug 2026 · 12 min · 8 chapters
Bonnie and ClydeThe Stuff You Should Know episode “Bonnie and Clyde” covers the couple’s rise from Depression-era poverty to a short, violent crime spree, their growing celebrity via photos and media, and their…11 Aug 2026 · 54 min · 20 chapters
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2Stuff You Should Know, “Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2” explains how the Reagan administration secretly sold missiles to Iran to secure release of hostages held by Lebanese…8 Aug 2026 · 43 min · 20 chapters
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 1Part 1 of a two-part episode on the Iran-Contra affair, focusing on how the Reagan administration supported Nicaragua’s Contra rebels while Congress restricted CIA/Defense Department aid.8 Aug 2026 · 46 min · 13 chapters
Reggae: Kingston’s Gift to the WorldThe episode is a history of reggae’s origins in Kingston, Jamaica and how it spread worldwide.6 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 24 chapters
Short Stuff: Phone BooksNostalgic history and cultural impact of phone books, especially how people used white pages (residential) and yellow pages (businesses) before the internet and caller ID.5 Aug 2026 · 15 min · 10 chapters
Beans and Rice Feeds the WorldHow beans and rice became a near-universal staple worldwide—tracing origins in Africa and the New World, then comparing regional versions (Costa Rica gallo pinto, Jamaica rice and peas, Puerto Rico…4 Aug 2026 · 43 min · 11 chapters