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Stuff You Should Know

How did language evolve? What makes us happy? Each week Josh and Chuck explore everything from matadors to moonshine. Join the guys as they look into big and small questions alike -- seriously, it's all the Stuff You Should Know.

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Latest Episodes

  • Can it rain frogs?

    Released 05.31.12

    If you’ve seen the movie Magnolia, you’ve seen what it looks like to rain frogs. While there are reports of frogs, fish and even squid raining down that are questionable, science has figured out how it can – and does – rain frogs sometimes.

  • Do video games produce real-life violence?

    Released 05.29.12

    The disturbing trend of school shootings around the world has dragged violence in video games into the hot seat.

  • Are we obsessed with goals?

    Released 05.24.12

    We’ve all been brought up to keep our eyes on the prize and our pedal to the medal when we go for that brass ring, but does the Western interest in goals verge on an insane obsession?

  • How Labor Unions Work

    Released 05.22.12

    Yes, it’s true: Unions have a shady mob-related past and were originally championed by anarchists. Born from medieval trade guilds, these organizations also helped grow the American economy, and not only protected but established workers’ rights.

  • What is the future of Earth?

    Released 05.17.12

    What will the Earth be like in 5,000 or 50,000 years? In this far-sighted episode, Josh and Chuck explore how Earth may change over time.

  • Interpol: World Police

    Released 05.15.12

    Interpol is an international police agency that helps other law-enforcement agencies track criminals who operate across national borders -- but how does it work, exactly?

  • What is a shotgun house?

    Released 05.10.12

    Shotgun houses are iconic pieces of American architecture: they're long, narrow, and filled with artistic flourishes.

  • Did the Dutch trade Manhattan for nutmeg?

    Released 05.08.12

    Today nutmeg is commonplace, but this wasn't always the case. In the 17th century, the Dutch and the British fought a trade war over nutmeg.

  • How Bullfighting Works

    Released 05.03.12

    When the Visigoths ruled Spain, they introduced the idea of battling bulls at festivals. Today matadors get paid $100,000 and perform in front of 50,000 fans.

  • How did language evolve?

    Released 05.01.12

    " Sure animals talk in their own way, with chirps and grunts and the like, but only humans can form words. It is this, some evolutionary psychologists contend, that is what truly separates us from the rest of the species on the planet. But why us?"

  • How Medical Marijuana Works

    Released 04.26.12

    Some quarters of the medical establishment endorse it, others abhor it. The DEA is cracking down on it, but the Veterans’ Administration supports it as a treatment for soldiers.

  • How Air Traffic Control Works

    Released 04.24.12

    You know how when you fly in an airline you usually don’t die? You can thank the battalion of air traffic control professionals who studiously track every moment of your flight to ensure its safety.

  • Social Security Numbers: Less Boring Than You’d Think

    Released 04.19.12

    Do you know that up until July 2011 an ambitious hacker with a good software program could deduce your social security number based on your date and place of birth?

  • How Whaling Works

    Released 04.17.12

    Despite its embattled status as brutal and illegal, commercial whaling is a tradition that dates back 1,000 years and served as the economic engine of the Industrial Revolution.

  • Body Odor: You Stink

    Released 04.11.12

    Chuck and Josh end up making reduxes of past episodes on things like sweating and deodorant in this all-new episode on the science beneath what makes people smell.

  • Was Atlantis a real place?

    Released 04.10.12

    While the search for Atlantis has been pushed to the fringes since the 19th century, archaeologists have quietly pursued cities that may have inspired Plato to fabricate the mythical city.

  • How Beer Works

    Released 04.05.12

    At long last, Josh and Chuck take on perhaps their most important topic ever. Learn about the history of beer, how it’s made -- the whole shebang, basically -- in this watershed episode of Stuff You Should Know.

  • How Diamonds Work

    Released 04.03.12

    There's no denying that diamonds are pretty -- but where do they come from, and why are they so expensive?

  • How Music Sampling Works

    Released 03.29.12

    Today music sampling is a common practice, especially in electronic or hip-hop music. But how does it work?

  • 10 Big Cases of Revenge

    Released 03.27.12

    Who doesn't love a good story about comeuppance? Whether served cold or piping hot, revenge is an ancient idea -- and history is filled with acts of vengeance.

  • How Tipping Works

    Released 03.22.12

    Tipping is commonly expected in some places, such as U.S. restaurants. Yet this practice varies across cultures.

  • How Comic Books: Live from SXSW 2012

    Released 03.20.12

    Although you might not be a fan of comic books, there's no denying that they have a fascinating place in American history.

  • How the Donner Party Worked

    Released 03.15.12

    Did they or didn’t they? There is plenty of written evidence that the ill-fated Donner Party resorted to cannibalism – except there are no bones.

  • Should chimps be used for medical testing?

    Released 03.13.12

    If you’ve got half a heart it’s an easy question to answer. But if you’re happy living without polio and hepatitis B you may want to question further.

  • How Noah's Ark Worked

    Released 03.08.12

    Stories of a great flood and a man who managed to stay afloat while the world drowned abound in ancient traditions.

  • Duels: A guide to throwing down the gauntlet

    Released 03.06.12

    Pretty much everything you know about duels is true – it’s a challenge to violence to defend honor. But did you know the U.S.

  • How SETI Works

    Released 03.01.12

    SETI stands for 'search for extraterrestrial intelligence,' and the term is used to describe both the SETI institute and the search for alien life in general.

  • How Crying Works

    Released 02.28.12

    You probably did it around 70 times last year, yet you probably don’t understand the psychological and physiological processes at work when you cried.

  • Fasting: deadly or what?

    Released 02.23.12

    Avoiding food for religious or health reasons has been around for millennia. But while God may appreciate the sacrifice, how does it affect the body?

  • How Spies Work

    Released 02.21.12

    Psst. You want to know how governments and corporations get the drop on one another? The frontline of intelligence is populated by spies.

  • How Autopsies Work

    Released 02.16.12

    In the 400th episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck take a trip through the morgue and look over the shoulders of the often controversial coroners and medical examiners that open cadavers to determine how someone died.

  • How Zero Works

    Released 02.14.12

    Few numbers have as storied a past as zero. Even fewer have had as great an impact on our ability to understand our universe.

  • How Coral Reefs Work

    Released 02.09.12

    Coral reefs are the largest organic structures on Earth, yet they're created through a symbiotic relationship between creatures about 3 millimeters long.

  • Pickpockets: Artists or Crooks?

    Released 02.07.12

    There aren’t many criminal pursuits that are as storied as pickpocketing, and some people fondly reminisce over its heyday.

  • What’s the 10,000 Year Clock?

    Released 02.02.12

    In a desert in Texas a 200-feet-tall clock is being constructed deep inside a mountain. Once completed, it will keep time for the next 10,000 years, even if there are no humans around to use it.

  • How Magic Mushrooms Work

    Released 01.31.12

    For thousands of years, humans have used hallucinogenic mushrooms for spiritual reasons. Today, however, having them can get you thrown in prison.

  • How Floods Work

    Released 01.26.12

    Floods happen when more water is introduced to an area than can be quickly removed. That’s about it, but there's more to floods, what causes them and the havoc they can wreak.

  • How Human Trafficking Works

    Released 01.24.12

    Despite worldwide prohibitions, slavery still exists. Slaves are forced or coerced into prostitution or made to work in deplorable factory conditions.

  • How Mexican Wrestling Works

    Released 01.19.12

    Perhaps it’s the colorful masks or the high-flying, rapid-fire acrobatic moves. Whatever it is, there’s something uniquely and particularly entrancing about Mexican wrestling, called lucha libre.

  • Are contrails actually chemtrails?

    Released 01.17.12

    You know those trails that jets leave in the sky? While science has explained why they happen, plenty of conspiracy theorists believe there’s more to it.

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