Stuff You Should Know

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What in the world is a chupacabra? Is it even real or is it the stuff of legend? Listen in to find out.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cher is an icon, with hits spanning an unbelievable SEVEN decades. So kick back as we laud the singer/actress/legend.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ZIP codes are pretty self-explanatory, but there are all kinds of fun facts around the topic. Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have his soap in your shower, but what do you know about the man himself? Buckle up, here comes Dr. Bronner! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who were the Ritchie Boys? Listen in to find out.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.