Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

For decades one the world's largest auto manufacturers lied to governments and the public, polluting the planet and evading the same environmental standards they themselves publicly championed. Of course, this is unfortunately a common occurrence in the murky world of corporate power, but here's one big difference: Volkswagen actually got caught. So what happened? Who perpetrated this vast, real-l...

The US confirms China has operated a spy station right off the coast of Cuba since at least 2019. A 911 call leads to a bizarre encounter in Las Vegas. New studies reveal Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, may be habitable. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listen...

Snake oil -- it's a strange phrase for all sorts of sham treatments and fake cures. But where did it come from? Why do so many hucksters conspire to sell false hope in the modern day? Join Ben and Matt as they dive deep into the history -- and deeply troubling future -- of snake oil. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudi...

An email clarifies some questions about gremlins. Brockness weighs in on the controversial horse racing industry. Multiple Conspiracy Realists write in attempting to help the guys learn more about the Canadian Toothpaste Heist. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio...

You've heard of bigfoot -- but what about the frogman? Or the grassman? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the strange cryptozoology of Ohio. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On July 18th, 1969, campaign strategist Mary Jo Kopechne and Senator Ted Kennedy were involved in a single-car accident while departing a reunion held at Chappaquiddick island. Only one of them made it it out of the car alive. In the hours, days, weeks, years and decades since, numerous people have tried and failed to come up with conclusive answers about the sequence of events leading to Kopechne...

Former intelligence official David Charles Grusch rocks the world of UFOlogy with a stunning claim: extraterrestrial craft are real, and the US government has been collecting them for at least 80 years. Experts worry the world is at the mercy of an economic time bomb as $1.5 trillion in mortgages will come due in the next two years. A new competition focused on “Psychedelic Cryptography” awards ar...

Hotels are part of an ancient history -- one dating back into antiquity. For most people, hotels are a pleasant place to pause and relax during a trip. But, as the guys learn in tonight's episode, it turns out there may be quite a bit of Stuff Hotels Don't Want You To Know. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/list...

Ziggy writes in with a tragic story of an apartment collapse in Iowa. Ryan wonders about the future of gene editing, big pharma and health care. Specter introduces the guys to a strange 'AI' that uses the dark web as its classroom: DarkBERT. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/...

When a string of brutal murders rocked the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida, the community and authorities grew increasingly certain the deaths were ordered from forces across the sea -- all the way back in Haiti. But why? Who was responsible? Could the conspiracy ever be unraveled, with the criminals brought to justice? In today's conversation, the guys sit down with returning guest Oz...

Today Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the founding fathers of the US, and there’s no doubt that he played a tremendously influential role in the creation of the country. But Franklin, known then and now as a bit of an eccentric. But what about his darker side? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Canadian police stop a bizarre toothpaste heist. Companies aim to automate debt collection with AI. In Italy, a mysterious boat accident leaves multiple intelligence agents dead. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

55 years ago, the American Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. His legacy lives on in recorded speeches, memorials across the country, photographs by legendary photojournalist Ernest C. Withers and more. Withers remains a hero in his hometown of Memphis, and his career is inextricably intertwined with the Civil Rights era. However, there may be much mo...

Disco Funk inspires a strange series of thought experiments. Amdroid writes in on the controversy surrounding tipping. An author gives the gang a special shoutout in their upcoming book. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The guys sit down with special guest John Rondi, Sr., the co-creator of the legendary Johnny Drinks, for a wide-ranging conversation about everything from the troubling history of prohibition to JFK and more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One person's cult is another person's inarguable truth, and over millenia many spiritual or cultural belief systems have been called cults. Typically organizations called cults have a few commonal traits, one of the chief of which is isolation. So can cults continue to exist in the digital age, where the average smartphone user is only a few clicks away from learning almost anything they desire? W...

Tech mogul Bryan Johnson causes a stir when it's revealed he uses his own son as a 'blood boy' to stave off the effects of aging. Cancun authorities ban narcocorrido performances. Elderly businessman John Manchec attempts an elaborate escape from jail, fleeing from the US to France. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmill...

There's an active series of conspiracies taking place every single year in the United States -- through the practice of eminent domain, local governments can force private property owners to sell their stuff for "the greater good." It gets worse -- through the use of civil asset forfeiture, law enforcement can also confiscate all sorts of assets, without once arresting you, or charging you with a...

Kelly discusses the strange state of drugs and drug policy in Vancouver. Samurai poses fascinating questions about mitochondrial DNA and three-parent babies. Ancient Astronaut Chick dives behind the scenes of hotels. All this and more in this week’s listener mail. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

In December of 2000, an unknown assailant brutally murdered the Miyazawa family as they slept in their home, preparing to celebrate the new year. This horrific crime only seems to grow more mysterious -- the killer stayed in the home after the murders, eating food, leaving evidence, and using the computer. Police have the killer's personal possessions. They have his DNA. And, more than two decades...

Nowadays, most people in the West associate exorcism with horror movies instead of real-life terror. However, people around the world still feel that they have been possessed, and experts from various faiths across the planet still conduct exorcisms in the modern day. Join the guys as they delve into the story of the Catholic organization founded to fight possession: The International Association...

A whistleblower alleges the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hides billions of dollars. A horrifying, continuing investigation in Kenya reveals hundred of people have died at the orders of a now-arrested cult leader; and no one's sure what other crimes may be uncovered. A man attempts to purposely wreck a plane for clout. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't...

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential figures in all of American literature -- and his death is just as mysterious as his stories. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Edgar Allan Poe. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Could someone have purposely manufactured the great coin shortage during the pandemic? Anon calls in with a sobering plea. A fellow Conspiracy Realist proposes a possible explanation for the woman experiencing orgasms at the symphony. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omn...

In 1978, a young pilot named Frederick Valentich disappeared somewhere off the coast of Australia. His last recorded message to authorities -- "it's not an aircraft" -- prompted decades of speculation from UFOlogists, skeptics, and law enforcement alike. As we record tonight, his body has yet to be found. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-shou...