Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Today, the vast majority of experts can largely agree on the basics of human evolution, from the early days of the first populations migrating out of the African continent to the dawn of agriculture, the written word and, quite recently, industrialization. But what if this isn't the first time Earth was home to an industrialized society? Could it be possible that some other civilization rose -- an...

Since the 1950s, the National Security Agency has been responsible for collecting, analyzing and verifying a vast amount of signals intelligence, ostensibly to protect the people of the United States. Over the decades the agency has grown to become one of the world's premiere repositories of intelligence -- everything from internet search histories to phone calls and texts, as well. In the final d...

New research shows cavity-causing microbes can form superorganisms able to ‘crawl’ and spread on teeth. William Shatner experiences the Overview Effect after Bezos takes him to space. Edmonton police face widespread backlash after they use DNA evidence to make a computer sketch of a suspect, prompting fears of widespread, unfair profiling. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don’t...

For many people, monster stories are just that -- stories. Tall tales and folklore meant to entertain an audience. However, you might be surprised to learn that people around the world still genuinely believe in some supernatural entities. Tune in and learn more in part two of this two-part series. They don’t want you to read our book . They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmill...

Unwilling Stardust writes in with a harrowing account of Iran's growing protests. Coinkydink asks why peanut allergies seem to be on the rise. Agent Minuteman hips the crew to the strange story of Holy Land, USA. All this and more in this week's listener mail. They don’t want you to read our book . They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read...

For many people, monster stories are just that -- stories. Tall tales and folklore meant to entertain an audience. However, you might be surprised to learn that people around the world still genuinely believe in some supernatural entities. Tune in and learn more in part one of this two-part series. They don’t want you to read our book . They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmill...

From fictional works like the Necronomicon to the all-too-real Key of Solomon, humanity has long been obsessed with the idea of ancient tomes holding hidden, unholy and possibly dangerous secrets. But where do these grimoires come from? How many are hoaxes, and are there any legitimate works out there? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-...

The United States has created a new Ambassador exclusively for plants -- and good thing, too, because plants just learned to use machetes. The world of competitive fishing is rocked by a scandalous cheating incident. A series of murders in California raises concerns that a serial killer may be on the loose. All this and more in this week's Strange News. They don’t want you to read our book. They d...

When most of us think of glitter, we think of arts and crafts -- not a conspiracy. But, as it turns out, the glitter industry has a strange, enduring secret. One group is buying the majority of the glitter in the United States... and the glitter companies have vowed never to make this information public. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into the strange secrets of the Glitter Conspiracy. They...

A-Frame asks whether the wildest conspiracies are, themselves, part of a larger conspiracy to bury stories those in power would prefer we ignore. A caller asks for more information about the dystopian Shotspotter system. Knotta Tweaker asks for more information about the nature of facts. They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . They don't want you to read our...

In 1996, hundreds of thousands of Belgian citizens marched in public protest against an apparent conspiracy of the highest order -- the kidnapper and serial murderer Marc Dutroux was, they claimed, not acting alone. In today's interview, Ben and Matt sit down with special guest Matt Graves, the creator and host of Le Monstre, to learn more about this case. They don’t want you to read our book . Th...

Make no mistake: the United States is a car culture, and the extreme sprawl of the country means the vast majority of citizens can’t realistically live without their cars. This has inevitably led to enormous amounts of pollution and (some would argue) wars over the resources needed to keep the car culture going. So what if there was an alternative? Why would someone cover it up? They don’t want yo...

Pharma company Biogen is on the hook for 900 millions dollars due to allegations of an unethical kickback scheme. Brett Favre is under suspicion of financial corruption in Mississippi. An American Airlines flight was, apparently, haunted by the sounds of a man groaning over the intercom for the duration of the trip -- and no one's sure what happened. All this and more in this week's Strange News....

The small town of Circleville, Ohio is, in most respects, a normal place. It has all the usual trappings of a small community: churches, grocery stores... and a few skeletons in the figurative closet. Back in the 1970s, it was terrorized by a series of strange, anonymous letters threatening to expose some of the town's most scandalous secrets. In today's episode, Ben and Matt dive into the mystery...

How many governments has the US overthrown? In today's special episode, we're sharing an excerpt from our upcoming Stuff They Don't Want You To Know audiobook. They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . 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.

In the wake of a horrific civil war, El Salvador found itself confronted with enormously pervasive, deadly gang activity -- it seemed the official law enforcement channels were often incapable of fighting back against the flood of crime. Until, that is, a new organization came out of the shadows -- unaccountable to authorities, unstoppable, and brutal. Today's question: What is La Sombra Negra? Th...

For centuries self-assured academics believed Troy was a mythological city -- until, that is, the ruins were discovered. Over the span of history, the human species has lost people, cities and entire civilizations. Occasionally, governments don't want these lost empires to be found. So what happens when a controversial linguist claims to discover an ancient people spanning Iran to Southern China?...

The story began, officially, in 2017 -- multiple US government employees stationed abroad began reporting eerily similar symptoms, ranging from mild discomfort to intense headaches and debilitating ringing in the ears. Soon this became known as "Havana Syndrome." So what, exactly, is it? This question has fascinated Ben, Matt and Noel almost as much as today's special guest, Jack O'Brien. In today...

A conman in Kansas has just been sent to prison for a long series of illegal autopsy schemes. Self-appointed technocrats float the idea of poor people functioning as NPCs online. The Pentagon, in a stunning damage control initiative, pledges to conduct a 'sweeping review' of their own, ongoing psyop activities -- spoiler, this last story affects you directly. All this and more in this week's Stran...

Seven shares his inside experience working in the space industry. Alice writes to explain the tricky issue of translation applied to the Quran. Tyler points out the ocean is littered with shipwrecks... and there may be dangerous consequences for this in the future. We end the whole thing with Humorous Harry's handmade, immensely groan-worthy jokes. All this and more in this week's listener mail se...

Have you ever encountered a place with an inexplicable bad vibe? Do you believe events of the past can leave an intangible mark affecting the present? In some cases, people combat these concerns through spiritually-based cleansing rituals -- but there's more to the story. They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . They don't want you to read our book.: https://s...

For centuries communities in France and Spain practiced a brutal, widely-accepted system of discrimination against a group of families and individuals known as Cagots -- but who were these people? Where did they come from, and where are they now? They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static...

An Oklahoma County inmate was found dead while embroiled in a case alleging he had been psychologically tortured by the "Baby Shark" song. An alleged incident of cheating in chess. In international news, the world receives stunning confirmation that the Russian government has been using dark money to twist foreign government for years ... and we still don't know just how much money we're talking....

Imagine you're hiking through the Scottish countryside, and hear a low, long hum. You look up to see -- something. You take photos, and send them to the local newspaper. The newspaper, strangely, never publishes the story. And that's only the beginning of the Calvine UFO saga. They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . They don't want you to read our book.: http...

Bad Ghost hips us to a recent plane hijacking, targeting a Walmart. Roadrunner asks where the world's most dangerous prisoners are kept. Lactrodectus inspires an upcoming episode on conspiracies surrounding food deserts. All this and more in this week's listener mail. They don’t want you to read our book . They don’t want you to see us on tour . They don't want you to read our book.: https://stati...