Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

The US once again declines to declassify documents related to the JFK assassination, citing fears of 'identifiable harm.' Scammers get away with an audacious crypto-related heist using a fake food delivery service. Robot artist Ai-Da is detained by Egyptian authorities at the border. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork...

Have you ever followed a ghostly light into the woods? For many, it sounds like a story straight out of the world of folklore -- yet these strange lights have been reported across the world. In Mexico, they're sometimes considered evidence of witchcraft. So what exactly are these things? Tune in to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want...

What if part of known history never actually happened? What can Santa teach us about the power of language in folklore? Multiple Conspiracy Realists write in with their own otherworldly, sometimes disturbing experiences. All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macm...

Nowadays, the word 'witch' conjures a few common images for most people: a crone, clad in all black, perhaps wearing a pointed hat, astride a broomstick in the dark of night. However, this image is more than a little misleading, and even people who wouldn't identify themselves as witches may participate in traditions and practices that come from belief systems generally regarded as occult -- so wh...

Assassins murdered President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Five years later, his brother Robert was assassinated. Coincidence? On the anniversary of RFK's murder, Ben, Matt and Noel take a closer look at the events surrounding the tragedy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-sho...

New Zealand has officially fired its state wizard after the 88 year-old made a series of controversial comments that finally crossed the line. Over in the US, critics are both vindicated and disturbed by the recent development in unmanned warfare -- quadrupedal bots are being fitted with sniper rifles, and they may be out in the wild sooner that you think. All this and more in this week's Strange...

How do people become spies -- and why do some people end spying against their will? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben and Matt dive into the present state of spying, along with the troubling trends looming on the horizon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-sh...

A caller asks for more information about the infamous Phoebus cartel. Road Dog asks about what people are supposed to do with all that urine collected from potty-trained cows. Mario, Schneider and Kevin write in with their own strange, disturbing stories. All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to...

Most people know the life of a real-life spy bears little resemblance to the stories of fictional agents like James Bond -- but what exactly is spying? In the first part of this two-part series, the guys explore the world of tradecraft from the ancient past to the modern day. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://sta...

What's the future of online privacy? Filmmaker Alex Winter joins Matt and Ben to talk about his new documentary "Deep Web", following the story of the infamous Silk Road and its creator, Ross Ulbricht. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/list...

A would-by spy is caught by the FBI, attempting to trade nuclear secrets for cryptocurrency via a peanut butter sandwich. A Canadian principal sparks controversy with her Iron Maiden t-shirt. New York announces plans to gas the subways as a way to learn more about how bioweapons might disperse underground. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

15-year-old Leah Freeman's body was discovered near her hometown of Coquille, Oregon, in 2000, and her former high school boyfriend Nick McGuffin was convicted of the murder. However, a reexamination of the case uncovered new evidence that ultimately led to McGuffin being released to prison -- and raising a new, disturbing question: Who actually murdered Leah Freeman? Learn more about your ad-choi...

Nick asks his fellow Conspiracy Realists for help explaining mysterious handprints. Becky asks why more people aren't talking about the death of Winston Smith. Ben continues his obsession with your ghost stories, and, in a rare personal moment, shares the story of a bizarre encounter somewhere in the rural Gulf Coast. All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices...

Sunglasses are enormously popular these days, and even prescription spectacles have evolved into fashion accessories -- people routinely spend hundreds of dollars in efforts to either look cool, be able to see, or both. So what happens when a single company controls the market? This is the accusation critics levy against manufacturing giant EssilorLuxottica. Today's question: how much of this is t...

The news about the so-called "EM Drive" was all over the headlines in 2015... but was it true? Join Matt and Ben to learn more in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com 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.

Reporters reveal a new, massive leak detailing a shadowy international network the rich and powerful use to squirrel away billions -- but will this information change anything? Streaming giant YouTube begins pulling anti-vaccination videos. In his suicide note, French ex-police officer François Verove confesses to a string of unsolved serial murders. All this and more in this week's Strange News....

Nowadays comics are considered anything from light-hearted entertainment to a unique art form and genre of literature all their own. Yet for decades they were considered a gateway to sin. Join Ben and special guest Christian Sager as they explore the moral panic, censorship and collusion that led to the rise of the comics code. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.c...

Multiple listeners in the entertainment industry write in about a looming, massive strike as TV/Film professionals fight for better working conditions. Another Conspiracy Realist asks whether a monopoly controls sunglasses. And here's a question -- if a UFO could travel intergalactic space, why would it need lights? All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices a...

Imagine you've just seen a UFO. A few days later, mysterious men appear on your doorstep in anachronistic black suits, cryptically warning you: if you tell anyone what you saw, there may be consequences down the road. This is the story of the Men In Black, one of the strangest tales in the world of UFOlogy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want yo...

Modern historians generally mark the beginning of the Armenian Genocide as 24 April, 1915. However, people and nations still can't seem to agree on whether it actually was a genocide. Why? And why do both sides accuse the others of a conspiracy? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/st...

Rolls Royce is considering using nuclear power to mine the moon. A Singaporean academy comes under fire for hiring clowns to promote classes to children. Mining companies are intent on plumbing the seabed for new resources, but critics fear it will lead to disaster. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't wa...

If you ever experienced an earthquake, you remember the terrifying feeling of the ground beneath you shifting, shaking, and trembling. Scientists still can't predict the day and time of an earthquake, but one thing's for sure: more are on the way. Tune in as the guys explore the strange world of seismic anomalies with acclaimed actor, writer and director Sarah Wayne Callies, the creator of the stu...

A listener with experience in China breaks down the cultural context of the Guan Yu statue. A caller asks to learn more about the Tytler cycle, which proposes all democracies have an expiration date. As Halloween approaches, the guys get increasingly into ghost stories. All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don...

When the US government confirmed it had been secretly monitoring reports of UFOs for years, the news caught many people by surprise. However, for some members of the UFOlogy community, this was just another smokescreen disguising the truth: aliens are real, Uncle Sam met with them, and decades ago the President formed a secret group of scientists, politicians and military officials to figure out w...

Imagine if a government disguised its operatives as members of some other organization -- and then attacked itself. While this might sound crazy, several historians have argued that false flag attacks are more than just conspiracy theories. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-y...