Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

What was the most widespread infiltration of the US government? According to some sources, it came from within. Tune in to learn more about the story of Operation Snow White -- and why the Church of Scientology and the US government still don't agree on what actually happened. Join Ben and Matt for this startling -- and bizarre -- classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ih...

A 'gender reveal' party in California has created a massive wildfire. Someone dumped loads of mail in the parking lot of a beauty salon. Science reveals how plants grow differently around corpses -- and how this may help us learn more about humanity's grisly past. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want...

Up until July of 2018, 17-year-old Siti Nurannisaa was like many other kids finishing up their last year of high school - she was stressed out by exams, not sleeping well, and looking forward to getting the school year over with. However, her life took a sudden, unexpected turn when a sharp tap on her shoulder sent her into a strange, nightmarish series of visions from which she could not escape....

Do ghosts wander the tunnels of Gibraltar? Why are so many families (Ben's included) convinced they receive mysterious omens of the future in their dreams? Multiple listeners respond to the episode on the deaths at Deepcut, raising question about the deaths at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the suicide epidemic in Bridgend, Wales. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. Learn more ab...

How much power does the mind wield over physical matter? Could certain human beings, through the force of focused thought alone, walk on fire, lay on nails, and survive being buried alive for days at a time? Listen in to learn more about the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding the famous feats of the mystics. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't...

The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scientists. So why does it appear to be getting stronger? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you t...

An enterprising UK resident has found a new way to profit from the pandemic -- taking people on tours of the nearly-abandoned 'ghost ships' floating off the coast as the cruise industry struggles to survive the disastrous economic effects of COVID-19. The X-Files universe may soon have a new, animated spin-off. Investigations continue as US Marshals bust an enormous, insidious child trafficking ri...

In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous ci...

Is pop superstar Britney Spears really being held hostage? What is it like to witness a derecho firsthand, and live to tell the tale? Can human beings really, without warning, burst into a ball of mysterious, fatal flames? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this week's listener mail segment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you...

In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt an...

After being jilted a day before his wedding and narrowly surviving tuberculosis, Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin spent almost 30 years building Coral Castle out of huge blocks of stone. But how did he make it, and why wouldn't he allow anyone to watch him at work? Join Ben and Matt as they explore the mystery of Coral Castle in today's classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at http...

A tragic homicide seems linked to online gaming. Facebook continues to be under fire for its long-running, previously established issues with censorship, or lack thereof. In North Korea, new reports claim that Kim Jong Un has been in a coma for some time -- and that all of his recent appearances are pretaped or faked (Ben also remains unable to enter the country). All this and more in this week's...

Could human dreams really, in some way, predict the future? At first, it sounds like the stuff of science fiction... but the real-life answer may not be as clear-cut as the plot of a sci-fi blockbuster. Instead, it turns out that probability, bias and, perhaps, the bleeding edge of physics may all play a role in the strange phenomenon known as precognitive dreams. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they s...

What if Chris Cornell -- and Chester Bennington -- were actually murdered? How much do we really know about the early spread of COVID-19 in the US? And what's going on with that long-lost British base buried in the Rock of Gibraltar? All this and more in this week's edition of Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our bo...

Dreams are one of the most mysterious aspects of human existence, and we still don't fully understand the strange phenomenon known as dreaming. For thousands of years, human beings have taken action in the waking world based on information they encounter in a dream -- and, every so often, people have felt their dreams aren't just reminding them of the past or recontextualizing the present. Instead...

From Atlantis to Ciudad Blanca, Troy and Shangri-La, history is full of legends about lost civilizations. But how does humanity lose an entire city, empire or society? Are any of the stories of lost cities true? Tune in to learn more in this week's classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmill...

A brutal derecho has caused somewhere around 4 billion dollars' worth of damage in Iowa. In Okinawa, multiple residents appears to fall sound asleep in active roadways -- and experts don't seem to know why. In the US, author Scott Dawson claims to have finally, conclusively solved the long-standing mystery of an entire colony that, according to most accounts, simply disappeared. Learn more about y...

Did human beings first reach the continents we call North and South America by traversing a land bride across what's now known as the Bering Strait? That's been the most prominent theory about early human migration, and it's the one many children learn about in school -- but what if there's more to the story? Join the guys as they dive into the story of early human migration... as well as new evid...

Did a UFO really crash in Jackfish, Canada? What is 'morphic resonance,' and does psilocybin enhance it? Join the guys as they explore these questions -- as well as hear the first-hand, verified account of a person that successfully lived under a fake identity -- in this week's segment of Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to...

In 2007, just days before her 4th birthday, Madeleine McCann disappeared from her parent's vacation apartment in Portugal, launching an international search involving thousands of members of law enforcement. People from around the globe wondered what exactly had happened to the child, who seemed, for all intents and purposes, to have vanished. In the absence of clear information, speculation thriv...

The guys get a lot of questions, and one that crops up often is this: "Do you ever run into real conspiracies (rather than theories)?" Well, they're finally going to answer it. Tune in to hear the guys explain which conspiracy theories seem the most plausible, which former theories have been proven true and more in this classic episode of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know. Learn more about your ad...

Canada has officially ruled that terminal patients may legally use psilocybin. Over in Scotland, another alleged photograph of the Loch Ness Monster raises eyebrows -- and sets internet sleuths on the case. In California, DNA databases may have cracked Orange County's oldest cold case of homicide. Tune in for all this and more in this week's installment of Strange News. Learn more about your ad-ch...

Since before the dawn of recorded history, humans have been haunted by rumors of monsters beneath the waves -- and, as time wore on, it seemed at least some of those legends were based in truth. Today's question: could any sea serpents, leviathans or other cryptids remain alive in the modern day? Tune in to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They d...

Does a viral infection spread through radio towers? Was COVID-19 somehow designed as the world's most cartoonishly ineffective bioweapon? What are 'standardized' tests actually measuring, and why should we care? Tune in for all this and more in this week's edition of listener mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com They don't want you to read our book.: https...

Officially formed in 1999, Nunavut is the newest and most northerly territory of Canada. This sparsely-populated region is home unique wildlife, ancient culture and, it seems, a mystery. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they unravel the strange story of a bizarre, unexplained sound emerging from the seafloor -- it's allegedly terrified migratory animals, baffled local hunters, and inspired the Canadian...