Stuff You Should Know

One of the longest-running television shows in history is also one of the best. Sesame Street was conceived as a radical idea – to give disadvantaged preschoolers a leg up in getting ready for school. It ended up becoming a beloved institution worldwide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is home to all sorts of things that can kill you, but perhaps the deadliest is the drop bear, a vicious cousin of the koala. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around 2013 heroin users in the US and other countries suddenly started dying from overdose in previously-unseen numbers. The culprit turned out to be the incredibly potent drug fentanyl and it soon created a massive new wave in the opioid epidemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Muzak got a bad reputation as bland garbage music. In this classic episode, we aim to set the record straight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MI6 is The UK's version of the CIA. Except they came first and provided the model. But there's still a lot we don't know about this notoriously tight-lipped organization.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rocks that grow baby rocks – wut?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on SYSK, the fellas get down to business with plenty of mouth-watering information on what Chuck dubs "the best food." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved into him even further. Learn all about the man behind the Muppets who was so much more than just a master puppeteer in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadway is a street in NYC, but more than that it's a term for the NY theater district. They say the neon lights are bright there. Who knows? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we highlight and celebrate a couple of alternative libraries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever since Shakespeare wrote his tragedy on Richard III the world has thought of him as an evil king with a shriveled soul. But is that actually unjust? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as they go down the sport shoe rabbit hole, detailing the strange tail of the brothers who brought Puma and Adidas to the world. Sibling rivalry, Nazis, shoes - there's a lot to unpack here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disaster films are surprisingly tough to define. What makes them different from an action movie or a monster movie? Who cares? They’re great! Escape with us as we cover the the ins and outs and the history of disaster films and recommend some good ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Doomsday Clock is closer too midnight than it's ever been, which is not awesome. But what does this metaphorical clock even indicate? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British MI6 agent Kim Philby was a spy for the Soviet Union and one of the great liars in human history, right up until his retirement in Moscow where he lived out his days as a national hero. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cake has been around for a long time, but mostly less than great forms. It took the Industrial Revolution, the advent of plentiful sugar, and some good old American know-how to come together to make the cake we know and love today. Find out all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the late 90s, a large chunk of the field of social psychology started dedicating itself to figuring out ways to subtly persuade and influence people’s everyday decisions without their awareness. If you’re into freedom of choice, this was a close call. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all heard of white noise, that static sound the TV makes when poltergeists arrive. There are other colored noise too that mimic natural sounds like rainfall and ocean waves. What they do for us is just now being studied. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Editorial, or political cartoons, have a rich history in the United States and abroad. And though the Golden Age may have passed, the use of images to create satire and sway public opinion is still alive and well.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agatha Christie was a great writer of murder mystery novels and is probably the best selling author of all time. Listen in this classic episode to learn her story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pinkertons became the most famous detective company in the U.S. But were they noble or notorious? We get to the bottom of it all in today's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world experienced its first economic bubble when the Dutch went bonkers for tulips in the 1630s.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We move for all sorts of reasons – new job, new grandkid – but moving because it’s just too darn hot? That’s a new one. But it’s going to pick up in the next few decades as more people around the world are forced to migrate because of climate change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word doula in Ancient Greek might mean "female servant" but it's really not a great description of the 21st century job. Doulas are birth coaches who help women get through the process of childbirth as efficiently and painlessly as possible. They aren't midwives or nurses, but they can provide an invaluable service as advocates. Learn about the deal with doulas right now in this classic episod...

A manhunt is launched for MLK’s killer, James Earl Ray. After his capture he pleads guilty. With no trial the world won’t hear the facts of the case laid out in court, giving rise to decades of conspiracy theories that even the King family came to believe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.