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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Todayconversational54 min7-min read
Did 24-Hour Cable News Kill America?
Cable news, particularly since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, has played a central role in deepening political polarization in the United States by prioritizing outrage-driven, opinion-based programming over objective journalism. What began as a shared national news experience through the Big Three networks devolved into a profit-driven media landscape where networks like Fox News and MSNBC cultivate anger and tribalism, eroding the shared reality essential to a functioning democracy.
- 3 days agoconversational52 min6-min read
Selects: How the Fairness Doctrine Worked
The podcast episode explores the history, impact, and legacy of the Fairness Doctrine, a U.S. policy that required broadcasters to present controversial issues in a balanced manner. Host Josh Clark argues that its repeal in the 1980s helped create today’s polarized media landscape, while Chuck Bryant provides a moderating presence, highlighting the ideological tensions between free speech and public interest.
- 5 days agoconversational47 min6-min read
The NY Subway Vigilante
In December 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot four Black teenagers on a New York City subway after they approached him and asked for five dollars, igniting a national firestorm over race, crime, self-defense, and urban decay. Though no one died, one of the teens, Darryl Cabey, was paralyzed and suffered brain damage, turning the case into a flashpoint that exposed deep racial and class tensions in 1980s New York.
- 6 days agoconversational12 min4-min read
Short Stuff: Rain Barrels!
In a lighthearted and humorous deep dive, Josh, Chuck, and guest host Jerry explore the surprisingly complex world of rain barrels — from their ancient origins to modern-day backyard use, covering water collection math, roof types, filtration, and mosquito warfare. While rainwater harvesting seems trivial, it's framed as a small but meaningful act for ecological responsibility.
- 1 weeks agoconversational48 min5-min read
Smile
On this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the science, history, and cultural quirks of smiling, from facial muscles and fake smiles to evolutionary roots and global differences in expression. They explore whether smiling actually makes you happier and uncover the surprising psychology behind why we grin — even when we don’t mean it.
- 1 weeks agonarrative54 min6-min read
Selects: 911 Is Not a Joke
This episode of Stuff You Should Know dives into the history, mechanics, and cultural significance of the 911 emergency system in the United States, exploring how it evolved from rotary phones to modern cell networks — and why it’s still critically outdated despite handling 650,000 calls a day. The hosts unpack what you should and shouldn’t call 911 for, the dangers of racial bias in reporting, and the emotional toll on dispatchers, all while blending humor with public service awareness.
- 1 weeks agoconversational45 min5-min read
Three Mile Island
The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident, though not causing immediate deaths or massive radiation exposure, became the worst nuclear disaster in U.S. history due to a cascade of human errors, design flaws, and institutional overconfidence. The event profoundly shifted public trust in nuclear energy and effectively halted new reactor construction in the United States for decades.
- 1 weeks agonarrative12 min3-min read
Short Stuff: 1955 Le Mans Disaster
The 1955 Le Mans disaster was one of the deadliest tragedies in motorsports history, killing 84 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh, triggered by a chain-reaction crash caused by a risky maneuver at high speed. Despite the horror, the race continued, raising enduring ethical questions about safety, accountability, and the cost of endurance racing.
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About Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
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