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Stuff You Should Know

Latest episodes

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Sep 20, 2023 • 12min

Short Stuff: Origin of Math Signs

Have you ever stopped mid-pencil mark and realized to your astonishment where the plus sign came from? Then this one’s for you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 19, 2023 • 52min

10ish Worst Business Decisions Ever

It’s easy (and kind of fun) to laugh at the misfortune of CEOs and other high up business types when they bring it on themselves – so let’s do that now. Herein lies some of the worst business decisions ever made, hindsight being 20/20, of course.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 16, 2023 • 34min

Selects: How Floods Work

Floods happen when more water is introduced to an area than can be quickly removed. That's about it, but there's more to floods, what causes them and the havoc they can wreak. Join Josh and Chuck in this super-saturated classic episode of Stuff You Should Know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 14, 2023 • 41min

The Hyatt Regency Skywalk Disaster

In 1981 America suffered the worst accidental structural collapse in its history. Listen in today to the tragic story of the fast-tracked building disaster that stills haunts Kansas City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 13, 2023 • 11min

Short Stuff: Why Spilling Salt is Unlucky

Face it, when you spill salt your life goes totally off the rails, maybe even forever. Fortunately, we humans stumbled upon the one reliable way to counteract that bad luck by tossing some over our left shoulder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 12, 2023 • 49min

Axolotls: The Smiling Salamander from Mexico

It’s a listener request! Axolotls are one of the more amazing animals roaming the planet right now – they can regenerate parts of their brains, can fight off tumors, are found in the wild only in one single lake? And did we mention they smile all the time?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 9, 2023 • 48min

Selects: How Space Stations Work

This episode of the podcast explores the history and challenges of living in space, the space race between the US and the Soviet Union, the unpredictable return of the Skylab space station, and the Soviet Union's success with space stations like Salyut and the Mirror.
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Sep 7, 2023 • 52min

Native American Reservations

Today we dive into the history and current state of Native American reservations. This serves as a nice follow-up to the Trail of Tears double-ep from 2017. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 6, 2023 • 15min

Short Stuff: History of OK

Is OK the best word? It's certainly one of the most versatile. Check the interesting history of this weird contraction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Sep 5, 2023 • 41min

The Made-up Disease of Syndrome K

In WWII, Italy went through its own Jewish Holocaust, terrible at first then horrific as the Nazis took over the country. In Rome, a group of doctors hid Jewish refugees in plain sight in their hospital by giving them a highly contagious, highly fictitious disease.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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