Best Episodes of Stuff You Should Know | Find That Pod (2025)

Diving into the world of Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) is like embarking on an intellectual adventure, where hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant transform ordinary topics into extraordinary narratives that both educate and entertain.

With hundreds of episodes spanning an incredible range of subjects, selecting the cream of the crop is no small feat. This curated list represents the podcast’s most compelling, surprising, and memorable episodes—those that exemplify SYSK’s unique ability to make complex information not just digestible, but downright fascinating.

The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five

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In 1978, five friends vanished after a basketball game. Their car was found abandoned on a remote mountain road, and their bodies were discovered the following spring. The circumstances of their disappearance remain an unsolved mystery.

BPD: The Worst Disorder or Not a Disorder at All?

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Borderline Personality Disorder is often characterized as an emotional condition of extreme sensitivity, where individuals experience psychological pain so intense it’s like having an emotional wound that never fully heals. The disorder creates a paradoxical dynamic where the profound terror of being left alone inadvertently triggers relationship-destroying patterns that ultimately push away the very connections the person desperately wants to maintain.

Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis

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During World War II, a British intelligence unit devised an ingenious military strategy involving a deceased, unidentified homeless man. By transforming the man’s corpse into an elaborate deception, they successfully manipulated the enemy’s strategic calculations, ultimately contributing to the Allies’ victory.

SYSK Live: The Kellogg Brothers’ Wacky World of Health

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Behind the famous corn flakes brand lies a fascinating origin story involving two brothers whose motivations intertwined health reform, religious beliefs, and provocative views on human sexuality. Their narrative spans unexpected connections between dietary innovation, personal convictions, and controversial perspectives on human behavior.

The Golden Age of Grave Robbing: Stuff You Should Know Live in London

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In the 19th century, a macabre underground market emerged in several English-speaking countries where enterprising individuals would exhume recently buried corpses to sell them to medical institutions. This gruesome trade attracted numerous unscrupulous individuals willing to profit from the lucrative demand for cadavers needed for anatomical research and surgical training.

SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist

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In this podcast episode, hosts Josh and Chuck explore a remarkable tale of aviation crime, focusing on an audacious airline hijacking that remains unsolved in American history, broadcasting from Seattle.

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

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In 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special aired—a bewildering television event that George Lucas reportedly permitted, creating an infamous moment in pop culture history that defies complete comprehension. This podcast episode revisits that bizarre broadcasting night, offering their annual exploration of this legendary entertainment anomaly.

How Lewis and Clark Worked

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This podcast episode dives into the lesser-known aspects of the Lewis and Clark expedition, exploring the nuanced details of America’s pivotal early westward exploration that have been overshadowed by the explorers’ general fame. The narrative uncovers the origin and lasting impact of this historic journey beyond the commonly known highlights.

Selects: The Tylenol Murders, Part I

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In 1982, a terrifying incident unfolded in Chicago where seven people died after deliberately tampered Tylenol bottles were distributed, creating a shocking and unprecedented public health crisis. This podcast episode explores the mysterious poisonings that targeted one of America’s most trusted over-the-counter medications, examining the details of this infamous crime.

The Unsolved Mystery Disappearance of the Sodder Children

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In 1945, a tragic house fire claimed the lives of five Sodder children under mysterious circumstances, with their bodies never recovered. This episode explores the perplexing and enduring mystery surrounding their unexplained disappearance.

Desert Survival: Josh and Chuck Save Your Tookus

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While the odds of becoming stranded in a desert are slim, this podcast episode provides crucial survival guidance for that unlikely scenario, potentially saving your life if you ever find yourself in such a predicament.

How Primitive Will Our Descendants Find Us?

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This reflection explores how our current practices might seem primitive to future generations, challenging us to critically examine our technological, social, and ethical norms from a forward-looking perspective.

Episode 999: The Simpsons Spectacular Part I

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In a special podcast milestone, they explore the cultural phenomenon of The Simpsons, tracing its enduring impact from the hosts’ childhood through its ongoing television legacy. Across two commemorative episodes marking their 999th and 1,000th installments, they pay tribute to the groundbreaking animated series that reshaped popular entertainment.

Gobekli Tepe

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Gobekli Tepe challenges archaeological understanding, revealing an extraordinarily sophisticated prehistoric spiritual site constructed millennia before humans were believed capable of such complex architectural and symbolic achievement.

How Search and Rescue Dogs Work

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This podcast episode celebrates working dogs who play critical roles in search and rescue, dedicating themselves to finding lost individuals and recovering bodies, ultimately providing crucial closure for human families.

How Charles Darwin Worked

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This episode explores Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking role in developing the theory of evolution through natural selection, highlighting how he reluctantly became a pivotal figure in the scientific dialogue challenging religious perspectives on human origins.

The Time Nazis Invaded Florida

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During World War II, Nazi agents attempted three separate infiltration missions into the United States, aiming to create widespread disruption and sabotage.

How Disgust Works

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This podcast episode explores the complex psychological phenomenon of disgust, examining how this emotion extends beyond basic survival instincts to encompass moral and social reactions, tracing its evolutionary origins and psychological complexity.

How Lizzie Borden Worked

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This episode dives into the enduring mystery of the Lizzie Borden case, exploring the infamous double homicide beyond the well-known nursery rhyme, and examining the unresolved questions surrounding the murderer’s true identity.

Henry Ford: The Good, Bad and Ugly

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Henry Ford was an eccentric individual with a clear vision for America, built around the idea of a populist, accessible, and dependable car. However, he was also infamous for his antisemitic views and struggled in his role as a father. Join us as we explore the life of the man behind the founding of Ford Motor Company.

The Wright Brothers

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The Wright brothers, neither formally trained experts nor professional engineers, were meticulous and systematic researchers whose groundbreaking experiments ultimately transformed human transportation and technological innovation.

The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part I

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In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished without a trace, becoming aviation’s most perplexing mystery. Despite an exhaustive two-year search across an expansive 120,000-square-kilometer oceanic region, the Boeing 777 and its passengers remain unaccounted for, defying modern technological tracking capabilities.

How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked

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In 1962, three inmates from Alcatraz transformed from ordinary prisoners to legendary fugitives when they escaped the supposedly impenetrable prison, crafting a makeshift raft and vanishing into the San Francisco Bay, leaving behind an enduring mystery of their potential survival.

The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys

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This podcast episode explores the fascinating backstory of Sea Monkeys, those intriguing mail-order creatures that captivated countless children’s imaginations. Far from the fantastical creatures depicted in comic book advertisements, these are actually humble brine shrimp with a surprisingly compelling origin story.

How the Hoover Dam Works, Part I

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The Hoover Dam stands as a monumental engineering achievement of 20th-century America, a massive concrete structure taming a challenging river and enabling the existence of multiple major cities by providing crucial water and electrical resources.

The Apache Wars

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This historical account explores the prolonged conflict between the United States government and the Apache nations, a decades-long struggle marked by territorial invasion and resistance. As settlers and military forces progressively encroached on Apache lands, the indigenous groups fought fiercely, ultimately facing near-annihilation in a devastating campaign of cultural and physical destruction.

When Mount St. Helens Blew Its Top

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In the spring of 1980, Mount St. Helens transformed from a picturesque natural landmark into a terrifying force of geological destruction, unleashing one of the most dramatic volcanic eruptions in modern United States history.

How Dopamine Works

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This exploration goes into dopamine’s complex role in human physiology, examining how a single neurotransmitter can be simultaneously linked to addiction, motivation, pleasure, and productivity. The podcast investigates the multifaceted nature of this biochemical, unraveling its intricate impact on human behavior and neurological functioning.

NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel

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New York City’s water infrastructure represents an extraordinary engineering achievement, transforming rainfall and snowmelt from upstate regions into a pristine urban water supply. This remarkable system not only delivers essential water to millions of residents and businesses but is also famously credited with contributing to the city’s legendary culinary specialties like bagels and pizza crust.

Nuclear Semiotics: How to Talk to Future Humans

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This exploration examines the critical challenge of safely managing nuclear waste—a hazardous material that remains dangerous for millennia. While scientists have developed sophisticated underground storage methods to contain radioactive materials, the complex problem of warning future civilizations about these sites remains an unprecedented communication challenge spanning thousands of years.

Things We Believed Before the Scientific Method

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This podcast episode challenges our modern tendency to dismiss historical beliefs as simplistic or irrational. By examining seemingly bizarre past theories—like the notion of spontaneous generation—the discussion reveals the underlying logic and intellectual frameworks that preceded scientific understanding, demonstrating that our ancestors’ worldviews were more nuanced and thoughtful than contemporary audiences might assume.

Mangroves: Nature’s Best Tree?

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This exploration celebrates mangroves as remarkable ecological champions, highlighting their extraordinary ability to survive in challenging environments, mitigate tropical storm impacts, and contribute to climate change resilience. These unique ecosystems are not only scientifically fascinating but visually striking, inviting listeners to dive into their complex and compelling world.

The Disappearance of Lars Mittank

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In 2014, a young German named Lars Mittank arrived at a Bulgarian airport with a flight scheduled. However, without warning, he bolted out of the terminal, abandoning all his belongings, and vanished without a trace. This is his mysterious story.

The Max Headroom Incident

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In 1987, something truly bizarre happened on Chicago’s airwaves. During an episode of *Doctor Who*, the broadcast was hijacked for a few minutes by none other than the eccentric TV character Max Headroom. The imposter spoke in distorted tones, waved an adult novelty item, and was swatted on the backside with a fly swatter by someone dressed like Annie Oakley. If this sounds surreal, it’s because it was. This unsettling event is now known as the Max Headroom Incident.

Is there treasure on Oak Island?

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Off the coast of Nova Scotia lies Oak Island, a small stretch of land that has drawn treasure hunters for over two centuries. Some seekers even paid the ultimate price in pursuit of a legendary treasure said to be hidden in a mysterious, deep pit. But is there truly anything buried there?

How Galaxies Work

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In the cosmos, objects naturally gather into clusters, revealing the universe’s intricate structure. By studying star clusters—known as galaxies—we can uncover the secrets of this cosmic design. Hop aboard with Chuck and Josh for an incredible journey through space!

What is a Numbers Station?

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If you believe that covert messages broadcasted through shortwave radio are a thing of the Cold War past, think again. Chuck and Josh are here to bust that myth and explore the mysteries of numbers stations, including why they might still be active today.

Were Nazis Drug-Fueled Crankheads?

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The Nazis were undeniably terrible individuals, and it turns out many of them were fueled by massive amounts of methamphetamine. Was this a cocktail for catastrophe? Absolutely.

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