The idea of prison labor is relatively new in the annals of crime and punishment. And it's just as bad as you think. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

We’ve done episodes on cake, cookies and, at long last, pie. Belly up to your pod player and prepare to crave some pie! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Rice may be the most eaten food on the planet, accounting for 50% of the caloric intake of Asian countries and 25% worldwide. Learn all about this edible cereal crop today.

Graffiti – the good kind, done with lots of style and skill – developed when some kids in NYC took up cans of spray paint and started to figure out how to outdo one another. They laid down styles that are so fine they’re still being used by artists today. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

People who’ve found themselves in life-or-death situations with their endurance at its limit have reported sensing another presence with them, urging them to continue on and survive. No one knows what the heck is going on here but it sure is interesting. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

In 1905, an engineering mistake created a brand new 400-square-mile sea (lake?) in the California desert. People made the most of it at first, but it didn’t take long to become a toxic brew that now threatens the health of anyone in breathing distance. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Did Native Americans really smoke peace pipes? Well yes and no. They smoked pipes for many reasons, sometimes to commemorate peace. But they never called them peace pipes. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Co-producer Ben knocked it out of the park again, taking the two classic horror stories we read for our annual Spooktacular - Caterpillars and The Deep Drowse – and creating a moody Halloween masterpiece for your spooky listening enjoyment. So enjoy it! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

A legend in Tennessee tells of the real-life Bell family, who were haunted back in 1817 by a ghost witch - arguably the worst kind of either of those things. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

There aren’t too many independent horror movies that make the British Film Institute’s 250 Best Films Ever Made list – AND – make an appearance in the teen comedy Summer School. That makes sense because there’s no other movie quite like The TCSM. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Have you ever thought much about screaming? Well we have, and today you'll learn everything we learned.

It's seven years' bad luck for you if you break a mirror, buddy, sorry. But have you ever wondered why? People have come up with all sorts of great reasons since time immemorial. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Quick, name your favorite geological mystery. You can’t do it! Well, don’t worry. In this episode we’re going to tell you all about what will surely be your favorite (albeit only) one when we get into one weird millennium that happened not that long ago. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Today we complete our music video duology with a dive into the mellow pool of VH-1. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

If you died away from home but wanted to be buried there, don’t worry – Taoist priests had you covered. They’d just have your animated corpse walk itself back home. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

If you've ever wanted to hear a couple of Gen X'ers wax nostalgic about MTV, then you're in luck. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The concept of hospice was created as a way to help people with only a few weeks to live spend their last days comfortable an surrounded by friends and family in the hope they can pass away peacefully. It’s kind of crazy hospice was ever a radical idea. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Did you know that the "the call is coming from inside the house" urban legend may be based on a very grisly murder case from the 1950s? omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Today we kick off the scariest month with the legend of La Lechuza - The Witch Owl. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

It seems ridiculously irresponsible with the benefit of hindsight, but the concept of giving Hitler everything he wanted was the policy among the UK and France as a way to keep the world from sliding into a second world war. Turns out it didn’t work. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The secret military base Area 51 is inextricably linked to every secret, shady project the US government is rumored to be involved in – from reverse-engineering alien technology to coordinating a one-world government. The truth is much more mundane. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The Far Side is one of the greatest cartoons in history. Today we go to great lengths to convince you of that. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The death cap mushroom lives up to its name. It’s a mushroom cap that causes death. Find out why.

Sound effects are one of the unsung parts of any movie or TV show – they’re best when you don’t even notice them making what you see on screen even more real, and when they’re off you notice immediately. Learn how hard this amazing craft is in this episode. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Subpoenas are all the rage. But what do they even mean if someone can just ignore it? Learn this and a lot more in this classic episode. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

It’s an understated miracle that humans can get across ideas to one another by saying things out loud. We’re strangely good at not constantly talking over each other, interrupting one another, and correcting misunderstandings. All just by conversing!

One of the last uncontacted people in the world live in the Bay of Bengal and they have made it clear they don’t want you to visit. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

If you’ve ever found your blood pressure rising because some guy down the street doesn’t know how to keep the trigger on a leaf blower pulled all the way, then you’ve experienced noise pollution. Not only is it annoying, it turns out it’s deadly too! Learn all about it in this classic episode.

In the 1960s, America took stock of itself when scores of low-income cities broke out in riots. It found that racism was at the root of many social problems. Instead of addressing the underlying issues, the country decided instead to militarize the police. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Why does water seem to freeze faster when it starts out warmer? omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

E-e-e-eek! E-e-e-eek, we say! Adding to the tradition of our wonderful animal episodes we contribute this amazing installment on one of the all-time great sea creatures, the dolphin! Attach a sponge to your rostrum and dive in with Josh and Chuck! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

An amazing case of an early modern mass sighting of UFOs came in Nuremberg, Germany in 1561. Except it wasn’t that at all. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Crooked teeth have always been a thing, but it took us a long time to do something about it. Learn about the twisted history of orthodontics today! omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Why aren't there lemurs in Africa? That question created a whole theory about a lost continent. Turns out it's not true. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

In 1922, a pastor and his mistress were murdered in New Jersey. Nobody was ever convicted of the crime even though it seems clear who did it. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Metal fans have many ways to express themselves, but none are as metal as throwing the devil horns. But who did it first? omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Some of the most talented musicians in the world play heavy metal, some of the hardest-hitting music ever made. In this episode Chuck and Josh wade into the history of the genre, and try to get to the bottom of where the name came from. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

What if we could take all the trash and waste we generate every year – gigatons worth – and used it again as raw materials. What we would have is a closed circle, one where we have everything we need without taking anything else from nature. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Marianne Bachmeier committed a shocking act of violence in court in Germany in 1981 to avenge the murder of her young daughter. Many people understood. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The VW Beetle is the best selling car of all time. The story behind its creation is a bit complicated though. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Child prodigies are unique in that they achieve adult levels of achievement, but do not typically excel in adulthood. Why? Who knows. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

The food we eat – especially the junk food – is a highly engineered technical marvel that’s designed to make you want nothing other than more! more! more! Learn about how food scientists make that possible by hijacking our brains. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

This is not about smoking or lawsuits or lung cancer. This is about the cigarette itself, a truly unique and destructive invention. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

He’s been called the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb and a real-life Bond villain and depending on where you’re from, he’s a national hero or was the world’s most dangerous arms dealer - who made a career of selling his knowledge of nuclear weapons. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

🖇️ omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

We have boycotts coming out of our ears these days, but did you know they go back a couple centuries? And that it’s named after the first poor sap to be boycotted? We follow the history of boycotts up today’s boycott superstars and ask how well they work.

Alchemy evokes sorcerers working by candlelight combining potions to create magical items, real Dungeons & Dragons stuff. But alchemy gets a bad rap. Alchemists had lofty goals like curing poverty and their work laid the foundation for science to come. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...

Bengal cats are gorgeous animals, but they are bought and sold on the designer pet market, so booo. Learn about these hybrid kitties today.

Child labor is no laughing matter. Even though we've taken care of it in the USA (mostly), it's still an issue around the globe. Listen to this classic episode and learn!

8 tracks were during vinyl, but preceded cassettes. Why? So people could listen to their music on the go. Check out this antiquated medium today. omny.fm/shows/stuff-...