Selects: How Spiritualism Works
March 7, 2026
The modern American Spiritualism movement is pinpointed to March 31, 1848, in Hydesville, New York, originating from rapping sounds allegedly produced by the young Fox sisters.
Let's All Go to the World's Fair
March 5, 2026
World's Fairs, or International Expositions, served as crucial opportunities for the average person to witness cutting-edge technology and national progress before the widespread accessibility of the internet.
Short Stuff: Johnny Ringo
March 4, 2026
The life of outlaw Johnny Ringo, featured in the *
The Gold Standard: When Money Meant Something
March 3, 2026
The gold standard required that a country's currency be redeemable for a fixed amount of gold, providing stability but limiting the government's ability to print money or respond flexibly to economic crises.
Selects: How Dopamine Works
February 28, 2026
Dopamine is fundamentally misunderstood in popular culture as purely a pleasure-inducing chemical; current research suggests it primarily functions as a signaling molecule related to motivation, learning, and prediction error.
The Battle of the Sexes
February 26, 2026
The 1973 Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs occurred during a period of significant momentum for women's rights and advocacy, including the recent passage of Title IX.
Short Stuff: MacGuffins
February 25, 2026
A MacGuffin is generally agreed upon as a plot device that motivates characters in a story or movie, though definitions differ on its ultimate importance to the plot itself.
The Murder of Jane Stanford
February 24, 2026
The founding of Stanford University by Jane and Leland Stanford was financed by Leland's wealth, which was accumulated through ethically questionable means related to the Central Pacific Railroad.
Selects: How Free Range Parenting Works
February 21, 2026
The concept of free-range parenting, which emphasizes giving children freedom to play and explore independently, has become a movement pushing back against increasingly structured and supervised modern child-rearing practices.
How the Flexner Report Changed Medicine
February 19, 2026
The 1910 Flexner Report, commissioned by the AMA and funded by the Carnegie Foundation, drastically revamped U.S. medical education by favoring the rigorous, science-based German model exemplified by Johns Hopkins University, leading to the closure of over half of existing medical schools.
Short Stuff: Safety Coffins
February 18, 2026
The historical fear of being buried alive, known as taphophobia, was prevalent in the 1800s, leading to the invention and patenting of numerous 'safety coffins' designed to allow escape or signal for help.
How Crowds Work
February 17, 2026
Modern understanding suggests that humans are generally innately good at navigating crowds, often behaving more orderly and pro-socially than historical theories like Gustave Le Bon's suggested.
Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
February 14, 2026
Charles Darwin is presented as the central figure, or "fulcrum," upon which the major shift from a religious worldview to a scientific worldview regarding evolution took place, despite not being the sole originator of the natural selection concept.
How Lasers Work
February 12, 2026
The acronym LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, and laser light is fundamentally different from regular light because it is monochromatic (single wavelength), coherent (photons are perfectly in phase), and collimated (traveling in the same direction).
Short Stuff: Aztec Death Whistle
February 11, 2026
The Aztec Death Whistles discussed in this *
How Cognitive Biases Work
February 10, 2026
Cognitive biases are hardwired mental shortcuts (heuristics) that the brain uses to maintain homeostasis by conserving energy, often leading to predictably irrational decisions that can be exploited by marketers.
Selects: Why Do Great Flood Myths Seem To Be Universal?
February 7, 2026
The discovery of the flood narrative in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which predates the Old Testament account, suggests that the story of Noah's flood may be adapted from an even older source, potentially hinting at a real historical event.
The Cajun Navy: Heroes or Liability?
February 5, 2026
The Cajun Navy originated during Hurricane Katrina in response to government failure, gaining significant organization and cohesion during the 2016 Louisiana floods through the use of smartphones and apps like Zello.
Short Stuff: Color Psychology
February 4, 2026
Color psychology is highly personal, influenced by culture, age, personal experiences, and current mood, meaning there is no universal meaning for colors.
Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan: Miracle is Right
February 3, 2026
The initial breakthrough for Helen Keller, taught by Anne Sullivan, was achieving the realization that physical sensations corresponded to language (words), famously occurring at a water pump.
Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis
January 31, 2026
The episode being featured, "Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis" from the podcast *
The Magnificent Golden Gate Bridge
January 29, 2026
The name "Golden Gate" predates the construction of the bridge, having been named in 1846 by John Fremont for the strait connecting the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.
Short Stuff: Magic 8 Ball
January 28, 2026
The Magic 8 Ball originated from a prototype called the "Psycho Seer," created by Albert Carter, inspired by his clairvoyant mother during World War II.
The Charge of the Light Brigade
January 27, 2026
The Crimean War (1853-1856), which featured the event inspiring the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade," was notable for high death rates from disease and being one of the first wars extensively covered by the press, leading to terms like "the thin red line."
Selects: The Truth Behind Cage-Free and Free-Range
January 24, 2026
The effective altruism community successfully pressured major companies to commit to using 100% cage-free eggs through focused advocacy and lobbying efforts.
The Ballad of Biggie and Tupac
January 22, 2026
The intense rivalry between Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, which polarized the East Coast versus West Coast rap scene, was rooted in complex personal conflicts, including Tupac's belief that Biggie and Sean Combs were involved in the 1994 Quad Studios shooting.
Short Stuff: The S7VEN Deadly Sins
January 21, 2026
The concept of the Seven Deadly Sins does not actually appear in the Bible, despite its strong association with Christianity.
Keeping Time
January 20, 2026
Early timekeeping, starting with the gnomon (a stick in the ground), was primarily focused on tracking seasons and the sun's movement rather than precise hourly appointments.
Selects: BPD: The Worst Disorder or Not a Disorder at All?
January 17, 2026
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by profound emotional dysregulation, often described metaphorically as having third-degree burns, leading to a constant hair-trigger emotional response unlike the episodic nature of bipolar disorder.
Data Centers: Can't Live With Em, Can't Live Without Em
January 15, 2026
Global data consumption is growing exponentially, reaching 150 zettabytes in 2024, necessitating a massive expansion of data centers.
Short Stuff: Did a vampire legend help win the Cold War?
January 14, 2026
During the Cold War, CIA operative Ed Lansdale utilized psychological operations (PsyOps) in the Philippines by weaponizing the local folklore creature, the Aswang, to undermine communist sympathizers.
Doin’ Science in the National Radio Quiet Zone
January 13, 2026
The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) in West Virginia was established to protect highly sensitive radio telescopes, like the one at the Green Bank Observatory, from radio interference generated by modern technology.
Selects: How Forgiveness Works
January 10, 2026
Scientific research into forgiveness, gaining traction in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily focuses on the benefits for the person doing the forgiving rather than the person seeking redemption.
The SAD Episode
January 8, 2026
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is clinically classified as a major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern, distinct from the common 'winter blues,' and affects an estimated 5% of the US population.
Short Stuff: Neighborhood Watch
January 7, 2026
The official National Neighborhood Watch Program, formed in 1972, is overseen by the National Sheriff's Association and is based on the Chicago School of Social Disorganization Theory, aiming to increase community control against crime.
The Warrens: Paranormal Power Couple
January 6, 2026
Ed and Lorraine Warren, who founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952, are credited with making ghost hunting mainstream, influencing much of the paranormal television content today.
Selects: MC Escher and His Trippy Art
January 3, 2026
M.C. Escher, despite his highly mathematical artwork, reportedly considered himself a mathematician rather than an artist, a view that contrasts with how he is often perceived.
TV Moments That Changed The World
January 1, 2026
The debut of live television broadcasting at the 1939 World's Fair, featuring Franklin Roosevelt, marked the public start of TV, driven by RCA's integration of TV sets and NBC broadcasting.
Short Stuff: All About Porcelain
December 31, 2025
Porcelain is a subset of ceramics, distinguished by its higher density, longer firing time, and higher kiln temperatures, resulting in superior durability and non-porous characteristics.
What We Lost When We Lost Home Ec
December 30, 2025
Home Economics (Home Ec) originated as a radical, feminist-leaning movement focused on making domestic work economically significant and scientifically efficient, exemplified by figures like Ellen Swallow Richards.
Selects: How Miniature Golf Works
December 27, 2025
The world's first miniature golf course was built in 1867 at the Ladies' Putting Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, primarily to restrict women's full golf swings.
Dolls and Dolls, Guys!
December 25, 2025
The definition of a doll is intentionally broad, generally agreed upon as a toy representing a human figure that aids in children's development by teaching empathy and emotional recognition.
Short Stuff: Why is holly a holiday thing?
December 24, 2025
The word "holly" likely derives from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "prickly" or "to prick," rather than from the word "holy."
SYSK's 2025 Holiday Extravaganza Christmas Special
December 23, 2025
The Moravian tradition of creating elaborate nativity scenes, known as 'putzes,' directly seeded the modern Christmas village and eventually the tradition of having trains around the Christmas tree.
Selects: PT Barnum: More Complicated Than You've Heard
December 20, 2025
P.T. Barnum's life was characterized by an enormous number of varied ventures, making any single portrayal, like in *
Doggerland: Lost at Sea
December 18, 2025
Doggerland, the submerged landmass in the North Sea that once connected the UK and Europe, is believed to have been one of the most densely populated areas in Mesolithic Europe.
Short Stuff: Battle of Itter Castle
December 17, 2025
The Battle of Itter Castle was an extremely unusual late-WWII engagement in the European theater where German troops allied with Americans and French forces to defend VIP prisoners against an assault by the Nazi SS.
Battle Royale: Optimists vs Pessimists
December 16, 2025
Psychologically, optimism and pessimism are defined less by general disposition and more by dispositional (future prediction) and attributional (assigning cause) styles, which can be measured by tools like the Life Orientation Test (LOT-R).
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
December 13, 2025
The *
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?
December 12, 2025
The phenomenon of the annual "must-have Christmas toy" was arguably established by the Cabbage Patch Kids in 1983, characterized by intense media buzz, scarcity, and resulting consumer violence, setting a precedent for subsequent holiday crazes.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: A Partial History of Action Figures
December 12, 2025
The action figure concept was directly inspired by the massive commercial success of the Barbie doll, specifically the desire by toy companies to replicate Barbie's lucrative accessory/add-on sales model for boys' toys.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion
December 12, 2025
The Beanie Babies craze of the mid-to-late 90s was described as potentially the greatest market bubble of all time, with about 63% of Americans owning at least one.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids: Must-Have Toy of the Century
December 12, 2025
The Cabbage Patch Kids phenomenon, which began with Xavier Roberts' 'Little People' dolls, reached a fever pitch in the Christmas of 1983, characterized by unprecedented consumer frenzy and media attention.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Etch A Sketch!
December 12, 2025
The Etch A Sketch, despite its simple, lo-fi design, has maintained surprising popularity and mystique in the digital age due to its unique mechanical operation.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Hot Wheels Work
December 12, 2025
Hot Wheels, produced by Mattel since 1968, has manufactured over 4 billion cars, making it the number one vehicle manufacturer globally, surpassing the combined output of the big four Detroit automakers.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Monopoly Works
December 12, 2025
The board game Monopoly, which celebrates capitalism, actually originated as "The Landlord's Game," created by Lizzie Maggie to teach against monopolies and illustrate the evils of capitalism based on Georgism principles.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Play-Doh Works
December 12, 2025
The original Play-Doh was invented as a pliable putty wallpaper cleaner designed to remove coal soot before the widespread adoption of natural gas heating.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever
December 12, 2025
The North American video game market had completely crashed by 1983, with Atari losing $536 million in one year, making Nintendo's subsequent success with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) a highly risky but ultimately revolutionary endeavor.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Hula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape
December 12, 2025
The hula hoop has an ancient history, with evidence of children playing with grapevine hoops in Egypt around 1000 BC, predating most world religions.
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Easy Bake Ovens Work
December 12, 2025
The Easy Bake Oven's initial success stemmed from Kenner's genius marketing strategy of using a familiar, seemingly safe light bulb as the heating element to convince parents it was safer than previous dangerous toy ovens.
A Quick History of the BBC
December 11, 2025
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC), formed in 1922, was initially established as a partnership between the Post Office and the Marconi Company before becoming a state-owned monopoly funded by a unique household license fee.
Short Stuff: Atacama Skeleton
December 10, 2025
The subject of the *
Operation Paul Bunyan
December 9, 2025
The *
Selects: What Is A Mold-A-Rama?
December 6, 2025
The Mold-A-Rama is an on-demand injection blow-molded plastic toy dispenser, which debuted at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and was a major hit at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
What's the bar exam like anyway?
December 4, 2025
The bar exam has evolved significantly from early oral quizzes by judges to the modern, standardized Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which itself faces criticism regarding its relevance and potential for systemic bias.
Short Stuff: Camberley Kate
December 3, 2025
Camberley Kate, whose real name was Kate Ward, was an early, independent animal rescuer in Camberley, England, who rescued hundreds of dogs and possibly cats over several decades, starting around 1943.
The Brutal History of Prison Labor
December 2, 2025
The concept of prison labor as a form of punishment is surprisingly modern, gaining traction after Thomas More's *
Selects: How Black Friday Works
November 29, 2025
The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s, coined by police and city workers to describe the chaotic traffic and crowds resulting from shoppers converging for sales the day after Thanksgiving, not initially related to stores going into profit ("in the black").
Julia Child, la Grandes Gourmande
November 27, 2025
Julia Child almost single-handedly introduced America to real food through French cuisine, revolutionizing the culinary world from a time of processed foods and jello molds.
Short Stuff: Pies
November 26, 2025
The concept of pie dates back 8,000 years to ancient Egypt with grain-based 'galettes,' though modern pastry dough techniques were significantly advanced by the Greeks.
Rice is Nice
November 25, 2025
Rice is botanically classified as a seed from a grass plant, and white rice is significantly stripped of nutrients compared to brown, red, or black rice, often requiring artificial enrichment.
Selects: Rockettes: Still Kicking After All These Years
November 22, 2025
The legendary Rockettes of New York City and Radio City Music Hall were originally founded in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri, as the St. Louis Rockets by choreographer Russell Markert, who was inspired by the British Tiller Girls.
Graffiti: So Cool It’s A Pillar of Hip Hop
November 20, 2025
Modern graffiti has precursors dating back to 1930s Mexican mural art influencing Chicano tagging in the US, predating the invention of the spray can.
Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language
November 19, 2025
Floriography, the language of flowers, was a highly detailed and coded system used in the Victorian Era to communicate unspoken messages due to societal repression.
AM Radio: Solid Gold
November 18, 2025
AM radio was the first form of mass communication that was not printed, setting standards for news presentation and entertainment formats like soap operas.
Selects: How Personality Tests Work
November 15, 2025
The effort to categorize human personality, exemplified by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), stems from psychology's early need to establish itself as a legitimate science through quantification.
Pop Tarts: No Fruit Necessary
November 13, 2025
The development of Pop-Tarts in the 1960s was driven by the need for convenience foods to fill the vacuum created as second-wave feminism moved women into the workplace.
Short Stuff: Third Man Syndrome
November 12, 2025
Third Man Syndrome is a phenomenon where people facing extreme duress sense a tangible, guiding presence, often cited in survival situations like mountaineering or disaster survival.
Eco-Disasters 101: The Salton Sea
November 11, 2025
The Salton Sea, an inland body of water in Southern California, was accidentally created in 1905 when an engineering error diverted the Colorado River into the Salton Basin, leading to a temporary 400-square-mile body of water.
Selects: How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work
November 8, 2025
Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy or ex-gay therapy, is based on the scientifically unsupported theory that heterosexuality is the innate state and homosexuality can be 'cured' through psychological or religious intervention.
The Mystery of the Death Valley Germans
November 6, 2025
The mystery of the four German tourists who vanished in Death Valley National Park in July 1996 remained unsolved for 15 years until an amateur desert explorer named Tom Mahood began investigating the case.
Short Stuff Peace Pipes
November 5, 2025
The term "peace pipe" is a misnomer applied by American settlers; Native Americans referred to these items generally as pipes, or more specifically as sacred or ceremonial pipes, which were used for various solemn occasions, not exclusively for peace.
What To Do With All This Nuclear Waste?
November 4, 2025
The current primary methods for managing spent nuclear fuel involve temporary storage in cooling pools followed by transfer to dry casks, as a permanent geologic repository solution, like the one planned for Yucca Mountain, remains stalled in the U.S.
Selects: How Extinction Works
November 1, 2025
Extinction is a natural process, with scientists estimating that over 99% of all species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct, often with a typical species lifespan of about 10 million years.
SYSK's 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular
October 30, 2025
The annual Halloween tradition in the *
Short Stuff: The Bell Witch
October 29, 2025
The haunting of the Bell family in Tennessee, beginning around 1817, involved terrifying initial sightings, including a creature with the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, before escalating to physical abuse and audible conversations with the entity identified as the Bell Witch.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Masterpiece
October 28, 2025
The director, Tobe Hooper, was inspired to create *
Selects: The Great Finger in the Wendy’s Chili Caper
October 25, 2025
The hosts introduce this replay of the *
THE HUMAN SCREAM
October 23, 2025
The human scream is produced via a distinct, fast neural pathway originating in the limbic system (amygdala), bypassing higher cognitive processing used for normal speech, which allows for an immediate fight-or-flight response in listeners.
Short Stuff: Curse of Broken Mirrors
October 22, 2025
The superstition surrounding breaking a mirror and incurring seven years of bad luck may stem from ancient Greek beliefs about reflections in water (Narcissus myth) and later Roman beliefs that the reflection is the soul, which is damaged upon the mirror's breakage.
[Insert Your Own Catchy Title About Younger Dryas Here]
October 21, 2025
The Younger Dryas (YD) was a surprising, shocking period where Earth suddenly reverted to near ice-age conditions for over a thousand years after starting to warm out of the last ice age, perplexing paleoclimatologists.
Selects: How ESP Works (?)
October 18, 2025
The term ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) is a collective term for paranormal phenomena, which some researchers prefer to call 'psi' to suggest a normal, though currently misunderstood, part of humanity.
VH-1: MTV for Your Parents
October 16, 2025
VH-1 was launched in 1985 by the same company as MTV, initially as a 'value add' competitor to Ted Turner's music channel, positioning itself as the older, mellower, adult contemporary counterpart to MTV.
Short Stuff: China's Corpse Walkers
October 15, 2025
A custom in China's Hunan province, dating back to at least the Qing Dynasty, involved Taoist priests animating corpses to walk themselves back to their birthplace for burial to prevent restless spirits.
We want our MTV!
October 14, 2025
The foundation of MTV's low-cost initial programming relied entirely on record companies providing promotional music videos for free, which proved to be a highly effective marketing tool for selling records.
Selects: How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement
October 11, 2025
Schoolhouse Rock originated from an advertising agency executive, David McCall, who sought to apply commercial jingle techniques to teach his son multiplication tables, leading to the hiring of jazz pianist and composer Bob Doro.
Everyone Deserves A Good Death
October 9, 2025
The concept of a "good death" centers on saying goodbyes, having control over the process, and being pain-free, which are the core aims of hospice care.
Short Stuff: The Call is Coming... FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE
October 8, 2025
The urban legend "The Call is Coming from Inside the House," also known as "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs," likely originated in the 1960s and relied on the technological limitation that one could not easily call their own landline number.
The Happy Place of Saturday Morning Cartoons
October 7, 2025
The era of Saturday morning cartoons, spanning roughly from 1966 to the late 1990s/early 2000s, served as a crucial, shared cultural touchstone that bonded generations of children through common reference points.
Selects: How Mail Order Marriages Work
October 4, 2025
Mail order marriage, now often termed mail order marriage to include same-sex couples, has a long history in the US, evolving from government-sanctioned efforts to stabilize frontier male populations to the modern international marriage brokerage industry.
The Mystery of the Sleepy Sickness
October 2, 2025
The condition discussed in the *
Short Stuff: La Lechuza - The Witch Owl
October 1, 2025
La Lechuza, or the Witch Owl, is a legend primarily originating from the Texas-Mexico border region, described as a seven-foot-tall owl with a woman's face and a 15-foot wingspan.
Why Would Anyone Want to Appease Hitler?
September 30, 2025
The policy of appeasement, adopted by the UK and France leading up to World War II, was primarily motivated by a desire to avoid another devastating war, despite Hitler's clear intentions laid out in *
Selects: How Area 51 Works
September 27, 2025
The modern mystique surrounding Area 51, particularly its association with aliens and UFOs, largely originated from a single 1989 local news interview with Bob Lazar, despite the base's decades of prior secret operations.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders
September 26, 2025
The episode of *
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist
September 26, 2025
The D.B. Cooper heist, which occurred on Thanksgiving Eve in 1971, involved a man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacking Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle for $200,000 and parachutes before jumping mid-air.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?
September 26, 2025
The 1912 Villisca ax murders involved the brutal killing of eight people, including six children, in Villisca, Iowa, with the perpetrator using the blunt side of the axe first before methodically caving in the victims' heads with the sharp side.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
September 26, 2025
The initial wave of the Tylenol Murders occurred on a single day, September 29, 1982, in the Chicago area, resulting in seven deaths initially attributed to unrelated medical events like strokes and heart attacks.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping
September 26, 2025
The 1976 Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping, which involved burying 26 children and the bus driver alive for ransom, remains the largest domestic kidnapping in U.S. history.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part II
September 26, 2025
Johnson & Johnson's handling of the 1982 Chicago Tylenol Murders crisis is widely taught as a textbook example of effective public relations management, despite initial reluctance to issue a full recall.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tale of the Bloody Benders
September 26, 2025
The Bender family, operating in remote southeastern Kansas during the 1870s, is considered one of America's earliest serial killer families, responsible for at least 21 murders using a consistent method of bashing victims' skulls and slitting their throats.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harvey’s Casino Bombing of 1980
September 26, 2025
The bombing of Harvey's Casino in Lake Tahoe on August 26, 1980, involved a highly sophisticated, nearly undefeatable bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite, which the FBI used as a teaching model for years.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy
September 26, 2025
Ken McElroy was a notorious, violent criminal in Skidmore, Missouri, who evaded conviction for numerous crimes, including sexual assault and abuse of minors, through intimidation and legal maneuvering by his attorney, Richard Gene McFadden.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harrowing Story of the North Hollywood Shootout
September 26, 2025
The North Hollywood Shootout, or Battle of North Hollywood, on February 28, 1997, involved two heavily armed robbers, Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. and Emil Mataseranu, who were so outgunned that the event directly led to the militarization of police forces via legislation like the 1033 program.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances
September 26, 2025
The central mystery discussed in "SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances" concerns three young women who vanished without a trace from Indiana Dunes State Park on July 2, 1966, after wading into Lake Michigan.
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: How The Great Train Robbery Worked
September 26, 2025
The Great Train Robbery of 1963 involved 15 men, including members of the Bowler Hat Gang and the South Coast Raiders, who successfully robbed the UP Special mail train of approximately 2.6 million pounds, an amount worth over $100 million today.
A Tribute To The Far Side
September 25, 2025
The Far Side by Gary Larson is considered one of the greatest cartoons in history, profoundly shaping humor and culture through its unique, single-panel format and absurd observations of life.
Short Stuff: Death Cap Mushroom
September 24, 2025
The Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) is a highly toxic fungus with a 10-15% fatality rate, primarily due to the amatoxin it contains, which destroys liver cells.
Tdhtdhtdhtdhtdh: Sound Effects!
September 23, 2025
The art of sound effects, particularly Foley, is a highly intricate and creative craft that remains essential in filmmaking despite technological advancements, with Foley artists acting as "sound actors" to enhance realism.
Selects: Slime Mold: 0% Mold, 100% Amazing
September 20, 2025
Slime molds, despite lacking brains or nervous systems, exhibit complex behaviors like problem-solving, altruism, and even a form of learning and memory, challenging our understanding of intelligence.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
September 18, 2025
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, officially the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, was a 40-year experiment where African American men with syphilis were deliberately left untreated, even after effective treatments like penicillin became available, to observe the disease's progression.
Short Stuff: Killing a Dead Body
September 17, 2025
The legal concept of "legal impossibility" in murder cases, where an act cannot be completed because the victim is already dead, has been largely superseded by the principle of "intent," meaning the perpetrator's state of mind and what they intended to do is the primary factor in determining guilt for attempted murder.
What was the Four Pests Campaign?
September 16, 2025
The "Four Pests Campaign" in Communist China, aimed at eradicating rats, mosquitoes, flies, and sparrows, was a disastrous initiative that, while initially successful in pest reduction, contributed significantly to the Great Famine due to the unintended ecological consequences of eliminating sparrows, which prey on locusts.