Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Amid the rarefied air of tech billionaires, Peter Thiel carves a larger-than-life figure in the modern world. To some, he's a philosopher king. To others, a supervillain. One thing's for sure: pretty much everyone is baffled by his continual rhetoric about the 'antichrist' -- so, what exactly does he mean? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the deep, Biblical waters surrounding a man who, accord...

Love it or hate it, there's no denying that reality TV -- also known as unscripted television -- is a titan of the entertainment industry. In fact, if you have cable and turn on your TV right now, you'll probably find a reality show of some sort playing on multiple channels. Most people know this sort of programming isn't as 'real' as it may purport to be... but what made this stuff so successful? Perhaps most importantly: Why do s...

We've all experienced it: a moment of sudden, unexplained certitude: go left, not right, says a voice in your head; stay home from work today, or pause a second longer at this traffic light. For most of us, these small, inexplicable moments come and go. But why do they exist? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore why some radical physicists believe what we call 'intuition' may just be a message from the future.

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It's our first listener mail segment of 2026! The Grease Weasel gives an inside look at faith healing. Bonita C. provides more context on the terrifying hidden history of Africville. Alpha Flight and Betty share strange Christmas stories. Inspired by Noah, the guys vow to do a full episode on oligarchs. William writes a beautiful letter all the way from Malaysia. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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Have you ever heard the story of "shrunken heads"? In the West, a ton of people sadly associate this with their own self-centric pop-culture experiences. However -- as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode -- the ancient practice of creating tsantsas is far more fascinating than any nostalgia reference. Tune in to learn the true conspiracy behind the popularity of "shrunken heads".

They don't want you to read our book.: h...

It's 2026. Fellow Conspiracy Realists, stuff is getting weird. This inspires Ben, Matt and Noel to return to a Classic episode about the last time a civilization fell: Sometime between between c. 1250 - c. 1150 BCE, civilization as we knew it simply... collapsed. Once-thriving empires fell one after another. Trade routes disintegrated. Literacy plummeted. Mysterious raiders from the sea pillaged city after city. In less than a cent...

Oh, come on! We take a couple weeks off for the holidays, and the world goes nuts? Ben, Matt and Noel welcome you back to the first strange news segment of 2026. Tune in as the guys explore the unfolding chaos in Venezuela and abroad, the debate about the McRib, Uncle Sam's new interest in Russia's shadow fleet -- and so much more.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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Well, folks, the results are in: 2025 was a rough year for American science. Massive funding cuts to research and development aren't just slowing the pace of innovation -- they're also sending thousands of the nation's best and brightest out of the country... and straight into the arms of nations that would love to have them. What does this mean for the future? What does this mean for the families affected? Perhaps most importantly...

In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous civilizations throughout history. Som...

As Ben, Matt and Noel return from a holiday break, they recall a shocking discovery from their earlier investigation into the Atlas Network. What exactly is the 'National Endowment for Democracy'? Why does this... quasi-private, government-funded, global entity have so many people so concerned?

Also, why are so many people calling it 'a new CIA'? We're back, baby! Tune in.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static...

The world of professional sports is a multi-billion dollar industry -- and even the most ardent fans may not know what actually happens away from the bright lights and cheering crowds. Join Ben and special guest, journalist Tim Livingston, the creator of Whistleblower, as they dive into the strange, twisting tale of one of the NBA's biggest conspiracies -- a gambling scandal that rocked the industry and, disturbingly, may have repr...

Earlier this year, two children went missing in Milwaukee. Despite the pleas of their parents and loved ones, the local police did not treat these children as "critically missing," meaning they issued no Amber Alert. Desperate for answers, family members took matters into their own hands, tracing one of the missing children's phones to a duplex in town. Amid ongoing, unrelated protests, more and more citizens of Milwaukee began to ...

Officially formed in 1999, Nunavut is the newest and most northerly territory of Canada. This sparsely-populated region is home unique wildlife, ancient culture and, it seems, a mystery. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they unravel the strange story of a bizarre, unexplained sound emerging from the seafloor -- it's allegedly terrified migratory animals, baffled local hunters, and inspired the Canadian government to launch an official in...

Could human dreams really, in some way, predict the future? At first, it sounds like the stuff of science fiction... but the real-life answer may not be as clear-cut as the plot of a sci-fi blockbuster. Instead, it turns out that probability, bias and, perhaps, the bleeding edge of physics may all play a role in the strange phenomenon known as precognitive dreams. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they search for a scientific take on prec...

Dreams are one of the most mysterious aspects of human existence, and we still don't fully understand the strange phenomenon known as dreaming. For thousands of years, human beings have taken action in the waking world based on information they encounter in a dream -- and, every so often, people have felt their dreams aren't just reminding them of the past or re-contextualizing the present. Instead, in virtually every culture and i...

Since before the dawn of recorded history, humans have been haunted by rumors of monsters beneath the waves -- and, as time wore on, it seemed at least some of those legends were based in truth. Today's question: could any sea serpents, leviathans or other cryptids remain alive in the modern day? Tune in to learn more.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into fact and f...

For millennia, people in civilizations across the planet have claimed to perceive intangible energy emanating from people, animals, plants -- and even inanimate objects. And, in recent centuries, scientists and mystics alike have sought to explain this phenomenon. As you might imagine, not everyone agrees on what an aura could be -- or whether it exists -- in the modern day.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macm...