Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

From UFOs to psychic powers and government cover-ups, history is riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or learn the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know ... an audio podcast from iHeartRadio.

Episodes 2,194
Books 761

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Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism cover

Enemy Aliens

David Cole

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Subterranean Secrets of Denton, Texas

This book, featuring the photojournalist's work, included many images from the civil rights movement and documented the relocation and stripping of property from Japanese Canadians during World War II. The speaker highly recommended it.

But he was a Canadian, a Japanese Canadian, who went through the exact same thing there in Canada, where Japanese Canadians were also relocated and stripped of property and put in these sort of, you know, siloed areas, these ghettos, kind of. And I had no idea that that was going on there. I didn't know that. Yeah. Really, really interesting. I brought his book. It's a book of his work, which includes a lot of images from that time and also from the civil rights stuff called Enemy Alien. Highly recommend it. Tameo Wakayama.

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Encyclopedia of Assassinations: More than 400 Infamous Attacks that Changed the Course of History cover

Encyclopedia of Assassinations

Carl Sifakis

Mentioned 5 months ago

CLASSIC: The Hidden History of Assassins, Chapter One: An Origin Story

This book explored both attempted and successful assassinations throughout human history. It was mentioned as being available at arcane bookstores.

The Encyclopedia of Assassinations. Available at any arcane bookstore near you. Right. By Carl Sifakis.

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The Travels of Marco Polo cover

The Travels of Marco Polo

Marco Polo

Mentioned 5 months ago

CLASSIC: The Hidden History of Assassins, Chapter One: An Origin Story

This book was cited as a primary source that popularized exaggerated claims about the Order of Assassins in Western Europe, suggesting they were a drug-crazed cult due to Marco Polo's storytelling.

It gets really popular and mischaracterized in Western Europe thanks to one of the best-selling books of the medieval era, The Travels of Marco Polo.

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The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine cover

The Big Short

Michael Lewis

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Legacy Program, Chapter Two: How Aliens (Could) Work

This book was mentioned in passing as an example of a work people might recall when considering the concept of an alien reveal. It was brought up alongside other media like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Arrival."

The big short.

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The Graduate Survival Guide: 5 Mistakes You Can't Afford To Make In College cover

The Graduate Survival Guide

Anthony ONeal

Mentioned 5 months ago

CLASSIC: Plastics, Microplastics and Conspiracy

The speakers referenced a scene from the movie, which is based on a novel, when discussing how plastics were often viewed as the future.

first shout out to everybody who's already remembering that scene in The Graduate. It's a great scene.

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Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things cover

Stuff You Should Know

Josh Clark

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Legacy Program, Chapter One: Fact and Fiction

The hosts mentioned that the documentary's poster ripped off the layout and color scheme of their book, which features incredible art by Nick Benson.

And yeah, have you seen the poster? It kind of rips off our book.

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How to Lose a Dunlap Belly: And See Your Toes Again cover

How to Lose a Dunlap Belly

Dexter Poin

Mentioned 5 months ago

Strange News: Strange News: Spy Nuns, Fart Cures, Cow Tools and More

The book was mentioned in connection with a YouTuber who discovered an infinite money glitch at GameStop involving buying a Switch 2 and returning it with a used game for a small profit.

All right. We'll go to Dexter Toe by Michael William is the writer for this one. This came out. Actually, this was published today as we're recording. A YouTuber has figured out an infinite money glitch. You can buy a Switch 2 and return it to get even more money back.

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Holy Blood, Holy Grail cover

Holy Blood, Holy Grail

Michael Baigent

Mentioned 1 year ago

CLASSIC: The Shugborough Inscription Cipher

Published in 1982, this book speculated that the painter Nicolas Poussin, creator of the painting depicted in the Shepherd's Monument, was a member of the Priory of Sion. The authors suggested the monument's inscription might hold clues to the location of the Holy Grail.

The Da Vinci Code cover

The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown

Mentioned 1 year ago

CLASSIC: The Shugborough Inscription Cipher

This book was mentioned as leveraging the concept of the Priory of Sion, which is believed by some to be connected to the Shugborough Inscription. The authors of *The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail* felt that Dan Brown plagiarized their work in this novel.

Anson's Gold: and the Secret to Captain Kidd's Charts cover

Anson's Gold

George Edmunds

Mentioned 1 year ago

CLASSIC: The Shugborough Inscription Cipher

This book argues that the Shugborough Inscription is a cipher concealing the latitude and longitude of an island where George Anson buried or discovered Spanish treasure. The author suggests that a secret 18th-century expedition was launched to recover this treasure, but unforeseen circumstances prevented its retrieval.

Media Control, Second Edition: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (Open Media Series) cover

Media Control, Second Edition

Noam Chomsky

Mentioned 1 year ago

My Momma Told Me, With Langston Kerman and David Gborie

The podcast hosts discussed this book, mentioning its availability online and describing it as a great place to start learning about Edward Bernays, its author, and his work in public relations and advertising. The book was described as relevant to a discussion on capitalism and consumer culture.

The book Propaganda, available online.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Series) cover

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Series)

Stieg Larsson

Mentioned 1 year ago

Listener Mail: Terrors of Adoption, Black Sludge is Poop, the Dangers of an AI-driven, 'Teacherless' Classroom

The podcast mentioned the book in passing, referencing the character Lisbeth Salander as a ward of the state due to not having parents and committing a crime that led to increased monitoring.

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Unacknowledged: An Expose of the World's Greatest Secret Cover

Steven M.

Unacknowledged

An Expose of the World's Greatest Secret

It was described as a book that contained more information related to the documentary, 'Unacknowledged', and the Disclosure Project. The book and the film were mentioned together.

"

Unacknowledged is also a book that has more information in it that's available at Amazon and everywhere else.

— Episode: CLASSIC: Unacknowledged: An Interview wi...

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Episode: CLASSIC: Unacknowledged: An Interview with Dr. Ste...

It was described as a book that contained more information related to the documentary, 'Unacknowledged', and the Disclosure Project. The book and the film were mentioned together.

"

Unacknowledged is also a book that has more information in it that's available at Amazon and everywhere else.

Those the book and the movie Unacknowledged are really about my journey discovering what the Unacknowledged special access projects, which is the proper name for these very classified projects are.

And in the movie, by the way, and in the book was a National Reconnaissance Office document from Nellis Air Force Base, a security warning.

And it's in the book and it's in the movie. You can go see it.

Well, some do and some don't. And this is something that I make very clear in both the movie Unacknowledged and the book is that whether you're in the loop, let's call it, of these very classified, Unacknowledged special access projects on this issue has very much less to do with your rank and position than with your, let's call it psychological makeup and whether or not you're willing to go along with a fascist secret agenda.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Cover

Laura Numeroff

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

'Mouse' was discussed in the context of books that have faced challenges due to mature content or potentially disturbing imagery related to the Holocaust. It was used to highlight the subjective nature of what might be considered inappropriate for young readers.

"

same with like that book mouse graphic novel mouse which is about you know Nazism from the perspective of these like kind of anthropomorphized mice characters which is a very powerful piece of graphic...

— Episode: Strange News: Governor Warns against Dri...

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Episode: Strange News: Governor Warns against Drinking City...

'Mouse' was discussed in the context of books that have faced challenges due to mature content or potentially disturbing imagery related to the Holocaust. It was used to highlight the subjective nature of what might be considered inappropriate for young readers.

"

same with like that book mouse graphic novel mouse which is about you know Nazism from the perspective of these like kind of anthropomorphized mice characters which is a very powerful piece of graphic literature but perhaps there were some bad language or there was something in it that was visually disturbing or whatever

Children of Time Cover

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Children of Time

It was recommended as an example of how different life forms might evolve and utilize technology in unique ways, aligning with the core themes of the Silurian Hypothesis.

"

Check out a writer named adrian tchaikovsky This spelled like the composer. Uh, this guy wrote a series called Children of Time Children of ruin which No spoilers examines how differe...

— Episode: The Silurian Hypothesis

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Episode: The Silurian Hypothesis

It was recommended as an example of how different life forms might evolve and utilize technology in unique ways, aligning with the core themes of the Silurian Hypothesis.

"

Check out a writer named adrian tchaikovsky This spelled like the composer. Uh, this guy wrote a series called Children of Time Children of ruin which No spoilers examines how different life forms might evolve and approach technology differently That's a huge part of the salurian hypothesis

The Book of Longings: A Novel Cover

Sue Monk Kidd

The Book of Longings

A Novel

It was mentioned that the film "3000 Years of Longing" was based on the short story "The Jinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A.S. Byatt, and that it was directed by George Miller and starred Idris Elba as a jinn.

"

There's actually, speaking of movies that do exist about jinn, there is a new movie from George Miller who did the Mad Max movies, and of course, weirdly, the Babe movies and the Happy Face movies. It...

— Episode: Creatures of the Night: Alleged Monsters...

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Episode: Creatures of the Night: Alleged Monsters Around th...

It was mentioned that the film "3000 Years of Longing" was based on the short story "The Jinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A.S. Byatt, and that it was directed by George Miller and starred Idris Elba as a jinn.

"

There's actually, speaking of movies that do exist about jinn, there is a new movie from George Miller who did the Mad Max movies, and of course, weirdly, the Babe movies and the Happy Face movies. It is called 3000 Years of Longing, and it stars Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, and Idris Elba plays a jinn. And it's actually based on a short story called The Jinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Cover

John Berendt

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

It was discussed as a favourite book of Jake Hanrahan's, and was his introduction to true crime, due to it being journalistically heavy and having a worthwhile narrative.

"

I am a big fan of this book called Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

— Episode: Sad Oligarch, with Jake Hanrahan

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Sad Oligarch, with Jake Hanrahan

It was discussed as a favourite book of Jake Hanrahan's, and was his introduction to true crime, due to it being journalistically heavy and having a worthwhile narrative.

"

I am a big fan of this book called Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

And that was my introduction to true crime years and years ago.

The Wreck of the Titan Cover

Morgan Robertson

The Wreck of the Titan

It was mentioned that a book written 14 years before the Titanic sank has many similarities to the events of the ship's sinking.

"

in 1898 known as futility or wreck of the titan it was a guy named Morgan Robertson and 14 years before the titanic met its demise he wrote a novel that had a lot of similarities to what happened to t...

— Episode: CLASSIC: Titanic Conspiracies

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Episode: CLASSIC: Titanic Conspiracies

It was mentioned that a book written 14 years before the Titanic sank has many similarities to the events of the ship's sinking.

"

in 1898 known as futility or wreck of the titan it was a guy named Morgan Robertson and 14 years before the titanic met its demise he wrote a novel that had a lot of similarities to what happened to the titanic

it was revised by the author in 1912 after the titanic sank to make the ship a little bigger, a little different

The Satanic Bible Cover

Anton Szandor Lavey

The Satanic Bible

The Satanic Bible, authored by Anton LaVey, was discussed; its rules and principles, which were described as an alternative moral code, were presented and analyzed. The book's nine Satanic statements and eleven Satanic rules of the earth were read and discussed in detail.

"

Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.

— Episode: CLASSIC: Are there real devil worshipper...

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Episode: CLASSIC: Are there real devil worshippers?

The Satanic Bible, authored by Anton LaVey, was discussed; its rules and principles, which were described as an alternative moral code, were presented and analyzed. The book's nine Satanic statements and eleven Satanic rules of the earth were read and discussed in detail.

"

Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.

Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.

Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.

Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates.

Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek, and represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief Cover

Lawrence Wright

Going Clear

Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

It was described as a fantastic book, offering an investigative reporter's perspective on Scientology, which included footnotes and comments from the Church of Scientology itself. The book focused on the evolution of Scientology and the changes under David Miscavige's leadership.

"

you hooked us up with an excellent book that uh you lent me earlier right? Yes Going Clear and I already forgot the author but it's fantastic.

— Episode: CLASSIC: Do intelligence agencies run cu...

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Episode: CLASSIC: Do intelligence agencies run cults?

It was described as a fantastic book, offering an investigative reporter's perspective on Scientology, which included footnotes and comments from the Church of Scientology itself. The book focused on the evolution of Scientology and the changes under David Miscavige's leadership.

"

you hooked us up with an excellent book that uh you lent me earlier right? Yes Going Clear and I already forgot the author but it's fantastic.

It looks at it from an investigative reporter angle on all these different angles and the the author allowed Scientology to go in and make footnotes and comment on the entire book.

the book itself is on the up and up. It's a great piece of journalism. It does not address this theory. It's more about the evolution of society but it does show the change of the church in Scientology when David Miscavige took over.

The Travels of Marco Polo Cover

Marco Polo

The Travels of Marco Polo

This book was cited as a primary source that popularized exaggerated claims about the Order of Assassins in Western Europe, suggesting they were a drug-crazed cult due to Marco Polo's storytelling.

"

It gets really popular and mischaracterized in Western Europe thanks to one of the best-selling books of the medieval era, The Travels of Marco Polo.

— Episode: CLASSIC: The Hidden History of Assassins...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: CLASSIC: The Hidden History of Assassins, Chapter...

This book was cited as a primary source that popularized exaggerated claims about the Order of Assassins in Western Europe, suggesting they were a drug-crazed cult due to Marco Polo's storytelling.

"

It gets really popular and mischaracterized in Western Europe thanks to one of the best-selling books of the medieval era, The Travels of Marco Polo.

But when Marco Polo mentioned this drugged potion, it cemented the image of this order in, in the zeitgeist of the time.

The Trial of Henry Kissinger Cover

Christopher Hitchens

The Trial of Henry Kissinger

It was mentioned as a book that argued that nothing of importance happened without Kissinger's knowledge or permission, particularly regarding the bombing of Cambodia.

"

the degree of micromanagement revealed in Kissinger's memoirs forbids the idea that anything of importance took place without his knowledge or permission. Of nothing is this more true than his own ind...

— Episode: CLASSIC: Henry Kissinger, America's Dart...

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Episode: CLASSIC: Henry Kissinger, America's Darth Vader

It was mentioned as a book that argued that nothing of importance happened without Kissinger's knowledge or permission, particularly regarding the bombing of Cambodia.

"

the degree of micromanagement revealed in Kissinger's memoirs forbids the idea that anything of importance took place without his knowledge or permission. Of nothing is this more true than his own individual involvement in the bombing of neutral Cambodia.

Invisible Monsters Remix Cover

Chuck Palahniuk

Invisible Monsters Remix

One of the podcast hosts mentioned this novel while discussing a drug named Darvon, stating that he believed the drug was mentioned in the book, in the context of various pills mentioned in the narrative.

"

For some reason in my mind, you know where I think I first heard about this drug? There's a Chuck Palahniuk book called Invisible Monsters that involves naming of a lot of pills. And that one, I think...

— Episode: Mysterious Inventors, Part I: Crazy Cars...

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Episode: Mysterious Inventors, Part I: Crazy Cars and Creep...

One of the podcast hosts mentioned this novel while discussing a drug named Darvon, stating that he believed the drug was mentioned in the book, in the context of various pills mentioned in the narrative.

"

For some reason in my mind, you know where I think I first heard about this drug? There's a Chuck Palahniuk book called Invisible Monsters that involves naming of a lot of pills. And that one, I think, is in there at some point.

The Monster of Florence Cover

Douglas Preston

The Monster of Florence

It was mentioned as an article or true crime story from The Atlantic, which described the history of sex in cars in Italy as a cultural phenomenon, and how it was a hunting ground for the killer.

"

There's an article, really more of a account, a true crime story called The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston from the Atlantic,

— Episode: CLASSIC: Italy's Satanic Murders

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Episode: CLASSIC: Italy's Satanic Murders

It was mentioned as an article or true crime story from The Atlantic, which described the history of sex in cars in Italy as a cultural phenomenon, and how it was a hunting ground for the killer.

"

There's an article, really more of a account, a true crime story called The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston from the Atlantic,

The Book of Proverbs: God's Book of Wisdom Cover

Dr Gerry D Fox

The Book of Proverbs

God's Book of Wisdom

It was mentioned as a book written by King Solomon, along with The Song of Songs and other religious works.

"

He wrote the Song of Songs, The Book of Proverbs and other religious works.

— Episode: CLASSIC: What is the Key of Solomon?

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Episode: CLASSIC: What is the Key of Solomon?

It was mentioned as a book written by King Solomon, along with The Song of Songs and other religious works.

"

He wrote the Song of Songs, The Book of Proverbs and other religious works.

Malleus Maleficarum Cover

Heinrich Kramer

Malleus Maleficarum

It was mentioned as a book published in 1486 on how to identify and interrogate witches, and a copy was available in the California State University, Long Beach archive for anyone to view.

"

The Witch's Hammer. That's how I know it.

— Episode: CLASSIC: The NSA: Fact, Fiction and Frig...

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Episode: CLASSIC: The NSA: Fact, Fiction and Fright

It was mentioned as a book published in 1486 on how to identify and interrogate witches, and a copy was available in the California State University, Long Beach archive for anyone to view.

"

The Witch's Hammer. That's how I know it.

It was a text published in 1486 on how to identify and interrogate witches.

Anyone can go to the special collections and actually sit down with the text and look through it.

The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories By Philip K. Dick Cover

Philip K. Dick

The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories By Philip K. Dick

The dystopian future concept of predicting crime through science was discussed, potentially using DNA markers to predict suspects, mirroring themes present in the book.

"

It's not quite like it's not pre-crime, you know, like in Minority Report or some other kind of weird dystopian versions We use science to predict who will you know commit crimes

— Episode: Strange News: Australian DNA Profiling,...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Strange News: Australian DNA Profiling, NY Listeni...

The dystopian future concept of predicting crime through science was discussed, potentially using DNA markers to predict suspects, mirroring themes present in the book.

"

It's not quite like it's not pre-crime, you know, like in Minority Report or some other kind of weird dystopian versions We use science to predict who will you know commit crimes

The Gift of the Magi (Holiday Classics Illustrated by P.j. Lynch) Cover

O. Henry

The Gift of the Magi (Holiday Classics Illustrated by P.j. Lynch)

It was mentioned as a contrast to the story generated by a chatbot about God and sandwiches. The chatbot's story was considered readable but not as sophisticated as O. Henry's work.

"

It wasn't, you know, the gift of the Magi.

— Episode: Is AI coming for you?

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Is AI coming for you?

It was mentioned as a contrast to the story generated by a chatbot about God and sandwiches. The chatbot's story was considered readable but not as sophisticated as O. Henry's work.

"

It wasn't, you know, the gift of the Magi.

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man Cover

Marshall McLuhan

Understanding Media

The Extensions of Man

It was briefly referenced in the context of the 'medium is the message' idea, with a humorous mention of the relevance to the topic of the episode.

"

It's to bastardize the great Marshall McLuhan. The medium is definitely the message here that is hopefully making the day for the three people who care about that book. But it's a good book. It's not...

— Episode: Strange News: Amazon and Phones, Poisoni...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Strange News: Amazon and Phones, Poisoning an Isla...

It was briefly referenced in the context of the 'medium is the message' idea, with a humorous mention of the relevance to the topic of the episode.

"

It's to bastardize the great Marshall McLuhan. The medium is definitely the message here that is hopefully making the day for the three people who care about that book. But it's a good book. It's not about pigs butts, I promise.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.