Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

iHeartPodcasts

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.

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Our Editor's Take

The hosts of the podcast Stuff They Don't Want You To Know have a unique goal. They are here to offer a different perspective on conspiracy theories. In the past, the term conspiracy theory may have evoked an image of a person who doesn't have a firm grasp of reality. People who believed in them would seem paranoid or extreme. This show seeks to prove that even the wildest theories might contain truth.

The Stuff They Don't Want You To Know podcast has three compelling hosts. Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, and Noel Brown are all attracted to the unknown. For Bowlin, it's his family history. As an offspring of the Melungeons ethnicity, he heard many stories about his ancestors growing up. His entire childhood felt mysterious. Frederick worked in a prestigious private club during his university years. There, he became familiar with the seedy ways the rich operate and the stark class divides. Brown spent his childhood in dressing rooms of famous opera houses worldwide. He followed his singer parents while learning about how the upper class acts when no one watches. Their collective experience of mystery was the catalyst to starting the podcast.

However, the three podcast hosts also have a critical side to them. All three have backgrounds in journalism. Bowlin worked as a political and environmental issues radio correspondent. He was the youngest reporter to join Georgia Public Broadcasting at the time. Frederick and Brown studied journalism in college. In 2022, they released their first book, Stuff They Don't Want You To Know.

When looking at the origins of conspiracy theories, it's vital to have a balance. It is important to approach a topic without any prejudice while also maintaining some skepticism. Even if something sounds completely unbelievable, it may have started out as real. With a massive amount of research, the three hosts of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know want to get to that truth. They want to separate fact from fiction and reveal how much of the world the listeners can trust.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

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CLASSIC: The Red Market: Is China Executing People To Harvest Their Organs?

CLASSIC: The Red Market: Is China Executing People To Harvest Their Organs?

Until the day we're able to manufacture affordable, reliable organs from scratch, organ transplants will remain the only hope for millions of sick and dying people across the planet. For this reason, organs have been a big business for decades -- and not all aspects of the business are legal. For years rumors have been brewing about the organ trade in China. Why is the waiting time for a transplant so low? Where are all these organs actually coming from? The answer may terrify you. Strap in as the guys dive into the stuff China doesn't want you to know about the organ trade in tonight's Classic episode -- and don't forget to check out our (extremely creepy) video on YouTube.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes

CLASSIC: The Red Market: Is China Executing People To Harvest Their Organs?

CLASSIC: The Red Market: Is China Executing People To Harvest Their Organs?

Until the day we're able to manufacture affordable, reliable organs from scratch, organ transplants will remain the only hope for millions of sick and dying people across the planet. For this reason, organs have been a big business for decades -- and not all aspects of the business are legal. For years rumors have been brewing about the organ trade in China. Why is the waiting time for a transplant so low? Where are all these organs actually coming from? The answer may terrify you. Strap in as the guys dive into the stuff China doesn't want you to know about the organ trade in tonight's Classic episode -- and don't forget to check out our (extremely creepy) video on YouTube.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Mail: Bank Scandals, Amish Abuse, Letters From Home and Some Terrible Jokes

Listener Mail: Bank Scandals, Amish Abuse, Letters From Home and Some Terrible Jokes

Viking asks about Ferengi and bank scandals. Solar Boredom follows up on the earlier episode about abuse in Amish communities. Multiple Conspiracy Realists chime in with Letters From Home, and Humorous Harry returns with several absolutely awful jokes. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mysteries of Laos: What is the Plain of Jars?

Mysteries of Laos: What is the Plain of Jars?

Over in Southeast Asia, the landlocked nation of Laos remains one of the least-explored areas in the region, even today. And those few outsiders fortunate to travel to this country may encounter a mystery that's baffled investigators for centuries (if not millennia): What is the Plain of Jars? What could have inspired ancient civilizations to build hundreds upon hundreds of giant, stone jars out in northern Laos? Why did the US government spend so much time planting bombs in the area?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLASSIC: Project 1794: A Real-life Flying Saucer

CLASSIC: Project 1794: A Real-life Flying Saucer

Flying saucers are perhaps the most iconic genre of UFO -- since the 1940s they've become the mainstay vehicles for extraterrestrials in all sorts of fictional stories. But, according to declassified files, the US Government was intensely interested in building some flying saucers of its own. So far did they get? The answer may surprise you in tonight's Classic episode.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strange News: Russia Fines Google, Witch Marks in the UK, Stolen Bluey Coins and More

Strange News: Russia Fines Google, Witch Marks in the UK, Stolen Bluey Coins and More

The Russian government fines Google 2.5 decillion dollars. Witch marks baffle investigators in the United Kingdom, police recover thousands of stolen Bluey coins, an ancient city is rediscovered in Mexico. Google AI makes some waves, Des Moines brings back trick-or-treating, elephants may sue for freedom in Colorado. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dangerous Thoughts: What is an Infohazard?

Dangerous Thoughts: What is an Infohazard?

Warning: this episode contains thoughts and concepts that may endanger your understanding of reality. You can turn back now, or [REDACTED].They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Mail: A Mysterious Death at Walmart, Boeing's Exploding Satellite, The US vs. Chinese Software, and a Heart-felt Apology to "Paint-huffing Maniacs"

Listener Mail: A Mysterious Death at Walmart, Boeing's Exploding Satellite, The US vs. Chinese Software, and a Heart-felt Apology to "Paint-huffing Maniacs"

Police release new details on the tragic, mysterious death of 19-year-old employee at a Walmart in Halifax. A Boeing-manufactured satellite exploded after experiencing an unexplained “anomaly." The US struggles to determine how -- or if -- to allow Chinese software in the US. The guys apologize to "paint-huffing maniacs." All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rise and Fall of Paul Bergrin, with Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins

The Rise and Fall of Paul Bergrin, with Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins

For much of his early life, Paul Bergrin was a success story. A middle-class kid from Queesn, he became a veteran, a lawyer, and a prosecutor. Yet somewhere along the way, he slowly slid into true crime and conspiracy -- an astonishing and disturbing tale explored in-depth in the Wondery's new podcast, Criminal Attorney. In tonight's interview, Ben, Matt and Noel are joined with the legendary Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins, the host of Criminal Attorney, to learn more about the bizarre rise and fall of Paul Bergrin.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classic: Vaccines: Fact vs. Fiction

Classic: Vaccines: Fact vs. Fiction

Through the process of vaccination, millions of people have avoided serious (at times fatal) medical conditions, but opposition to the practice began almost immediately after vaccinations became widespread. And in the modern day the anti-vaccination movement has seemed to gain more ground than before -- so what's going on here? Join the guys as they dive into the history of vaccination, the claims of the anti-vaxx movement and why some people insist there's a conspiracy afoot. Side note: we recorded this in 2019... right before the Covid pandemic rocked the globe.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strange News: Oligarch Goes Splat, Fake Whale Sharks, Bank Shenanigans, Boeing Satellites, North Korea and Abercrombie

Strange News: Oligarch Goes Splat, Fake Whale Sharks, Bank Shenanigans, Boeing Satellites, North Korea and Abercrombie

Another Russian oligarch is found dead after an 'unfortunate fall.' North Korea declares holy war on South Korea as it loans out soldiers to Russia. A fake whale makes controversial waves in China (get it?), TD Bank fined $3bn in historic money laundering settlement. Boeing satellite experiences 'rapid unplanned disassembly.' AI radio journalists, the deeply disturbing Abercrombie sex trafficking scandal, ICP and politics -- all this and more in this week's strange news segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ongoing Amish Abuse Scandal

The Ongoing Amish Abuse Scandal

For most people in the United States, the Amish are a sociological curiosity: a group of people motivated by theological imperatives that require them to exist within society, yet separate from all its secular trappings. However, as we dive into this episode, Matt, Noel and I learn there's something rotten within this community... a series of intergenerational, likely ongoing, conspiracies involving sexual abuse, crime and more. Please note this episode may not be appropriate for all audiences.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Mail: The Hybrid Sheep Conspiracy, A Kentucky Homicide and Theory on Exploding Pagers

Listener Mail: The Hybrid Sheep Conspiracy, A Kentucky Homicide and Theory on Exploding Pagers

Jasper, DJ and multiple other Conspiracy Realists reach out with first-hand knowledge on the bizarre hybrid sheep conspiracy. Mystery drones swarm US airspace. Max The Unblind hips the guys to an unfolding homicide in Kentucky, and T Bone provides an alternate theory on the exploding pagers attack. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sportswashing: Why Saudia Arabia Suddenly Loves Golf

Sportswashing: Why Saudia Arabia Suddenly Loves Golf

Whether you love it or hate it, there's no denying: golf is one of the world's most popular -- and most lucrative -- sports. In recent years the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has raised global eyebrows as they pour billions of dollars into their own golfing initiative: LIV. Supporters find this move par for the course (get it?), yet critics allege there's a larger conspiracy afoot. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into the strange allegations surrounding Saudi Arabia, golf, and 'sportswashing.'They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLASSIC: The 9 Angles: Does Satan have a “military”?

CLASSIC: The 9 Angles: Does Satan have a “military”?

While the vast majority of people identifying as Satanists don’t buy into the idea of a nefarious, evil entity opposed to the forces of good, there are a few genuine theistic Satanists out there. Join the guys as they explore the strange story of the organization known as “The Nine Angles” in tonight's Classic episode.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strange News: FEMA Under Attack, Active Shooter Drills, DPRK Declares "Holy War," Europa, Deadly Ottomans and More

Strange News: FEMA Under Attack, Active Shooter Drills, DPRK Declares "Holy War," Europa, Deadly Ottomans and More

Conspiracy theories proliferate in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, resulting in actionable threats against FEMA contractors. Mysterious goo appears on the shore. Active shooter drills terrify local institutions. An ottoman bed kills an innocent woman, scientists explore Europa; all this and more in this week's strange news segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLASSIC: The Camp Minden Conspiracy

CLASSIC: The Camp Minden Conspiracy

In October of 2012 a huge explosion rocked Camp Minden, a little-known government compound located in Louisiana. The explosion shattered windows 4 miles away. A 7,000-foot mushroom cloud contaminated the area and eyewitnesses understandably wondered whether they'd been the victims of a nuclear detonation. So what exactly did happen? Tune in to learn more about the conspiracy afoot at Camp Minden. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the Ludlow Massacre? Chapter Two: Conspiracy, Disaster, and Aftermath

What was the Ludlow Massacre? Chapter Two: Conspiracy, Disaster, and Aftermath

As tensions between striking miners, local law and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company reached a head, all sides of the conflict became increasingly hostile. In the second chapter of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the outbreak of the Ludlow Massacre, along with the aftermath that reverberates in the modern day.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the Ludlow Massacre? Chapter One: The Colorado Coal Rush

What was the Ludlow Massacre? Chapter One: The Colorado Coal Rush

Unions and governments have always had a complicated, at-times antagonistic and violent relationship. In the first evening of this week's special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore a terrifying tale of corruption, crime and conspiracy: What was the Ludlow Massacre?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLASSIC: Did John Astor steal Captain Kidd's treasure?

CLASSIC: Did John Astor steal Captain Kidd's treasure?

German immigrant John Jacob Astor was the first multimillionaire in the United States, and his descendants would go on to play prominent roles in the country's history -- but how exactly did he get this enormous fortune? According to the official story, he started off in the fur trade and later expanded into real estate. Yet for more than a century people rumors about the real origin of Astor's wealth have been floating around the fringes of converation -- what if he wasn't a legitimate businessman in the beginning, but instead engaged in less savory endeavors? Learn more in tonight's Classic episode.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strange News: Potato/Blood Space Bricks, The Waffle House Index, Taxing Hostages, APD Investigator Shot

Strange News: Potato/Blood Space Bricks, The Waffle House Index, Taxing Hostages, APD Investigator Shot

Answering a question... someone must have asked, scientists confirmed potatoes are better than human blood when it comes to building space bricks. The IRS may require hostages to pay back taxes unless Congress intervenes. An APD investigator is shot after breaking into a Douglas County home. The Waffle House Index, spy news, and more in the week's strange news segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.