All Episodes
The Story Behind — 161 episodes · page 1 of 2
Cotton Swabs
Sunglasses
Glitter
Mouthwash
Son of a Gun - Operation Switcharoo
Conversation Hearts
The Trampoline
Groundhog Day
Pantyhose
Bottled Water
Toilet Paper
Re-Release of The Story Behind Christmas Traditions (Part 1)
Christmas Traditions (Part 2)
Tipping
Balloons
Cranberry Sauce | From Controversy to Canned Creation (TSB132)
Sick Sayings | Bless You, Frog In Your Throat, Sick as a Dog (TSB131)
Boston Baked Beans | Traditional New England Fare (TSB130)
'Africa' by Toto | Two-Year Anniversary Episode (TSB129)
Play-Doh | From Wallpaper Cleaner to Teacher's Craft Supply (TSB128)
The Printing Press | Gutenberg's Grand Idea and How It Left Him Poor (TSB127)
The Story Behind Book Update #2
Banned Books | A History of Putting Books on Blast (TSB126)
Hairspray | School Photo Horror, Big Hair Throughout the Decades, and the Real Story that Inspired the Musical (TSB125)
Matches | Alchemy, Phossy Jaw, and the Matchstick Girls Strike (TSB124)
The Teddy Bear | Conflicting Stories, Theodore Roosevelt, Steiff Bears (TSB123)
Roller Coasters | From Russian Ice Slides to Disneyland to the Psychology Behind Thrill Seekers (TSB122)
S'mores | The (Awkward) History of Graham Crackers, The Medicinal Marshmallows, and All About Milton Hershey (TSB121)
Roadside Attractions | A Road Trip with Josh Hallmark from Our Americana (TSB120)
Headphones | From Telephone Operators to the U.S. Navy to Your Ears Today (TSB119)
The Necktie | From Chinese Soldiers to European Dandies to Politicians (TSB118)
The Stethoscope | Thoroughly Modest Medicine (TSB117)
The Story Behind Book Update #1
Hamburgers | More Than Meats the Eye (TSB116)
Bingo | From the Italian Lottery to Popular Church Fundraising Game (TSB115)
Pong | Bleep, Bloop! Table-Tennis for your Television! (TSB114)
The Traffic Light | Stop Right Now, Thank You Very Much (TSB113)
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen | Freddie Mercury, The Music Video, Wayne's World (TSB1112)
Livestream for the Cure | Fundraising for Cancer Research with the Epic Film Guys (TSB111)
Emily Prokop | Meet Your Host and Learn About the Show (TSB110)
The Paperclip | Office Supply and Demand, Paperclip Trading, and Clippy (RIP) (TSB109)
Mercury Retrograde | Damn it, Planet! (TSB108)
The Paralympics | The Doctor Who Turned World War II Spinal Injury Patients Into Athletes (TSB107)
April Fool's Day "Remastered" | The Quotes Are Intentional ;)
PEZ | History, Candy Marketing, The PEZ Outlaw (TSB106)
Pi(e) | Meetups, Meatpies, and Mathematics (TSB105)
The Band-Aid | Adhesive Bandages, Marketing Highs and Lows, and the 1980s Supergroup (TSB104)
Post-its | Persistence, Productivity, and Romy & Michele (TSB103)
Sliced Bread | The Greatest Thing Since Betty White (TSB102)
The Pink Slip | Enjoyment from Unemployment (TSB101)
The Story Behind: The Musical! (TSB100)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups | A Combination of Epic Proportions (TSB099)
Kit Kat | From Scholarly Clubs in the 1700s to a Not-So-Scholarly Lunch Hour of Taste-Testing in 2017 (TSB098)
Baby Ruth | Layers of Origin Stories, Baseball Tie-Ins and "Ruthless" Marketing (TSB097)
Lollipops | Differing Origin Stories, Salvador Dali, and Ear Worms (TSB096)
Tissues | From Handkerchiefs to Kleenex (TSB095)
Handcuffs | My Hands are Tied (TSB094)
Promo
The Toothbrush | The Nacirema Weird Habit that Took a While To Catch On (TSB093)
Las Vegas | Early Settlers, Quickie Divorces and Weddings, Casinos, and the Fabulous Sign (TSB092)
Monster Trucks | Modifying Pick-Ups, Sports Entertainment, and Sunday x 3 (TSB091)
Podcasts | Celebrate the Power of Podcasts Sept. 30 (TSB090)
Procrastination | Historic Productivity, Famous Procrastinators, Carpe Diem Real Meaning (TSB089)
Pockets | One Hand in My Pick-Pocket-Full of Sunshine (TSB088)
Clowns | Send Them In, But Don't Expect Everyone to Laugh (TSB087)
The Pumpkin Spice Latte | History of Pumpkins, Birth of the Latte, Starbucks Seasonal Favorite (TSB086)
Clue: The Game | Clue Series: The Inventor, Changes to the Game, Different Versions, Strategies (TSB085)
Clue: The Movie | Clue Series: Behind the Scenes, VHS Cult Classic, Alternate Casting (TSB084)
The Knife | Clue Series: Early Beginnings, Galvarino, and Mrs. Peacock (TSB083)
The Revolver | Clue Series: The Beatles, Samuel Colt, the Colt .45, and Professor Plum (TSB082)
The Rope | Clue Series: Ancient Uses, Torture, and Mrs. White (TSB081)
The Wrench | Clue Series: False Origins, Jack Johnson, and Colonel Mustard (TSB080)
The Candlestick | Clue Series: Naughty Nursery Rhymes, Liberace, and Miss Scarlet (TSB079)
The Lead Pipe | Clue Series: Waterways, Poisoning, and Mr. Green (TSB078)
The Mustache | Facial Feature of Kings & Wrestlers (TSB077)
Beards | Facial Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow (TSB076)
America's Bald Eagle | Lies from Sesame Street and The West Wing (TSB075)
Uncle Sam | The Evolution of America's Mascot (TSB074)
Surfer Lingo | Cowabunga, Dude! (TSB073)
Surfing | History of the Sport, Gidget, California Sound (TSB072)
Hypnosis | Everybody Trance Now! (TSB071)
Subliminal Messages | Conspiracy Theories, Advertising, Paul is Dead (TSB070)
Tattoos | Body Art That's Ink-redible (TSB069)
Ear Piercing | A Hole Lot of History (TSB068)
Bubble Gum | Pop-Notch Chewing Satisfaction (TSB067)
Chewing Gum | Tree Sap Made Tasty (TSB066)
Sporks | KFC Cutlery of Choice (TSB065)
The T-Shirt | How Marlon Brando Made Underwear Outerwear (TSB064)
Lullabies | The Art of Sleeping Like a Baby (TSB063)
Fidget Spinners | The Stress-Relief Toy Fad Teachers Hate (TSB062)
Thank You | Thank You Cards, Gratitude Journals, #Blessed (TSB061)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1964-1989 Part 2: Wheel of Fortune through Rock and Roller Cola Wars (TSB060)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1964-1989 Part 1: Birth Control through Russians in Afghanistan (TSB059)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1961-1963: Hemingway through JFK Blown Away (TSB058)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1959-1960: Buddy Holly through Belgians in the Congo (TSB057)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1957-1958: Little Rock through Children of Thalidomide (TSB056)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1955-1956: Einstein through Trouble in the Suez (TSB055)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1953-1954: Joseph Stalin through Rock Around the Clock (TSB054)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1951-1952: Rosenbergs through Santayana Goodbye (TSB053)
We Didn't Start the Fire 1949-1950: Harry Truman through Marilyn Monroe (TSB052)