What Makes Up The Best Educational Podcasts List?

I’ve included a few well-loved classics but in some cases have also (gently) pushed the boundaries of what we might consider a traditional educational podcast. I’ve tried to include enough variety to suit different tastes: design, climate change, LGBTQ+ history. And while the content of these shows varies drastically, I like to think that all are united in their ability to teach listeners something new in an engaging and accessible way. 

The best educational podcasts need to push the listener’s mental envelope a bit while remaining engaging. There’s no need to ram an idea into the listener’s ear. The idea is they adopt new ways of thinking.

I’ve done the heavy lifting on this list of the best educational podcasts, now all you have to do is sit back, press play and bask in that glorious glow of smugness.

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1. Revisionist History 

I would be remiss if I didn’t include Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History on my list. It’s one of the best educational podcasts available. Listen to the man himself.

In his own words, Gladwell describes it as a podcast about “things overlooked and misunderstood.” I continually find myself surprised by each episode’s topic. One week he might be turning the story of the Boston Tea Party on its head, and the next, deep-diving into the infamous hug between Richard Nixon and Sammy Davis Jr.

In each episode Gladwell skillfully weaves seemingly disparate threads together to produce a unique, compelling thesis. He has the uncanny ability to take a specific historical moment and use it as an opportunity to teach listeners so much more about the human experience.

Prepare for the niche and the obscure, but prepare to be captivated.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

2. Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) has been running for over a decade and it continues to dominate the charts. One of the most popular educational podcasts in the world, SYSK covers, well, everything. It doesn’t matter what your areas of interests are: science, pop culture, history, they’ve probably got an episode on it.

The show is co-hosted by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark, two men who are by no means experts in these fields, and never claim to be. The episodes are undoubtedly informative, but there are some stumbles along the way: ham-fisted remarks in moments that perhaps required delicacy, factually inaccurate (albeit hilarious) statements expressed with utter conviction.

Blunders aside, the sheer breadth of topics they address makes the show undeniably interesting and their accessible approach to explaining topics makes for easy listening. Bryant and Clark have a comfortable, endearing rapport, no doubt established after creating over one thousand episodes together. It’s like listening in on the conversation of your close friends – not always accurate, but entertaining just the same.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

3. Encyclopedia Womannica

Encyclopedia Wommanica is a series of vignettes about remarkable women throughout history. Cutting across different cultures, countries and centuries, the show shines a spotlight on women whose stories have often been eclipsed by dominant historical narratives.

It covers the trials, triumphs and contributions of incredible women from all different walks of life, including mathematicians, poets and civil rights activists, to name a few. While each episode features a different woman, each month is attributed a new theme ranging from dreamers and pioneers to villainesses and STEMinists.

New episodes are published every weekday and are only 5 minutes long, but trust me when I say that these bite-size episodes pack a punch and will no doubt leave you feeling inspired.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

4. Climate Cast

Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) Climate Cast is a great way to learn more about climate change and its widespread impacts. The show is hosted by MPR’s Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner, who is often accompanied by knowledgeable and impressive guests, including political figures such as Al Gore as well as experienced researchers and academics.

While episodes can cover anything from the nuts and bolts of Hurricane Dorian to the lessons Indigenous communities can teach about tackling climate change, Huttner sticks to the science of it all and approaches each topic in a clear, factual manner.

With episodes varying from brief 4 minute breakdowns to lengthier 40-minute discussions, Climate Cast suits any schedule (and attention span). The show is precise, timely and a great way to keep abreast of climate change research and developments.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

5. Ear Hustle

This is not your typical educational podcast, but let me explain. Ear Hustle is a show that addresses the daily realities of the people inside California’s San Quentin State Prison. For many, prisons are a mystery, with any knowledge of them limited to sensationalized movies and TV shows.

The best educational podcasts are myth dispelling machines. And Ear Hustle delivers in this regard.

By teaching listeners about what life is like for the people incarcerated in San Quentin, you begin to feel some empathy that you may not have known was there. It’s not about the particulars of any one crime, it’s about life. About the complexities of parenting while incarcerated, of the frustrations and tensions of sharing a cell, of finding a job once on the outside.

The show is heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure, and the mix of incarcerated and non-incarcerated hosts offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into their world – authored by the people who are living in it. It’s not only an education in the day-to-day realities of the people in this prison, but an education in America’s criminal justice system at large. Pure genius.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

6. 99% Invisible

99% Invisible is a hugely popular show that explores “the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.” It’s hosted by Roman Mars, whose rich, mellow voice has the inexplicable power to soothe even the most irritable of listeners. Informative, engaging and expertly produced, 99% Invisible has the kind of compelling narratives and high production value that can capture the attention of nearly anyone – design-minded or otherwise. As the best educational podcasts should.

The show sparks curiosity and reflection through the innovative topics it explores: the McMansion phenomenon, unpleasant design and the origin story of curb cuts are but a few of the niche yet nuanced subjects tackled.

Regardless of the topic, there’s always something interesting to be learned, and the quality of the show –  along with Mars’ dulcet tones – will be sure to keep you listening.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

7. Overheard at National Geographic

This is the perfect show for any restless souls out there eagerly awaiting their next adventure. Wonderfully random and playfully delivered, this is a show about the outlandish stories overheard from staff at National Geographic’s head office.

No one theme ties the episodes together; the randomness stretches across a variety of topics, like the truth behind Thailand’s elephant tourism industry or an underwater archaeologist’s journey scuba diving beneath a pyramid. After each episode you’ll discover new, unusual insights into topics you might never have considered.

Episodes generally hover under half an hour, making the perfect companion for those early morning commutes or Sunday afternoon chores. These stories will teach you a little bit more about this wild and complex world we live in, and will supply you with an abundance of peculiar facts to whip out at your next dinner party.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

8. Monocle 24: The Urbanist

Any city lovers out there? This is my go-to recommendation for 99% Invisible lovers looking for a new fix. With Monocle editor Andrew Tuck at the helm, The Urbanist explores the subject of creating better cities. Episodes are dynamic and ever-changing, some zeroing in on topics such as Moscow’s trolleybuses, others looking at larger themes like the impacts of private development on public spaces.

As a listener, you will be transported across the globe – often multiple times in a single episode – but will always remain in the capable hands of one of Monocle’s internationally-based correspondents or local experts. Stories alternate between longer, detail-heavy episodes and brief, poetic city portraits.

It’s an informative and thoughtful show that will have you looking at cities a little bit differently.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

9. Making Gay History 

The best educational podcasts push you to think harder. They’re an epistemic challenge.

Making Gay History is a moving collection of stories documenting the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement through archival interviews. It’s hosted by Eric Marcus, a journalist who set out to write a book about the movement in the 1980s.

As part of his research, Marcus recorded 100 interviews with different queer activists and advocates from across the country. Three decades later, he decided to breathe new life into the cassette tapes and turn the recordings into a podcast.

Episodes feature the voices of prominent figures such as Marsha P. Johnson, as well as the lesser-known though equally powerful stories of activists like that of Wendell Sayers. These aren’t polished, scripted narratives.

The interviews take place in the intimate spaces of people’s homes, at their kitchen tables and in their living rooms. They are unfiltered, raw and imperfect, yet undeniably compelling. Hearing this history – directly from those who lived it – is both poignant and powerful.

These are not the stories you came across in your high school history textbook, but they’re ones that deserve to be heard and need to be learned.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

10. Radiolab

Well-seasoned podcast listeners might be rolling their eyes at this perhaps (painfully) obvious choice. Much like Freakonomics Radio or NPR’s Ted Radio Hour, Radiolab is one of the quintessential educational podcasts, but I thought it was important to flag for anyone new to the podcasting world (also it would be downright disrespectful not to mention it because the show is just that good).

Radiolab is a nationally syndicated radio program and podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. The show investigates a range of scientific and philosophical topics in a wonderfully accessible way. The show is masterfully produced and its rhythm and style – in large part due to the strong narrative focus and creative sound design – make it entirely unique.

You’ll never be able to predict what the next episode might cover; standouts have explored how we see colour and an unpacking of the concept of blame. The quirkiness of the topics, combined with Abumrad and Krulwich’s magic touch, make for an immersive, educational and unforgettable experience.

Related reading: best Radiolab episodes

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Well there you have it! Some of the best educational podcast around. Hopefully at least one of the shows from this list has piqued your curiosity and has your finger hovering above the download button as we speak. I think I’ve supplied enough recommendations to last you a few months, meaning you’ll be able to ride that wave of smugness all the way into the New Year.

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The post 10 Educational Podcasts (You Need To Listen To) appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

However, a new wave of podcasts is emerging and jumping onto the charts. As I’m writing this, six podcasts are on the top 10 that weren’t there the week before. I’m double-checking my math, but I’m pretty sure that’s 60%. Podcasts such as Sworn (#1), 30 for 30: The Podcast (#2), Ear Hustle (#5), and What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law (#8) are brand new even. Admittedly, these “newcomers” aren’t all that new in the traditional sense. The majority either have an existing tremendously successful podcast production machine and marketing engine and/or have some name-brand personalities that propel the podcast to notoriety.

Here are some of the staff’s favorite top new podcasts and their recommendations.

Sworn

Joe: 

Sworn was at the top of the iTunes charts before the first episode was even released (as they proudly state in the first episodes). Whether the listeners stay will likely depend on the content. It is clear from its first episodes, though, that Sworn may well benefit from the path cut by its sister podcast, Up and Vanished.

Sworn’s first episodes dove into the basic facts of the case and included an exclusive look at crime scene photographs from the Sheriff investigating the claim. Initial listeners seem delighted with the content with first week rankings garnering four stars or better. The sustained popularity of the show may well hinge upon where the evidence takes us in the Lake Oconee case (assuming that the focus remains there, that is). What we know now is that Sworn is off to a very big start.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law

Brendan:

“This sounds like an article written by The Onion…” Despite the cliché, this is what I think each time I listen to Roman Mars’ new podcast, What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law.

Roman Mars is the host of the podcast 99% Invisible and co-founder of Radiotopia. In his new show, What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, he has partnered with constitutional law professor Elizabeth Joh; together they check Twitter to compare what the 45th president of the United States has done, says he’s done, or says he will do against 200 years of judicial branch interpretations and rulings on the United States Constitution.

Everything is a remix, right? Con Law is Roman Mars’ mashup of other great podcasts in a concise and well-produced package. Two of my favorite new podcasts since this administration started are Can He Do That? by The Washington Post, analyzing the scandal of the week by asking the titular question, and Civics 101 (♫ “Civi- Civi- Civics! One Oh One!” ♬) by New Hampshire Public Radio, a weekly dive into “what you may have forgotten in civics class” or because most public schools stopped teaching civics. Con Law mixes these formats with Roman as the everyman asking questions of Elizabeth in the teacher role, who shares her knowledge of constitutional law.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law is as quirky and well edited as you’d expect from a Mars’ production. There are two episodes out now that are about 15 minutes each. Give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Revisionist History

Lauren:

If you haven’t listened to the first season of Revisionist History, stop reading, and go binge it now. It’s well worth it.

Season two hits the ground running with the first episode discussing the problems with our infatuation with golf and the unnecessary tax breaks a lot of prestigious country clubs enjoy.

Revisionist History has been peppered throughout Discover Pods with unanimous recommendations. If you’re looking to learn something new, or simply experience a new point of view on some topic I highly encourage you to check out the podcast. Each episode dives into a new subject with excellent interviewing, research, and overall production.

30 for 30: The Podcast

Kevin:

30 for 30: The Podcast hasn’t even aired yet and it’s currently ranked as #2. Let that soak in.

When ESPN first started the 30 for 30 documentaries I was completely floored. I didn’t expect them to be so good, so thorough, so captivating. Though some subjects I’m more interested in than others, nearly all the documentaries are on my must-watch list.

That’s why when I saw the announcement they were forming a podcast version of the documentaries I was immediately excited and can’t recall another podcast I was this eager to see launched. Given their abundant resources, ESPN is positioned pretty well to transform the already-successful storytelling into a podcast.

The first episode will premiere June 27th and according to ESPN’s release, the first season will

“explore and report on a new sports story that will be a combination of original interviews and archival sound. Two of the topics that will be featured in the first season of 30 for 30 Podcasts will be: “Dan and Dave Revisited,” the true story of the massive 1990’s marketing campaign around the world’s two best decathletes, and “On the Ice,” the story of how a group of amateur Brits became the first all-women’s team to make it to the North Pole.”

Honorable Mentions:

Black on the Air with Larry Wilmore

Part Time Genius

Cold Case Files: The Podcast

Binge Mode

Ear Hustle

Mogul

—-

What do you think? What are your favorite top new podcasts? Let us know in the comments.

The post Top New Podcasts of 2017, So Far. appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

If you’re unfamiliar with Revisionist History, the podcast aims to revisit an event or occurrence in the past and view it through a new lens to (hopefully) learn something new and leave each episode thinking about it with a new frame of reference. His website describes the podcast goals to “reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood.” Think 99 Percent Invisible, but for the past. The first season explored a multitude of topics including the unnecessary prestigious university endowments, why basketball players don’t shoot underhanded free throws, and misclassification of an expensive Toyota recall.

Revisionist History made my short list of favorite new podcasts of last year. I featured the show in my round-up of podcasts guaranteed to make you think. Though I’m currently on record as binging through Binge Mode, I’ll definitely have to either create more “podcast time” or have Game of Thrones take a back seat for once.

Since the episode content is fairly evergreen, you can still listen to season one and not feel like you’re late. It holds up.

USA Today was able to get a clip of the first episode of Revisionist History Season 2 in which Gladwell discusses the issues with our love of golf. Gladwell goes so far to call golf “crack cocaine for old white guys.” He shows the more golf a CEO plays, the worse their company does and the more likely they’re fired.

Listen: iTunes

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Though these are listed one through 11, these are in no way a ranking. Each podcast has quality episodes that will appeal to different people.

1. 99 Percent Invisible

Any list in this fashion has to start with 99PI. Being an avid listener for a few years, there are certain everyday objects I’ll never look at the same way again like park benches, cul-de-sacs, and retain spaces just to name a few.

Host Roman Mars and team produce excellent, and relatively short (25-40 minutes), podcasts that often tell of flawed designs and origins with interesting stories and accompanying guests.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

2. Twenty Thousand Hertz

A couple weeks ago I wrote if you enjoy 99PI, then you’ll like Twenty Thousand Hertz, and thus it’s only fitting I follow with it. Where 99PI focuses a lot on the design and function of everyday objects, Twenty Thousand Hertz focuses on the sound and sound design behind them.

Recent episodes have focused on Foley artists — the people who create sound effects for movies using random objects — Space, and talking dolls. Some of my favorites include the story behind the NBC Chimes, manufactured car engine sounds, and Siri.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

3. Revisionist History

Revisionist History, currently on hiatus, is a project of Malcom Gladwell’s that analyzes some errors of the past. Though that’s an incredibly vague tagline of my own invention, it’s really more than that. It looks at why we perceive some things in certain ways.

One of my favorite episodes talks about NBA legends, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry, and wonders why — despite being a proven advantage — underhand free throws never took off. Another episode explores the imbalances between university donations and the value they create.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

4. Criminal

Criminal defines itself as “a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” However, this isn’t your typical true crime podcast. Each episodes tells a new story (as opposed to the more recent narrative storylines), and examines the motives and psychological reasons behind some people’s actions.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

5. The Memory Palace

The Memory Palace is hosted by Nate DiMeo and each episode looks into an event that happened in the past to teach you something new and/or revisit something through a different analysis. The episodic nature of the podcast lends itself easily to listeners looking to pick up something new or only listen to topics of particular interest. Nate has also done the great job of hand selecting some of his favorite episodes if you’re unsure where to start.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

6. Reply All

Reply All is a podcast that typically looks into a specific topic in technology and/or pop culture. If you have even the slightest interest in tech and odd ball internet topics like memes, conversations, and standards and want to understand why the internet is the way it is now, this is a podcast for you. Like others on this list, each episode is standalone and can be listened in any order.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

7. Invisibilia

Invisibilia features the invisible forces around us that influence in certain ways. Whether these are ideas, emotions, thoughts, assumptions, etc., Invisibilia looks at each of these with a unique blend of scientific research and storytelling that is extremely unique and well done. Another podcast under the NPR machine, Invisibilia should be on everyone’s subscribed list.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

8. Ungeniused

If you’re in the mood to simply learn something extremely random or up your trivia game knowledge, it’s time to tune in to Ungeniused. The podcast has a simple premise: deep dives on random Wikipedia articles with added insight and analysis. What’s unique about this podcast is how snack’able it is — most episodes are around 10 minutes long. So if you’re looking to kill time, and don’t want to commit to a longer podcast, this one’s for you.

Listen: iTunes

9. Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain follows a similar vein as Invisibilia. Both are excellently produced NPR podcasts focus on unconscious motives that drive human behavior. However, Hidden Brain looks at the biases and triggers inherent in humans and how they’re shaped by the world around us. Hosted by Shankar Vedantam, this podcast is constantly near the top of the Top Podcasts charts every week.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

10. Liftoff

Interested the expanse of the universe and all that comes with it? Perfect, Liftoff is for you. Some of the podcasts on this list have a niche theme, and Liftoff is no different. What’s excellent about liftoff is how the co-hosts are able to take these insanely complicated subjects and explain them in a layman’s way and help the audience understand the importance of each topic.

Listen: iTunes

11. Science Vs

Science Vs probably has my favorite concept of any podcast on this list. Host, Wendy Zuckerman, looks at the current fads, trends, and the latest opinions and uses science to carefully dissect them. Could ghosts be real? If not, why do so many people believe in them? What about the effects of fracking on the environment?

Science Vs tackles a variety of topics and clears out the noise to analyze the truth.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

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