Short Stuff: Obituaries

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know's "Short Stuff" segment, Josh and Chuck explore the fascinating history of obituaries and how they've evolved from simple death notices to elaborate personal memorials. They dive into how the invention of the linotype machine revolutionized newspapers and made space for longer obituaries, how publications started charging by the line to boost profits, and the surprising shift toward honesty and personal storytelling that happened after 9/11. It's a quirky look at how we memorialize the dead and what our obituaries say about us as a society.