Ultrarunning (Entry 1357.IS4031)
In which a throwback British baronet (sort of) completes seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days, and John runs like a rhinoceros. Certificate #20800.
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Omnibus
Every week, Ken Jennings and John Roderick add a new entry to the OMNIBUS, an encyclopedic reference work of strange-but-true stories that they are compiling as a time capsule for future generations.
Episodes
The DeLorean Cocaine Bust (Entry 330.JB1810)
In which Detroit's first "cool" car executive almost goes to jail in an attempt to save his weird car and foundering company, and Ken says it's okay for kids to climb into refrigerators now. Certificate #36728.
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Elizabeth Nietzsche (Entry 837.EX0204)
In which a Prussian schoolteacher's wife founds a failed anti-Semitic utopia in Paraguay and creates fascism's favorite philosopher, and John wants to keep Nazis off the Moon at all costs. Certificate #42582.
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Cottagecore (Entry 283.ZP0206)
In which we look at the long history of romanticizing rural life, from the Enlightenment all the way up to today's Instagram lesbians, and Ken accuses Thoreau of "glamping." Certificate #45989.
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 10 min
The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon (Entry 088.MK1472)
In which we learn what causes the "frequency illusion" of recently learned facts immediately reappearing into view, and John has too many books on his bed for romance. Certificate #36846.
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 13 min
The Baader-Meinhof Gang (Entry 088.EZ2736)
In which far-left European terrorism of the 1970s produces West Germany's own Marxist-Leninist "Bonnie and Clyde," and Ken feels bad for that kissing nurse in Times Square. Certificate #26524.
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 21 min
The Cavendish Banana (Entry 197.JU0112)
In which we learn that the massive global banana export market is a precarious monoculture doomed to disaster because of a tiny fungus, and John thinks Sean Young might be a time traveler. Certificate #26039.
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Wampum (Entry 1408.DE0206)
In which the intricate bead culture of the Eastern Woodlands tribes confuses new British and Dutch arrivals, and Ken refuses to let Thomas Jefferson make him be a farmer. Certificate #31448.
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Election Ties (Entry 400.1CH2508)
In which we learn what governments do when election results come back exactly tied, and John swings a Seattle mayoral election by asking for directions. Certificate #30371.
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Mensa (Entry 775.PR1320)
In which the era of intelligence testing produces an Oxford-based society for smarty-pants who, it turns out, mostly want to solve puzzles, and Ken is shamed for identifying an antelope. Certificate #43519.
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 22 min
C-Day (Entry 198.MT2527)
In which the U.S. military battles black marketing and currency destabilization by paying Korea- and Vietnam-era servicemembers in play money, and John learns about a 1990s fad for the first time. Certificate #46965.
Oct 27, 2020•52 min
The Day the Clown Cried (Entry 317.PS12605)
In which an unfinished Holocaust "dramedy" gains a reputation as the worst movie ever made even though no one has ever seen it, and Ken thinks a lot about dog poop. Certificate #46512.
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Eliza (Entry 404.LK0247)
In which an MIT professor worried about a digital future accidentally creates the field of human-machine conversation, and John flirts with a 54-year-old computer program. Certificate #36441.
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Cynthia Plaster Caster (Entry 949.JE4817)
In which a shy Chicago student becomes one of the most famous rock fans in America by virtue of her anatomically correct artwork, and John offers Ken an unwanted present. Certificate #30889.
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Washington, CSA (Entry 1412.MT1225)
In which a doddering general saves America from an alarming alternate history in which the Confederacy takes over the nation instead of seceding, and Ken objurgates against several things (but especially slavery). Certificate #15899.
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Seawise Giant (Entry 1121.AC2718)
In which an unnamed Greek shipping magnate "jumbo-izes" an oil tanker so big that it can't even navigate the English Channel, and John ponders digging a canal between Seattle and Omaha. Certificate #36640.
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Aztec Death Whistles (Entry 088.PS5502)
In which thousands of Mesoamerican "toys" in museums around the world turn out to be terrifying vessels for the screams of wind and death, and Ken dreams of wearing "Bespin fatigues." Certificate #34995.
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 12 min
White Trains (Entry 1429.IS1305)
In which the Department of Energy decides upon a bizarre way to transport nuclear warheads, and Ken applauds the conservation of Cold War consonants. Certificate #25154.
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Mary Kay Pink Cadillacs (Entry 762.2K0930)
In which a feisty Texan single mom comes up with the gimmick that puts a friendly face on the appalling direct sales industry, and John recommends kicking a bear. Certificate #29266.
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Take Ivy (Entry 1274.LK1619)
In which the Platonic ideal of American "prep" fashion catches on with Japanese hipsters before it does back home, and Ken finds someone to blame for his short Uniqlo pants. Certificate #21125.
Sep 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min
The Three Governors (Entry 1302.MK0934)
In which a 1946 election in George results in chaos, fraud, public drunkenness, and broken furniture, and John decides to become a potato-hating beekeeper in retirement. Certificate #27176.
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Article the First (Entry 070.JE0705)
In which the very first amendment to the Bill of Rights, outlining the future of U.S. government, gets forgotten on its path to ratification, and Ken insults Delaware. Certificate #21125.
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Generic Food (Entry 521.JB1817)
In which a hilariously minimalistic grocery ghetto blooms in no-frills Carter-era America, and John chases a memory of uniformed women plying him with cheese cubes. Certificate #34402.
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr
Joe Meek (Entry 771.PS2509)
In which the art of music recording is revolutionized by a troubled British record producer who doesn't read or play music, and Ken can't really think of any guitar pedals. Certificate #37241.
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 19 min
The Garbage Barge (Entry 515.LA0345)
In which our modern recycling fervor is shaped by a mob boss who can't find a port for three thousand tons of Long Island garbage, and John has a dining room full of tin. Certificate #26561.
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Change of Gauge (Entry 206.LV2733)
In which the nightmarish complexity of the world's non-standardized rail systems is marveled at, and Ken hatches a zeppelin-related plan to resurrect Dame Agatha Christie. Certificate #48966.
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Dragnet (Entry 378.TI0301)
In which a single TV series builds the modern image of American police as righteous and efficient, despite much evidence to the contrary, and John uses its theme song in the bedroom. Certificate #35498.
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr
The Duke of Anjou (Entry 386.EC0804)
In which we trace the convoluted, "kooky-wawa" genealogy that identifies the Spanish playboy banker who should be sitting the French throne, and John wants to be a ski-town sheriff. Certificate #24409.
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Billboards (Entry 121.DA0403)
In which we study the history of oversized roadside advertising all the way from ancient Egypt to Blade Runner, and Ken is skeptical about yellow-and-green election posters. Certificate #50861.
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 8 min
German Telegrams (Entry 525.PR2606)
In which a century of German diplomacy is repeatedly hamstrung by their inept telegraphy-related decisions, and Ken has some notes about the poster for Jaws 2. Certificate #51969.
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 22 min