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Omnibus

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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 Goodwill Games (Entry 539.EP0607)

In which an upstart media mogul hatches a plan with Moscow to challenge the Olympics and end the Cold War, and John looks for the sexiest pictures of a former First Lady. Certificate #21182.

May 24, 20221 hr 17 min

Moose Cheese (Entry 806.JB1010)

In which brave souls from Siberia to Zimbabwe try riding and milking some rarely domesticated animals, with mixed results, and Ken wants to put a newborn baby on an ostrich. Certificate #52260.

May 19, 20221 hr 25 min

Billy Jack (Entry 122.LV1933)

In which one low-budget action flick forever rewrites the rules of how movies are marketed, and John thinks Spider-Man's aunt is the only real movie star. Certificate #33734.

May 17, 20221 hr 17 min

The Milgram Experiment (Entry 788.GE2708)

In which a Yale psychologist attempts to explain the Holocaust using research techniques considered unethical today, and Ken has a theory about the origins of Jeopardy! Certificate #20495.

May 12, 20221 hr 1 min

Potsdamer Platz (Entry 972.NE0406)

In which the "Times Square of Europe" is bombed into 150 acres of rubble and eventually the greatest real estate opportunity of the post-Cold War world, and John lists the only three places in Germany. Certificate #38531.

May 10, 20221 hr 3 min

The Holy Prepuce (Entry 594.JS0503)

In which Apocrypha gospel adventures and medieval miracles are ascribed to the sacred foreskin of Jesus of Nazareth, and Ken disapproves of hand magic in our schools. Certificate #52348.

May 05, 20221 hr 8 min

Missing in Action (Entry 795.2CH2811)

In which the majority of Americans become convinced that U.S. POWs are still being held captive decades after the Vietnam War ends, and John assumes those dancing inflatable tube men enjoy Primus. Certificate #49382.

May 03, 20221 hr 19 min

Sleng Teng Riddim (Entry 1172.PS3303)

In which the first ever all-electronic groove revolutionizes Jamaican music, and Ken thinks there should be more songs about baptism. Certificate #52239.

Apr 28, 20221 hr 19 min

Point Nemo (Entry 958.JB3826)

In which the dead center of the Pacific Ocean is revealed to be the home of microplastics, sunken spacecraft, and possibly giant sea monsters, and John refuses to leave his keyboard player in the desert. Certificate #49394.

Apr 26, 20221 hr 20 min

The Titanic II (Entry 1311.PR1618)

In which an Australian national treasure and a Chinese resort race to revive the most disastrous brand in maritime history, and Ken is fed up with the sulfurous steel of Belfast. Certificate #50231.

Apr 21, 202254 min

Ranz-des-Vaches (Entry 1030.PS5010)

In which Swiss mercenaries will desert their post if you whistle a folk song about cows, and John wishes you many goods and cheese. Certficate #26419.

Apr 19, 20221 hr 15 min

Solidarnosc (Entry 1187.EC0409)

In which a well-mustached electrician starts a labor movement that even Ronald Reagan can get behind, and Ken is working on a chess novel. Certificate #26170.

Apr 14, 20221 hr 13 min

The Presidential Fitness Test (Entry 983.PR3117)

In which terror of falling behind the Swiss leads the White House to introduce America's children to a new and tramautic form of physical education, and John wants to landscape the top of Mount Rainier. Certificate #39398.

Apr 12, 20221 hr 16 min

The Torch Lady (Entry 1319.MT2507)

In which a multitude of actresses and one journalist remember being the model for the Columbia Pictures logo, and Ken's fuse box is in the wrong place. Certificate #28564.

Apr 07, 202252 min

Minitel (Entry 791.IS4209)

In which a French-only precursor to the World Wide Web appears in the late 1970s in a wave of Gallic futurist fervor, and John may have been making long distance calls from a Parisian prison. Certificate #23054.

Apr 05, 202257 min

Camel Beauty Pageants (Entry 177.MT2324)

In which a Bedouin cultural revival in modern-day Arabia leads to a thriving circuit of competitive camel events, and Ken thinks Brazil is acting a little desperate. Certificate #37337.

Mar 31, 20221 hr 5 min

Eyebrows (Entry 446.IS4804)

In which we follow the evolution of the human brow from prehistoric man up through the Kardashians, and John looks into Sanskrit. Certificate #22352.

Mar 29, 20221 hr 10 min

Hang In There, Baby (Entry 566.MT2413)

In which a Beverly Hills celeb photographer, a Siamese kitten named Sassy, and a Broadway legend collaborate to create modern poster culture, and Ken hates the ticking of a giant Garfield watch. Certificate #19046.

Mar 24, 20221 hr 14 min

Winnipeg the Bear (Entry 1436.PR1712)

In which a Canadian veterinarian saves an orphaned cub on his way to France, unwittingly giving the world a great literary gift, and John thinks there should be a railway car just for thrash metal. Certificate #51029.

Mar 22, 20221 hr 16 min

The Hudson Brothers (Entry 604.1J0210)

In which an Oregon pop trio become near-stars of record, TV, and screen in the mid-1970s, and Ken wonders who the Bee Gees are romancing in the afterlife. Certificate #37614.

Mar 17, 20221 hr 6 min

The Great Lisbon Earthquake (Entry 548.1S1415)

In which a new breed of Portuguese statesman rebuilds his capital after the worst natural disaster in European memory, and John thinks a rainbow would never hold up in court. Certificate #30150.

Mar 15, 20221 hr 8 min

Fanta (Entry 453.EX1524)

In which a wartime shortage of secret ingredient 7x gives the world its second favorite soda brand, and Ken pronounces beverages like an Okie. Certificate #25939.

Mar 10, 20221 hr 8 min

Nadia's Theme (Entry 823.PS5707)

In which a minor bit of a movie score improbably becomes a chart-topping hit thanks to daytime soaps and Olympic gymnastics, and Ken doesn't enjoy the bongo as a lead instrument. Certificate #25729.

Mar 03, 202258 min

Lisztomania (Entry 726.MT0908)

In which a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist becomes Europe's first rock star, and John is looking for a German countess with the right braids. Certificate #39341.

Mar 01, 20221 hr 4 min

The Megavitamin Craze (Entry 772.PR2516)

In which a two-time Nobel Prize winner believes he has discovered the cure for the common cold, and Ken wants cilantro to tell him what to do. Certificate #31531.

Feb 24, 20221 hr 1 min

The Mill (Entry 788.MK1242)

In which a coinage act officially defines American currency much smaller than a penny, and John has an important question about a shrimp restaurant. Certificate #40326

Feb 22, 202254 min

Beanie Babies (Entry 106.PR2105)

In which 1990s America becomes convinced that the world's least cuddly stuffed animals are the road to financial freedom, and Ken's very valuable comic book gets covered with jelly. Certificate #47159.

Feb 17, 202259 min

Vinegar Valentines (Entry 1396.PS10105)

In which Victorians use February 14 to woo their sweethearts but also to insult all their enemies, and John reveals the best night of the year to play a concert. Certificate #36155.

Feb 15, 202250 min

The Hays Code (Entry 572.MT2325)

In which scandal-plagued Hollywood hires a Harding Administration official to clean up suggestive movies, and John is a student of kissing. Certificate #29282.

Feb 10, 20221 hr 12 min