The Saint Helena Submarine Plot (Entry 1096.PS7719)
In which Napoleon Bonaparte is disrespected by John's mom, but almost rescued by an English smuggler in a steampunk submarine. Certificate #37796.
Aug 28, 2018•45 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 Berkeley Pit (Entry 115.PS8806)
In which John welcomes the microbes from a Montana copper sludge pit who will surely inherit the earth, and Ken announces how many syllables a dog's name should have. Certificate #50365.
Aug 23, 2018•48 min
Inversion Goggles (Entry 659.IS2916)
In which we study the human brain's terrifying capacity for adaptation, via upside-down cigarette lighting, weird-smelling houses, and "stoner" voice. Certificate #37104.
Aug 21, 2018•52 min
The '59 Les Paul Standard (Entry 466.PS3302)
In which John explains why there are only 643 of the greatest guitar ever made, and Kirk Hammett of Metallica pays $2 million for a Fleetwood Mac hand-me-down. Certificate #30784.
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Ea-Nasir (Entry 390.LV1913)
In which Sumeria's shiftiest businessman keeps all his hate mail around for four thousand years, and Ken gets accused of counterfeiting by a local bookstore. Certificate #27107.
Aug 14, 2018•48 min
Michael Rockefeller (Entry 1078.MI0303)
In which one of America's richest young men gets really into New Guinean tribal art, and ends up getting really into a New Guinean tribe. Certificate #7628.
Aug 09, 2018•50 min
The D-Day Crosswords (Entry 318.PR2019)
In which a British newspaper mysteriously spends June 1944 printing top-secret World War II spoilers, and Ken fails to amuse John with a lengthy anagram about a sex scandal. Certificate #29294.
Aug 07, 2018•58 min
The Barefoot Bandit (Entry 098.DE2510)
In which John runs down the history of serial burglary, beginning with gentleman jewel thieves and ending with a plane crash in the Bahamas. Certificate #39409.
Aug 02, 2018•1 hr
Greek Fire (Entry 548.IS6402)
In which the Byzantines save their empire by inventing the flamethrower, John clears up a misconception re: how many roads go to Rome, and Ken clears up a misconception re: how many herbs and spices are in KFC. Certificate #10403.
Jul 31, 2018•50 min
Skyscraper Helipads (Entry 1170.IS6008)
In which John blames the boring skyline of Los Angeles on Regulation Number 10, an ill-conceived attempt at making every building in the city accessible by helicopter. Certificate #38095.
Jul 26, 2018•50 min
The Voyager Golden Records (Entry 1403.JU0113)
In which NASA gives aliens a weird gift basket (opera arias, a welcome from a Nazi war criminal, a lousy map, and absolutely no nipples!) and Ken gossips about wife-swapping astronomers. Certificate #34914.
Jul 24, 2018•1 hr 14 min
The Truman Reconstruction (Entry 1343.LK1428)
In which a piano starts to fall right through the floor of a second-story dining room, and as a result, the White House gets a balcony, a bunker, and a bowling alley. Certificate #47967.
Jul 19, 2018•53 min
Watch the K Foundation Burn a Million Quid (Entry 1412.JM0503)
In which two art-world provocateurs fly to Scotland and burn through a record amount of cash in just two hours, and John sings his least favorite novelty song of the 1980s for us. (Hey!) Certificate #5888.
Jul 17, 2018•1 hr 1 min
The Washing Bear (Entry 1411.LV2025)
In which John explains the secrets of raccoon hygiene, Ken mistakenly shows up with a ukulele, a straw hat, and a football pennant, and ferret lovers unsubscribe in mass numbers. Certificate #29158.
Jul 12, 2018•42 min
The Transcontinental Airway System (Entry 1327.PS4304)
In which the post office builds a path of giant yellow concrete arrows stretching across the continent, and John questions the sobriety of the pilots of Montana. Certificate #34096.
Jul 10, 2018•40 min
The Tri-State Tornado (Entry 1339.JE3023)
In which the most devastating twister in American history tears through 235 miles of the Midwest, tossing around trees, railroad tracks, and popcorn stands. Certificate #9101.
Jul 05, 2018•56 min
Christian Science Reading Rooms (Entry 220.HB0202)
In which a Boston woman falls on an icy sidewalk and discovers the secret of the universe, and listeners are encouraged to seek out the most heretical book in their local metaphysical lending library. Certificate #51449.
Jul 03, 2018•1 hr 9 min
War Rugs (Entry 1411.SS0604)
In which we travel to the "graveyard of empires" to witness the birth of an exciting Soviet-era art form, and Ken learns he should have saved the satin bomber jackets of his childhood. Certificate #39950.
Jun 28, 2018•57 min
The Koryo Saram (Entry 692.JE2907)
In which tens of thousands of Koreans are forcibly relocated to the deserts of Central Asia and ordered to grow rice, and John refuses to relocate to Kotzebue or Yakutat even though he has a free plane ticket. Certificate #16823.
Jun 26, 2018•52 min
Billy the Pygmy Hippo (Entry 122.JB4024)
In which Calvin Coolidge gets a frisky gift from Liberia that ushers zoos into the modern age, and John and Ken fantasize about being president and still sleeping all day. Certificate #47159.
Jun 21, 2018•50 min
The Boysenberry (Entry 148.LV2519)
In which a California backyard botanist creates a mysterious new fruit, resulting in one of the century's biggest food fads and reinventing the American vacation. Certificate #36525.
Jun 19, 2018•59 min
Prisencolinensinainciusol (Entry 988.1C1423)
In which the world's catchiest song teaches us how English sounds to overseas ears, and Ken mispronounces the French word for "slithy." Certificate #35645.
Jun 14, 2018•57 min
The Conqueror (Entry 264.LK1255)
In which an eccentric billionaire has the terrible idea to cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan, and a "who's who" of Hollywood gets showered with both bad reviews and radioactive fallout. Certificate #17145.
Jun 12, 2018•53 min
The Bugatti Chiron (Entry 162.EC0911)
In which a Volkswagen marque invents the super-car, new acceleration and deceleration records are set, and Ken asks where John was conceived. Certificate #24968.
Jun 07, 2018•1 hr 4 min
The St. Martin Fistula (Entry 1227.PR2027)
In which a French-Canadian "voyageur" suffers three indignities: being blasted with buckshot at point-blank range, becoming a full-time medical guinea pig, and having John call him the world's first "human fondue set." Certificate #42453.
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 4 min
The Preppy Handbook (Entry 981.DE2211)
In which John traces "preppy" fashion from Buckingham Palace to Hyannis Port to Kinko's, and Ken wonders if everyone on post-collapse Earth owns a navy blazer. Certificate #31310.
May 31, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Duchenne Smiles (Entry 385.PR1513)
In which we examine how flight attendants smile, baby chimps play, botox treats mental illness, and Oscar the Grouch was a harsh wake-up call for Gen X kids. Certificate #42013.
May 29, 2018•56 min
The Port Chicago Disaster (Entry 967.AC1940)
In which a Victory ship full of ammunition ignites a three-mile fireball, which in turn ignites the biggest mutiny trial in American history. Certificate #32844.
May 24, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Gordon Lish (Entry 726.2C0113)
In which Raymond Carver becomes a literary superstar largely thanks to one brilliant, heavy-handed editor, and Ken and John share a very controversial Blade Runner take. Certificate #24875.
May 22, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Spanish Fly (Entry 1195.SS0713)
In which a poison made from dried beetles becomes a schoolyard legend as an alleged aphrodisiac, foreshadowing our modern age of creepy predator celebrities and erectile dysfunction infomercials. Certificate #31327.
May 17, 2018•52 min