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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

Quonset Huts (Entry 1023.PS6103)

In which the U.S. military builds hundreds of thousands of weird half-cylindrical shelters out of corrugated steel, and Ken reports on what they would look like with stained-glass windows. Certificate #35704

Jul 04, 201952 min

Droodles (Entry 382.AC0212)

In which we remember Frank Zappa's favorite 1950s fad, brought to you by the inventor of Mad Libs, and John remembers why people actually thought a Sasquatch lived on top of the Space Needle back in foggier times. Certificate #48261.

Jul 02, 20191 hr 5 min

Furries (Entry 508.GN2716)

In which hundreds of thousands of people dress in big plush animal suits as a hobby, identity, or fetish, and Ken explains the secret Family Feud notebooks of his childhood. Certificate #26505

Jun 27, 201956 min

Town Line, New York (Entry 1323.2C0617)

In which a tiny village secedes from the United States to join the Confederacy and forgets to rejoin for almost a century--even though it's in upstate New York just miles from the Canadian border. Certificate #42052.

Jun 25, 201953 min

Cold Fusion (Entry 242.PR2004)

In which two of the world's smartest electrochemists get fooled by a botched experiment and the promise of fame, and John reveals that GPS mysticism is his pseudoscience. Certificate #19668.

Jun 21, 20191 hr 1 min

The Kamehameha Colonists (Entry 681.IS4204)

In which over a hundred of Honolulu's elite private school students are shipped off to some of the world's most remote islands on a top-secret government mission, and Ken wonders if sea turtles can feel dread. Certificate #22194.

Jun 19, 201951 min

Maraschino Cherries (Entry 758.PR0819)

In which we learn how a historical delicacy of Croatia got bastardized into a staple of American cocktails and sundaes, and John is upset when his third grade teacher pays him in ice cream instead of cash. Certificate #28197.

Jun 13, 201954 min

Cursive (Entry 307.DA0508)

In which we trace script handwriting from ancient Egypt all the way up to the modern culture wars, and John and Ken argue over the ugliest cursive capital letter: is it J or Q? Certificate #32892.

Jun 11, 201956 min

Lilly Pulitzer (Entry 1007.LK1227)

In which the messy orange-eating of a runaway heiress creates a colorful new summer look for American women, and Ken goes way too far with his Kennedy assassination theories. Certificate #12306.

Jun 06, 201943 min

Bone Wars (Entry 141.PS14107)

In which America's two greatest dinosaur hunters ruin their lives in an unhinged battle of spite and revenge, which John finds extremely romantic. Certificate #24269.

Jun 04, 201948 min

Pattie Boyd (Entry 148.DE2402)

In which two of the greatest rock guitarists of all time pine after the same woman, each marry her in turn, and somehow stay friends. Certificate #42401.

May 30, 201955 min

The Reindeer Wizards (Entry 1049.DE1811)

In which we remember the 1950s charity drive to raise reindeer funds for a tribe of Scandinavian telepaths--a problem they really should have seen coming. Certificate #37239.

May 28, 201946 min

Trapper Keepers (Entry 1331.IS0816)

In which a re-designed school binder becomes a mandatory school accessory and one of the great marketing successes of the 1980s, and Ken spends hours looking at erasers shaped like sushi. Certificate #31310.

May 23, 201951 min

Winifred Sackville Stoner Jr. (Entry 1229.MT1125)

In which an Esperanto-loving stage mom raises America's first celebrity child prodigy, who writes one of history's most famous poems before vanishing into a cloud of bigamy and scandal. Certificate #35551.

May 21, 201955 min

Plymouth Rock (Entry 955.EX3321)

In which John visits one of the most underwhelming (and breakable) landmarks in American history, and explains why its entire history is almost certainly made up. Certificate #33004.

May 16, 201947 min

Tortilla Chips (Entry 1320.GN4226)

In which America discovers Tex-Mex food at Disneyland, leading to the invention of Doritos and "extreme" snack foods, and Ken has clam chowder in his car. Certificate #42729.

May 14, 201951 min

Private Wojtek the Bear (Entry 988.HO1308)

In which we follow an army of exiled Polish soldiers from Siberia to Iran to Scotland, and learn why they taught a Syrian brown bear to carry ammo and eat cigarettes. Certificate #41871.

May 09, 201937 min

Hotel Detectives (Entry 601.GN4321)

In which we learn about palming doorknobs, spotting bunco artists and fornicators, and other old tricks of the "hotel dick" trade, and John steals some room service pizza. Certificate #51720.

May 07, 201941 min

The Charge of the Light Brigade (Entry 208.GN5009)

In which a series of underqualified officers and vague, sweeping gestures lead to a terrible military debacle, a good sweater, and a catchy poem, and Ken expresses some skepticism about Captain von Trapp. Certificate #38694.

May 02, 20191 hr 1 min

Killer Rabbit (Entry 686.LV1106)

In which we go through the weird list of things glimpsed by noted paranormal researcher Jimmy Carter, including a hissing marsh rabbit and a UFO that the Air Force wants you to think is barium. Certificate #21432.

Apr 25, 201952 min

Ted Danson in Blackface (Entry 1283.JB2317)

In which one of the most beloved sitcom stars in America tries out the worst comedy idea of all time, and John has a theory about anti-Semitism in the Aliens movies. Certificate #22400.

Apr 23, 20191 hr 4 min

Breastaurants (Entry 152.IS1321)

In which we explain the squeaky-clean tawdriness of casual dining chains that put all the servers in tank tops, and Ken wonders if you can eat hot wings ironically. Certificate #37739.

Apr 18, 20191 hr 1 min

Mussolini's Nose (Entry 819.PR3033)

In which a chronically ill British woman decides that God wants her to kill a fascist dictator, and Ken and John argue over whether or not an assassination plot needs a chalkboard. Certificate #16114.

Apr 16, 201954 min

Wide Skis (Entry 1431.LK0429)

In which, after centuries of stagnation, the sport of skiing is revolutionized in a matter of three years, and John is forced to sign a hand-written waiver. Certificate #34056.

Apr 11, 20191 hr 5 min

Cocaine Hippos (Entry 238.JB4021)

In which the rivers of Colombia teem with African hippos due to the excesses of a long-dead drug lord, and Ken suggests introducing Welsh corgis to the Amazon rainforest. Certificate #37768.

Apr 09, 201945 min

The Smoot (Entry 1178.1K0626)

In which an MIT fraternity prank creates a new unit of measurement and annoys Boston police, and John wins a million dollars on an imaginary quiz show about Maine. Certificate #50326.

Apr 04, 201946 min

The Garden of Earthly Delights (Entry 515.SS0611)

In which a Dutch painter creates surreal hellscapes so mysterious and full of butts that no one knows what he was even thinking, and Ken explains why bagpipes are very, very erotic. Certificate #17086.

Apr 02, 201956 min

Breezewood, Pennsylvania (Entry 153.JG0506)

In which a funding impasse and clever fast food franchises put a one-of-a-kind stoplight right in the middle of a Pennsylvania interstate, and Ken misremembers who built the Lincoln Highway. Certificate #31424.

Mar 28, 20191 hr 7 min

Indigo (Entry 634.GE0913)

In which Sir Isaac Newton adds an extra color to the rainbow to make his mystical, musical math come out right, and John has strong feelings about Satan's marital status. Certificate #26015.

Mar 26, 20191 hr 9 min