Le Pétomane (Entry 926.IS0324)
In which a French baker discovers an unusual muscular ability that makes him an international star, and Ken works on his Kegels mid-recording. Certificate #22584.
Jun 18, 2020•55 min
Omnibus
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Episodes
Pulsars, Discovery of (Entry 1008.IS4713)
In which the discoverer of neutron stars is largely ignored for her achievement, and John wonders about the precise verbiage to summon "Beetlejuice." Certificate #52246.
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 1 min
TV Detection Vans (Entry 1351.MT1828)
In which the BBC employs a high-tech surveillance fleet to find out if Britons are seeing Doctor Who illegally, and Ken watches Monday Night Football on Tuesday nights. Certificate #48968.
Jun 11, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Roald Amundsen's Airship (Entry 1077.JE0113)
In which fifteen men in a dirigible, to say nothing of the dog, conquer the North Pole while arguing all the way, and John wonders if there are Italians on the Moon. Certificate #23607.
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Jesse Owens, Gold Medals of (Entry 887.LV2525)
In which we examine the secondary market for Olympic medals, Nobel Prizes, game show trophies, and other awards, and Ken and John struggle to remember if Watson or Crick is the bad one. Certificate #2504.
Jun 04, 2020•50 min
The Hero of Camperdown (Entry 583.IS3323)
In which one press-ganged sailor's quick thinking and bravery ends an invasion of Ireland and changes the course of history, while John and Ken disagree over the meaning of Elton John lyrics. Certificate #50975.
Jun 02, 2020•55 min
Soapy Smith (Entry 1178.2T0313)
In which Alaska chooses to make a cheerfully lawless gold rush villain into a beloved folk hero, and Ken wonders if he's married to a dice-rolling confidence artist. Certificate #35570.
May 28, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Chick Tracts (Entry 214.RO0116)
In which history's most widely read theologian is revealed to be an eccentric Los Angeles cartoonist and conspiracy theorist who looks like Slim Pickens, and John notices that religious pamphlets mostly appear in places where bad things happen. Certificate #31387.
May 26, 2020•1 hr 18 min
The Joy of Cooking (Entry 676.EZ2410)
In which a Listerine label-printing company publishes what goes on to become the most popular cookbook in American history, and Ken imagines Wall Street Journal portraits of seafood. Certificate #38738.
May 21, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Love (Entry 737.GA0514)
In which one of the great Pop Art geniuses of his century accidentally becomes a one-hit wonder with an iconic bit of typography, and John regrets never entering into an arranged marriage. Certificate #37350.
May 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min
The International Cable Protection Committee (Entry 654.IS4316)
In which we are reminded that the modern global communication network still relies on unwiedly physical cables running along the sea-floor, tempting Russian spies and itchy whales, and Ken enjoys the word "gutta-percha." Certificate #34332.
May 14, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Grade Inflation (Entry 542.JB0807)
In which the phenomenon of "illusory superiority" causes a gradual creep of ratings and reputations in every field, from maple syrup to dunks to dress sizes, and John is universally praised by his rideshare drivers. Certificate #45417.
May 12, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Tanzanite (Entry 1277.IS5411)
In which a consortium of gemologists tries to persuade vacationers of the hottest new thing in jewelry, which Ken considers to be the Sammy Hagar of birthstones. Certificate #48596.
May 07, 2020•53 min
Etchings (Entry 428.GN3907)
In which filthy Restoration comedy, Horatio Alger, and a sensational murder trial conspire to create a very odd pick-up line, and John requires an extra syllable in "Tijuana." Certificate #2793.
May 05, 2020•55 min
The Wild Goose (Entry 1432.MT0823)
In which John Wayne buys a decommissioned minesweeper as his luxury yacht and it outlasts its more famous French sister ship, which is probably now full of slugs. Certificate #28232.
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min
(LIVE) The Wreck of the Titan (Entry 1446.EZ2734)
In which a failed periscope inventor predicts the greatest disaster of his time with apparently paranormal accuracy, and special guest Aimee Mann is warned away from the supernatural in no uncertain terms. Certificate #27264.
Apr 28, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Prairie Schooners (Entry 975.NU0703)
In which the west is won by long fleets of covered wagons "sailing" on to the Oregon Territory, and Ken thinks it was mistake to capitalize the Northwest Passage. Certificate #18089.
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Ferdinandea (Entry 461.RV1620)
In which the European powers scramble to claim an infant pile of basalt in the Mediterranean, and John wonders how steampunk the Libyan submarine fleet might be. Certificate #50204.
Apr 21, 2020•47 min
Green Funerals (Entry 549.1S3113)
In which John describes environmentally friendly modern alternatives to burial, and refuses to apologize for leaving an urn full of ashes under his piano for a decade. Certificate #37628.
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Bode's Law (Entry 138.JB2212)
In which amateur algebra experts figure out where the planets in the solar system should be, and are (briefly) proven right, and Ken gets his hair cut by a ghost. Certificate #36737.
Apr 14, 2020•59 min
Genoan Insurance (Entry 522.MT0634)
In which the modern insurance industry is born when medieval Italian merchants form syndicates to manage risk, and Ken manages risk by making people order pancakes. Certificate #46598.
Apr 09, 2020•53 min
Streaking (Entry 1234.RV1615)
In which dumb campus fads return to the American spotlight in 1973 thanks to a mild winter and legions of nude undergrads, and John gradually remembers his own complicated streaking history. Certificate #41916.
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 10 min
The De Havilland Beaver (Entry 328.DE0203)
In which the Great White North is serviced and explored by the greatest bush plane of all time, and Ken decides that aircraft shouldn't be named after bugs. Certificate #35435.
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Mesoamerican Ball Game (Entry 778.JB3122)
In which pre-Columbian civilizations spend thousands of years banging each other up with heavy rubber balls, and John tries to replace professional sports with stick-fighting. Certificate #28586.
Mar 31, 2020•1 hr
Naked Came the Stranger (Entry 823.MT2538)
In which a droll Long Island reporter and his newsroom buddies accidentally create one of the all-time great dirty books, and Ken is skeptical of the nudist lifestyle. Certificate #50150.
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Sadie Hawkins Day (Entry 1094.GN3912)
In which a hippie-hating cartoonist accidentally creates a (slightly) gender-equalizing campus tradition, and John spends hours poring over newspaper bridge columns. Certificate #44390.
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Chinook Jargon (Entry 215.1C1413)
In which a very old Native American trading pidgin becomes a regional language and 20th-century slang, and Ken goes to a movie theater that basically confessed to genocide. Certificate #5725.
Mar 19, 2020•53 min
Patagonian Giants (Entry 907.MT0627)
In which the world's tallest tribe, if they even exist, are enslaved by Ferdinand Magellan and downsized by subsequent visitors, and John reminds us of the importance of good posture. Certificate #33392.
Mar 17, 2020•55 min
Bill W. (Entry 122.NU0603)
In which one rough night for a traveling salesman in Akron, Ohio births a new spiritual approach to addiction recovery, and Ken suggests some interesting anagrams for post-human Presbyterian listeners. Certificate #19544.
Mar 12, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Hikikomori (Entry 587.1K2225)
In which a generation of traumatized Japanese young people increasingly decide never to come out of their bedrooms, whereas John insists on dying alone. Certificate #50644.
Mar 10, 2020•1 hr 6 min
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