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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.\r\n","$":{"audioboom:html":"1"}}
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Episodes

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

The Anarchy (Entry 024.DA1106)

In which a German empress comes within a whisker of the English crown during a bloody civil war, and Ken discovers history's most fateful case of diarrhea. Certificate #45359.

Feb 08, 202252 min

Trofim Lysenko (Entry 743.MT1325)

In which a Soviet agronomist misunderstands genetics so badly that millions of people die, and John finds giraffes to have the sexiest eyelashes. Certificate #27832.

Feb 03, 20221 hr 9 min

Chindogu (Entry 215.PR0812)

In which a Japanese college dropout invents a new kind of not-entirely-useless invention, and Ken enjoys a tidy sum. Certificate #36799.

Feb 01, 20221 hr 10 min

Ledger Art (Entry 709.2P0115)

In which accounting records become the basis for an important new genre of Native American painting, and Ken gets nostalgic for his childhood dog food invoices. Certificate #25974.

Jan 27, 20221 hr 15 min

Penguin Classics (Entry 915.EC1212)

In which a boring train ride from Devon leads to the creation of the modern paperback library, and John's daughter is a snob about sans serif typefaces. Certificate #41769.

Jan 25, 20221 hr 4 min

Roxas v. Marcos (Entry 1086.PR1506)

In which a humble locksmith sues the dictator who stole his golden Buddha, and Ken thinks teaching multiplication to juries was a mistake. Certificate #46804.

Jan 20, 20221 hr 2 min

Welsh Patagonia (Entry 1421.DE2609)

In which a small group of nationalists leave Wales for the prairies of Argentina, and John explains why he pronounces "Nazi" to rhyme with "snazzy." Certificate #53240.

Jan 18, 202258 min

The Fastest Bicyclist (Entry 445.IS0526)

In which the world land speed cycling record reaches incredible heights using the power of the slipstream, and Ken doesn't need to hear the word "torque" so much. Certificate #43944.

Jan 13, 20221 hr 8 min

Damascus Steel (Entry 314.PS4503)

In which the technology used to make the world's strongest and most beautiful swords is lost to time, and John is suspicious of redheads. Certificate #26207.

Jan 11, 202252 min

The Law of the Tongue (Entry 705.JB0712)

In which an Australian whaling village learns to hunt cooperatively with the local apex predators, and John identifies the "ferrets of the sea." Certificate #46594.

Jan 04, 20221 hr 3 min

Der Grosser (Entry 551.EX1407)

In which an ultra-luxury Mercedes becomes the car of choice for rock stars and despots worldwide, and Ken wants to buy the least fascist doorbell. Certificate #49472.

Dec 30, 20211 hr 30 min

The Public Universal Friend (Entry 1006.JE3122)

In which a Rhode Island Quaker emerges from a coma rebranded as a nameless, genderless prophet, and John predicts the Temptations will get boils. Certificate #29297.

Dec 28, 20211 hr 6 min

The Halifax Explosion (Entry 562.JB0409)

In which a maritime comedy of errors in a Nova Scotia harbor leads to the biggest non-nuclear explosion in human history, and Ken learns why you should never buy an old yellow shirt. Certificate #21795.

Dec 23, 20211 hr 10 min

The Jefferson Bible (Entry 671.LK2270)

In which the President of the United States secretly produces his own version of Jesus without any miracles or narrative incident at all, and John produces a healthy, nutritious bowl full of Kurt Cobains. Certificate #30782.

Dec 21, 20211 hr 13 min

Cask 263 (Entry 191.PR2321)

In which a forgotten barrel of single malt whiskey becomes a multimillion dollar collector's item, and Ken refuses to drink beer out of a squirrel's butt. Certificate #13321.

Dec 16, 20211 hr 17 min

Vortex I (Entry 1403.JM0318)

In which the governor of Oregon keeps the peace by throwing the country's only state-sponsored rock festival, and John refuses to introduce two celebrities to each other. Certificate #21362.

Dec 14, 202155 min
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