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.

Canal Mania (Entry 178.PR0516)

In which British investors power the Industrial Revolution with arguably too many waterways for the nation's barges, and Ken thinks escalators are not cheating. Certificate #27217.

01-09
01:29:21

The Carrington Event (Entry 189.2P0312)

In which a solar storm in 1859 leads to eye-popping auroras and a harboring of technological doom, and John compares gold pan and pizza sizes. Certificate #54094.

01-02
01:10:59

Elf on the Shelf (Entry 404.PR1503)

In which the childhood Christmas tradition of two Georgia twins becomes a cultural tug-of-war over surveillance psychology, and Ken is going to buy a light blue tree. Certificate #45509.

12-26
01:21:48

Space Contraband (Entry 1194.JB1312)

In which astronauts and cosmonauts smuggle sandwiches, golf clubs, harmonicas, collectibles, and ashes into orbit, and John wants to blow bubbles on the Moon. Certificate #54825.

12-19
01:17:05

Lazy Susans (Entry 706.LK1237)

In which a Cantonese restaurant in San Franciscos's Chinatown spreads American revolving-table technology worldwide, and Ken wonders how long it takes to get sick of a musician in your spare bedroom. Certificate #43576.

12-12
01:16:32

The Tooth Fairy (Entry 1317.SS0606)

In which ancient sorcery, changeling myths, and Edwardian fads combine to create America's only homegrown childhood rite of passage, and John's dentist turns teeth into boats. Certificate #19230.

12-05
01:26:48

411 (Entry 495.LK2003)

In which telephone users once had access to a surprising array of helpful and informative services, and Ken got rid of his landline to spite Al-Qaeda. Certificate #26038.

11-28
01:17:25

Whistling (Entry 1427.DE2323)

In which an ancient linguistic and religious practice becomes a jaunty, ambulatory musical form before falling into decline, and John does not want to see condors in a hospital. Certificate #45133.

11-21
01:26:10

The Population Bomb (Entry 966.GE2803)

In which centuries of sterilization-happy doomsayers fail to predict a game-changing revolution in wheat, and Ken thinks Pakistan wants John to clean out his fridge. Certificate #2037.

11-14
01:28:51

The King Under the Mountain (Entry 688.RO1311)

In which dozens of national sleeping guys with long beards wait in caves for their countries to need them again, and John thinks Tom Cruise should not be in a courtyard. Certificate #53610.

11-07
01:17:11

New Urbanism (Entry 835.SS0711)

In which conservative Sun Belt retirees and progressive urbanists agree on a nostalgic but radical revolution in city design, and Ken does a Norman Rockwell impression. Certificate #34959.

10-31
01:27:36

Soviet Spartacus (Entry 1194.EX2116)

In which a Thracian slave from two thousand years earlier becomes a proletarian role model and Communist sports hero, and John prefers action stars with boogers. Certificate #37084.

10-24
01:16:36

Electrical Sockets (Entry 400.JS0215)

In which the long war between alternating and direct current produces power outlets that multiply nto a dizzying world of configurations, and Ken needs a grounding prong. Certificate #29673.

10-17
01:27:44

Tartans (Entry 1279.DE2230)

In which Scottish clans each choose a distinctive plaid based on a romantic Highland history that didn't really happen, and John takes a hard hit while playing Frisbee in a skirt. Certificate #26624.

10-10
01:24:35

The Twenty-Seventh Amendment (Entry 1352.GE3028)

In which a constitutional change finally happens after a two-hundred-year delay just to spite one Texas poli sci professor, and Ken likes it when scriveners get away scot-free. Certificate #43079.

10-03
01:16:39

The Teddy Bear Shipwreck (Entry 1283.PR2433)

In which the toy market is revolutionized by a faddish stuffed animal that would be priceless today if it hadn't disappeared, and John buys the concept of a rabbit. Certificate #24398.

09-26
01:23:03

Sea Peoples (Entry 1120.1K2248)

In which the great Mediterranean civilizations of the late Bronze Age collapse virtually overnight due to some mysterious visitors, and Ken knows a lot about white broccoli. Certificate #9795.

09-19
01:12:56

The Coconut Revolution (Entry 239.JE0207)

In which Melanesian eco-revolutionaries fight off helicopter gunships with literal slingshots and homemade diesel, and John makes a shocking announcement about all scientists. Certificate #54146.

09-12
01:16:16

Poutine (Entry 973.PS10709)

In which a curd-heavy side from central Quebec belatedly becomes the national dish of a land with no real national cuisine, and Ken learns so much about Sacramento culture. Certificate #30037.

09-05
01:12:21

The Fenian Raids (Entry 461.DE2849)

In which a secret society of plucky Civil War veterans hatches a plan to return Ireland to the Irish by—wait for it—invading Canada, and John doesn't think the people who sold him wine coolers actually exist. Certificate #12129.

08-29
01:18:12

Karchi King

I have firsthand experience that proves the Europeans are right

10-28 Reply

Dayna Anokye

Mexico has been making string cheese since at least the 1800s

10-15 Reply

Coco

Outro was really funny

09-01 Reply

Steven Halla

I'd love to read the angry emails this episode "inspired".............I would love to be "left behind", unfortunately, Jesus-fish-freaks are here to stay...

07-13 Reply

AC Seagraves

The new ads are more annoying than any ads on any podcast I listen to. I get that ads are necessary, but they're pretty awful.

07-12 Reply

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