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Omnibus

Omnibus

706 episodes — Page 4 of 15

Salton Sea (Entry 1098.GN1403)

In which California's largest lake, created by accident in 1905, teeters on the brink of collapse, and Ken complains about a hotel sink. Certificate #44008.

Jun 29, 20231h 12m

101 Uses for a Dead Cat (Entry 606.LV0724)

In which an asthmatic British cartoonist sells two million copies of his books of non-jokes for cat skeptics, and John knows what the handle of a gun is called. Certificate #29573.

Jun 22, 20231h 9m

Crackers (Entry 290.NA0302)

In which a Shakespearean insult for an obnoxious blowhard comes to be used as an anti-white slur, and Ken wants to test the Appalachians for testosterone. Certificate #38163.

Jun 15, 20231h 4m

The Tartarian Empire (Entry 1279.NA0206)

In which a QAnon-like conspiracy theory insists that fancy 19th-century architecture was all built by a mysterious, long-lost superstate, and John is concerned about neighborhood dogs with heads the size of pumpkins. Certificate #20354.

Jun 8, 20231h 12m

The Kruger Millions (Entry 693.JB2801)

In which a vast hoard of gold and diamonds disppears near the Mozambique border during the Boer War, and Ken thinks most penguin species look like hoboes. Certificate #15845.

Jun 1, 20231h 13m

Project Cybersyn (Entry 993.AC0245)

In which Latin America's first Marxist democracy tries to collectivize the means of production by inventing a proto-internet in 1970, and John just hopes it was orange and brown. Certificate #53432.

May 25, 20231h 13m

The Gimli Glider (Entry 528.PS6104)

In which the pilots of a Canadian commercial jetliner abruptly realize over Ontario that they're entirely out of fuel, and Ken likes sad character licensing attempts at amusement parks. Certificate #41746.

May 18, 20231h 22m

Dueling Scars (Entry 385.PR0633)

In which German university students create a new status symbol when they add swordplay to their drinking society meetings, and John's closet skeletons are all bar fights. Certificate #36857.

May 11, 20231h 9m

Alligators in the Sewers (Entry 033.LV1142)

In which generations of New Yorkers read about, and lasso, a series of not-legendary-at-all interlopers beneath their city, and Ken doesn't think you should trim a reptile like a bonsai tree. Certificate #36161.

May 4, 20231h 21m

Magic Alex (Entry 747.JE0708)

In which a self-proclaimed electronics prodigy from Greece wows the credulous Beatles with five years of inventions he will never invent, and John insists that his recursive t-shirt feature Wil Wheaton. Certificate #45939.

Apr 27, 20231h 24m

Saul Zaentz (Entry 1455.1S1435)

In which a future three-time Oscar winner becomes the nemesis of America's favorite fake swamp-rocker, and Ken has prepared a little skit about the death of Stalin. Certificate #42240.

Apr 20, 20231h 24m

The Green River Ordinance (Entry 549.RV0320)

In which underslept Wyoming railroad workers strike back against a tide of pushy brush and encyclopedia salesmen, and John appreciates the Jehovah's Witnesses. Certificate #12881.

Apr 13, 20231h 18m

Mad Cow Disease (Entry 746.GE4120)

In which the unsavory feeding practices of British dairy farms introduce Europe to a new degenerative brain disease, and Ken believes Prince Edward is not necessarily human. Certificate #41602.

Apr 6, 20231h 16m

The Amazing Randi (Entry 038.EX0711)

In which mediums and other charlatans wage a 150-year war with their sworn enemy, elite stage magicians, and John would never yell at a lake or birdbath. Certificate #44722.

Mar 30, 20231h 35m

Kevlar (Entry 684.EX2822)

In which a pioneering chemist never sees a cent of the billions of dollars that her tough new polymer earns for her employer, and Ken wonders how many Alaskans fake their own deaths. Certificate #34836.

Mar 23, 20231h 21m

The Defector General (Entry 326.IS3301)

In which the greatest turncoat in Chinese history betrays every single warlord or government he ever serves, and John had the 4chan version of the '90s. Certificate #40824.

Mar 16, 20231h 23m

The Devils Hole Pupfish (Entry 342.PS10529)

In which a playful-looking but delicate little species is unable to thrive anywhere but its 11-foot wide home near Death Valley, and Ken witnesses a jellyfish tragedy. Certificate #41036.

Mar 9, 20231h 8m

The Sight and Sound Poll (Entry 1158.DE0413)

In which a British magazine very gradually takes over film culture with its once-every-decade top ten list, and John is careful not to endorse an invasion of the Sudetenland. Certificate #51403.

Mar 2, 20231h 32m

The Bhopal Disaster (Entry 118.JE2106)

In which a series of lapses at a Union Carbide India chemical plant leads to the worst industrial accident in history, and Ken can't get behind a midnight tea break. Certificate #52760.

Feb 23, 20231h 20m

The Osage Headrights (Entry 877.MT2508)

In which an Oklahoma tribe becomes the world's richest people before the swindling and the murders start, and John enjoys a web of intrigue. Certificate #47911.

Feb 16, 20231h 23m

The Voynich Manuscript (Entry 1403.DA0515)

In which a bizarrely illustrated codex baffles codebreakers for almost four hundred years, and Ken should not have sent that text about the collected works of Dickens. Certificate #42634.

Feb 9, 20231h 22m

Rhinos in Europe (Entry 1069.JB3910)

In which Europe is so besotted with exotic ungulates that Roman emperors battle them, artists engrave them badly, and salons honor them in wig form, and John asks about Ken's milk bags. Certificate #27983.

Feb 2, 20231h 11m

Cannikin (Entry 180.IS0219)

In which underground nuclear testing in Alaska leads two Jewish Quakers into a new age of direct action in environmental activism, and Ken is grateful for the air fryer. Certificate #53211.

Jan 26, 20231h 9m

The Royal Touch (Entry 1087.MT1902)

In which the divine right of kings, along with golden amulets, is considered the only cure for a disfiguring disease, and John considers which celebrities might be carved from wood. Certificate #22347.

Jan 19, 20231h 9m

Blue Fugates (Entry 137.DA1006)

In which a rare oxidized form of hemoglobin changes the skin color of a whole holler full of Kentuckians, and Ken wonders when elves got plastic surgery. Certificate #26015.

Jan 12, 20231h 7m

Korean Age (Entry 692.JB1117)

In which the world's first cultural superpower decides to make all its citizens a year or two younger overnight, and John could not have been a better baby. Certificate #38756.

Jan 5, 20231h 20m

Emperor Norton (Entry 408.MT2221)

In which a colorful newcomer to San Francisco loses a fortune on Peruvian rice and declares himself American royalty, and Ken would have pixelized Kiss. Certificate #42631.

Dec 29, 20221h 11m

The Grey Album (Entry 550.MT1906)

In which a future music megastar bridges the gap between rock and hip-hop with one ambitious, illegal remix album, and John is such a good ally that he listened to Suzanne Vega. Certificate #19205.

Dec 27, 20221h 19m

Christmas KFC (Entry 220.DE1411)

In which a western religious holiday becomes a romantic poultry-eating occasion in modern Japan, and Ken destroys all his Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts. Certificate #24940.

Dec 22, 20221h 11m

The First Council of Nicaea (Entry 472.AC1502)

In which an emperor convenes the first ever ecumenical council to figure out just whom Christians have been worshiping all this time, and John thinks the invention of the wheel led to mass depravity. Certificate #23027.

Dec 20, 20221h 24m

Custer the Wolf (Entry 308.JN1012)

In which a national campaign to eradicate a misunderstood predator from the United States very nearly succeeds, and Ken would like to see John James Audubon burning in a pit. Certificate #52363.

Dec 15, 20221h 10m

The Phone Book (Entry 931.RV2015)

In which utility companies take it upon themselves to provide the informational staple of every 20th-century household, and John is looking for a missing Jordanian. Certificate #48730.

Dec 13, 20221h 35m

The Futuro House (Entry 510.1K0609)

In which a Finnish architect upgrades the prefab, modular homes of the 1960s by turning them into flying saucers, and Ken wants to know his table's name. Certificate #49729.

Dec 8, 20221h 6m

The Red Ghost (Entry 1042.LV1104)

In which southeastern Arizona is menaced by a giant, murderous cryptid with a macabre rider, and John conjures up Mr. Clickety-Clack. Certificate #45334.

Dec 6, 20221h 8m

The Quadro Tracker (Entry 1016.LK1202)

In which a man who can't find his golf balls solves every law enforcement problem known to man, and Ken has some bad news about parking tickets. Certificate #21137.

Dec 1, 20221h 12m

The Johnstown Flood (Entry 674.NA0108)

In which an earthenwork dam enjoyed by millionaires fails and a town of steelworkers disppears from the map, and John is terrified by the menace of West Virginia. Certificate #33180.

Nov 29, 20221h 6m

The Last Solviet Citizen (Entry 702.LA0417)

In which one lonely cosmonaut is left in space while his nation disappears from under him, and Ken thinks couples therapy should be about Mars. Certificate #35916.

Nov 24, 202254 min

Twilight (Entry 1352.DE1223)

In which a bored Phoenix mom has a sparkly dream that ends up changing both teen literature and Washington State tourism, and John explains that his virginity had little to do with vampires. Certificate #18573.

Nov 22, 20221h 18m

Mother Trees (Entry 810.LK2129)

In which forests and their fungi form such close relationships that they essentially become a giant leafy brain, and Ken is excited about pre-Wil Wheaton science. Certificate #46162.

Nov 17, 202254 min

The Goodwill Moon Rocks (Entry 539.JB1804)

In which a space detective learns that hundreds of Richard Nixon's tiny gifts to the world have gone missing over the years, and John wonders if religious sacraments are more effective in space. Certificate #25614.

Nov 15, 20221h 9m

Up with People (Entry 1376.MT0715)

In which the counterculture of the 1960s encourages powerful institutions to create a square but multiracial song-and-dance troupe that takes the world by storm, and Ken imagines President Eisenhower as a stern ad executive. Certificate #53773

Nov 10, 20221h 14m

Loyalists (Entry 738.1S0819)

In which half a million colonists decide the American Revolution isn't really their thing, and John needs to know how many lanterns there were, just in case. Certificate #13747.

Nov 8, 20221h 16m

The Stone of Scone (Entry 1229.PS11822)

In which a medieval legend about a chunk of sandstone means that Scottish cooperation is necessary for Charles III to be crowned king, and Ken passes a Bible quiz. Certificate #42504.

Nov 3, 20221h 8m

The Popemobile (Entry 965.JE4615)

In which the history of papal transportation is traced from sedan chairs to Hyundai sedans, and John has been researching the care and upkeep of Catholic moms. Certificate #15163.

Nov 1, 20221h 10m

The Dempster Dumpster (Entry 332.LA0345)

In which cities, over the centuries, gradually discover the most efficient way to collect garbage for disposal, and Ken hasn't looked in his pocket since Christmas. Certificate #28712.

Oct 27, 20221h 5m

Modernist Cuisine (Entry 798.PR2303)

In which a computer millionaire takes early retirement to self-publish a 50-pound reference work about the chemistry of food, and John discovers a surprise cherry tomato. Certificate #24537.

Oct 25, 20221h 11m

The Batavia (Entry 103.AC2741)

In which one eventful Dutch voyage to Indonesia leads to a mutiny, a shipwreck, and a massacre off the coast of Australia, and Ken claims he has a bed in a port somewhere. Certificate #20229.

Oct 20, 20221h 14m

The Last Train Robbery (Entry 702.EZ0722)

In which two Depression-era "drugstore cowboys" let their Wild West outlaw fantasies lead them into a life of crime, and John breaks the news to Ken about pirates. Certificate #26056.

Oct 18, 20221h 1m

The Thanh Hoa Bridge (Entry 1293.2C0409)

In which the "Dragon's Jaw" across the Song Ma River in North Vietnam proves a challenge for the most advanced air weaponry on earth, and Ken thinks teens should be in parking lots. Certificate #22691.

Oct 13, 20221h 3m

Dissociative Fugues (Entry 363.HE1017)

In which human memory and identity are so fragile that a series of people simply walk away from them, and John wishes more things were the movie Tron. Certificate #28975.

Oct 11, 20221h 13m