Omnibus

Omnibus

History EN ↓ 700 episodes

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.

Author

Omnibus

Category

History

Podcast website

www.omnibusproject.com

Latest episode

Jul 8, 2026

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Episodes

Vinegar Valentines (Entry 1396.PS10105) 15.02.2022

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.

The Hays Code (Entry 572.MT2325) 10.02.2022

In which scandal-plagued Hollywood hires a Harding Administration official to clean up suggestive movies, and John is a student of kissing. Certificate #29282.

The Anarchy (Entry 024.DA1106) 08.02.2022

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.

Trofim Lysenko (Entry 743.MT1325) 03.02.2022

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.

Chindogu (Entry 215.PR0812) 01.02.2022

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

Ledger Art (Entry 709.2P0115) 27.01.2022

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.

Penguin Classics (Entry 915.EC1212) 25.01.2022

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.

Roxas v. Marcos (Entry 1086.PR1506) 20.01.2022

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.

Welsh Patagonia (Entry 1421.DE2609) 18.01.2022

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.

The Fastest Bicyclist (Entry 445.IS0526) 13.01.2022

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.

Damascus Steel (Entry 314.PS4503) 11.01.2022

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.

Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (Entry 853.PS13709) 06.01.2022

In which an American heiress leverages her dollhouse enthusiasm to invent a new scientific discipline, and Ken's aunt knows more about cyanide than his uncle. Certificate #34368.

The Law of the Tongue (Entry 705.JB0712) 04.01.2022

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.

Der Grosser (Entry 551.EX1407) 30.12.2021

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.

The Public Universal Friend (Entry 1006.JE3122) 28.12.2021

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.

The Halifax Explosion (Entry 562.JB0409) 23.12.2021

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.

The Jefferson Bible (Entry 671.LK2270) 21.12.2021

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.

Cask 263 (Entry 191.PR2321) 16.12.2021

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.

Vortex I (Entry 1403.JM0318) 14.12.2021

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.

The Amargosa Opera House (Entry 038.JE1543) 09.12.2021

In which a borax ghost town improbably becomes the performing arts center of Death Valley, and Ken is somewhat hazy on mules. Certificate #26351.

Single Taxers (Entry 1164.LV2716) 07.12.2021

In which a forgotten Gilded Age celebrity suggests reinventing the tax code so that landowners pay their fair share, and John is discomfited by the city of Altoona. Certificate #41467.

Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (Entry 145.1T0515) 02.12.2021

In which a national hysteria erupts over the Satanists controlling your children's role-playing games, and Ken is just a big thimble. Certificate #38501.

The Phantom of New Guinea (Entry 928.IS0117) 30.11.2021

In which a purple-clad comic strip hero becomes a warrior totem in the western highlands of Papua New Guinea, and John locates the Dominican Republic of Asia. Certificate #24126.

The Ma Bell Breakup (Entry 744.LK1214) 25.11.2021

In which the U.S. government finally succeeds, after decades, in breaking up a massive telephone monopoly, and John is unfamiliar with a funny poem about an elephant. Certificate #22481.

The Longest Prizefight (Entry 733.HE1032) 23.11.2021

In which a seven-hour boxing match tests the patience of New Orleans crowds and changes the rules of the sport, and Ken thinks straws should be made of cornstarch. Certificate #26215.

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