Omnibus

Omnibus

History EN ↓ 715 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.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.omnibusproject.com

Author

Omnibus

Category

History

Podcast website

www.omnibusproject.com

Latest episode

Oct 14, 2026

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Episodes

The Antarctic Snow Cruiser (Entry 052.1K0732) 30.05.2024

In which a polar expedition builds a massive RV to road-trip around Antarctica but brings the wrong tires, and Ken wonders if admirals like sexy calendars. Certificate #23408.

Electroculture (Entry 401.MT1308) 23.05.2024

In which the earliest discoverers of electricity disagree on whether it helps flowers, turnips, and myrtle shrubs to grow, and John punishes himself with sprouts. Certificate #27338.

Somerton Man (Entry 1189.PS7902) 16.05.2024

In which a clue-filled dead body appears on a beach in Adelaide, Australia, sparking a tantalizing 75-year mystery, and Ken is not a team of seventh graders. Certificate #35821.

Kim's Video (Entry 687.MT0542) 09.05.2024

In which the collapse of the video rental industry sends one valuable and eccentric archive to an obscure and disaster-plagued town in western Sicily, and E. coli is no match for John. Certificate #43318.

Kilroy Was Here (Entry 687.EZ0810) 02.05.2024

In which a mysterious World War II inscription marries image and text to create the modern meme, and Ken does not think gangrenous limbs are a meme. Certificate #25622.

The Rainbow Bridge (Entry 1028.EC0319) 25.04.2024

In which the bountiful gifts of American advice columnists include a now-ubiquitious happy afterlife for pets, and John might lose a swordfight because he's too heavy for a chandelier. Certificate #29810.

The Principality of Sealand (Entry 987.IS6022) 18.04.2024

In which a self-crowned prince founds his own nation on a tiny piece of concrete in the North Sea, complete with commando raids, and Ken is only in favor of 3-D awards. Certificate #6611.

Stickball (Entry 1225.MK0608) 11.04.2024

In which a village pastime for Sussex dairymaids gets urbanized into an exciting neighborhood pick-up sport in American inner cities, and John wants to pick the bittle up. Certificate #13472.

Bioplastics (Entry 124.EZ3629) 04.04.2024

In which attempts to replace petrochemical plastic with corn and sawdust face fatal challenges of scale and efficiency, and Ken has never made a Prius. Certificate #32944.

The Push Button (Entry 1012.DE0611) 28.03.2024

In which the influence of spinet pianos and telegraph keys produces a satisfying new device interface for the electric age, and John thinks aliens just want a cuddle. Certificate #42007.

Jersey Barriers (Entry 671.IS5714) 21.03.2024

In which the development of guardrail and concrete divider technology makes highway driving massively safer over the decades, and Ken lies under oath in a deposition. Certificate #40991.

Joanna Southcott's Box (Entry 673.GN4910) 14.03.2024

In which twenty-four bishops refuse to open the secret prophecies that will save Britain from war and banditry, and John wants to be called "Dicebox." Certificate #49596.

Vanity Plates (Entry 1383.EC1208) 07.03.2024

In which car registration numbers become modes for personalized creative expression and eventually a multimillion-dollar commodity, and Ken does not say "auto." Certificate #37808.

The Earth from Space (Entry 391.GN0115) 29.02.2024

In which centuries of inaccurate illustrations of our planet are abruptly upended by satellites and awestruck astronauts, and John never drew spaceships, just Japanese fighter planes. Certificate #35817.

The Food Pyramid (Entry 487.MT0611) 22.02.2024

In which budget-conscious Swedes rearrange American ideas about nutritious eating, and Ken is pretty sure M&Ms are not getting smaller. Certificate #54063.

The Guano Islands Act (Entry 554.PS10407) 15.02.2024

In which we celebrate 167 years of Americans being able to claim any island they like as long as it has enough bird poop on it, and John thinks you can dip a pole in liberty. Certificate #39867.

The Great Idaho Beaver Drop (Entry 548.JL0202) 08.02.2024

In which a remote part of Idaho solves its beaver dam problem with some surplus parachutes and an even more remote part of Idaho, and Ken applies the transitive property to mules and culverts. Certificate #31297.

Naturism (Entry 827.GE0225) 01.02.2024

In which German health nuts give the world the idea of social nude recreation before the Nazis can tell them not to, and John thinks of something that is better than itching. Certificate #53668.

The Ice Trade (Entry 615.PS14717) 25.01.2024

In which the ponds of New England become the wellspring of a new worldwide web of perishable foods, and Ken learns that gum is a forest treat. Certificate #23725.

Einstein's Brain (Entry 399.JB1909) 18.01.2024

In which the estate of the century's greatest scientist becomes a $200 million enterprise even as his brain tissue languishes in a cider box, and John compares it to pastrami. Certificate #21917.

Warren Miller (Entry 789.IS5707) 11.01.2024

In which a ski bum with dad jokes explores new frontiers of film distribution and extreme sports, and Ken is a water machine. Certificate #48941.

Yu-Mex (Entry 1455.1C1408) 04.01.2024

In which the rift between two Communist dictators leads to a blooming of mariachi culture in the fertile soil of the Balkans, and John is baffled by Vietnamese karaoke. Certificate #46465.

Prodigies, Failed (Entry 990.LK0240) 28.12.2023

In which the smartest people in the world bloom early but often struggle to live up that promise later in life, and Ken's phone thinks he lives at the zoo. Certificate #50285.

The Eggnog Riot (Entry 398.RO1313) 21.12.2023

In which a late-night Christmas party in a West Point barracks gets out of hand, almost changing the course of the Civil War, and John is not anti-Julius. Certificate #32683.

The Caning of Charles Sumner (Entry 180.PR2314) 14.12.2023

In which tensions over slavery and its westward expansion boil over into an assault on the floor of the United States Senate, and Ken does not have a single cloak. Certificate #46116.

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