Storytelling
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The European Starling (Entry 431.PS8403)
44:31 | Dec 7th, 2017
In which an eccentric Shakespeare buff releases two birds in Central Park, and thereby screws up an entire continent's ecosystem. Certificate #27603. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Hotel Detectives (Entry 601.GN4321)
43:25 | May 7th
In which we learn about palming doorknobs, spotting bunco artists and fornicators, and other old tricks of the "hotel dick" trade, and John steals some room service pizza. Certificate #51720. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.co...Show More
The Charge of the Light Brigade (Entry 208.GN5009)
1:03:20 | May 2nd
In which a series of underqualified officers and vague, sweeping gestures lead to a terrible military debacle, a good sweater, and a catchy poem, and Ken expresses some skepticism about Captain von Trapp. Certificate #38694. Learn more about your ad-...Show More
The French Revolutionary Calendar (Entry 500.EX1202)
1:02:13 | Apr 30th
In which the freethinkers of the Enlightenment take a stab at designing a 100% secular timekeeping system from the ground up, and John wants to be called "Goldenrod." Certificate #44270. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/pod...Show More
Killer Rabbit (Entry 686.LV1106)
54:32 | Apr 25th
In which we go through the weird list of things glimpsed by noted paranormal researcher Jimmy Carter, including a hissing marsh rabbit and a UFO that the Air Force wants you to think is barium. Certificate #21432. Learn more about your ad-choices at ...Show More
Ted Danson in Blackface (Entry 1283.JB2317)
1:06:25 | Apr 23rd
In which one of the most beloved sitcom stars in America tries out the worst comedy idea of all time, and John has a theory about anti-Semitism in the Aliens movies. Certificate #22400. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podc...Show More
Breastaurants (Entry 152.IS1321)
1:03:15 | Apr 18th
In which we explain the squeaky-clean tawdriness of casual dining chains that put all the servers in tank tops, and Ken wonders if you can eat hot wings ironically. Certificate #37739. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podca...Show More
Mussolini's Nose (Entry 819.PR3033)
57:09 | Apr 16th
In which a chronically ill British woman decides that God wants her to kill a fascist dictator, and Ken and John argue over whether or not an assassination plot needs a chalkboard. Certificate #16114. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news....Show More
Wide Skis (Entry 1431.LK0429)
1:07:47 | Apr 11th
In which, after centuries of stagnation, the sport of skiing is revolutionized in a matter of three years, and John is forced to sign a hand-written waiver. Certificate #34056. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adver...Show More
Cocaine Hippos (Entry 238.JB4021)
47:57 | Apr 9th
In which the rivers of Colombia teem with African hippos due to the excesses of a long-dead drug lord, and Ken suggests introducing Welsh corgis to the Amazon rainforest. Certificate #37768. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com...Show More
The Smoot (Entry 1178.1K0626)
49:00 | Apr 4th
In which an MIT fraternity prank creates a new unit of measurement and annoys Boston police, and John wins a million dollars on an imaginary quiz show about Maine. Certificate #50326. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcas...Show More
The Garden of Earthly Delights (Entry 515.SS0611)
57:19 | Apr 2nd
In which a Dutch painter creates surreal hellscapes so mysterious and full of butts that no one knows what he was even thinking, and Ken explains why bagpipes are very, very erotic. Certificate #17086. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news...Show More
Breezewood, Pennsylvania (Entry 153.JG0506)
1:09:15 | Mar 28th
In which a funding impasse and clever fast food franchises put a one-of-a-kind stoplight right in the middle of a Pennsylvania interstate, and Ken misremembers who built the Lincoln Highway. Certificate #31424. Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...Show More
Indigo (Entry 634.GE0913)
1:11:38 | Mar 26th
In which Sir Isaac Newton adds an extra color to the rainbow to make his mystical, musical math come out right, and John has strong feelings about Satan's marital status. Certificate #26015. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com...Show More
Egg-Cracking Machines (Entry 398.JE1711)
57:54 | Mar 21st
In which John goes to the Caribbean, learns how cruise ships crack 20,000 eggs in a week, and begins to comparison-shop the amazing Rube Goldberg inventions involved. Certificate #27021. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/pod...Show More
Jeanne Calment (Entry 176.2C0416)
1:14:05 | Mar 19th
In which an indomitable woman from Provence defies actuaries by living to be 122 years old, shadowy Russian forces try to discredit her, and Ken predicts which Saturday Night Live cast members will be centenarians. Certificate #43762. Learn more abou...Show More
Anything Into Oil (Entry 056.EX3729)
1:09:54 | Mar 14th
In which one tech company's fondest dream—to turn Butterball turkey offal into light crude oil—remains tantalizingly out of reach, and John and Ken worry about whether they're recycling waxed paper correctly. Certificate #26207. Learn more about your...Show More
Tippi Hedren's Fingernails (Entry 1311.DE2112)
1:13:02 | Mar 12th
In which a Hollywood ingenue survives her encounters with birds, angry lions, and creepy directors, and survives to become the godmother of one of America's great immigrant business empires. Certificate #28046. Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...Show More
The Cheesesteak War (Entry 211.PR2306)
1:11:53 | Mar 7th
In which a hot dog vendor and an anonymous cabbie invent one of the all-time great American foods, giving Philadelphians classic choices like "Whiz or provolone," "wit' onions or wit'out," and "xenophobia or not." Certificate #6594. Learn more about ...Show More
Geomagnetic Reversal (Entry 524.JB3709)
55:20 | Mar 5th
In which the Earth's magnetic field turns the North Pole into the South Pole every few hundred thousand years, and John and Ken discuss what effect this might have on the aurora borealis, ski-bum turtles, and North Dakota tourism. Certificate #41220....Show More
Mike the Headless Chicken (Entry 787.MK0616)
1:07:41 | Feb 28th
In which one seemingly doomed Colorado rooster lucks into a kind of zombie Charlotte's Web scenario, and Ken and John disagree over whether a "meat puppet" is a kind of food. Certificate #21086. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart...Show More
Honest Dick (Entry 596.EX2208)
1:10:46 | Feb 26th
In which the most trusted man in the state of Kentucky disappears with tobacco sacks full of the state treasury, and John and Ken discover which prominent U.S. government official is almost always a Latina. Certificate #23421. Learn more about your a...Show More
Freighthopping (Entry 500.AM0812)
1:06:15 | Feb 21st
In which the American railroad provides a semi-legal travel network for millions of migrant laborers, and John explains how a sufficiently blond mustache on a young hobo can ward off evil. Certificate #14946. Learn more about your ad-choices at https...Show More
The Foreign Legion (Entry 490.2S1519)
1:07:19 | Feb 19th
In which the French army accepts thousands of rogues and ne'er-do-wells from all over the world, giving them white helmets and a whole lot of wine, and Ken suggests a new method for reheating Hot Pockets. Certificate #36749. Learn more about your ad-...Show More
Jacqueline Cochran (Entry 238.RV1214)
1:10:47 | Feb 14th
In which one driven girl from the backwoods of Georgia changes the face of aviation, Ken roasts astronaut Scott Carpenter, and John skips class to judge an essay contest. Certificate #39584. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com...Show More
The Bodies of Mount Everest (Entry 138.JE1316)
59:19 | Feb 12th
In which travelers to one of the most dangerous places on earth leave so many casualties behind in the "Death Zone" that they literally become part of the map. Certificate #7505. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adv...Show More
(LIVE) Yngwie Malmsteen (Entry 753.JE1022)
35:41 | Feb 7th
In which a skilled but self-absorbed Swedish musician leaves his homeland to become a guitar god, and John explains his theory about how neoclassicism ruined rock. Certificate #26394. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcas...Show More
(LIVE) Extremely Overdue Library Books (Entry 445.2T0413)
43:05 | Feb 5th
In which countless scofflaws, including George Washington, rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in library fines, and Ken takes home a "spite book." Certificate #29342. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertise...Show More
Flagpole Sitters (Entry 474.1S1013)
1:13:48 | Jan 31st
In which Syrian ascetics and American steeplejacks alike enjoy the weirdest fad of all time, and Ken angers marathon runners. Certificate #45561. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Samantha Smith (Entry 1178.IS1106)
1:09:41 | Jan 29th
In which a fifth-grader from Maine becomes a diplomatic sensation after writing a nervous letter to Moscow, and John remembers the only fan letter he ever wrote. Certificate #35519. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-...Show More
The Twins of Benin (Entry 1353.GN2524)
1:11:30 | Jan 24th
In which we learn that one very specific region of West Africa produces more twins than anywhere else on earth, which could be due to heredity, yams, or, in Ken's mind, a mysterious glowing meteorite. Certificate #29437. Learn more about your ad-choi...Show More
The Kilogram (Entry 686.DE2513)
1:10:22 | Jan 22nd
In which the dreams of the French Revolution are finally fulfilled by modern physicists eager to re-define science itself from scratch, which probably triggered the alien landing in May 2019. Certificate #37545. Learn more about your ad-choices at ht...Show More
Trucker Culture (Entry 1343.MT2514)
1:06:17 | Jan 17th
In which a gas crisis and an early social media network conspire to make long-haul truck drivers national heroes, and Ken gives a big 10-4 to a heroic trucker named "Fuzzy." Certificate #25007. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart....Show More
Vice Versa (Entry 1393.EP0423)
1:15:31 | Jan 15th
In which we read the Victorian novel that, a century later, would start an avalanche of body-swapping movie comedies, and John tries to debunk the blind prophet Tiresias. Certificate #30972. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com...Show More
Queen Victoria's Grandchildren (Entry 1020.IS1418)
1:01:48 | Jan 10th
In which we follow up on the forty-two offspring of the "grandmother of Europe," including the one who led Germany into World War I and the one who might have been Jack the Ripper. Certificate #26374. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news....Show More
Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech (Entry 305.RM1219)
1:13:08 | Jan 8th
In which a revenge-crazed football coach runs up a 222-0 score against a squad of random law students and townies, and John explains why his go-to comedy move is dropping his pants. Certificate #26347. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news...Show More
Track 61 (Entry 1324.EZ0808)
1:02:15 | Jan 3rd
In which Franklin Roosevelt builds a secret, private train station under the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and John almost defects to East Germany in a gaily colored ski jacket. Certificate #33725. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com...Show More
Snowflakes (Entry 1181.PS14716)
51:56 | Jan 1st
In which a Vermont farmer unveils to the world a natural beauty of crystalline perfection that's been hiding in plain sight, and Ken and John decide to slander Buzz Aldrin for some reason. Certificate #16919. Learn more about your ad-choices at https...Show More
The Turboencabulator (Entry 1348.IS2811)
1:11:13 | Dec 27th, 2018
In which we study the spurving bearings and hydrocoptic marzlevanes of the made-up machine that brought technobabble to the masses, and John actually encourages Ken to talk about Star Trek for a change. Certificate #45305. Learn more about your ad-ch...Show More
Thomas Nast (Entry 825.JB1534)
1:12:11 | Dec 25th, 2018
In which one Gilded Age influencer puts Santa at the North Pole because he hates slavery so much and runs New York's most powerful man out of town on a rail because he hates the Irish so much. Certificate #33423. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...Show More
The Christmas Truce (Entry 220.LK0214)
1:05:05 | Dec 20th, 2018
In which peace and holiday good will break out on the western front in 1914, partly due to the work of suffragettes, and it changes the tourism industry forever. Also, Ken defends fruitcake. Certificate #31405. Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...Show More
Telling the Bees (Entry 1285.PR2413)
1:01:34 | Dec 18th, 2018
In which we explore one of the weirdest funeral superstitions of pagan Europe, and John explains why he likes to retell Aesop's Fables from the bad guys' point of view. Certificate #44411. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/p...Show More
Patrick Nagel (Entry 823.SS0115)
1:11:04 | Dec 13th, 2018
In which one artist redefines eroticism for the MTV generation, and John gets stuck with a very overpriced piece of Duran Duran memorabilia. Certificate #31513. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Robert Smalls (Entry 1176.DE2315)
1:06:16 | Dec 11th, 2018
In which a South Carolina slave seizes a heavily armed Confederate ship and sails it to freedom and instant celebrity, whereas Ken doesn't even own a hatchet. Certificate #38760. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adv...Show More
Marmorated Stink Bugs (Entry 761.LV1120)
1:03:22 | Dec 6th, 2018
In which a hard-to-kill Asian insect arrives in America and discovers a delightful new predator-free life eating our produce, hiding behind our picture frames, and making everything smell like cilantro-infused sewage. Certificate #30979. Learn more a...Show More
Ghost Forests (Entry 527.EZ1724)
58:06 | Dec 4th, 2018
In which Ken accidentally goes on vacation to a long submerged, 2,000-year-old forest, and John explains the value he can add to a rugby game or campfire. Certificate #1751. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertis...Show More
Scrappy Doo (Entry 1115.PP0302)
1:12:51 | Nov 29th, 2018
In which 1970s and 1980s TV is overrun by an avalanche of orphans, runaways, and other wisecracking moppets, and John reveals that Oscar the Grouch is a witch in a "fursuit." Certificate #37500. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart...Show More
The Qibla (Entry 1016.PS5517)
1:17:50 | Nov 27th, 2018
Pumpkin Pie (Entry 1008.JH0406)
1:08:59 | Nov 22nd, 2018
In which we consider America's favorite gourd as a botanical mystery, a symbol of autumn, a Civil War flashpoint, an Illinois monoculture, a delivery vehicle for condensed milk, and an instrument of Starbucks-related misogyny and class warfare. Certi...Show More
Deep-Fried Turkeys (Entry 325.JN0432)
1:11:38 | Nov 20th, 2018
In which the Cajun cooking fad of the 1980s spawns a hazardous new holiday favorite, and Ken's wife flips us the bird. Certificate #30269. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Cagot (Entry 173.2K0527)
51:33 | Nov 15th, 2018
In which a tiny French minority in the Pyrenees is shunned and hated for reasons no one can quite remember, and John pronounces the words "goose foot" more capably than Ken. Certificate #28287. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart....Show More
Jennens v. Jennens (Entry 671.NU2711)
58:43 | Nov 13th, 2018
In which the notorious "Miser of Acton" forgets to sign his will, and for over a century thousands of people--including Ken's family--become convinced they are rightful heirs to his $300 million fortune. Certificate #23502. Learn more about your ad-c...Show More
Wild Man Fischer (Entry 472.GE1612)
1:23:15 | Nov 8th, 2018
In which a troubled street performer becomes a beloved musician and helps found a landmark record label, Ken buys a booby-trapped painting, and John critiques the storytelling of celebrity children. Certificate #49895. Learn more about your ad-choice...Show More
The Doomsday Flight (Entry 372.AM0214)
1:20:30 | Nov 6th, 2018
In which the U.S. government tries to ban a Rod Serling TV movie for inspiring too many mid-air extortions, all of which can be foiled by knowing the right trivia fact about Denver. Certificate #41961. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news...Show More
Albert Pierrepoint (Entry 938.ES0914)
1:04:02 | Nov 1st, 2018
In which a Lancashire grocer and pub landlord becomes the most skilled executioner of all time, and John explains the best part of being guillotined. Certificate #21776. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Bridey Murphy (Entry 818.JB1414)
1:11:53 | Oct 30th, 2018
In which a Colorado housewife and her tractor dealer friend jump-start the 1950s "reincarnation" fad, and Ken ponders whether or not he was "Endora" in a past life. Certificate #29314. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podca...Show More
The Letter J (Entry 714.1CH0910)
46:31 | Oct 25th, 2018
In which a 16th-century jack-of-all-trades judiciously joins a jaunty new Johnny-come-lately to our jargon because he's just so jazzed about Jesus. Juxtaposed with John's jumbled jeremiads and Jennings's juvenile jokes. Certificate #23082. Learn more...Show More
The Ballads of Ossian (Entry 094.PR2017)
1:14:30 | Oct 23rd, 2018
In which Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, and Goethe go nuts about a best-selling blind Celtic bard who might not even exist, and John writes his first Tolkien fanfic. Certificate #28002 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-...Show More
Brown Sound (Entry 158.MT1517)
58:27 | Oct 18th, 2018
In which military scientists, flush from their success annoying Manuel Noriega with Doors music, try to find that one elusive noise that will liquefy their enemies' bowels. Certificate #42964. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.c...Show More
Second Sleep (Entry 1122.ZC0401)
1:12:05 | Oct 16th, 2018
In which John and Ken learn that they share a "chronotype," but disagree over whether it's natural to spend an hour or two every night sitting naked in a chair. Certificate #38846. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-a...Show More
The Hollow Earth (Entry 593.JB2607)
1:03:56 | Oct 11th, 2018
In which we ponder two questions: are we living on the inside of a concave sphere? Or is someone else down there, possibly with skimpy outfits and pet dinosaurs? Certificate #19429. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-...Show More
Pokemon Go (Entry 958.GE0702)
1:20:09 | Oct 9th, 2018
In which the biggest media franchise and the biggest augmented reality game of all time cause us to consider Zionist trading cards, the allure of wooden boats, and the feng shui of construction workers. Certificate #41843. Learn more about your ad-ch...Show More
Tsar Bomba (Entry 1345.MI0104)
55:21 | Oct 4th, 2018
In which the Soviet Union detonates the biggest bomb in human history, and Ken imagines Nikita Khrushchev as a pro wrestler and a Bond villain. Certificate #20568. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Blue Men of the Sahara (Entry 136.PS10704)
1:14:49 | Oct 2nd, 2018
In which we meet one of the last nomadic people on the planet and admire their dress code, and John identifies strongly with a camel that roars when loaded heavily. Certificate #42973 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcas...Show More
Dancing Mania (Entry 315.LA0515)
53:06 | Sep 27th, 2018
In which mass hysteria strikes the town squares of medieval Europe, John imagines the rigors of jute underwear, and Ken wonders if aliens ever start orgies. Certificate #21161. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adver...Show More
Mail Trucks (Entry 749.2S1114)
54:41 | Sep 25th, 2018
In which the world's largest, boxiest truck fleet ages into its fourth decade, and John hunts for an elusive postal mascot from his childhood. Certificate #35752 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Albanian Bunkers (Entry 029.RV0615)
1:08:14 | Sep 20th, 2018
In which we learn why one of Europe's most isolated countries is dotted with hundreds of thousands of domed concrete pillboxes, and also why zombie movies are thinly veiled racism. Certificate #46673 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.i...Show More
(LIVE) Disco Demolition Night (Entry 356.AC1919)
59:23 | Sep 18th, 2018
In which the war between album-oriented rock and its mortal enemy disco boils over into the worst baseball promotion in history, and Ken reveals what 1970s music they play in heaven. Certificate #25815. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://new...Show More
Jefferson, State of (Entry 671.NU2655)
1:07:06 | Sep 13th, 2018
In which a huckster and meteorite-hunter, facing a business disaster, starts a still-brewing secession movement on the Oregon-California border, and also we contemplate who all the Looney Tunes characters voted for. Certificate #26085. Learn more abo...Show More
The Hilbert Hotel (Entry 587.LK0207)
1:07:45 | Sep 11th, 2018
In which we learn what happens when an infinite number of tour buses arrive at an infinite hotel with no vacancies, and decide whether or not this is worse than the guest services at the Eagles' Hotel California. Certificate #44261. Learn more about ...Show More
Anita Bryant (Entry 159.PR0913)
1:04:00 | Sep 6th, 2018
In which a minor 1950s celebrity births America's modern cultural war, and Ken gets to complain about his two least favorite things: bigotry, and orange juice. Certificate #31531. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-ad...Show More
The Fourth Crusade (Entry 495.2T0203)
1:13:04 | Sep 4th, 2018
In which a medieval crusade to Jerusalem goes off the rails and ends up sacking the world's greatest Christian city instead. Certificate #11758. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Anarchist Cookbook (Entry 045.RV2210)
55:47 | Aug 30th, 2018
In which an angry teenager in his local library produces a counterculture classic of booby-trap design, leading to John being suspended from junior high for anarcho-capitalism. Certificate #33047. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.ihea...Show More
The Saint Helena Submarine Plot (Entry 1096.PS7719)
47:31 | Aug 28th, 2018
In which Napoleon Bonaparte is disrespected by John's mom, but almost rescued by an English smuggler in a steampunk submarine. Certificate #37796. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Berkeley Pit (Entry 115.PS8806)
50:21 | Aug 23rd, 2018
In which John welcomes the microbes from a Montana copper sludge pit who will surely inherit the earth, and Ken announces how many syllables a dog's name should have. Certificate #50365. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/pod...Show More
Inversion Goggles (Entry 659.IS2916)
54:18 | Aug 21st, 2018
In which we study the human brain's terrifying capacity for adaptation, via upside-down cigarette lighting, weird-smelling houses, and "stoner" voice. Certificate #37104. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The '59 Les Paul Standard (Entry 466.PS3302)
1:05:05 | Aug 16th, 2018
In which John explains why there are only 643 of the greatest guitar ever made, and Kirk Hammett of Metallica pays $2 million for a Fleetwood Mac hand-me-down. Certificate #30784. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-ad...Show More
Ea-Nasir (Entry 390.LV1913)
50:24 | Aug 14th, 2018
In which Sumeria's shiftiest businessman keeps all his hate mail around for four thousand years, and Ken gets accused of counterfeiting by a local bookstore. Certificate #27107. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adve...Show More
Michael Rockefeller (Entry 1078.MI0303)
52:56 | Aug 9th, 2018
In which one of America's richest young men gets really into New Guinean tribal art, and ends up getting really into a New Guinean tribe. Certificate #7628. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The D-Day Crosswords (Entry 318.PR2019)
1:00:20 | Aug 7th, 2018
In which a British newspaper mysteriously spends June 1944 printing top-secret World War II spoilers, and Ken fails to amuse John with a lengthy anagram about a sex scandal. Certificate #29294. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart...Show More
The Barefoot Bandit (Entry 098.DE2510)
1:02:30 | Aug 2nd, 2018
In which John runs down the history of serial burglary, beginning with gentleman jewel thieves and ending with a plane crash in the Bahamas. Certificate #39409. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Greek Fire (Entry 548.IS6402)
53:08 | Jul 31st, 2018
In which the Byzantines save their empire by inventing the flamethrower, John clears up a misconception re: how many roads go to Rome, and Ken clears up a misconception re: how many herbs and spices are in KFC. Certificate #10403. Learn more about yo...Show More
Skyscraper Helipads (Entry 1170.IS6008)
52:50 | Jul 26th, 2018
In which John blames the boring skyline of Los Angeles on Regulation Number 10, an ill-conceived attempt at making every building in the city accessible by helicopter. Certificate #38095. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/po...Show More
The Voyager Golden Records (Entry 1403.JU0113)
1:16:42 | Jul 24th, 2018
In which NASA gives aliens a weird gift basket (opera arias, a welcome from a Nazi war criminal, a lousy map, and absolutely no nipples!) and Ken gossips about wife-swapping astronomers. Certificate #34914. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/...Show More
The Truman Reconstruction (Entry 1343.LK1428)
56:00 | Jul 19th, 2018
In which a piano starts to fall right through the floor of a second-story dining room, and as a result, the White House gets a balcony, a bunker, and a bowling alley. Certificate #47967. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/pod...Show More
Watch the K Foundation Burn a Million Quid (Entry 1412.JM0503)
1:04:04 | Jul 17th, 2018
In which two art-world provocateurs fly to Scotland and burn through a record amount of cash in just two hours, and John sings his least favorite novelty song of the 1980s for us. (Hey!) Certificate #5888. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...Show More
The Washing Bear (Entry 1411.LV2025)
44:34 | Jul 12th, 2018
In which John explains the secrets of raccoon hygiene, Ken mistakenly shows up with a ukulele, a straw hat, and a football pennant, and ferret lovers unsubscribe in mass numbers. Certificate #29158. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.ih...Show More
The Transcontinental Airway System (Entry 1327.PS4304)
43:00 | Jul 10th, 2018
In which the post office builds a path of giant yellow concrete arrows stretching across the continent, and John questions the sobriety of the pilots of Montana. Certificate #34096. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-...Show More
The Tri-State Tornado (Entry 1339.JE3023)
58:25 | Jul 5th, 2018
In which the most devastating twister in American history tears through 235 miles of the Midwest, tossing around trees, railroad tracks, and popcorn stands. Certificate #9101. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advert...Show More
Christian Science Reading Rooms (Entry 220.HB0202)
1:12:00 | Jul 3rd, 2018
In which a Boston woman falls on an icy sidewalk and discovers the secret of the universe, and listeners are encouraged to seek out the most heretical book in their local metaphysical lending library. Certificate #51449. Learn more about your ad-choi...Show More
War Rugs (Entry 1411.SS0604)
1:00:08 | Jun 28th, 2018
The Koryo Saram (Entry 692.JE2907)
55:11 | Jun 26th, 2018
In which tens of thousands of Koreans are forcibly relocated to the deserts of Central Asia and ordered to grow rice, and John refuses to relocate to Kotzebue or Yakutat even though he has a free plane ticket. Certificate #16823. Learn more about you...Show More
Billy the Pygmy Hippo (Entry 122.JB4024)
53:00 | Jun 21st, 2018
In which Calvin Coolidge gets a frisky gift from Liberia that ushers zoos into the modern age, and John and Ken fantasize about being president and still sleeping all day. Certificate #47159. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.co...Show More
The Boysenberry (Entry 148.LV2519)
1:01:26 | Jun 19th, 2018
In which a California backyard botanist creates a mysterious new fruit, resulting in one of the century's biggest food fads and reinventing the American vacation. Certificate #36525. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast...Show More
Prisencolinensinainciusol (Entry 988.1C1423)
59:30 | Jun 14th, 2018
In which the world's catchiest song teaches us how English sounds to overseas ears, and Ken mispronounces the French word for "slithy." Certificate #35645. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Conqueror (Entry 264.LK1255)
56:09 | Jun 12th, 2018
In which an eccentric billionaire has the terrible idea to cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan, and a "who's who" of Hollywood gets showered with both bad reviews and radioactive fallout. Certificate #17145. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://ne...Show More
The Bugatti Chiron (Entry 162.EC0911)
1:06:43 | Jun 7th, 2018
In which a Volkswagen marque invents the super-car, new acceleration and deceleration records are set, and Ken asks where John was conceived. Certificate #24968. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The St. Martin Fistula (Entry 1227.PR2027)
1:06:35 | Jun 5th, 2018
In which a French-Canadian "voyageur" suffers three indignities: being blasted with buckshot at point-blank range, becoming a full-time medical guinea pig, and having John call him the world's first "human fondue set." Certificate #42453. Learn more ...Show More
The Preppy Handbook (Entry 981.DE2211)
1:03:47 | May 31st, 2018
In which John traces "preppy" fashion from Buckingham Palace to Hyannis Port to Kinko's, and Ken wonders if everyone on post-collapse Earth owns a navy blazer. Certificate #31310. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-ad...Show More
Duchenne Smiles (Entry 385.PR1513)
59:12 | May 29th, 2018
In which we examine how flight attendants smile, baby chimps play, botox treats mental illness, and Oscar the Grouch was a harsh wake-up call for Gen X kids. Certificate #42013. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adve...Show More
The Port Chicago Disaster (Entry 967.AC1940)
1:04:05 | May 24th, 2018
In which a Victory ship full of ammunition ignites a three-mile fireball, which in turn ignites the biggest mutiny trial in American history. Certificate #32844. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Gordon Lish (Entry 726.2C0113)
1:09:06 | May 22nd, 2018
In which Raymond Carver becomes a literary superstar largely thanks to one brilliant, heavy-handed editor, and Ken and John share a very controversial Blade Runner take. Certificate #24875. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/...Show More
Spanish Fly (Entry 1195.SS0713)
54:44 | May 17th, 2018
In which a poison made from dried beetles becomes a schoolyard legend as an alleged aphrodisiac, foreshadowing our modern age of creepy predator celebrities and erectile dysfunction infomercials. Certificate #31327. Learn more about your ad-choices a...Show More
The Moon Illusion (Entry 806.JB3126)
53:11 | May 15th, 2018
In which we learn why the moon looks so much larger at the horizon, whether your fingernails can out-race Portugal, and whether Ken or John has the better Axl Rose impression. Certificate #18042. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.ihear...Show More
Tylenol Murders (Entry 1354.IS2915)
1:03:05 | May 10th, 2018
In which John runs down the disturbing history of product tampering, from Bromo-Seltzer to baby food, and listeners are strongly discouraged from committing murder. Certificate #27765. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podca...Show More
William Rufus King (Entry 688.LK1734)
56:36 | May 8th, 2018
In which a U.S. vice-president spends his entire six-week term dying in Cuba, and Ken reads some fun, flirty letters from future president James Buchanan. Certificate #39087. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adverti...Show More
Backyard Blast Furnaces (Entry 091.EZ2220)
56:59 | May 3rd, 2018
In which John explains why it's a bad idea to smelt iron on your deck or patio, a seemingly obvious life tip that seems to have escaped Chairman Mao. Certificate #30148. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Washington Generals (Entry 1411.HE1212)
57:06 | May 1st, 2018
In which we celebrate a basketball team that never gets to celebrate, because they've lost to their rivals 17,000 times. Certificate #46102. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Checkerboarding (Entry 210.NU2653)
46:05 | Apr 26th, 2018
In which the U.S. government pixelates the American West with land grants to railroads. Certificate #6798. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Bir Tawil (Entry 126.EZ2010)
50:42 | Apr 24th, 2018
In which Ken confesses that he might have caused a land grab in the middle of the Nubian Desert. Certificate #50204. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Hypercolor (Entry 611.GE3703)
53:44 | Apr 19th, 2018
In which we revisit 1991's briefest, brightest fashion fad, and John ponders what to do with our nation's biggest problem: awkward middle-schoolers. Certificate #26275. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Angels of Mons (Entry 047.PS9111)
55:12 | Apr 17th, 2018
In which an unsuccessful horror writer accidentally rewrites the history of the Western Front, and Ken is clearly annoyed at having to learn the history of the Western Front. Certificate #21873. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart...Show More
Canadian Floating Feet (Entry 178.RV2013)
34:47 | Apr 12th, 2018
In which sneakers keep washing onto the beaches of British Columbia with the feet of mystery people still inside, may God rest their soles. Certificate #27174. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Vending Machines (Entry 1387.DE0228)
50:40 | Apr 10th, 2018
In which Ken runs down the list of everything that could ever be bought by putting coins in slots, from religious awe to banned books to pancake mix. Certificate #16697. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Call Signs (Entry 176.1S1007)
40:20 | Apr 5th, 2018
In which we learn why US radio stations start with a K or a W, and how to get hold of Ken's dad in case of a national emergency. Certificate #28337. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Hachiko (Entry 559.PR2006)
48:33 | Apr 3rd, 2018
In which a Scottish policeman, a Tokyo professor, and Mary Queen of Scots have very loyal dogs, but a young John Roderick does not. Certificate #24139. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
(LIVE) Lake Missoula (Entry 697.GN0710)
29:35 | Mar 29th, 2018
In which a prehistoric ice dam breaks and 500 cubic miles of water reshape the Pacific Northwest. Certificate #17528 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
(LIVE) Tuvan Throat Singers (Entry 1351.PS13704)
39:55 | Mar 27th, 2018
In which Ken attempts to teach a new superpower--Central Asian overtone singing--to John and a live audience. Certificate #40632. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Milli Vanilli (Entry 789.JB2704)
1:00:13 | Mar 22nd, 2018
In which a German record producer hires two male models to lip-sync his hits, leading to--girl, you know it's true!--one Grammy, one class-action lawsuit, and one tragic death. Certificate #35145. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.ihea...Show More
Mary Anning (Entry 050.PS3420)
43:59 | Mar 20th, 2018
In which a working-class woman becomes one of the greatest scientists of her age, discovers dinosaur poop, and sells seashells by the seashore. Certificate #36073. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
S.S. United States (Entry 1213.JB0926)
49:55 | Mar 15th, 2018
In which an aluminum-heavy cruise liner falls on hard times, and John and Ken can't decide if "Blue Riband" is actually French or not. Certificate #39390. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Rubber Barons (Entry 1087.EZ1613)
46:03 | Mar 13th, 2018
In which Ken describes the nouveau riche of the Amazon rainforest, and John has a conspiracy theory about scarecrows. Certificate #25284. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Father Coughlin (Entry 284.MT2309)
50:56 | Mar 8th, 2018
In which a fiery Canadian gets 30 million Depression-era listeners for his little fascist radio show, and Ken and John pledge fealty to Martian invaders. Certificate #29423 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertise...Show More
The Noid (Entry 840.PR0415)
51:44 | Mar 6th, 2018
In which a claymation terrorist with inexplicable bunny ears disrupts pizza, takes hostages, and wins America's heart. Certificate #29250 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Zuider Zee (Entry 1458.NA0104)
48:27 | Mar 1st, 2018
In which the Dutch battle their oldest enemy: the Waterwolf. Almost certainly the Omnibus's last entry (alphabetically). Certificate #31078. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
London Bridge Is Down (Entry 733.2K0934)
53:34 | Feb 27th, 2018
In which we make plans for the longest-awaited death in human history, and wonder how many Welsh corgis it takes to pull a gun carriage. Certificate #34884. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Back Masking (Entry 091.EP0427)
46:54 | Feb 22nd, 2018
In which John investigates whether or not segassem terces naitnoc sgnos kcor, and Ken wonders why Satan would own a toolshed. Certificate #30148. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Megafauna (Entry 772.JB4015)
45:27 | Feb 20th, 2018
In which we learn which Ice Age animal is named after the human nipple, and which modern animal fills John's soul with bloodlust. Certificate #47448. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Oneida (Entry 866.MT2230)
45:11 | Feb 15th, 2018
In which a socialist preacher invents a tricky birth control technique he calls "male continence," leading directly to the lazy Susan and the assassination of an American president. Certificate #34322. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news...Show More
The Bellamy Salute (Entry 112.HE0616)
41:50 | Feb 13th, 2018
In which Ken blames a crucial bit of fascist iconography on the most successful magazine premium in American history, and John knows the lyrics to "Alaska's Flag" but refuses to sing it. Certificate #37863. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/...Show More
Hat Etiquette (Entry 571.1C1104)
40:05 | Feb 8th, 2018
In which John strongly admonishes future listeners not to get sloppy with their headwear, if they have heads. Certificate #25200. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Death Discs (Entry 319.MK1610)
52:24 | Feb 6th, 2018
In which the gruesome deaths in early 1960s teen ballads are variously blamed on capitalism, Marlon Brando, chastity, and giant clams. Certificate #34312. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Mutual Assured Destruction (Entry 820.JE5022)
48:04 | Feb 1st, 2018
In which the human race barely survives the 20th century. (Well, not all of it, obviously. Picasso didn't, for example.) Certificate #27008 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Mummy Brown (Entry 817.PR0716)
45:54 | Jan 30th, 2018
In which the bodies of ancient kings are ground up to fertilize lawns, power locomotives, and paint portraits. Certificate #37891 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Thomas Midgley (Entry 786.ZC0508)
48:15 | Jan 25th, 2018
In which the world's worst chemist gives everyone lead poisoning, and then puts a hole in the ozone layer as an encore. Certificate #25185 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Paris Syndrome (Entry 901.JS1002)
47:25 | Jan 23rd, 2018
In which twenty tourists a year have a psychological breakdown because the most magical city in the world is a little disappointing. Certificate #507 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Sentinelese (Entry 1134.LV2024)
41:32 | Jan 18th, 2018
In which John introduces us to the world's last uncontacted tribe—but not literally, because that would be illegal. Certificate #13568 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Kohoutek (Entry 692.JU0113)
41:19 | Jan 16th, 2018
In which a Czech astronomer is hailed as the hero of 1973, only to have his discovery flame out by not flaming out. Then he gets very seasick on a cruise. Certificate #31644 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertis...Show More
Monrovia, Moravia, Moldova, Moldavia (Entry 805.GN1032)
57:01 | Jan 11th, 2018
In which John shares the soothing geographic mantra that has got him where he is today: sitting in a bunker teaching 30th-century cockroach-people how to tell medieval Central European principalities apart. Certificate #18088. Learn more about your a...Show More
Heil Honey I'm Home! (Entry 577.PR1413)
41:08 | Jan 9th, 2018
In which an upstart British television producer finally answers that age-old question: why don't more classic sitcoms star Adolf Hitler? Certificate #42615. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Darien Gap (Entry 315.EZ3328)
34:36 | Jan 4th, 2018
In which a single highway is paved all the way from Alaska to Argentina--except for one pesky 66-mile gap right in the middle. Certificate #14458. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Secret Order of the Double Sunrise (Entry 1122.EC0105)
42:53 | Jan 2nd, 2018
In which QANTAS begins a top-secret 33-hour nonstop flight between Australia and Ceylon at the height of World War II, right under the noses of the Empire of Japan. Certificate #12248. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podca...Show More
Newton's Cradle (Entry 835.1C1311)
44:24 | Dec 28th, 2017
In which thousands of soulless corporate executives put little steel toys on their desks but still feel dead inside, and Ken finally learns how those little drinking birds work. Certificate #31932. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.ihe...Show More
Gadsby (Entry 511.PS6928)
53:34 | Dec 26th, 2017
In which our two hosts study a book that runs fifty thousand words without a solitary display of our writing plan's fifth symbol. Certificate #6442. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Water Wars (Entry 1414.PS6301)
1:01:43 | Dec 21st, 2017
In which Los Angeles stands revealed in all its unquenchable thirst, and is pronounced by John and Ken several times the fun, old-timey way, with a hard 'g'. Certificate #33935. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-adv...Show More
The Tesseract (Entry 1291.EP0318)
50:47 | Dec 19th, 2017
In which Ken and John struggle to imagine four-dimensional space with the same ease that the inventor of the pitching machine once could. Certificate #28910. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Rachel (Entry 1024.GN2917)
58:30 | Dec 14th, 2017
In which John opines that Jennifer Aniston's ubiquitous 1990s-era cut was America's "last hairstyle." Certificate #24193. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Smell-O-Vision (Entry 1177.AM0521)
1:01:25 | Dec 12th, 2017
In which the aromas of tobacco, coffee, and lavender, meant to revolutionize the motion picture industry, end up nauseating audiences instead, and Ken spoils a 57-year-old surprise cameo. Certificate #18585. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...Show More
The Pig War (Entry 939.MK0511)
55:46 | Dec 7th, 2017
In which the United States and Britain take up arms over one potato-hungry pig. Certificate #43259. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
The Olympic Marathon of 1904 (Entry 865.1C0924)
1:00:12 | Dec 7th, 2017
In which the world's most prestigious sporting event goes disastrously wrong, and a Cuban mailman takes a nap. Certificate #28924. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Defenestration (Entry 326.2K0933)
38:57 | Dec 7th, 2017
In which throwing people out of windows is strongly endorsed by many hot-headed Czechs, but opposed in no uncertain terms by Ken's great-great-great-great-grandfather. Certificate #32146. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/po...Show More
The Omnibus Project
11:28 | Dec 5th, 2017
Ken and John provide a time capsule of whimsical recordings for future generations, commemorating the human race's triumphant achievements and its beautiful mundanities. There's no way you want to miss out on these strange-but-true stories. Learn mor...Show More
Omnibus: Trailer
02:08 | Nov 28th, 2017
Twice a week, Ken and John 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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcas...Show More
