Episodes
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Episode 566: The Traffic Jam of the Century (Entry 1325.EZ1704)
September 21st, 2023 | 1 hr 10 mins
In which a perfect storm of construction, coal mining, and Communist commemoration creates twelve days of gridlock in central China, and Ken imagines an ancient Roman in a stadium parking garage. Certificate #34985.
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Episode 565: One Glass of Red Wine (Entry 866.DE3233)
September 14th, 2023 | 1 hr 19 mins
In which one Canadian newsman convinces America for several decades that daily drinking is the key to solving the "French Paradox," and John thinks Ken looks inhibited holding a spatula. Certificate #13766.
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Episode 564: (LIVE) Hiroo Onoda (Entry 867.1C1526)
September 7th, 2023 | 1 hr 1 min
In which Japanese soldiers, unwilling to believe that World War II is over, hold out for decades on islands all over the Pacific, and Ken will never give up on bar soap. Certificate #44164.
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Episode 563: Kids on Milk Cartons (Entry 686.DE2407)
August 31st, 2023 | 1 hr 19 mins
In which a nationwide panic over "stranger danger" turns regional dairies into activists for missing children, and John likes when things are "de minimis." Certificate #25468.
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Episode 562: The NS Savannah (Entry 849.MK0436)
August 24th, 2023 | 1 hr 18 mins
In which the world's first nuclear-powered merchant vessel is launched in all its modernist glory, and Ken wants an infinitely long ship. Certificate #26615.
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Episode 561: The DuMont Network (Entry 386.LK2417)
August 17th, 2023 | 1 hr 21 mins
In which the three nascent American broadcast networks face a challenge from a scrappy engineering lab, and John thinks gadgeteers should be certified. Certificate #28450.
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Episode 560: Universe 25 (Entry 1350.GE0907)
August 10th, 2023 | 1 hr 21 mins
In which the "behavioral sink" of rodent utopias is discovered in a Maryland barn, and Ken sings about a urinal trough. Certificate #38792.
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Episode 559: Enneagrams (Entry 415.JM0124)
August 3rd, 2023 | 1 hr 39 mins
In which Sufi mysticism inspires a Bolivian philosopher to divide all of humanity into nine personality types, and Ken visualizes the ur-cow. Certificate #25935.
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Episode 558: The Doomsday Clock (Entry 372.1P0407)
July 27th, 2023 | 1 hr 28 mins
In which a panel of concerned atomic scientists quantify the dangers of the nuclear age with a timely visual aid, and John's mother has a favorite fact about Benjamin Franklin. Certificate #26973.
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Episode 557: Foundling Wheels (Entry 495.IS4915)
July 20th, 2023 | 1 hr 7 mins
In which a medieval pope's disturbing nightmare leads to the addition of "baby doors" at convents and hospitals across Europe, and John thinks robots could replace orphans. Certificate #43431.
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Episode 556: The Sanaa Manuscript (Entry 1100.2T0316)
July 13th, 2023 | 1 hr 12 mins
In which a Yemeni construction crew finds a priceless trove of Quranic literature and promptly stuff it into potato sacks, and Ken would like to burn some French translators at the stake. Certificate #24503.
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Episode 555: The Sarajevo Haggadah (Entry 1102.EX1243)
July 6th, 2023 | 1 hr 19 mins
In which a unique piece of Jewish medieval art barely survives two European wars, and John imagines that the Venetian papal censor was a chill guy. Certificate #48606.