Omnibus

An encyclopedic reference of strange-but-true stories compiled as a time capsule for future generations.

About the show

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.

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Episodes

  • Episode 194: Oblique Strategies (Entry 856.RO1202)

    October 3rd, 2019  |  55 mins 52 secs

    In which music legend Brian Eno and an artist friend develop a tarot deck for beating writer's block, and Ken uses lateral thinking to determine that John and Mary were goldfish. Certificate #26638.

  • Episode 193: Fritz Stammberger (Entry 1215.NU1317)

    October 1st, 2019  |  59 mins 13 secs

    In which a mountaineering legend disappears in Pakistan, his game show icon widow becomes convinced he's secretly a spy, and John dresses like the worst kind of CIA agent. Certificate #31997.

  • Episode 192: Ticker Tape Parades (Entry 1306.ES0609)

    September 26th, 2019  |  1 hr 4 mins

    In which America's love for French celebrity guests and her abundance of corporate litter combine to create an iconic New York tradition, and Ken ponders what to do with a giant Styrofoam version of his head. Certificate #9509.

  • Episode 191: Icelandic Incest (Entry 615.DE2722)

    September 24th, 2019  |  48 mins 28 secs

    In which a helpful new phone app is developed to prevent Icelanders from dating their cousins, which may tragically keep them outside of the "Goldilocks Zone" of inbreeding. Certificate #20625.

  • Episode 190: Sliced Bread (Entry 1172.MK0652)

    September 19th, 2019  |  59 mins 49 secs

    In which the canonical greatest innovation of modern life turns out to be a result of uneven toaster technology, and John builds the worst soapbox racer of all time. Certificate #50925.

  • Episode 189: As Slow as Possible (Entry 075.2P0308)

    September 17th, 2019  |  1 hr 2 mins

    In which a German church organ perform a John Cage composition so slowly that the concert will last 639 years, and Ken has an opinion on who the horniest characters are in Middle-earth. Certificate #24524.

  • Episode 188: Juggalos (Entry 677.IS6015)

    September 12th, 2019  |  1 hr 12 mins

    In which a horrorcore rap-rock duo from Detroit accidentally creates a global army of misfits and outcasts, and Pearl Jam gets John thrown in jail five times. Certificate #32373.

  • Episode 187: MSG (Entry 813.LK1434)

    September 10th, 2019  |  55 mins 23 secs

    In which a combination of Cold War paranoia and good old-fashioned racism convince America that deliciously "umami" Asian food is actually killing them, and Ken eats kelp in a kayak. Certificate #21879.

  • Episode 186: The Battle of Palmdale (Entry 104.EZ2047)

    September 5th, 2019  |  1 hr 8 mins

    In which two overeager fighter pilots chase down a runaway drone over Southern California, accidentally lighting much of the state on fire, and John wants to be a marshal of some kind. Certificate #31303.

  • Episode 185: Alexander von Humboldt (Entry 605.CO0203)

    September 3rd, 2019  |  1 hr 28 secs

    In which an adventurous Prussian polymath single-handedly revolutionizes modern science, and even helps kick-start the liberation of South America and the environmental movement, and John and Ken ponder their own inevitable disappearance down the memory hole. Certificate #41705.

  • Episode 184: Florence Lawrence (Entry 705.MT0210)

    August 29th, 2019  |  1 hr 13 mins

    In which a vaudeville baby whistler becomes the world's first movie star and goes on to invent the electric windshield wiper, and Ken's knowledge of Ogden Nash insults finally comes in handy. Certificate #52050.

  • Episode 183: Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins (Entry 795.PS1912)

    August 27th, 2019  |  1 hr 12 mins

    In which many of the most commonly taught grammar and usage rules in English are revealed to be arbitrary, made-up, out-of-date, or all three, and John explains why Miss Manners should be in charge of the Internet. Certificate #41607.