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 110: Patrick Nagel (Entry 823.SS0115)

    December 13th, 2018  |  1 hr 10 mins

    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.

  • Episode 109: Robert Smalls (Entry 1176.DE2315)

    December 11th, 2018  |  1 hr 5 mins

    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.

  • Episode 108: Marmorated Stink Bugs (Entry 761.LV1120)

    December 6th, 2018  |  1 hr 2 mins

    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.

  • Episode 107: Ghost Forests (Entry 527.EZ1724)

    December 4th, 2018  |  57 mins 25 secs

    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.

  • Episode 106: Scrappy Doo (Entry 1115.PP0302)

    November 29th, 2018  |  1 hr 12 mins

    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.

  • Episode 105: The Qibla (Entry 1016.PS5517)

    November 27th, 2018  |  1 hr 17 mins

    In which the Islamic practice of facing Mecca in prayer becomes a thorny theological and geographical question, particularly for Muslims in Alaska, French Polynesia, or low-earth orbit. Certificate #2405.

  • Episode 104: Pumpkin Pie (Entry 1008.JH0406)

    November 22nd, 2018  |  1 hr 8 mins

    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. Certificate #36525.

  • Episode 103: Deep-Fried Turkeys (Entry 325.JN0432)

    November 20th, 2018  |  1 hr 10 mins

    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.

  • Episode 102: The Cagot (Entry 173.2K0527)

    November 15th, 2018  |  50 mins 53 secs

    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.

  • Episode 101: Jennens v. Jennens (Entry 671.NU2711)

    November 13th, 2018  |  58 mins 2 secs

    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.

  • Episode 100: Wild Man Fischer (Entry 472.GE1612)

    November 8th, 2018  |  1 hr 22 mins

    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.

  • Episode 99: The Doomsday Flight (Entry 372.AM0214)

    November 6th, 2018  |  1 hr 19 mins

    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.