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 62: War Rugs (Entry 1411.SS0604)

    June 28th, 2018  |  59 mins 27 secs

    In which we travel to the "graveyard of empires" to witness the birth of an exciting Soviet-era art form, and Ken learns he should have saved the satin bomber jackets of his childhood. Certificate #39950.

  • Episode 61: The Koryo Saram (Entry 692.JE2907)

    June 26th, 2018  |  54 mins 30 secs

    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.

  • Episode 60: Billy the Pygmy Hippo (Entry 122.JB4024)

    June 21st, 2018  |  52 mins 19 secs

    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.

  • Episode 59: The Boysenberry (Entry 148.LV2519)

    June 19th, 2018  |  1 hr 45 secs

    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.

  • Episode 58: Prisencolinensinainciusol (Entry 988.1C1423)

    June 14th, 2018  |  58 mins 49 secs

    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.

  • Episode 57: The Conqueror (Entry 264.LK1255)

    June 12th, 2018  |  55 mins 28 secs

    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.

  • Episode 56: The Bugatti Chiron (Entry 162.EC0911)

    June 7th, 2018  |  1 hr 6 mins

    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.

  • Episode 55: The St. Martin Fistula (Entry 1227.PR2027)

    June 5th, 2018  |  1 hr 5 mins

    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.

  • Episode 54: The Preppy Handbook (Entry 981.DE2211)

    May 31st, 2018  |  1 hr 3 mins

    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.

  • Episode 53: Duchenne Smiles (Entry 385.PR1513)

    May 29th, 2018  |  58 mins 31 secs

    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.

  • Episode 52: The Port Chicago Disaster (Entry 967.AC1940)

    May 24th, 2018  |  1 hr 3 mins

    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.

  • Episode 51: Gordon Lish (Entry 726.2C0113)

    May 22nd, 2018  |  1 hr 8 mins

    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.