Podcast

Omnibus

From iHeartRadio History, Society & Culture

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.

History chart
#147
Episodes
703
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
1 hr 13 min
On air since
2018
Latest episode
9 hours ago

Episodes

703 episodes, newest first

  1. Root Beer (Entry 1082.MA1321)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling LD Kelley traces the evolution of an American favorite, from Native American roots-and-bark brews to Charles Hires’ 1876 World’s Fair unveiling, a 1960s sassafras ban, and the corporate mergers that followed, and John decries the cancer in lab rats movement. Certificate #26097.

    58 min
  2. Tower of Babel, 1957 (Entry 1322.GE1109)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling TJ Onadi unpacks Hannah Arendt, C.S. Lewis, and the forgotten mid-century idea of spaceflight as a dangerous and profane act of hubris, while John dunks on ska once again. Certificate #42677.

    1 hr 16 min
  3. The Winchester Mystery House (Entry 1434.IS4107)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Ashleigh Early explores a fortune, the rifle that built it, and a famously baffling house, while John wonders if civilization itself is at risk from a beer explosion. Certificate #18867.

    1 hr 25 min
  4. The Fan Man (Entry 452.ZE0501)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling John Arbenz bemuses us with another eccentric Alaskan who dove into a 1993 heavyweight championship fight, dropped in at Buckingham Palace and made pop culture history. Certificate #31102.

    1 hr
  5. The Berlin Wall (Entry 115.HO0206)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Andrew von Nordenflycht discusses Checkpoint Charlie, renting hammers and chisels to tourists, and the rise and fall of a Cold War monument, while John discovers a new style in Hugo Boss dystopia. Certificate #29207.

    1 hr 21 min
  6. The Black Footed Ferret (Entry 128.PR2725)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Katie Nieland explores drones, peanut butter, the bubonic plague, and a delightful animal previously believed to be extinct, while John recounts his experience as a railroad hobo. Certificate #16802.

    1 hr 10 min
  7. Vasa (Entry 1384.1K.2248)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Dan Hope relays the tale of a military vanity, a less-than-a-mile voyage, and John relays his success rate in righting overturned canoes. Certificate #30911.

    1 hr 17 min
  8. Paul Winchell (Entry 1433.LU.0506)

    Show notes

    In which Bohuš Blahut (http://RetroThing.com, Tech Hunters) and John discuss ventriloquist, the inventor of the artificial heart and the voice of Tigger too. Certificate #25379.

    1 hr 2 min
  9. ANNOUNCEMENT: Omnibus Live at the Portland Book Festival - November 4th Bonus

    1 min
  10. (Live at the Library of Congress) Paper Prints (Entry 897.IS3404)

    Show notes

    In which John and Ken record an entry at Library of Congress before a live audience, and Ken pitches the next hit reboot starring John Cena. Certificate #24597

    1 hr 16 min
  11. Project Habakkuk (Entry 993.HA0105)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Faris Alikhan reveals an Allied plan to stop U-boats with a mix of ice and wood pulp, and John asks why everyone at SFO wears quarter-zip sweaters. Certificate #45325.

    1 hr 13 min
  12. West Edmonton Mall (Entry 1422.JO0502)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Adam Wonderly discusses how a rug empire ended up creating a Canadian landmark, and John learns that Anchorage could have done better than an indoor ice rink. Certificate #43923.

    1 hr 6 min
  13. The Carnegie Libraries (Entry 188.LU2101)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Jon Hannah discusses the origins of public libraries, labor exploitation and the uneasy bargain between wealth and the common good. Certificate #39770.

    1 hr 25 min
  14. The Maury Island Incident (767.EZ0104)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Loren Skaggs and John discuss Tacoma, Cold War paranoia, the birth of flying saucer mythology, and the Katuga boat trote. Certificate #31561.

    1 hr 5 min
  15. Jugglers, The Internet (Entry 667.EX0722)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Luke Burrage and John discuss the early history of the internet, Claude Shannon, information theory, and one of the least likely professions ever to be called "Sir". Certificate #28099.

    1 hr 3 min
  16. The Bosnian War Camaro (Entry 144.MA0718)

    Show notes

    In which Brendan McAleer explains how a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro became a lightly armored, smoke-blowing, night-vision-equipped humanitarian savior, which John insists is the coolest car an eleven-year-old could imagine. Certificate #21628.

    1 hr 16 min
  17. Free to Be You & Me (Entry 499.1C1111)

    Show notes

    In which we finally get a John show about growing up Gen X in front of the TV console watching Alan Alda, Rosey Grier, Cicely Tyson, Carol Channing, and Michael Jackson and Ken reminisces about what a stone-cold fox Marlo Thomas was. Certificate #36926.

    1 hr
  18. The Bulldozing of Meigs Field (Entry 163.PS3508)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Rebecca unpacks the story of a mayor, a demolished airport, and the battle over who really gets to claim a city's waterfront, while John recalls discovering Chicago through a PC flight simulator. Certificate #32575.

    1 hr
  19. The Ukrainian Interviews (Entry 1356.EC0918)

    Show notes

    In which John travels to Ukraine and interviews Alisa Demina (Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy), Kateryna Chuyeva (a Ukrainian cultural heritage expert and former Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine) and Oleksandra Ivanova (PhD student of Archaeology at NaUKMA and co-founder the NGO Scientific and Research lab Archaic). Certificate #25380.

    1 hr 47 min
  20. Carob (Entry 188.MA0106)

    Show notes

    In which Futureling Christa Dahlstrom and John enjoy a virtual taste test and discuss the lifelong trauma of discovering that what you were promised was, in fact, not chocolate. Certificate #22095.

    49 min

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