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.
The Mona Lisa Heist (Entry 800.JN1206)
Mar 27, 2025
Show notes
In which an Italian workman creates a cultural icon when he attempts to repatriate a Renaissance masterpiece from the laxly secured Louvre, and John upstages Ken's sturgeon. Certificate #35100.
Genuine Leather (Entry 522.GE0321)
Mar 20, 2025
Show notes
In which the tanning industry invents a fancy-sounding term for one of its worst grades of leather, and Ken learns his childhood jacket may have had epaulets. Certificate #46978.
The Dionne Quintuplets (Entry 352.JB0525)
Mar 13, 2025
Show notes
In which five adorable and identical Franco-Ontarians become an international sensation and then wards of the state, and John doesn't know what to call the bulb of Canada. Certificate #31042.
Pedestrianism (Entry 913.PS1833)
Mar 06, 2025
Show notes
In which the first great sporting fad of the 19th century springs from great feats of British walking, and Ken isn't sure how to use protozoa as a metaphor for time. Certificate #21218.
The Battle of the Sisters (Entry 104.GE3008)
Feb 27, 2025
Show notes
In which Hollywood's greatest case of sibling rivalry begins with a swimming pool injury and ends at the Oscars, and John rediscovers pop music thanks to the Queeb. Certificate #30747.
The Golden Age of Porn (Entry 537.1C0618)
Feb 20, 2025
Show notes
In which we celebrate the post-Valentine's season by looking back at the sleazy 1970s when adult films briefly became mainstream chic, and Ken avoids a Y2K for his marriage. Certificate #25369.
The Oracle of Delphi (Entry 872.1S0911)
Feb 13, 2025
Show notes
In which a veiled, fume-huffing priestess tells the ancient world what to do for over a millennium, and John only knows what time it is from his truck clock. Certificate #25192.
Balloon Man (Entry 094.DE1501)
Feb 06, 2025
Show notes
In which a Disneyland-trained dreamer invents a new art form with the help of a cookie entrepreneur and a jellybean innovator, and Ken has a theory about the worst balloon vendors. Certificate #32691.
The EGOT (Entry 398.AC2810)
Jan 30, 2025
Show notes
In which an inescapable awards-season acronym is jump-started twenty-five years earlier by an eccentric TV cop actor and a pop reference book, and John's family would like to kick in hotel room doors. Certificate #42952.
Martin Luther King, Sr. (Entry 688.PR1301)
Jan 23, 2025
Show notes
In which an Atlanta pastor changes his name after a very inspiring visit to Germany and begins an American civil rights dynasty, and Ken gets to make a chart. Certificate #45274.
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