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The Box of Oddities — Comedy
The Box of Oddities

The Webby Award-winning “Box of Oddities” is a podcast that delves into the strange and mysterious aspects of our world, exploring topics ranging from bizarre medical conditions to unsolved mysteries, and from paranormal phenomena to strange cultural practices from around the world. With a focus on oddities, curiosities, and the macabre, each episode is a journey into the unknown, where hosts Kat and Jethro Gilligan Toth share their love for unusual stories and inject their humor and commentary. From the strange history of medical practices to chilling true crime stories, to natural (and unnatural) events, “The Box of Oddities” satisfies your thirst for the weird and the unusual, offering an informative and entertaining look into the dark and mysterious corners of our world.
JIMMY KIMMEL, ABC-TV says, “Should you be the type who has an interest in weird stuff, this is a fun thing to allow in your head!”

“Truth is stranger than fiction, and the Box of Oddities is the strangest of all!” -SLUGGO, SIRIUS XM LITHIUM

“Kat & Jethro wring humor from bizarre, macabre and perplexing places.” -BOSTON MAGAZINE

Copyright: © 2023 Eleven Eleven llc

Latest Episodes:

The Corpse In The Lighthouse Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the most isolated lighthouse in the world becomes a floating prison with a corpse... and what if one of history's strangest duels was fought over flower arrangements?

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two unbelievable tales that prove history is often stranger than fiction.

First, journey to the infamous Smalls Lighthouse off the coast of Wales, where lighthouse keeper Thomas Howell found himself trapped for months with the decomposing body of his fellow keeper. Unable to bury the man for fear of being accused of murder, Howell lashed the coffin to the lighthouse railing—only to watch the sea slowly destroy it as storms prevented rescue. It's one of maritime history's most disturbing true stories and the event that forever changed lighthouse staffing around the world.

Then, travel to Vienna in 1892, where an aristocratic disagreement over floral arrangements allegedly escalated into one of history's most bizarre confrontations: a topless sword duel between Princess Pauline von Metternich and Countess Anastasia von Kielmansegg. Did two European noblewomen really strip to the waist and settle a decorating dispute with rapiers? Or is the entire affair one of history's most persistent—and entertaining—legends?

From haunted seas to scandalous society gossip, this episode is packed with the wonderfully weird stories you've come to expect from The Box of Oddities.

In this episode: Smalls Lighthouse, Thomas Howell, Welsh lighthouse tragedy, maritime history, lighthouse keepers, Princess Pauline von Metternich, Countess Anastasia von Kielmansegg, Vienna 1892, historical duels, strange history, bizarre true stories, odd history, folklore, legends, and the wonderfully weird.

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The X-Files Mystery That Actually Happened Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

The Village Where People Slept for Days and How a DNA Test Solved a 73-Year-Old Missing Child Case.

What would you do if people in your town simply... fell asleep without warning?

In this edition of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro investigate one of the strangest medical mysteries of the modern era: the "sleeping village" of Kalachi, Kazakhstan, where healthy adults and children suddenly collapsed into days-long sleep, vivid hallucinations, and memory loss. Was it a virus, radiation from abandoned uranium mines, or something even stranger?

Then, in honor of Independence Day, we take a quick tour of the world's newest nations and discover just how young some countries really are.

Finally, an incredible true story that sounds almost impossible: a six-year-old boy kidnapped from a California park in 1951 is finally identified and reunited with his family more than seventy years later—all because a niece became curious about the results of a consumer DNA test.

Mysterious illnesses, forgotten nations, astonishing reunions, and the wonderfully weird true stories that make the world far stranger than fiction... it's another unforgettable trip inside The Box of Oddities.

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Founding Fathers Gone Wild Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

What do Benjamin Franklin's naked "air baths," George Washington's near-zombie resurrection, and Lyndon B. Johnson's infamous pants phone call have in common?

They're all absolutely true... and they're all part of America's wonderfully weird history.

In this Fourth of July special, Kat and Jethro celebrate America's 250th anniversary by uncovering the stranger side of the nation's Founding Fathers and presidents. Discover why Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay about flatulence, invented swim fins, refused to patent his inventions, may have fathered numerous children, and once shocked himself while trying to cook a turkey with electricity.

Then things get even stranger with the unbelievable story of how doctors nearly attempted to resurrect George Washington using lamb's blood after his death—creating what might have been America's first zombie president. Along the way, you'll hear the legendary (and very real) White House recording of President Lyndon B. Johnson ordering custom pants in unforgettable fashion.

From bizarre medical experiments and forgotten presidential oddities to surprising historical facts you probably never learned in school, this patriotic edition of The Box of Oddities proves that truth really is stranger than fiction.

If you love weird history, strange true stories, forgotten American legends, unusual biographies, and fascinating historical rabbit holes, this episode is for you.

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Ghosts Beneath the Basement Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Beneath an ancient house in York, England, an apprentice heating engineer wasn't searching for ghosts—he was installing a boiler. Instead, he claimed to witness a column of weary Roman soldiers marching silently through a stone wall. For decades, skeptics dismissed one bizarre detail of his story... until archaeologists uncovered evidence that made the impossible seem a little more plausible. Was Harry Martindale the victim of a vivid hallucination, or did he glimpse something history can't quite explain?

Then, meet one of the most influential innovators you've probably never heard of. Sarah Little Turnbull transformed industrial design by simply paying closer attention to how people actually live. Her observations helped inspire everything from ergonomic products to the cup-shaped respirator that evolved into today's N95 mask. Long before "design thinking" became a buzzword, Turnbull proved that curiosity and compassion could change the world.

Along the way, Kat and Jethro celebrate the launch of Super Chomp Summer, explore strange summer phenomena, explain why the Eiffel Tower grows taller in the heat, why goats climb trees in Morocco, and uncover a few surprising facts about the Dog Days of Summer.

If you love ghost stories, Roman history, forgotten inventors, fascinating science, archaeology, design, and the wonderfully weird, this episode of The Box of Oddities has something waiting for you.

#GhostStories #RomanSoldiers #YorkEngland #Paranormal #AncientRome #SarahLittleTurnbull #N95 #IndustrialDesign #DesignThinking #HistoryPodcast #WeirdHistory #Archaeology #BoxOfOddities #Mystery #Curiosity

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Lost Bodies & Fake Nutmeg Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

There was a time in America when shipping a dead body by railroad was as routine as sending a trunk of luggage... until somebody misplaced the coffin.

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro uncover the strange and surprisingly common history of America's "silent passengers"—human remains transported across the country by rail. Discover the newspaper stories of lost coffins, bodies sent to the wrong families, funeral trains delayed by storms, and the unsettling realities of moving the dead before modern embalming. It's a forgotten chapter of railroad history that's equal parts fascinating, unsettling, and absurd.

Then Kat takes a detour into one of history's lighter mysteries: Why is Connecticut called the Nutmeg State? Did crafty merchants really sell fake wooden nutmegs? Along the way, you'll discover the surprising origins of state nicknames like the Tar Heel State, the Sooner State, the Badger State, and more—revealing how folklore, history, commerce, and a little creative marketing shaped the identities of the United States.

If you love forgotten history, strange true stories, bizarre Americana, railroad oddities, unusual facts, and conversations that wander gloriously off the rails, you've found your people.

Because sometimes the weirdest journey... begins after the passengers stop breathing.

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Inbox Of Oddities #91 Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to the Inbox of Oddities, where the strangest stories often come from the most fascinating people—our listeners. In this episode, Kat and JG dive into a collection of eerie coincidences, hilarious family traditions, bizarre ghostly encounters, and wonderfully odd personal experiences submitted by the Freak Family.

You'll hear about an iPhone Live Caption glitch that turned Thomas Edison's infamous phonograph doll into nightmare fuel, a mysterious photograph taken inside Cleveland's legendary Death Car, a listener's encounter with the America's Cup emerging from dense fog, and a heartfelt recommendation to explore the groundbreaking legacy of psychologist Dr. Evelyn Hooker, whose research helped change modern history.

Along the way, there's talk of Stephen King's infamous "boob gate," cryptozoology in Bangor, suspicious activity journals, blind cats with exercise wheels, unforgettable sandwich combinations, misheard song lyrics, family inside jokes, and the wonderfully strange way everyday life seems to intersect with the weird after listening to The Box of Oddities.

Whether you're a longtime member of the Order of Freaks or discovering the show for the first time, this listener mailbag is packed with paranormal curiosities, true oddities, laugh-out-loud moments, and the wonderfully unexpected conversations that make the Freak Family unlike any other community in podcasting.

If you've got a strange story, unexplained experience, bizarre family history, or curious observation, send it our way—you might just hear it on a future Inbox of Oddities.

Keep flying that freak flag.

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The Great Piano Migration & Ancient Romans In Brazil? Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

What do a piano frozen in the Yukon wilderness and a possible Roman shipwreck off the coast of Brazil have in common?

In this episode of Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro uncover two historical mysteries that challenge what we think we know about the past.

First, a strange dark object discovered beneath Arctic ice turns out to be something no one expected: a piano. That discovery leads to the remarkable story of the Klondike Gold Rush and the astonishing number of pianos hauled by hand across treacherous mountain passes into one of the most remote regions on Earth. Why would prospectors drag thousands of pounds of musical instruments through snow, ice, and wilderness in pursuit of gold?

Then, the pair dive into one of archaeology's most controversial claims. In the waters of Brazil's Guanabara Bay, ancient Roman-style amphorae were discovered on the seafloor, sparking speculation that Roman sailors may have reached South America more than a thousand years before Columbus. Was it evidence of a lost chapter of world history—or an elaborate deception involving a businessman, reproduction pottery, and a very unusual aging process?

Along the way: frontier optimism, buried artifacts, impossible journeys, accidental archaeology, questionable treasure hunters, and the surprisingly emotional reasons humans carry pieces of home into the unknown.

If you love forgotten history, unexplained discoveries, archaeological mysteries, strange true stories, the Klondike Gold Rush, Roman artifacts, and the wonderfully bizarre corners of the human experience, this episode belongs in your queue.

#BoxOfOddities #KlondikeGoldRush #Archaeology #RomanEmpire #AncientMysteries #GoldRushHistory #HistoryPodcast #WeirdHistory #Unexplained #LostCivilizations #StrangeHistory #OdditiesPodcast

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The Acid Bath Killer & The Science of Dying Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

What happens in the final moments before death? For generations, people who survived near-death experiences have described the same astonishing phenomenon: a vivid, panoramic replay of their lives—complete with forgotten memories, emotional revelations, and even the feelings of the people they affected along the way. This week, The Box of Oddities explores the science behind "life flashing before your eyes," including a remarkable brain study that captured activity in a dying human brain and raised new questions about consciousness, memory, and what may happen in the seconds after the heart stops beating.

Then, Kat dives into the chilling true story of John George Haigh, better known as the Acid Bath Murderer. Charming, intelligent, and utterly ruthless, Haigh believed he had discovered the perfect crime by dissolving his victims in barrels of sulfuric acid. What followed was a shocking spree of fraud, deception, murder, and one of Britain's most notorious criminal investigations.

From near-death mysteries to acid-filled barrels, life reviews to serial killers, this episode wanders into some very strange territory—and we wouldn't have it any other way.

#BoxOfOddities #NearDeathExperience #LifeFlashingBeforeYourEyes #Consciousness #BrainScience #JohnGeorgeHaigh #AcidBathMurderer #TrueCrimePodcast #WeirdHistory #DarkHistory #MysteriesOfDeath #StrangeButTrue

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Strange Genetics, Stranger Discoveries, and One Tiny Skeleton Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

What happens when an entire family turns blue... literally?

In this Freak Family Favorites episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro revisit one of the most fascinating medical mysteries in American history: the legendary Blue People of Kentucky. Deep in the isolated hills of Appalachia, generations of the Fugate family lived with a rare genetic condition that turned their skin shades of blue ranging from pale sky to deep indigo. The story sounds like folklore, but it's completely true. Discover how a chance genetic inheritance, geographic isolation, and a remarkable medical breakthrough created one of the strangest family histories ever documented.

Then, the duo travels to the blistering Atacama Desert of Chile to investigate one of the most controversial archaeological discoveries of the 21st century. A tiny six-inch humanoid skeleton with an elongated skull, unusual rib structure, and unsettlingly human features sparked worldwide claims of extraterrestrial life. Was it proof of aliens? A medical anomaly? Or something even stranger? Follow the twists, scientific investigations, DNA testing, and ethical controversies surrounding the mysterious "Atacama Skeleton" and the shocking truth researchers eventually uncovered.

From blue-skinned mountain families to alien-looking desert mummies, this episode explores how reality often proves far stranger than fiction.

If you love bizarre history, unexplained mysteries, strange science, medical oddities, archaeology, genetics, UFO controversies, and true stories that sound impossible, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

#BoxOfOddities #BluePeopleOfKentucky #AtacamaSkeleton #MedicalMysteries #GeneticDisorders #WeirdHistory #StrangeScience #Archaeology #UFOMysteries #Appalachia #TrueOddities #FreakFamilyFavorites

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Ghosts of the Death Coach & The Woman In Stone Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro climb aboard one of America's most infamous haunted railroad relics: The Death Coach. After a devastating 1943 train collision near Wayland, New York, passengers who survived the impact found themselves trapped inside a railcar filled with superheated steam. The horrifying tragedy claimed dozens of lives and left behind a passenger coach that still exists today. Visitors, volunteers, and paranormal investigators claim the coach is haunted by footsteps, voices, screams, and shadowy apparitions connected to one of the most disturbing railroad disasters in American history.

Then the journey takes a very different turn with the mysterious medieval carvings known as Sheela na Gigs. Found on churches, castles, and ancient structures throughout Ireland and the British Isles, these strange stone figures have puzzled historians for centuries. Were they warnings against lust? Protective symbols meant to ward off evil? Survivals of ancient fertility traditions? Or something else entirely? The answer remains one of history's most enduring mysteries.

From ghostly railroad legends and historical tragedies to medieval symbolism, forgotten folklore, and the strange ways humans assign meaning to the past, this episode explores the places where history, mystery, and the unexplained collide.

This Box contains: The Death Coach, haunted trains, railroad disasters, Wayland train wreck, paranormal history, ghost stories, Sheela na Gig, medieval mysteries, Irish folklore, ancient symbols, haunted locations, strange history, and unexplained phenomena.

Because the world is stranger than fiction.

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