Ranked #1
Episode 220: Fort Knox (Entry 493.2CH0913)
Episode 220: Fort Knox (Entry 493.2CH0913)
In which a World War I army camp in northern Kentucky is chosen to house over $200 billion in gold bullion, and Ken prop... Read more
2 Jan 2020
•
1hr 6mins
Ranked #2
Episode 1: The European Starling (Entry 431.PS8403)
Episode 1: The European Starling (Entry 431.PS8403)
In which an eccentric Shakespeare buff releases two birds in Central Park, and thereby screws up an entire continent's e... Read more
7 Dec 2017
•
43mins
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Ranked #3
Episode 200: Government Cheese (Entry 541.1S1718)
Episode 200: Government Cheese (Entry 541.1S1718)
In which an American dairy surplus and some dubious policy decisions creates a processed welfare staple of the Reagan er... Read more
24 Oct 2019
•
1hr 3mins
Ranked #4
Episode 109: Robert Smalls (Entry 1176.DE2315)
Episode 109: Robert Smalls (Entry 1176.DE2315)
In which a South Carolina slave seizes a heavily armed Confederate ship and sails it to freedom and instant celebrity, w... Read more
11 Dec 2018
•
1hr 5mins
Ranked #5
Episode 127: The Bodies of Mount Everest (Entry 138.JE1316)
Episode 127: The Bodies of Mount Everest (Entry 138.JE1316)
In which travelers to one of the most dangerous places on earth leave so many casualties behind in the "Death Zone" that... Read more
12 Feb 2019
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58mins
Ranked #6
Episode 44: Checkerboarding (Entry 210.NU2653)
Episode 44: Checkerboarding (Entry 210.NU2653)
In which the U.S. government pixelates the American West with land grants to railroads. Certificate #6798.
26 Apr 2018
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45mins
Ranked #7
Episode 72: The Barefoot Bandit (Entry 098.DE2510)
Episode 72: The Barefoot Bandit (Entry 098.DE2510)
In which John runs down the history of serial burglary, beginning with gentleman jewel thieves and ending with a plane c... Read more
2 Aug 2018
•
1hr 1min
Ranked #8
Episode 43: Bir Tawil (Entry 126.EZ2010)
Episode 43: Bir Tawil (Entry 126.EZ2010)
In which Ken confesses that he might have caused a land grab in the middle of the Nubian Desert. Certificate #50204.
24 Apr 2018
•
50mins
Ranked #9
Episode 3: The Olympic Marathon of 1904 (Entry 865.1C0924)
Episode 3: The Olympic Marathon of 1904 (Entry 865.1C0924)
In which the world's most prestigious sporting event goes disastrously wrong, and a Cuban mailman takes a nap. Certific... Read more
7 Dec 2017
•
59mins
Ranked #10
Episode 42: Hypercolor (Entry 611.GE3703)
Episode 42: Hypercolor (Entry 611.GE3703)
In which we revisit 1991's briefest, brightest fashion fad, and John ponders what to do with our nation's biggest proble... Read more
19 Apr 2018
•
53mins
Ranked #11
Episode 219: Induced Demand (Entry 637.EZ1704)
Episode 219: Induced Demand (Entry 637.EZ1704)
In which we learn why new highway lanes, no matter how spacious, tend to fill to capacity within weeks of opening, and J... Read more
31 Dec 2019
•
1hr 6mins
Ranked #12
Episode 118: Queen Victoria's Grandchildren (Entry 1020.IS1418)
Episode 118: Queen Victoria's Grandchildren (Entry 1020.IS1418)
In which we follow up on the forty-two offspring of the "grandmother of Europe," including the one who led Germany into ... Read more
10 Jan 2019
•
1hr 1min
Ranked #13
Episode 216: The Max Headroom Intrusion (Entry 767.JB2415)
Episode 216: The Max Headroom Intrusion (Entry 767.JB2415)
In which we examine the broadcast-jamming fad of the 1980s, including a puzzling incident involving a masked Chicago pra... Read more
19 Dec 2019
•
1hr 23mins
Ranked #14
Episode 181: Lottery Winners (Entry 736.HE1305)
Episode 181: Lottery Winners (Entry 736.HE1305)
In which we follow the history of government games of chance from ancient China to today's bankrupt Powerball millionair... Read more
20 Aug 2019
•
1hr 21mins
Ranked #15
Episode 232: Cincinnati Chili (Entry 223.2K0440)
Episode 232: Cincinnati Chili (Entry 223.2K0440)
In which an early fast food boom, Greek immigration, and (of course) the World's Fair conspire to trick Ohioans into red... Read more
13 Feb 2020
•
49mins
Ranked #16
Episode 63: Christian Science Reading Rooms (Entry 220.HB0202)
Episode 63: Christian Science Reading Rooms (Entry 220.HB0202)
In which a Boston woman falls on an icy sidewalk and discovers the secret of the universe, and listeners are encouraged ... Read more
3 Jul 2018
•
1hr 11mins
Ranked #17
Episode 2: Defenestration (Entry 326.2K0933)
Episode 2: Defenestration (Entry 326.2K0933)
In which throwing people out of windows is strongly endorsed by many hot-headed Czechs, but opposed in no uncertain term... Read more
7 Dec 2017
•
38mins
Ranked #18
Episode 48: Tylenol Murders (Entry 1354.IS2915)
Episode 48: Tylenol Murders (Entry 1354.IS2915)
In which John runs down the disturbing history of product tampering, from Bromo-Seltzer to baby food, and listeners are ... Read more
10 May 2018
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1hr 2mins
Ranked #19
Episode 188: Juggalos (Entry 677.IS6015)
Episode 188: Juggalos (Entry 677.IS6015)
In which a horrorcore rap-rock duo from Detroit accidentally creates a global army of misfits and outcasts, and Pearl Ja... Read more
12 Sep 2019
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1hr 12mins
Ranked #20
Episode 80: The Anarchist Cookbook (Entry 045.RV2210)
Episode 80: The Anarchist Cookbook (Entry 045.RV2210)
In which an angry teenager in his local library produces a counterculture classic of booby-trap design, leading to John ... Read more
30 Aug 2018
•
55mins