Frozen Minds & Goat Bladders

The Box of Oddities

John Elliott and Kat Walls

Society & Culture, True Crime, Comedy

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

One man falls asleep in the early 1920s… and wakes up to a world on the brink of the moon landing. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the chilling true story behind encephalitis lethargica—the mysterious neurological epidemic that left thousands frozen in time. Through the haunting experience of Leonard, a patient who remained aware for decades inside his own unmoving body, we dive into questions of consciousness, time, and what it means to truly be alive. Then, in a wildly unexpected turn, the conversation shifts to the strange, shocking, and sometimes downright dangerous history of birth control—from ancient Egyptian remedies and medieval amulets to Lysol douches and goat bladder condoms. It’s bizarre history, unsettling medical mysteries, and laugh-out-loud moments you won’t believe are real. Perfect for fans of weird facts, strange history, and the wonderfully unsettling—this episode delivers curiosity, humor, and a reminder that humans have always been… creative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For over a hundred years, the world has been captivated by Hollywood.
0:05.0	The stuff that dreams are made of.
0:07.0	Where stars are born.
0:09.0	Made it born!
0:10.0	Shop of the world!
0:12.0	But just beneath the stardust lie a million more fascinating stories
0:18.0	that when sewn together form an incredible history.
0:22.7	The Secret History of Hollywood, available now wherever you get podcasts.
0:31.1	The Box of Oddities.
0:34.9	We have kind of a long-standing tradition where we aim for the 11th of each month as a date night.
0:41.2	We try to schedule that in, but inevitably we end up overbooking ourselves and things come up and we end up not really doing a date night.
0:52.1	Last night, for example, we ended up at BJ's wholesale. A romantic
0:56.2	stroll through BJ's wholesale. Try to make the most of it, though. You know, we slow danced in the
1:01.8	paper towel aisle, soothing sounds of a forklift backing up. Gazed lovingly at each other
1:08.1	next to a multi-pack of 120-ounce helman's mayonnaise.
1:12.9	Shared a tender moment deciding whether we could realistically finish a wedding-sized sheetcake.
1:18.7	Went into a prefab shed, and then when we emerged, we were accused of indecencies at the BJ's wholesale.
1:27.3	Yeah, the guy was a little concerned while we
1:30.1	were both in there with the door closed. Hey, what are you doing in there? And so I just screamed,
1:34.8	nothing, mind your business. Anyway, I had a nice time. It is what you make of it. That's what we've
1:41.0	learned over the years. And I got a cabbage for dinner tonight.
1:45.2	So life is good.
	...

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