The Box of Oddities

Live Fall Tour Information! Inbox of Oddities: Hands, Spirits, and Shoes Full of Baileys This week, your favorite weird mailbag is overflowing. From mysterious body parts masquerading as “1920s décor” to ghosts who fold your jeans into swans, our listeners bring the oddities straight to our inbox—and we read them all. Hear the heartwarming tales of pets, plants, and fellow freaks connecting across the globe, like a listener in Berlin who calls JG her safety voice and a Texan discovering that Baileys and flip-flops are not a perfect mix. We dive into dreams of tropical disappearances, 4H champions with freaky talents, and the strange yet delicious snacks of yesteryear. Plus, we get a peek at haunted laundry habits, haunted hearts, and the obsessive kindness of four-legged friends saved from terrible odds. By the end, you’ll laugh, gasp, and maybe even wonder if your own house—or shoes—are hiding secrets you’ve yet to discover. Tune in for another wild, heartwarming, and totally unpredictable trip through the weirdness our listeners live—and dream—through every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2025

TICKETS FOR THE LIVE FALL TOUR HERE! Somewhere in the shadows of the 1990s UK, an unsettling rumor spread: men and women posing as social workers, knocking on doors, asking questions they had no right to ask… and then vanishing. Were they government agents, criminals, or ghosts with clipboards? JG investigates the eerie phenomenon of the Phantom Social Workers — a case file that manages to be equal parts unnerving and confusingly bureaucratic. Meanwhile, Kat takes us to the dizzying streets of Bolivia, where the Tinku Festival blends dance, ritual, and a fair bit of consensual face-punching. In a centuries-old tradition meant to honor the Earth Mother, participants exchange blows not out of malice, but in hopes of a good harvest. Think of it as a county fair where the pie-eating contest could give you a black eye. From mysterious door knockers to cultural haymakers, this episode packs enough intrigue and oddity to make your curiosity tap out. #PhantomSocialWorkers #TinkuFestival #WeirdHistory #StrangeButTrue #TheBoxOfOddities #Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2025

The Box Of Oddities Live Fall Tour Starts Sept. 10 In Seattle and Ends Halloween Night In Chicago! Learn More Here! In this delightfully morbid Box of Oddities episode, we literally put the “fun” back in funerals. From coffin-themed dance-offs to wakes that feel more like weddings, discover real-life funerals where joy took center stage over sorrow—because nothing says “rest in peace” quite like a conga line. Then, we plunge into the darkly fascinating tale of King Charles II of Spain, a man so cursed by royal inbreeding they called him El Hechizado—“The Bewitched.” From his bizarre ailments to the superstitions that shaped his doomed reign, it’s history with a side of “what on earth just happened?” Packed with bizarre history, morbid curiosity, and irreverent humor, this episode proves that the afterlife—and life itself—are far stranger than fiction. #WeirdHistory #TrueStories #FuneralTraditions #BoxOfOddities #Podcast If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

Freak Family Favorite: “Would You Like Guac With That Foot?” In this Box of Oddities classic, we revisit one of the most disturbingly delicious tales ever told: a man, a severed foot, and a taco night that will haunt you forever. (Yes, this really happened.) Then, Kat unpacks the incredible life of Johnny Eck — sideshow legend, half-man, and full-on badass. Finally, why has humanity laughed for over a century at people slipping on banana peels? The answer is slipperier than you'd expect. Prepare your ears for an all-you-can-eat buffet of the bizarre: cannibalistic curiosity, sideshow superstars, and fruit-based pratfall propaganda. 📦 It’s everything you never asked for and somehow still needed. #BoxOfOddities #TrueWeird #WeirdHistory #JohnnyEck #BananaPeelMyth #CannibalCurious #FootTaco #FreakFamilyFavorite #OddCast #BizarreButTrue #HistoryIsWeird #PodcastRecommendations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2025

Learn More About Our Upcoming Live Shows! In this episode, Jethro dives face-first into one of the most perplexing murder investigations in modern history—complete with bizarre circumstances, inexplicable evidence, and a twist so jaw-dropping it left seasoned detectives cross-eyed. It’s a true crime story that starts strange and somehow gets stranger. Meanwhile, Kat digs up the mystery of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna—a creature that sounds like it was designed by a committee of science fiction writers and hallucinating zoologists. It has a beak. It lays eggs. It’s covered in spines. And it hasn’t been officially spotted since 1961. Is it extinct, mythical… or just extremely introverted? It’s true crime meets cryptid chic in a brand new episode of The Box of Oddities—where the inexplicable isn’t a bug, it’s the main feature. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2025

Tickets for the Live Tour Here! What do you get when a carnivorous plant develops a taste for rodents and a whole country uploads itself to the cloud? Just another day inside The Box of Oddities. In this episode, Kat and Jethro peer into the leafy maw of Nepenthes rajah—the world’s largest meat-eating plant, known to snack on mice, lizards, and anything foolish enough to slip into its botanical death trap. It’s basically a salad that eats you. Then, we voyage to the disappearing island nation of Tuvalu, where rising sea levels have inspired an unprecedented plan: become the world’s first digital nation. Yep, they’re scanning their culture into cyberspace like a high-stakes sci-fi Dropbox folder. It's a tale of natural horror and geopolitical innovation—served up with the usual twisted humor and curiosity. Step into the weird. #NepenthesRajah #CarnivorousPlants #Tuvalu #DigitalNation #ClimateChange #WeirdNature #BizarreNews #BoxOfOdditiesPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

Live Show Tickets Here! In this special Inbox of Oddities episode, Kat and JG open the floodgates of freaky listener tales—and what flows out includes bisexual ghost grandmas, haunted Roombas, bloody Marys topped with entire chickens, and one particularly vengeful jar of pickles. Jesse shares a deeply moving dream visitation from her long-passed grandma. Meanwhile, emails pour in featuring cursed karaoke nights in Alaskan dive bars, “Cockfinder Generals,” and a proposed reality show called Extreme Embalming. Yes, it’s a competition. No, there are no tools. Also: A haunted underground tour, the horrors of organic chemistry correction, a taxidermied squirrel causing electromagnetic chaos, and a jar of pickles that clearly had an axe to grind. Whether it’s grief, giggles, or ghostly grandmas—we're unsealing every oddity in this jam-packed episode of listener gold. #BoxOfOddities #QueerGhosts #DreamVisitation #InboxOfOddities #HauntedRoomba #CockfinderGeneral #ExtremeEmbalming #BisexualGrandma #BloodyMaryMadness #PickleRevenge #TrueWeird #ComedyPodcast #FreakNation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2025

Learn More About The Box of Oddities Live Tour! In this spine-tingling episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive headfirst into two tales that are equal parts baffling and bone-chilling. First: the strange disappearance of the Clark family from Detroit. One minute they’re living their quiet, suburban life—next minute, poof—gone without a trace. Is it an unsolved mystery, urban legend, or the world’s most elaborate game of hide-and-seek? Then, brace yourself for the harrowing true story of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, the mid-air disaster that turned a routine trip over Hawaii into a surreal nightmare. Imagine a convertible plane… 24,000 feet in the air. Packed with dark humor, weird history, and wildly inappropriate jokes, this episode will make you question what’s real, what’s myth, and whether you ever want to fly again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

Live Show Tickets! Learn More Here! How do you survive a 47-story fall? Ask Alcides Moreno—a window washer who defied gravity, logic, and most of the bones in his body. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unravel the mind-bending tale of Moreno’s miraculous survival that left doctors speechless and physicists slightly twitchy. Then, ever heard of laudable pus? No, it’s not a new indie band—it’s the horrifyingly real medical theory that once celebrated... gooey infection. (Warning: the 18th century was not okay.) Join us as we plunge into a world where falling from skyscrapers isn’t fatal, and medieval doctors high-fived each other over suppurating wounds. Because weird is wonderful—and occasionally pus-filled.#BoxOfOddities #StrangeButTrue #WeirdHistory #MedicalMysteries #SurvivalMiracle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

Tickets for The Box of Oddities Live Tour Here! In this Freak Family Favorites episode of The Box of Oddities, we investigate three very different ways humans have tried to solve very different problems—with wildly questionable success. First, we ride back to 1894, when the streets of major cities were ankle-deep in horse poop and people feared civilization would be buried in a literal pile of its own progress. What was the solution to the Great Horse Manure Crisis? Spoiler: it wasn’t a bigger shovel. Then, we dive into the squishy, grotesque, and oddly therapeutic world of Victorian medicine with a "cure" for rheumatoid arthritis that required the patient to crawl inside a dead whale carcass. You read that right. It’s less “spa treatment,” more “Jonah fan fiction.” And finally, we pedal straight into psychedelic history with a celebration of Bicycle Day—the trippy anniversary of the world’s first intentional LSD journey in 1943. A chemist. A bike. And a brain on technicolor fire. From poop-pocalypse panic to whale-based healing rituals and accidental acid trips, this episode is a wild ride through the absurd corners of human history. 🧠✨ Curiosity is a gateway drug. #LSDHistory #WhaleTherapy #HorseManureCrisis #BicycleDay #VictorianMedicine #WeirdHistory #OdditiesPodcast #BoxOfOddities #HumanityIsWeird #StrangeButTrue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

LIVE SHOW TIX HERE Set sail into the strangest corners of history and mystery in this episode of The Box of Oddities! First, we weigh anchor in 18th-century Dublin to explore the baffling disappearance—and even more bewildering reappearance—of the Ouzel Galley, a “ghost ship” that vanished without a trace… only to return five years later with a tale that’s either the greatest cover story of all time or a nautical glitch in the Matrix. Then: tropical paradise meets paranormal peril. We dive into the eerie legend of The Babinda Boulders, an idyllic Australian swimming hole with a deadly secret—where a string of mysterious drownings has locals whispering about a vengeful spirit and a tragic love story carved in stone. Shipwrecks, spirits, and spooky swim spots—what more could you want? Subscribe now for your weekly dose of bizarre history, paranormal oddities, and uncomfortable laughter. #GhostShip #OuzelGalley #BabindaBoulders #ParanormalPodcast #TrueCrimeWeirdness #BoxOfOddities #HauntedWaters If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

Box of Oddities Live National Tour September 10 - October 31, Halloween Night. Learn More Here! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro raise a glass to history’s most unsettling happy hour. First, a post-mortem fashion icon: the corpse of Countess Virginia Oldoini, a.k.a. the Countess of Castiglione—19th-century Italian aristocrat, secret agent, fashion influencer, and full-time narcissist. She posed for over 400 photos, staged her own haunting re-creations of operas, and spent her final years obsessively preparing to be seen dead just right. Spoiler: her afterlife aesthetic was more “ghost of Versailles” than “eternal slay.” Then, we stumble drunkenly across the globe to explore humanity’s weirdest regional cocktails. From "Fat Ass In A Glass" to "The Burnt Trailer", these aren’t your hipster speakeasy cocktails. They’re historic. They’re horrifying. They’ll make you question your liver’s will to live. Drink deeply from the odd. #BoxOfOddities #WeirdHistory #CountessCastiglione #StrangeButTrue #BizarreDrinks #MacabreFashion #FermentedWhat #OddlyInformative #HistoryIsDrunk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2025

Learn More About The Live Fall Tour Tickets! INBOX OF ODDITIES #053– “Wall Wig & The Certified Bird Whisperer” 🕳️ Welcome to the weirdest corner of listener mail. In this jam-packed Inbox of Oddities episode, we crack open some of the most deliciously deranged, hilariously haunted, and poultry-psychic tales our Freak Fam has ever sent. ✨ This week: A shadowy tapping in the night reveals… a single chair in a secret crawlspace. A tuft of mysterious human hair erupts from an attic wall, sparking the birth of “Wall Wig.” We meet a man who once charged $20 to translate for live parakeets, and somehow had a waitlist. One couple’s romantic legacy is sealed in buttered toast and wet hair. A feline named Barbara Dolly sends psychic war movie signals through the ether. A ghost with a very specific hatred for Zoom meetings haunts one poor listener’s office décor. The cheese moon conspiracy is exposed (thanks, Uncle Spreadsheet). 🛸 Whether it’s paranormal plumbing, psychic poultry, or lunar dairy deprogramming—this episode’s got it all. Buckle up, Butterbutt. 🎙️ Listen now and remember: If your attic has hair, don’t poke it. Just burn the house. #ParanormalPodcast #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #TrueWeird #ListenerStories #ShadowPeople #GhostZoom #BirdMedium #CheeseMoonTruth #WallWig2025 #HauntedAF #StayWeirdFreakFam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025

Learn More About The Box of Oddities Live Fall Tour HERE! What do you get when you mix a royal smorgasbord, a deadly dessert, and a man whose name sounds like a Victorian law firm but actually ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days? You get this gloriously odd episode of The Box of Oddities. First, we chew over the gluttonous fate of King Adolf Fredrik of Sweden, whose last meal was so epic it could've headlined a buffet apocalypse. Spoiler: he literally ate himself to death. Then we plunge into the frostbitten legacy of Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, a real-life action hero and the most extreme gentleman explorer you’ve never heard of (but definitely should have). Expect bizarre royal history, death-by-dessert, and tales of endurance that will make your couch feel deeply judgmental. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Find out more about The Box of Oddities Live! In this delightfully disturbing episode of The Box of Oddities, we unearth two baffling tales that defy logic, science, and perhaps even basic hygiene. First, journey to the plague-ravaged town of Frankenstein (yes, it’s real), circa 1606. As bodies piled up and panic spread faster than a medieval TikTok trend, townspeople pointed their infected fingers at an unlikely culprit: the gravediggers. Accused of spreading the Black Death through dark rituals, corpse mutilation, and a suspicious over-enthusiasm for their work, several were executed—possibly to death. Were they scapegoats... or graveyard alchemists gone rogue? Then, leap ahead to 1997 and the eerie vanishing of Lori Bova. After a quiet dinner with her husband, she stepped outside and was never seen again. No signs of struggle. No trail to follow. Just a whisper on the wind and an open timeline full of conspiracy. Dark history meets vanishing acts in this episode of head-scratching proportions. #BoxOfOddities #HistoricalMystery #UnexplainedDisappearance #PlagueLore #CreepyPodcast #OddlyFascinating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2025

LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE Did you know there was a time when trees never rotted? In this flaming-hot episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the ancient world’s most eco-unfriendly crisis: a time when dead trees just… stuck around, stacked up, and turned the whole planet into a pyromaniac's dream. Spoiler: it ends in fire. Lots of it. Then, travel back to 75 BCE, when a young Julius Caesar got kidnapped by pirates—and responded by being the pettiest hostage in history. Think Stockholm Syndrome in reverse. He laughed in their faces, demanded a higher ransom for himself, and then… well, let’s just say things didn’t end well for the pirates. From prehistoric firestorms to petty Roman revenge fantasies, this episode dives deep into the hilariously weird corners of science and history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2025

The Box of Oddities Live Show. Learn More Here! The Cursed Life of Moll Dyer & the Tooth Fairy’s Bizarre Backstory In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the ghostly tale of Moll Dyer, the colonial-era outcast whose fiery legend scorched its way into Maryland folklore—and possibly left a permanent spiritual stain on a local boulder. Is her restless spirit still wandering the woods, or just really into dramatic exits? Then: we sink our teeth into the surprisingly twisted history of the Tooth Fairy—from Viking warriors hoarding baby teeth for luck to 20th-century parents bribing children like tiny, enamel-based mob bosses. Spoiler: There’s a weird amount of rodent worship involved. Two stories. One box. Zero dental plans. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2025

Box of Oddities Live Tour Tickets! Learn more! Resurrecting George Washington, the First Lady Freak Files, and other patriotic tales. This Independence Day, Box of Oddities declares its independence from boring history. In this explosive episode, Kat and Jethro crack open two patriotic oddities you won’t find in your middle school textbook. First: the bizarre true story of how George Washington’s doctors tried to bring him back from the dead using lamb’s blood, warmed wine, and a tracheotomy straight out of a horror flick. Spoiler: it didn’t work, but it was disturbingly enthusiastic. Then, peel back the pristine portraits of America’s First Ladies to reveal their lesser-known, darker sides—from séances in the White House to whispers of obsession and manipulation. It’s presidential weirdness with a side of barbecue. 🧨 Tune in for a weird, wild ride through America’s haunted history, and discover just how strange freedom can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 July 2025

The Box Of Oddities Live Show Tickets Here! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, things get combustible—literally. First, we unravel the baffling tale of New Zealand's 1931 exploding pants epidemic, where farmers' trousers mysteriously burst into flames thanks to one very misunderstood chemical. Spoiler: it’s not spontaneous combustion, but it is hilarious. Then, we pivot from pants to valor with the jaw-dropping story of Desmond Doss, the WWII combat medic who charged into hell without a weapon—saving 75 men on Hacksaw Ridge armed only with courage and a whole lot of faith. Strap in for an explosive blend of history, mystery, and the wonderfully weird. From fiery farm fashion to a pacifist superhero, this episode delivers the kind of oddities you didn’t know you needed. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

See The Box of Oddities Live! Get Your Tickets! In this deeply strange and oddly inspiring episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the haunting tale of Lalloo Ramparsad, a man born in 19th-century India with a parasitic twin attached to his body. Lalloo spent his life navigating a world that saw him as a curiosity, not a person—touring sideshows while quietly fighting for dignity and acceptance in a time that offered little of either. Then, things really heat up as we explore the world’s eternal flames—natural fires that have been burning for thousands of years. Sacred shrines? Geological flukes? Hell’s pilot lights? You decide. Expect mystery, empathy, and fire that won’t quit. Because sometimes the most unbelievable stories… are still burning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

Live Show Tickets Here! Buckle in, Founding Freaks — it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of bizarre in this Inbox of Oddities episode! A 12-year-old safety patrol captain gets launched into an out-of-body experience so intense it features a white light, a mystery needle, and an Oprah-induced spiritual comeback. One listener’s grandma may or may not have ripped open the fabric of spacetime in 1954 to snag a Paula Abdul cassette at Kmart. (Receipt allegedly included.) A mummy in Ohio is either haunted... or just sassy after hours. And a golden retriever develops a very strong opinion about Dutch naval portraiture. Plus: Doomsday clocks, boxing cat teeth, a shimmering rift to 1992, and an unexpected Jesus-themed roast. 🙃 It's a freak flag parade, folks. You do NOT want to miss this one. #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #OutOfBodyExperience #PaulaAbdulTimeTravel #GoldenRetrieverGhosts #SwimmingEagle #MummyDrama #FreakFlagFlyers #WeirdStories #TrueWeird #ParanormalInbox #PodcastLife #KatAndJethro #Oddcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

See The Box of Oddities Live! Learn More Here! Is that the Virgin Mary in your waffle, or are you just hungry for divine intervention? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the crispy corners of culinary miracles—from grilled cheese apparitions to religious revelations in a waffle. But that's just the appetizer. For the main course, we uncover a chilling truth: your vintage fridge may have been plotting your demise. Seriously—less than a century ago, household refrigerators were toxic death traps with a side of Freon. Tune in for a divine deep-fry of the strange, the sacred, and the slightly homicidal appliances of yesteryear. It's spiritual enlightenment meets appliance horror—with a dash of cheese. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

The Box of Oddities Live! Learn More Here! Stranded, forgotten, and surprisingly resourceful—this week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the astonishing tale of the Tromelin Island survivors: enslaved people abandoned on a desolate speck in the Indian Ocean who managed to outwit fate for 15 years. Then, brace yourself for a prehistoric predator with a flair for theatrics—meet the galloping crocodile of the Cretaceous. Yes, it had hooves in spirit and a hunger in bone. From lost islands to sprinting swamp monsters, this episode dives headfirst into evolutionary plot twists and historical footnotes that read like sci-fi. Discover the odd, the unbelievable, and the strangely inspiring stories your textbooks politely ignored. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025

In this edition of Freak Family Favorites, Kat and Jethro peel back the powdered wig to reveal Ben Franklin’s freakier side—lightning rods and diplomacy were just the beginning. Then, it's off to Arizona, where a bizarre cryptid roams the cactus-laced landscapes, defying explanation and probably sunscreen. Finally, a fiery detour into the past with St. Anthony’s Fire: a hallucinogenic medieval nightmare served with a side of rye bread and screaming. Expect the weird, the wild, and the medically inadvisable. It’s history, mystery, and grotesque biology all rolled into one electrifying episode. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2025

LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! What do a vanished German tourist and an indestructible socialite have in common? Absolutely nothing—except they’re both ridiculously fascinating. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro dives headfirst into the chilling and baffling case of Lars Mittank, the man who ran out of a Bulgarian airport... and into thin air. Was it paranoia, foul play, or something far stranger? Buckle in, because this one gets weird. Meanwhile, Kat uncovers the epic life of Margaret Tobin Brown. Activist. Icon. Titanic Survivor. If you like your history strange and your mysteries bottomless, you’ve found your people. Hit play, and let’s get uncomfortably curious. #TrueCrime #MysteryPodcast #LarsMittank #MollyBrown #TheBoxOfOddities #WeirdHistory #UnexplainedDisappearance #TitanicIcon #CuriosityKillsBoredom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025

LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! The Brainiac Butcher & Presidential Plot Twists In this delightfully disturbing episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dig up the brain of Edward H. Rulloff—literally. Once hailed as a linguistic genius, Rulloff also had a slight… homicidal streak. Turns out, being brilliant doesn’t mean you aren’t also a total sociopath. Come for the criminal mastermind, stay for the post-mortem brain measurements. Then, we ask the question no one seems to answer honestly: What exactly do U.S. presidents do after leaving office? The answer: anything from eradicating Guinea Worm infestation to distilling whiskey. Some post-presidential lives are more bizarre than their time in office—and that’s saying something. If you're into true crime, presidential weirdness, or unusually large brains in jars, you need this episode in your life. #TrueCrimePodcast #WeirdHistory #BoxOfOddities #PresidentialTrivia #StrangeButTrue #BrainInAJar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

Live Show Tickets! Father’s Day Bonus: The Relentless Father – The André Bamberski Story When 14-year-old Kalinka Bamberski died under mysterious circumstances in 1982 while visiting her mother and German stepfather, authorities dismissed her death as unfortunate, but natural. One person refused to believe that. Her father, André Bamberski, embarked on a 30-year odyssey of obsession, investigation, and international scandal in pursuit of the man he believed responsible: Dr. Dieter Krombach. This Father’s Day, we explore a chilling and extraordinary tale of paternal love pushed to its limits. It's a story of loss, obsession, and one man’s unwavering resolve to force justice across borders—by any means necessary. It’s not just a crime story. It’s a story about what happens when a father simply won't stop. 🕵️‍♂️ Revenge. Kidnapping. A very suspicious vitamin injection. This is The Box of Oddities. 🎙️ Listen now and hug your dad. #TrueCrimePodcast #FathersDaySpecial #BoxOfOddities #KalinkaBamberski #JusticeForKalinka #AndréBamberski #ColdCase #DarkHistory #WeirdButTrue f you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2025

Get your tickets for The Live Show here! Beneath the stone floors of a London church, a chilling discovery sent Victorian society into a frenzy—and now you get to peek inside this hidden vault. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the grotesque 1849 mystery hidden under the Church of Holy Trinity in the Minories. Was it a forgotten crypt, or something far more disturbing? Then, buzz into the bizarre with the vulture bee: nature’s most metal insect. It doesn’t just collect nectar—it makes meat honey. Well, sort of... from rotting flesh. Sweet and savory have never sounded more unholy. Expect unexpected twists, grim curiosity, and insect behavior that might ruin lunch. It’s history, science, and the delightfully morbid all in one box. #BoxOfOddities #WeirdHistory #MeatHoney #DarkHumor #TrueWeird Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2025

Fall 2025 Tour Tickets Here! What do you get when you cross a brain surgery patient with an out-of-body experience and a ghost-repelling paint color? This episode of The Box of Oddities, naturally. Join Kat and Jethro as they dive into the astonishing near-death experience of Pam Reynolds—a woman who, while clinically dead during a high-risk procedure, claims to have seen and heard what no one should be able to. Then, things get… bluer. We explore the chilling folklore behind haint blue, the southern porch paint that allegedly sends ghosts packing faster than you can say “sweet tea séance.” Is consciousness more than brain chemistry? Can a color scheme protect your soul? Spoiler alert: this episode raises more questions than your weird aunt at a summer barbecue. Perfect for fans of the paranormal, NDEs, folklore, and paint swatches with an attitude. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2025

🎧 "THE POSSESSED CAT & THE BATHROOM SQUIRREL” 🐈🧀🧻 In this utterly unhinged installment of Inbox of Oddities, we tackle the most important questions of our time: Can a shower grout demon be reasoned with? Why does Alexa giggle during arguments like a passive-aggressive poltergeist? Is IKEA just a Scandinavian liminal plane with meatballs? Join Kat & Jethro as they dive headfirst into a haunted ceiling squirrel invasion, a Cheesecake-Swilling Cat named Garfield (who may or may not have been possessed by a middle-aged man), and one poor soul’s biblical encounter with Bea Arthur in the Book of Revelations. Also in this episode:– A daring puppy heist across four lanes of traffic 🐕– The Tile Demon of Shower Sector 6 🚿– The haunted smart speaker that wants your man 💬– A dad trapped in a non-existent IKEA 📦 And don’t miss our youngest, most dedicated fan, Katie (age 13, net worth: $1.37), who might actually be running this show soon. You’ll laugh. You’ll scream. You’ll probably start checking your tea for cat tongue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2025

Live Show Tickets Here! Ever shared a delusion so hard it needed a group chat? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore the truly mind-bending case of folie à trois. In this rare psychological phenomenon, three people spiral into the same shared psychosis. It's like synchronized swimming, but with hallucinations and existential dread. Then, buckle up for the harrowing and awe-inspiring true story of Alison Botha, who survived one of the most brutal attempted murders ever recorded—and lived to tell it with jaw-dropping resilience. From the bizarre depths of shared delusional disorder to a real-life tale of survival that redefines the word “unbreakable,” this episode delivers the weird, the dark, and the human spirit at its strangest. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected]   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2025

LIVE SHOW TIX HERE! Time Travel Insurance and Unusual Post-Funeral Food Traditions: Ever worried about getting stuck in the 17th century without proper coverage? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro unearth the curious 19th-century phenomenon of time travel insurance—yes, that was a real thing, and yes, people actually bought it. Spoiler: it did not cover paradoxes. Then, journey into the comforting yet curious world of funeral foods, from the delightfully savory to the downright head-scratching. Why do certain cultures serve pickled fish or cookies shaped like bones when someone dies? The answers are as flavorful as they are fascinating. Prepare for a double-serving of the bizarre and the bereaved, where historical absurdity meets culinary ritual. If you love strange history, macabre traditions, and the kind of podcast content that makes you blurt out “wait, WHAT?” in public, this episode is for you. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] #WeirdHistory #FuneralTraditions #TimeTravelInsurance #BoxOfOddities #BizarreFacts #OddPodcast #DarkHumor #CuriousCulture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2025

⁠Tickets to The Live Shows Here! The Inbox of Oddities #049: “The Tooth Collector of Apartment 3B” 🚨BREAKING: Squeaky hiccups have been entered into the official U.S. court record. Democracy survives—barely. Meanwhile, in this week’s INBOX episode of The Box of Oddities: Confirmation of the haunted Texas park where monkey cages move themselves. A refurbished La-Z-Boy that came with free nightmares. Teeth. In walls. In jars. Glued to cards. Where they absolutely should not be. A mysterious molar inside a running shoe. No one is missing teeth. Except maybe sanity. And a time-travel sandwich powered by bologna and battery acid logic. If your kid is willing to sell organs to see our live show, or if your parrot is smarter than you (and better adjusted), you’re gonna want to listen to this one. 🎟️ Shoutout to the Freaks grabbing RIP tickets in Philly and Atlanta. We'll bring the stories, you bring the holy water and extra molars. Tickets to The Live Shows Here! #BoxOfOddities #WeirdPodcast #TrueWeird #TeethInWalls #HauntedFurniture #SqueakyJustice #MonkeyRoad #InboxOfOddities #StayCurious #PodcastHumor #FreakFam #OddlySpecific #ToothMystery #TimeTravelSandwich #PodcastRecommendation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2025

See The Box Of Oddities Live! In this delightfully peculiar episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two phenomena that are equal parts baffling and brilliant. First, the "Angels of Mons"—were they divine warriors, hallucinations, or just an epic case of wartime wishful thinking? Either way, something peculiar happened over those World War I trenches. Then: behold the annual crustacean apocalypse of Christmas Island, where millions of bright red crabs migrate en masse, overrunning roads, homes, and possibly your nightmares. It’s nature’s strangest traffic jam—and no one knows why they’re doing it. Expect ghosts, crustaceans, and confusion in equal measure. Prepare to question everything. Even your seafood preferences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2025

Tickets to The Live Shows Here! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, we chip away at the icy mystery of Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, a Swiss couple who vanished into thin air—only to reappear 75 years later like a very slow RSVP. Then, we time-travel to 18th-century Russia for the hilariously tragic reign of Peter III, a czar whose six-month stint makes your worst temp job look like a lifetime achievement. And finally, we tiptoe through Devon, England, where the Devil apparently went on a midnight jog in 1855—leaving behind some truly unsettling hoofprints that no one’s explained since. Get ready for frozen revelations, royal ridiculousness, and paranormal podiatry. It’s weird, it’s wild, it’s everything you listen to The Box of Oddities for. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2025

Live Show Tickets Here INBOX OF ODDITIES: - “The Ghost in the Toothbrush Cup” In this kaleidoscopic journey through the wonderfully weird, Kat and Jethro crack open the mailbag and unleash a cavalcade of listener tales that range from hilariously haunted to just plain chewy. A lazy terrier named Morris becomes an anti-hero during a rodent emergency, a haunted hearing aid refuses to let the afterlife be silent, and a fridge appears to be starting its own pickle-based cult. Also: a ghostly Bluetooth grandma, a time-slip at the DMV, a soup deity with a raccoon entourage, and a cat who might be a reincarnated Gregorian monk. Throw in a spectral rainbow telegram from Mom, a jingle-induced fugue state, and a faceless imaginary friend shared across state lines, and you’ve got yourself an Inbox episode bursting at the seams with deliciously odd correspondence from The Box of Oddities Freak Family. Do ghosts use Bluetooth? Did Grandma become a banshee? Is your fridge whispering secrets about Greg? Listen in and find out. You might just have a Boo Effect of your own. 📦👻 #HauntedHearingAid #SoupGod #MorrisTheDog #BooEffect #GhostsUseBluetooth #RaccoonProphet #PickleWhispers #MrButterbeanLives #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #ParanormalPets #WeirdListenerTales #DMVTimeWarp #CatChantChoir #SpectralSnacks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2025

Fall Tour 2025 Tickets Here! Imagine controlling tech with your mind and watching a Viking ship burst through a flaming amphitheater — no, you're not dreaming. In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro plug into the brain-bending world of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), where thought alone can type, move, and maybe even speak. It’s sci-fi made science — Elon wishes. Then, pack your imaginary passport for Puy du Fou. This French amusement park throws out roller coasters in favor of full-blown historical epics with live battles, wolves, and more costume changes than a Vegas revue. Think Renaissance Faire meets Michael Bay. From the cutting edge of neuroscience to the theatrical fever dream of medieval France, it’s a wild ride through human ingenuity, spectacle, and delightful weirdness. Plug in your brain, suspend your disbelief, and prepare to say, “Wait... that’s real?” #WeirdIsWonderful #BCI #PuyDuFou #OdditiesUnleashed #BrainTech #StrangeHistory #PodcastRecommendations #BoxOfOddities 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2025

LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! Was Herophilus a medical pioneer… or Alexandria’s most ambitious serial dissector? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro peel back the skin of history to examine the controversial legacy of Herophilus, the so-called “father of anatomy,” who may have blurred the line between science and something far more disturbing. Then: meet Vaughn Meader, the fastest-rising comedian of the 1960s—whose uncanny JFK impression made him a star… until one world-shaking moment erased him from fame almost overnight. From ancient scalpels to presidential satire, this episode explores the bizarre crossroads of history, medicine, and fame. Perfect for fans of weird true stories, dark humor, and those who like their trivia with a side of “what the actual heck?” Listen now—because the past is stranger than fiction. #StrangeHistory #WeirdFacts #Herophilus #VaughnMeader #DarkHumor #PodcastRecommendations #BoxOfOddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2025

Tickets to our Live Shows Here!⁠ Kat and Jethro crack open the email vault and unleash a tsunami of weirdness in this edition of Inbox of Oddities! In this listener-powered episode: 🦷 A cat named Beans gifts a human molar💬 A dead aunt leaves a voicemail from beyond the grave🎒 A time-traveling wedding crasher photobombs the '70s🕰️ A possessed cuckoo clock oozes mystery (and probably tetanus)📸 A bloody pillow falls from drywall like a very sad piñata🌷 Tulips manipulate mankind, dead armadillos lead to leprosy museums, and nuclear dumps become scenic overlooks🧠 Foreign Accent Syndrome turns one Texan into a Norwegian nana overnight❤️‍🩹 And one moving letter asks the question: why do some souls whisper back from the beyond... while others stay silent? This episode is like licking a battery in a haunted antique store—and somehow, that’s a compliment. LISTEN NOW and question everything you thought you knew about time, teeth, and the tensile strength of cursed furniture polish. ⁠⁠Tickets to our Live Shows Here! #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #WeirdPodcast #HauntedClock #TimeTraveler #Paranormal #CatWithTeeth #CreepyStories #NorwegianPossession #DeadVoicemail #CursedDecor #ShatnerPanties #TulipTakeover #LeprosyMuseum #PodcastRecommendations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2025

Tickets to our Live Shows Here! Get ready for a joyride into the bizarre! In this episode of The Box of Oddities, we swerve down an East Texas road haunted by the ghost of… a monkey? Yep. Legend has it, this eerie stretch of asphalt is home to phantom primates and unexplained screeches in the night. Then we unbutton the strange and surprisingly political history of pants—yes, pants. From ancient legwear scandals to Victorian trouser taboos, you’ll never look at a waistband the same way again. Packed with ghost stories, roadside absurdity, and pants-related rebellion, this episode is your one-stop shop for the spooky and sartorially strange. Click play if you've ever feared a ghost monkey or questioned your slacks. ⁠Tickets to our Live Shows Here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2025

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, the astonishing true story of Kara Robinson—abducted in broad daylight and held captive by a serial killer- she outsmarted her captor and escaped, rewriting the rulebook on survival. It's resilience meets real-life thriller. Then, we head to Sandtown, Indiana—a place that once bustled with life, and now? Gone. Vanished. Poof. No wreckage, no ruins, just whispers and weirdness. Was it swallowed by the earth, or just bad at city planning? Join Kat and Jethro as they dive into survival stories and small-town vanishings, sprinkling in their signature oddball humor and curiosity-fueled commentary. It's true crime meets urban legend with a side of "Wait, what?!" Tickets to our Live Shows Here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

LIVE SHOW TICKETS HERE! New dates being added! EPISODE REWIND: Step into the creaky time machine as we dig up some gloriously odd gems from the archive: The Great Horse Manure Crisis of the 1800s — When cities were drowning in poop, and people feared equine waste would bring about the downfall of civilization. Spoiler: It didn't. But it was a real pile of trouble. The Bretzius House of Horrors — During what was supposed to be a charming home renovation, the Bretzius family unearthed mummified cats, twisted occult artifacts, and one big reason to just rent. Was it witchcraft, folk magic, or just an extreme case of DIY gone wrong? Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery — One of the most haunted graveyards in America, where phantom farmers plow ghostly fields, glowing orbs float like confused fireflies, and spectral cars drive absolutely nowhere. These stories are so strange, you'll think we made them up. We didn’t. History just has a weird sense of humor. Listen now to this Box of Oddities rewind — vintage weirdness, zero manure smell. #BoxOfOddities #HauntedHistory #WeirdFacts #HorseManureCrisis #GhostStories #CursedRenovations #PodcastRewind #TrueWeird #OccultHistory #HauntedCemetery #OddlyFascinating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2025

Get your live show Tickets and details HERE! Step into a timeline tangle and sip the strangest origin story ever brewed in this episode of The Box of Oddities. First, we explore the baffling time slips of Canevaro Avenue in Lima, Peru, where unsuspecting pedestrians report stepping into centuries-old realities, only to snap back to present day like glitchy NPCs in a haunted simulation. Is it a wrinkle in time or just an aggressive tourist trap? Then: coffee. You drink it, you love it, but did you know its discovery involved a hyperactive goat, a skeptical monk, and possibly divine intervention? Spoiler: it's the most chaotic beverage backstory in history. Get your brain weird and your mug ready—because we’re serving mystery, caffeine, and just enough existential dread to pair perfectly with your morning brew. Fun Facts from this episode: Carnavaro Avenue in Lima, Peru, is reportedly a location where people experience mysterious 'time slips' - momentary shifts into different time periods while walking down a seemingly ordinary street Multiple eyewitnesses have described vivid experiences of seeing the street transform, with people wearing clothing and experiencing environments from different historical eras, ranging from the 1940s to the 1970s Theories about these time slips include potential connections to ley lines, ancient indigenous beliefs about energy portals, and the area's rich historical background with Incan and pre-Incan cultural influences The coffee origin story traces back to Ethiopia, with a legendary account of a goatherd named Kaldi discovering coffee's stimulating effects when his goats became unusually energetic after eating coffee berries Coffee spread from Ethiopia and Yemen to become a global beverage, first through Islamic world coffee houses and later through European exploration and colonial expansion Brazil's entire coffee industry allegedly originated from a single coffee plant smuggled by a French naval officer in 1723, which became the ancestor of over 18 million coffee trees in the Caribbean, Central, and South America Coffee houses historically were not just places to drink, but community hubs for intellectual and political discourse, often viewed with suspicion by religious and political leaders The scientific and cultural understanding of time remains limited, with experiences like those on Carnavaro Avenue suggesting that our perception of time might be more flexible than currently understood #TimeSlips #WeirdHistory #CoffeeOrigin #BoxOfOddities #OddPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 May 2025

Get Tickets For The Box Of Oddities Live Show Here! This time on The Box of Oddities, we chew through two stories that will leave your brain deliciously baffled. First, travel back to Zürich, 1522, for The Affair of the Sausages—a rebellious feast that helped ignite the Protestant Reformation. When eating meat during Lent becomes a political act, things get oddly spicy. Then, we descend into the shadowy caves of South America to meet the Oil Bird—a nocturnal, echolocating enigma that smells like rancid milk and looks like a feathered flashlight that’s lost its will to live. From religious rebellion fueled by cured meats to a bird that might be part candle, part cryptid, this episode is peak historical weirdness and evolutionary chaos. #BoxOfOddities #WeirdHistory #AffairOfTheSausages #OilBird #StrangeFacts #BizarreBiology #OddPodcast #HistoryNerds #WTFNature Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2025

Get Tickets to The Box Of Oddities Shows Live ⁠HERE!⁠ Pack a lunch and maybe an exorcist—this episode of The Box of Oddities is going full ghost tour. First, we trudge down England’s "corpse roads," where the dead were literally carried across the countryside because Uber hadn’t been invented yet. Are the spirits still commuting? Tune in and find out. Then, it’s off to the haunted Mizpah Hotel in Nevada, where the decor includes vintage wallpaper, bad decisions, and an occasional ghostly slap in the face. From medieval funeral logistics to bed-and-breakfast poltergeist etiquette, it’s a journey through the weird, the haunted, and the deeply questionable. Bring snacks. Possibly holy water. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 April 2025

Get Tickets to The Box Of Oddities Shows Live HERE! When contractors cracked open the aging walls of a 120-year-old department store, they expected dust, maybe a few old rats with top hats. What they didn’t expect was a discovery so bizarre it had the building inspector saying, “Yeah… I’m gonna need backup.” In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro peel back the drywall on a mystery that’s been sealed for over sixty years. Then: before TikTok influencers and Times Square billboards, there were the banner girls—humans turned mobile advertisements, parading products on their bodies with the same enthusiasm as a sandwich board at a conspiracy convention. What happened when marketing met mayhem? You’ll have to hear it to believe it. Tune in for strange secrets, forgotten history, and the kind of content that makes you mutter, “What the weird?” under your breath in public. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

TIX TO BOX OF ODDITES LIVE SHOWS ARE NOW ON SALE HERE! Welcome to Inbox of Oddities, where reality takes a smoke break and the inbox bursts open with haunted urns, chalk-eating tulpas, Cold War wristbands, and at least one New Jersey-based armadillo that defies all natural law. In this listener-fueled fever dream: One listener's imaginary friend—Bimble, the caped, spoon-draped chalk connoisseur—appears in someone else’s childhood, uninvited and possibly still out there. A surgical nurse from Kalamazoo fact-checks a historical deep dive and dishes on a defunct statue that looked like it belonged in a museum labeled “Regret.” A cat becomes a Latin-hating oracle, an ER trip turns mildly conspiratorial, and Albania is revealed to be bunker-rich and surprisingly scenic. Also: haunted urn gymnastics, ritual birthmarks, a cheese grater mishap, armadillo teleportation, and a touching reminder that kindness still matters—even when your neighbor might be a Siberian shaman. Come for the mystery. Stay because your pet just growled at the speaker and now you can’t blink. BOO is powered by your stories—and possibly interdimensional rodent portals. #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #WeirdPodcast #ListenerTales #HauntedUrn #ImaginaryFriendOrDemon #SiberianShamanNeighbor #PossessedCat #BunkerTourism #PodcastWeirdness #StayBizarre #FreakFlagFlying Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2025

In this episode of The Box of Oddities, your curiosity is about to be abducted—possibly by a 19th-century mermaid in a UFO-shaped boat. First, we plunge into the Utsuro-bune Incident—a baffling tale from 1803 Japan involving a mysterious woman, a sealed vessel, and just enough alien energy to make your eyebrows levitate. Then, we trek into the frosty footprint of Peter Freuchen, the towering Dutch explorer who survived the Arctic by literally pooping his way out of an ice prison. Yes, really. Prepare for mystery, adventure, and bodily function-based survival tactics, all served with that signature Box of Oddities flavor: one part absurdity, two parts historical weirdness. Listen now before your toilet brush becomes sentient. #HistoryPodcast #WeirdHistory #BizarreButTrue #TheBoxOfOddities #UFOFolklore #ArcticExplorer #OddPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

The Psychology of Heaven's Gate and Nan Songer, The Spider Lady What makes a person trade all earthly belongings for a pair of Nikes and a one-way ticket on a UFO behind a comet? In this episode, Jethro dives into the unnerving psychology behind the Heaven’s Gate cult: belief, identity, and how a group of intelligent, seemingly rational people boarded the strangest spaceship never built. Then Kat introduces us to Nan Songer—California’s charming, eccentric “Spider Lady”—who became famous for her eight-legged companions and a personal brand that was equal parts science, spectacle, and complete arachnid chaos. So, please ensure your seat is in its upright and fully locked position: One story might make you question the nature of belief, while the other might make you check your shoes. Listen now wherever pods are cast! #HeavensGate #CultPsychology #SpiderLady #NanSonger #BoxOfOddities #TrueWeird #OddlyFascinating #CultsAndCritters #SpidersAndSpaceships If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

The Portal Opens at 2:13 PM (And Smells Like Popcorn) In this curiously chaotic installment of Inbox of Oddities, the freaks are flying high, the lawn gnomes are marching with purpose, and at least one Alexa may be orchestrating an ancient sand-based summoning ritual. A possessed kitchen appliance taps out Morse code mid-spaghetti. A haunted mirror whispers the name Trevor. And somewhere in France, a brave listener dry-heaves her way off the highway thanks to an unsolicited deep dive into the glamorous world of… vomit collectors. Also: dog grief, wisdom teeth trauma, spectral cologne, and a disappearing cat named Muffin with possible ties to the multiverse (or at least a smoky Victorian parlor). From ghostly pasta warnings to post-mortem flower shotgun shells, this episode is a love letter to the gloriously weird lives of our listeners—and a gentle reminder to always question a migrating garden gnome. If you would like to advertise on The Box of Oddities, contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2025