AIRWAVE HISTORY +

Ad-free listening, bonus content, and more

$5.99/mo or $49.99/yr after trial

The Box of Oddities

Airwave History
  • 4.8 (2.9K)
  • COMEDY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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

  1. Arsenic And Old Wallpaper

    17H AGO

    Arsenic And Old Wallpaper

    Victorian homes were supposed to be safe havens of comfort and refinement… but what if the most dangerous thing in the room was the wallpaper? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro uncover the bizarre history of arsenic-laced green wallpaper that quietly poisoned Victorian households, causing mysterious headaches, illness, and even death while families admired their fashionable décor. Then, the show shifts from deadly décor to astonishing resilience with the remarkable true story of Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree, who spent her life bringing healthcare to underserved communities on the Omaha Reservation. It’s a strange mix of bizarre history, hidden dangers, and inspiring real-life heroes—exactly the kind of odd, fascinating stories that make The Box of Oddities such a delightfully weird listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
  2. Frozen Pilot. Underground Conspiracies

    2D AGO

    Frozen Pilot. Underground Conspiracies

    In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore a chilling moment of Cold War history and descend into the strange world of underground conspiracy theories. First, American soldiers on a Korean War patrol stumble upon a crashed MiG-15 fighter jet frozen into a mountainside—its young pilot eerily preserved in ice, as if time itself simply stopped. Then the conversation tunnels into bizarre modern myths: secret Walmart tunnel networks, the alleged alien-linked Dulce Base beneath New Mexico, hidden passageways under Los Angeles, and mysterious facilities buried deep beneath Antarctic ice. What happens when real history, classified military activity, and human curiosity collide? Expect weird facts, bizarre history, and strange stories that blur the line between documented events and the conspiracies they inspire. If you love odd discoveries, Cold War mysteries, and underground legends, this episode is packed with curiosity-fueling intrigue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min
  3. The Great LEGO Spill, Killer Waves & Weird Wedding Rituals

    5D AGO · BONUS

    The Great LEGO Spill, Killer Waves & Weird Wedding Rituals

    In this Box of Oddities bonus episode, “Freak Family Favorites,” Kat and Jethro dive into a wildly entertaining mix of listener mail, strange history, and bizarre real-world oddities that prove the world is far stranger than fiction. From mysterious rogue waves that can tower over ships to the bizarre story of the Great LEGO Spill of 1997, this episode explores the unpredictable forces of nature and the unexpected ways their effects ripple across the planet. You’ll hear how a massive rogue wave struck the cargo ship Tokyo Express, sending millions of LEGO pieces into the ocean, where they’ve been washing up on beaches around the world for decades—turning into an accidental global science experiment tracking ocean currents and plastic pollution. But that’s just the beginning. Kat and Jethro also explore the strange corners of history, including a jaw-dropping act of subtle protest during the World War II tribunal of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, when a Navy dental technician secretly engraved the phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor” in Morse code inside the dictator’s dentures. Along the way, the Freak Family joins the conversation with unforgettable listener stories—like the uncanny moment when a podcast fact about the largest living organism on Earth (a massive mushroom) suddenly appeared on the side of a passing truck, or the tale of a rescued goat that accidentally ended up named after Kat. And because no Box of Oddities episode would be complete without a dive into humanity’s wonderfully strange customs, Kat shares some of the most unusual wedding traditions from around the world—from couples being covered in spoiled food in Scotland to ceremonial arrow-shooting in China and even brides marrying trees to break ancient astrological curses. This bonus episode is packed with weird history, strange science, global traditions, and the delightfully bizarre stories that make the Freak Family one of the most unique podcast communities on Earth. If you love mysteries, curiosities, paranormal-adjacent history, and the wonderfully weird, this episode is your backstage pass to the strange world inside The Box of Oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min
  4. Future Humans & The Amazon’s Boiling River

    6D AGO

    Future Humans & The Amazon’s Boiling River

    Episode 784: Future Humans, Urban Legends & the Amazon’s Boiling River Are UFOs actually… us? This week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive headfirst into one of the most unsettling and scientifically grounded UFO theories you’ve probably never seriously considered: what if “alien grays” aren’t extraterrestrials at all—but future humans traveling back in time? Drawing from the work of biological anthropologist Dr. Michael P. Masters and his “extratempestrial” hypothesis, we explore how reported alien anatomy—large craniums, smaller jaws, reduced musculature, oversized dark eyes—might align disturbingly well with projected human evolution. If technology continues to shape our bodies, if artificial environments replace natural selection, and if reproductive trends continue to decline (with documented sperm count drops of 50–60% since the 1970s), could humanity biologically transform within 50,000–100,000 years into something that looks eerily like the beings reported in UFO encounters? And if that’s the case… why would they come back? We unpack the reproductive crisis angle, the strange fixation on DNA in abduction lore, and the possibility that UFO “craft” aren’t spacecraft at all—but space-time manipulation devices. Is time travel actually the more conservative explanation compared to faster-than-light travel? What would survival look like for a technologically advanced but biologically fragile future civilization? Then, because we love tonal whiplash, we pivot to something equally bizarre but undeniably real: the legendary Boiling River of the Amazon. Deep in Peru’s rainforest flows Shanay-Timpishka, a river so hot it can nearly boil living creatures alive—reaching temperatures close to 200°F in certain stretches. Far from any volcano, this geothermal marvel has been documented by geoscientist Andrés Ruzo and remains steeped in Indigenous legend involving Yacumama, the great serpent spirit said to shape the waters. We explore the science, the myth, and why protecting “neat things” like a four-mile-long boiling river might matter more than we realize. From evolutionary biology to paranormal lore, from time machines to steaming rainforest rivers, this episode proposes one uncomfortable idea: If future humans are visiting us, they aren’t here to save us or punish us. They’re here because something survives… and something doesn’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min
  5. Living Shadows and The Maura Murray Mystery

    MAR 2

    Living Shadows and The Maura Murray Mystery

    In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro wander into two deeply unsettling mysteries—one quietly strange, the other heartbreakingly unresolved. First, we travel to Victorian London, where police reports, medical notes, and newspaper clippings from the late 19th century describe something profoundly wrong: shadows that didn’t behave. Ordinary people reported silhouettes that lingered after they moved, climbed walls, hesitated in hallways, or crossed rooms on their own. These weren’t ghost stories or sensational fiction. They appeared alongside lost umbrella notices and municipal complaints, filed under phrases like “unusual visual disturbances” and “irregular light phenomena.” For nearly two decades, these so-called “living shadows” were witnessed by sober, respectable individuals—including police officers—before vanishing from the historical record just as electric lighting replaced gas lamps. Why they appeared, and why they stopped, remains an eerie question with no official answer. Then, the episode shifts to one of the most haunting missing person cases in modern American history: the 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray. On a cold February night in rural New Hampshire, Maura’s car was found crashed into a snowbank on Route 112. She had spoken to witnesses moments earlier. By the time police arrived, she was gone. No confirmed sightings. No financial activity. No phone usage. Despite extensive searches involving local police, state police, the FBI, tracking dogs, and helicopters, Maura was never found. More than twenty years later, her case remains open, raising enduring questions about what happened in the critical minutes between the crash and the arrival of law enforcement—and whether she fled, was disoriented, or encountered the wrong person. Along the way, Kat and Jethro reflect on fear, perception, and those brief moments when reality seems to hesitate—when your brain knows something is wrong, but can’t yet explain why. Strange history, unresolved mysteries, and quiet moments of unease—this is The Box of Oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min
  6. Inbox Of Oddities #77

    FEB 27 · BONUS

    Inbox Of Oddities #77

    Inbox of Oddities is back—and the Freak Family did not disappoint. This episode is packed with listener stories that blur the line between coincidence, comedy, grief, and the quietly unsettling. From eerie “boo effects” that hit a little too close to home, to a chilling hospital chart note that shouldn’t exist, to toddlers repeating phrases they absolutely should not be repeating, the inbox overflows with moments that make you laugh… and then pause. You’ll hear from nurses, parents, knitters, pet people, word nerds, and longtime listeners who share experiences that range from delightfully absurd to genuinely haunting. A cat meows—and Jethro answers from a phone speaker at exactly the wrong moment. A child speaks casually about the man who watches the door. A grandmother’s midnight rule suddenly makes sense years after her death. And one deeply moving letter reminds us why these shared stories matter, especially when loss, memory, and connection collide. Along the way, Kat and Jethro dig into linguistic oddities, accidental childhood swearing, coded knitting, paranormal house disclosures, pet naming debates, and the strange comfort of realizing you’re not alone in noticing how weird the world can be. It’s funny. It’s unsettling. It’s heartfelt. And it’s everything the Inbox of Oddities does best—real voices, real moments, and just enough uncanny timing to make you side-eye your surroundings. Have a story of your own? A coincidence you can’t explain? A quiet moment that stuck with you? You might just hear it here. Fly that freak flag proudly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min
  7. An Empty Morgue Isn’t Always Empty

    FEB 25

    An Empty Morgue Isn’t Always Empty

    What happens when a body arrives at a hospital morgue without any record of how it got there? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro examine a disturbing class of real-world cases involving unidentified bodies that appear in hospital morgues with no paperwork, no chain of custody, and no clear explanation. The episode begins with a firsthand email from a night-shift worker who briefly stepped away from an empty morgue—only to return to find a body placed neatly in the room, as if it had always belonged there. From that moment, the discussion expands into documented incidents across U.S. hospitals and medical examiner offices, where decedents entered official custody before they technically existed in the system. Drawing on acknowledged cases in California and Illinois, professional standards from the National Association of Medical Examiners, and historical precedent, Kat and Jethro explore how modern medical systems quietly normalize these unexplained arrivals by assigning case numbers and moving forward—without ever addressing the moment something appeared where nothing had been before. The episode then shifts to a seemingly unrelated but deeply connected subject: how human societies remember lives at all. Long before databases and paperwork, entire civilizations relied on living memory. Kat and Jethro explore the tradition of griots and other oral historians across West Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia—individuals entrusted with preserving genealogies, histories, and identities entirely through story, music, and performance. Backed by neuroscience research, the episode examines why rhythm and narrative are so effective at preserving memory, even when written records fail. Together, these two topics form a quiet, unsettling question at the heart of the episode: what happens when systems designed to document human existence fall short—and who remembers us when they do? Grounded in documented cases, historical tradition, and modern science, this episode blends true mystery with cultural insight, revealing how bodies can arrive without histories, and histories can survive without bodies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
  8. Mothman Wasn’t Alone

    FEB 23

    Mothman Wasn’t Alone

    This episode of The Box of Oddities drifts from quiet museum news into deeply unsettling territory, beginning with an update on the International Cryptozoology Museum and sliding straight into one of America’s most enduring paranormal mysteries. In Point Pleasant, West Virginia—forever linked to the legend of Mothman—the hosts revisit the famous sightings that turned a small river town into ground zero for strange phenomena in the 1960s. But this time, the story doesn’t stop with glowing red eyes and winged silhouettes. Digging through old police blotters uncovers something far quieter and, in some ways, far more disturbing: decades of reports describing the same unidentified man walking the streets at night. Long before and during the height of the Mothman flap, officers documented encounters with a figure who never aged, never spoke, and never quite seemed human. The overlap raises uncomfortable questions about observation, surveillance, and whether Point Pleasant was being watched—by something else—long before the town knew it was strange. From paranormal folklore, the episode pivots sharply into real-world secrecy, exploring espionage during World War I, where ordinary people became invisible spies. In occupied Europe, women used knitting not just as cover, but as a potential method of steganography—encoding military intelligence into stitches, patterns, and yarn, right under the noses of enemy soldiers. These stories blur the line between domestic routine and covert resistance, revealing how underestimated skills became powerful tools of war. Blending cryptids, coded yarn, historical intrigue, and listener-driven discoveries, this episode captures what The Box of Oddities does best: connecting the paranormal with the overlooked corners of history and inviting listener engagement along the way. From Mothman to men who don’t belong, from quiet streets to quiet stitches, this is a journey through mysteries that hide in plain sight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min
See All (936)

Shows with Subscription Benefits

AIRWAVE HISTORY +

Ad-free listening, bonus content, and more

$5.99/mo or $49.99/yr after trial

View Subscription FAQs

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
2,855 Ratings

About

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

Information

More From Airwave History

You Might Also Like