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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. Why Humans Are So Weird

    20M AGO

    Why Humans Are So Weird

    From ancient survival instincts and prehistoric brain wiring to butter knives, bras, and the bizarre origin of high heels, this episode of The Box of Oddities explores the strange, hidden reasons humans behave the way we do. Why do we hoard jars and tangled phone chargers? Why does gossip feel irresistible? Why are we constantly checking our phones like nervous cave dwellers scanning for predators? Kat and Jethro dive into the fascinating science of inherited survival behaviors that may still be controlling modern life in ways we don’t even realize. Then, things get delightfully weird as they uncover accidental inventions and bizarre cultural pivots that changed history forever — including the French cardinal whose hatred of toothpicking helped invent the butter knife, the wealthy socialite who accidentally created the modern bra, and how Persian cavalry soldiers inspired today’s high heels. Plus: Olympic cigarettes, Titanic board games, Kiss coffins, Ratatouille wine, and one very traumatic Target yogurt incident during a blackout in Orlando. If you love odd history, strange psychology, human behavior, weird inventions, and darkly funny conversations about the hidden absurdities of civilization, this episode is for you. #TheBoxOfOddities #HumanBehavior #WeirdHistory #EvolutionaryPsychology #StrangeHistory #Oddities #AncientInstincts #BizarreOrigins #FunnyPodcast #Psychology #HistoryPodcast #ButterKnife #HighHeels #SurvivalInstincts #WeirdFacts #BoxOfOddities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min
  2. Inbox Of Oddities #86

    3D AGO

    Inbox Of Oddities #86

    This week’s Inbox of Oddities is packed with nightmare fuel, Viking poop lore, haunted farmhouse crawlspaces, ghost geese, forbidden islands, creepy imaginary friends, and one truly alarming email titled “Wombat Geometry.” Yes. Really. Kat and Jethro dive into listener stories that range from hilariously bizarre to deeply unsettling — including children hearing crying inside walls, mysterious cigarette smoke lingering in a 200-year-old farmhouse, and the psychological differences between fearing heights, edges, and falling. Along the way, they discuss Niʻihau, Hawaii’s mysterious “Forbidden Island,” Leonard Nimoy’s classic In Search Of, escalator phobias, Viking digestive disasters, and whether ghost geese should properly be called “poltergeese” or “poultrygeists.” Plus: The world’s largest fossilized human turd A box full of detached Roman statue dicks Spam emails about cube-shaped wombat poop Strange things kids say that absolutely should not be repeated after dark Cat’s mission to rescue dogs from Ecuador The Freak Family once again proving they’re the greatest community on earth If you like creepy listener stories, weird history, paranormal oddities, dark humor, and the kind of conversations that spiral from Viking bowel movements to haunted walls in under three minutes, this episode is your happy place. #BoxOfOddities #InboxOfOddities #ParanormalPodcast #WeirdHistory #GhostStories #LeonardNimoy #Niihau #ForbiddenIsland #WombatGeometry #VikingHistory #TrueWeird #FreakFamily Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min
  3. The Radioactive Boy Scout

    5D AGO

    The Radioactive Boy Scout

    What happens when a funeral home discovers the “dead” man in the body bag is breathing? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat’s bizarre colon tattoo sparks a conversation that spirals into one of history’s oldest fears: being buried alive. Jethro dives into the chilling true story of Walter Williams, the Ohio hospice patient who was declared dead… only to begin breathing again inside a funeral home body bag hours later. Along the way, the duo explores the terrifying history of premature burial, the strange medical phenomenon known as Lazarus Syndrome, Victorian “safety coffins,” and the unsettling gray area between life and death. Then, things get radioactive. Kat tells the unbelievable true story of David Hahn, better known as “The Radioactive Boy Scout,” the Michigan teenager who became obsessed with nuclear science and secretly attempted to build a homemade breeder reactor in his backyard shed using materials scavenged from smoke detectors, lantern mantles, and old clock dials. His dangerous experiments eventually triggered a federal hazmat response and turned his suburban property into a Superfund cleanup site. It’s a story of genius, obsession, government intervention, and the terrifying reality of what can happen when curiosity goes unchecked. Also in this episode: * The creepy origins of “dead ringers” * Why some corpses make noises after death * Spider facts you absolutely did not ask for * The horrifying side effects of Brazilian wandering spider venom * Why there are spiders living on Mount Everest If you love strange history, bizarre science, dark humor, medical mysteries, paranormal-adjacent stories, and unbelievable true events, this episode of The Box of Oddities is exactly the kind of nightmare fuel your brain ordered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min
  4. Victorian Drug Party

    MAY 11

    Victorian Drug Party

    This episode of The Box of Oddities careens from Victorian “laughing gas” parties to a prehistoric rainstorm that may have changed the course of life on Earth forever. Jethro uncovers the bizarre true story of how modern anesthesia was born from public nitrous oxide demonstrations where people inhaled mystery gases for entertainment, smashed into furniture, and laughed through injuries that should have been agonizing. It’s the strange, accidental chain of events that transformed surgery from a nightmare into modern medicine. Then Kat takes us back 233 million years to the Carnian Pluvial Episode — a catastrophic climate event where it may have rained almost nonstop for up to two million years. Massive volcanic eruptions, collapsing ecosystems, extinction events, and the unexpected rise of dinosaurs all collide in a story that feels disturbingly relevant today. Could humanity itself owe its existence to Earth’s worst rainstorm? Also inside the Box: • The horrifying reality of surgery before anesthesia • Humphry Davy and the recreational origins of nitrous oxide • Horace Wells’ tragic dental breakthrough • Ancient volcanic eruptions that reshaped life on Earth • Why adaptability may matter more than dominance • The strange origins of phrases like “toe the line,” “basket case,” and “pipe down” If you love bizarre history, weird science, overlooked medical breakthroughs, ancient disasters, and the wonderfully strange intersections where chaos accidentally changes civilization forever, this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min
  5. Inbox Of Oddities #85

    MAY 8 ·  BONUS

    Inbox Of Oddities #85

    From mysterious grocery store receipts and disappearing coffee mugs to retro TV references, creepy elevator buttons, and an opossum in a tutu… this week’s Inbox of Oddities is gloriously unhinged. JG and Kat share listener stories about strange “Boo Effects,” deep-fried toga nights, ghostly office buildings, haunted coffee routines, geese laws in Illinois, and why there should absolutely be separate knives for peanut butter and jelly. Plus: vintage soup cans worth “$250,000,” Camino del Santiago pilgrimages, cremation tattoos, and the ongoing debate over whether crumbs belong in butter. Also in this episode: A listener discovers a mysterious “$0.00” item on a receipt from a lonely Pennsylvania grocery store A warm cup of coffee vanishes… then reappears hours later Kat and JG discuss electric chair photo booth ideas for oddities festivals Retro shout-outs to CBS Radio Mystery Theater, RuPaul's Drag Race, and The Banana Splits Adventure Hour theme song Dog photos, Boo Effects, and the Freak Family at its absolute finest It’s weird. It’s warm. It’s wonderfully ridiculous. 🎧 New episodes of The Box of Oddities drop every Monday and Wednesday. Keep flying that freak flag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    27 min
  6. Bones In The Wall & a 1776 Resurrection

    MAY 6

    Bones In The Wall & a 1776 Resurrection

    What would you do if a human skull fell out of your wall? During a routine renovation in 1978, homeowners in Batavia, Illinois, uncovered something no one expected to find behind plaster and beams: a human skull. What followed was decades of unanswered questions. Who was she? How did she get there? And why had no one come looking? With no clear identity and limited forensic tools at the time, the case went cold—until modern DNA technology reopened it in the early 2020s. What investigators uncovered was both heartbreaking and deeply unsettling. But that’s only half the story. Kat then brings us back to 1776—where a young Quaker named Jemima Wilkinson died… and then didn’t stay dead. What emerged from that feverish illness wasn’t the same person, but a self-declared divine entity known only as the Public Universal Friend. Rejecting gender, identity, and even their own name, the Friend preached radical ideas of equality, abolition, and spiritual autonomy—decades ahead of their time. Was this a case of religious awakening, psychological transformation, or something far stranger? From human remains hidden in walls… to a prophet who claimed not to be human at all… this episode explores the thin line between history, mystery, and the truly unexplainable. Also in this episode: * The bizarre reality of 19th-century grave robbing * How modern DNA is solving centuries-old cold cases * A “Thing in the Middle” featuring the internet’s funniest reactions to a bizarre deep-sea creature * And why Kat’s mom may be the most chaotic phone caller alive If you love true crime, historical mysteries, and stories that make you say “wait… WHAT?”, this episode is for you. Subscribe, follow, and share with your fellow Freaks—because the strange isn’t going anywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min
  7. Digital Minds and Endless Miles

    MAY 4

    Digital Minds and Endless Miles

    Can a Brain Live Without a Body? | Digital Immortality, Ancient Curses & the World’s Most Brutal Race What if the first creature to outlive its own body… wasn’t human? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive into one of the most unsettling scientific breakthroughs in recent memory: researchers have successfully mapped and simulated the entire brain of a fruit fly—every neuron, every connection—and brought it to life inside a computer. Is it thinking? Is it aware? Or is it something stranger—something in between? From digital consciousness and the eerie implications of “connectomes” to the philosophical nightmare of uploading the human mind, this story blurs the line between science and science fiction in a way that’s hard to unsee. But that’s just the beginning. We also crack open the ancient world to explore chilling Egyptian tomb curses—warnings etched in stone that promise everything from fiery deaths to supernatural retribution. Were they symbolic… or something more? And why do so many of them involve birds with a serious attitude problem? Then, in a completely different flavor of human endurance (or madness), we explore the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race—an almost incomprehensible ultramarathon where competitors run the same city block in Queens… for up to 52 days straight. No scenery. No escape. Just miles, repetition, and whatever starts to surface in your mind when there’s nowhere left to hide. Is it spiritual enlightenment… or psychological unraveling? This episode asks big questions: * Can consciousness exist outside the body? * Are we inching toward digital immortality? * What happens when the brain becomes data? * And why would anyone willingly run 3,100 miles in circles? If you like your science unsettling, your history cursed, and your human behavior just a little unhinged… you’re in the right place. Inside this Box: * The first fully simulated fruit fly brain (and why it matters) * The disturbing implications of digital consciousness * Ancient Egyptian tomb curses that still haunt modern imaginations * The world’s longest certified footrace—and the minds that survive it Subscribe, follow, and join the Freak Family. You won't regret it. Probably. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min
  8. Inbox Of Oddities #84

    MAY 1 ·  BONUS

    Inbox Of Oddities #84

    It’s May Day, and the Inbox of Oddities is blooming with the strange, the heartfelt, and the hilariously unhinged. In this listener-driven episode, Kat and Jethro dig into real-life stories that blur the line between coincidence and something… else. A simple phrase—“that’s just the way the ladder leans”—echoes across generations in a way that feels like more than chance. A child mysteriously knows lyrics to a decades-old folk song he’s never heard. And one listener shares a deeply moving story of loss, love, and what might be a loyal dog refusing to say goodbye. Are these just quirks of memory and timing… or something we don’t fully understand yet? Along the way, the Inbox delivers its usual mix of chaos and charm: neurodivergent minds and perseveration, possible paranormal “boo effects,” skeptical takes on viral UFO footage, and a shelter dog named Igor who may—or may not—be a cursed Victorian entity in fur form. (We’re leaning yes.) Plus: organ donation stories that are equal parts fascinating and unsettling, bizarre lawn décor traditions, and the kind of listener creativity that reminds us why this community is the absolute best. If you love true strange stories, unexplained moments, and dark humor wrapped in humanity, this episode of The Box of Oddities is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
2,857 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

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