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

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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

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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.

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In this episode, Jethro explores Tulip Mania, the 17th-century Dutch financial disaster that saw people selling their homes for tulip bulbs. Yes, actual tulips. Because nothing screams economic stability like mortgaging the farm for a flower. Meanwhile, Kat saddles up for the story of the Pack Horse Libraries—badass Depression-era librarians who braved mountains, rivers, and wild animals just to make sure rural America had something to read besides old seed catalogs.

From botanical bubbles to literary cowboys, it’s another journey into the gloriously bizarre. Because if history teaches us anything, it's that humans will do anything—whether it’s trading goats for petals or delivering Mark Twain via muleback.

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The question is, what do a three-legged man and a biblical seafood storm have in common? Absolutely nothing—except they’re both real and demand answers.

In this episode, Kat and Jethro dive leg-first into the astonishing life of Frank Lentini, the sideshow legend born with three legs and two sets of male genitalia. Then, hold onto your galoshes—because we’re heading to Honduras, where the skies have been raining fish with unnerving regularity. Is it divine intervention, aquatic aviation, or just an overachieving waterspout?

Prepare to question everything you know about anatomy, meteorology, and lunch.

#FrankLentini #RainOfFish #WeirdHistory #StrangeWeather #SideshowLegends #OdditiesPodcast #BoxOfOddities #TrueWeird #CuriosityCurse #BizarreButTrue

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This week on The Box of Oddities, it's Freak Family Friday—our sacred ritual of opening the email portal and unleashing your most unsettling, hilarious, and "wait, is this even legal?" listener stories. Plus, we’re digging into the archive crypt to resurrect some of your most requested weirdest-of-the-weird episodes.

Listener love, spine-tingling flashbacks and enough oddities to make a taxidermist weep with joy—this episode is stitched together with your weirdest, wildest, most wonderful words.

#BoxOfOddities #WeirdPodcast #TrueWeird #HauntedInbox #ListenerStories #CreepyEmails #FreakFamilyFriday #PodcastRecommendations #OddButTrue #AbsurdHistory

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Why does a six-story elephant loom over the Jersey Shore like a Victorian kaiju? And what kind of dystopian mollusk surveillance program is Poland running these days? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro investigate the bizarre legacy of Lucy the Elephant. This 138-year-old wooden behemoth once moonlighted as a real estate lure, a tavern, and possibly the most haunted elephant architecture in history.

Then it’s off to Warsaw, where the city’s water purity is guarded not by scientists but by clams—actual clams—with jobs. Learn how these shelled sentinels are hooked up to biometric sensors and become the unsung bivalve heroes of municipal hygiene.

A pachyderm with a history. Mollusks with a mission. Just another day in the oddiverse.

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In this episode of The Box of Oddities, we begin with the extraordinary life—and tragic death—of Khaled al-Asaad, the Syrian archaeologist who courageously protected the ancient city of Palmyra from destruction. Refusing to reveal the location of hidden treasures, he faced unspeakable brutality to ensure the survival of irreplaceable history. His legacy is carved not in stone but in sacrifice.

Then, from solemnity to sheer absurdity, we dive headfirst into The Great Stork Derby—a 1930s Canadian legal spectacle where a millionaire’s will turned childbirth into a competitive sport. Yes, a real-life baby-making contest. What happens when estate law meets aggressive procreation? A weirdly fertile lawsuit.

Two stories: one man dies for ancient artifacts; several women compete for a fortune by having the most artifacts.

Heroism and hilarity. Antiquity and maternity. Welcome to The Box.

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Inbox of Oddities #043: The Duck, the Frog, and the Glitch in the Gas Station Matrix

In this electrifying edition of the Inbox of Oddities, the Freakverse flexes hard. A lonely duck returns with backup, a frog named Jeffrey maybe poisons a listener via tongue-torch, and the plumbing gods get petty when mocked. Also in this episode: mail-predicting cats and a bathroom mirror that knocks back.

Listener tales of the absurd, uncanny, and accidentally profound. Is the universe trying to tell us something? Maybe. Is it doing so through ceiling fans and ducks with vendettas? Definitely.

Submit your stories. Fly your freak flag. And remember: if your backyard starts shrinking or your cat joins the postal service… you're probably not alone.

#InboxOfOddities #BoxOfOddities #StayWeird #GlitchInTheMatrix #DuckRevenge #FreakVerse #WeirdStories #SupernaturalHumor

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What do a mysterious metal orb and a sadistic ultramarathon have in common? They’re both ready to ruin your weekend—and they’re both in this episode of The Box of Oddities.

First, Kat and Jethro roll into the strange saga of the Betz Sphere—a shiny, sentient-looking ball discovered in Florida that might be haunted, alien... or just really into Foghat. Then, lace up for the Barkley Marathons, the grueling backwoods race that has chewed up Navy SEALs and spit out their shoelaces. With no official start time, no GPS, and a course mapped in blood and sarcasm, it’s less “fun run” and more “forest-based psychological thriller.”

From paranormal spheres to sadistic sprints, this episode dives headfirst into the bizarre. Because who needs sanity when you’ve got The Box of Oddities?

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