The Box of Oddities

Freak Family Favorite (2022): The Great Stink of London and Yemen’s Mysterious Well of Hell

What happens when an entire city becomes so overwhelmed by human waste that the smell actually forces Parliament to take action? And what lies at the bottom of a mysterious desert sinkhole rumored to imprison evil spirits?

In this Freak Family Favorite from 2022, Kat and Jethro revisit two wonderfully strange stories from the archives of The Box of Oddities.

First, the Great Stink of 1858, when London's River Thames became a foul mixture of sewage, animal carcasses, and industrial waste. The stench was so unbearable that it helped inspire one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the Victorian era.

Then, deep in the desert of Yemen, a massive sinkhole known as the Well of Hell has terrified locals for centuries. Legends tell of imprisoned djinn, mysterious screams, and supernatural forces lurking beneath the earth. But when explorers finally descended into its depths in 2021, they discovered something extraordinary.

Ancient superstitions, bizarre history, hidden ecosystems, and a surprising amount of discussion about poop. All fueled by beer, donuts, and an ill-advised quantity of ice cream.

It's a Freak Family Favorite from 2022, on The Box of Oddities.

Keep flying that freak flag!
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An ancient curse buried beneath a Dutch town square. A bathtub hoax that fooled America for decades. This week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two remarkable stories about supernatural revenge, historical deception, and humanity's impressive willingness to believe just about anything.

First, archaeologists in Heerlen, Netherlands, uncover a nearly 1,900-year-old Roman curse tablet inscribed with mysterious Greek writing, Egyptian magical symbols, and the names of four enslaved people. Who buried it, and what terrible fate were they hoping to unleash? The discovery opens a fascinating window into ancient Roman magic, binding spells, and the surprisingly personal grudges people once entrusted to the gods.

Then, the bizarre true story of journalist H. L. Mencken and the Great American Bathtub Hoax of 1917. What began as an amusing piece of fabricated history involving a Cincinnati businessman, suspicious doctors, and President Millard Fillmore became an accepted historical fact. Even after Mencken confessed, the story refused to die.

Plus, an ongoing Macarena-related medical emergency, questionable presidential facial hair, and a reminder that some things are considerably harder to get rid of than others.

The Box of Oddities — strange history, bizarre discoveries, unexplained mysteries, and the wonderfully weird side of being human.

Keep flying that freak flag!

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What if you woke up from a month-long coma with five years of memories from a future that hasn't happened yet?

Kat and Jethro explore the extraordinary story of Rubí, a young Mexican woman who claims she lived an entirely different life while unconscious in a hospital in 2025. In her experience, time continued normally until 2031, in a technologically advanced world where Mexico had become a global powerhouse and people were actually spending less time staring at their phones. But when she suddenly returned to 2025, she found herself grieving a life that everyone insisted had never happened. Was it an elaborate coma dream, an alternate reality, or something we don't yet understand about consciousness and time?

Then we're heading 250 miles above Earth to discover the surprisingly disgusting realities of living aboard the International Space Station. From floating tears and recycled urine to wet burps, questionable underwear experiments, and the disturbing etiquette of removing your socks in zero gravity, astronaut life is considerably less glamorous than NASA's recruitment materials might suggest.

Two journeys beyond ordinary reality. One through time, the other through space. Both raise some deeply uncomfortable questions about what happens to the human body when things get weird.

It's the strange, the bizarre, and the unexpected. It's The Box of Oddities.
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The Box of Oddities – 9th Annual Halloween Special, Part Two

Just when you thought it was safe to put away the Halloween decorations, Kat and Jethro are back with more unsettling, inexplicable, and occasionally ridiculous true stories from the Freak Family.

In Part Two of our Ninth Annual Halloween Listener Special, a beloved grandmother may have returned from beyond the grave for one last visit. Two teenagers exploring the Maryland woods find themselves pursued by something invisible, accompanied by mysterious music. A peaceful autumn hike in Maine takes a disturbing turn when a massive black shadow crosses the trail. And deep in the Alaskan wilderness, a man encounters a strange, upright-walking creature that local elders call one of the "Old Ones."

Then there's the terrifying childhood encounter with a multi-jointed stick figure that apparently followed one listener across the country. Because some things simply refuse to stay where you left them.

And finally, a reminder that sometimes the most frightening experience imaginable is just trying to make a pot of chicken soup.

Ghost stories, cryptid encounters, shadow figures, unexplained phenomena, and a healthy dose of Halloween weirdness. All told by the people who know strange better than anyone: you.

It's the Box of Oddities Ninth Annual Halloween Special, Part Two. Keep flying that freak flag, you beautiful freaks.
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Halloween night in Chicago. A theater full of Freaks. And a collection of stories that probably should have come with a medical waiver.

In this special live Halloween edition of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro take the stage at Chicago's Den Theatre for an evening of bizarre medical mysteries, supernatural legends, haunted history, and the occasional deeply regrettable visual aid.

First, the horrifying reality of teratomas—rare tumors that can grow teeth, hair, bone, and even brain tissue. From extraordinary medical case studies to specimens preserved in museums, it's a journey through the human body's more disturbing creative decisions.

Then, Kat ventures into the dark history of Bloody Mary, haunted mirrors, and supernatural reflections. Discover the ancient practice of scrying, John Dee's mysterious obsidian mirror, Abraham Lincoln's eerie double reflection, and Chicago's own haunted landmarks, including the Congress Plaza Hotel and Lincoln Park Zoo. Plus, the tragic true story of Ruthie Mae McCoy and its connection to the Candyman legend.

Throw in disastrous travel adventures, Halloween costumes, unexpected audience participation, and the particular chaos that occurs when Kat and Jethro are allowed to perform without adult supervision.

The strange, the bizarre, and the unexpected—LIVE from Chicago.

Watch the video of this special performance on The Box of Oddities Patreon, available to members of the Order of Freaks.
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