The Box of Oddities

In 1829, journalist Anne Royall was dragged into a Washington, D.C., courtroom and convicted of being a common scold. Her crime? Having opinions, challenging powerful men, and refusing to keep her mouth shut. The proposed punishment involved a wooden chair, the Potomac River, and a medieval practice usually associated with witch trials. Naturally, Anne had a few things to say about that.

Then, Kat takes us down a surprisingly strange linguistic rabbit hole. Where did “cool beans,” “spill the beans,” and “full of beans” come from? Ancient Greek voting rituals? French fur trappers? Cheech and Chong? Recreational pharmaceuticals? The history of bean-related slang is considerably weirder—and much less certain—than you might expect.

Plus, William Shatner's bizarre career detours, from professional wrestling and championship horses to space travel and heavy metal.

It's outspoken women, questionable etymology, and Captain Kirk rocking out at 95.

Just another perfectly normal day inside The Box of Oddities.

Keep flying that Freak Flag!

#BoxOfOddities #AnneRoyall #WeirdHistory #StrangeHistory #CoolBeans #WilliamShatner #Podcast
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Ghostly Encounters, Scottish Mario & Halloween Chaos | Inbox of Oddities

The Freak Family has spoken, and things are getting delightfully weird in this episode of Inbox of Oddities!

Kat and Jethro dive into your listener emails, voice messages, and wonderfully unhinged stories, including a haunted Montana farmhouse where disembodied voices whisper from the basement and an unseen presence gets a little too handsy. Because apparently, even ghosts need a lesson in personal boundaries.

Plus, accidental 911 calls, a camper that goes up in spectacular flames, a Bluetooth bathroom mirror with excellent taste in podcasts, and the ongoing battle for Freak Family supremacy: Scottish Mario vs. a certain anatomically questionable ventriloquist puppet.

And with Halloween creeping closer, we're gearing up for our 9th Annual Box of Oddities Halloween Special, featuring YOUR creepy encounters and unexplained experiences!

It's paranormal encounters, bizarre true stories, inappropriate laughter, and the kind of glorious nonsense that only the Freak Family can deliver.

Have a strange story of your own? Send it our way. Your weirdness is always welcome.

Keep flying that freak flag, you beautiful freaks!

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In this Halloween-season episode of Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore a grisly chapter of New England folklore: the 1817 exhumation of Dartmouth student Frederick Ransom. As tuberculosis—then called consumption—devastated his Vermont family, his father followed a desperate “vampire” remedy: Frederick’s heart was removed from his grave and burned in a blacksmith’s forge.

Then, from the frighteningly human to the wonderfully alien: octopuses can edit their RNA in response to changing water temperatures, have neurons spread throughout their arms, solve problems, use tools, and may be far more emotionally complex than we ever imagined. Plus, the greatest horror-movie screams of all time.

A tale of vampire panic, Victorian-era disease, eerie folklore, sentient cephalopods, and very questionable mayonnaise-jar security—because normal is overrated.
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Edgar Allan Poe’s Rattling Skull & The Honeymoon Murder at Acadia National Park

What happens when you dig up the remains of one of history’s most famous masters of horror and discover something rattling around inside his skull? And how does a romantic honeymoon in one of America’s most beautiful national parks end in murder?

This week on The Box of Oddities, we’re digging into two disturbing true stories involving mysterious deaths, buried secrets, and some deeply unsettling discoveries.

First, JG explores the bizarre 1875 exhumation of Edgar Allan Poe. More than 25 years after the legendary writer’s mysterious death, workers reportedly discovered something extraordinary inside his skull. Was it his remarkably preserved brain, evidence of a previously unknown medical condition, or something else entirely? Plus, the enduring mystery of the Poe Toaster, the shadowy stranger who visited his grave for decades, bearing roses and cognac.

Then, Kat takes us to Acadia National Park in Maine, where a young bride's fatal fall from a seaside cliff in 1987 initially appeared to be a tragic accident. But investigators soon uncovered a suspicious life insurance policy, a troubling marriage, and a husband's past that suggested something far more sinister. The murder of Kathy Frost Larson would ultimately expose a chilling pattern of deception and death.

Plus, a killer refrigerator, a homicidal gingerbread man, and other wonderfully ridiculous horror movies that probably should never have been made.

Grave robbing, literary mysteries, true crime, Halloween weirdness, and a generous helping of gallows humor. Just another perfectly normal week with the Freak Family.

The Box of Oddities — where the strange, the macabre, and the wonderfully weird feel right at home.

Keep flying that freak flag!

#EdgarAllanPoe #PoeToaster #TrueCrime #AcadiaNationalPark #UnsolvedMysteries #Halloween #MacabreHistory #BoxOfOddities

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The Box of Oddities Halloween Special Preview: True Ghost Stories, Haunted Houses & Unexplained Encounters

Something strange is happening, Freak Family. And this time, you're the ones telling the stories.

As we count down to our 9th Annual Box of Oddities Halloween Special, Kat and Jethro crack open the archives to revisit some of the creepiest, strangest, and most unforgettable paranormal experiences submitted by listeners.

A postal worker hears mysterious humming in an empty office—just before a broken telephone begins ringing. A childhood accident leads to a terrifying out-of-body experience. A woman recalls growing up in a funeral home, surrounded by caskets, mysterious noises, and things that might not have been entirely dead. And a family discovers that whatever is lurking in their house seems particularly fond of the staircase.

There are ghost sightings, haunted dolls, unexplained footsteps, possible messages from deceased loved ones, eerie dreams, and chilling encounters with the unknown. Some stories are genuinely frightening. Others are unexpectedly touching. And a few prove that sometimes the scariest thing in the room is a sibling with a twisted sense of humor.

These are the strange-but-true personal experiences of the Freak Family, told by the people who lived them.

The 9th Annual Halloween Special is almost here. Until then, turn down the lights, check the hallway, and remember: just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there.

The Box of Oddities — where the strange, bizarre, and unexplained feel right at home.

Keep flying that freak flag!
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