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!

#BoxOfOddities #AncientCurses #RomanHistory #CurseTablet #BathtubHoax #HLMencken #WeirdHistory #StrangeHistory #Archaeology #Oddities

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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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It's Halloween, and the Freak Family has been keeping some very unsettling secrets.

For our 9th Annual Box of Oddities Halloween Special, Kat and Jethro open the inbox for a collection of listener-submitted paranormal encounters, ghost stories, and unexplained experiences that might make you reconsider what happens after we die.

A grieving friend encounters a familiar presence, a mysterious scent, and an ice-cold Coke Zero that nobody can explain. A childhood UFO sighting near Lake Erie comes with an unexpected earthquake. A house cleaner discovers that some former occupants may not be ready to leave. In Sri Lanka, a priest encounters a disturbing spiritual ritual. A young girl makes a mysterious friend at summer camp, and a terrifying encounter with the infamous Hat Man raises new questions about shadow people and the supernatural.

Some of these stories are genuinely frightening. Others are strangely comforting. All of them come from members of the Freak Family who experienced something they still can't explain.

And there's too much weirdness for just one episode! Part Two of our Halloween Special arrives Saturday, October 31.

Plus, don't miss our special release of Box of Oddities Live from Chicago's Den Theatre, with the video version available exclusively to our Order of Freaks supporters on Patreon.

Happy Halloween, you beautiful freaks. Keep flying that spooky freak flag.

The Box of Oddities — strange stories, paranormal mysteries, supernatural encounters, and the wonderfully bizarre.

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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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Can riding a train actually drive you insane? And why have cultures around the world spent centuries telling stories about women with teeth in places teeth absolutely do not belong?

This week on The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro explore two bizarre intersections of history, folklore, psychology, and humanity's most uncomfortable fears.

First, we're heading to Victorian England, where a mysterious phenomenon known as Railway Madness had people convinced that traveling by train could cause sudden, violent insanity. From gun-wielding passengers and naked aristocrats to terrified travelers trapped inside moving railway carriages, the strange incidents sparked a genuine nineteenth-century panic. But were trains actually driving people mad, or was society struggling to cope with a world moving faster than ever before?

Then, Kat sinks her teeth into one of mythology's most unsettling recurring themes: vagina dentata, the ancient legend of the toothed vagina. Found in folklore from Native American traditions to India, Japan, and Māori mythology, these extraordinary stories explore sexuality, power, reproduction, and death. Along the way, we encounter a goddess with a deadly secret, an unfortunate encounter involving a sword scabbard, real medical oddities involving teeth growing inside tumors, and a controversial modern invention that brings this ancient nightmare disturbingly close to reality.

Plus, the great shoes-in-the-house debate, Thailand's unforgettable plus-size clothing stores, and the unexpected dangers of jumbo pants.

Strange history. Disturbing folklore. Uncomfortable anatomy. Just another day inside The Box of Oddities.

Join Kat and Jethro for another journey into the wonderfully weird, where the truth is often stranger than anything we could invent.

Keep flying that freak flag!

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