The feast continues! Volume 2 of our Thanksgiving Cannibal Special delivers another helping of the most jaw-dropping, unsettling, and weirdly compelling cannibal stories we’ve ever told on The Box of Oddities.
In this second collection, Kat and Jethro unwrap:
Infamous cannibal crimes that shook entire communities
Documented anthropological cases of ritual cannibalism
Stranger-than-fiction historical accounts from explorers, shipwreck survivors, and medical archives
Bizarre cravings, peculiar diets, and legendary “man-eaters”
The unexpected parallels between cannibal folklore and modern psychology
This dark, hilarious, and highly bingeable curated special is perfect for listeners who love weird history, true crime oddities, and the most unbelievable stories human behavior has ever produced.
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1:26:07
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1:26:07
Thanksgiving Cannibal Collection – Volume 1
This Thanksgiving, The Box of Oddities serves up the strangest feast imaginable: a curated collection of our wildest, weirdest, and most unbelievable stories involving real cannibals, bizarre survival tales, and historical accounts that are far too dark for the dinner table—but perfect for Freak Family listening.
In Volume 1, Kat and Jethro revisit fan-favorite episodes featuring:
True stories of cannibalism throughout history
Shocking cases of survival cannibalism in the world’s most unforgiving places
Macabre cultural lore that blurs the line between myth and horrifying reality
Odd historical figures whose appetites landed them in the pages of medical journals
The psychology of cannibals and what makes these cases so deeply fascinating
Expect dark humor, unbelievable facts, and the signature BOO blend of horror, history, and hilarity. Whether you’re prepping a turkey or hiding from your relatives, this specially curated Thanksgiving collection is the perfect way to indulge in something truly twisted.
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1:15:59
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1:15:59
Dolphins, Aliens, and Lost Time
In this mind-bending episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat and Jethro dive into two stories that push the boundaries of communication, perception, and the very nature of time itself.
First, Jethro unpacks the extraordinary modern effort to build the world’s first dolphin chatbot—a real AI project inspired by a quirky 1960s SETI club called The Order of the Dolphin. From Carl Sagan and Frank Drake’s early theories to Google DeepMind’s modern neural networks decoding dolphin whistles, this segment explores how scientists hope communication with dolphins may become the training wheels for future alien contact. With signature humor and scientific wonder, we explore dolphin intelligence, their complex acoustic “language,” and what the first dolphin-to-human conversation might actually sound like.
Then Kat takes us into the freezing darkness of the Scarassin Abyss, where French speleologist Michel Siffre spent 63 days isolated from all clocks, sunlight, and human contact to study how humans perceive time. As his internal world unraveled, Siffre made discoveries that reshaped chronobiology—and revealed how fragile our sense of reality truly is. From hallucinations to distorted time cycles to the stunning moment he emerged believing he still had a month left underground, Kat tells the story in vivid detail with plenty of Oddity-level dread and fascination.
Plus: bizarre YouTube ads, Thanksgiving confusion, and a rapid-fire tour of wild historical events—from Einstein’s famous paper to a meteor that turned night into day.
It’s science, strangeness, humor, and existential questions—all in one episode.Keep flying that freak flag, you beautiful freak.
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The Universe Is On The Other Line
In this special interview episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro sits down with acclaimed science journalist Becky Ferreira—author of the new book First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens. Together they explore humanity’s oldest question: Are we alone?
Ferreira, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Popular Science, MIT Technology Review, and NPR’s Science Friday, guides us through the deep history of alien speculation—from ancient Greek and Roman philosophers to Hopi star-people traditions to the modern UAP debate.
Jethro taps into his inner UFO enthusiast as they dive into:• Why ancient cultures believed the sky itself was communicating with them• The earliest “alien life” theories from Christian and Muslim scholars• The Fermi Paradox, Drake Equation, and what science gets wrong about “Where is everybody?”• Water worlds like Europa and Enceladus, and why alien life may be hiding inside dark interior oceans• Whether interdimensional phenomena at places like Skinwalker Ranch could explain UAP encounters• How humans might emotionally—and chaotically—respond if we picked up an alien signal• The surprising ways religion is preparing for extraterrestrial discovery• Whether we’ll make contact in our lifetime… and what form it might take
Ferreira’s insights blend cutting-edge astronomy with anthropology, psychology, and the strange human tendency to project our own fears and hopes onto the stars. Equal parts science, myth, and cosmic mystery, this conversation asks why the idea of alien life has been with us since the beginning—and why we can’t stop looking up.
Becky Ferreira’s book First Contact is available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook wherever books are sold.
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Sphinx Secrets & Oddball Animals
What lies beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza—and why does it continue to fuel global obsession? In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Jethro uncovers the strange history, disputed radar scans, ancient legends, and modern controversies surrounding the Sphinx. From Edgar Cayce’s “Hall of Records” prophecy to seismic anomalies beneath the limestone, this deep dive explores why some experts insist it’s just geology while others believe an untouched vault—or even a lost city—still waits beneath those ancient paws.
Then, Kat flips the script on the animal kingdom with a celebration of Earth’s rule-breakers—creatures that defy everything we expect from their species. Meet the herbivorous jumping spider, the underwater-breathing diving bell spider, mudskippers that drown in water, axolotls that never grow up, the egg-laying electrified platypus, the “Jesus Christ” lizard that walks on water, the immortal jellyfish, and more. These misfit marvels prove evolution has a wonderfully weird sense of humor.
If you love ancient mysteries, bizarre biology, strange science, and the delightfully unexpected, this episode delivers maximum oddity.
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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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