{"podcast":{"title":"The Box of Oddities","slug":"the-box-of-oddities-512437","podcast_index_feed_id":512437,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML9966973519","website_url":"https://www.theboxofoddities.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/efe03e02-6869-11ee-bf09-cf71efb55eff/image/0ba2683aa6e575c1f421dd0c1f11eeb9.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"John Elliott and Kat Walls","episode_count":940,"summary":"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","last_synced_at":"2026-06-12T14:18:43.319486+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-box-of-oddities-512437"},"episode":{"title":"Bones In The Wall & a 1776 Resurrection","slug":"bones-in-the-wall-a-1776-resurrection","published_at":"2026-05-06T04:02:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-box-of-oddities-512437/bones-in-the-wall-a-1776-resurrection","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-box-of-oddities-512437","url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8409880958.mp3?updated=1778002630","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML8409880958.mp3?updated=1778002630","summary":"What would you do if a human skull fell out of your wall? During a routine renovation in 1978, homeowners in Batavia, Illinois, uncovered something no one expected to find behind plaster and beams: a human skull. What followed was decades of unanswered questions. Who was she? How did she get there? And why had no one come looking? With no clear identity and limited forensic tools at the time, the case went cold—until modern DNA technology reopened it in the early 2020s. What investigators uncovered was both heartbreaking and deeply unsettling. But that’s only half the story. Kat then brings us back to 1776—where a young Quaker named Jemima Wilkinson died… and then didn’t stay dead. What emerged from that feverish illness wasn’t the same person, but a self-declared divine entity known only as the Public Universal Friend. Rejecting gender, identity, and even their own name, the Friend preached radical ideas of equality, abolition, and spiritual autonomy—decades ahead of their time. Was this a case of religious awakening, psychological transformation, or something far stranger? From human remains hidden in walls… to a prophet who claimed not to be human at all… this episode explores the thin line between history, mystery, and the truly unexplainable. Also in this episode: * The bizarre reality of 19th-century grave robbing * How modern DNA is solving centuries-old cold cases * A “Thing in the Middle” featuring the internet’s funniest reactions to a bizarre deep-sea creature * And why Kat’s mom may be the most chaotic phone caller alive If you love true crime, historical mysteries, and stories that make you say “wait… WHAT?”, this episode is for you. Subscribe, follow, and share with your fellow Freaks—because the strange isn’t going anywhere. Learn more about your ad choi…","meta_description":"What would you do if a human skull fell out of your wall? During a routine renovation in 1978, homeowners in Batavia, Illinois, uncovered something no one…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2014,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-box-of-oddities-512437/episodes/bones-in-the-wall-a-1776-resurrection/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-box-of-oddities-512437/bones-in-the-wall-a-1776-resurrection.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}