A Bear, A Mystery House, Corn Flakes, A Teenage God Emperor, A Futuristic Warning & The Judas Goat episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 7, 2026 · 1H 26M

A Bear, A Mystery House, Corn Flakes, A Teenage God Emperor, A Futuristic Warning & The Judas Goat

from The Oddities Department · host Gavin & Suzi

In Episode 7 of The Oddities Department, we travel all over the world, and back and forth through time to show you some of history's wildest oddities. In this episode, we cover:Case File #36: Wojtek The Bear. The incredible true story of a Syrian Brown Bear who drank beer, smoked cigarettes, and carried ammo for the Polish II Corps during World War II.Case File #37: The Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester spent 38 years building a mansion to confuse the ghosts of the Civil War. Was it madness, or was it the most expensive panic room in history?Case File #38: The War for Breakfast. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg didn't invent Corn Flakes to help you start your day right. He invented them to stop you from sinning.Case File #39: The Teenage God Emperor. Meet Elagabalus, the 14-year-old ruler of Rome who replaced Jupiter with a giant rock, kept pet lions in guest bedrooms, and smothered his enemies with rose petals.Case File #40: The 10,000 Year Warning. How do we tell the future not to touch our nuclear waste? The government’s solution involved "hostile architecture" and glow-in-the-dark cats.Case File #41: The Judas Goat. The dark industrial history of the "traitor goats" who led sheep to the slaughterhouse in exchange for a nicotine addiction.Join the Department: If you enjoyed this tour through the weirdest corners of history, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! It helps us keep the lights on in the basement.Follow Us: TikTok: @TheOdditiesDept Instagram: @TheOdditiesDeptStay curious. Stay weird. And don't eat the cornflakes.Send us Fan Mail

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In Episode 7 of The Oddities Department, we travel all over the world, and back and forth through time to show you some of history's wildest oddities. In this episode, we cover: Case File #36: Wojtek The Bear. The incredible true story of a Syrian Brown Bear who drank beer, smoked cigarettes, and carried ammo for the Polish II Corps during World War II.Case File #37: The Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester spent 38 years building a mansion to confuse the ghosts of the Civil War. ...

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A Bear, A Mystery House, Corn Flakes, A Teenage God Emperor, A Futuristic Warning & The Judas Goat

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