Ridiculous History: CLASSIC — The Bizarre Origin of the Oxford English Dictionary

Podcast: Ridiculous History (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Date: August 16, 2025
Hosts: Ben Bowlin, Christopher Haciotes (guest host, in for Noel Brown)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the truly bizarre and poignant history behind the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Blending historical deep-dives with signature wit and word-nerd enthusiasm, hosts Ben Bowlin and guest host Christopher Haciotes unravel a story far stranger—and more tragic—than most people realize: the OED’s unusual process, its obsessive and reclusive contributors, and a shocking revelation about one of its central figures, Dr. William Chester Minor.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the OED? Scope, Mission, and Challenges

• Dictionary Lovers Unite: Both hosts (and the regular, absent Noel) confess to a fascination with etymology, wordplay, and the evolution of language.

  “We’re both big fans of reference works, etymology, weird word facts, and the last word in dictionaries here is the Oxford English Dictionary.” — Ben [00:21]

• Project History: Work began in 1857 with a goal to collect and define every word from the 12th century onward. The real effort started around 1879, and it took 5 years more just to publish the first volume (1884).
• Unprecedented Undertaking:

  • The OED aimed to offer historical context for every word, not just a definition.

  • By its completion (1928), it spanned 12 volumes, over 400,000 words, and 2 million citations.

  • Methods included crowdsourcing word entries from the public, long before the term existed.

    “Imagine the task of speaking a language and thinking, you know, what, all these words... let’s catalog them... It’s a crazy undertaking. It’s wild.” — Christopher [10:00]

2. Key Personalities: Professor James Murray and the Challenge Ahead

• James Murray: Editor-in-chief, built a shed ("the Scriptorium") to house the growing pile of word entries, running the editorial effort with a small team.

• Scale Underestimated:

  “They thought, ‘This is going to take a decade…and will probably be…around 7,000 pages in four volumes.’ But they ended up with something much, much larger.” — Ben [11:03]

• Wordsmiths’ Humor: The Scriptorium becomes an in-joke—Ben vows to label part of their office as one, to general confusion. [12:42–13:09]

3. Dr. William Chester Minor—A Prolific, Mysterious Contributor

• Who Was He? Dr. Minor submitted over 10,000 entries. Known only as a medical man in Berkshire—nothing suspicious on the surface. [13:09]
• Deep Background:

  • Born in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to missionary parents, raised in multiple cultures and languages.

  • Served as a surgeon in the American Civil War, witnessed and participated in grim acts (notably branding an Irish deserter by order). [16:04]

  • Severe mental trauma, likely exacerbating an underlying psychiatric condition (later classified as schizophrenia).

    “He saw incendiary attacks. He witnessed other soldiers burning to death.” — Christopher [15:56]

  • After the war, Minor struggled with PTSD, delusions, and erratic behavior, finally being released from service and later institutionalized.

4. The Lambeth Tragedy—Murder and Incarceration

• Downward Spiral:

  • Minor moved to London, his condition untreated and worsening. In a paranoid episode, he shot and killed George Merritt, an innocent brewery worker, mistaking him as an intruder. [26:06]

  • At trial, Minor was judged not guilty by reason of insanity, locked away in Broadmoor Asylum.

    “The full extent of Minor’s insanity becomes revealed for the first time in public... That’s part of what propels the Lambeth tragedy to the stage of international news.” — Ben [27:25]

• Life in Broadmoor:

  • Minor was granted remarkable privileges for the time, including two adjoining cells: one for living, one for housing his extensive book collection (secured through connections and U.S. consular intervention).

  • Through book dealers in Oxford, he learns the OED seeks contributors—thus begins his most productive era.

    “His body may be in these four walls, but it’s a way for him to send his thoughts and influence beyond his cell.” — Christopher [30:12]

5. Murray & Minor—Collaboration Without Meeting

• Collaborative Genius:

  • Minor’s unique access to rare books and erudition made his entries extraordinarily valuable.

  • He disguised his situation by always signing his mail with only his Broadmoor address, keeping his life a mystery for years.

    “Murray reasonably assumes that Miner must be, ‘a practicing medical man of literary taste with a good deal of leisure.’” — Ben [13:59]

    “His submissions might run the chance of being rejected... So he always signed his letters the same way: Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire.” — Ben [30:23]

• Eventual Revelation:

  • In 1897, at the “Great Dictionary Dinner,” Minor is invited but does not appear.

  • Murray decides to visit his elusive star contributor, thinking he’s going to a grand home—only to realize Minor is an inmate at Broadmoor. Their meeting is awkward but blossoms into a remarkable friendship.

    “He assumes that the director of the asylum is the famous and mysterious Dr. Minor. No, says the director: ‘The doctor is an inmate. Would you like to see his rooms?’” — Ben [34:20]

• Enduring Friendship: Despite Minor’s circumstances, Murray continued to visit and advocate for him—publicly praising Minor’s erudition and contributions.

  “We could easily illustrate the last four centuries from Dr. Miner’s quotations alone.” — Murray, quoted by Ben [38:39]

6. Tragedy and Legacy

• Mental Decline: Minor’s illness, delusions, and self-harm worsened (notably, a horrific act of self-castration during a paranoid episode). [42:56]
• Murray’s Advocacy: Murray personally campaigned for Minor’s release; after intervention by Winston Churchill, Minor was released and deported to the U.S., where he lived until 1920.
• Neither Man Saw the Final OED:

  • Murray died in 1915, Minor in 1920—the last OED volume was published in 1928.

    “Their life’s work ... they did not live to see a completion. But that’s the story of so many great accomplishments in human culture.” — Christopher [45:21]

  • Their collaboration became the subject of “The Professor and the Madman” by Simon Winchester (1998).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the OED’s Ambition:
  “It is comprised of 414,825 words defined, and it has almost 2 million citations employed to illustrate what they mean.” — Ben [11:03]

• On Historical Lexicography:
  “It was a lifelong pursuit for Murray and his team. The final volume...wasn’t published until 1928. That’s crazy.” — Christopher [09:21]

• Describing Minor’s Value:
  “His work was invaluable. And I really appreciate what you said about mental illness not negating somebody’s value or their worth in the world.” — Ben [49:00]

• On Selfless Legacy:
  “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Ben [46:46]

• True Crime Turn: The “Lambeth Tragedy”—the sudden pivot into a real murder mystery, complete with legal drama and Victorian asylum horror. [25:16–29:12]

• Word Nerd Joy:
  “Do you have an obscure word that you like? Oh gosh, that’s been stuck in your head recently?” — Ben [51:28]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Beginning & Dictionary Fandom: [00:00–07:15]
• How the OED was Compiled: [08:18–12:20]
• Professor James Murray and the Scriptorium: [11:03–13:09]
• Enter Dr. Minor: [13:09]
• Minor’s Civil War Trauma/Personal History: [14:29–17:05]
• Move to London, the Lambeth Murder: [21:13–27:25]
• Life in Broadmoor, OED Correspondence: [28:34–32:31]
• Murray’s Visit to Broadmoor, Their Friendship: [32:31–38:41]
• Minor’s Mental Decline, Release from Asylum: [42:56–44:45]
• The OED Completion, Legacy and Reflection: [44:45–49:00]
• Dictionaries in History, Audience Q&A: [49:25–53:03]
• Final Reflections & Farewell: [53:03–54:48]

Tone & Style

The episode balances the Ridiculous History trademark blend of curiosity, playful humor, and a genuine passion for the quirky corners of the human record. Even as it explores the dark and tragic backdrop of its central character, the hosts maintain warmth and empathy.

Throughout, both Ben and Christopher highlight the enduring value of intellectual labor—no matter the circumstances or limitations of those who provide it.

For Further Reading

• Book: “The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary” by Simon Winchester (1998) [30:02]
• Related Article: Christopher references his work on archaic insults and invites listeners to share their favorite obscure words [51:28].

Listener Engagement Prompts

• Comment on the Ridiculous Historians Facebook page with your favorite obscure/archaic word or dictionary anecdotes!
• Share stories about how you’ve used dictionaries—to spell, to define, and beyond.
• Join the playful “scriptorium” movement in your own home or office.

“Here’s hoping that we can all get a chance to create something like this.” — Ben [47:34]

Summary by Ridiculous History Podcast Summarizer
(Episode structured to be informative, entertaining, and useful for all word-lovers and history buffs—even if you haven’t listened.)