The Metric Pirates & Joseph Dombey's Bizarre Tale (with Jake Johnson)
episodePreviously titled “S4E20: Jake Johnson and the Metric Pirates” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 5, 2026
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What unusual historical event is the episode centered on?
I got a Rivian right now. Brag. Is Rivian a brag? Yeah. Mad respect, bro. You couldn't be more of a dad when a Rivian SUV is a brag. It's not like I'm driving a Porsche. I'm like, dude, I got a car that can fit six kids, luggage, and a dog. And you go, Jesus, you're winning. It doesn't go fast. And I will say it's not that much fun to drive, but the storage in that baby.
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Over the last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by Black people because of what happened in Alabama? This Black History Month, the podcast Selective Ignorance with Mandy B unpacks Black history and culture with comedy, clarity, and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019, and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race. To hear this and more, listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 1969, Malcolm and Martin are gone.
America is in crisis.
At a Morehouse College, the students make their move.
These students, including a young Samuel L. Jackson, locked up the members of the Board of Trustees, including Martin Luther King Sr. It's the true story of protest and rebellion in Black American history that you'll never forget. I'm Hans Charles.
I'm Menelik Lumumba. Listen to The A Building on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's me, Brandon Kyle Goodman, but you can call me Messy Mom because on my podcast, Tell Me Something Messy, my fantastic guests are bringing their mess like singer-songwriter Duran Bernard suggesting we reinstate adult sleepovers with friends.
Here's the thing. Get a group that's mature enough not to be putting your hand in warm water and tickling you.
You know what I'm saying? I mean, granted, I might be doing it, but you know what I'm saying? Listen to Tell Me Something Messy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to Snafu, the show about history's greatest screw-ups. I'm Ed Helms, and today I am joined by a prolific actor, comedian, writer, and director. He co-hosts the podcast We're Here to Help with fellow funnyman Gareth Reynolds. But you likely know our guest as the voice of Peter Parker in Spider-Man, Into the Spider-Verse, as Doug in The Minx, or as the beloved Nick Miller from the now-modern classic hit New Girl. He was, of course, also my hilarious co-star in the film Tag. Please welcome Jake Johnson.
Thanks, Ed. Nice to see you, pal. We'll put in some applause and, like, you know, roaring.
Who was Joseph Dombey and why is he significant?
Three to four minutes of hard applause. Yeah, exactly. Standing ovation and sound effects.
Yeah!
Jake Johnson's here. Yes. We, of course, became acquainted on the movie Tag, which was just a goddamn delight. How fun was that? I mean, we had our ups and downs on the production, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. Apart from Renner breaking both his arms during a stunt. Oh, my God. Remember that crazy day in the church? Of course. I remember that. Insane. Okay. So just for the listener. We're doing this scene where Jeremy Renner is chasing us, and he does that Fred Astaire chair move where you stand on the back of a chair and then let it fall down, and then you keep going. Only the sort of bit was that this was a stack of like 30 chairs. So it was like 20 feet tall. Yeah, it was high up. And he sort of falls down, but in a controlled way.
Off on this stack of chairs and then keeps running. But and he was wearing a harness to make the fall smooth and not harmful to his body. This there was some malfunction. He landed on both his arms. Both of his arms broke. Yes. And he went to the hospital and was back on set that afternoon. Shocking. Still shooting. Do you remember that? And I'll tell you, we've talked about this, but there are certain things you've said that are not for Jake. Breaking your arms and returning to shoot a scene in tag, not for Jake.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What unusual historical event is the episode centered on?
0:01–3:05
2
Who was Joseph Dombey and why is he significant?
3:05–4:52
3
What challenges did Dombey face during his journey?
4:52–6:53
4
How did pirates impact Dombey's mission?
6:53–8:42
5
What was the fate of Dombey's metric artifacts?
8:42–11:28
6
Why did the U.S. fail to adopt the metric system?
11:28–13:07
7
What are the implications of using the imperial system in America?
13:07–15:51
8
How does the story of Dombey relate to modern measurement systems?
15:51–49:20