Useless Information Podcast

Useless Information Podcast episodes:

• 04.09.2024

  Retrocast #25 - UI Podcast #216

  An alligator is found in a California swamp, male toll collectors oppose the hiring of women, a mummified man inspires a Don McLean song, a chewing gum party, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found...

  
• 03.13.2024

  The Strange Case of the Poppy Seed Roll - UI #215

  In 1933, New York City police had a very unusual mystery on their hands. Two people died of nearly identical causes within an hour of one another at an Automat restaurant in Manhattan. Strangers to each other, the sole connecting thread...

  
• 03.06.2024

  Introducing: WikiHole

  Join host D’Arcy Carden on a wild ride into the internet’s most interesting and interconnected Wikipedia entries. Each episode will feature D’Arcy’s panel of comedians falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes to discover bizarre and intriguing connections by guessing how famous...

  
• 02.21.2024

  The Lightning Tamers - UI Podcast #214

  Our modern world is dependent on electricity. But did you ever stop to wonder where it all began? Guest Kathy Joseph, author of the book The Lightning Tamers and host of the popular YouTube channel Kathy Loves Physics, joins me to...

  
• 02.06.2024

  The Radiator Romeo - UI Podcast #213

  Back in 1937, Harold Hulen was madly in love with Florence Hurlbut. He desperately wanted to marry her, but every time he asked, she turned him down. After a couple of years of constant rejection, Harold came up with an...

  
• 01.23.2024

  Retrocast #24 - UI Podcast #212

  Bruce Carlson of My History Can Beat Up Your Politics cohosts! A man survives going over Niagara, only to later die after slipping on an orange peel; a family is told they can only take one bath per week; a...

  
• 01.09.2024

  The Poor Rich Man - UI Podcast #211

  In 1950, the Hecht department store chain unveiled plans for constructing a massive new store in Arlington, Virginia. However, their ambitious project faced a formidable obstacle in the form of an 82-year-old preacher. This elderly man insisted on selling his...

  
• 12.20.2023

  Christmas Retrocast - UI Podcast #210

  In this episode: A look at letters to Santa through the years, a judge who sentences two men to get a boy his Christmas gifts, Santa’s pants fall down, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be...

  
• 12.14.2023

  The Beardless Santa - UI Podcast #209

  The heartwarming story of "Uncle Dan" Vinson, a man who dedicated much of his life to ensuring that Christmas became a truly special occasion for children all around the world. In his workshop, his helpers tirelessly worked throughout the year,...

  
• 11.30.2023

  Retrocast #22 - UI Podcast #208

  In this episode: A hippopotamus is on the loose in Detroit, a skydiver in freefall grabs a parachute from another skydiver, Chicago steaks are really horse meat, a boy’s crib is struck by lightning, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts...

  
• 11.14.2023

  Slippery the Sea Lion - UI Podcast #207

  Cyril, the daring sea lion, embarked on an epic escape from a London, Ontario zoo in 1958, setting his sights on the vast Atlantic Ocean. His incredible journey left everyone wondering: Could he survive the challenges that lie ahead? Would...

  
• 10.23.2023

  Retrocast #21 - UI Podcast #206

  In this episode: Boston women must beat a deadline to marry, a man’s feet are too big for the US Marines, a vice-principal cuts offensive images from a sex-ed textbook, dresses arrive 63 years late, and much more! Images, links, and...

  
• 10.09.2023

  The Naked Mustard Ladies - UI Podcast #205

  A bizarre true story that involves mustard, relish, the United Parcel Service (UPS), and three Michigan women who wore nothing more than their shoes. It was one that gained national notoriety, but just as quickly as it ascended to the...

  
• 09.20.2023

  Retrocast #20 - UI Podcast #204

  In this episode: A kangaroo is on the loose in NYC, a woman fails her driving test 39 times, someone is sneaking under the tables at college libraries and painting women’s toenails, a man breaks into an apartment and covers...

  
• 09.11.2023

  Boxed for a Better Life - UI Podcast #203

  Back in 1901, Johann Beck was madly in love with his fiancé Johanna, but he found it difficult to obtain employment in Germany. They both dreamed of going to the United States to start a new life, but they couldn’t afford...

  
• 08.16.2023

  Retrocast #19 - UI Podcast #202

  In this episode: A World War II veteran who could only rent a home in an upscale New Jersey neighborhood if he agreed to bring a live goat, Baltimore requires male go-go dancers to cover their breasts while performing, and...

  
• 08.02.2023

  Back Into the Woods - Podcast #201

  Ted Hollingworth shares his perspective on the intense search for his sister 5-year-old Pamela Hollingworth, who went missing in New Hampshire's White Mountains back in 1941. The news of her disappearance prompted an enormous response, with thousands of volunteers combing...

  
• 07.17.2023

  Mississippi Bans Sesame Street - UI Podcast #200

  Since its initial premiere, the children's television program Sesame Street achieved immense popularity and acclaim, captivating millions of viewers throughout the United States. However, there was a notable exception to its widespread reach: the state of Mississippi. It was purported...

  
• 07.05.2023

  Bonus Episode: I Am a Guest on the Off Exit 10 Podcast

  In this episode, I am the one being interviewed! Recorded on June 24, 2023, I was a guest on the Off Exit 10 Podcast, which is produced by my former students Mike & Jordan Sirani and Paul Morse. During the...

  
• 06.21.2023

  Retrocast 18 - UI #199

  In this episode: A deer stabs a man, a dress made from postage stamps, three teenagers take a joyride in an airplane, the history of the pay telephone, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found...

  
• 06.14.2023

  Bonus Episode: The Cold War Spy Swap

  With the recent passing of FBI cryptanalyst Marvin Lautzenheiser, here is an episode of History Daily that tells the exciting story of William Fisher (aka Rudolf Abel) and his Cold War spy swap with US pilot Gary Powers. Every weekday, host...

  
• 06.07.2023

  The Kid Is Not My Son - UI #198

  In 1923, Joseph Boyer III was born to a wealthy Detroit couple. He stood to inherit a trust fund valued in the many millions of dollars until everything suddenly spiraled out of control. Was his dad really the father? Was his...

  
• 05.18.2023

  Dubious Advice - UI Podcast #197

  Something NEW! for the podcast: A look at advice columns and how they have evolved over time. Have the questions and responses changed over the past century? Some of the responses are sure to make you laugh. Images, links, and transcripts for this...

  
• 05.03.2023

  Frasier, the Sensuous Lion - UI Podcast #196

  Frasier was a decrepit old circus lion whose best days were far behind him, or at least that was what his caregivers believed. While he wasn’t much to look at, he proved popular with the lionesses. Frasier showed the world that...

  
• 04.19.2023

  Retrocast #17 - UI Podcast #195

  In this episode: a train that derailed and then jumped back on the track, a man who claimed ownership of nearly the entire universe, a bet in which the loser would have to eat 1 million peas, and much more! Link...

  
• 04.03.2023

  The Love Pirate - UI Podcast #194

  In 1923, Kathleen Morrell was arrested by Chicago police for having five children out of wedlock. She was an excellent mother, but as an unmarried woman, she was charged with contributing to the delinquency of her own children. Would a...

  
• 03.20.2023

  Retrocast #16 - UI Podcast #193

  In this episode: a man who recorded the location of buried treasure on a record, a girl who swallowed 200 rocks, a color-blind plumber, the history of McDonald’s Big Mac, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can...

  
• 03.06.2023

  A Severed Relationship - UI #192

  Ouch!!! The ghastly true story of Bertha Boronda who, in 1907, took a straight razor and sliced off her husband Frank’s penis. During her trial, the courtroom was packed, and all the regional newspapers followed the story closely. She was...

  
• 02.14.2023

  Retrocast #15 - UI Podcast #191

  In this episode: A man who eats match heads, a wife receives a frozen baby elephant for Valentine’s Day, every kiss supposedly knocks 3 minutes off of your life, a couple who waited 60 years to marry, a 10-year-ban is...

  
• 02.02.2023

  Marty the Marijuana Mouse - UI Podcast #190

  The crazy true story of Marty, a mouse who was stealing marijuana and other drugs from the evidence room of the San Jose police department in 1974. He was placed on trial for his crimes and then sent off to...

  
• 01.19.2023

  Retrocast #14 - UI Podcast #189

  In this episode: A man claims his wife snores in Morse code, a student runs away after his teacher tells him not to return until he brings his textbook, a man hitchhikes after his car is stolen and is picked...

  
• 01.09.2023

  The Newburyport Anti-Inflation Plan - UI #188

  Inflation in the United States hit 20% shortly after World War II. The government couldn’t get it under control, so the businessmen of Newburyport, Massachusetts came up with their own plan. Soon, other towns and cities were doing the same....

  
• 12.20.2022

  Christmas Retrocast - UI Podcast #187

  Ten true, long-forgotten stories from Christmas past! A man pays for 41,000 student accounts at a closed Pittsburgh bank, a Christmas cactus theft epidemic, a wife serves her husband golf ball hash, two boys are contacted by Santa via their...

  
• 12.15.2022

  Bad Apples #5 - The Bishop's Wife - UI #186

  In this episode, my wife Mary Jane joins me to review the 1947 classic Christmas movie "The Bishop’s Wife," starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. Released just one year after the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we discuss whether...

  
• 12.05.2022

  200 Years of Twas the Night - UI Podcast #185

  December 24, 2022, marks the bicentennial of the classic poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. Pamela McColl, author of the new book Twas the Night, The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem, joins me to discuss the origins...

  
• 11.18.2022

  The Cryptanalyst (Part 3) - UI Podcast #184

  In this third and final segment, 93-year-old Marvin Lautzenheiser discusses his reasons for leaving the FBI, his 17 years consulting with the Pentagon to model future nuclear wars, his patents that are still used today for computer storage, plus you...

  
• 11.03.2022

  The Cryptanalyst (Part 2) - UI Podcast #183

  In this second segment, 93-year-old Marvin Lautzenheiser discusses his time as an FBI field agent in Charlotte, how his team finally deciphered the hollow nickel message after years of numerous failed attempts, how he avoided testifying at Rudolph Abel's trial,...

  
• 10.21.2022

  The Cryptanalyst (Part 1) - UI Podcast #182

  93-year-old Marvin Lautzenheiser was the lead cryptanalyst for the FBI team that deciphered the microfilm message contained in the Hollow Nickel (Podcast #168) and was asked to testify at the trial of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. In this first segment,...

  
• 10.07.2022

  The Great Los Angeles Air Raid - UI Podcast #181

  The long-forgotten story of a major battle that took place over Los Angeles just a few months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was but a brief blip in the global conflict, yet the US used all its...

  
• 09.22.2022

  YesterCast #1 - November 22, 1963 - UI #180

  The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was a tragic day for the United States. But what else was happening on November 22, 1963? This first episode of the Useless Information YesterCast explores the rest of the happenings of that day,...

  
• 09.07.2022

  Bad Apples #4 - Gaslight - UI #179

  In this episode, my wife Mary Jane joins me to review the 1944 classic movie "Gaslight." Starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotton, and Angela Lansbury (in her film debut), it is from this movie that the term “gaslighting” originated....

  
• 08.15.2022

  Russell Sage: The Meanest Miser in the Land - UI #178

  Russell Sage was once one of the wealthiest men in the world. He was ruthless in business and was said to hate philanthropy, upper education, and women. When he passed away in 1906, his wife Olivia got even by giving away...

  
• 08.01.2022

  Retrocast 12 - UI Podcast #177

  In this episode: A man who claimed that he had eloped with another man’s wife because she had fed him a delicious piece of cake, a dead woman who sat up in her coffin just as the undertakers began to...

  
• 07.19.2022

  The Rise & Fall of the Celestial Comet - UI #176

  In 1941, the Plainfield Teachers College football team was unstoppable. That was until a reporter exposed a shocking secret about the team and their storybook season was brought to a grinding halt. Images, links, and transcripts: https://uselessinformation.org/the-rise-fall-of-the-celestial-comet-podcast-176/ Learn more about your ad choices....

  
• 06.30.2022

  Retrocast #11 - UI Podcast #175

  In this episode: A mystery man speaks an unknown language, a boy gets his head stuck in a toilet seat, a woman slips on a bar of soap and flies out the window, and much more! Madison Newton cohosts. Learn more...

  
• 06.20.2022

  Almost Over the Hump - UI Podcast #174

  Just what happens when your airplane crashes high up in the Himalayan mountains and there is no chance that anyone will ever find you? This happened to pilots Joe Rosbert and Ridge Hammell during World War II as they attempted to...

  
• 06.01.2022

  Retrocast #10 - UI Podcast #173

  In this episode: The United States once banned the sale of sliced bread, the State of Oregon attempted to ban popcorn in movie theaters, women were using fly swatters to swat away their excess pounds, and much more! Matt Breen of...

  
• 05.25.2022

  From Car Show!: The Jeep and World War II

  We’re shaking things up today and sharing a preview from Car Show!, a new podcast from our friends at Pushkin Industries. Longtime Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman tells the stories of the vital cars — the ones that have...

  
• 05.16.2022

  Henry Ford's Peace Ship - UI Podcast #172

  In 1915, American industrialist Henry Ford announced that he was willing to use his entire fortune to bring an end to World War I. So, he chartered a ship to take many of the prominent peace activists of the day to...

  
• 04.28.2022

  Arbor Day Turns 150! - UI Podcast #171

  Arbor Day is 150 years old! Learn the origins of the day, plus how one small upstate New York town continues the annual celebration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices