Stories From History's Dust Bin

By Wayne Winterton, Ph.D.

What's Stories From History's Dust Bin about?

A collection of stories about well-known and long-forgotten personalities is as informative as it is interesting. It is a must-listen, a wealth of unique information about people and events that is intellectually challenging, highly entertaining, and sprinkled appropriately with personal humor.

Dr. Armand Lakner, NASA

Systems Reliability, Apollo 11

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Stories From History's Dust Bin episodes:

04.26.2022
Larry Walters: He Set the Standard in Lawnchair Aviation - Episode 109
There's a wonderful animated film about an elderly man who takes flight without ever leaving the comfort of his own home, thanks to thousands of helium balloons that magically spring up out of his house.While this story does not involve...
04.05.2022
Margaret Winkler: She Discovered Walt Disney - Episode 108
Okay, if you’re the kind of person who likes to skip to the end and read the final chapter of a book - and if you happen to own the full series of Dust Bin stories – which of course...
03.29.2022
April Fools‘Day: Fool me once, and . . . . - Episode 107
Certain days evoke certain human emotions, such as the warmth of Mother’s Day, the joy of Christmas, the spookiness’ of Halloween, and of course, the spirit of the trickster on April Fools’ Day, a day celebrated around the world, but...
03.15.2022
Saint Urho: Finland‘s Fictional Finnish Saint - Episode 105
Saint Urho’s Day is the 1956 brainchild of either Richard Mattson or Kenneth Brist, depending on whose brain you believed conceived the “child” that has become Saint Urho. Either Mattson, a Minnesota department store employee, or Brist, a teacher in Ontanogan,...
03.08.2022
Collyer Brothers, Homer & Langley: Don‘t Bother Us! - Episode 104
Homer and Langley Collyer grew up under the most favorable of conditions. Their father was a successful gynecologist – their mother a former opera singer – and they lived together in a beautiful home. Born in 1881 and 1885 respectively,...
03.01.2022
Soapy Smith: America‘s Slipperiest Con Artist - Episode 103
In the movies, a grifter might be portrayed as someone with beady little eyes and a toothy smile that could charm even the cleverest out of their fortunes. Someone who was able to wheel and deal their schemes across the...
02.22.2022
Mary Toft: An odd claim of a woman giving birth to rabbits - Episode 102
Rabbits? Yes, rabbits! Plural! As in “Mary Toft gave birth to more than one rabbit.” Believable? Not these days. But in 1726, it was plausible to many, and Mary Toft, 24, of the village of Godalming, England, was convincing to...
02.15.2022
Jules Verne: One of the Father‘s of Science Fiction - Episode 101
The story is told that at the age of eleven, Jules Verne secretly hired on as a cabin boy for a trip to the West Indies. Before sailing from France, the ship had to make one last stop to take...
02.08.2022
Saint Valentine: The Man, the Saint, the Holiday - Episode 100
With this podcast, we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day – the origin of which – as you will learn – is genuinely heart-rending. There remains some confusion among theologians as to which of two Catholic clerics named Valentinus* lent their name to...
02.01.2022
Rosalie Duthé: The Lady Behind the ”Dumb Blonde” jokes - Episode 99
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the “dumb blonde” jokes? Well, hold on to your bottle of peroxide as you are about to learn just that! And I think we’ll kick off this week’s story with one of...
01.18.2022
Daniel Hale Williams: First successful open-heart surgery - Episode 97
Stevie Wonder’s 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life, contains a tribute to the black pioneers of humanity in a song titled, Black Man. Within the lyrics of that song are the following words: Open heart surgery – was first...
12.07.2021
Patrick Gass: The Man Who Refused To Slow Down - Episode 91
"That person lead a full life!" When people look back at your life when you’re gone, wouldn’t you like to know that someone said the same about you? Patrick Gass probably never cared much for what people said about him after he...
11.23.2021
E. C. Bentley: The Father of the Clerihew - Episode 89
The English writer Edmund Clerihew Bentley, born in 1875, began his career as a newspaper journalist before publishing several books of poetry and writing a number of novels – and he was good at it. His best-known novel, Trent’s Last Case,...
10.26.2021
H. H. Holmes: America‘s First Serial Killer - Episode 47
Herman Webster Mudgett, alias H. H. Holmes, also known as Henry Howard Holmes, was America's first documented serial killer. He confessed to 27 murders, but researchers estimate the number could be as high as 200. Stories from History’s Dust Bin is a...
10.19.2021
Glenn Cunningham: He Would ”Never” Walk Again - Episode 85
For some folks, there's nothing more incentivizing than being told you "can't" do something. As a young boy, Glenn Cunningham was involved in a serious accident that almost cost him his legs. He was fortunate enough to keep them, but was...
10.12.2021
The Leatherman: A Most Unusual Man, Indeed - Episode 84
There are two things about the Leatherman that set him apart from everyone else on the planet. First, there was what he wore. His wardrobe was a single piece of clothing made entirely of scraps of leather (hence, the name...
10.05.2021
Ambrose Bierce: The Author of the Devil‘s Dictionary - Episode 75
Ambrose Bierce, born June 24, 1842, left home at the age of fifteen to work as a printer's apprentice for an Ohio newspaper. Over time, because of his cynical writing style, "Bitter Bierce," as he was known to his readers,...
09.14.2021
Johnny Ace: Before Bill Haley, there was Johnny Ace - Episode 83
As often happens when something sensational shocks the conscience of the nation – half-baked reports become news! Such was the case in 1954 when rising rock star Johnny Ace died of a gunshot to the head. An early tabloid story reported...
08.31.2021
James J. Kilroy - Even Stalin Met Kilroy - Episode 81
Meet the man behind the creation of one of the World's most famous iconic symbols, the long-nosed man peering over a straight line - a wall perhaps - with the never-changing message: Kilroy Was Here. Stories from History's Dust Bin is...
08.24.2021
Ralph Mott: Honoring a Classmate - Episode 80
This story is about Dr. Ralph Mott, from North Carolina State University, who became an internationally known botanist, not only for improving the quality and disease resistance of the Loblolly Pine, but for becoming the first to clone that species...
06.08.2021
Mary Pickersgill: Flag that Inspired the National Anthem - Episode 69
When Major George Armistead needed a special flag to fly above Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he called upon one of America’s most respected flag-makers, Mary Pickersgill, to see if she would accept the task of sewing the...
05.11.2021
Harrison Ford: An Earlier Ford Model - Episode 65
Harrison Ford was one of the most successful movie actors of his day... No... Not THAT Harrison Ford. Stories from History’s Dust Bin is a 3-volume set of historical short stories. These are the nuggets of gold that had fallen by the wayside…...
05.04.2021
The Pig War: All Because of a Pig in a Potato Patch - Episode 64
History is replete with wars with strange names. Take, for instance, the War of the Oaken Bucket, fought in 1325 between Bologna [Beau – loan – ya] and Modena [Mold – din – uh] that involved 40,000 men in which...
04.27.2021
Clement Vallandigham: He Died, But He Won the Case - Episode 63
We all know someone like Clement Vallandigham. He's the guy who will go to great lengths to disagree with just about anything you say... just because. Hard-headed, brilliant and somewhat restless, Clement came into this world determined to prove himself right. He...
04.20.2021
James Allen_ It was Bound to Happen - Episode 62
America’s oldest private library is the Boston Athenaeum. Inside is a book so rare that it requires an advance appointment to view. And here’s what makes the book so unique It is the only book written by James Allen, a man...
04.13.2021
Laura Keene: Actress, Entrepreneur, and Comforter - Episode 61
British actress Laura Keene came to America around 1850, and established herself, first as a capable entrepreneur, and second as an admired actress. When she leased Baltimore’s Charles Street Theater in 1853, she became the first woman in America to...
04.06.2021
Jeremy Bentham: Present But Not Voting - Episode 60
The noted English philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, was born a child prodigy. At three he was learning Latin; at seven, he was performing difficult violin pieces at social events; and he celebrated his twelfth birthday as a student at Queen’s College. Today, nearly...
03.30.2021
April Fools'Day: Fool me once, and . . . . - Episode 59
Certain days evoke certain human emotions, such as the warmth of Mother’s Day, the joy of Christmas, the spookiness’ of Halloween, and of course, the spirit of the trickster on April Fools’ Day, a day celebrated around the world, but...
03.23.2021
Annette Funicello: The World's Favorite Mouseketeer: Episode 58
Annette Funicello was not yet a teenager when Walt Disney tapped her to become one of his iconic Mouseketeers, and America watched as she developed into the quintessential girl-next-door in the slightly spicy Beach Party flicks. She later showed herself to...
03.09.2021
E. C. Bentley: The Father of the Clerihew - Episode 56
The English writer Edmund Clerihew Bentley, born in 1875, began his career as a newspaper journalist before publishing several books of poetry and writing a number of novels – and he was good at it. His best-known novel, Trent’s Last Case,...
03.02.2021
Edgar Allan Poe: Edgar, and the Baltimore Ravens - Episode 55
Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe was a superb athlete? That's right. When Princeton University finished the 1889 season with a perfect 10-0 record, the team's star player, Edgar Allan Poe was named the quarterback of America's very first...
02.23.2021
W. C. Fields: America's Favorite Curmudgeon - Episode 54
When William Claude Dukenfield was eleven – his abusive father hit him in the head with a shovel, so moved in with his grandmother – and there perfected the art of juggling. In his late teens, with the ability to...
02.16.2021
Franz Haydn: After 145 Years, a Heady Reunion - Episode 53
Franz Haydn's influence in the world of classical music is unquestioned, and it all began when eight-year-old Franz was asked to sing with the highly respected Saint Stephen's Cathedral Choir in Vienna. It was here, at St. Stephen's, where young...
02.09.2021
Saint Valentine: The Man, the Saint, the Holiday - Episode 52
With this podcast, we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day – the origin of which – as you will learn – is genuinely heart-rending. There remains some confusion among theologians as to which of two Catholic clerics named Valentinus* lent their name to...
02.02.2021
Sidney Reilly: Britain's Ace of Spies - Episode 51
I first heard the name, Sidney Reilly, in 1983 when his life-story became a television mini-series titled, Reilly, the Ace of Spies. Then, twenty years later, while dining with friends before leaving for the theater to see – Ian Fleming’s...
01.26.2021
Peter Falk: Squinty-Eyed TV Detective with a Secret - Episode 50
The story of Peter Falk and his alter-ego, “Colombo,” is rife with trivia. Some of it easy, such as, “Name a Colombo trait that emphasized his uniqueness.” The right answer could be: his rumpled topcoat, his tendency toward verbosity, his...
01.19.2021
Carl Sandburg: America's "Poet of the People" - Episode 49
Carl Sandburg was born in 1878 to Swedish immigrants. His earliest years were typical of most immigrant children, and as the family’s eldest son – with work always needing done, life was never easy. In 1891 and thirteen-years-old, Carl quit school,...
01.12.2021
Rosa Parks: The First Lady of American Civil Rights - Episode 48
One of Rosa's most vivid childhood memories, was seeing her grandfather standing in the front yard of their home with a loaded shotgun as a group of Ku Klux Klan members marched down their street. Unable to finish high school, she...
01.05.2021
H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer - Episode 47
Herman Webster Mudgett, alias H. H. Holmes, also known as Henry Howard Holmes, was America's first documented serial killer. He confessed to 27 murders, but researchers estimate the number could be as high as 200. Stories from History’s Dust Bin is a...
12.29.2020
The Evolution of the Calendar: Happy New Year - Episode 46
Among the world’s greatest inventions, is that of the calendar, and what better time to gain an understanding of that piece of human ingenuity – than at the beginning of a new year. So, today we begin with an introduction...
12.22.2020
Saint Nicholas: The Man Who Became Santa Claus - Episode 45
Little is known about Saint Nicholas, which is not surprising because in his day – written records were kept on papyrus – a primitive type of paper with limited durability. But he was real, and his influence has blessed the...
12.15.2020
Girard Van Barkaloo Hale: A Strange Story Indeed - Episode 44
This story, about Girard Van Barkaloo Hale is as unusual as is his name. And because the story is difficult to verify, it was almost omitted from the Dust Bin series. But it was included, essentially on the strength of Girard's...
12.08.2020
Margaret Winkler: She Discovered Walt Disney - Episode 43
Okay, if you’re the kind of person who likes to skip to the end and read the final chapter of a book - and if you happen to own the full series of Dust Bin stories – which of course...
12.01.2020
John Stapp: The World's Fastest Man - Episode 42
This story of John Stapp takes place during the era of the Korean War – the first conflict that saw the engagement of jet fighters. Because jet fighters were capable of high speeds and tight turns, it became imperative to...
11.24.2020
Joseph Pulitzer: He Kept the Lady in New York - Episode 41
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other newspapers, was one of America’s most influential men. In addition to being known for his newspapers, Pulitzer sometimes created the...
11.17.2020
H. Tracy Hall: The Father of the Synthetic Diamond - Episode 40
When a headline-making physicist named Dr. H. Tracy Hall, moved into high school senior Trevor Andersen's neighborhood, Trevor asked the scientist if he would make a guest appearance at his high school's Sapere Aude club. The scientist said he would. The...
11.10.2020
Sam Patch: The Yankee Leaper - Episode 39
Sam Patch thrived on danger and the public adoration that came with tempting fate. He was also fond of saying, “Some things can be done as well as others,” a quote that falls flat these days. But it must have had...
11.03.2020
Rutherford B. Hayes: President By One Vote - Episode 38
Besides winning the toughest-fought and most hostile presidential race in the history of American politics up to the present day, Rutherford B. Hayes became America’s 19th president, and he was one known for keeping his promises. For instance, Hayes announced in...
10.27.2020
Charles Curtis: America's First Native-American VP - Episode 37
Assuming that you are familiar with the legacy of Charles Curtis, we’ll dispense with the usual introductory formalities and go directly to the story. What! The name Charles Curtis doesn’t mean anything to you? What were you doing when your high school...
10.20.2020
Margaret Hamilton: America's Favorite Wicked Witch - Episode 36
The name Margaret Hamilton may or may not be familiar to you. But she was an amazing talent who appeared in 72 movies during a Hollywood career that ran from 1933 to 1972 ---- and in 42 made-for-television movies or...

What's Stories From History's Dust Bin about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Stories From History's Dust Bin episodes:

Larry Walters: He Set the Standard in Lawnchair Aviation - Episode 109

Margaret Winkler: She Discovered Walt Disney - Episode 108

April Fools‘Day: Fool me once, and . . . . - Episode 107

Saint Urho: Finland‘s Fictional Finnish Saint - Episode 105

Collyer Brothers, Homer & Langley: Don‘t Bother Us! - Episode 104

Soapy Smith: America‘s Slipperiest Con Artist - Episode 103

Mary Toft: An odd claim of a woman giving birth to rabbits - Episode 102

Jules Verne: One of the Father‘s of Science Fiction - Episode 101

Saint Valentine: The Man, the Saint, the Holiday - Episode 100

Rosalie Duthé: The Lady Behind the ”Dumb Blonde” jokes - Episode 99

Daniel Hale Williams: First successful open-heart surgery - Episode 97

Patrick Gass: The Man Who Refused To Slow Down - Episode 91

E. C. Bentley: The Father of the Clerihew - Episode 89

H. H. Holmes: America‘s First Serial Killer - Episode 47

Glenn Cunningham: He Would ”Never” Walk Again - Episode 85

The Leatherman: A Most Unusual Man, Indeed - Episode 84

Ambrose Bierce: The Author of the Devil‘s Dictionary - Episode 75

Johnny Ace: Before Bill Haley, there was Johnny Ace - Episode 83

James J. Kilroy - Even Stalin Met Kilroy - Episode 81

Ralph Mott: Honoring a Classmate - Episode 80

Mary Pickersgill: Flag that Inspired the National Anthem - Episode 69

Harrison Ford: An Earlier Ford Model - Episode 65

The Pig War: All Because of a Pig in a Potato Patch - Episode 64

Clement Vallandigham: He Died, But He Won the Case - Episode 63

James Allen_ It was Bound to Happen - Episode 62

Laura Keene: Actress, Entrepreneur, and Comforter - Episode 61

Jeremy Bentham: Present But Not Voting - Episode 60

April Fools'Day: Fool me once, and . . . . - Episode 59

Annette Funicello: The World's Favorite Mouseketeer: Episode 58

E. C. Bentley: The Father of the Clerihew - Episode 56

Edgar Allan Poe: Edgar, and the Baltimore Ravens - Episode 55

W. C. Fields: America's Favorite Curmudgeon - Episode 54

Franz Haydn: After 145 Years, a Heady Reunion - Episode 53

Saint Valentine: The Man, the Saint, the Holiday - Episode 52

Sidney Reilly: Britain's Ace of Spies - Episode 51

Peter Falk: Squinty-Eyed TV Detective with a Secret - Episode 50

Carl Sandburg: America's "Poet of the People" - Episode 49

Rosa Parks: The First Lady of American Civil Rights - Episode 48

H. H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer - Episode 47

The Evolution of the Calendar: Happy New Year - Episode 46

Saint Nicholas: The Man Who Became Santa Claus - Episode 45

Girard Van Barkaloo Hale: A Strange Story Indeed - Episode 44

Margaret Winkler: She Discovered Walt Disney - Episode 43

John Stapp: The World's Fastest Man - Episode 42

Joseph Pulitzer: He Kept the Lady in New York - Episode 41

H. Tracy Hall: The Father of the Synthetic Diamond - Episode 40

Sam Patch: The Yankee Leaper - Episode 39

Rutherford B. Hayes: President By One Vote - Episode 38

Charles Curtis: America's First Native-American VP - Episode 37

Margaret Hamilton: America's Favorite Wicked Witch - Episode 36