Back in 1920, Newark, NJ was host to one of the most bizarre funerals ever.  An estimated 10,000 people lined the streets to witness the funeral procession of Jimmie the singing canary.  Also learn the name of the dog on Cracker Jack packaging, a snake that milked a cow, a raccoon that saved its owners' lives, and how a pack of dogs interfered with a sheep study.  Retrosponsor: Hartz Mountain Pet Products.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fun story from 1923.  Newspapers around the United States reported daily on the health of the Fever Girl - a woman with the highest temperature ever recorded to that date.  Would she live or die?  Listen to this episode to find out all of the details.  Also learn about the current high-fever record holder plus three tidbits about teachers. Retrosponsor: Velveeta.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have heard about the Californian couple that found five cans of gold coins on their property.  Two Baltimore boys made a similar discovery back in 1934, but this pot of gold proved to be anything but lucky.  Also learn about people that were paid to wake others up before alarm clocks, four daughters that could never marry, a lawsuit against Jackie Robinson, and an incident involving a minibike and a dog.  Retrosponsor: Tums Antacid

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever just had enough of your job and wanted to walk away from it?  Bus driver William Cimillo found himself in this position back in 1947 and his unique solution made him an instant celebrity.  Also learn how many men have ever walked on the moon and three different stories related to tsunamis.  Retrosponsor: Rio Grande Cracked Gasoline

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph Ellsworth Holmes was a career criminal serving a twenty-year sentence for being the "dinner-time burglar." His great escape in 1951 elevated him to celebrity status overnight.

Also, learn about the origin of Pepsodent toothpaste, a man who waited 36 years to be reunited with his wife, a dying Navy officer's wish fulfilled after eighteen years, and a pastor who earned his medical degree after 45 years of part-time study. 

Retrosponsor: Pepsodent Toothpaste

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/tunnel-joe-holmes/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A long-forgotten front page story from January of 1945 that involved the US military, the White House, a Hollywood actress, and one big dog. 

Also, learn the full name of FDR's famous Scottie Fala, a man who was sucked out of his boots by a jet engine, a family that opted to do some gold mining in their home, and a woman who survived a half-mile fall without a parachute. 

Retrosponsor: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-blaze-incident/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexander Ector Orr Munsell was an incredibly wealthy man during the Great Depression. He seemed to have it all until he suddenly gave it all away to live among the poor in a flophouse.  Find out why he chose to do so and what happened after that.

Also, learn about Pantone colors, as well as three different people who used the wrong ingredients while cooking, resulting in the deaths of their loved ones. 

Retrosponsor: Horlick's Malted Milk.  

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/munsell-mr-moneybags/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's absolutely true! When the United States started Parcel Post service in 1913, both babies and small children were mailed. Listen to this story to learn why it was done and how it ended.

Also, learn about the first unsigned band to appear on Saturday Night Live, a new father who couldn't find the hospital door, a bizarre case of supposed illegal search and seizure, as well as the mother-in-law who didn't know how to drive.

Retrosponsor: Penn-Daw Motor Hotel.

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/152/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A story of compassion and generosity as young Suzy Dewey navigated the final months of her life.

Also, find out about the first athlete to ever appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box, two brothers who split the driving responsibilities, a blind man who wanted to know what it was like to drive, and the 128 blind men in Kansas that once held driver's licenses.

Retrosponsor: Wheaties.

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-short-life-of-suzy-dewey/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of World War II, the United States was faced with the task of reburying four bodies of former German nobility. The three men assigned to the task ran in obstacle after obstacle. 

Also, learn about Cap'n Crunch's full name, a dentist who would let you extract his tooth, male chest "tapestries", and a ban on padded bras.

Retrosponsor: Faultless Starch

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/operation-bodysnatch/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices