Useless Information Podcast

In this episode: Al Capone’s son tries to avoid his notorious father’s past, a boy survives a 2-1/2 mile plunge in a tunnel, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-43-podcast-260/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast X (Twitter)...

In 1967, a 14-year-old Ohio boy was suspended from school for refusing to cut his hair. What began as a dispute over dress code quickly spiraled into a courtroom battle, a night in juvenile detention, national headlines, and a family’s fight over conformity, authority, and the price of standing on principle. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation...

In this episode: A house is cut in half after two sisters argue over its repair, two babies are switched at birth, an airplane lands at the wrong airport, and much more! My appearance on WNYT, our local NBC television channel: https://wnyt.com/capital-region-news/historys-flip-side-bringing-untold-stories-to-life/ The data showing the least and most popular days for a baby to be born in the United...

A wild leopard fresh from the jungles of India escaped the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1950, unleashing a frantic manhunt that turned the city into a spectacle of fear, fascination, and chaos. The cat seemed to vanish and reappear like a phantom, leaving searchers scrambling to keep up. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/leaping-leopards-podcast...

In this episode: Who or what is ETAOIN SHRDLU, Nat King Cole is attacked, a boy gets the day off from school for a good deed, a man breaks into ȧ home to change a baby’s diaper, and much more! You can read about the two-time Carnegie Medal recipients at https://www.carnegiehero.org/heroes/roll-of-two-time-carnegie-medal-recipients/ Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at ht...

A running gag on the 1944 Truth or Consequences radio show was for host Ralph Edwards to ask, “Is there a Mr. Wickel in the house?” He never expected an answer. But when Rudolph Wickel stood up, he stepped into one of the most notorious pranks ever pulled on live radio. It was clever. It was cruel. And it was unforgettable. You can watch the video of Mayer Field mentioned in this episode at https:...

In this episode: A couple marries and divorces over and over again, a fugitive appears on The Dating Game tv show, a man is fined for failing to give his wife a goodbye kiss, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-40-podcast-254/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www....

In 1958, a small plane vanished into the mountains—and what followed became an extraordinary true story of survival, sacrifice, and love in the face of impossible odds. You can watch the PBS video Bruce Davis: The Gentleman of Jazz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq4X4sEA81A Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/lost-in-the-clouds-podc...

In this episode: A woman has 1,446 metal objects in her stomach, a teenager faces almost certain death unless a nail is removed from her lung, a doctor claims that a patient has a bullfrog living in her stomach, and much more! My niece Sierra McGivney’s story about the four women who helped create the American Alpine Club: https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/11/5/guidebook-xvilibrary-feature...

Throughout the 1920s, the children of Boston’s North End gathered in anticipation to see if their beloved Hot Dog Santa Claus, Axel Bjorklund, would once again arrive. Despite his vanishing fortunes and worsening health, he proved that even small gestures can leave a lasting legacy. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-hot-dog-santa-cla...

In this episode: Can a wife legally swipe cash from her husband’s wallet? One Chicago man puts a bizarre social experiment in motion—mailing $1 to 500 people and asking them to mail it back. Plus, a high school student discovers a brilliant workaround for his school’s long-hair ban… and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retroc...

In 1937, a small Indiana town was rocked by a scandal that made national headlines: a 12-year-old girl and her 13-year-old classmate became parents, igniting a legal and moral firestorm. Family loyalty, courtroom drama, and the harsh realities of the Great Depression collide in this true tale of forbidden young love. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessin...

A fire department stands back and watches a man's home burn to the ground, a pig flies for possibly the first time ever, fleas are transported on a dog, and a gorilla destroys an American Tourister suitcase, and much more! The Flea Circus video mentioned in this episode can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9BjN_GHIic Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be foun...

My wife, Mary Jane, joins me to discuss the 1949 movie Lost Boundaries, the screen adaptation of the lives of Dr. Albert and Thyra Johnston, the New Hampshire couple who passed as white for nearly twenty years. You can watch the movie Lost Boundaries on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z26VL_0EQks and the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/LostBoundaries. Home to Keene: The Reun...

A New Hampshire doctor and his wife kept a secret from their children, friends, and community for nearly two decades. That was until the federal government discovered the lie. After the publication of their story in Reader's Digest in 1947, the entire nation would know. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/a-white-lie-podcast-246/ You can f...

Cartoonist Leigh Rubin's parents were the first Jewish couple ever to be married on US television, but it almost never happened. Includes audio clips from that Bride and Groom television episode. Original Release Date: April 25, 2019. If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe set up to help with the long-term care of Leigh's wife Teresa, please go to https://gofund.me/acbd2683 (A very BIG th...

Abbott & Costello agree to perform in a boy’s backyard for 70 cents, parents sue a milk dairy because their son grew too tall, a man sleeps only 2 hours per day for 33 years, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-36-podcast-245/ Listen to my interview with cartoonist Leigh Rubin discussing how his parents were The Fi...

Nearly 175 monkeys escaped from a zoo in Massapequa, New York in 1935. Led by an outlaw monkey named Al Capone, they mostly took refuge in the woods. While the vast majority of the monkeys were soon accounted for, Al Capone continued to remain at large. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/escape-from-monkey-mountain-podcast-244/ You can fo...

Eight different stories in which someone or something got the last laugh. Includes: rattlesnakes that outsmarted a snake trap, jokes aimed at women are funnier, a friendly feud with the cable company, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-35-podcast-243/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platfor...

A British man hadn't seen his Russian wife for nearly five years. The Soviets repeatedly refused to allow him into the USSR, and they denied her request to leave. He became so desperate that he decided to risk his life to see her. Would he survive? There are two videos on YouTube about this story: Brian Grover Home at Last (1939) (British Pathé) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fJVeQbmjRY Mr. Gr...

In Denver, Colorado, in 1941, a man was found murdered in his own home. The most unusual part was that all of the doors and windows were locked from the inside. So, how was the killer able to make his getaway? You can listen to more of History Dispatches at https://historydispatches.com/ Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-denver-spide...

A warning to stay away from people with blue eyes, Stanford students use ice nickels to pay for phone calls, the speed limit for automobiles is set at 2 mph, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-34-podcast-240/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usel...

A pristine view. A stubborn fisherman’s legacy. When wealth clashes with tradition, who wins? Dive into the gripping saga of Diamond Jim's Shack, where a simple fishing spot turns into a battleground between privilege and perseverance. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/diamond-jims-shack-podcast-239/ You can follow the Useless Informatio...

The Titanic is supposedly unsinkable, a cat is jailed, clothing seems to instantly combust, shoes for postmen are designed to minimize dog bites, a tastier spinach, and much more! Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-33-podcast-238/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.c...

Need help? Try renting a wife! They would do anything from A to Z, except for X! A true story from the early 1980s in which some ambitious women decided to market what they did best: being a wife. Includes an interview with Jane Hanne Nevensmith, who ran a successful Rent-A-Wife business in Massachusetts. The 2022 interview with Jane Nevensmith mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://v...