Useless Information Podcast

The death of an elderly man in Chicago in 1941 went initially unnoticed. Then it was learned that he was a French nobleman who gave it all away for the chance to love the woman of his dreams. Find out if he ever got the girl...  Also learn about the only man ever to be the governor of two different US states, Adolph Hitler being drafted, a bug juice mystery, and a good use for rubber finger sheath...

After giving birth to a stillborn, Grady the Cow bolted from sight. But there was nowhere for her to go in the small room that she was in. It was then that her owner realized she had somehow gotten her large body through the tiny door to the concrete silo. Tips poured in from all over the world suggesting ways to get her out of there. Find out how they did it.  Also learn how many years the oldest...

Six men died in a Chicago woman's home over three years. Further investigation showed that 47-year-old Margaret Summers had been married six times and all were dead. She had taken out nineteen life insurance policies, all naming her as the sole beneficiary. Summers claimed innocence, but the police thought otherwise.  Also, find out when the first permanent photograph was taken and three different...

Jack Loreen emerged from his subterranean slumber on August 21, 1933, having endured 64 days confined to a coffin. Little did he know, this was merely the kickoff to an eccentric contest of endurance, with participants vying to outlast each other buried underground. Also, find out which breakfast cereal is the most popular, where a New Jersey woman found her stolen watch, why Brownie the cow was n...

On May 20, 1961, then-US Vice President Lyndon Johnson was on a goodwill tour of Asia. While pressing the flesh in Karachi, Pakistan, Johnson had a casual conversation with a camel driver named Bashir Ahmad. The next thing you know, Bashir was on his way to the United States in the feel-good news story of 1961.  Also, find out what everyday product Hyman Lipman invented, the Florida councilman fri...

Frank Laiken skipped town to avoid paying alimony in 1928 and was never seen again. His ex-wife Rose learned of a man named Noach (Noah) Goldberg who had died in Vienna. She was certain that Noah was her husband's alias. His wooden leg was all that was needed to make the connection.  Also, learn which Crayola crayon color was changed in 1962, a fake mutiny, the drunken elephant rampage, and a sad...

Conrad Cantzen died in 1945 and is long forgotten, but his shoe fund still lives on. Listen to the story of this bizarre provision in this down-on-his-luck actor's handwritten will.  Also, learn which celebrity has earned a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in all five of its categories, the US Postal Service's 1908 Valentine problem, Andrew de Stefano's surprise telegram, and pretty Patsy Puckett'...

A premature baby born before the 1940s had little chance of survival unless the baby was lucky enough to be part of a popular sideshow exhibit at Coney Island.  Also, learn how the real Jack Daniel died, a man fined one cent for shooting a cow, a color-changing necktie, and a flea map of the United Kingdom that was nearly 60 years in the making.  Retrosponsor: Camel Cigarettes. Learn more about yo...

Albany jeweler Samuel Resnick retired to Phoenix, Arizona, but something went wrong. He ended up paying to have himself murdered. Check out this episode to learn all the details of this oddball story.  Also, learn the original purpose of Formica brand plastic laminate, who owns the air above your head, the details of a costly Halloween egg toss, and a boy who had a seed sprout in his eye.  Retrosp...

The 1869 discovery of this fossilized giant provided the first definitive proof that giants once did inhabit the Earth. Listen to find out the real facts in the story.  Also, find out which serial killer the Texas House of Representatives honored, a storage building destroyed by popping corn, a Denver woman who swallowed a mouse, and burglars who robbed an anchorman's house.  Retrosponsor: Shell G...

Stephen Dennison was sent to prison for stealing $5.00 worth of chocolates back in 1926. He never committed another crime, yet he was still there in 1960. Listen to find out why this happened and how Steve ultimately gained his release.  Also find out which US President was once a male model, the urban parking problem of 1925, two German women who attempted to mail themselves to their boyfriends i...

Slavomir Rawich's escape from a Siberian prison camp is among the greatest stories of survival ever. So great that it seems totally unbelievable at times. Also learn which classic TV show began the title of each episode with "The Big", a motorist killed in a freak accident by a horse's hoof, a jet fuel cap that fell from the sky, and the day that the US Secretary of Labor ate his hat. Retrosponsor...

For a while, it seemed like Dumpy the Dog could survive just about anything, but a puppyhood illness came back to haunt him. Be sure to check out this incredible true story.  Also, learn about a common kitchen product invented by Thomas Edison, a woman who was knocked unconscious while her hair was chopped off, a bargain marriage deal in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and a woman who taught her class in her...

William Kogut decided to end his life using a deck of ordinary playing cards. That may seem impossible, so listen to this true story from 1930 to learn exactly how he did it. Also find out which popular hairstyle was started by a woman named Barbara Terry, a doctor who dropped dead during surgery, the parking meter mystery, and why you should never request the personalized "NO PLATE" license plate...

Ida Mayfield Wood lived as a recluse in the Herald Square Hotel in NYC for 24 years. When she died, 1,103 people claimed to be the heir to her fortune. Eight years later not a single one of them got a penny. Listen to this great story to find out who did.  Also, find out where the geographic center of the United States is located, the guy who married his mother-in-law, the 200 bees that brought th...

Wealthy Ann Cooper Hewitt was sterilized at age 20 by her mother and two doctors, yet did not know that the procedure was being done. Find out how they tricked her into the surgery.  Also, learn about the ten-letter word that your QWERTY keyboard intentionally spells, the guy who blasted out his left cheek while smoking a pipe, a convict who complained to an officer that his wife had run off with...

The Phantom Sniper terrorized women in the Los Angeles area in the early 1950s. He was captured because of one minor mistake that most people would have easily overlooked.  Also find out the number of minutes spent playing football in an NFL football game, the fantastic world of Venus, the FBI diaper problem, and J. Paul Getty's pay phone.  Retrosponsor: Duz Laundry Soap. Learn more about your ad...

The long-forgotten story about the strange kidnapping of Milly McGill back in 1945. It is what happened after Milly was returned to her parents that is the oddest part of this true story. Also learn what a Blue Moon really is, how a wooden leg saved a man's life, a boy that could not pronounce the letter F, and a boy who drove to pick up his sweetie in his dad's car.  Retrosponsor: Postum Coffee S...

A Christmas Eve celebration for the children of Calumet, Michigan turned into a death trap. Listen to find out the details of this tragic story.  Also learn about Mary Anderson's invention, a Christmas watermelon miracle, Chinese Christmas cards, and IBM computer punch card wreaths.  Retrosponsor: Ex-Lax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you imagine Thanksgiving without cranberries? That happened in 1959 when cooks across America tossed out all of their cranberry products.  Learn about the Interrobang!? punctuation mark, a 7-story elevator plunge, an unlucky winning poker player, and a strange sequence of Friday the 13th events.  Retrosponsor: Edsel Automobiles by Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Eleven circus elephants died from arsenic poisoning within a one-week period. The search for the murderer was on...  Also, learn about 1936's best student essay on peace, the 12-year-old who shot his principal, and the mob that went wild when the police canceled a men's club show. In addition, find out where Adolf Hitler was originally from.  Retrosponsor: Clipper Craft clothes. Learn more about y...

One of the best stories ever covered on this podcast. It's the story of two men placed on trial for murder and were saved from almost certain death by an event that occurred many miles away.  Also learn about two boys that were run over by a locomotive, a fortune hidden in a wall, an escaped tiger, and who the fourth Rice Krispies elf was. Retrosponsor: Grape Nuts Learn more about your ad choices....

The fascinating true story of three Milwaukee men who started bombing Milwaukee Sears stores in an effort to obtain $100,000 and escape in their homemade submarine.  Also, learn what first the 1925 movie "The Lost World" accomplished, the parrot who committed suicide, death by seasickness, and a very unusual fishing catch.  Retrosponsor: Brylcreem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

A long-forgotten story about the sensational kidnapping of Caleb Milne IV back in 1935.  Also, discover the first #1 on Billboard's album chart, fake radio messages from Europe, two men who died during a fake bank robbery, and the $100 front-page publicity stunt.  Retrosponsor: Sal Hepatica laxative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The residents of Palomares in Spain are still dealing with the effects of the four hydrogen bombs accidentally dropped on this small fishing village back in 1966.  Also, learn about Norman Brinker's important contribution to the restaurant industry, the nude newsboy, a postal clerk lost at sea, and an award that was better late than never by 40 years.  Retrosponsor: Klean Soap. Learn more about yo...