Useless Information Podcast

In 1938, Richarda "Dikki" Morrow-Tait set off from London in an attempt to become the first woman to pilot an airplane around the world. She encountered setback after setback. Would she make it? Part 1 of this story discusses her trip from London and eastward to Alaska. Also learn about the word circumnavigation record via commercial airlines, a 1912 prediction about the horseless age, an airplane...

In 1951, Hildy McCoy was born out of wedlock and her mother put her up for adoption. When she later learned that the new parents were Jewish, a six year long legal battle for the custody of Hildy McCoy had begun. Also, learn about the PLU numbers on produce, a supposed dead man who needed to revive his wife, an early long-distance learning failure, and a mother who told her son that an armed robbe...

After the Titanic sank, two brothers were orphaned after their dad perished. The search for a family member became an front page news worldwide.\\After the Titanic sank, two brothers became orphans after their dad perished. The search for a family member became an front page news worldwide. Also learn about the first non-mammal observed to experience, contagious yawning, Learn more about your ad c...

In this special edition of the podcast, Chatham High School graduate Morgan Simmons interviews Sue Baer, president of the Baer Tax Group in Ghent, NY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1964, the newly established country of Zambia announced that it planned to be the first nation to place a man on the moon. An excellent story about a forgotten chapter in space exploration history. Also, learn about the only US President who spoke English as a second language, a snitch who offered to help locate Denver, Colorado speakeasies, a woman who thought that she had outsmarted a robber,...

Just how young is too young to marry? This episode takes a look at the 1937 marriage between 9-year-old Eunice Winstead and 22-year-old Charlie Johns. Also, learn about the purpose of glassmaker's soap, a couple married atop the original Ferris wheel, a time when kissing was barred on Bavarian trains, and a man who twice tried to commit suicide by throwing himself under the wheels of moving cars....

In this special edition of the podcast, Chatham High School senior Eddie Tice interviews Senior QA Tester Trevor Farnsworth at Vicarious Visions, a game developer located in Albany, NY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 2, we learn what happened to Jacques Lebaudy after his brief reign as an emperor came to an end. Let's just say that the story does not have a happy ending. Also, learn which country produces the most wool each year, mummified bones found in a home, a woman who was arrested for lying about her age while registering her automobiles, and two homes that were built on the wrong lots. Retrospon...

The crazy true story of a man who attempted to build an empire of his own in the Sahara. In Part 1, we look at Jacques Lebaudy's failed plan to create the empire and how the French military came to the rescue of Lebaudy's men. Also learn a bit about the history of Meals on Wheels and three different elixirs claimed to have been cures during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Retrosponsor: Pabst-ett...

Sometimes a person can accomplish a great deal over the span of his or her lifetime but is forever defined by one thing that took just a brief moment while they were still young. Harry Morse was one of those men. Also learn about the first Beatles song banned by the BBC, someone who woke up beside a dead man, a wife whose first husband was found alive, and the Send-A-Dame chain letter. Retrosponso...

In 1925, the parents and sisters of 9-year-old Evelyn Castle were killed after their car collided with a train. What came next for Evelyn was totally unexpected. It's a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Also learn about the origins of the term blockbuster, the theft of 55 right-footed shoes, a woman who refused to be fooled twice, and a New Jersey girl who thought sh...

The incredible story of how James Rufus Landis stole $160,000 in $20 bills from the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing on New Year's Eve of 1953. Also learn about the first ATM machine, a cork leg that saved a man from suicide, an elephant that went for a ride on a monorail, and a life-size statue of St. Anthony found on a NYC subway platform. Retrosponsor: Ken-L Ration dog food. Learn...

On Christmas Eve of 1937, a man in Centerville, Indiana kidnapped a young boy and his babysitter. Minutes later, the boy's mother and the local grocer were taken prisoner by a second thug. A shootout between the bandit and the boy's father then followed. Find out how it all played out by listening to this great story. Also learn about the first Christmas song broadcast from space, a limit of wine...

When miner James Kidd died in 1949, no one could have imagined that it would take more than 21-years to settle his estate. That's because he had made a very unusual request in his will, one that would be nearly impossible to carry out. Also learn about the world's heaviest man, one man's amazing voyage to Mars, a will written on an eggshell, and another man who had distributed small amounts of mon...

In 1933, a young man was walking through a busy train station in India when he was pricked in the arm by a man walking in the opposite direction. He would soon be dead and the shocking truth as to how and who murdered him was revealed. Also, learn when the sale of color televisions exceeded those of black and white, a man who invented a polarizing material, a man sentenced to prison time for writi...

In 1933, a medical doctor and a chiropractic doctor were found severely injured a short distance from one another. The two had never met before, but their lives had somehow violently crossed on that fateful day. Also, learn about artist Bob Ross' original canvases, a milk bottle shortage, men who were in the frigid water too long, and a bookstore that gave 50,000 books away for free. Retrosponsor:...

An offbeat story from 1966 about a woman requested that a taxicab drive her all the way from Toledo, Ohio to San Francisco, CA. An airplane or train ride would have been both faster and cheaper, yet she insisted on the cab. Also learn how many different shows have been named The Betty White Show, cheap German suits that became available in Great Britain, a man who invented pasties for his wife, an...

A fun story from 1964 in which Brooklyn neighbors Sam Gutwirth and Sam Scheir ended up in court due to Scheir's loud snoring. Also learn about the first bike path in the United States, a building filled with popcorn that spontaneously popped, a woman who swallowed a mouse, and two girls who were trapped in a phone booth together. Retrosponsor: Freezone Corn Remover Learn more about your ad choices...

A fantastic story about a Navy pilot who was blinded during a bombing run over North Korea in 1952 and the attempt by another pilot to land him safely. Would he make it? Listen to find out. Also learn about the first network television show to have an episode broadcast in color, the first to successfully pilot an airplane across the Pacific, a man who accidentally landed his airplane on a moving c...

Live presentation of one of my favorite stories of all time. Back in 1933, more than thirty attempts were made on the life of a drunk named Michael Malloy. Sounds like fiction, but is totally true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2 of my interview with cartoonist Leigh Rubin during which we discuss how he got into cartooning and went on to become a successful syndicated cartoonist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natalie and Stan Rubin were the first Jewish couple ever married on national TV, but it almost never happened. Hear clips from the television show and an interview with their son "Rubes" cartoonist Leigh Rubin. Also learn about the first toilet ever flushed on-screen in a mainstream movie. Retrosponsor: Hudson Paper Napkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's April 1st and the Great Podcast Switcheroo is happening! It's where a number of podcasts have switched hosts for the day. Today we have an episode of the Historical Blindness podcast titled The Camden Wonder, which is one of the most unusual murder cases of all time. Well worth a listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chatham High School student Van Oles interviews his grandfather, retired pharmacist Ronald McLean. It's the wonderful story of a man who started his career as a soda jerk in a pharmacy and ultimately made his way to be appointed as the Interim Dean at the Albany College of Pharmacy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1952, Jesse Garrett had recently divorced and was in search of a new wife. He seemed like a catch and thousands of women contacted him to let them know that they were interested. What seemed like a good idea at the time ended up financially ruining Jesse Garrett. Also learn about the first product name to be ruled generic, a man who failed to show up as scheduled for his wedding, a woman w...