Useless Information Podcast

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....

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 mini...

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...

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 afte...

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...

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...

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...

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, l...

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 th...

Some mysterious force was bringing garden hoses all over the United States to life back in 1955. Find out what the hoses did and how one owner named George Di Peso finally put an end to all of the madness.  Also, learn the original name of the Wheel of Fortune game show, how elephants helped clear traffic in Berlin, where some missing hogs were hiding, and how a tortoise lost during World War II w...

The true story of a US Navy radioman who was hunted by the Japanese during World War II.  Also, learn the name of Wrigley's first chewing gum, how XYZ pays his taxes, a woman who was indirectly shot by a porcupine, and a woman who mowed her lawn in a 2-piece bathing suit. Retrosponsor: Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformati...

The heart-wrenching tale of the Pleasant Hill School Bus Tragedy, in which a freak snowstorm and a series of unfortunate decisions led to the tragic deaths of five children and their bus driver in 1931. Also learn about the world's second richest charity, topless male swimming, capturing an island, and the blood-sucking boarder.  Retrosponsor: Ovaltine Images, links, and transcripts for this podca...

The Easter Sunday 1937 murders of Veronica Gedeon, her mom Mary, and Frank Byrnes in NYC launched an intense nationwide hunt for the killer.  There were few clues to go on, but two bars of soap provided police with the conclusive evidence that they needed.  Also learn about the first product to bear the Duncan Hines name, a phone sicko that scared parents, a death from Smokey the Bear, and women w...

Alvin Rodecker and his wife chose to celebrate his 60th birthday in style. It was to be an incredible, memorable trip to New York City. If only he had looked up after upon leaving a ritzy restaurant...  Also learn the name of the first commercially available windshield wipers, the death of Bonzo the chimpanzee, the kidnapping of Itsy the poodle, and another poodle that took a drive in his owner's...

Akron, Ohio citizen Larry Bader and Omaha, Nebraska sportscaster Fritz Johnson were complete opposites of one other. Yet, the two men looked like they could have been twins. Find out what happened when one was thought to be the other.  Also, learn about Robert Recorde's contribution to mathematics, a girl shot dead by a military gunner, boys who found gold in the sewer, and the guy who thought his...

Back in 1943, 53 women were fired by Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft for wearing sweaters to work. Listen to this story to discover the details and how it was ultimately resolved.  Also, learn about the first native Australian act to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, the man who kissed his wife, the holiday wedding that completed a family circle, and a couple t...

The long-forgotten story of a poor woman named Helen McCarthy who lived a fairytale life for 24 hours. Was she able to live happily ever after? Also, find out about the first transuranium element created, two brothers who were reunited after seventeen years, an Elvis Presley sideburn ultimatum, and a color-changing baby.  Retrosponsor: Charles Schwartz & Sons.  Audio, transcript, and images can be...

The amazing true story of a small-town doctor who was loved by all. When he was arrested for committing a crime that could have endangered fellow community members, they didn't abandon their faith in him.  Also, learn about the origin of the famous N-Y logo of the New York Yankees, a 10-year-old girl who sued a 14-year-old boy, the little girl who purchased seven pedigree puppies for her friends,...

Virginia O'Hare underwent tummy tuck surgery and then sued her doctor for $1.5 million. Why? Because her belly button was supposedly 2" (5.1 cm) off-center.  Also, learn about the first compact disc ever available for sale to the public, the discovery of an Acme bank robbery kit, John Lennon discussing how fame is fleeting, and a man that carved his false teeth from billiard balls and used wood sc...

Florence Foster Jenkins is considered to be the forerunner of today’s talentless celebrities. Her operatic recordings are considered among the worst of all time. Yet, she managed to do something that even some of the best can’t do: she sold out Carnegie Hall. Also, learn about Maxie & Maxine, the day that Lucky's luck ran out, the coed that crashed an all-male smoker, and the third-largest produce...

An odd true story about a San Diego robber dubbed "Jack the Stripper" by the press in the early 1960s. Listen to this episode to learn about his unusual modus operandi.  Also, learn about the fine levied on NASA when Skylab fell back to Earth, the guy who forgot his wife at the filling station, an absent-minded barber, and the $40,000 cab ride.  Retrosponsor: U.S. Savings Bonds. Learn more about y...

A toad is found alive beneath a concrete floor poured 9 years earlier. Find out if and how Tinker survived this long entombment.  Also learn about the best-selling coffee in the United States, a judge named Valentine that divorced the Valentines on Valentine's Day, Hedda Hopper's stinky Valentine's Day gift, and a Valentine that was just a hunk of slate sent through the mail.  Retrosponsor: Maxwel...

The bizarre true story of Count Karl von Cosel and the girl of his dreams. It was discovered that they slept together in the same bed every night - nine years after she had died.  Also learn about the first millionaire in the United States, the Thanksgiving soda ash mess, the lollipop fight, and the Boston Tar Party.  Retrosponsor: Signal Gasoline. Audio, transcript, and photos: https://uselessinf...

The story of Amala and Kamala, two girls in India who were supposedly raised by wolves. Find out the facts of this unusual story.  Also learn the original name of the Hawaii 5-O television series, as well as the details of a singing telegram in a courtroom, a man who had no clue that he had stolen a car, and a husband who wished to be arrested to get away from his nagging wife.  Retrosponsor: Owl...

The first director of the US Geological Survey, Clarence King, was a famed scientist, explorer, and author. This allowed him to move among the elite of American society in the late 19th century. Yet, few people knew that he spent the last thirteen years leading a secret double life.  Also learn what Martin Cooper was the first person to ever do, a New Zealand explosion hoax, a man killed by his fa...