Useless Information Podcast

Podcasting since 2008! - It really is all true! Quirky, bizarre, and unusual stories from the Flip Side of History.

History
Comedy
Society & Culture
226
Dumpy the Dog - UI Podcast #035
For a while, it seemed like Dumpy the Dog could survive just about anything, but a puppy-hood illness came back to haunt him.
14 min
227
Death by Exploding Playing Cards - UI Podcast #034
William Kogut decided to end his life using a deck of ordinary playing cards. Learn how he managed to do so in this fascinating true story.
16 min
228
The Little Widow of Herald Square - UI Podcast ...
Ida Mayfield Wood lived as a recluse for 24 years. When she died, 1,103 people claimed to be the heir to her fortune. Who would get her fortune?
22 min
229
The Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt - UI Pod...
Wealthy Ann Cooper Hewitt was tricked into being sterilized at age 20. Just why did her mother do so?
23 min
230
The Phantom Sniper - UI Podcast #031
The Phantom Sniper terrorized women in the Los Angeles area in the early 1950s. He was captured due to one minor mistake that many would have overlooked.
20 min
231
The Strange Kidnapping of Milly McGill - UI Pod...
Long forgotten story about the strange kidnapping of Milly McGill back in 1945. It is what happened after Milly was returned back to her parents that is the oddest part of this true story.
14 min
232
The 1913 Calumet Christmas Party Disaster - UI ...
A Christmas Eve celebration for the children of Calumet, Michigan turned into a death trap.
18 min
233
The Cranberry Crisis of 1959 - UI Podcast #028
Can you imagine Thanksgiving without cranberries? That happened in 1959 when cooks across America tossed out all of their cranberry products.
19 min
234
The Great Elephant Caper - UI Podcast #027
Eleven circus elephants died from arsenic poisoning within one-week. The search for the murderer was on...
14 min
235
You've Got the Wrong Men - UI Podcast #026
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.
19 min
236
Escape in a Homemade Submarine - UI Podcast #025
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.
16 min
237
The Kidnapping of Caleb Milne IV - UI #024
A long-forgotten story about the sensational kidnapping of Caleb Milne IV back in 1935.
19 min
238
The Day the US Dropped 4 H-Bombs on Spain - UI...
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.
15 min
239
The Fake Epidemic - UI Podcast #022
The incredible true story of two Polish doctors who used the microbe Proteus OX19 to create a pseudo typhus epidemic, which saved the lives of over 8,000 people.
18 min
240
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson - UI #021
Jackie Robinson is best remembered for being the first African American to play for one of the Major League baseball teams, but his 1944 court-martial for his refusal to "go to the back of the bus" nearly derailed his career.
20 min
241
US Army Bicycle Corps - UI Podcast #020
Hard to believe, but the United States Army once had a bicycle corps.
19 min
242
The Radium Girls - UI Podcast #019
When radium was discovered, it quickly found its way into many products. One of those was glow-in-the dark watch faces. This was a deadly mistake.
20 min
243
Come Dancing with Henry Ford - UI Podcast #018
Henry Ford is best remembered as the father of the Model T and the assembly line, but his efforts to get the American people dancing are nearly forgotten.
17 min
244
Extracting Gold from Seawater - UI Podcast #017
The true story of the 1897 invention of the "accumulator" that was designed to extract gold from the world's oceans.
16 min
245
The Flubber Fiasco - UI Podcast #016
The unbelievable story of how to deal with the disposal of millions of pieces of the toy Flubber. It's the product that they just couldn't put down!
14 min
246
The Spirits of St. Louis - NBA's Most Profitabl...
The long-defunct Spirits of St. Louis basketball team may actually be one of the most profitable of all time, earning more annually than most likely any team in the NBA. Listen to this fascinating story to find out why.
15 min
247
Disaster of the USS Indianapolis - UI Podcast #014
The sinking of the USS Indianapolis caused the worst at-sea loss of life in the history of the US Navy. Hundreds of lives could have been saved if the US Navy had not forgotten about the ship.
13 min
248
Henrietta Swan Leavitt Unlocks the Universe - ...
The largely untold story of human-computer Henrietta Leavitt and how she unlocked the key to the vast universe.
19 min
249
Antarctica's Red-Light District - UI Podcast #012
Yes, it appears that scientists may have finally found what appears to be Earth's southernmost red-light district. This is a story about penguins and what they do in their spare time. This time, however, it is the betrayed husband who is left home crying.
10 min
250
The Great Toilet Paper Shortage - Podcast #011
Learn about one of the most unusual shortages ever in US history - one that was all started by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson.
13 min