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
76
The St. Louis Diphtheria Tragedy - UI Podcast ...
The diphtheria vaccine saved many lives until children started dying from it back in 1901. One could say that it was all the fault of a horse named Jim.
38 min
77
The Price of a Kiss - UI Podcast #146
In 1919, Chicago doctor Justin L. Mitchell forcefully kissed nurse Mathilde Benkhardt without her permission. She challenged him in court and the outcome may have ruined him for the rest of his life.
39 min
78
Bad Apples #1 - The Best Years of Our Lives - U...
In this episode, my wife Mary Jane joins me to review the classic movie "The Best Years of Our Lives." Released in 1946, the movie won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.
33 min
79
The Sleep-Walking Murderer - UI Podcast #144
In 1930, Michael Filosa slashed his half-brother Salvatore De Hall to death while he was sleep-walking. Could he have really done such a thing?
39 min
80
A Grateful Mother - UI Podcast #143
The heartwarming true story from the 1950s of a secret Santa and the generous Christmas gifts that he gave to Helen Arnold's family in Akron, Ohio.
35 min
81
The Runaway Miss America - UI Podcast #142
Bette Cooper never dreamed of winning a beauty pageant and was shocked when she won the 1937 Miss America title. Within hours, Bette had disappeared. Where could she have gone?
45 min
82
The Flying Housewife - Part 2 - UI Podcast #141
Part 2 of this story discusses Richarda "Dikki" Morrow-Tait's trip from Alaska back to London in her 1938 effort to become the first woman to pilot an airplane around the world. Would she make it?
31 min
83
The Flying Housewife - Part 1 - UI Podcast #140
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?
24 min
84
The Fight for Hildy McCoy - UI Podcast #139
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.
46 min
85
Titanic's Orphans - UI Podcast #138
After the Titanic sank, two brothers were orphaned after their dad perished. The search for a family member became an front page news worldwide.
40 min
86
Becoming a CPA with Morgan Simmons - UI Bonus E...
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.
16 min
87
The Zambian Space Program - UI Podcast #137
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.
35 min
88
The Child Bride - UI Podcast #136
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.
37 min
89
Game Design & Testing with Eddie Tice - UI Bonu...
Chatham High School senior Eddie Tice interviews Senior QA Tester Trevor Farnsworth at Vicarious Visions, a game developer located in Albany, NY.
20 min
90
Emperor of the Sahara (Part 2) - UI Podcast #135
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.
33 min
91
Emperor of the Sahara (Part 1) - UI Podcast #134
The crazy true story of Jacques Lebaudy's attempt to build an empire of his own in the Sahara.
29 min
92
A Nose for Fishing - UI Podcast #133
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.
19 min
93
In the Blink of an Eye - UI Podcast #132
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.
37 min
94
An Inside Job - UI Podcast #131
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.
35 min
95
A Christmas Eve Kidnapping - UI Podcast #130
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.
33 min
96
Soul Searching - UI Podcast #129
Miner James Kidd made an incredibly unusual request in his will that would take more than 21 years for the courts to resolve.
42 min
97
The Prick of Death - UI Podcast #128
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.
28 min
98
The Case of the Doctor-Doctor Kidnapping - UI P...
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.
24 min
99
The Transcontinental Taxi Ride - UI Podcast #126
An offbeat story from 1966 about a woman requested that a taxicab drive her all the way from Toledo, Ohio to San Francisco, CA
23 min
100
The Snoring War - UI Podcast #125
A fun story from 1964 in which Brooklyn neighbors Sam Gutwirth and Sam Scheir ended up in court due to Scheir's loud snoring.
27 min