The Many, Many Murders of Michael Malloy - UI P...
Back in 1933, more than 30 attempts were made on the life of Michael Malloy before he finally succumbed.
12 min
127
1st Jewish Couple Married on TV (Part 2) - UI #122
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.
28 min
128
1st Jewish Couple Married on TV (Part 1) - UI #121
Natalie and Stan Rubin were the first Jewish couple ever married on national TV, but it almost never happened.
40 min
129
The Great Podcast Switcheroo!
For the Great Podcast Switcheroo, hear an episode of the Historical Blindness podcast titled The Camden Wonder.
36 min
130
UI Bonus Episode #4 - An Incredible Life of Lea...
The story of Ronald McLean 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.
28 min
131
UI #120 - The Coal Mountain Casanova
In 1952, Jesse Garrett had recently divorced and was in search of a new wife. He seemed like a catch and 100's of women contacted him to let them know that they were interested. In the end, Jesse Garrett was financially ruined,
33 min
132
UI Bonus Episode #3 - Interview with John Murphy
Part 2 of my interview with John Murphy. Here we discuss John's involvement with inventor Dean Kamen (of the Segway fame) and their work to establish the FIRST Robotics competition that now involves tens of thousands of students worldwide.
13 min
133
UI #119 - A Punishment That Went Horribly Wrong
The parents of Linda Marie Ault were in a panic when their daughter didn't return home after attending a dance. When she returned home the next morning, they came up with a punishment that would teach her a valuable lesson. Everything went horribly wrong.
28 min
134
UI Bonus Episode #2 - Salem Trade School Interview
Bonus episode is an interview with John Murphy. His dad was a member of the Salem Trade School, which was the subject of Useless Information Podcast #90 in January 2016.
23 min
135
UI #118 - Christmas Time in Santa Heim
Fun story from the 1940's about a man named Harry H. Heim who converted a defunct mill town into the ultimate Christmas wonderland.
33 min
136
UI #117 - The Adventure of a Lifetime
In 1957, three Chicago aluminum awning salesmen decided to quit the jobs and sail to Africa to join in on the lucrative illegal diamond trade. They were in for a wild ride along with a very big surprise waiting for them at the end.
41 min
137
UI #116 - The Walking Murphys
Long forgotten headline story about a family who lost everything in the Great Kansas flood of 1951. Yet, all was not as it seemed...
40 min
138
UI #115 - The Monster Crash at Crush
As a publicity stunt, W.G. Crush crashed two trains head-on near West, Texas in 1896. More than 20,000 spectators were in the audience when it all went horribly wrong.
45 min
139
UI #114 - Baby Moses
Pearl River, LA resident Effie Crawford made the most startling discovery in 1936. Moving through the brush near her home she spotted a large dog carrying an unusual package in its mouth. She grabbed the bundle and found that it contained a baby.
27 min
140
UI #113 - Mile-A-Minute Murphy
The world's fastest bicyclist in the 1890's was Charles Minthorp Murphy and he was certain that there was no locomotive on Earth that could go faster than he could. To prove this, Murphy set a goal to ride one-mile in one-minute.
40 min
141
UI #112 - A Journey to the Center of the Earth
John Cleves Symmes asked Congress to fund a voyage to the North Pole so that his crew could sail into the Earth's interior. You may be surprised to find out how many of our elected officials approved the voyage...
36 min
142
UI #111 - Dick the Dog
Pennsylvania resident Jacob Silverman made national headlines back in 1922 for the crime of owning a dog named Dick within the commonwealth. The law at the time required that Dick be killed simply because he was owned by Jacob. Could Dick's life be saved?
33 min
143
Useless Information Podcast Bonus Episode #1
Bonus episode that includes an interview that I did back in 2014 with Lene Bech Sillesen and a recording of the NBC live news report when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
25 min
144
UI #110 - Wife for Sale
In 1948, Dorothy Lawlor decided to take an ad out in the Newsday newspaper seeking a husband in exchange for $10,000. Within twenty-four hours she became a media sensation. Did she really marry one of these men? The answer may surprise you.
43 min
145
UI #109 - The Case of the Phantom Vegetable Oil
Tino De Angelis was once ran a salad oil empire. Learn about his shocking downfall, how JFK’s assassination ties into the story, and how one of the world's richest men made a good chunk of change off of everyone else’s misfortune.
43 min
146
UI #108 - The Man Who Gave Away His Birthday
When author Robert Louis Stevenson learned that young Vermont native Annie Ide hated her Christmas birthday, he decided to deed his own birthday to her. Learn how she celebrate her new birthday and what happened after she died.d
46 min
147
UI #107 - The First Transatlantic Airplane Race
In May 1929, Old Orchard Beach in Maine was the site for a race that pitted the smaller, more nimble American Green Flash against larger, more powerful French Yellow Bird. Anticipation mounted for weeks as the two planes attempted to get off the ground.
49 min
148
UI #106 - Elixir of Death
When the S.E. Massengill Co. introduced its Elixir Sulfanilamide in September 1937, there was no law in the US requiring pharmaceutical companies to test their medicines for toxicity. As a result, more than 100 people lost their lives.
33 min
149
UI #105 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 3 - Maybelle Tr...
During desperate times some people are forced to do desperate things. The trick is to not get caught. Let's just say that Maybelle Trow Knox was not very good at that last part.
44 min
150
UI #104 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 2 - Farmers in ...
The Great Depression was an awful time for farmers in Iowa. It culminated with the near hanging of a judge in Le Mars. This particular farm was owned by the womanless library creator T.M. Zink.