Useless Information Podcast

Retrocast #44 – UI Podcast #262

In this episode: Kids suck subway tokens from turnstiles, two men claim to save a girl’s life, a woman marries a pet rock, a meatloaf made from dog food, and much more!

Braless Fridays - UI Podcast #261

In 1969, a casual coffee-break joke about going braless cost a woman her job, sparked nationwide headlines, inspired copycat events across the country, and eventually wou

Retrocast #43 - UI Podcast #260

In this episode: Al Capone’s son tries to avoid his notorious father’s past, a boy survives a 2-1/2 mile plunge in a tunnel, and much more! Images, links, and transcript

The Battle of the Bangs - UI Podcast #259

In 1967, a 14-year-old Ohio boy was suspended from school for refusing to cut his hair. What began as a dispute over dress code quickly spiraled into a courtroom battle,

Retrocast #42 - UI Podcast #258

In this episode: A house is cut in half after two sisters argue over its repair, two babies are switched at birth, an airplane lands at the wrong airport, and much more!

Leaping Leopards - UI Podcast #257

A wild leopard fresh from the jungles of India escaped the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1950, unleashing a frantic manhunt that turned the city into a spectacle of fear, fascinat

Retrocast 41 - Podcast #256

In this episode: Who or what is ETAOIN SHRDLU, Nat King Cole is attacked, a boy gets the day off from school for a good deed, a man breaks into ȧ home to change a baby’s

Aren't We Devils? - UI Podcast #255

A running gag on the 1944 Truth or Consequences radio show was for host Ralph Edwards to ask, “Is there a Mr. Wickel in the house?” He never expected an answer. But when

Retrocast #40 - UI Podcast #254

In this episode: A couple marries and divorces over and over again, a fugitive appears on The Dating Game tv show, a man is fined for failing to give his wife a goodbye k

Lost in the Clouds - UI Podcast #253

In 1958, a small plane vanished into the mountains—and what followed became an extraordinary true story of survival, sacrifice, and love in the face of impossible odds.

Retrocast #39 - Podcast #252

In this episode: A woman has 1,446 metal objects in her stomach, a teenager faces almost certain death unless a nail is removed from her lung, a doctor claims that a pati

The Hot Dog Santa Claus - UI Podcast #251

Throughout the 1920s, the children of Boston’s North End gathered in anticipation to see if their beloved Hot Dog Santa Claus, Axel Bjorklund, would once again arrive. De

Retrocast #38 - UI Podcast #250

In this episode: Can a wife legally swipe cash from her husband’s wallet? One Chicago man puts a bizarre social experiment in motion—mailing $1 to 500 people and asking t

A Forbidden Love - Podcast #249

In 1937, a small Indiana town was rocked by a scandal that made national headlines: a 12-year-old girl and her 13-year-old classmate became parents, igniting a legal and

Retrocast #37 - UI Podcast #248

A fire department stands back and watches a man's home burn to the ground, a pig flies for possibly the first time ever, fleas are transported on a dog, and a gorilla des

Bad Apples #6 – Lost Boundaries – UI #247

My wife, Mary Jane, joins me to discuss the 1949 movie Lost Boundaries, the screen adaptation of the lives of Dr. Albert and Thyra Johnston, the New Hampshire couple who

A White Lie - UI Podcast #246

A New Hampshire doctor and his wife kept a secret from their children, friends, and community for nearly two decades. That was until the federal government discovered the

Rewind: 1st Jewish Couple Married on TV

Cartoonist Leigh Rubin's parents were the first Jewish couple ever to be married on US television, but it almost never happened. Includes audio clips from that Bride and

Retrocast #36 - UI Podcast #245

Abbott & Costello agree to perform in a boy’s backyard for 70 cents, parents sue a milk dairy because their son grew too tall, a man sleeps only 2 hours per day for 33 ye

Escape from Monkey Mountain - UI Podcast #244

Nearly 175 monkeys escaped from a zoo in Massapequa, New York in 1935. Led by an outlaw monkey named Al Capone, they mostly took refuge in the woods. While the vast major