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Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

Man Steals Railway

Published on November 13, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Fraud & Deception, Tidbits

Just how does one steal a railroad? Very simple: do it one piece at a time. At least that is what Joseph Gemma attempted to do in 1938.

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Mother Tells Baby That Armed Robber is a TV Repairman

Published on October 21, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

on July 6, 1955, a bandit broke into the apartment of Annette Kotler in Hartford, Connecticut. She told her son that the man was there to fix the television set.

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Burglars Stole the Paper, Too

Published on August 18, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

Back in 1959, photocopy machines were stolen from the California Copy Corp. The problem was that these machines used special paper. So, how did the thieves solve this problem?

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She Thought Robber Was Fooled

Published on August 11, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

In 1950, a man robbed Milt's Food Market in Chicago. He demanded all of the money in the register, but the owner's wife told him that the register was still locked. Just how did he manage to get the money?

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Snitch Gets the Last Laugh

Published on August 4, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

On January 10, 1930, a visitor to Denver, Colorado told police that he was surprised by how many speakeasies there were. He offered to go undercover for them. The police did not get what they had planned for.

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Fails to Win Back Wife After Two Suicide Attempts

Published on July 26, 2020

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

n 1956, Stanley G. Peralta attempted run himself over with his moving car twice in the same night. Would this win back the love of his wife Luella?

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A Lady’s Age Is Her Own Business

Published on May 30, 2020

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

In 1954, Muriel Nicholson was facing a $500 fine and up to one-year in jail for lying about her age on car registrations filed with the state of New York. Could a lady really go to jail for lying about her age?

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She Won’t Get Fooled Again

Published on March 10, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Fraud & Deception, Tidbits

After being tricked into paying for a package that was delivered, Jane Waters was not about to be tricked twice.

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Stole 55 Right-Footed Shoes

Published on March 3, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

In 1935, someone stole 55 shoes from from a parked car in Providence, Rhode Island. All of them were samples and only fit the right foot.

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An Inside Job – Podcast #131

Published on January 25, 2020

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Money & Financial, Podcast

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.

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A Christmas Eve Kidnapping – Podcast #130

Published on December 20, 2019

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Holidays & Celebrations, Podcast

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.

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Jailed for Writing Fiction

Published on October 30, 2019

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Crime & Punishment, Tidbits

On March 18, 1943, 45-year-old author George G. Gorman was sentenced to prison time for writing a fictitious story that he claimed was true.

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The Prick of Death – Podcast #128

Published on October 17, 2019

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Death and Murder, Podcast

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.

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The Case of the Doctor-Doctor Kidnapping – Podcast #127

Published on September 14, 2019

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Podcast

n 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.

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Toothless Dog Charged in Biting

Published on February 20, 2019

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Humor, Tidbits

Morris Epstein sued Ben Stillman on September 13, 1930 because his police dog had bitten him. The problem was that his dog was toothless.

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