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Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

Footnote – 1933: Surgeons Take Table Fork from Girl’s Stomach

Published on July 14, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Footnotes to History, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

It seems nearly impossible but a girl in 1933 swallowed a full-size table fork. Surgery would be needed...

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Footnote – 1928: Ford Car Mysteriously Receives Telegraph Signals

Published on July 10, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Footnotes to History, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

In 1928, a Ford car was reported to have received telegraph signals. The engine of the car was off.

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A Blind Eye – Helen Vasco – Podcast #151

Published on June 28, 2021

Posted in: Forgotten History, Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Podcast, Science, Technology & Medicine

In 1933, Helen Vasko was diagnosed with a malignant eye tumor that threatened her life. Her parents would not consent to surgery and the case ended up in court. Find out which side won this landmark case.

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The St. Louis Diphtheria Tragedy – Podcast #147

Published on March 26, 2021

Posted in: Death and Murder, Podcast, Science, Technology & Medicine

The diphtheria vaccine saved many lives until children in St. Louis started dying from it back in 1901. One could say that it was all the fault of a horse named Jim.

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The Wrist-Twist Instant Steering System

Published on February 15, 2021

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

In 1965, aerospace engineer Robert J. Rumpf set out to redesign the steering wheel.

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Illuminated Tires

Published on February 5, 2021

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

In 1960, Goodyear introduced Neothane tires that could be lit up in a rainbow of colors.

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Highway Hi-Fi Record Player

Published on January 30, 2021

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

A new accessory that buyers of Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, DeSoto, and Imperial vehicles – all manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation – could opt for in 1956 was the Highway Hi-Fi system. It was a specially developed record player that was mounted in a shock-proof case that was installed just

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Submarine Rodeo

Published on November 25, 2020

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

Starting in 1959, the Pleasant Lake Lyons Club held their annual Submarine Rodeo scuba contest. It was one of the most unusual contests of all time.

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Airplane Golf Match

Published on November 6, 2020

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

On June 25, 1923, a round of airplane golf was held at the Olympia Field Country Club in Chicago, Illinois. Could the amateur team beat the professionals?

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Early Long-Distance Learning Fails

Published on October 14, 2020

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

During an early attempt at long-distance learning with sixteen schools in Pennsylvania, the signal was dropped in the middle of an exam. Just how did the teacher deal with it?

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Watch-Sized Radios Possible

Published on September 19, 2020

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

On November 8, 1948, Dr. Joseph A. Becker predicted that someday radios would be so small that one could wear it like a wristwatch.

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ENIAC is First Computer

Published on September 12, 2020

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

On April 14, 1946, Dr. Arthur W. Burks walked over to a machine and asked it to multiply 97,367 by itself 5000 times. It did it in seconds. This was the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer ever built.

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Robert Oppenheimer Falls Asleep on His Date

Published on September 5, 2020

Posted in: Love & Marriage, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

Physicist Robert Oppenheimer’s name has long been synonymous with the development of the atomic bomb, but he wasn’t always good at dating. In fact, one time he forgot about the date that he was on.

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The Zambian Space Program – Podcast #137

Published on July 28, 2020

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Forgotten History, Podcast, Science, Technology & Medicine

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.

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Beet Salad Could Be an Influenza Cure

Published on May 18, 2020

Posted in: Death and Murder, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

Could beet salad be the cure for the influenza that spread worldwide back in 1918. One Austrian doctor believed so.

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