Law & Order Archives - Useless Information

Useless Information

Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

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Podcasting Since January 2008

The Case of the Hollow Nickel – Podcast #168

Published on March 15, 2022

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Podcast

In 1953, paperboy Jimmy Bozart was counting his subscription money. He dropped the coins and one nickel split open, revealing a piece of microfilm. This led to the arrest of a high-ranking Soviet spy.

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Mother Jailed for Cooking Woodpecker

Published on December 3, 2021

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits

In 1914, a mother of two was arrested for cooking a woodpecker. Unable to pay the fine, she was sentenced to twenty days in jail.

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Proud Father Kidnaps Baby

Published on November 23, 2021

Posted in: Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Tidbits

On February 22, 1911, staff at the Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Home and Hospital in Brooklyn, NY frantically searched for newborn Evelyn Erickson.

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The Forgotten Man – Archibald Herron – Podcast #159

Published on October 28, 2021

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

A New Jersey man was caught in a Catch-22 situation: As long as he remained on death row, he could live. If he attempted to get off of death row by challenging his sentence in court, he would likely die. Can you guess which option he chose?

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Don’t Mess With Minerva Miller – Podcast #157

Published on September 29, 2021

Posted in: Forgotten History, Law & Order, Podcast

In 1911, Mrs. Minerva Miller went to The Paterson Show in Paterson, NJ to watch a movie. A standard ticket cost 5 cents, but Mrs. Miller was told that she would have to pay 25 cents because she was black. She decided to challenge the theater's racist policy.

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16-Year-Old Girl Jailed for Cursing

Published on September 28, 2021

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits

On Friday, January 30, 1953, 16-year-old Yvonne D. Fonda was jailed for cursing while skating at the Flushing Park Skating Rink in Queens, NY.

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Footnote – 1928: Husband Refuses to Buy His Wife False Teeth

Published on September 24, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Footnotes to History, Law & Order, Love & Marriage, Tidbits

In 1928, Mathias Blau was in a Chicago courtroom because he had his wife's teeth pulled and refused to purchase dentures for her.

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Mother Loans Her Son to a Stranger

Published on August 27, 2021

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Tidbits

Mrs. Florence Parker made the mistake of loaning her son Billy to a woman who had lost her son. Mrs. Parker would not see Billy for five months...

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Footnote – 1914: Helps Indict Himself

Published on July 13, 2021

Posted in: Footnotes to History, Law & Order, Tidbits

On January 24, 1914, James Severn had to sit on a grand jury and deliberate over his own indictment. Is that really legal?

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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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Penned Will on Ladder

Published on June 12, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Death and Murder, Law & Order, Money & Financial, Tidbits

Hermann Strathmann, of Los Angeles, wrote his will on a step-ladder shortly before he passed away. Eight other wills were found. Which would be the accepted one?

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Birth Control Leases Barred

Published on April 10, 2021

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Law & Order, Tidbits

On April 20, 1946, New York State Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed into law a measure that forbid “birth control” leases.

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Theodore Roosevelt Declares War on the Banana Skin

Published on April 2, 2021

Posted in: Law & Order, Tidbits

In 1896, Teddy Roosevelt declared war on the slippery banana peels that were all over the streets of New York City.

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A Punishment That Went Horribly Wrong – Linda Marie Ault – Podcast #119

Published on February 7, 2019

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

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.

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Dick the Dog – Podcast #111

Published on April 30, 2018

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Law & Order, Podcast

Jacob Silverman made national headlines in 1922 for the crime of owning a dog named Dick. Pennsylvania's Alien Dog Law forbid unnaturalized residents from owning dogs and required the dogs be killed.

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