Useless Information

Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

Samuel Renick Buys His Own Murder -Podcast #39

Published on December 10, 2010

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

Albany jeweler Samuel Resnick retired to Phoenix, Arizona, but something went wrong. He ended up paying to have himself murdered.

Click to Read More...

Death by Exploding Playing Cards – Podcast #34

Published on June 7, 2010

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

William Kogut decided to end his life using a deck of ordinary playing cards. Learn how he managed to do so in this fascinating true story.

Click to Read More...

The Little Widow of Herald Square – Podcast #33

Published on May 5, 2010

Posted in: Death and Murder, Money & Financial, Podcast

Ida Mayfield Wood lived as a recluse in the Herald Square Hotel in NYC for 24 years. When she died, 1,103 people claimed to be the heir to her fortune. Eight years later not a single one of them got a penny.

Click to Read More...

The Phantom Sniper – Podcast #31

Published on March 3, 2010

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

The Phantom Sniper terrorized women of the Los Angeles area in the early 1950s. He was captured because of one minor mistake that most people would have easily overlooked.

Click to Read More...

The 1913 Calumet Christmas Party Disaster – Podcast #29

Published on November 24, 2009

Posted in: Death and Murder, Holidays & Celebrations, Podcast

A 1913 Christmas Eve celebration for the children of Calumet, Michigan turned into a death trap.

Click to Read More...

You’ve Got the Wrong Men – Podcast #26

Published on October 1, 2009

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

One of the best stories ever covered on this podcast. It's the story of two men placed on trial for murder and were saved from almost certain death by an event that occurred many miles away.

Click to Read More...

The Radium Girls – Podcast #19

Published on March 4, 2009

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

When the radioactive element radium was discovered, it quickly found its way into many products. One of those was glow-in-the dark watch faces, which were painted by women who licked their paint brushes to keep them pointed. This was a deadly mistake.

Click to Read More...

The Disaster of the USS Indianapolis – Podcast #14

Published on June 15, 2008

Posted in: Death and Murder, Escape and Survival, Podcast

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis caused the worst at-sea loss of life in the history of the US Navy. Hundreds of lives could have been saved if the US Navy had not forgotten about the ship.

Click to Read More...

The Hanging of Will Purvis – Podcast #10

Published on March 3, 2008

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

Will Purvis was hanged for the murder of another man, yet was able to walk away after the hanging was over. Possibly a case of divine intervention, but we will never know for sure.

Click to Read More...

Fight! – Shiloh Baptist Church Disaster – Podcast #8

Published on February 9, 2008

Posted in: Death and Murder, Escape and Survival, Podcast

The true story of the 1902 Shiloh Baptist Church Disaster, which explains why you should never scream the word "Fight!" in a crowded room.

Click to Read More...

The Bath School Massacre – Podcast #3

Published on January 28, 2008

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

While most people know about the massacre at Columbine, few realize that the deadliest act of US school violence occurred in Bath, Michigan in 1927.

Click to Read More...

Language

Follow the Podcast

Over 5.5 Million Downloads!

Recent Podcast Episodes

Retrocast 16 – Podcast #193
March 20, 2023
A Severed Relationship – Podcast #192
March 6, 2023
Retrocast #15 – Podcast #191
February 14, 2023
Marty, the Marijuana Mouse – Podcast #190
February 2, 2023
Retrocast #14 – Podcast #189
January 19, 2023
The Newburyport Anti-Inflation Plan – Podcast #188
January 9, 2023
Christmas Retrocast – Podcast #187
December 20, 2022
Bad Apples #5 – The Bishop’s Wife – Podcast #186
December 15, 2022
200 Years of Twas the Night – Podcast #185
December 5, 2022
The Cryptanalyst (Part 3) – Podcast #184
November 18, 2022

╳