Useless Information

Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

Retrocast #11 – Podcast #175

Published on June 30, 2022

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

A mystery man speaks an unknown language, a boy gets his head stuck in a toilet seat, a woman slips on a bar of soap and then flies out the window, and much more! Madison Newton cohosts.

Click to Read More...

Almost Over the Hump – Podcast #174

Published on June 20, 2022

Posted in: Escape and Survival, Podcast

Just what happens when your airplane crashes high up in the Himalayan mountains and there is no chance that anyone will ever find you? This happened to two pilots during WW II as they attempted to pilot a cargo plane over “The Hump.”

Click to Read More...

Retrocast #10 – Podcast #173

Published on June 1, 2022

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

Sliced bread is banned, popcorn in theaters may be banned, women using fly swatters to lose weight, and much more! Matt Breen of the Explorers Podcast cohosts.

Click to Read More...

Henry Ford’s Peace Ship – Podcast #172

Published on May 16, 2022

Posted in: Forgotten History, Podcast

In 1915, Henry Ford sought to end WWI by chartering a ship and sailing with many of the prominent peace activists of the day to Europe. Find out what happened next...

Click to Read More...

Arbor Day Turns 150! – Podcast #171

Published on April 28, 2022

Posted in: Holidays & Celebrations, Podcast

Arbor Day is 150 years old! Learn the origins of the day, plus how one small upstate New York town continues the annual celebration.

Click to Read More...

Retrocast #9 – Podcast #170

Published on April 13, 2022

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

A woman dumps her fiancé at the altar to marry the minister, a jealous husband who used rattlesnakes to keep men away from his wife, and much more!

Click to Read More...

The Father of Voice Radio – Reginald Fessenden – Podcast #169

Published on March 31, 2022

Posted in: Forgotten History, Podcast

It’s hard to believe, but when the first words were spoken on radio, it was dismissed as a novelty. It seems as if everyone thought that Morse code was the future. Everyone except for Reginald Fessenden.

Click to Read More...

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.

Click to Read More...

Retrocast #8 – Podcast #167

Published on February 28, 2022

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

A live baby is auctioned, a knife thrower hits his human target, a dog warden with an unusual approach to keeping thieves out of the pound, and more!

Click to Read More...

The Eddie Cantor Peace Prize – Podcast #166

Published on February 15, 2022

Posted in: Entertainment, Forgotten History, Fraud & Deception, Podcast

In 1936, superstar Eddie Cantor asked his radio listeners to write an essay describing how the United States could avoid war. The prize was a full college scholarship. With no set rules, something was certain to go wrong. And it did...

Click to Read More...

Retrocast #7 – Podcast #165

Published on January 31, 2022

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

A man falls out of a window and is saved by a flagpole, seven tonsillectomies done in an assembly line fashion, the last cigarette commercial on US network television, and much more!

Click to Read More...

The Glass House Girl – Podcast #164

Published on January 13, 2022

Posted in: Entertainment, Podcast

Edna Kirby spent more than a decade in Hollywood appearing in silent movies for Paramount Studios. While she never became a movie star, Edna drew large crowds in nearly every town that she visited. That’s because Edna Kirby lived in a glass house.

Click to Read More...

Bad Apples #3 – Sunset Boulevard – Podcast #163

Published on January 3, 2022

Posted in: Bad Apples Movie Review, Podcast

My wife Mary Jane joins me to review the classic movie "Sunset Boulevard." Directed by Billy Wilder, this movie tells the story of a struggling screenwriter who gets into a dangerous relationship with a faded Hollywood actress who dreams of a big comeback.

Click to Read More...

Retrocast #6 – Podcast #162

Published on December 15, 2021

Posted in: Holidays & Celebrations, Podcast, Retrocasts

A reindeer that bit a boy’s finger, a lawsuit over the world’s largest Christmas stocking, an absent-minded Santa Claus, a Santa caught with his pants down, the first Christmas film ever made, and much more!

Click to Read More...

Tom McGee’s Back on the Chain Gang – Podcast #161

Published on November 30, 2021

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

Tom McGee wanted nothing more for Christmas than to be able to spend time caring for his hogs. The only catch was that he needed to commit a crime and hope that a judge would sentence him to time on one of Georgia’s infamous chain gangs.

Click to Read More...

Language

Follow the Podcast

Over 6 Million Downloads!

Recent Podcast Episodes

Retrocast #20 – Podcast #204
September 20, 2023
Boxed for a Better Life – Podcast #203
September 11, 2023
Retrocast #19 – Podcast #202
August 15, 2023
Back Into the Woods – Podcast #201
August 2, 2023
Mississippi Bans Sesame Street – Podcast #200
July 17, 2023
Bonus Episode: I Am a Guest on the Off Exit 10 Podcast
July 5, 2023
Retrocast #18 – Podcast #199
June 21, 2023
The Kid Is Not My Son – Podcast #198
June 7, 2023
Dubious Advice – Podcast #197
May 18, 2023
Frasier, the Sensuous Lion – Podcast #196
May 3, 2023

╳