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Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the Web Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

1967 – Dead Elephant Her Valentine

Published on March 7, 2023

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Love & Marriage, Tidbits

Would you give a dead baby elephant to your significant other for Valentine's Day? Well, this Oregon man did...

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1957 – Doctor’s Stained-Glass Struggle Against Daughter’s Marriage

Published on February 28, 2023

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Love & Marriage, Tidbits

A man objects to his daughter's marriage to her high school teacher by hurling stones at St. Patrick's cathedral's stained-glass windows.

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1904 – The Match Head Man: A Strange Tale of Addiction

Published on February 21, 2023

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

A woman complains that her husband has been eating match heads since their honeymoon and wants to know what can be done about it.

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1941 – Launch Ship With Bananas

Published on February 7, 2023

Posted in: Tidbits

There was a shortage of lubricant that was needed to get the USS Fomalhaut out of dry dock. Could ripe bananas have been the solution?

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1934 – Wife Snores in Morse Code

Published on February 2, 2023

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Love & Marriage, Tidbits

Lloyd Copley claimed that his wife Leila snored in Morse code as an attempt to signal a lover outside of their home.

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1915 – That Must Have Been One Hungry Cat

Published on January 26, 2023

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Tidbits

A stray cat spotted its next meal sitting in a goldfish bowl on a table. The only thing in its way was a glass window...

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1920 – Christmas Cactus Theft Epidemic (Footnote)

Published on December 18, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Holidays & Celebrations, Tidbits

Was there really a Christmas cactus theft epidemic hitting Santa Ana, California back in 1920?

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1915 – Bank Accounts of 41,000 Schoolchildren Saved (Footnote)

Published on December 18, 2022

Posted in: Holidays & Celebrations, Money & Financial, Tidbits

When the Pittsburgh Bank for Savings abruptly closed its doors three days before Christmas, the deposits of 41,000 students were thought lost. One banker saved the accounts.

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1964 – Unable to Find Affordable Housing, Student Sleeps in Air Vent

Published on August 19, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Schools & Education, Tidbits

Allan Kornfeld was unable to afford student housing at Yale. So, he decided to move into a ventilation shaft.

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1954 – Smog Turns Necktie a Bluish Purple

Published on August 11, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Tidbits

James Sharpless decided to wear a bright colored tie to his classes, only to find that the California smog had caused it to turn color.

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1922 – Dead Woman Sits Up in Coffin

Published on August 4, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Death and Murder, Tidbits

Everyone was certain that Rebacca Senst had died. That was until she sat up in her coffin...

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1957 – Ottawa Newspaper Finds Pet Parakeet

Published on July 18, 2022

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Bizarre & Oddities, Tidbits

When Mrs. Ann Recoskie lost her pet parakeet Joey, she called the Ottawa Journal to place a Lost Pet ad. They had some good news for her.

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1927 – Unidentified Body Found by Hartford Police

Published on July 11, 2022

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Crime & Punishment, Death and Murder, Tidbits

A man told police that he had witnessed someone being murdered. Investigators raced to the scene, saw the blood, and then discovered a very unusual corpse.

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1925 – Mystery Man Speaks an Unknown Language

Published on July 5, 2022

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Tidbits

A man showed up in Cape Charles, VA speaking a language that no one could understand. Immigration officials came up with a novel way to find someone who could speak to him.

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1952 – Akron Woman Loses Car

Published on June 22, 2022

Posted in: Humor, Tidbits

Mrs. Helen Block abandoned her car after it got stuck during a snowstorm. The problem was that she had no idea where she had left it.

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