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Fascinating True Stories From the Flip Side of History

On the WWW Since 1994

Podcasting Since January 2008

Boy Hires Abbott and Costello for 70 Cents (1942)

Published on August 26, 2025

Posted in: Entertainment, Tidbits

A 12-year-old boy asked Abbott and Costello to perform at a vaudeville show that he was putting on in his widowed mother's backyard. They reluctantly agreed to do it, but would they show up?

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A Long Walk Across America (1923)

Published on August 22, 2025

Posted in: Bizarre & Oddities, Tidbits

A man walked into the New York Times offices and asked them to provide proof that he was really there. Just why would he walk across America to do so?

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Retrocast #36 – Podcast #245

Published on August 19, 2025

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

Abbott & Costello agree to perform in a boy’s backyard for 70 cents, parents sue a milk dairy because their son grew too tall, a man sleeps only 2 hours per day for 33 years, and much more!

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Escape from Monkey Mountain – Podcast #244

Published on July 29, 2025

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Escape and Survival, Podcast

In 1935, nearly 175 monkeys escaped from a zoo in Massapequa, New York. Led by an outlaw monkey named Al Capone, they mostly took refuge in the woods. While the vast majority of the monkeys were soon accounted for, Al Capone continued to remain at large.

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A Playful Feud with the Cable Company (1977)

Published on July 22, 2025

Posted in: Humor, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

A man in Vacaville, California preferred to pay his monthly cable bills quarterly. He didn't like the constant reminders that the company kept sending him for his unpaid bills, which started a friendly feud with them.

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Do Men or Women Get the Last Laugh? (1977)

Published on July 17, 2025

Posted in: Humor, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

A 1977 University of Wisconsin study took a look at whether jokes that made fun of men or women were funnier.

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The Great Rattlesnake Trap (1927)

Published on July 15, 2025

Posted in: Animals & Pets, Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

A Bowman, California rancher thought that he had invented the ultimate rattlesnake trap. That was until the snakes outsmarted him...

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Retrocast #35 – Podcast #243

Published on July 9, 2025

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

Eight different stories in which someone or something got the last laugh. Includes: rattlesnakes that outsmarted a snake trap, jokes aimed at women are funnier, a friendly feud with the cable company, and much more!

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To Russia for Love – Podcast #242

Published on June 17, 2025

Posted in: Love & Marriage, Podcast

A British man hadn't seen his Russian wife for nearly five years. The Soviets repeatedly refused to allow him into the USSR, and they denied her request to leave. He became so desperate that he decided to risk it all to get to Russia. Would he survive?

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The Denver Spiderman – Podcast #241

Published on June 4, 2025

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

A man was found murdered in his own home. The most unusual part was that all of the doors and windows were locked from the inside. How did the killer get away?

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Police Get the Wrong Masked Man (1965)

Published on May 29, 2025

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

Massachusetts State Police were on the lookout for two men who supposedly robbed a bank in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The two men they arrested were innocent. The only crime committed was that one of the men wore a surgical mask.

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Ice Nickels (1938)

Published on May 27, 2025

Posted in: Crime & Punishment, Fraud & Deception, Money & Financial, Tidbits

Students at Stanford University came up with a unique way to avoid paying for phone calls. Ingenious? Yes. Legal? Probably not.

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Beware of Blue Eyes (1921)

Published on May 23, 2025

Posted in: Science, Technology & Medicine, Tidbits

In 1921, a strange fear of blue-eyed people was spreading. Experts linked blue eyes to restlessness and trouble. In England, it was observed that 90% of runaway husbands had blue eyes, while it was thought that blue-eyed people needed to move toward higher latitudes.

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Retrocast #34 – Podcast #240

Published on May 21, 2025

Posted in: Podcast, Retrocasts

A warning to stay away from people with blue eyes, Stanford students use ice nickels to pay for phone calls, the speed limit for automobiles is set at 2 mph, and much more!

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Diamond Jim’s Shack – Podcast #239

Published on May 7, 2025

Posted in: Law & Order, Podcast

A pristine view. A stubborn fisherman’s legacy. When wealth clashes with tradition, who wins? A story about a simple fishing spot that turns into a battleground between privilege and perseverance.

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