Useless Information Podcast

The Phantom Sniper terrorized women in the Los Angeles area in the early 1950s. He was captured because of one minor mistake that most people would have easily overlooked.  Also find out the number of minutes spent playing football in an NFL football game, the fantastic world of Venus, the FBI diaper problem, and J. Paul Getty's pay phone.  Retrosponsor: Duz Laundry Soap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The long-forgotten story about the strange kidnapping of Milly McGill back in 1945. It is what happened after Milly was returned to her parents that is the oddest part of this true story. Also learn what a Blue Moon really is, how a wooden leg saved a man's life, a boy that could not pronounce the letter F, and a boy who drove to pick up his sweetie in his dad's car.  Retrosponsor: Postum Coffee Substitute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Christmas Eve celebration for the children of Calumet, Michigan turned into a death trap. Listen to find out the details of this tragic story.  Also learn about Mary Anderson's invention, a Christmas watermelon miracle, Chinese Christmas cards, and IBM computer punch card wreaths.  Retrosponsor: Ex-Lax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you imagine Thanksgiving without cranberries? That happened in 1959 when cooks across America tossed out all of their cranberry products.  Learn about the Interrobang!? punctuation mark, a 7-story elevator plunge, an unlucky winning poker player, and a strange sequence of Friday the 13th events.  Retrosponsor: Edsel Automobiles by Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eleven circus elephants died from arsenic poisoning within a one-week period. The search for the murderer was on...  Also, learn about 1936's best student essay on peace, the 12-year-old who shot his principal, and the mob that went wild when the police canceled a men's club show. In addition, find out where Adolf Hitler was originally from.  Retrosponsor: Clipper Craft clothes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Also learn about two boys that were run over by a locomotive, a fortune hidden in a wall, an escaped tiger, and who the fourth Rice Krispies elf was. Retrosponsor: Grape Nuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fascinating true story of three Milwaukee men who started bombing Milwaukee Sears stores in an effort to obtain $100,000 and escape in their homemade submarine.  Also, learn what first the 1925 movie "The Lost World" accomplished, the parrot who committed suicide, death by seasickness, and a very unusual fishing catch.  Retrosponsor: Brylcreem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A long-forgotten story about the sensational kidnapping of Caleb Milne IV back in 1935.  Also, discover the first #1 on Billboard's album chart, fake radio messages from Europe, two men who died during a fake bank robbery, and the $100 front-page publicity stunt.  Retrosponsor: Sal Hepatica laxative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The residents of Palomares in Spain are still dealing with the effects of the four hydrogen bombs accidentally dropped on this small fishing village back in 1966.  Also, learn about Norman Brinker's important contribution to the restaurant industry, the nude newsboy, a postal clerk lost at sea, and an award that was better late than never by 40 years.  Retrosponsor: Klean Soap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The incredible true story of two Polish doctors who used the microbe Proteus OX19 to create a pseudo typhus epidemic, which saved the lives of over 8,000 people.  Also, learn which US president was first to appear on a circulating coin, the "doctor" who convinced women in NYC to disrobe before robbing them, the ashman who inherited a fortune, and two brothers who tried to teach in the same religious school.  Retrosponsor: Milk of Magnesia Facial Cremes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jackie Robinson is best remembered for being the first African American to play for one of the Major League Baseball teams, but his 1944 court-martial for his refusal to "go to the back of the bus" nearly derailed his career.  Also find out about the first UPC barcode, a trained squirrel, the world's longest beard, and twins marrying twins.  Retrosponsor: Listen to the first singing radio commercial - one that saved Wheaties from extinction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hard to believe, but the United States Army once had a bicycle corps.  Also learn how a notched wedding ring was used to denote divorce, a giant whale that made a 3,000-mile journey across the US, plumbers who used an alligator to unplug pipe, and Rhodes scholars.  Retrosponsor: Swan Soap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the radioactive element radium was discovered, it quickly found its way into many products. One of those was glow-in-the-dark watch and clock faces, which were painted by women who licked their paintbrushes to keep them pointed. This was a deadly mistake.  Also, learn about the demonstration of a 150,000-volt electric chair, Charles Hawker and his high-voltage electric chair, the electrifying sermon of George Speake, and the largest chain of retail stores. Retrosponsor: Adam Hats Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry Ford is best remembered as the father of the Model T and the assembly line, but his efforts to get the American people dancing are nearly forgotten.  Also, learn about that small bump that appears around mosquito bites and a woman who bequeathed 24 quadrillion dollars to the poor.  Retrosponsor: The 1950 Ford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The true story of the 1897 invention of the "accumulator" that was designed to extract gold from the world's oceans.  Also, find out about the significance of the death of Lt. Thomas Selfridge on September 17, 1908. Plus, learn about Campbell McCarthy's death row last meal request, Auguste Mosner's unique robbery technique, and a story from Bloomingburg, NY, where Francis Van Winkle sold his father's farm machinery. Retrosponsor: Goodyear Lifeguard Tires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The unbelievable story of how to deal with the disposal of millions of pieces of the toy Flubber. It's the product that they just couldn't put down!  Also, find out about the origin of the name Bluetooth. Plus, learn that one-third of New York City's population is Jewish, a Brooklyn man who stared at women on the subway with binoculars, and how the Florence, Kansas post office sold $800 in stamps to keep its ranking. Retrosponsor: Ting Pimple Cream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The long-defunct Spirits of St. Louis basketball team may actually be one of the most profitable of all time, earning more annually than most likely any team in the NBA. Listen to this fascinating story to find out why. Learn about Melba 15th's world's record in buttermilk production, why Preston Jenkins was sentenced to 1 minute in jail, a car accident in Middletown, NY, and why is freezing and boiling set at 32º and 212ºF. Also, listen to the first radio commercial ever broadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Also learn a little more about singer Johnny Mathis, the number of toothbrushes purchased annually, the Walter Johnson/Sydney Smith car/motorcycle accident, and a mattress stuffed with concrete and underwear. Retrosponsor: Merchant Marines of WWII Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The largely untold story of human-computer Henrietta Leavitt and how she unlocked the key to the vast universe. Also hear about a woman who hiccupped for 12 weeks, the burglary of William Fricke residence, riding a bike from California to Virginia Beach. and John Cleves Symmes plan to enter the interior of the Earth through the giant hole at the North Pole. Retrosponsor: Camel Cigarettes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it appears that scientists may have finally found what appears to be Earth's southernmost red-light district. This is a story about penguins and what they do in their spare time. This time, however, it is the betrayed husband who is left home crying. Also, learn about the most played song on American radio during the 20th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices