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75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Useless Information Podcast

Airwave Media Podcast Network

Podcasting since 2008! - It really is all true! Quirky, bizarre, and unusual stories from the Flip Side of History.

history

All Episodes

17:08

UI Bonus Episode #3 - Interview with John Murphy

Useless Information Podcast ·

2019/02/25

Part 2 of my interview with John Murphy. Here we discuss John's involvement with inventor Dean Kamen (of the Segway fame) and their work to establish the FIRST Robotics competition that now involves tens of thousands of students worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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31:49

UI #119 - A Punishment That Went Horribly Wrong

Useless Information Podcast ·

2019/02/06

The parents of 21-year-old Linda Marie Ault were in a panic when their daughter didn't return home after attending a Friday night dance. They searched everywhere for her, but were unsuccessful. When Linda returned home the next morning, her parents were furious with what she had done and came up with a punishment that they thought would teach her a valuable lesson. Everything went horribly wrong. Also, learn about the first 9-1-1 call, a dog that had been choked by a piece of fishing line, a

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27:09

UI Bonus Episode #2 - Salem Trade School Interview

Useless Information Podcast ·

2019/01/13

Bonus episode is an interview with John Murphy. His dad was a member of the Salem Trade School, which was the subject of Useless Information Podcast #90 in January 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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36:42

UI #118 - Christmas Time in Santa Heim

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/12/21

Fun story from the 1940's about a man named Harry H. Heim who converted a defunct mill town into the ultimate Christmas wonderland. Also, learn about the most performed Christmas song, a girl who became very ill after an older student told her that Santa Claus didn't exist, a person who mailed 50 empty Christmas envelopes, and what happened when Denny;s decided to close their restaurants for the first time ever on Christmas day. Retrosponsor: Coronet Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

44:34

UI #117 - The Adventure of a Lifetime

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/12/02

In 1957, three Chicago aluminum awning salesmen decided to quit the jobs and sail to Africa to join in on the lucrative illegal diamond trade. They were in for a wild ride along with a very big surprise waiting for them at the end. Also learn about Thomas "Tough Tommy" Holden, Three critical reviews of popular musical acts from the 1970's are featured: Carole King, The Carpenters, and an incredibly brutal review of the rock group Heart. Retrosponsor: Fleischmann's Yeast Learn more about your ad

en

43:56

UI #116 - The Walking Murphys

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/10/21

Long forgotten headline story about a family who lost everything in the Great Kansas flood of 1951. Yet, all was not as it seemed... Also learn about what a Lucy Stoner is, a man who used handcuffs to hitchhike, twins who were hitchhiking around the world, and a father and son who were reunited through hitchhiking. Retrosponsor: Mahdeen Shampoo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

49:04

UI #115 - The Monster Crash at Crush

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/09/13

During the late 1800's and early 1900's, people around the United States gathered to watch two trains being smashed together. As a PR stunt, W.G. Crush organized one of these crashes for the Kay Railroad near West, Texas. More than 20,000 spectators were in the audience when it all went horribly wrong. Also learn about the first state to adopt Labor Day as an official holiday, a 6-year-old who purchased a lot of candy and toys, a railway clerk who had 70-lb package of ants sitting on his desk, and

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30:58

UI #114 - Baby Moses

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/08/07

Pearl River, Louisiana resident Effie Crawford made the most startling discovery on November 11, 1936. Moving through the brush near her home she spotted a large dog carrying an unusual package in its mouth. She grabbed the bundle and opened it to find that it contained a newborn baby. Also learn the difference between a tree and a shrub, a town that hoarded shiny 1902 pennies, a man kept alive as friends pumped his arms up and down, and someone who took advantage of a motel that offered free TV

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43:37

UI #113 - Mile-A-Minute Murphy

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/07/05

The world's fastest bicyclist in the 1890's was Charles Minthorp Murphy and he was certain that there was no locomotive on Earth that could go faster than he could. To prove this, Murphy set a goal to ride one-mile in one-minute, a speed that few locomotives could achieve back then. It was the classic battle of man vs. machine. Also learn about the most popular song ever on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, a woman who gave birth twice in a taxi cab, the controversial first self-service gas stations, and a

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39:52

UI #112 - A Journey to the Center of the Earth

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/05/30

John Cleves Symmes was a popular lecturer back in the 1820's. Not only did Symmes believe that Newton got the concept of gravity totally wrong, he proposed that the Earth had a hollow interior and that one could enter this subterranean world via large holes at each of our poles. Symmes attracted a large number of supporters and his planned voyage to the North Pole was, at one point, debated and voted on by Congress. Also learn about the groundbreaking publication that Sir Edmund Halley financed, a

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36:56

UI #111 - Dick the Dog

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/04/29

Pennsylvania resident Jacob Silverman made national headlines back in 1922 for the crime of owning a dog named Dick within the commonwealth. The law at the time required that Dick be killed simply because he was owned by Jacob. Could something be done to save Dick's life? Also learn about the only movie on the Internet Database website not rated on a scale of 1 to 10, a London woman who fed wild rats, the first cow to fly in an airplane, and a man who had his life saved by a turtle. Retrosponsor:

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28:59

Useless Information Podcast Bonus Episode #1

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/03/28

Bonus episode that includes an interview that I did back in 2014 with Lene Bech Sillesen and a recording of the NBC live news report when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

46:47

UI #110 - Wife for Sale

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/02/26

In 1948, Dorothy Lawlor decided to take an ad out in the Newsday newspaper seeking a husband in exchange for $10,000. Within twenty-four hours she became a media sensation. Did she really marry one of these men? The answer may surprise you. Includes an interview with her granddaughter. Also learn the original color of Muppet Oscar the Grouch, a 74-year-old man who advertised for his third wife, a woman who sought a husband to help pay off her debts, and a stenographer who lost her job after

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46:59

UI #109 - The Case of the Phantom Vegetable Oil

Useless Information Podcast ·

2018/01/29

In the late 1950's and early 1960's, Anthony "Tino" De Angelis ran a global salad oil empire. Find out how Tino grew his business so quickly, his shocking downfall, how JFK’s assassination ties into the story, and the way that one of the world's richest men today made a good chunk of change off of everyone else’s misfortune. Also learn about the original name for the game Twister, a doctor or strongly discouraged excessive exercisem a glue sniffing fad, and people that consumed lemon-scented dish

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50:10

UI #108 - The Man Who Gave Away His Birthday

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/12/29

When author Robert Louis Stevenson learned that young Vermont native Annie Ide hated her Christmas birthday, he decided to deed his own birthday to her. Listen to this episode to learn how she celebrated her new birthday and what happened after she died. Also learn about when the first Christmas card was printed, a man who got a living doll for Christmas, a boy who tried to emulate Santa, and a recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrosponsor: Hallmark Cards Learn more about your ad

en

52:43

UI #107 - The First Transatlantic Airplane Race

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/11/24

In May of 1929, Old Orchard Beach in Maine was the site for an airplane race that pitted the smaller, more nimble American Green Flash against larger, more powerful French Yellow Bird. Anticipation mounted for weeks as the two planes attempted to get off the ground. Also, learn about the world's first airline, a man who clung to the fuselage of an airplane, a man sucked into a jet engine, and an astronaut impersonator. Retrosponsor: Northwest Orient Airlines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

36:33

UI #106 - Elixir of Death

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/10/09

When the S.E. Massengill Co. introduced its Elixir Sulfanilamide to the market in September 1937, there was no law in the United States requiring pharmaceutical companies to test their medicines for toxicity. In just the short time that this elixir produced, it took the lives of more than 100 people, many of whom were young children. Also learn about the world's most popular medicine, how the next generation of children were predicted to have teeth like Bugs Bunny, a woman who won a TV contest to

en

47:32

UI #105 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 3 - Maybelle Trow Knox

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/08/31

During desperate times some people are forced to do desperate things. The trick is to not get caught. Let's just say that Maybelle Trow Knox was not very good at that last part. Also learn the real name of Scooby Doo's best friend Shaggy, how Scooby Doo got his name, a teacher who used an electric chair to punish students, a girl too afraid to show her report card, and a boy who placed his loose tooth in his ear. Retrosponsor: Arrid deodorant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

31:24

UI #104 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 2 - Farmers in Revolt

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/07/07

The Great Depression was an awful time for farmers in Iowa. It culminated with the near hanging of a judge in Le Mars. It just happens that the farm involved was owned by the T.M. Zink estate, the same man who left his savings for the establishment of a womanless library. Also learn about the only planet in our solar system where its day is longer that its year and three unusual stories involving marriage annulment. Retrosponsor: Spry Vegetable Shortening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

37:22

UI #103 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 1 - T.M. Zink's Library

Useless Information Podcast ·

2017/06/10

The first of a 3-part series on Le Mars, Iowa from the 1930's. Le Mars was thrust into the national spotlight by the actions of just one man: a successful lawyer named T.M. Zink, who left nearly his entire estate for the establishment of a very unusual library. Listen to this podcast to determine whether Zink was truly mad or simply playing a good practical joke on the world. Also learn about a man who pushed a heavy cart many mile off course, an artist's model fired for his Van Dyke beard, a

en

262 results

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