Useless Information Podcast

The Easter Sunday 1937 murders of Veronica Gedeon, her mom Mary, and Frank Byrnes in NYC launched an intense nationwide hunt for the killer.  There were few clues to go on, but two bars of soap provided police with the conclusive evidence that they needed.  Also learn about the first product to bear the Duncan Hines name, a phone sicko that scared parents, a death from Smokey the Bear, and women who were tricked into removing their hair.  Retrosponsor: Mother's Best Flour. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/robert-irwin-ivory-soap-murders/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast X (Twitter): https://t.co/7pV2H8iXJV Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FlipSideofHistory/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alvin Rodecker and his wife chose to celebrate his 60th birthday in style. It was to be an incredible, memorable trip to New York City. If only he had looked up after upon leaving a ritzy restaurant...  Also learn the name of the first commercially available windshield wipers, the death of Bonzo the chimpanzee, the kidnapping of Itsy the poodle, and another poodle that took a drive in his owner's car.  Retrosponsor: Prell shampoo.  Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/alvin-rodecker-the-sky-is-falling/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast X (Twitter): https://t.co/7pV2H8iXJV Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FlipSideofHistory/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Akron, Ohio citizen Larry Bader and Omaha, Nebraska sportscaster Fritz Johnson were complete opposites of one other. Yet, the two men looked like they could have been twins. Find out what happened when one was thought to be the other.  Also, learn about Robert Recorde's contribution to mathematics, a girl shot dead by a military gunner, boys who found gold in the sewer, and the guy who thought his house was stolen.  Retrosponsor: ENNDS Chlorophyll Tablets. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/larry-bader-dead-ringers/ You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast X (Twitter): https://t.co/7pV2H8iXJV Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FlipSideofHistory/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1943, 53 women were fired by Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft for wearing sweaters to work. Listen to this story to discover the details and how it was ultimately resolved.  Also, learn about the first native Australian act to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, the man who kissed his wife, the holiday wedding that completed a family circle, and a couple that married twenty years after they were first engaged.  Retrosponsor: Jello Gelatin Audio, transcript, and images can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/sikorsky-sweater-girls/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The long-forgotten story of a poor woman named Helen McCarthy who lived a fairytale life for 24 hours. Was she able to live happily ever after? Also, find out about the first transuranium element created, two brothers who were reunited after seventeen years, an Elvis Presley sideburn ultimatum, and a color-changing baby.  Retrosponsor: Charles Schwartz & Sons.  Audio, transcript, and images can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/helen-mccarthy-apple-annie/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The amazing true story of a small-town doctor who was loved by all. When he was arrested for committing a crime that could have endangered fellow community members, they didn't abandon their faith in him.  Also, learn about the origin of the famous N-Y logo of the New York Yankees, a 10-year-old girl who sued a 14-year-old boy, the little girl who purchased seven pedigree puppies for her friends, and the boy who had his babysitter arrested.  Retrosponsor: Cashmere Bouquet Talcum Powder Audio, transcript, and images can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/freddie_brandt_dr_brown/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia O'Hare underwent tummy tuck surgery and then sued her doctor for $1.5 million. Why? Because her belly button was supposedly 2" (5.1 cm) off-center.  Also, learn about the first compact disc ever available for sale to the public, the discovery of an Acme bank robbery kit, John Lennon discussing how fame is fleeting, and a man that carved his false teeth from billiard balls and used wood screws for the molars.  Retrosponsor: Alka Setzer Audio, transcript & images can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/virginia-ohare-misplaced-belly-button/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florence Foster Jenkins is considered to be the forerunner of today’s talentless celebrities. Her operatic recordings are considered among the worst of all time. Yet, she managed to do something that even some of the best can’t do: she sold out Carnegie Hall. Also, learn about Maxie & Maxine, the day that Lucky's luck ran out, the coed that crashed an all-male smoker, and the third-largest producer of carbon dioxide. Retrosponsor: Cream of Wheat cereal. Transcript, audio, and images can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/florence-foster-jenkins-vocally-challenged/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An odd true story about a San Diego robber dubbed "Jack the Stripper" by the press in the early 1960s. Listen to this episode to learn about his unusual modus operandi.  Also, learn about the fine levied on NASA when Skylab fell back to Earth, the guy who forgot his wife at the filling station, an absent-minded barber, and the $40,000 cab ride.  Retrosponsor: U.S. Savings Bonds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A toad is found alive beneath a concrete floor poured 9 years earlier. Find out if and how Tinker survived this long entombment.  Also learn about the best-selling coffee in the United States, a judge named Valentine that divorced the Valentines on Valentine's Day, Hedda Hopper's stinky Valentine's Day gift, and a Valentine that was just a hunk of slate sent through the mail.  Retrosponsor: Maxwell House coffee. Audio and Transcript: https://uselessinformation.org/tinker-the-toad/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bizarre true story of Count Karl von Cosel and the girl of his dreams. It was discovered that they slept together in the same bed every night - nine years after she had died.  Also learn about the first millionaire in the United States, the Thanksgiving soda ash mess, the lollipop fight, and the Boston Tar Party.  Retrosponsor: Signal Gasoline. Audio, transcript, and photos: https://uselessinformation.org/karl-von-cosel-corpse-bride/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of Amala and Kamala, two girls in India who were supposedly raised by wolves. Find out the facts of this unusual story.  Also learn the original name of the Hawaii 5-O television series, as well as the details of a singing telegram in a courtroom, a man who had no clue that he had stolen a car, and a husband who wished to be arrested to get away from his nagging wife.  Retrosponsor: Owl Rexall Drugs. Audio, transcript, and images: https://uselessinformation.org/midnapores-wolf-children-podcast-49/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first director of the US Geological Survey, Clarence King, was a famed scientist, explorer, and author. This allowed him to move among the elite of American society in the late 19th century. Yet, few people knew that he spent the last thirteen years leading a secret double life.  Also learn what Martin Cooper was the first person to ever do, a New Zealand explosion hoax, a man killed by his false teeth, and Thomas Blod's silent concert.  Retrosponsor: Fletcher's Castoria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The death of an elderly man in Chicago in 1941 went initially unnoticed. Then it was learned that he was a French nobleman who gave it all away for the chance to love the woman of his dreams. Find out if he ever got the girl...  Also learn about the only man ever to be the governor of two different US states, Adolph Hitler being drafted, a bug juice mystery, and a good use for rubber finger sheaths.  Retrosponsor: Sinatra singing for Kennedy. (High Hopes with modified lyrics.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After giving birth to a stillborn, Grady the Cow bolted from sight. But there was nowhere for her to go in the small room that she was in. It was then that her owner realized she had somehow gotten her large body through the tiny door to the concrete silo. Tips poured in from all over the world suggesting ways to get her out of there. Find out how they did it.  Also learn how many years the oldest cow lived for, a man who advertised for a homely wife, two mineralogists who came up with a unique way to meet women, and a husband who was forced to return his mail-order bride home.  Retrosponsor: Anchor Hocking Glass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six men died in a Chicago woman's home over three years. Further investigation showed that 47-year-old Margaret Summers had been married six times and all were dead. She had taken out nineteen life insurance policies, all naming her as the sole beneficiary. Summers claimed innocence, but the police thought otherwise.  Also, find out when the first permanent photograph was taken and three different stories of lost cyanide.  Retrosponsor: Tintex fabric dye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Loreen emerged from his subterranean slumber on August 21, 1933, having endured 64 days confined to a coffin. Little did he know, this was merely the kickoff to an eccentric contest of endurance, with participants vying to outlast each other buried underground. Also, find out which breakfast cereal is the most popular, where a New Jersey woman found her stolen watch, why Brownie the cow was not producing enough milk, and the unique way a hit-and-run driver was caught.  Retrosponsor: Fleischmann's Fresh Yeast. https://uselessinformation.org/the-man-buried-alive-podcast-44/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 20, 1961, then-US Vice President Lyndon Johnson was on a goodwill tour of Asia. While pressing the flesh in Karachi, Pakistan, Johnson had a casual conversation with a camel driver named Bashir Ahmad. The next thing you know, Bashir was on his way to the United States in the feel-good news story of 1961.  Also, find out what everyday product Hyman Lipman invented, the Florida councilman frightened by a snake, the New York Aquarium's April Fool problem, and Smell-o-vision.  Retrosponsor: Squibb Dental Creme. https://uselessinformation.org/lyndon-johnsons-camel-driver-podcast-43/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Laiken skipped town to avoid paying alimony in 1928 and was never seen again. His ex-wife Rose learned of a man named Noach (Noah) Goldberg who had died in Vienna. She was certain that Noah was her husband's alias. His wooden leg was all that was needed to make the connection.  Also, learn which Crayola crayon color was changed in 1962, a fake mutiny, the drunken elephant rampage, and a sad death by a falling flower pot.  Retrosponsor: Hallmark Greeting Cards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conrad Cantzen died in 1945 and is long forgotten, but his shoe fund still lives on. Listen to the story of this bizarre provision in this down-on-his-luck actor's handwritten will.  Also, learn which celebrity has earned a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in all five of its categories, the US Postal Service's 1908 Valentine problem, Andrew de Stefano's surprise telegram, and pretty Patsy Puckett's Jaguar mystery.  Retrosponsor: Colgate Tooth Powder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices