Useless Information Podcast

On an October day back in 1941, John Kmetz received a trial supply of herbal pills that would supposedly restore vitality to his 54-year-old body.  Shortly after taking the pills, Kmetz was dead.  Learn about the man suspected of the crime, another bizarre event that occurred prior to the murder, and his ultimate fate.  Also hear about a singer that kissed one too many women, a man who glued pennies to his desk, and car paint colors that lure beetles.  Retrosponsor: Trident gum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1953 Harold Jesse Berney, head of a Washington, DC television antenna manufacturing operation, was chosen by the US government to be its main contact with Uccelles, a prince visiting our planet from Venus.  If that sounds a bit bizarre, listen to this story to learn about one of the most fantastic swindles ever conceived.  Also learn about a man who was shot three times and suffered no injuries, the day the circus never came to town, and a truck that could no longer fit through the same garage by which it had entered.  Retrosponsor:  Eversharp Schick Injector Razors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Christmas episode! Learn about a man named Joe Bonavita who returned to the Bowery in New York City every year to celebrate Christmas with those less fortunate. Also, hear three shorter true stories about Santa getting into a bit of hot water. Plus, do you know the first really big hit song to contain Jesus in its lyrics? Listen to find out the answer. Retrosponsor: Toni Home Permanent Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/joseph-bonavita-the-bowerys-santa/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most bizarre stories ever presented on this podcast. The nearly unbelievable true story about a woman hired to investigate another woman suspected in a jewel heist.  Also learn about two woman who thought that they were married to the same dying man, the surprising return of a man's coat years after he gave it away, and a woman who knitted a sweater for the troops during World War I.  Retrosponsor: Vitalis Hair Tonic.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you completely lost your memory?  In this true story, a man went nearly twenty years without remembering a single detail about his life.  Also learn why the US Postal Service had been purchasing large quantities of cat food, a bank robbery gone totally wrong, and why ice cream cones were once illegal in Washington, DC.  Retrosponsor: Hopper's White Clay Pack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When New York City’s Citicorp Tower opened in 1977, it was hailed as an architectural marvel—but few knew it harbored a potentially fatal flaw. A simple phone call from a college student in New Jersey to the tower’s structural engineer may have prevented a catastrophic disaster and saved tens of thousands of lives. This episode features an interview with Lee DeCarolis, the student who made that life-saving call. Also, learn about a man who desired a woman who could cook applesauce, a couple that had six sets of twins, and a teacher who dared to go tieless.  Retrosponsor: Drene Shampoo Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-citicorp-tower-revisited-podcast-75/ 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

Should parents be held responsible for the crimes that their children commit? Listen to this story from 1947 detailing just what happened when New York City tried to do just that. Also learn about the countries that drink the most coffee, a ring-turning fad, sun lamp parties, and tattooed pantyhose. Retrosponsor: Fram Oil Filters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in 1920, Newark, NJ was host to one of the most bizarre funerals ever.  An estimated 10,000 people lined the streets to witness the funeral procession of Jimmie the singing canary.  Also learn the name of the dog on Cracker Jack packaging, a snake that milked a cow, a raccoon that saved its owners' lives, and how a pack of dogs interfered with a sheep study.  Retrosponsor: Hartz Mountain Pet Products. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fun story from 1923.  Newspapers around the United States reported daily on the health of the Fever Girl - a woman with the highest temperature ever recorded to that date.  Would she live or die?  Listen to this episode to find out all of the details.  Also learn about the current high-fever record holder plus three tidbits about teachers. Retrosponsor: Velveeta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have heard about the Californian couple that found five cans of gold coins on their property.  Two Baltimore boys made a similar discovery back in 1934, but this pot of gold proved to be anything but lucky.  Also learn about people that were paid to wake others up before alarm clocks, four daughters that could never marry, a lawsuit against Jackie Robinson, and an incident involving a minibike and a dog.  Retrosponsor: Tums Antacid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever just had enough of your job and wanted to walk away from it?  Bus driver William Cimillo found himself in this position back in 1947 and his unique solution made him an instant celebrity.  Also learn how many men have ever walked on the moon and three different stories related to tsunamis.  Retrosponsor: Rio Grande Cracked Gasoline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph Ellsworth Holmes was a career criminal serving a twenty-year sentence for being the "dinner-time burglar." His great escape in 1951 elevated him to celebrity status overnight. Also, learn about the origin of Pepsodent toothpaste, a man who waited 36 years to be reunited with his wife, a dying Navy officer's wish fulfilled after eighteen years, and a pastor who earned his medical degree after 45 years of part-time study.  Retrosponsor: Pepsodent Toothpaste Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/tunnel-joe-holmes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A long-forgotten front page story from January of 1945 that involved the US military, the White House, a Hollywood actress, and one big dog.  Also, learn the full name of FDR's famous Scottie Fala, a man who was sucked out of his boots by a jet engine, a family that opted to do some gold mining in their home, and a woman who survived a half-mile fall without a parachute.  Retrosponsor: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-blaze-incident/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexander Ector Orr Munsell was an incredibly wealthy man during the Great Depression. He seemed to have it all until he suddenly gave it all away to live among the poor in a flophouse.  Find out why he chose to do so and what happened after that. Also, learn about Pantone colors, as well as three different people who used the wrong ingredients while cooking, resulting in the deaths of their loved ones.  Retrosponsor: Horlick's Malted Milk.   Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/munsell-mr-moneybags/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's absolutely true! When the United States started Parcel Post service in 1913, both babies and small children were mailed. Listen to this story to learn why it was done and how it ended. Also, learn about the first unsigned band to appear on Saturday Night Live, a new father who couldn't find the hospital door, a bizarre case of supposed illegal search and seizure, as well as the mother-in-law who didn't know how to drive. Retrosponsor: Penn-Daw Motor Hotel. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/152/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A story of compassion and generosity as young Suzy Dewey navigated the final months of her life. Also, find out about the first athlete to ever appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box, two brothers who split the driving responsibilities, a blind man who wanted to know what it was like to drive, and the 128 blind men in Kansas that once held driver's licenses. Retrosponsor: Wheaties. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-short-life-of-suzy-dewey/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of World War II, the United States was faced with the task of reburying four bodies of former German nobility. The three men assigned to the task ran in obstacle after obstacle.  Also, learn about Cap'n Crunch's full name, a dentist who would let you extract his tooth, male chest "tapestries", and a ban on padded bras. Retrosponsor: Faultless Starch Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/operation-bodysnatch/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some mysterious force was bringing garden hoses all over the United States to life back in 1955. Find out what the hoses did and how one owner named George Di Peso finally put an end to all of the madness.  Also, learn the original name of the Wheel of Fortune game show, how elephants helped clear traffic in Berlin, where some missing hogs were hiding, and how a tortoise lost during World War II was ultimately found.  Retrosponsor: Aero-Wax Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/attack-of-the-50-foot-garden-hose/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The true story of a US Navy radioman who was hunted by the Japanese during World War II.  Also, learn the name of Wrigley's first chewing gum, how XYZ pays his taxes, a woman who was indirectly shot by a porcupine, and a woman who mowed her lawn in a 2-piece bathing suit. Retrosponsor: Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/george-tweed-the-ghost-of-guam/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The heart-wrenching tale of the Pleasant Hill School Bus Tragedy, in which a freak snowstorm and a series of unfortunate decisions led to the tragic deaths of five children and their bus driver in 1931. Also learn about the world's second richest charity, topless male swimming, capturing an island, and the blood-sucking boarder.  Retrosponsor: Ovaltine Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-pleasant-hill-school-bus-tragedy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices