Useless Information Podcast

Latest Episodes:

UI #105 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 3 - Maybelle Trow Knox Aug 31, 2017

Show notes

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.

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UI #104 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 2 - Farmers in Revolt Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

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

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UI #103 - Le Mars Trilogy: Part 1 - T.M. Zink's Library Jun 10, 2017

Show notes

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 waiter who poisoned his customers, and the original title of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Retrosponsor: Vicks VapoRub.

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UI #102 - Dr. Mary Edwards Walker May 06, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was one of the first female doctors in the United States and is the only woman to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, until the government rescinded her award. Also learn about a woman who accidentally served her husband dog food for breakfast, three children found locked in a tool box, who CBS wanted to replace Rod Serling on the Twilight Zone with plus the title that ABC wished to rename the show. Retrosponsor: Ingram's Shaving Cream

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UI #101 - Where There's a Wilby, There's a Way Mar 27, 2017

Show notes

Between 1942 and 1943 Ralph Marshall Wilby appeared to pull off what appeared to be the perfect crime. An incredible story that has many elements of an international thriller: deception, false identities, international kidnapping, and the drop dead gorgeous woman who brought his capture.

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UI #100 - A Miracle Birth in Mexico Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

On March 5, 2000, Ines Ramirez Perez went into labor but was unable to get any medical care to help with the delivery. In a panic, Ines concluded that she had no other option than to deliver the baby herself. She used an ordinary kitchen knife to perform a cesarean on herself. Find out what happened afterward and stories of other self-cesareans. Also, learn about a toy made from Zectron, a man who had the ultimate solution for a sore throat, a doctor who removed his own appendix, and another man who washed his intestines under the kitchen faucet. Retrosponsor: Hind's Honey and Almond Cream.

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UI #99 - Millionaire for a Day Nov 26, 2016

Show notes

Back in 1911, Wilkes-Barre, PA resident John Jay "Butch" McDevitt won the Democratic Primary for county treasurer. The only problem was that the Democratic Committee didn't want McDevitt on the ballot. Listen to this story to find out how the party got rid of him and how he capitalized on this for the rest of his life. Also, learn about three animals involved in politics and the first time that the red & blue electoral map was used on network television. Retrosponsor: Gracie Allen for President.

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UI #98 - The Trick-or-Treat Dentist Oct 17, 2016

Show notes

The Halloween episode. Learn about a reputable California dentist named William Shyne who supposedly gave the children of his neighborhood lollipops and laxative pills for Halloween. Also, learn about a woman arrested for dressing like a man, a man who was arrested after purchasing Halloween candy for his wife, the day Princess Margaret was caught smoking a cigarette, and the best-selling Halloween candy in the United States. Retrosponsor: Rogers Bros. Plated Silverware

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UI #97 - Silent Susan Sep 12, 2016

Show notes

On October 6, 1946 a young woman was arrested in Palisades Park, NJ for refusing to provide a police officer with her name. She had been cooperative in every way but refused to provide that single piece of information. Her story soon became front page news nationwide. Also learn about discontinued Monopoly game tokens, the Hear-See recording system, the introduction of the Radarange, and what was to be called the "Tape Age." Retrosponsor: The American Weekly magazine.

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UI #96 - The Ice Cream Wars Aug 03, 2016

Show notes

The everything ice cream episode! Learn about an ongoing war between ice cream vendors, which included bombings, gunfire, torching of trucks, and threats. Also, learn about a ban on using glue in ice cream, a pharmacy robbery where one of the bandits served ice cream, and a woman who set up a $20,000 ice cream trust fund. Retrosponsor: Sealtest Ice Cream

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