Useless Information Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Lost in the Clouds - UI Podcast #253 Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

In 1958, a small plane vanished into the mountains—and what followed became an extraordinary true story of survival, sacrifice, and love in the face of impossible odds.

You can watch the PBS video Bruce Davis: The Gentleman of Jazz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq4X4sEA81A

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/lost-in-the-clouds-podcast-253/

Talks that I am scheduled to give:

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (Free) - Albany Hibernian Hall - https://hibernians.com/
Friday, March 27, 2026 – Hudson Valley CC (Troy) - https://tinyurl.com/5839cad3
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Hudson Valley CC (Malta) - https://tinyurl.com/swksxtr3
Monday, June 1, 2026 (Free) – Clifton Park Library

You can follow the Useless Information Podcast on these platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uselessinformationpodcast

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Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FlipSideofHistory/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

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Retrocast #39 - Podcast #252 Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

In this episode: A woman has 1,446 metal objects in her stomach, a teenager faces almost certain death unless a nail is removed from her lung, a doctor claims that a patient has a bullfrog living in her stomach, and much more!

My niece Sierra McGivney’s story about the four women who helped create the American Alpine Club: https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/11/5/guidebook-xvilibrary-feature

Talks that I am scheduled to give:

Monday, January 26, 2026 – Clifton Park Library - https://events.cphlibrary.org/event/15276997

Friday, March 27, 2026 – Hudson Valley CC (Troy) - https://tinyurl.com/5839cad3

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Hudson Valley CC (Malta) - https://tinyurl.com/swksxtr3

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-39-podcast-252/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hot Dog Santa Claus - UI Podcast #251 Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

Throughout the 1920s, the children of Boston’s North End gathered in anticipation to see if their beloved Hot Dog Santa Claus, Axel Bjorklund, would once again arrive. Despite his vanishing fortunes and worsening health, he proved that even small gestures can leave a lasting legacy.

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/the-hot-dog-santa-claus-podcast-251/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retrocast #38 - UI Podcast #250 Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

In this episode: Can a wife legally swipe cash from her husband’s wallet? One Chicago man puts a bizarre social experiment in motion—mailing $1 to 500 people and asking them to mail it back. Plus, a high school student discovers a brilliant workaround for his school’s long-hair ban… and much more!

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-38-podcast-250/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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A Forbidden Love - Podcast #249 Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

In 1937, a small Indiana town was rocked by a scandal that made national headlines: a 12-year-old girl and her 13-year-old classmate became parents, igniting a legal and moral firestorm. Family loyalty, courtroom drama, and the harsh realities of the Great Depression collide in this true tale of forbidden young love.

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/a-forbidden-love-podcast-249/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retrocast #37 - UI Podcast #248 Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

A fire department stands back and watches a man's home burn to the ground, a pig flies for possibly the first time ever, fleas are transported on a dog, and a gorilla destroys an American Tourister suitcase, and much more!

The Flea Circus video mentioned in this episode can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9BjN_GHIic

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-37-podcast-248/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bad Apples #6 – Lost Boundaries – UI #247 Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

My wife, Mary Jane, joins me to discuss the 1949 movie Lost Boundaries, the screen adaptation of the lives of Dr. Albert and Thyra Johnston, the New Hampshire couple who passed as white for nearly twenty years.

You can watch the movie Lost Boundaries on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z26VL_0EQks and the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/LostBoundaries.

Home to Keene: The Reunion of Lost Boundaries can be seen on New Hampshire PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/home-to-keene-lost-boundaries-reunion-ismos9/

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/bad-apples-6-lost-boundaries-podcast-247/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A White Lie - UI Podcast #246 Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

A New Hampshire doctor and his wife kept a secret from their children, friends, and community for nearly two decades. That was until the federal government discovered the lie. After the publication of their story in Reader's Digest in 1947, the entire nation would know.

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/a-white-lie-podcast-246/

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rewind: 1st Jewish Couple Married on TV Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

Cartoonist Leigh Rubin's parents were the first Jewish couple ever to be married on US television, but it almost never happened. Includes audio clips from that Bride and Groom television episode. Original Release Date: April 25, 2019.

If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe set up to help with the long-term care of Leigh's wife Teresa, please go to https://gofund.me/acbd2683 (A very BIG thank you for doing so!)

Audio for Part 2 of my interview with Leigh Rubin, as well as photos of his parents, the video of their wedding, and some of my favorite Rubes cartoons can be found on my website at https://uselessinformation.org/the-first-jewish-couple-married-on-national-tv/

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Retrocast #36 - UI Podcast #245 Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Abbott & Costello agree to perform in a boy’s backyard for 70 cents, parents sue a milk dairy because their son grew too tall, a man sleeps only 2 hours per day for 33 years, and much more!

Images, links, and transcripts for this podcast can be found at https://uselessinformation.org/retrocast-36-podcast-245/

Listen to my interview with cartoonist Leigh Rubin discussing how his parents were The First Jewish Couple Married on National Television: https://uselessinformation.org/the-first-jewish-couple-married-on-national-tv/

Also, you can see the original Bride & Groom episode where his parents were married at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl8943Q48X4

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/

The Useless Information Podcast is a member of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit https://www.airwavemedia.com/ to listen to more great podcasts just like this one.

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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