Episodes

  • The Hot Dog Santa Claus - UI Podcast #251

    The Hot Dog Santa Claus - UI Podcast #251
    Dec 17 2025
    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
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    27 mins
  • Retrocast #38 - UI Podcast #250

    Retrocast #38 - UI Podcast #250
    Dec 3 2025
    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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • A Forbidden Love - Podcast #249

    A Forbidden Love - Podcast #249
    Nov 11 2025
    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
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    24 mins
  • Retrocast #37 - UI Podcast #248

    Retrocast #37 - UI Podcast #248
    Oct 21 2025
    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
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    28 mins
  • Bad Apples #6 – Lost Boundaries – UI #247

    Bad Apples #6 – Lost Boundaries – UI #247
    Oct 1 2025
    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. 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
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    40 mins
  • A White Lie - UI Podcast #246

    A White Lie - UI Podcast #246
    Sep 17 2025
    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
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    33 mins
  • Rewind: 1st Jewish Couple Married on TV

    Rewind: 1st Jewish Couple Married on TV
    Sep 3 2025
    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/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Retrocast #36 - UI Podcast #245

    Retrocast #36 - UI Podcast #245
    Aug 19 2025
    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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    37 mins