Useless Information Podcast

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 that earned his medical degree after 45 years of part time study.  Retrosponsor: Pepsodent Toothpaste 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 really 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 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, and three people who used the wrong ingredients while cooking, resulting in the deaths of their loved ones.  Retrosponsor: Horlick's Malted Milk.   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 came to an end.  Also hear about the first unsigned band to appear on Saturday Night Live, a new father that couldn't find the hospital door, a bizarre case of supposed illegal search and seizure, as well as  the mother-in-law that didn't know how to drive.  Retrosponsor: Penn-Daw Motor Hotel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sad story of a little girl that was diagnosed with terminal leukemia who was the victim of a hoax during the last few months of her short life.  Also find out about the first athlete to ever appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box, two brothers that split the driving responsibilities, a blind man that wanted to know what it was like to drive, and the 128 blind men in Kansas that once held driver's licenses.  Retrosponsor: Wheaties. 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 that would let you extract his tooth, male chest "tapestries", and a ban on padded bras.  Retrosponsor: Faultless Starch 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 they did and how one owner named George Di Peso put an end to all of the madness.  Also learn the original name of the Wheel of Fortune game show, how elephants helped clearing traffic in Berlin, where some missing hogs were hiding, and how a tortoise lost during World War II was ultimately found.  Retrosponsor: Aero-Wax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 that was indirectly shot by a porcupine, and a woman that mowed her lawn in a 2-piece bathing suit.  Retrosponsor: Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sad, yet true, story of a 1931 school bus disaster in the Pleasant Hill school district in Colorado.  Also learn about the world's second richest charity, topless male swimming, capturing an island, and the blood-sucking boarder.  Retrosponsor: Ovaltine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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