Useless Information Podcast

The crazy true story of a man who attempted to build an empire of his own in the Sahara. In Part 1, we look at Jacques Lebaudy's failed plan to create the empire and how the French military came to the rescue of Lebaudy's men. Also learn a bit about the history of Meals on Wheels and three different elixirs claimed to have been cures during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Retrosponsor: Pabst-ett cheese spread. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business Wars digs deep into some of the greatest corporate rivalries of all time. Think Facebook VS Snapchat or Nike VS Adidas. On each episode we give you an inside look at what inspired entrepreneurs to take risks that drove their companies to new heights -- or into the ground. In this season “Starbucks VS Dunkin”, they follow these two java giants in a war that started brewing in the 1950s and is now hotter than ever. Coffee is a 100 billion dollar plus global industry with these two duking it out at the top, but their battle is about more than coffee. For the full episode go to: wondery.fm/UselessInformationBW  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes a person can accomplish a great deal over the span of his or her lifetime but is forever defined by one thing that took just a brief moment while they were still young. Harry Morse was one of those men. Also learn about the first Beatles song banned by the BBC, someone who woke up beside a dead man, a wife whose first husband was found alive, and the Send-A-Dame chain letter. Retrosponsor: Feen-A-Mint Chewing Gum Laxative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1978, Rodney Alcala won a date on the popular TV show, The Dating Game. What no one knew was that he was a prolific serial killer in the middle of a cross-country murder spree. In this six-part series, co-hosts Tracy Pattin (Hollywood & Crime) and Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) take listeners on an unbelievable journey into Alcala’s twisting secret life. He hid behind normal jobs as a typesetter at a prominent newspaper and a summer camp counselor. How did this predatory monster fool employers, prison psychiatrists, and parole boards — all while committing heinous crimes from coast to coast? And how did a one-time appearance as a game show contestant help lead to his capture? From the makers of Dirty John, Dr. Death, and Young Charlie, learn the story of the most famous serial killer you’ve never heard of - The Dating Game Killer.Subscribe today: wondery.fm/uselessinfoDGK . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1925, the parents and sisters of 9-year-old Evelyn Castle were killed after their car collided with a train. What came next for Evelyn was totally unexpected. It's a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Also learn about the origins of the term blockbuster, the theft of 55 right-footed shoes, a woman who refused to be fooled twice, and a New Jersey girl who thought she was about to spend one=week with the Beatles. Retrosponsor: Old Spice Aftershave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The co-working company WeWork was the poster child for a new economy. It was born in New York City from the ashes of the Great Recession, WeWork’s founders wanted to change not just the way people work, but how they live, sleep, and even raise their children. Its charismatic founder Adam Neumann had an intoxicating vision for the company -- but did it ever match the reality? Hosted by David Brown of Wondery’s hit podcast Business Wars, WeCrashed is a six-part series about the rise and fall of WeWork. It’s a story of hope and hubris, and pulls back the curtain on the lengths certain people will go to chase “unicorns.” Listen now at Wondery.fm/wecrasheduseless Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The incredible story of how James Rufus Landis stole $160,000 in $20 bills from the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing on New Year's Eve of 1953. Also learn about the first ATM machine, a cork leg that saved a man from suicide, an elephant that went for a ride on a monorail, and a life-size statue of St. Anthony found on a NYC subway platform. Retrosponsor: Ken-L Ration dog food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Christmas Eve of 1937, a man in Centerville, Indiana kidnapped a young boy and his babysitter. Minutes later, the boy's mother and the local grocer were taken prisoner by a second thug. A shootout between the bandit and the boy's father then followed. Find out how it all played out by listening to this great story. Also learn about the first Christmas song broadcast from space, a limit of wine for the Sabbath, a mysterious gift dropped via a parachute, and a family who received a Christmas card from an unknown family annually for seventeen years. Retrosponsor: Campbell's Soup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When miner James Kidd died in 1949, no one could have imagined that it would take more than 21-years to settle his estate. That's because he had made a very unusual request in his will, one that would be nearly impossible to carry out. Also learn about the world's heaviest man, one man's amazing voyage to Mars, a will written on an eggshell, and another man who had distributed small amounts of money to 102 banks all around the world. Retrosponsor: The Spaghetti Store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1933, a young man was walking through a busy train station in India when he was pricked in the arm by a man walking in the opposite direction. He would soon be dead and the shocking truth as to how and who murdered him was revealed. Also, learn when the sale of color televisions exceeded those of black and white, a man who invented a polarizing material, a man sentenced to prison time for writing fiction, and a mysterious body that washed up on a Chicago shore. Retrosponsor: Minit-Rub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For most of his life, Jeffrey Epstein was a mystery-- who he was, how he made his money, and how he got away with horrific crimes for so many years. The Mysterious Mr. Epstein explores how Epstein was able to use his wealth to buy status and credibility, to buy power, and ultimately to buy himself freedom from justice. From the network that brought you Dirty John. Listen now at Wondery.fm/uselessinfo     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1933, a medical doctor and a chiropractic doctor were found severely injured a short distance from one another. The two had never met before, but their lives had somehow violently crossed on that fateful day. Also, learn about artist Bob Ross' original canvases, a milk bottle shortage, men who were in the frigid water too long, and a bookstore that gave 50,000 books away for free. Retrosponsor: Old Dutch Cleanser Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is it like to be famous before you’re famous? What is it like to walk in the shoes of another person? Each episode of Imagined Life takes you on an immersive journey into the life of a world-famous person. It’ll be someone you may think you know, even admire -- or maybe the opposite. You’ll get clues to your identity along the way. But only in the final moments will you find out who “you” really are. So sit back, let go, and -- imagine your life, with our hosts, Oscar nominated Virginia Madsen and celebrated voice actor Robbie Daymond. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John. Listen now at wondery.fm/useless.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An offbeat story from 1966 about a woman requested that a taxicab drive her all the way from Toledo, Ohio to San Francisco, CA. An airplane or train ride would have been both faster and cheaper, yet she insisted on the cab. Also learn how many different shows have been named The Betty White Show, cheap German suits that became available in Great Britain, a man who invented pasties for his wife, and a ban on spike heels in Mobile, Alabama. Retrosponsor: Wheatena Cereal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fun story from 1964 in which Brooklyn neighbors Sam Gutwirth and Sam Scheir ended up in court due to Scheir's loud snoring. Also learn about the first bike path in the United States, a building filled with popcorn that spontaneously popped, a woman who swallowed a mouse, and two girls who were trapped in a phone booth together. Retrosponsor: Freezone Corn Remover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices