January 21, 2021 • 9 mins
Traditions can be curiously weird. Some were created to help us improve ourselves, while others are in place to save lives. And today's tour through the Cabinet should explain why.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Aaron Menkey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is
full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
all of these amazing tales are right there on display,
just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet
(00:27):
of Curiosities. A new year usually means new beginnings. It's
a time for reinvention, rebirth and resolutions. Those with aspirations
to shed some weights or learn a new language might
(00:48):
join a gym or take classes. But if you're Bernard McFadden,
you might try to completely reinvent yourself and how we
celebrate the new year in the process. Bernard McFadden was
born in mill Spring, Missouri, in eighteen sixty eight. He
had a tough childhood, both physically and emotionally. His parents
were often sick, and their illnesses eventually claimed their lives
(01:10):
while he was still just a boy. The young McFadden
himself also faced health troubles, but he was able to
overcome them with the help of a farmer who took
him in after the deaths of his parents. The manual
labor strengthened his frail form, and the hearty farm food
nourished him. It had been the perfect cure for his
meager body until he left a few years later to
(01:31):
work behind a desk in St. Louis. It didn't take
long for McFadden to revert back to his old self
when he realized how much he missed the way he
used to feel. He returned to what he'd learned on
the farm instead of manual labor. Though he began lifting weights,
he changed his diets and became a vegetarian, and he
walked everywhere, sometimes logging six miles a day. He also
(01:54):
refused to pollute his body with tobacco and alcohol, opting
instead to participate in act ativities of strength and agility,
such as boxing and wrestling. McFadden also took his physique seriously,
more so than any man he'd ever encountered, and he
used his growing fame to show others what could be
achieved with a life of proper diet and exercise. On
(02:16):
a trip to England in the late eighteen nineties, he
partnered with a man named Hopton Hadley, who had invented
an apparatus that mounted to the wall and allowed people
to develop the different muscles in their arms, legs, and torsos.
McFadden helped Hadley in marketing the device to the public.
Then in McFadden became an entrepreneur himself when he started
(02:37):
Physical Culture magazine. It was more than a lifestyle publication.
It was the start of something bigger than he ever
could have imagined. Physical Culture spawned almost a dozen other magazines,
ranging from true crime to Confessions, and even Tales of
the Supernatural if that's your sort of thing. He also
wrote articles for other outlets on topics such as fasting
(02:58):
and something he called the milk diet. McFadden by this
time had changed his name to Bernard McFadden, adding an
extra A between the M and C of his last name,
and styling his first name after the roar of a lion.
He wanted it to sound stronger and more masculine, although
it was hard to imagine the man as anything but clearly.
(03:19):
He modeled his life on pushing himself to the limits.
He believed fasting was one of the ultimate ways for
a person to control their body and show their superiority
to others. From the nineteen thirties to the nineteen fifties,
McFadden also launched a series of boarding schools dedicated to
preparing young men for a future in the military. Bernard
McFadden was a lot of things to a lot of people.
(03:42):
He was a restaurantur, a hotelier, publishing magnates, an educator,
a model, a spokesman, and an entrepreneur. And at the
age of eighty four, he had a daredevil to that
list when he jumped out of a plane and parachuted
over the Seine in France. Yet of all the things
he accomplished and created, only one has stood the test
(04:02):
of time. It began on New Year's Day in nineteen
oh three. McFadden, a proponent of cold baths to boost
one's energy, invited fifty men and women to join him
on a Coney Island beach in New York. He first
let his guests in a workout, and then he had
them all jump into the ocean for a quick cold swim.
The water was cold enough to take one's breath away,
(04:24):
but the act of jumping into the frigid waters of
the Atlantic on January first became something of a tradition.
In his search for the secrets of life, Bernard McFadden
had created the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, who continued
to meet New Year's Day from that point on and
swim in water that doesn't get much warmer than thirty
five degrees fahrenheit. Today, the annual event draws crowds of thousands.
(04:48):
Some are clad in nothing more than swim trunks and bikinis,
while others don tuxedos and host tea parties among the
shrieking revelers. They may not know the man behind it,
but they probably would and be surprised by his story.
After all, it's more than a little curious. When we
(05:18):
want to remember the good times, like birthdays and weddings,
we tend to haul out the photo album. Each page
acts as a window into the past, taking us back
to the moments where smiles and tears have been captured
on film. We can't help but be overcome with feelings
of love, warmth, and togetherness. But for the inhabitants of
Miyaki Jima, those photos might give off a more post
(05:39):
apocalyptic vibe. In fact, many photos taken here are of
people clad in gas masks, as though everyone living on
the island were part of some kind of doomsday cult,
just waiting for the world to end, and in a
way they are waiting for something. Miyaki Jima is a
tiny island in the Philippine Sea, just off the coast
(06:00):
to southeastern Japan. It covers roughly twenty one and a
half square miles, with a population of about people, which
is spread across five settlements. It's also home to rare
and endemic fauna such as the Easoo thrush. But Miyaki
Jima is perhaps best known not for what lives on
top of it, but for what is brewing down below.
(06:20):
Those who call it home must be on constant alert
thanks to Mount Oyama, the volcano in the middle of
the island. Mount Oyama has erupted six times in the
past hundred years, spilling toxic gases across the island. Three
the village of Acco was completely destroyed. What's left of
its elementary and junior high schools can still be seen
(06:41):
among the igneous rocks. The terrain has changed considerably over
the years, with new trails blazed literally by flowing lava.
In fact, back in June and July of the year
two thousand, the volcanic eruption did more than alter the landscape.
It changed the lives of everyone living there. The entire
island was forced to evact. You wait, ash plumes and
(07:01):
sulfur dioxide gas shot ten miles into the air. Seventeen
thousand earthquakes shook the ground for twenty five straight days,
rendering Miyaki Jima uninhabitable. Everyone had known the eruption was coming,
as scientists had been tracking thousands of tiny quakes leading
up to the event. Still no amount of warning would
have prepared someone to uproot their entire life. In minutes,
(07:24):
plants and trees either died or were burned. Cars were
abandoned on the side of the road. Those who left
eventually returned home. Five years later, but things had changed
for good. The government now required everyone on the island,
whether they lived there or we're just visiting, to carry
a gas mask with them at all times. In the
event that air quality became too toxic, masks would be
(07:46):
needed to be worn until authorities said otherwise. But despite
all that, life has remained much the same since the
last major eruption. The folks living on the island go
about their days much like anyone else. They drive to
work and shop for groceries. People get married and have
children too. The island is home to kids, adults, and
the elderly, all of whom are just trying to get by.
(08:08):
The only difference is the sound of the blaring alarms
that ring out whenever the air quality becomes too dangerous
to breathe. Clearly, it's not easy sharing an island with
an active volcano. However, for anyone hoping to visit the
place sometime in the future, you can when flights aren't
grounded due to high sulfur levels or volcanic activity. The
island has many sites to offer. Scuba Diving off the coast,
(08:32):
for example, is said to be breathtaking, an experience that
includes the occasional dolphins sighting as well. But if you'd
rather explore miaki Jima on land, just be sure to
bring your gas mask, and if you don't have one,
you can buy one. Just swing by one of the
many gift shops and pick up what might be one
of the most curious souvenirs in the world. I hope
(08:55):
you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about
the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show
was created by me, Aaron Mankey in partnership with how
Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore,
which is a podcast, book series, and television show and
(09:18):
you can learn all about it over at the World
of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious. Yeah,
Welcome to Aaron Menkey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is
full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
all of these amazing tales are right there on display,
just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet
(00:27):
of Curiosities. A new year usually means new beginnings. It's
a time for reinvention, rebirth and resolutions. Those with aspirations
to shed some weights or learn a new language might
(00:48):
join a gym or take classes. But if you're Bernard McFadden,
you might try to completely reinvent yourself and how we
celebrate the new year in the process. Bernard McFadden was
born in mill Spring, Missouri, in eighteen sixty eight. He
had a tough childhood, both physically and emotionally. His parents
were often sick, and their illnesses eventually claimed their lives
(01:10):
while he was still just a boy. The young McFadden
himself also faced health troubles, but he was able to
overcome them with the help of a farmer who took
him in after the deaths of his parents. The manual
labor strengthened his frail form, and the hearty farm food
nourished him. It had been the perfect cure for his
meager body until he left a few years later to
(01:31):
work behind a desk in St. Louis. It didn't take
long for McFadden to revert back to his old self
when he realized how much he missed the way he
used to feel. He returned to what he'd learned on
the farm instead of manual labor. Though he began lifting weights,
he changed his diets and became a vegetarian, and he
walked everywhere, sometimes logging six miles a day. He also
(01:54):
refused to pollute his body with tobacco and alcohol, opting
instead to participate in act ativities of strength and agility,
such as boxing and wrestling. McFadden also took his physique seriously,
more so than any man he'd ever encountered, and he
used his growing fame to show others what could be
achieved with a life of proper diet and exercise. On
(02:16):
a trip to England in the late eighteen nineties, he
partnered with a man named Hopton Hadley, who had invented
an apparatus that mounted to the wall and allowed people
to develop the different muscles in their arms, legs, and torsos.
McFadden helped Hadley in marketing the device to the public.
Then in McFadden became an entrepreneur himself when he started
(02:37):
Physical Culture magazine. It was more than a lifestyle publication.
It was the start of something bigger than he ever
could have imagined. Physical Culture spawned almost a dozen other magazines,
ranging from true crime to Confessions, and even Tales of
the Supernatural if that's your sort of thing. He also
wrote articles for other outlets on topics such as fasting
(02:58):
and something he called the milk diet. McFadden by this
time had changed his name to Bernard McFadden, adding an
extra A between the M and C of his last name,
and styling his first name after the roar of a lion.
He wanted it to sound stronger and more masculine, although
it was hard to imagine the man as anything but clearly.
(03:19):
He modeled his life on pushing himself to the limits.
He believed fasting was one of the ultimate ways for
a person to control their body and show their superiority
to others. From the nineteen thirties to the nineteen fifties,
McFadden also launched a series of boarding schools dedicated to
preparing young men for a future in the military. Bernard
McFadden was a lot of things to a lot of people.
(03:42):
He was a restaurantur, a hotelier, publishing magnates, an educator,
a model, a spokesman, and an entrepreneur. And at the
age of eighty four, he had a daredevil to that
list when he jumped out of a plane and parachuted
over the Seine in France. Yet of all the things
he accomplished and created, only one has stood the test
(04:02):
of time. It began on New Year's Day in nineteen
oh three. McFadden, a proponent of cold baths to boost
one's energy, invited fifty men and women to join him
on a Coney Island beach in New York. He first
let his guests in a workout, and then he had
them all jump into the ocean for a quick cold swim.
The water was cold enough to take one's breath away,
(04:24):
but the act of jumping into the frigid waters of
the Atlantic on January first became something of a tradition.
In his search for the secrets of life, Bernard McFadden
had created the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, who continued
to meet New Year's Day from that point on and
swim in water that doesn't get much warmer than thirty
five degrees fahrenheit. Today, the annual event draws crowds of thousands.
(04:48):
Some are clad in nothing more than swim trunks and bikinis,
while others don tuxedos and host tea parties among the
shrieking revelers. They may not know the man behind it,
but they probably would and be surprised by his story.
After all, it's more than a little curious. When we
(05:18):
want to remember the good times, like birthdays and weddings,
we tend to haul out the photo album. Each page
acts as a window into the past, taking us back
to the moments where smiles and tears have been captured
on film. We can't help but be overcome with feelings
of love, warmth, and togetherness. But for the inhabitants of
Miyaki Jima, those photos might give off a more post
(05:39):
apocalyptic vibe. In fact, many photos taken here are of
people clad in gas masks, as though everyone living on
the island were part of some kind of doomsday cult,
just waiting for the world to end, and in a
way they are waiting for something. Miyaki Jima is a
tiny island in the Philippine Sea, just off the coast
(06:00):
to southeastern Japan. It covers roughly twenty one and a
half square miles, with a population of about people, which
is spread across five settlements. It's also home to rare
and endemic fauna such as the Easoo thrush. But Miyaki
Jima is perhaps best known not for what lives on
top of it, but for what is brewing down below.
(06:20):
Those who call it home must be on constant alert
thanks to Mount Oyama, the volcano in the middle of
the island. Mount Oyama has erupted six times in the
past hundred years, spilling toxic gases across the island. Three
the village of Acco was completely destroyed. What's left of
its elementary and junior high schools can still be seen
(06:41):
among the igneous rocks. The terrain has changed considerably over
the years, with new trails blazed literally by flowing lava.
In fact, back in June and July of the year
two thousand, the volcanic eruption did more than alter the landscape.
It changed the lives of everyone living there. The entire
island was forced to evact. You wait, ash plumes and
(07:01):
sulfur dioxide gas shot ten miles into the air. Seventeen
thousand earthquakes shook the ground for twenty five straight days,
rendering Miyaki Jima uninhabitable. Everyone had known the eruption was coming,
as scientists had been tracking thousands of tiny quakes leading
up to the event. Still no amount of warning would
have prepared someone to uproot their entire life. In minutes,
(07:24):
plants and trees either died or were burned. Cars were
abandoned on the side of the road. Those who left
eventually returned home. Five years later, but things had changed
for good. The government now required everyone on the island,
whether they lived there or we're just visiting, to carry
a gas mask with them at all times. In the
event that air quality became too toxic, masks would be
(07:46):
needed to be worn until authorities said otherwise. But despite
all that, life has remained much the same since the
last major eruption. The folks living on the island go
about their days much like anyone else. They drive to
work and shop for groceries. People get married and have
children too. The island is home to kids, adults, and
the elderly, all of whom are just trying to get by.
(08:08):
The only difference is the sound of the blaring alarms
that ring out whenever the air quality becomes too dangerous
to breathe. Clearly, it's not easy sharing an island with
an active volcano. However, for anyone hoping to visit the
place sometime in the future, you can when flights aren't
grounded due to high sulfur levels or volcanic activity. The
island has many sites to offer. Scuba Diving off the coast,
(08:32):
for example, is said to be breathtaking, an experience that
includes the occasional dolphins sighting as well. But if you'd
rather explore miaki Jima on land, just be sure to
bring your gas mask, and if you don't have one,
you can buy one. Just swing by one of the
many gift shops and pick up what might be one
of the most curious souvenirs in the world. I hope
(08:55):
you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about
the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show
was created by me, Aaron Mankey in partnership with how
Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore,
which is a podcast, book series, and television show and
(09:18):
you can learn all about it over at the World
of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious. Yeah,
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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