December 30, 2021 • 9 mins
Choose your weapon for today's duel of curiosities. No matter what you pick, though, expect the unexpected.
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Episode Transcript
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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. When Western Union sent their first half tone
photograph over telephone lines in it wasn't the first time
the world had seen photos sent by phone. The same
holds true for the boom in the travel trailer industry
(00:48):
in the nineties. Many had already been there, seen that.
This and many other examples is true because of the
exploits of one Tom Swift, the heroic young adult prodigy
created by writer and publisher Edwards Strada Meyer. In Tom
Swift and his Photo Telephone, the idea of sending pictures
by telephone predates the actual invention by thirteen years. Similarly,
(01:12):
Tom Swift and his Wizard Camera, featuring a portable movie camera,
was eleven years ahead of its time. And one more
for good measure, Tom Swift and his Diving Sea Copter,
which sounds like science fiction today but came true with
the creation of the Flying Submarine, produced by the Department
of Defense four years after the book was published. Either
(01:33):
Edward strada Meyer was actually a genius or he had
friends in all the right places. Whatever the case, reading
any Tom Swift novel became like seeing the future, albeit
in the hands of a stalwart sixteen year old hero.
Strada Meyer modeled Tom Swift after some of the best
inventors of the era, such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
And while some people may have seen Swift's toys and
(01:55):
gadgets as outlandish, maybe even impossible, history shows us that
he was something of a visionary. In fact, more than
a few scientists and engineers have cited Swift as an
inspiration for their own works. But there is one Tom
Swift invention that took a bit longer to formulate. When
pressed with the imprisonment of his friends in the African Savannah,
(02:16):
Swift unleashed his new gizmo, the electric Rifle. Never mind
the fact that in this same book his airship is
called the black Hawk, which is now a very recognizable
military helicopter. Name Tom's Electric Rifle is a Swiss army
of lethal and non lethal tricks and widgets, It can
shoot through walls without leaving a hole. It can stop
a charging whale because apparently whales openly charged ships. And
(02:40):
it could even simply light up the night with a
hovering glowing ball to make it easier to see and
stop more rampaging animals in the dark. Given the implausibility
of this rifle, though, it's understandable why some aspiring inventors
may have simply picked up a different Tom Swift novel
and tried that instead. Putting wheels on a home sure,
portable cameras, that's easy. But creating an electric rifle that
(03:03):
can stop a whale, oh, that's something else. Enter Jack Cover,
a NASA contractor, scientist, and physicist. As a child, Cover,
like so many of his peers, found inspiration in the
adventures and inventions of Tom Swift. For Cover, it was
the electronic rifle that claimed his attention the most, and
it quickly became the apple of his scientific eye. This apple,
(03:27):
like many that fell from the Tom Swift tree, would
revolutionize the world that landed in this time, the world
of law enforcement, which hadn't seen this kind of innovation
since the introduction of fingerprinting in nineteen o two. In
nineteen seventy, Cover developed the first working model, and by
two thousand eleven it had made the rounds to more
than fifteen thousand law enforcement agencies in the US. Of course,
(03:49):
at some point in development, Cover had created a brand
name for his product, as all good companies tend to do.
He wanted to call it the Thomas a Swift Electronic Rifle,
but that was a bit of a mouthful, so instead
he just went with the initials Taser. These days, when
(04:19):
two people are at odds, they have a number of
peaceful ways to handle their conflict. They could talk it
out or go through a mediator to help them solve
their problems. The fact is we've come a long way
from the days when settling a grudgement walking to the
middle of a field, taking ten paces and then firing
a gun at the other person. But for hundreds of years,
duels were an everyday part of life. During the medieval era, nights,
(04:42):
squires and other offended parties would take up swords against
each other in battle for honor. The losing side was
then executed if they didn't die during the fight. Later on,
duels evolved they were seen as civilized. Yes, civilized outlets
for aggrieved individuals so that they wouldn't make scenes in public.
A showdown in a private location was preferred to a knockdown,
(05:03):
drag out fight in the middle of the street. Perhaps
no duel is more famous than that one that occurred
in July of eighteen o four between Alexander Hamilton's and
Vice President Aaron Burr. Hamilton's was killed after throwing away
his shot, a tragedy that changed the course of history.
But there was another duel, albeit a less violent one,
that should be equally as well known as the Hamilton's
(05:25):
Bird duel. For one, it involved one of the greatest
authors who ever lived, Alexander Duma. Before he introduced us
to the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers,
Duma worked as a magazine writer and playwright. He was
eighteen twenty five, and the twenty three year old had
recently arrived in Paris. He was dining out with his
friends at the Palais Royal, a literal royal palace that
(05:47):
had been built for a high ranking cardinal in the
mid sixteen hundreds, and after the meal, Duma and his
companions headed to the cafe near the palace. He was
considered a dandy at the time, and on this night
he wore an outfit prized of a cloak and top boots,
which were tall boots with heels that collecked when he walked.
This apparently upset a soldier playing billiards nearby, who made
(06:09):
a snide remark at Duma's expense. Alexander didn't take it well.
He chose to retaliate by grabbing another queue and disrupting
the arrangement of the balls on the table, ruining the
man's game. One thing led to another, and Duma and
the other man agreed to a duel to be held
on January five, a few days later. His friends didn't
think it was a good idea, after all, he was
(06:31):
a writer, not a fighter, but Duma wanted to establish
himself as a romantic someone who took action and fought
for what he believed in. Plus it would help him
with his stories. He began practicing his shooting in preparation
for the duel. He turned out to be a pretty
good shot too. On the day of the showdown, Duma
arrived at the location before the soldier, who did not
(06:52):
show up at all. The man had slept in, and
so the face off was rescheduled for the following day.
Oh and their choice of weapons changed too. No longer
would they use guns, but swords instead. Duma had some
skill as a fencer, but he was more comfortable with
the pistol. The next day, both men came to a
local quarry to carry out their duel. They hunted for
(07:14):
a long while looking for the right spot. It was
freezing out and there was snow on the ground, making
the scouting process difficult. Eventually they found a suitable location,
but then came the problem of Duma's sword. He'd taken
his father's sword, which was considerably shorter than the soldiers.
He agreed to press on, though refusing to let anyone
else handle it. Duma removed his coat at the soldier's request.
(07:37):
He also took off his waistcoat and shirt underneath, as
well as his suspenders. That last item was probably a
bad idea, though, as without them he couldn't keep his
pants up. They fell around his ankles, eliciting laughter from
the quarry workers standing by. Duma hoisted them back up
and tied the suspenders around his waist like a belt.
(07:58):
Angry and Humilia did he jabbed his sword into the
man's shoulder. The soldier fell backward, startled by how cold
the blade was against his skin in the winter air.
He held immediately and Duma was declared the victor. The
fight lasted all of a few minutes, and nobody had died.
The young author later used his experience as inspiration for
(08:19):
key moments in his novels, such as The Three Musketeers.
Of course, he was probably smart to leave out the
part where his pants fell down and everyone else laughed.
I hope 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.
(08:43):
The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership
with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show
called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show,
and you can learn all about it over at the
World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.
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. When Western Union sent their first half tone
photograph over telephone lines in it wasn't the first time
the world had seen photos sent by phone. The same
holds true for the boom in the travel trailer industry
(00:48):
in the nineties. Many had already been there, seen that.
This and many other examples is true because of the
exploits of one Tom Swift, the heroic young adult prodigy
created by writer and publisher Edwards Strada Meyer. In Tom
Swift and his Photo Telephone, the idea of sending pictures
by telephone predates the actual invention by thirteen years. Similarly,
(01:12):
Tom Swift and his Wizard Camera, featuring a portable movie camera,
was eleven years ahead of its time. And one more
for good measure, Tom Swift and his Diving Sea Copter,
which sounds like science fiction today but came true with
the creation of the Flying Submarine, produced by the Department
of Defense four years after the book was published. Either
(01:33):
Edward strada Meyer was actually a genius or he had
friends in all the right places. Whatever the case, reading
any Tom Swift novel became like seeing the future, albeit
in the hands of a stalwart sixteen year old hero.
Strada Meyer modeled Tom Swift after some of the best
inventors of the era, such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
And while some people may have seen Swift's toys and
(01:55):
gadgets as outlandish, maybe even impossible, history shows us that
he was something of a visionary. In fact, more than
a few scientists and engineers have cited Swift as an
inspiration for their own works. But there is one Tom
Swift invention that took a bit longer to formulate. When
pressed with the imprisonment of his friends in the African Savannah,
(02:16):
Swift unleashed his new gizmo, the electric Rifle. Never mind
the fact that in this same book his airship is
called the black Hawk, which is now a very recognizable
military helicopter. Name Tom's Electric Rifle is a Swiss army
of lethal and non lethal tricks and widgets, It can
shoot through walls without leaving a hole. It can stop
a charging whale because apparently whales openly charged ships. And
(02:40):
it could even simply light up the night with a
hovering glowing ball to make it easier to see and
stop more rampaging animals in the dark. Given the implausibility
of this rifle, though, it's understandable why some aspiring inventors
may have simply picked up a different Tom Swift novel
and tried that instead. Putting wheels on a home sure,
portable cameras, that's easy. But creating an electric rifle that
(03:03):
can stop a whale, oh, that's something else. Enter Jack Cover,
a NASA contractor, scientist, and physicist. As a child, Cover,
like so many of his peers, found inspiration in the
adventures and inventions of Tom Swift. For Cover, it was
the electronic rifle that claimed his attention the most, and
it quickly became the apple of his scientific eye. This apple,
(03:27):
like many that fell from the Tom Swift tree, would
revolutionize the world that landed in this time, the world
of law enforcement, which hadn't seen this kind of innovation
since the introduction of fingerprinting in nineteen o two. In
nineteen seventy, Cover developed the first working model, and by
two thousand eleven it had made the rounds to more
than fifteen thousand law enforcement agencies in the US. Of course,
(03:49):
at some point in development, Cover had created a brand
name for his product, as all good companies tend to do.
He wanted to call it the Thomas a Swift Electronic Rifle,
but that was a bit of a mouthful, so instead
he just went with the initials Taser. These days, when
(04:19):
two people are at odds, they have a number of
peaceful ways to handle their conflict. They could talk it
out or go through a mediator to help them solve
their problems. The fact is we've come a long way
from the days when settling a grudgement walking to the
middle of a field, taking ten paces and then firing
a gun at the other person. But for hundreds of years,
duels were an everyday part of life. During the medieval era, nights,
(04:42):
squires and other offended parties would take up swords against
each other in battle for honor. The losing side was
then executed if they didn't die during the fight. Later on,
duels evolved they were seen as civilized. Yes, civilized outlets
for aggrieved individuals so that they wouldn't make scenes in public.
A showdown in a private location was preferred to a knockdown,
(05:03):
drag out fight in the middle of the street. Perhaps
no duel is more famous than that one that occurred
in July of eighteen o four between Alexander Hamilton's and
Vice President Aaron Burr. Hamilton's was killed after throwing away
his shot, a tragedy that changed the course of history.
But there was another duel, albeit a less violent one,
that should be equally as well known as the Hamilton's
(05:25):
Bird duel. For one, it involved one of the greatest
authors who ever lived, Alexander Duma. Before he introduced us
to the Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers,
Duma worked as a magazine writer and playwright. He was
eighteen twenty five, and the twenty three year old had
recently arrived in Paris. He was dining out with his
friends at the Palais Royal, a literal royal palace that
(05:47):
had been built for a high ranking cardinal in the
mid sixteen hundreds, and after the meal, Duma and his
companions headed to the cafe near the palace. He was
considered a dandy at the time, and on this night
he wore an outfit prized of a cloak and top boots,
which were tall boots with heels that collecked when he walked.
This apparently upset a soldier playing billiards nearby, who made
(06:09):
a snide remark at Duma's expense. Alexander didn't take it well.
He chose to retaliate by grabbing another queue and disrupting
the arrangement of the balls on the table, ruining the
man's game. One thing led to another, and Duma and
the other man agreed to a duel to be held
on January five, a few days later. His friends didn't
think it was a good idea, after all, he was
(06:31):
a writer, not a fighter, but Duma wanted to establish
himself as a romantic someone who took action and fought
for what he believed in. Plus it would help him
with his stories. He began practicing his shooting in preparation
for the duel. He turned out to be a pretty
good shot too. On the day of the showdown, Duma
arrived at the location before the soldier, who did not
(06:52):
show up at all. The man had slept in, and
so the face off was rescheduled for the following day.
Oh and their choice of weapons changed too. No longer
would they use guns, but swords instead. Duma had some
skill as a fencer, but he was more comfortable with
the pistol. The next day, both men came to a
local quarry to carry out their duel. They hunted for
(07:14):
a long while looking for the right spot. It was
freezing out and there was snow on the ground, making
the scouting process difficult. Eventually they found a suitable location,
but then came the problem of Duma's sword. He'd taken
his father's sword, which was considerably shorter than the soldiers.
He agreed to press on, though refusing to let anyone
else handle it. Duma removed his coat at the soldier's request.
(07:37):
He also took off his waistcoat and shirt underneath, as
well as his suspenders. That last item was probably a
bad idea, though, as without them he couldn't keep his
pants up. They fell around his ankles, eliciting laughter from
the quarry workers standing by. Duma hoisted them back up
and tied the suspenders around his waist like a belt.
(07:58):
Angry and Humilia did he jabbed his sword into the
man's shoulder. The soldier fell backward, startled by how cold
the blade was against his skin in the winter air.
He held immediately and Duma was declared the victor. The
fight lasted all of a few minutes, and nobody had died.
The young author later used his experience as inspiration for
(08:19):
key moments in his novels, such as The Three Musketeers.
Of course, he was probably smart to leave out the
part where his pants fell down and everyone else laughed.
I hope 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.
(08:43):
The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership
with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show
called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show,
and you can learn all about it over at the
World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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