January 2, 2020 • 10 mins
Some new ideas have the potential to stick around for years, while others fizzle out without much fanfare. Today's tour will give you a glimpse of both kind.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales right
there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome
to the Cabinet of Curiosities. In seven, Mercedes was a
(00:30):
secretary with grand ambitions, Having been born to an English
mother and a German father. She was fluent in both
languages and leveraged them to personal success while working in Westminster.
But Mercedes wanted more. There was a great, big world
out there, much of it covered in blue, and that
was what she wanted to make her mark on. She
(00:50):
began swimming in the River Thames, building up her stamina
until she could swim for hours in the water. In
October of ninety seven, she became the first woman to
swim the English Channel. She had endured dense fog and
frigid water tempts, as well as the very real threat
of passing ships that couldn't see her. But she'd done it.
(01:11):
She'd set a world record. At least she thought she had,
until another woman came forward soon after, claiming that she
had been the first woman to swim the English Channel.
After an investigation, the other woman's claim had been debunked
as a hoax, but its presence had poured doubt on
mercedes own achievement. Through media pressure and a desire to
(01:32):
prove her efforts as authentic, she took to the water
once again fourteen days later. This time, however, she took
a long proof. Not only was she followed by her
trainer in a small boat, she also wore a small
watch around her neck to track her time in the water.
But there was a problem with this vindication swim. When
she had first crossed the channel, the water had been
(01:52):
roughly sixty degrees fahrenheit. This time, though, the water had
dropped by six degrees, and although it was only slightly
colder than before, it was enough of a change to
take the wind out of her sails. Mercedes began her
journey at a m By one pm, she was already
feeling the effects of the cold. Her senses had dulled
(02:12):
and she would fall asleep for seconds at a time.
Her trainer tried to keep her alert, but Mercedes found
herself in a constant loop of wakefulness followed by seconds
of sleep. After an hour and a half without any
real progress, her trainer lowered a ladder into the water,
Mercedes refused to give up. She swam away from the boat,
but her body knew that it was time to stop.
(02:33):
Just before three pm, she took hold of the ladder
and her trainer pulled her into the boat. She had
failed to swim the channel for a second time, but
her efforts had validated her first. No one questioned her
any longer. That said, the idea of a sports celebrity
at the time was pretty new. There were no wheaties,
boxes or sneaker endorsements yet, and come the next news cycle,
(02:56):
she'd be another forgotten name in history. There was the watch, though,
the one she had worn around her neck as she
attempted to cross the English Channel that second time. Now,
the watches at the time were made with hinged backs
so wearers and technicians could easily access the movements inside.
They were designed for function over form, but that left
them vulnerable in tropical climates, and when submerged in water,
(03:20):
the watches would often malfunction due to the moisture getting inside.
The watch around mercedes neck, though, was brand new. It
was named after a watertight shell, and its design was revolutionary.
For example, the crown on the side could be screwed
down to create a seal, and rather than use a
hinged back to hide the components, its front and back
(03:40):
panels were screwed into place. The result was a waterproof
and dustproof watch. After her swim, and after everyone saw
how her watch was still working perfectly when she got
out of the water, Mercedes Glites became its spokesperson. She
was featured in print advertisements describing the most rigorous stress
test any watch had ever undergone before ten hours in
(04:02):
the water, a testament to the engineering feat that was
this brand new watch. Lights didn't know it at the time,
but she not only cemented her own legacy as an
enduring name, but also one of the most famous watch
brands in the world. She helped take them from a
struggling to man operation all the way to a multibillion
dollar titan of luxury jewelry. Thanks to Mercedes Glights, a
(04:25):
new watch company was able to keep its head above water,
a company called Rolex. Animals have been used in war
since the beginning of time. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, famously
(04:49):
used war elephants as he crossed the Alps, conquering much
of Europe in the process. Though you wouldn't see them
in use today. Elephants were a common site on the battlefield.
They functioned much like today's tanks, plowing through scores of
soldiers and intimidating horses. The U. S. Army has also
utilized unusual animals in its military campaigns. During World War Two,
(05:10):
for example, napalm charges were strapped to thousands of bats
bound for Japan. Unfortunately, a few got loose and ended
up bombing an Air Force hanger, and that was the
end of the bat bomb idea. Dolphins have been trained
by the Navy to find underwater mines and interfere with
enemy divers. But perhaps the most unusual and ingenious use
of animals in the military came during the eighteen thirties.
(05:34):
As Americans migrated West, they quickly discovered how nefarious the
terrain was compared to the developed cities back in the East.
There were deserts and mountains to cross. The environment was
often too harsh for horses to navigate safely. But one man,
Lieutenant George Croftsman of the United States Army, wrote back
to Washington, d c. With an idea camels. Camels could
(05:57):
carry hundreds of pounds on their backs, and go for
tens of my els with very little food or water,
and unlike horses, they didn't need metal shoes to protect
their hoofs either. But Crossman's idea didn't pan out at first,
his superiors in Washington didn't see the benefit. However, years later,
after Crossman had achieved the rank of major, he spoke
to Major Henry Wayne of the Army's Quartermaster Department. Major
(06:19):
Wayne knew how useful camels could be as well. On
Crossman's suggestion, Wayne wrote to the War Department. His letter
found its way to the desk of Senator Jefferson Davis,
future President of the Confederate States and a major player
during the Civil War. It took several years, but in
eighteen fifty three, Davis was able to convince Congress to
approve funding for Wayne's camels. Thirty dollars were appropriated for
(06:42):
the project, and Wayne was sent to the Navy ship
the USS Supply to acquire them. He first traveled to London,
then Paris to speak with camel experts and zookeepers. He
needed to learn how to handle the animals once they
were on board the ship. From there, he traveled to
Tunisia for five months, Wayne and the supplies commander Lieutenant
David Porter, sailed to Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, purchasing camels
(07:06):
along the way. With thirty three camels in tow, they
traveled back to America in roughly three months. The ship
had to deal with choppy seas and heavy storms much
of the way, but on May fourteenth, the USS supply
docked in Texas, finally home. From there, the animals were
marched for almost two hundred miles to a camp much
(07:27):
like the ones Wayne had encountered in the Middle East.
Here he could train his camels to perform specific military duties.
He set a caravan of three wagons pulled by six
mules each to San Antonio. Along for the trip were
six of his camels. To measure against the mules their
mission bring a supply of oats back to the camp.
The wagons were only able to carry about eighteen hundred
(07:49):
pounds of oats back to the camp in five days.
The camels, however, could carry more than double that amounts
in half the time. The test was a success. Wayne
continued to put the animals through their paces and was
impressed over and over again with their ability to handle
the southwestern terrain. Meanwhile, Porter returned to Egypt for forty
one more camels, which he brought back at the end
(08:11):
of January eighteen fifty seven. However, a few months later,
newly elected President James Buchanan had Wayne moved back to
d c without him there to move the camel experiment along.
The animals remained dormant at the camp. Then the westward
expansion hit a major milestone. A railroad was commissioned by
Congress to build a more direct route between New Mexico
(08:33):
and California. Horses alone wouldn't be able to make it
that far, but luckily for California militiaman Edward Beale, there
was a whole corral full of camels just waiting for
their time to shine. Twenty camels joined forty four soldiers,
a dozen wagons, and almost a hundred dogs and mules
as they worked their way west. Each camel could tote
(08:54):
around seven hundred pounds without slowing down, often going over
rocks and sand that would bring the horses to a halt.
They ate very little and performed reliably, earning them a
potential position among the United States militaries other animal forces.
When a new road needed to be built. The camels
were there to carry materials and surveyors from site to site.
(09:15):
By the Civil War, however, the camel experiment had hit
a major roadblock. Some were captured by Confederate troops and
abused or even killed. Technology had also come a long
way in that time, and the camels were becoming less necessary. Eventually,
no one knew what to do with the remaining stock anymore,
so they were sold at auction, often to circuses or
(09:35):
private ranches. Kids attending the circus had never seen a
camel up close, and the animals drew large crowds for
a while. But when the crowd stopped coming, the owners
didn't sell them or donate them to local zoos. Instead,
they let them loose into the wild. For decades, these
camels roamed the deserts of California and New Mexico, the
last one reportedly passing away in April of nineteen thirty
(09:58):
four in Los Angeles. It was eighty years old. The U. S.
Army Camel Corps was a short lived idea with a
lot of potential and think All it really needed were
supporters who could see the bigger picture and help it
get over the final hump into mainstream use. I hope
(10:19):
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 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
(10:41):
you can learn all about it over at the World
of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales right
there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome
to the Cabinet of Curiosities. In seven, Mercedes was a
(00:30):
secretary with grand ambitions, Having been born to an English
mother and a German father. She was fluent in both
languages and leveraged them to personal success while working in Westminster.
But Mercedes wanted more. There was a great, big world
out there, much of it covered in blue, and that
was what she wanted to make her mark on. She
(00:50):
began swimming in the River Thames, building up her stamina
until she could swim for hours in the water. In
October of ninety seven, she became the first woman to
swim the English Channel. She had endured dense fog and
frigid water tempts, as well as the very real threat
of passing ships that couldn't see her. But she'd done it.
(01:11):
She'd set a world record. At least she thought she had,
until another woman came forward soon after, claiming that she
had been the first woman to swim the English Channel.
After an investigation, the other woman's claim had been debunked
as a hoax, but its presence had poured doubt on
mercedes own achievement. Through media pressure and a desire to
(01:32):
prove her efforts as authentic, she took to the water
once again fourteen days later. This time, however, she took
a long proof. Not only was she followed by her
trainer in a small boat, she also wore a small
watch around her neck to track her time in the water.
But there was a problem with this vindication swim. When
she had first crossed the channel, the water had been
(01:52):
roughly sixty degrees fahrenheit. This time, though, the water had
dropped by six degrees, and although it was only slightly
colder than before, it was enough of a change to
take the wind out of her sails. Mercedes began her
journey at a m By one pm, she was already
feeling the effects of the cold. Her senses had dulled
(02:12):
and she would fall asleep for seconds at a time.
Her trainer tried to keep her alert, but Mercedes found
herself in a constant loop of wakefulness followed by seconds
of sleep. After an hour and a half without any
real progress, her trainer lowered a ladder into the water,
Mercedes refused to give up. She swam away from the boat,
but her body knew that it was time to stop.
(02:33):
Just before three pm, she took hold of the ladder
and her trainer pulled her into the boat. She had
failed to swim the channel for a second time, but
her efforts had validated her first. No one questioned her
any longer. That said, the idea of a sports celebrity
at the time was pretty new. There were no wheaties,
boxes or sneaker endorsements yet, and come the next news cycle,
(02:56):
she'd be another forgotten name in history. There was the watch, though,
the one she had worn around her neck as she
attempted to cross the English Channel that second time. Now,
the watches at the time were made with hinged backs
so wearers and technicians could easily access the movements inside.
They were designed for function over form, but that left
them vulnerable in tropical climates, and when submerged in water,
(03:20):
the watches would often malfunction due to the moisture getting inside.
The watch around mercedes neck, though, was brand new. It
was named after a watertight shell, and its design was revolutionary.
For example, the crown on the side could be screwed
down to create a seal, and rather than use a
hinged back to hide the components, its front and back
(03:40):
panels were screwed into place. The result was a waterproof
and dustproof watch. After her swim, and after everyone saw
how her watch was still working perfectly when she got
out of the water, Mercedes Glites became its spokesperson. She
was featured in print advertisements describing the most rigorous stress
test any watch had ever undergone before ten hours in
(04:02):
the water, a testament to the engineering feat that was
this brand new watch. Lights didn't know it at the time,
but she not only cemented her own legacy as an
enduring name, but also one of the most famous watch
brands in the world. She helped take them from a
struggling to man operation all the way to a multibillion
dollar titan of luxury jewelry. Thanks to Mercedes Glights, a
(04:25):
new watch company was able to keep its head above water,
a company called Rolex. Animals have been used in war
since the beginning of time. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, famously
(04:49):
used war elephants as he crossed the Alps, conquering much
of Europe in the process. Though you wouldn't see them
in use today. Elephants were a common site on the battlefield.
They functioned much like today's tanks, plowing through scores of
soldiers and intimidating horses. The U. S. Army has also
utilized unusual animals in its military campaigns. During World War Two,
(05:10):
for example, napalm charges were strapped to thousands of bats
bound for Japan. Unfortunately, a few got loose and ended
up bombing an Air Force hanger, and that was the
end of the bat bomb idea. Dolphins have been trained
by the Navy to find underwater mines and interfere with
enemy divers. But perhaps the most unusual and ingenious use
of animals in the military came during the eighteen thirties.
(05:34):
As Americans migrated West, they quickly discovered how nefarious the
terrain was compared to the developed cities back in the East.
There were deserts and mountains to cross. The environment was
often too harsh for horses to navigate safely. But one man,
Lieutenant George Croftsman of the United States Army, wrote back
to Washington, d c. With an idea camels. Camels could
(05:57):
carry hundreds of pounds on their backs, and go for
tens of my els with very little food or water,
and unlike horses, they didn't need metal shoes to protect
their hoofs either. But Crossman's idea didn't pan out at first,
his superiors in Washington didn't see the benefit. However, years later,
after Crossman had achieved the rank of major, he spoke
to Major Henry Wayne of the Army's Quartermaster Department. Major
(06:19):
Wayne knew how useful camels could be as well. On
Crossman's suggestion, Wayne wrote to the War Department. His letter
found its way to the desk of Senator Jefferson Davis,
future President of the Confederate States and a major player
during the Civil War. It took several years, but in
eighteen fifty three, Davis was able to convince Congress to
approve funding for Wayne's camels. Thirty dollars were appropriated for
(06:42):
the project, and Wayne was sent to the Navy ship
the USS Supply to acquire them. He first traveled to London,
then Paris to speak with camel experts and zookeepers. He
needed to learn how to handle the animals once they
were on board the ship. From there, he traveled to
Tunisia for five months, Wayne and the supplies commander Lieutenant
David Porter, sailed to Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, purchasing camels
(07:06):
along the way. With thirty three camels in tow, they
traveled back to America in roughly three months. The ship
had to deal with choppy seas and heavy storms much
of the way, but on May fourteenth, the USS supply
docked in Texas, finally home. From there, the animals were
marched for almost two hundred miles to a camp much
(07:27):
like the ones Wayne had encountered in the Middle East.
Here he could train his camels to perform specific military duties.
He set a caravan of three wagons pulled by six
mules each to San Antonio. Along for the trip were
six of his camels. To measure against the mules their
mission bring a supply of oats back to the camp.
The wagons were only able to carry about eighteen hundred
(07:49):
pounds of oats back to the camp in five days.
The camels, however, could carry more than double that amounts
in half the time. The test was a success. Wayne
continued to put the animals through their paces and was
impressed over and over again with their ability to handle
the southwestern terrain. Meanwhile, Porter returned to Egypt for forty
one more camels, which he brought back at the end
(08:11):
of January eighteen fifty seven. However, a few months later,
newly elected President James Buchanan had Wayne moved back to
d c without him there to move the camel experiment along.
The animals remained dormant at the camp. Then the westward
expansion hit a major milestone. A railroad was commissioned by
Congress to build a more direct route between New Mexico
(08:33):
and California. Horses alone wouldn't be able to make it
that far, but luckily for California militiaman Edward Beale, there
was a whole corral full of camels just waiting for
their time to shine. Twenty camels joined forty four soldiers,
a dozen wagons, and almost a hundred dogs and mules
as they worked their way west. Each camel could tote
(08:54):
around seven hundred pounds without slowing down, often going over
rocks and sand that would bring the horses to a halt.
They ate very little and performed reliably, earning them a
potential position among the United States militaries other animal forces.
When a new road needed to be built. The camels
were there to carry materials and surveyors from site to site.
(09:15):
By the Civil War, however, the camel experiment had hit
a major roadblock. Some were captured by Confederate troops and
abused or even killed. Technology had also come a long
way in that time, and the camels were becoming less necessary. Eventually,
no one knew what to do with the remaining stock anymore,
so they were sold at auction, often to circuses or
(09:35):
private ranches. Kids attending the circus had never seen a
camel up close, and the animals drew large crowds for
a while. But when the crowd stopped coming, the owners
didn't sell them or donate them to local zoos. Instead,
they let them loose into the wild. For decades, these
camels roamed the deserts of California and New Mexico, the
last one reportedly passing away in April of nineteen thirty
(09:58):
four in Los Angeles. It was eighty years old. The U. S.
Army Camel Corps was a short lived idea with a
lot of potential and think All it really needed were
supporters who could see the bigger picture and help it
get over the final hump into mainstream use. I hope
(10:19):
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 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
(10:41):
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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