September 15, 2026 • 10 mins
Two legendary topics, each with their own tales to tell. Get ready for a curious journey.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
iHeartRadio and Grim & Mild.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
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 of Curiosities. Train travel has always
(00:37):
carried with it an air of romance and adventure. The
mention recalls stories of Wild West heists and far-flung excursions
into the unknown. But there are few trains that have
captured the imagination of the world quite like the Orient Express.
Since it first departed from Paris' Gare de l'Est on
June 5th of 1883, this legendary railway service has been
(01:01):
synonymous with luxury, intrigue, and perhaps a little touch of murder.
The Orient Express was the brainchild of Belgian engineer and
entrepreneur George Nagelmachers, who had recently visited the United States
and experienced the Pullman sleeping cars firsthand. Impressed by the concept,
Nagelmachers saw the opportunity to bring the concept of luxury
(01:23):
train travel to Europe. And on that October afternoon in 1883,
a crowd of political figures, journalists, and writers gathered to
watch the first train depart Paris for Constantinople. now Istanbul.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The maiden voyage carried 40 passengers, taking them on a
journey across Europe through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest.
Newspapers dubbed it the Orient Express, although Istanbul was hardly
considered the Orient, even by 1883 standards. But Nagelmachers embraced
the name, seeing the draw in its exoticism. Over the
(02:00):
following decades, the Orient Express earned another nickname, the King
of Trains and the Train of Kings. Its passengers included
an impressive selection of 20th century luminaries from high society
and underworld alike. Kings and thieves, millionaires and refugees, businessmen
and smugglers, all rode its rails, making deals across sumptuous
(02:24):
meals in the dining car. Spies and diplomats rode side
by side, shaping the world as they traveled. The original
route of the Orient Express would operate from 1883 all
the way to 1914 when it was halted with the
start of the First World War, but it continued service
at the war's end in 1919 and was only halted
(02:46):
again for the Second World War. The train operated to
some extent after that, all the way until 2009 when
its services were finally retired. The train's aura of mystery
is inevitably attracted the attention of artists of all stripes.
The most famous literary association, of course, belongs to one
Agatha Christie. You see, in 1929, the Orient Express became
(03:09):
trapped by a blizzard outside of Turkescu in Turkey, and
it remained in place, surrounded by deep snowdrifts, for six days,
marooning all of the people inside and lighting the famed
mystery author's brain alight with what would become her most
successful novel. That 1934 novel was titled Murder on the
Orient Express. Christie drew on her real-life experience and current events,
(03:33):
using the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby
to weave a tale of a kidnapped child, a dangerous fugitive,
and an unlikely murder plot. And in the story, her
iconic detective, Hercule Poirot, boards the train in Syria bound
for London only to find himself investigating the stabbing of
an American passenger and when the train becomes stuck in
(03:55):
a snowdrift. The novel's ingenious resolution made it one of
the most celebrated detective stories ever written, with film and
television adaptations continuing even today. Christie's novel would even make
the Orient Express a household name. And today, that very
name lives on through the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. This service
(04:16):
uses meticulously restored carriages from the 1920s and 30s, many
of which carry remarkable histories of their own. For instance,
Sleeping Car 3309, which was one of the cars famously
marooned on that fateful snowy train ride that Christie herself rode.
These days, though, travelers can book journeys aboard the elite
train with its most popular route running between Paris and Venice. Now,
(04:40):
it'll cost you. Basic rates per individual for the overnight
trip start at around $ 5, 000 per person for a cabin
on one of its cars. And if you want to
take the original route, that's going to cost you even more.
To get from Paris to Istanbul, again, once Constantinople, fares
start at a whopping $ 25, 000 per rider. Unlike its original service,
(05:02):
these prices make the storied train out of reach for
all but the wealthiest patrons. While the original Orient Express
of Nagelmacher's era may be gone, its legacy endures, not
only in the restored original carriages once again crossing Europe,
but in the pages of Christie's fiction and its adaptations,
and also the enduring romantic idea that a train journey
(05:24):
can be more than a matter of getting from one
place to another. It can also be an adventure worthy
of legend. It's one of the most iconic parts of
(05:51):
the Olympic Games, a relay race that takes the flame
across the host country to the city where the Games
will take place. In 1956, that host city was Melbourne
in Australia, and the Torch's route was planned to start
along the eastern coast of Australia, through Sydney and into Melbourne.
It was the first Summer Olympics hosted in the Southern Hemisphere,
(06:14):
and thus it would be held during Australian Summer, which
starts in November. Almost immediately, the torch relay ran into problems.
Torrential rains delayed the runners, and when they weren't stopping
to stay dry, they were slowed by the overwhelming heat
of Australia. Now, the torch was scheduled to reach Sydney
by November 18th, where a massive crowd would gather to
(06:36):
meet cross-country runner Harry Dillon. The mayor of Sydney, Pat Hills,
would take the torch from Dillon, say a few prepared marks,
and then pass it off to the next runner. But
when the morning of the 18th arrived, Mayor Hills was
caught unawares. Someone ran to fetch him, informing him that
the runner had arrived early. Hills hurried to the podium
where he saw the crowd bearing down on him because
(06:58):
they had gathered around the runner as he entered the city,
escorting him to the podium. But the runner wasn't Harry Dillon.
At least Hills didn't think so. He wore slacks and
a button-down shirt. He even had a tie on, a
bizarre uniform for a cross-country runner. But he was so
flustered by the sudden arrival... that he accepted the torch
(07:18):
immediately and then turned to face the enormous crowd. Around
300,000 people had gathered in Sydney to witness the torch handoff,
and as the mayor started to speak, something didn't feel
quite right, and then someone whispered in his ear, that's
not the Olympic torch. Hills paused to look at the
torch that he had received from the runner. It was
(07:41):
a chair leg that had been painted silver with an
upturned pudding tin on the top, The silver paint was
already rubbing off on his fingers. The flame burned bright,
but from a charred wad of underwear that had been
soaked in kerosene. Quickly realizing what had happened, he looked
for the culprit, but that person had long since vanished.
And then he turned to the crowd, which was growing agitated,
(08:03):
to shrug off the incident. And he said,' That was
a trial run. Our friends from the university think things
like this are funny. It was a hoax by somebody.
I hope you are enjoying the joke.' The crowd of people, again,
300,000 strong, did not immediately grasp what had happened. Restlessness
surged through the square, and the crowd broke up and dissolved,
(08:26):
some people going back to their lives, while others going
out to find what had happened. Police had to descend
into the crowd to try and preserve the original marathon
path and allow the actual runner to enter. Meanwhile, the
culprit was already on his way back to Sydney University,
and there he was applauded by his peers and his professors.
He was a veterinary student named Barry Larkin. Along with
(08:48):
a group of seven fellow students, they had planned the
prank as a sort of protest to undermine the pomp
and circumstance of the torch relay, since it was a
tradition invented for the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. The
students had felt that it was about time someone made
fun of it for a change. Larkin hadn't originally planned
(09:08):
to even run, hence why he was dressed in slacks
and a tie rather than shorts. His classmates, who were
originally planning to do his leg of the run, hadn't
turned up in time, forcing the group to improvise. But thankfully,
there is a picture of that strange moment. Just one, though,
of a young man, tie-flapping in the wind, running with
a makeshift Olympic flame. It was a prank almost as
(09:31):
legendary as the Olympics themselves, one that has yet to
be surpassed in any Olympic Games. Which presents us with
a very curious question. Who will be the next person
to take up that torch? I hope you enjoyed today's
guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was
(09:51):
created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts,
researched and written by the Grim & Mild team, and
produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and
the people who make it over at grimandmild.com slash curiosities.
You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of
Curiosity's hardcover book, available in bookstores and online, as well
(10:12):
as e-book and audiobooks. And if you're looking for an
ad-free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories,
but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn
more and sign up over at patreon.com slash grim and mild.
And until next time, stay curious.
Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
iHeartRadio and Grim & Mild.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
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 of Curiosities. Train travel has always
(00:37):
carried with it an air of romance and adventure. The
mention recalls stories of Wild West heists and far-flung excursions
into the unknown. But there are few trains that have
captured the imagination of the world quite like the Orient Express.
Since it first departed from Paris' Gare de l'Est on
June 5th of 1883, this legendary railway service has been
(01:01):
synonymous with luxury, intrigue, and perhaps a little touch of murder.
The Orient Express was the brainchild of Belgian engineer and
entrepreneur George Nagelmachers, who had recently visited the United States
and experienced the Pullman sleeping cars firsthand. Impressed by the concept,
Nagelmachers saw the opportunity to bring the concept of luxury
(01:23):
train travel to Europe. And on that October afternoon in 1883,
a crowd of political figures, journalists, and writers gathered to
watch the first train depart Paris for Constantinople. now Istanbul.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
The maiden voyage carried 40 passengers, taking them on a
journey across Europe through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest.
Newspapers dubbed it the Orient Express, although Istanbul was hardly
considered the Orient, even by 1883 standards. But Nagelmachers embraced
the name, seeing the draw in its exoticism. Over the
(02:00):
following decades, the Orient Express earned another nickname, the King
of Trains and the Train of Kings. Its passengers included
an impressive selection of 20th century luminaries from high society
and underworld alike. Kings and thieves, millionaires and refugees, businessmen
and smugglers, all rode its rails, making deals across sumptuous
(02:24):
meals in the dining car. Spies and diplomats rode side
by side, shaping the world as they traveled. The original
route of the Orient Express would operate from 1883 all
the way to 1914 when it was halted with the
start of the First World War, but it continued service
at the war's end in 1919 and was only halted
(02:46):
again for the Second World War. The train operated to
some extent after that, all the way until 2009 when
its services were finally retired. The train's aura of mystery
is inevitably attracted the attention of artists of all stripes.
The most famous literary association, of course, belongs to one
Agatha Christie. You see, in 1929, the Orient Express became
(03:09):
trapped by a blizzard outside of Turkescu in Turkey, and
it remained in place, surrounded by deep snowdrifts, for six days,
marooning all of the people inside and lighting the famed
mystery author's brain alight with what would become her most
successful novel. That 1934 novel was titled Murder on the
Orient Express. Christie drew on her real-life experience and current events,
(03:33):
using the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby
to weave a tale of a kidnapped child, a dangerous fugitive,
and an unlikely murder plot. And in the story, her
iconic detective, Hercule Poirot, boards the train in Syria bound
for London only to find himself investigating the stabbing of
an American passenger and when the train becomes stuck in
(03:55):
a snowdrift. The novel's ingenious resolution made it one of
the most celebrated detective stories ever written, with film and
television adaptations continuing even today. Christie's novel would even make
the Orient Express a household name. And today, that very
name lives on through the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. This service
(04:16):
uses meticulously restored carriages from the 1920s and 30s, many
of which carry remarkable histories of their own. For instance,
Sleeping Car 3309, which was one of the cars famously
marooned on that fateful snowy train ride that Christie herself rode.
These days, though, travelers can book journeys aboard the elite
train with its most popular route running between Paris and Venice. Now,
(04:40):
it'll cost you. Basic rates per individual for the overnight
trip start at around $ 5, 000 per person for a cabin
on one of its cars. And if you want to
take the original route, that's going to cost you even more.
To get from Paris to Istanbul, again, once Constantinople, fares
start at a whopping $ 25, 000 per rider. Unlike its original service,
(05:02):
these prices make the storied train out of reach for
all but the wealthiest patrons. While the original Orient Express
of Nagelmacher's era may be gone, its legacy endures, not
only in the restored original carriages once again crossing Europe,
but in the pages of Christie's fiction and its adaptations,
and also the enduring romantic idea that a train journey
(05:24):
can be more than a matter of getting from one
place to another. It can also be an adventure worthy
of legend. It's one of the most iconic parts of
(05:51):
the Olympic Games, a relay race that takes the flame
across the host country to the city where the Games
will take place. In 1956, that host city was Melbourne
in Australia, and the Torch's route was planned to start
along the eastern coast of Australia, through Sydney and into Melbourne.
It was the first Summer Olympics hosted in the Southern Hemisphere,
(06:14):
and thus it would be held during Australian Summer, which
starts in November. Almost immediately, the torch relay ran into problems.
Torrential rains delayed the runners, and when they weren't stopping
to stay dry, they were slowed by the overwhelming heat
of Australia. Now, the torch was scheduled to reach Sydney
by November 18th, where a massive crowd would gather to
(06:36):
meet cross-country runner Harry Dillon. The mayor of Sydney, Pat Hills,
would take the torch from Dillon, say a few prepared marks,
and then pass it off to the next runner. But
when the morning of the 18th arrived, Mayor Hills was
caught unawares. Someone ran to fetch him, informing him that
the runner had arrived early. Hills hurried to the podium
where he saw the crowd bearing down on him because
(06:58):
they had gathered around the runner as he entered the city,
escorting him to the podium. But the runner wasn't Harry Dillon.
At least Hills didn't think so. He wore slacks and
a button-down shirt. He even had a tie on, a
bizarre uniform for a cross-country runner. But he was so
flustered by the sudden arrival... that he accepted the torch
(07:18):
immediately and then turned to face the enormous crowd. Around
300,000 people had gathered in Sydney to witness the torch handoff,
and as the mayor started to speak, something didn't feel
quite right, and then someone whispered in his ear, that's
not the Olympic torch. Hills paused to look at the
torch that he had received from the runner. It was
(07:41):
a chair leg that had been painted silver with an
upturned pudding tin on the top, The silver paint was
already rubbing off on his fingers. The flame burned bright,
but from a charred wad of underwear that had been
soaked in kerosene. Quickly realizing what had happened, he looked
for the culprit, but that person had long since vanished.
And then he turned to the crowd, which was growing agitated,
(08:03):
to shrug off the incident. And he said,' That was
a trial run. Our friends from the university think things
like this are funny. It was a hoax by somebody.
I hope you are enjoying the joke.' The crowd of people, again,
300,000 strong, did not immediately grasp what had happened. Restlessness
surged through the square, and the crowd broke up and dissolved,
(08:26):
some people going back to their lives, while others going
out to find what had happened. Police had to descend
into the crowd to try and preserve the original marathon
path and allow the actual runner to enter. Meanwhile, the
culprit was already on his way back to Sydney University,
and there he was applauded by his peers and his professors.
He was a veterinary student named Barry Larkin. Along with
(08:48):
a group of seven fellow students, they had planned the
prank as a sort of protest to undermine the pomp
and circumstance of the torch relay, since it was a
tradition invented for the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. The
students had felt that it was about time someone made
fun of it for a change. Larkin hadn't originally planned
(09:08):
to even run, hence why he was dressed in slacks
and a tie rather than shorts. His classmates, who were
originally planning to do his leg of the run, hadn't
turned up in time, forcing the group to improvise. But thankfully,
there is a picture of that strange moment. Just one, though,
of a young man, tie-flapping in the wind, running with
a makeshift Olympic flame. It was a prank almost as
(09:31):
legendary as the Olympics themselves, one that has yet to
be surpassed in any Olympic Games. Which presents us with
a very curious question. Who will be the next person
to take up that torch? I hope you enjoyed today's
guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was
(09:51):
created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts,
researched and written by the Grim & Mild team, and
produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and
the people who make it over at grimandmild.com slash curiosities.
You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of
Curiosity's hardcover book, available in bookstores and online, as well
(10:12):
as e-book and audiobooks. And if you're looking for an
ad-free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories,
but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn
more and sign up over at patreon.com slash grim and mild.
And until next time, stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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