April 16, 2024 • 10 mins
Right beneath our feet, amazing curiosities are just waiting to be uncovered.
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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 Grimm 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 of Curiosities.
(00:36):
Have you ever wondered who lived in your home before
you did, or what the land was used for before
your home was built there. Most of the time the
answer is nothing unusual. Before you and your family, there
was another family, or before someone built the house, there
was probably empty land, or farmland or an orchard. Sometimes
there are more shocking stories, though, like people finding artifacts
(00:57):
in their cellar walls or a burial ground discovered in
their backyard. It makes you think you never really know
the story of the space you occupy, who was there,
or what they did. But in the early nineties, some
waterside communities in Virginia and Maryland got an answer to
this question that they never expected. It started in nineteen
eighty nine when a fleet of trucks rolled onto the
(01:19):
Culvert Peninsula on Virginia's eastern shore. The peninsula juts into
Chesapeake Bay, which is a pretty elaborate body of water.
Its inlets reach into the land like vanes. The shorelines
looked like crackling ice on a window. It makes a
lot of people wonder how the bay got that way,
But the people in these trucks weren't thinking about that.
You see, these were seismic survey trucks owned by oil
(01:40):
company Texico. The workers were sending sound waves into the
ground in hopes of finding petroleum. Two other men happened
to be strolling the peninsula that day, and when they
saw the trucks and the crew, they approached them and
asked what they were doing. The Texico workers told them,
but they wouldn't say anything about their findings. But these
two men weren't just curious onlookers. They had a hunch
(02:01):
that the oil workers might have gotten their hands on
precious data. That's because these men were employees of the
US Geological Survey. One of them was named doctor David Powers,
and he knew that he needed to get his hands
on the Texico findings. It took him four years to
get the data, and it was worth the weight. You see.
Texico didn't know it, but their survey proved something that
powers long suspected. An enormous, ancient pile of geological rubble
(02:26):
sat at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay. Now, to understand
what's so important about this pile of rubble, we need
to dive a little deeper into the shape of the bay.
To start. Let's compare the rivers on the Chesapeake to
others on the East Coast. Other rivers curved gently into
the Atlantic Ocean, but the James, the York, and the
Rappahannock have sudden bends at angles. Plus, the Chesapeake region
(02:47):
is dotted with groundwater aquifers, which are basically water bearing rocks.
These facts alone stumped geologists for decades, but a discovery
made in nineteen eighty three gave them a huge hint.
A couple hundred miles off the coast of New Jersey,
deep sea drillers excavated a slab of molten glass that
was ten centimeters thick. This glass wasn't just some litter
(03:08):
that had found its way to the ocean floor from
Atlantic City. It was a special kind of glass. It
could only have been formed under serious heat and pressure.
The scientists who found it knew that it was evidence
of an asteroid impact. Further studies showed that the material
was thirty five million years old. Identical materials had previously
been found in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
(03:29):
This means that all those years ago, a single asteroid
crashed into the Earth and rained debris hundreds of miles
in every direction. And this brings us back to the
rubble that texacoat uncovered, the one that doctor Powers knew
was a huge discovery. Once he had his hands on
the Texaco records, Powers contacted a US Geological Survey colleague
(03:50):
who was studying an underwater crater further north, and this
colleague confirmed that Powers was indeed looking at an asteroid impact.
Powers published his finding, and Chesapeake locals and researchers had
an explanation for the bay's spindly shape. However, not everyone
in the scientific community was sold on powers research, so
(04:10):
he returned to the bay and collected samples of the rubble.
His samples matched the ones found in New Jersey a
few years prior, and this was enough to convince the skeptics.
The massive impact changed the geology in a matter of seconds.
Sediment deposits cracked the shorelines and thirty five million years later,
boaters and crabbers have seemingly endless inlets and islands to explore.
(04:32):
And not only that, but the debris that went flying
created a link between the Chesapeake and other regions, states,
and countries. Before humans even walked the earth, an object
crashed down and gave us all something in common. We
(05:00):
talk a lot on this show about what the past
can teach us about our present day lives. We learned
about how our ancestors prevailed and how they might have failed.
Today's story exists within blurred lines. It raises more questions
than answers, and the realities it poses force us to
take a cold, hard look at what it means to
be human, what it means to sacrifice and to suffer.
(05:22):
But don't worry. This story is also filled with the
mysteries of science and the natural world. As disturbing as
it might be, there's also plenty to make you feel
lucky to be alive at this time. So let's begin.
Imagine a scene, a serene landscape, cloaked and mist with
the faint echoes of history whispering through the air. It's here,
amidst the tranquil beauty of the bog that our taiale unfolds.
(05:45):
As a couple wanders along a secluded path, their eyes
are drawn to a curious shape protruding from the earth.
They approach cautiously, unsure of what they might find, and
what they discover are the perfectly preserved remains of a
human body, a man lying in repose amidst the peat.
His skin and clothes are entirely browned, as if he
were a sculpture in bronze, but it's clear to the
(06:08):
couple that this was a living person. The stubble on
his chin is still visible, perhaps almost shockingly as well,
the couple can see a rope still tied around the
man's neck. Bewildered, they alert the authorities, setting in motion
a chain of events that will unravel the mysteries of
the bog enter our intrepid investigators tasked with unraveling the
(06:28):
secrets of these remains. This might sound like a typical
murder investigation, but there is a twist. This body is
believed to be thousands of years old. The remains the
couple found are something known as a bog body. For centuries,
these enigmatic figures have captured the imagination of historians and
archaeologists alike. Preserved by the bog's natural gases, these ancient
(06:49):
remains offer a glimpse into the lives and deaths of
our distant ancestors. The body in question is one of
the most famous bog bodies ever. He's come to be
known as the Toland Man, named after the bog where
he was discovered in nineteen fifty. Toland Man is one
of the most famous bog bodies ever found. Radiocarbon dating
places his death during the Iron Age, but who he
(07:10):
was or how he came to rest in the depths
of the bog are a mystery. Using advanced imaging technology,
the investigators peered inside tolan Man's body, examining his internal
organs with a level of detail that would have been
unimaginable to our ancient ancestors. What they discovered is evidence
of tolan Man's robust health and vitality despite the harsh
(07:32):
conditions of his time. Researchers believe that tolan Man hailed
from a nearby village where he lived as a member
of a small farming community. One prevailing theory surrounding his
death is that he was a sacrificial victim offered up
to the gods in a ritualistic ceremony. The manner of
his death supports this theory too. He was found with
a rope tightly wound around his neck, indicating that he
(07:54):
had been hanged. Some experts believe that tolan Man may
have been a willing participant in his own demise, perhaps
offering himself up in times of hardship or crisis. Others
suggest that he may have been chosen to atone for
the sins of his community. It's possible he was even
chosen when he was a child and lived his life
knowing what his ultimate fate would be. Peter Glob, a
(08:17):
Danish archaeology professor and author of the book called The
Bog People, thinks that tolan Man and many others likely
met their fate as sacrifices to Nerthus the Earth Mother,
in hopes of securing a bountiful harvest. Glob explains that
images of the goddess show her decorated in neck rings
and a headband. He compares those accessories to the rope
(08:37):
found around tolan Man's neck and similar ones on other
bog bodies. Based on the placement of the rope, Glob
confirms that tolan Man was probably hanged. Investigators also found
that the contents of tolan Man's stomach at the time
of his death consisted of winter foods like barley, indicating
that it was winter when he died. Glob notes that
tolan Man's contemporaries probably wanting to hasten the spring season.
(09:01):
There's a lot that we still don't know about tolin
Man and bog people in general. For now, his body
is on display at the Silkborg Museum, where thousands of
people from all over the world come to see him.
The museum's director said that people tend to have a
strong emotional reaction to him, and some even faint. Tolan
Man lived and died in a time and place far
(09:22):
removed from that of our own, yet his legacy lives on.
His tail is but one of many buried beneath the
Earth's surface, waiting to be uncovered. 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
(09:44):
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 you can
learn all about it over at Theworldoflore dot com. And
until next time, stay curious.
Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
iHeartRadio and Grimm 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 of Curiosities.
(00:36):
Have you ever wondered who lived in your home before
you did, or what the land was used for before
your home was built there. Most of the time the
answer is nothing unusual. Before you and your family, there
was another family, or before someone built the house, there
was probably empty land, or farmland or an orchard. Sometimes
there are more shocking stories, though, like people finding artifacts
(00:57):
in their cellar walls or a burial ground discovered in
their backyard. It makes you think you never really know
the story of the space you occupy, who was there,
or what they did. But in the early nineties, some
waterside communities in Virginia and Maryland got an answer to
this question that they never expected. It started in nineteen
eighty nine when a fleet of trucks rolled onto the
(01:19):
Culvert Peninsula on Virginia's eastern shore. The peninsula juts into
Chesapeake Bay, which is a pretty elaborate body of water.
Its inlets reach into the land like vanes. The shorelines
looked like crackling ice on a window. It makes a
lot of people wonder how the bay got that way,
But the people in these trucks weren't thinking about that.
You see, these were seismic survey trucks owned by oil
(01:40):
company Texico. The workers were sending sound waves into the
ground in hopes of finding petroleum. Two other men happened
to be strolling the peninsula that day, and when they
saw the trucks and the crew, they approached them and
asked what they were doing. The Texico workers told them,
but they wouldn't say anything about their findings. But these
two men weren't just curious onlookers. They had a hunch
(02:01):
that the oil workers might have gotten their hands on
precious data. That's because these men were employees of the
US Geological Survey. One of them was named doctor David Powers,
and he knew that he needed to get his hands
on the Texico findings. It took him four years to
get the data, and it was worth the weight. You see.
Texico didn't know it, but their survey proved something that
powers long suspected. An enormous, ancient pile of geological rubble
(02:26):
sat at the bottom of Chesapeake Bay. Now, to understand
what's so important about this pile of rubble, we need
to dive a little deeper into the shape of the bay.
To start. Let's compare the rivers on the Chesapeake to
others on the East Coast. Other rivers curved gently into
the Atlantic Ocean, but the James, the York, and the
Rappahannock have sudden bends at angles. Plus, the Chesapeake region
(02:47):
is dotted with groundwater aquifers, which are basically water bearing rocks.
These facts alone stumped geologists for decades, but a discovery
made in nineteen eighty three gave them a huge hint.
A couple hundred miles off the coast of New Jersey,
deep sea drillers excavated a slab of molten glass that
was ten centimeters thick. This glass wasn't just some litter
(03:08):
that had found its way to the ocean floor from
Atlantic City. It was a special kind of glass. It
could only have been formed under serious heat and pressure.
The scientists who found it knew that it was evidence
of an asteroid impact. Further studies showed that the material
was thirty five million years old. Identical materials had previously
been found in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
(03:29):
This means that all those years ago, a single asteroid
crashed into the Earth and rained debris hundreds of miles
in every direction. And this brings us back to the
rubble that texacoat uncovered, the one that doctor Powers knew
was a huge discovery. Once he had his hands on
the Texaco records, Powers contacted a US Geological Survey colleague
(03:50):
who was studying an underwater crater further north, and this
colleague confirmed that Powers was indeed looking at an asteroid impact.
Powers published his finding, and Chesapeake locals and researchers had
an explanation for the bay's spindly shape. However, not everyone
in the scientific community was sold on powers research, so
(04:10):
he returned to the bay and collected samples of the rubble.
His samples matched the ones found in New Jersey a
few years prior, and this was enough to convince the skeptics.
The massive impact changed the geology in a matter of seconds.
Sediment deposits cracked the shorelines and thirty five million years later,
boaters and crabbers have seemingly endless inlets and islands to explore.
(04:32):
And not only that, but the debris that went flying
created a link between the Chesapeake and other regions, states,
and countries. Before humans even walked the earth, an object
crashed down and gave us all something in common. We
(05:00):
talk a lot on this show about what the past
can teach us about our present day lives. We learned
about how our ancestors prevailed and how they might have failed.
Today's story exists within blurred lines. It raises more questions
than answers, and the realities it poses force us to
take a cold, hard look at what it means to
be human, what it means to sacrifice and to suffer.
(05:22):
But don't worry. This story is also filled with the
mysteries of science and the natural world. As disturbing as
it might be, there's also plenty to make you feel
lucky to be alive at this time. So let's begin.
Imagine a scene, a serene landscape, cloaked and mist with
the faint echoes of history whispering through the air. It's here,
amidst the tranquil beauty of the bog that our taiale unfolds.
(05:45):
As a couple wanders along a secluded path, their eyes
are drawn to a curious shape protruding from the earth.
They approach cautiously, unsure of what they might find, and
what they discover are the perfectly preserved remains of a
human body, a man lying in repose amidst the peat.
His skin and clothes are entirely browned, as if he
were a sculpture in bronze, but it's clear to the
(06:08):
couple that this was a living person. The stubble on
his chin is still visible, perhaps almost shockingly as well,
the couple can see a rope still tied around the
man's neck. Bewildered, they alert the authorities, setting in motion
a chain of events that will unravel the mysteries of
the bog enter our intrepid investigators tasked with unraveling the
(06:28):
secrets of these remains. This might sound like a typical
murder investigation, but there is a twist. This body is
believed to be thousands of years old. The remains the
couple found are something known as a bog body. For centuries,
these enigmatic figures have captured the imagination of historians and
archaeologists alike. Preserved by the bog's natural gases, these ancient
(06:49):
remains offer a glimpse into the lives and deaths of
our distant ancestors. The body in question is one of
the most famous bog bodies ever. He's come to be
known as the Toland Man, named after the bog where
he was discovered in nineteen fifty. Toland Man is one
of the most famous bog bodies ever found. Radiocarbon dating
places his death during the Iron Age, but who he
(07:10):
was or how he came to rest in the depths
of the bog are a mystery. Using advanced imaging technology,
the investigators peered inside tolan Man's body, examining his internal
organs with a level of detail that would have been
unimaginable to our ancient ancestors. What they discovered is evidence
of tolan Man's robust health and vitality despite the harsh
(07:32):
conditions of his time. Researchers believe that tolan Man hailed
from a nearby village where he lived as a member
of a small farming community. One prevailing theory surrounding his
death is that he was a sacrificial victim offered up
to the gods in a ritualistic ceremony. The manner of
his death supports this theory too. He was found with
a rope tightly wound around his neck, indicating that he
(07:54):
had been hanged. Some experts believe that tolan Man may
have been a willing participant in his own demise, perhaps
offering himself up in times of hardship or crisis. Others
suggest that he may have been chosen to atone for
the sins of his community. It's possible he was even
chosen when he was a child and lived his life
knowing what his ultimate fate would be. Peter Glob, a
(08:17):
Danish archaeology professor and author of the book called The
Bog People, thinks that tolan Man and many others likely
met their fate as sacrifices to Nerthus the Earth Mother,
in hopes of securing a bountiful harvest. Glob explains that
images of the goddess show her decorated in neck rings
and a headband. He compares those accessories to the rope
(08:37):
found around tolan Man's neck and similar ones on other
bog bodies. Based on the placement of the rope, Glob
confirms that tolan Man was probably hanged. Investigators also found
that the contents of tolan Man's stomach at the time
of his death consisted of winter foods like barley, indicating
that it was winter when he died. Glob notes that
tolan Man's contemporaries probably wanting to hasten the spring season.
(09:01):
There's a lot that we still don't know about tolin
Man and bog people in general. For now, his body
is on display at the Silkborg Museum, where thousands of
people from all over the world come to see him.
The museum's director said that people tend to have a
strong emotional reaction to him, and some even faint. Tolan
Man lived and died in a time and place far
(09:22):
removed from that of our own, yet his legacy lives on.
His tail is but one of many buried beneath the
Earth's surface, waiting to be uncovered. 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
(09:44):
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 you can
learn all about it over at Theworldoflore dot com. And
until next time, stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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