September 17, 2024 • 8 mins
Whether on land or sea, there are always curious tales hidden in the corners of history.
Pre-order the official Cabinet of Curiosities book by clicking here today, and get ready to enjoy some curious reading this November!
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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):
To succeed in life, a person must never rely on
only one perspective. It's important to view problems from all
sides and see every angle. That might mean getting a
second opinion or imagining yourself in someone else's shoes, And
for one group of French shepherds, those shoes were pretty
darn big. Along the southwestern coast of France is the
(00:57):
Lawn region, just below Bordeaux, out on the Bay of Biscay,
and is covered in a lush forest of maritime pine trees.
But land didn't always look this way. In fact, more
than a century ago it wasn't nearly as verdant and
full of life. It was maintained as a feeding ground
for the one million sheep in the area. Locals would
burn parts of the land to keep it suitable for
(01:19):
the sheep to graze, leaving it soft, flat and marsh covered.
It was almost impossible to get around on foot, and
there were no proper roads on which to drive, so instead,
shepherds found another way to navigate the uneven terrain. They
walked around on stilts. These were five foot tall leg
extensions that were fastened to the shepherd's legs so they
could walk above the flocks without sinking into the soil.
(01:42):
A long staff was used to keep them from falling
over and to direct the sheep where they needed to go.
Those who lived in land during the nineteenth century learned
how to walk on these stilts as children. They could
do everything in them too, including running and jumping, as
though they weren't wearing anything at all, and there was
perhaps no greater proof of their dexterity than a land
stilt walker named Sylvain Dornan. Dornan was from Sahl and
(02:06):
had no connection to the stilt walkers of Lan. His
father had actually made a living harvesting resin from pine trees,
but Sylvain became a baker. But after moving to Arkaschon
and seeing the flock of tourists visiting the city, the
young Dornan got an idea he would go out in public,
surrounded by crowds, and show off his moves in a
pair of stilts. He would dance and perform for passers by,
(02:28):
who would tip him for the entertainment, and his notoriety
even earned him an invitation to climb up to the
second level of a brand new building in Paris, one
called the Eiffel Tower while wearing his stilts, which he
did with a wild boar by his side. But Dornan
wanted to take things even further. He'd always been fascinated
by the stories of Russians who had come to France
(02:50):
from their home country on foot, so he decided to
do the same, just in the opposite direction. After obtaining
sponsorship from a local magazine, the famous baker prepared for
his journey to Russia on stilts, and he built two pairs.
One measured a little over three feet tall while the
other was almost six feet in length. Then he donned
(03:11):
the full regalia of land shepherds, packed a bag and
left Paris on March twelfth of eighteen ninety one. Over
two thousand spectators were there to see him off. Dornan
averaged about thirty seven miles a day and met all
kinds of people during his travels. Some were friendly and
would walk alongside him for short stretches. Others, like neighborhood children,
(03:32):
would tease him and throw rocks as he walked, and
more than one police officer gave him trouble for his stunt,
but he eventually made it, crossing almost three thousand miles
in just under two months. He returned home a hero
and went right back to work at his bakery, although
he occasionally strapped on his stilts every now and then
to dance or race in front of wrapped audiences. Over time,
(03:54):
stilt walking died out, at least where the land shepherds
were concerned the hard to navigate. More marshlands were soon
covered in pine trees, and the landscape dried up, forcing
the sheep elsewhere to graze. But not all is lost.
Some French dancers perform on stilts to this day, continuing
the tradition made famous by Sylvain Dornan, who took one
(04:15):
large step for man and one enormous leap for stilt
walkers everywhere. It may not be the world's oldest profession,
(04:36):
but it's right up there. Piracy has been around for
as long as people have known how to sail. The
earliest references to pirates comes from the records of a
pharaoh writing in the fourteenth century BCE. The Egyptians struggled
to tamp down the problem, and by the time of
ancient Rome, the Mediterranean Sea was infested with pirates. Now
(04:56):
these ancient seafarers caused a relentless headache for the Romans.
They preyed on merchant ships. They attacked coastal villages and
took loads of people hostages. Four captives were forced into slavery,
while the rich were ransomed back to their families for
exorbitant sums. Virtually no one was safe, but every once
in a while a hostage turned out to be more
trouble than they were worth. That's exactly what happened in
(05:20):
seventy five BC when a band of pirates from southern
Turkey captured a small vessel crossing the aeg and c.
They overpowered the crew and looted the hull, but the
real prize was the ship's owner, a twenty five year
old Roman nobleman, who was on his way to Rhodes,
where he planned to study public speaking under a famous orator.
From the moment he was on board, the pirates knew
(05:41):
that they had gotten more than they bargained for. This
youth didn't seem remotely worried about being captured, and immediately
started bossing his captors around like servants. When he found
out how much they were planning to ransom him for,
he laughed in their faces and advised them to double
the amount. The pirates tried to ignore him, though, dismissing
the young man's comments as the arrogant boasting typical of
(06:03):
Roman elites. They sent a message to his family demanding
payment for his release, and then they set sale for
their island hideout. And meanwhile, the young noblemen continued to
make their lives a living nightmare. He complained about the cooking,
he argued endlessly with the crew, and he shushed them
from disturbing his naps by working too loudly. Pretty soon,
(06:23):
the pirates were starting to wonder if he was even
worth all the trouble. If he didn't shut up soon,
they were liable to throw him overboard and just be
done with it. But the real ordeal was just getting started.
One evening, the youth appeared on deck in an annoyingly
cheerful mood Waving around a roll of parchment, he announced
that he was eager to share some poems he'd been
(06:44):
working on. The pirates were horrified, but short of cutting
his throat and giving up on the ransom altogether, there
was nothing they could do. For the rest of the journey,
they were subjected to bad poetry and half finished speeches.
If they ever failed to praise their hostage for his writing,
he would storm off in a huff, call them illiterate savages,
or threatened to have them executed once he was freed.
(07:06):
It was enough to make even the most hardened pirate
reconsider their life choices. After thirty eight long days, the
young man's family finally paid the ransom. The pirates were
all too eager to say goodbye. They dropped him off
on dry land and wasted no time in turning around
and sailing in the opposite direction. It felt good to
be paid, but even better to be free of their hostage. Unfortunately,
(07:30):
it wasn't the last time that they would see him.
A few weeks later, the pirates were anchored at their
hideout when a fleet of Roman warships arrived on their shores.
The navy quickly captured the pirates, who were stunned to
learn that this force was led by their former hostage.
The young nobleman hadn't been exaggerating when he told the
pirates to increase the ransom. While his name wasn't famous yet,
(07:52):
Julius Caesar would soon be the most powerful man in
the world, even though he was just a student at
this point. The future dictates already had enough influence to
see his captors thrown in prison. Then, true to his word,
he personally oversaw their crucifixions. It was a humiliating, painful
end for the pirates, but after everything they'd been through,
(08:14):
it might still have been preferable to another night of
bad poetry. 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. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey
(08:37):
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 Worldolore 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):
To succeed in life, a person must never rely on
only one perspective. It's important to view problems from all
sides and see every angle. That might mean getting a
second opinion or imagining yourself in someone else's shoes, And
for one group of French shepherds, those shoes were pretty
darn big. Along the southwestern coast of France is the
(00:57):
Lawn region, just below Bordeaux, out on the Bay of Biscay,
and is covered in a lush forest of maritime pine trees.
But land didn't always look this way. In fact, more
than a century ago it wasn't nearly as verdant and
full of life. It was maintained as a feeding ground
for the one million sheep in the area. Locals would
burn parts of the land to keep it suitable for
(01:19):
the sheep to graze, leaving it soft, flat and marsh covered.
It was almost impossible to get around on foot, and
there were no proper roads on which to drive, so instead,
shepherds found another way to navigate the uneven terrain. They
walked around on stilts. These were five foot tall leg
extensions that were fastened to the shepherd's legs so they
could walk above the flocks without sinking into the soil.
(01:42):
A long staff was used to keep them from falling
over and to direct the sheep where they needed to go.
Those who lived in land during the nineteenth century learned
how to walk on these stilts as children. They could
do everything in them too, including running and jumping, as
though they weren't wearing anything at all, and there was
perhaps no greater proof of their dexterity than a land
stilt walker named Sylvain Dornan. Dornan was from Sahl and
(02:06):
had no connection to the stilt walkers of Lan. His
father had actually made a living harvesting resin from pine trees,
but Sylvain became a baker. But after moving to Arkaschon
and seeing the flock of tourists visiting the city, the
young Dornan got an idea he would go out in public,
surrounded by crowds, and show off his moves in a
pair of stilts. He would dance and perform for passers by,
(02:28):
who would tip him for the entertainment, and his notoriety
even earned him an invitation to climb up to the
second level of a brand new building in Paris, one
called the Eiffel Tower while wearing his stilts, which he
did with a wild boar by his side. But Dornan
wanted to take things even further. He'd always been fascinated
by the stories of Russians who had come to France
(02:50):
from their home country on foot, so he decided to
do the same, just in the opposite direction. After obtaining
sponsorship from a local magazine, the famous baker prepared for
his journey to Russia on stilts, and he built two pairs.
One measured a little over three feet tall while the
other was almost six feet in length. Then he donned
(03:11):
the full regalia of land shepherds, packed a bag and
left Paris on March twelfth of eighteen ninety one. Over
two thousand spectators were there to see him off. Dornan
averaged about thirty seven miles a day and met all
kinds of people during his travels. Some were friendly and
would walk alongside him for short stretches. Others, like neighborhood children,
(03:32):
would tease him and throw rocks as he walked, and
more than one police officer gave him trouble for his stunt,
but he eventually made it, crossing almost three thousand miles
in just under two months. He returned home a hero
and went right back to work at his bakery, although
he occasionally strapped on his stilts every now and then
to dance or race in front of wrapped audiences. Over time,
(03:54):
stilt walking died out, at least where the land shepherds
were concerned the hard to navigate. More marshlands were soon
covered in pine trees, and the landscape dried up, forcing
the sheep elsewhere to graze. But not all is lost.
Some French dancers perform on stilts to this day, continuing
the tradition made famous by Sylvain Dornan, who took one
(04:15):
large step for man and one enormous leap for stilt
walkers everywhere. It may not be the world's oldest profession,
(04:36):
but it's right up there. Piracy has been around for
as long as people have known how to sail. The
earliest references to pirates comes from the records of a
pharaoh writing in the fourteenth century BCE. The Egyptians struggled
to tamp down the problem, and by the time of
ancient Rome, the Mediterranean Sea was infested with pirates. Now
(04:56):
these ancient seafarers caused a relentless headache for the Romans.
They preyed on merchant ships. They attacked coastal villages and
took loads of people hostages. Four captives were forced into slavery,
while the rich were ransomed back to their families for
exorbitant sums. Virtually no one was safe, but every once
in a while a hostage turned out to be more
trouble than they were worth. That's exactly what happened in
(05:20):
seventy five BC when a band of pirates from southern
Turkey captured a small vessel crossing the aeg and c.
They overpowered the crew and looted the hull, but the
real prize was the ship's owner, a twenty five year
old Roman nobleman, who was on his way to Rhodes,
where he planned to study public speaking under a famous orator.
From the moment he was on board, the pirates knew
(05:41):
that they had gotten more than they bargained for. This
youth didn't seem remotely worried about being captured, and immediately
started bossing his captors around like servants. When he found
out how much they were planning to ransom him for,
he laughed in their faces and advised them to double
the amount. The pirates tried to ignore him, though, dismissing
the young man's comments as the arrogant boasting typical of
(06:03):
Roman elites. They sent a message to his family demanding
payment for his release, and then they set sale for
their island hideout. And meanwhile, the young noblemen continued to
make their lives a living nightmare. He complained about the cooking,
he argued endlessly with the crew, and he shushed them
from disturbing his naps by working too loudly. Pretty soon,
(06:23):
the pirates were starting to wonder if he was even
worth all the trouble. If he didn't shut up soon,
they were liable to throw him overboard and just be
done with it. But the real ordeal was just getting started.
One evening, the youth appeared on deck in an annoyingly
cheerful mood Waving around a roll of parchment, he announced
that he was eager to share some poems he'd been
(06:44):
working on. The pirates were horrified, but short of cutting
his throat and giving up on the ransom altogether, there
was nothing they could do. For the rest of the journey,
they were subjected to bad poetry and half finished speeches.
If they ever failed to praise their hostage for his writing,
he would storm off in a huff, call them illiterate savages,
or threatened to have them executed once he was freed.
(07:06):
It was enough to make even the most hardened pirate
reconsider their life choices. After thirty eight long days, the
young man's family finally paid the ransom. The pirates were
all too eager to say goodbye. They dropped him off
on dry land and wasted no time in turning around
and sailing in the opposite direction. It felt good to
be paid, but even better to be free of their hostage. Unfortunately,
(07:30):
it wasn't the last time that they would see him.
A few weeks later, the pirates were anchored at their
hideout when a fleet of Roman warships arrived on their shores.
The navy quickly captured the pirates, who were stunned to
learn that this force was led by their former hostage.
The young nobleman hadn't been exaggerating when he told the
pirates to increase the ransom. While his name wasn't famous yet,
(07:52):
Julius Caesar would soon be the most powerful man in
the world, even though he was just a student at
this point. The future dictates already had enough influence to
see his captors thrown in prison. Then, true to his word,
he personally oversaw their crucifixions. It was a humiliating, painful
end for the pirates, but after everything they'd been through,
(08:14):
it might still have been preferable to another night of
bad poetry. 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. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey
(08:37):
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 Worldolore dot com. And until next time,
stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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