November 2, 2021 • 10 mins
Humans are capable of so many things, but we're also incredibly easy to scare. These two stories illustrate just how curious that can be.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Aaron Benky'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. The Revolutionary War was not the only major
conflict between the United States and Britain. After America wanteds independence,
It's still faced an uphill battle. The British and French
began imposing harsh economic sanctions on the United States during
(00:50):
the Napoleonic Wars. The Royal Navy also forced American sailors
to abandon their ships and serve England instead, a practice
known as impressment. In retaliation, the US refused to trade
internationally and act that impacted its own fledgling economy. Average
Americans were angry as farmers and factory owners were unable
(01:10):
to sell their wares overseas. On top of all this,
the tribes of the Western United States were being supported
by the British against American expansion. It's no wonder that
in eighteen twelve everything came to a head and led
to a new war, the aptly named War of eighteen twelve.
Once again America was up against the British, who now
(01:32):
had help from the indigenous tribes they were assisting financially,
and it didn't help that there were still parts of
the u s that were dependent on the United Kingdom
for support. The newly independent America had its work cut
out for it. Two years into the war, while both
sides were vined for claim of the West, the Royal
Navy was busy taking over the eastern coastline. A seventy
(01:53):
four gun ship known as the HMS Bulwark invaded the
town of Situate, Massachusetts in June of eighteen fourteen. Sayers
and fishermen from the nearby town of Cohasset formed a
militia to fight the threat head on. They numbered fewer
than a hundred, but they were ready. On June six,
words spread of an attack on Situate Harbor. The Bulwark
had already sunk several ships with barges full of soldiers
(02:15):
headed towards the town to bring the fight to land.
By the time the British reached the harbor, though the
militia's numbers had grown from ninety four to almost twelve hundred,
and the British, seeing that they were clearly outnumbered, now
retreated back to their ship. The battle was over before
it had even begun, and without a single shot fired.
Things calmed down for a while after that, and by
(02:37):
September the militia was not as vigilant as it had
been over the summer. The British felt the time had
come for them to try their luck again, and this
time nobody saw them coming. Another seventy four gun ship
entered the harbor. Some reports claimed that it was the
Bulwark back for revenge, while others suggest it was a
different ship called the Lahog. Meanwhile, in Situate, Simeon Bates
(03:00):
and his family were attending to the town lighthouse. Bates
had been made lighthouse keeper in eighteen eleven and had
lived there with his wife and nine children ever since.
Simeon was a god fearing man who had served during
the Revolutionary War years earlier. On the day the British
ship came to Situate, Simeon and seven of his kids
were away from the lighthouse. His daughters, Rebecca, who was
(03:21):
twenty one at the time, and Abigail, seventeen, stayed behind
with their mother. They looked out on the water and
saw the ship in the harbor, with smaller boats full
of British soldiers heading towards shore. Rebecca knew her way
around a rifle and probably could have picked off one
or two men from where she sat, but she worried
the remaining soldiers might destroy the town as payback, and
(03:43):
the girls were too far away to warn everyone from
the impending attack. Instead, Abigail and Rebecca decided to fight
back with something else, entirely music. Rebecca picked up her fife,
while Abigail fetched her drum, both of which had been
left behind by some of the militia A men who
had come to the lighthouse over the summer. They had
taught the girls how to play several songs during their stay,
(04:05):
a talent that was about to come in very handy.
Abigail and Rebecca left the lighthouse on a mission to
save their town. They found a spot near the harbor
where they could remain hidden from sight and started playing
Yankee Doodle as loud as possible. The sounds of the
fife and the drum build the air. The British heard
the song as they were approaching the docks, and as
(04:28):
the girls had hoped, it filled them with dread. The
men believed the militia had arrived to fight back. Not
wanting to engage them and risk heavy casualties, the Red
Coats turned around and rode back to their ship. This
time it wasn't a homegrown militia that had scared them away.
It was an American army of two and all it
(04:48):
had taken to ward off a few hundred troops was
a fife and a drum, a musical event that gave
a whole new meaning to the term British invasion. It
(05:11):
killed King Edward the seventh in although the British weren't
sure exactly how, they remained convinced the cosmic phenomena had
something to do with his death, and they also believe
that it was an omen of an impending German invasion,
and they weren't the only ones in a state of panic.
The French swore it had caused the Scent to flood.
A letter to the Royal Observatory warned the event would
(05:34):
cause the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to change basins. South
and North American forests would be swept away, sharks, whales, ships,
and houses would go tumbling together across the deserts and
oceans in a mass of chaos. The events in question
was Halle's comments a ball of volatile ices and dust
(05:54):
visible with the naked eye, named after Edmund Halley in
seventeen fifty eight. The period or short term comets can
be seen just once every seventy five or seventy six years,
and in Earth passed through the tail of the comet.
Scientists using spectroscopic analysis found that the comet contained the
toxic gas psionogen. In turn, French astronomer Nicolas Camille Flammarion
(06:20):
claimed that this gas would penetrate the atmosphere and potentially
snuff out all life as we know it. People panicked,
they bought gas masks, conmen made a hefty fortune selling
anti comet pills and anti commet umbrellas. When other world
astronomers wrote that the gases were so diffused that they
posed no threat, no one listened. Throughout times, comets have
(06:44):
caused panic. Ship captains were said to be swayed off course,
and cultures believed in cause and effect when it came
to such events. If a war or prominent death followed
within the year, the comet was an omen a sort
of hindsight bias, if you will. But in eighteen ten
people got really creative. In China, people believe the comet
(07:04):
would cause war and that the dynasty was about to change.
People didn't open their doors on some days. Others abstained
from water, fearing that the gases had rained down on
the earth. The New York Times ran a headline story
about Flammarion's theory of deadly gas. A single grain of
the potassium salt from the comet's tail was sufficient to
cause instant death, according to the paper, though the Times
(07:28):
also noted that leading scientists disagreed with the French astronomers hypothesis.
The article caused people to ransacks stores for supplies and
gas masks. Citizens sealed up keyholes to prevent the gas
from entering their businesses and homes, and a cult called
the Sacred Followers in Oklahoma attempted to perform a human
(07:49):
sacrifice to stop the comet. Fortunately for the young girl involved,
the police stopped them first. In Texas, two con men
were arrested for selling sugar as that promised to prevent
death by comet, but customers stormed the police building and
despite having been con demanded the men's release. Con artists
(08:10):
sold anti commets umbrellas to people who were convinced that
what stopped the rain would surely stop a speeding commet.
And I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about
a t rex trying to hold up an umbrella, but
I'll leave that one for you to sort out. In California,
a religious prospect or nailed his feet and one hand
to a cross, and, despite the agony, insisted rescuers leave
(08:34):
him alone. In Georgia, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution claimed
that the cloud cover had surely saved a lantern's from
near death. Those who didn't buy into the superstitious hype
clamored for telescopes and other viewing devices. They purchased tickets
that allowed them to stand on hotel rooftops to be
closer to the commet and get a better look. Of course,
(08:57):
life on earth did not end well. It's up for
one man who accurately predicted his own death. He'd been
born right when the comment passed through in eighteen thirty five.
He jokingly told reporters that God looked at him and
the comment and said that they'd come in together, and
they might as well go out together too. At least
that would be his wish, and uncannily enough, he passed
(09:20):
away on April one, nineteen ten, when the comment was
once again passing the Earth and that man Mark Twain.
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.
(09:43):
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.
H
Welcome to Aaron Benky'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. The Revolutionary War was not the only major
conflict between the United States and Britain. After America wanteds independence,
It's still faced an uphill battle. The British and French
began imposing harsh economic sanctions on the United States during
(00:50):
the Napoleonic Wars. The Royal Navy also forced American sailors
to abandon their ships and serve England instead, a practice
known as impressment. In retaliation, the US refused to trade
internationally and act that impacted its own fledgling economy. Average
Americans were angry as farmers and factory owners were unable
(01:10):
to sell their wares overseas. On top of all this,
the tribes of the Western United States were being supported
by the British against American expansion. It's no wonder that
in eighteen twelve everything came to a head and led
to a new war, the aptly named War of eighteen twelve.
Once again America was up against the British, who now
(01:32):
had help from the indigenous tribes they were assisting financially,
and it didn't help that there were still parts of
the u s that were dependent on the United Kingdom
for support. The newly independent America had its work cut
out for it. Two years into the war, while both
sides were vined for claim of the West, the Royal
Navy was busy taking over the eastern coastline. A seventy
(01:53):
four gun ship known as the HMS Bulwark invaded the
town of Situate, Massachusetts in June of eighteen fourteen. Sayers
and fishermen from the nearby town of Cohasset formed a
militia to fight the threat head on. They numbered fewer
than a hundred, but they were ready. On June six,
words spread of an attack on Situate Harbor. The Bulwark
had already sunk several ships with barges full of soldiers
(02:15):
headed towards the town to bring the fight to land.
By the time the British reached the harbor, though the
militia's numbers had grown from ninety four to almost twelve hundred,
and the British, seeing that they were clearly outnumbered, now
retreated back to their ship. The battle was over before
it had even begun, and without a single shot fired.
Things calmed down for a while after that, and by
(02:37):
September the militia was not as vigilant as it had
been over the summer. The British felt the time had
come for them to try their luck again, and this
time nobody saw them coming. Another seventy four gun ship
entered the harbor. Some reports claimed that it was the
Bulwark back for revenge, while others suggest it was a
different ship called the Lahog. Meanwhile, in Situate, Simeon Bates
(03:00):
and his family were attending to the town lighthouse. Bates
had been made lighthouse keeper in eighteen eleven and had
lived there with his wife and nine children ever since.
Simeon was a god fearing man who had served during
the Revolutionary War years earlier. On the day the British
ship came to Situate, Simeon and seven of his kids
were away from the lighthouse. His daughters, Rebecca, who was
(03:21):
twenty one at the time, and Abigail, seventeen, stayed behind
with their mother. They looked out on the water and
saw the ship in the harbor, with smaller boats full
of British soldiers heading towards shore. Rebecca knew her way
around a rifle and probably could have picked off one
or two men from where she sat, but she worried
the remaining soldiers might destroy the town as payback, and
(03:43):
the girls were too far away to warn everyone from
the impending attack. Instead, Abigail and Rebecca decided to fight
back with something else, entirely music. Rebecca picked up her fife,
while Abigail fetched her drum, both of which had been
left behind by some of the militia A men who
had come to the lighthouse over the summer. They had
taught the girls how to play several songs during their stay,
(04:05):
a talent that was about to come in very handy.
Abigail and Rebecca left the lighthouse on a mission to
save their town. They found a spot near the harbor
where they could remain hidden from sight and started playing
Yankee Doodle as loud as possible. The sounds of the
fife and the drum build the air. The British heard
the song as they were approaching the docks, and as
(04:28):
the girls had hoped, it filled them with dread. The
men believed the militia had arrived to fight back. Not
wanting to engage them and risk heavy casualties, the Red
Coats turned around and rode back to their ship. This
time it wasn't a homegrown militia that had scared them away.
It was an American army of two and all it
(04:48):
had taken to ward off a few hundred troops was
a fife and a drum, a musical event that gave
a whole new meaning to the term British invasion. It
(05:11):
killed King Edward the seventh in although the British weren't
sure exactly how, they remained convinced the cosmic phenomena had
something to do with his death, and they also believe
that it was an omen of an impending German invasion,
and they weren't the only ones in a state of panic.
The French swore it had caused the Scent to flood.
A letter to the Royal Observatory warned the event would
(05:34):
cause the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to change basins. South
and North American forests would be swept away, sharks, whales, ships,
and houses would go tumbling together across the deserts and
oceans in a mass of chaos. The events in question
was Halle's comments a ball of volatile ices and dust
(05:54):
visible with the naked eye, named after Edmund Halley in
seventeen fifty eight. The period or short term comets can
be seen just once every seventy five or seventy six years,
and in Earth passed through the tail of the comet.
Scientists using spectroscopic analysis found that the comet contained the
toxic gas psionogen. In turn, French astronomer Nicolas Camille Flammarion
(06:20):
claimed that this gas would penetrate the atmosphere and potentially
snuff out all life as we know it. People panicked,
they bought gas masks, conmen made a hefty fortune selling
anti comet pills and anti commet umbrellas. When other world
astronomers wrote that the gases were so diffused that they
posed no threat, no one listened. Throughout times, comets have
(06:44):
caused panic. Ship captains were said to be swayed off course,
and cultures believed in cause and effect when it came
to such events. If a war or prominent death followed
within the year, the comet was an omen a sort
of hindsight bias, if you will. But in eighteen ten
people got really creative. In China, people believe the comet
(07:04):
would cause war and that the dynasty was about to change.
People didn't open their doors on some days. Others abstained
from water, fearing that the gases had rained down on
the earth. The New York Times ran a headline story
about Flammarion's theory of deadly gas. A single grain of
the potassium salt from the comet's tail was sufficient to
cause instant death, according to the paper, though the Times
(07:28):
also noted that leading scientists disagreed with the French astronomers hypothesis.
The article caused people to ransacks stores for supplies and
gas masks. Citizens sealed up keyholes to prevent the gas
from entering their businesses and homes, and a cult called
the Sacred Followers in Oklahoma attempted to perform a human
(07:49):
sacrifice to stop the comet. Fortunately for the young girl involved,
the police stopped them first. In Texas, two con men
were arrested for selling sugar as that promised to prevent
death by comet, but customers stormed the police building and
despite having been con demanded the men's release. Con artists
(08:10):
sold anti commets umbrellas to people who were convinced that
what stopped the rain would surely stop a speeding commet.
And I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about
a t rex trying to hold up an umbrella, but
I'll leave that one for you to sort out. In California,
a religious prospect or nailed his feet and one hand
to a cross, and, despite the agony, insisted rescuers leave
(08:34):
him alone. In Georgia, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution claimed
that the cloud cover had surely saved a lantern's from
near death. Those who didn't buy into the superstitious hype
clamored for telescopes and other viewing devices. They purchased tickets
that allowed them to stand on hotel rooftops to be
closer to the commet and get a better look. Of course,
(08:57):
life on earth did not end well. It's up for
one man who accurately predicted his own death. He'd been
born right when the comment passed through in eighteen thirty five.
He jokingly told reporters that God looked at him and
the comment and said that they'd come in together, and
they might as well go out together too. At least
that would be his wish, and uncannily enough, he passed
(09:20):
away on April one, nineteen ten, when the comment was
once again passing the Earth and that man Mark Twain.
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.
(09:43):
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.
H
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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