March 21, 2023 • 10 mins
Unbelievable things do happen, testing our limits. The stories that feature today will help you see how little stories can grow into big legends.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcomed Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio
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 of Curiosities. It's
(00:36):
always interesting to see what inanimate objects people become attached to.
Throughout childhood. Most of us had a favorite blankets or
toy we simply couldn't live without, which usually made things
interesting for parents and babysitters when they were accidentally left behind.
Most parents would love a how too manual to explain
what to do in certain situations, but unfortunately no magical
(00:57):
book exists. Instead, most parenting forums family and friends to
get to the bottom of the wise and house of
child rearing. Many have anecdotes about their child's favorite toy
toy being a loose description of whatever they manage to
haul into bed every night with them. Some kids bring
teddy bears and blankies to bed, while others bring toothbrushes,
(01:18):
bandaid tins, thermometers, plastic lizards, and, in one memorable case,
a plastic training potty. Several studies have been done to
try and explain why kids form such close bonds with
these items, but it really seems to come down to
a sense of safety. Most children will feel attached to
some kind of comfort object and often choose it on
(01:39):
their own, no matter how many stuffed animals are presented
to them. These items bring comfort and a sense of familiarity,
and even if the subject doesn't look particularly cuddly, the
memories link to its likely soothe and reassure them. Most
people would argue that trees are not cuddly. They're excellent
for climbing, tree houses, shade, and apples, but rarely for hugs. Luckily,
(02:02):
for most parents, their child can't drag a tree into bed,
but some children will go to great lengths to ensure
the longevity of an old friend. This story starts with
an oak tree, a white oak to be precise, which
was estimated to be almost four hundred years old in
the eighteen hundreds. The oak tree lived in Athens, Georgia,
on property that belonged to the Jackson family. The Jacksons
(02:26):
were an institution in Georgia. One of the most well
known members of this clan was James Jackson, who immigrated
from Devonshire, England, to Savannah, Georgia, and grew up under
the care of a local lawyer. He was a trained
duellist and served in the Revolutionary War, personally participating in
the recapture of Augusta and Savannah for the Americans. He
(02:48):
built up a law practice in Savannah and was elected
to the first Georgia State Legislature, where he served for
two non consecutive terms. In between, he was the Governor
of Georgia and a member of the US House of Representatives.
James married Mary Charlotte Young, and the couple had five sons,
four of which followed him into public service. Two served
(03:08):
in Congress, and one went on to become a Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. One son, Colonel
William Henry Jackson, was a professor at the University of Georgia.
Now not much is known about William Henry Jackson, but
plenty has been speculated. For example, no one knows where
the title colonel came from, as he didn't have any
record of military service. With no family tree publicly available,
(03:32):
no one actually knows where he fell in the pecking
order of the jackson brothers, or if he held government
office like many other members of his family. Most frustratingly, though,
no one knows how he came to be so sentimental
about a tree. Some guests that he grew up on
the same property that the oak tree had been growing
on since at least the fifteen hundreds, that he had
(03:53):
fond memories from a childhood spent climbing its branches and
laying out under the shade provided. Or maybe Bason bought
the property as an adult and enjoyed walking underneath the
oak tree when he could get away from the university.
His reasons are entirely unknown, but thanks to a fascinating
story in the Athens Weekly Banner from August of eighteen ninety,
(04:14):
we do know that Jackson was extremely fond of his
oak tree, so fond, in fact, he wanted to be
sure it would be protected even after he was gone.
So William Jackson dated the tree to itself. Jackson was
very clear in his wishes, and the original deed reads
as this, for and in consideration of the great love
(04:36):
I bear this tree, and the great desire I have
for its protection for all time, I convey entire possession
of itself and all land within eight feet of the
tree on all sides. William H. Jackson, The Tree that
owns Itself became something of a local marvel, and people
came from all over to see it. It flourished throughout
(04:57):
the eighteen hundreds, but by the early nineteen hundreds doing
too well. It was struggling with erosion and was damaged
in an ice storm in nineteen oh seven, but the
town refused to let it go. A man named George
Foster Peabody paid for restoration work, including new soil and
even a tablet placed at the site to tell visitors
about it. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the killing blow came
(05:20):
on October ninth of nineteen forty two, when the tree
was blown over in a windstorm. The plot the tree
once sat on stood empty for four years because honestly,
no one knew quite what to do until the Junior
Ladies Guarding Club of Athens stepped in and proposed planting
acorns from the original tree on the site. On December
fourth of nineteen forty six, the sun of the Tree
(05:43):
that owns Itself was planted and is growing strong to
this day. And hey, I recommend stopping by if you're
ever in Georgia, it's really something that you have to
see to belief. We've all met someone and gotten a
(06:11):
strange feeling that something was off. Maybe it was in
a story they told or the way they dressed. We're
often instructed to trust our gut. Clearly, if we sensed
that something is a miss, that means we must be
right right. During the nineteen thirties, the Catholic Church had
the same feeling about someone quite popular, and so they
launched an investigation into a person who had never given
(06:33):
them any reason to be suspicious before. It was just
that when the rumors got to be big enough, they
had no choice but to see if they were true.
Her name was Jane and she was born in Santa Monica, California,
in nineteen twenty eight. She was the youngest of three,
with two older brothers named John and George Junior. Jane
was pushed towards entertainment by her mother, who enrolled her
(06:55):
in dance classes when she was only three years old.
It wasn't long before young Jane noticed by casting director
by the name of Charles Lamont, who had directed a
number of shorts starring Buster Keaton. Lamont worked for Educational Pictures,
a production company that made popular short films of the day.
In nineteen thirty two, he brought Jane to an audition
for him and immediately signed her for a contract. She
(07:18):
would star in a series of comedy shorts called baby
Burlesques that's burlesque with a ks at the end. But
these weren't risque performances meant for adults. They were short
parodies of popular films and current events starring small children.
For example, Jane played a saloon singer in a send
up of the Maywest film She'd Done Him Wrong, titled
(07:40):
Glad Rags to Riches. But pretty soon it was clear
that there was more to Jane than bit parts in
short films. She broke out of the background into more
starring roles. Educational Pictures even bumped her up into longer
films where she could really shine and shine. She did
so much so that a songwriter working at Fox noticed
her dan seen in the lobby of a theater after
(08:01):
he had just seen her in one of her pictures.
He invited her to screen test for a new movie
being made at Fox, and she nailed the audition and
not only won the role, but also a contract with
the studio. She went on to make a number of
films at Fox, which had her singing and dancing and
wholesome pictures the whole family could enjoy. Over the next
several years, Jane became a certified star, appearing alongside the
(08:25):
likes of Gary Cooper and Carol Lombard. And that's when
the rumors started to appear. Magazines and tabloid rags printed
all sorts of stories about Jane, like how she had
her teeth filed to make them look like baby teeth,
or that they were actually dentures. Outlets also suggested that
she wore a wig or dyed her hair. Fans used
(08:45):
to yank on it in public to see if the
rumor was true, and the worst rumor of all, that
she wasn't actually a child. According to some media outlets,
Jane was really a thirty year old little person and
she was fooling everyone. Clearly, no one could have achieved
such celebrities so young. It must have been a trick.
So eventually the Vatican got word of these allegations, as
(09:09):
they had become prevalent across Italy and Europe. The Church
decided to get to the bottom of them and sent
father Silvio Massante to visit Jane and her family. He
interviewed the starlets, asking all sorts of questions about her
upbringing and who she was. He also confirmed for them
the rumors back home in Italy that Jane was really
a thirty year old person. Well, Jane didn't know what
(09:30):
to say. She was shocked. After the interview was over,
father Massante determined that she was not, in fact a
person of short stature, and that was the end of
the investigation and for the most part, the rumors as well.
Shirley Jane Temple went on to have a film career
until nineteen forty nine, when she left the movies behind
(09:50):
for a stint on television until the nineteen sixties. After
the cameras stopped rolling, Shirley got into politics. She became
a US ambassador to Anna, an ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and
served on various boards of directors for companies like Disney
and Bank of America. Shirley Temple was much more than
a child star. She just wasn't thirty years old at
(10:13):
the height of her career. 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 Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I
(10:36):
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.
Welcomed Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio
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 of Curiosities. It's
(00:36):
always interesting to see what inanimate objects people become attached to.
Throughout childhood. Most of us had a favorite blankets or
toy we simply couldn't live without, which usually made things
interesting for parents and babysitters when they were accidentally left behind.
Most parents would love a how too manual to explain
what to do in certain situations, but unfortunately no magical
(00:57):
book exists. Instead, most parenting forums family and friends to
get to the bottom of the wise and house of
child rearing. Many have anecdotes about their child's favorite toy
toy being a loose description of whatever they manage to
haul into bed every night with them. Some kids bring
teddy bears and blankies to bed, while others bring toothbrushes,
(01:18):
bandaid tins, thermometers, plastic lizards, and, in one memorable case,
a plastic training potty. Several studies have been done to
try and explain why kids form such close bonds with
these items, but it really seems to come down to
a sense of safety. Most children will feel attached to
some kind of comfort object and often choose it on
(01:39):
their own, no matter how many stuffed animals are presented
to them. These items bring comfort and a sense of familiarity,
and even if the subject doesn't look particularly cuddly, the
memories link to its likely soothe and reassure them. Most
people would argue that trees are not cuddly. They're excellent
for climbing, tree houses, shade, and apples, but rarely for hugs. Luckily,
(02:02):
for most parents, their child can't drag a tree into bed,
but some children will go to great lengths to ensure
the longevity of an old friend. This story starts with
an oak tree, a white oak to be precise, which
was estimated to be almost four hundred years old in
the eighteen hundreds. The oak tree lived in Athens, Georgia,
on property that belonged to the Jackson family. The Jacksons
(02:26):
were an institution in Georgia. One of the most well
known members of this clan was James Jackson, who immigrated
from Devonshire, England, to Savannah, Georgia, and grew up under
the care of a local lawyer. He was a trained
duellist and served in the Revolutionary War, personally participating in
the recapture of Augusta and Savannah for the Americans. He
(02:48):
built up a law practice in Savannah and was elected
to the first Georgia State Legislature, where he served for
two non consecutive terms. In between, he was the Governor
of Georgia and a member of the US House of Representatives.
James married Mary Charlotte Young, and the couple had five sons,
four of which followed him into public service. Two served
(03:08):
in Congress, and one went on to become a Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. One son, Colonel
William Henry Jackson, was a professor at the University of Georgia.
Now not much is known about William Henry Jackson, but
plenty has been speculated. For example, no one knows where
the title colonel came from, as he didn't have any
record of military service. With no family tree publicly available,
(03:32):
no one actually knows where he fell in the pecking
order of the jackson brothers, or if he held government
office like many other members of his family. Most frustratingly, though,
no one knows how he came to be so sentimental
about a tree. Some guests that he grew up on
the same property that the oak tree had been growing
on since at least the fifteen hundreds, that he had
(03:53):
fond memories from a childhood spent climbing its branches and
laying out under the shade provided. Or maybe Bason bought
the property as an adult and enjoyed walking underneath the
oak tree when he could get away from the university.
His reasons are entirely unknown, but thanks to a fascinating
story in the Athens Weekly Banner from August of eighteen ninety,
(04:14):
we do know that Jackson was extremely fond of his
oak tree, so fond, in fact, he wanted to be
sure it would be protected even after he was gone.
So William Jackson dated the tree to itself. Jackson was
very clear in his wishes, and the original deed reads
as this, for and in consideration of the great love
(04:36):
I bear this tree, and the great desire I have
for its protection for all time, I convey entire possession
of itself and all land within eight feet of the
tree on all sides. William H. Jackson, The Tree that
owns Itself became something of a local marvel, and people
came from all over to see it. It flourished throughout
(04:57):
the eighteen hundreds, but by the early nineteen hundreds doing
too well. It was struggling with erosion and was damaged
in an ice storm in nineteen oh seven, but the
town refused to let it go. A man named George
Foster Peabody paid for restoration work, including new soil and
even a tablet placed at the site to tell visitors
about it. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the killing blow came
(05:20):
on October ninth of nineteen forty two, when the tree
was blown over in a windstorm. The plot the tree
once sat on stood empty for four years because honestly,
no one knew quite what to do until the Junior
Ladies Guarding Club of Athens stepped in and proposed planting
acorns from the original tree on the site. On December
fourth of nineteen forty six, the sun of the Tree
(05:43):
that owns Itself was planted and is growing strong to
this day. And hey, I recommend stopping by if you're
ever in Georgia, it's really something that you have to
see to belief. We've all met someone and gotten a
(06:11):
strange feeling that something was off. Maybe it was in
a story they told or the way they dressed. We're
often instructed to trust our gut. Clearly, if we sensed
that something is a miss, that means we must be
right right. During the nineteen thirties, the Catholic Church had
the same feeling about someone quite popular, and so they
launched an investigation into a person who had never given
(06:33):
them any reason to be suspicious before. It was just
that when the rumors got to be big enough, they
had no choice but to see if they were true.
Her name was Jane and she was born in Santa Monica, California,
in nineteen twenty eight. She was the youngest of three,
with two older brothers named John and George Junior. Jane
was pushed towards entertainment by her mother, who enrolled her
(06:55):
in dance classes when she was only three years old.
It wasn't long before young Jane noticed by casting director
by the name of Charles Lamont, who had directed a
number of shorts starring Buster Keaton. Lamont worked for Educational Pictures,
a production company that made popular short films of the day.
In nineteen thirty two, he brought Jane to an audition
for him and immediately signed her for a contract. She
(07:18):
would star in a series of comedy shorts called baby
Burlesques that's burlesque with a ks at the end. But
these weren't risque performances meant for adults. They were short
parodies of popular films and current events starring small children.
For example, Jane played a saloon singer in a send
up of the Maywest film She'd Done Him Wrong, titled
(07:40):
Glad Rags to Riches. But pretty soon it was clear
that there was more to Jane than bit parts in
short films. She broke out of the background into more
starring roles. Educational Pictures even bumped her up into longer
films where she could really shine and shine. She did
so much so that a songwriter working at Fox noticed
her dan seen in the lobby of a theater after
(08:01):
he had just seen her in one of her pictures.
He invited her to screen test for a new movie
being made at Fox, and she nailed the audition and
not only won the role, but also a contract with
the studio. She went on to make a number of
films at Fox, which had her singing and dancing and
wholesome pictures the whole family could enjoy. Over the next
several years, Jane became a certified star, appearing alongside the
(08:25):
likes of Gary Cooper and Carol Lombard. And that's when
the rumors started to appear. Magazines and tabloid rags printed
all sorts of stories about Jane, like how she had
her teeth filed to make them look like baby teeth,
or that they were actually dentures. Outlets also suggested that
she wore a wig or dyed her hair. Fans used
(08:45):
to yank on it in public to see if the
rumor was true, and the worst rumor of all, that
she wasn't actually a child. According to some media outlets,
Jane was really a thirty year old little person and
she was fooling everyone. Clearly, no one could have achieved
such celebrities so young. It must have been a trick.
So eventually the Vatican got word of these allegations, as
(09:09):
they had become prevalent across Italy and Europe. The Church
decided to get to the bottom of them and sent
father Silvio Massante to visit Jane and her family. He
interviewed the starlets, asking all sorts of questions about her
upbringing and who she was. He also confirmed for them
the rumors back home in Italy that Jane was really
a thirty year old person. Well, Jane didn't know what
(09:30):
to say. She was shocked. After the interview was over,
father Massante determined that she was not, in fact a
person of short stature, and that was the end of
the investigation and for the most part, the rumors as well.
Shirley Jane Temple went on to have a film career
until nineteen forty nine, when she left the movies behind
(09:50):
for a stint on television until the nineteen sixties. After
the cameras stopped rolling, Shirley got into politics. She became
a US ambassador to Anna, an ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and
served on various boards of directors for companies like Disney
and Bank of America. Shirley Temple was much more than
a child star. She just wasn't thirty years old at
(10:13):
the height of her career. 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 Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I
(10:36):
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.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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