The Reno Brothers staged the first peacetime train robbery in the U.S. on this day in 1866. / On this day in 1908, Austria-Hungary announced that it was annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, y'all. We're rerunning two episodes today, which means you
might hear two hosts. Enjoy the show. Welcome to this
Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com
and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class.
It's the show where we explore the past one day
at a time with a quick look at what happened
today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm
(00:24):
Tracy V. Wilson, and it's October six. The Reno Brothers
staged the first peacetime train robbery in the United States
on this day in eighteen sixty six. The reason we
specify that it's the first peace time train robbery is
that there had been one train robbery before this one
on May five, just at the very end of the
(00:44):
US Civil War. That one was on the Ohio and
Mississippi Railroad. A group of men had fouled one of
the tracks to cause the train to derail. Once the
train hit that track and jumped off of it, they
robbed the passengers and the Adams Express Company call are Today.
Adam's Express Company is an equity fund, but at the
(01:04):
time it was an express company that delivered letters and packages.
The robbers were described as guerrillas. They were dressed in
civilian clothes but armed with navy revolvers. One of the
men was called lieutenant by the others, and another one
was called captain. So most of the time, because of
all of that and the fact that had happened right
(01:25):
at the end of the Civil War, this is considered
part of the war rather than a matter of civilian robbery.
They're also, of course, for incidents during that war of
people commandeering entire trains for military reasons. So the one
that's usually noted as the first train robbery in the
United States is that one that happened on October six,
eighteen sixty six. The first transcontinental railroad had not yet
(01:49):
been completed. That would happen in eighteen sixty nine, but
more and more train routes had been established, and they
were traveling through very remote parts of the United States.
Often there is not any kind of law enforcement or
other person one might go to for help anywhere nearby,
and it didn't take long for people to figure out
that a train full of mail and parcels and people
(02:12):
who could afford train tickets, far away from any source
of law enforcement, might be a good target to rob
in this case. The people who had figured that out
were the Reno brothers, that was Frank, Simon, John and
William along with their associates. They boarded this train near Seymour, Indiana,
once again on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, Adams Express
(02:33):
Car was once again on their target. The robbers made
their way to that car and they demanded the keys
to the safes. The attendant who was on duty in
the car, though, only had the keys for the local
mail safe, so he opened that one up for them
and they took all of its contents. Then the gang
through the entire other safe off the train with the
(02:53):
intent of getting it open later on. Then they jumped
off the train. So because they had gotten on near
Seymour and they had left without anybody outside of the
Adams Express car knowing what's going on, the engineer just
continued on unaware that anything was amiss, until somebody got
his attention and told him about it. The Pinkerton's investigated
and this became the first of many many train robberies,
(03:16):
especially in the nineteenth century. A lot of other gangs
like Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch and the James Younger gang
became infamous for their train robbing. A lot of gangs
just specialized in robbing trains, and soon train companies were
hiring armed guards and reinforcing their mail cars and otherwise
trying to defend themselves from this newly created type of crime.
(03:39):
The Reno brothers were all captured in eighteen sixty eight. Frank, Simeon,
and William were hanged later on that year after being
taken out of the prison where they were being held
by a vigilante mob who then took the law into
their own hands. Their brother, John, though had been captured earlier.
He was serving time and different prison, and he was
(04:01):
spared that particular extra judicial violence. Thanks so much to
Tari Harrison for her work on this show. And you
can subscribe to This Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts,
Google Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcast, and
you can tune in tomorrow for the birth of a
Nobel Laureate. Hello again, it's Eaves and you're listening to
(04:30):
This Day in History Class, a podcast that truly believes
no day is boring. The day was October six, Austria,
Hungary informed the Ottoman Empire of his annexation of Bosnia
(04:51):
and Herzegovina. This announcement set off what's known as the
Bosnian Crisis, a period of conflict between Austria Hungary and
the Ottoman Empire. Under the eighteen seventy eight Treaty of Berlin,
Austria Hungary gained the right to occupy and administer the
Ottoman empires provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sanjak
(05:14):
of Novi Pazar, but Austria Hungary always had its sights
set on permanent possession of the provinces. Bosnia and Herzegovina
were widely sought after, but Austria Hungary put a lot
of work into developing infrastructure, minds, factories, agriculture and schools
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the same time, ethnic and
(05:37):
religious conflict grew within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and groups in
the two provinces displayed nationalists ambitions. The Young Turk Revolution
broke out in the Ottoman Empire in nineteen o eight,
and it restored the Ottoman Constitution of eighteen seventy six
and revived the Ottoman Parliament. Vienna was afraid that the
(05:58):
new authorities in the government of the Ottoman Empire would
try to restore Ottoman political power in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As a pro Russia Serbia vied for control over the
Sandjak of Novi Pazar and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia itself
was destabilized after defeat in the Russo Japanese War. Foreign
(06:18):
Minister of Austria Hungary Aloys Graflexa von Arenthal, saw an
opportunity for Austria Hungary to assert its dominance in the Balkans.
Austria Hungary's ambassador to Russia, Leopol graff Stol set up
a meeting between Arenthal and the Russian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Alexander Petrovitch Aswolski's in September of nineteen o eight
(06:39):
at busch Lau in Moravia. What actually happened at the
meeting is up for debate, as no minutes of the
meeting were released. Aswolski said that Russia would not object
to the annexation and in exchange, Austria Hungary would not
object to open the Bosporus and Dardanal Straits to Russian warships.
Aswolski insisted on an international conference before the annexation took place.
(07:03):
But on October six, the day after Bulgaria declared its
independence from the Ottoman Empire, Emperor Franz Joseph the First
of Austria announced that it was annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The withdrawal of the Austro Hungarian army from the Sanjak
of Novi Pazar was also announced, but Asvolsky was not
expecting the annexation to happen so soon. He said that
(07:26):
Arenthal did not tell him the date of annexation and
that he did not know Austria Hungary planned on executing
it before the matter was settled with other political powers.
Opposition to the annexation erupted in Europe. Russia and the Balkans, France,
written and Italy protested the annexation. Pan Slavic nationalists throughout
(07:48):
Europe were unhappy with the announcement. Serbia insisted that Austria
Hungary seed part of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar to them,
and Asvolsky supported them, but Austria Hungary, backed by Germany,
threatened to invade Serbia. At the end of the Bosnian crisis,
Austria Hungary seemed to have come out on top. After
(08:11):
a boycott of Austro Hungarian goods caused commercial losses. Austria
Hungary ended up paying an indemnity to the Ottomans and
alienating many from Austrian policy, but the Ottoman Empire recognized
the annexation, which Russia and Serbia accepted in March of
nineteen o nine. The next month, the Treaty of Berlin
(08:32):
was amended to accept the annexation. The nation's managed to
avoid war, but tense relations between Austria Hungary, Russia, and
Serbia after the latter two faced such humiliation remained and
contributed to the outbreak of World War one and nineteen fourteen.
I'm Eve Jeffcote, and hopefully you know a little more
(08:53):
about history today than you did yesterday. If you have
any burning questions or comments, you can leave us a
note at t d I HC Podcast on Twitter, Facebook
or Instagram, or you can go the old fashioned route
and send us an email at this day at I
heart media dot com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll
(09:16):
catch you tomorrow. Same place for more podcasts from My
Heart Radio visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, y'all. We're rerunning two episodes today, which means you
might hear two hosts. Enjoy the show. Welcome to this
Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com
and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class.
It's the show where we explore the past one day
at a time with a quick look at what happened
today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm
(00:24):
Tracy V. Wilson, and it's October six. The Reno Brothers
staged the first peacetime train robbery in the United States
on this day in eighteen sixty six. The reason we
specify that it's the first peace time train robbery is
that there had been one train robbery before this one
on May five, just at the very end of the
(00:44):
US Civil War. That one was on the Ohio and
Mississippi Railroad. A group of men had fouled one of
the tracks to cause the train to derail. Once the
train hit that track and jumped off of it, they
robbed the passengers and the Adams Express Company call are Today.
Adam's Express Company is an equity fund, but at the
(01:04):
time it was an express company that delivered letters and packages.
The robbers were described as guerrillas. They were dressed in
civilian clothes but armed with navy revolvers. One of the
men was called lieutenant by the others, and another one
was called captain. So most of the time, because of
all of that and the fact that had happened right
(01:25):
at the end of the Civil War, this is considered
part of the war rather than a matter of civilian robbery.
They're also, of course, for incidents during that war of
people commandeering entire trains for military reasons. So the one
that's usually noted as the first train robbery in the
United States is that one that happened on October six,
eighteen sixty six. The first transcontinental railroad had not yet
(01:49):
been completed. That would happen in eighteen sixty nine, but
more and more train routes had been established, and they
were traveling through very remote parts of the United States.
Often there is not any kind of law enforcement or
other person one might go to for help anywhere nearby,
and it didn't take long for people to figure out
that a train full of mail and parcels and people
(02:12):
who could afford train tickets, far away from any source
of law enforcement, might be a good target to rob
in this case. The people who had figured that out
were the Reno brothers, that was Frank, Simon, John and
William along with their associates. They boarded this train near Seymour, Indiana,
once again on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, Adams Express
(02:33):
Car was once again on their target. The robbers made
their way to that car and they demanded the keys
to the safes. The attendant who was on duty in
the car, though, only had the keys for the local
mail safe, so he opened that one up for them
and they took all of its contents. Then the gang
through the entire other safe off the train with the
(02:53):
intent of getting it open later on. Then they jumped
off the train. So because they had gotten on near
Seymour and they had left without anybody outside of the
Adams Express car knowing what's going on, the engineer just
continued on unaware that anything was amiss, until somebody got
his attention and told him about it. The Pinkerton's investigated
and this became the first of many many train robberies,
(03:16):
especially in the nineteenth century. A lot of other gangs
like Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch and the James Younger gang
became infamous for their train robbing. A lot of gangs
just specialized in robbing trains, and soon train companies were
hiring armed guards and reinforcing their mail cars and otherwise
trying to defend themselves from this newly created type of crime.
(03:39):
The Reno brothers were all captured in eighteen sixty eight. Frank, Simeon,
and William were hanged later on that year after being
taken out of the prison where they were being held
by a vigilante mob who then took the law into
their own hands. Their brother, John, though had been captured earlier.
He was serving time and different prison, and he was
(04:01):
spared that particular extra judicial violence. Thanks so much to
Tari Harrison for her work on this show. And you
can subscribe to This Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts,
Google Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcast, and
you can tune in tomorrow for the birth of a
Nobel Laureate. Hello again, it's Eaves and you're listening to
(04:30):
This Day in History Class, a podcast that truly believes
no day is boring. The day was October six, Austria,
Hungary informed the Ottoman Empire of his annexation of Bosnia
(04:51):
and Herzegovina. This announcement set off what's known as the
Bosnian Crisis, a period of conflict between Austria Hungary and
the Ottoman Empire. Under the eighteen seventy eight Treaty of Berlin,
Austria Hungary gained the right to occupy and administer the
Ottoman empires provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sanjak
(05:14):
of Novi Pazar, but Austria Hungary always had its sights
set on permanent possession of the provinces. Bosnia and Herzegovina
were widely sought after, but Austria Hungary put a lot
of work into developing infrastructure, minds, factories, agriculture and schools
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the same time, ethnic and
(05:37):
religious conflict grew within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and groups in
the two provinces displayed nationalists ambitions. The Young Turk Revolution
broke out in the Ottoman Empire in nineteen o eight,
and it restored the Ottoman Constitution of eighteen seventy six
and revived the Ottoman Parliament. Vienna was afraid that the
(05:58):
new authorities in the government of the Ottoman Empire would
try to restore Ottoman political power in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As a pro Russia Serbia vied for control over the
Sandjak of Novi Pazar and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia itself
was destabilized after defeat in the Russo Japanese War. Foreign
(06:18):
Minister of Austria Hungary Aloys Graflexa von Arenthal, saw an
opportunity for Austria Hungary to assert its dominance in the Balkans.
Austria Hungary's ambassador to Russia, Leopol graff Stol set up
a meeting between Arenthal and the Russian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Alexander Petrovitch Aswolski's in September of nineteen o eight
(06:39):
at busch Lau in Moravia. What actually happened at the
meeting is up for debate, as no minutes of the
meeting were released. Aswolski said that Russia would not object
to the annexation and in exchange, Austria Hungary would not
object to open the Bosporus and Dardanal Straits to Russian warships.
Aswolski insisted on an international conference before the annexation took place.
(07:03):
But on October six, the day after Bulgaria declared its
independence from the Ottoman Empire, Emperor Franz Joseph the First
of Austria announced that it was annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The withdrawal of the Austro Hungarian army from the Sanjak
of Novi Pazar was also announced, but Asvolsky was not
expecting the annexation to happen so soon. He said that
(07:26):
Arenthal did not tell him the date of annexation and
that he did not know Austria Hungary planned on executing
it before the matter was settled with other political powers.
Opposition to the annexation erupted in Europe. Russia and the Balkans, France,
written and Italy protested the annexation. Pan Slavic nationalists throughout
(07:48):
Europe were unhappy with the announcement. Serbia insisted that Austria
Hungary seed part of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar to them,
and Asvolsky supported them, but Austria Hungary, backed by Germany,
threatened to invade Serbia. At the end of the Bosnian crisis,
Austria Hungary seemed to have come out on top. After
(08:11):
a boycott of Austro Hungarian goods caused commercial losses. Austria
Hungary ended up paying an indemnity to the Ottomans and
alienating many from Austrian policy, but the Ottoman Empire recognized
the annexation, which Russia and Serbia accepted in March of
nineteen o nine. The next month, the Treaty of Berlin
(08:32):
was amended to accept the annexation. The nation's managed to
avoid war, but tense relations between Austria Hungary, Russia, and
Serbia after the latter two faced such humiliation remained and
contributed to the outbreak of World War one and nineteen fourteen.
I'm Eve Jeffcote, and hopefully you know a little more
(08:53):
about history today than you did yesterday. If you have
any burning questions or comments, you can leave us a
note at t d I HC Podcast on Twitter, Facebook
or Instagram, or you can go the old fashioned route
and send us an email at this day at I
heart media dot com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll
(09:16):
catch you tomorrow. Same place for more podcasts from My
Heart Radio visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
This Day in History Class News
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