December 27, 2024 • 48 mins
Did you know that the powerful forces of creativity and curiosity are what makes December 27th an amazing day? Whether you dream of adventure, love solving life’s mysteries, or simply crave a little magic, December 27th is here to deliver!
- In the early 1900’s Peter Pan and Neverland itself were magically created and took the world by a storm of pixie dust!
- In the 1830’s, aboard a sailing ship in the uncharted waters of the Galapagos - a discovery was made that changed science forever.
- In the 1930’s, the world’s largest indoor theater took shape and from there the legend soared higher than the Rockettes' eye-high kicks!
If it's a special day for you or for someone you care about, why not learn a little more about today by listening to some fun, engaging tales of the past. You’ll find yourself a little smarter and have some great stories you can tell in those awkward silent moments at your neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party! If you need some great gift ideas, we have those too (along with links to where you can find them on Amazon).
Gift ideas for folks who celebrate December 27th:
- A journey to Neverland could be in the form of books, posters and movies! Peter Pan legos would also be neat - and don’t forget Tinkerbell!!!
- For those avid readers - books about Darwin are interesting, along with board games - oh! He wrote a book too!
- Wall art depicting the RCMH is unique - as is some decor of the iconic building and the more iconic Rockettes.
- Posters & movies of today’s famous actors: John Amos, Eva LaRue and Emilie deRavin
- Similarly, there are fun gift options to celebrate today’s holidays: Fruit cakes, Snowflakes and Zoo Day stuff.
Text me your favorite time travel movie!!!
~~~ DayStrider Fun ~~~
Do you want to be mentioned here in the podcast? Or do you want me to do a shout-out for a loved one? All you need to do is send me an e-mail: daystriderstories@gmail.com
Better yet, you can record your own shout-out by leaving me a voice message using this SpeakPipe link
Do you have a story that you wish to share? Join me as a guest and let’s tell the world together! Once again, just send me an e-mail or find me here on Facebook: Truman Pastworthy
If you had as much fun listening as I did creating this episode, please click "follow" in your favorite podcast platform . . . oh . . . and even better - why not share it with a friend (or three)! I’m betting you know just the perfect person who would enjoy today’s stories!
If you feel adventurous, how 'bout writing a great review? :-)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Truman (00:02):
Welcome seeker.
Did you know that the powerfulforces of creativity and
curiosity are what makesDecember 27th an amazing day?
Whether you dream of adventure,love solving life's mysteries,
or simply crave a little magic,December 27th is here to
deliver.
If you're ready to uncover thesecrets of a day where
(00:23):
imagination took flight anddiscovery changed the world,
then come stride through historywith me.
Our journey kicks off inNeverland, where a sprinkle of
pixie dust and Peter Pan'stimeless adventures can help us
uncover your true personalityprofile.
And then, all aboard an 1830sailing ship, we'll pass through
(00:45):
the uncharted waters of theGalapagos, where tiny turtles
sparked ideas that would changescience forever.
Then we're off to the Big Appleto uncover the glamour and
secrets of Radio City MusicHall.
A former tour guide, Joyce,will tell us all about its grand
halls and a hidden passageway.
We'll return you to your normalself with a bit more knowledge
(01:08):
and some great stories to sharewith others.
After striding through December27th, you'll see how a single
spark, whether of imagination,discovery, or showmanship, can
brighten the future beyond whatanyone thought possible.
The portal's humming, history'scalling, and our day striding
adventure stories await.
(01:29):
So let's get to it, my friend.
Welcome, seekers, to theenchanting world of Daystrider,
the podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPastworthy, and together we'll
(01:50):
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact
day, but from some time in thepast.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some lighthearted
stories that'll leave yousaying, huh, I never knew that
(02:12):
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
So forget everything you knowabout personality tests.
This isn't about Myers-Briggsor disc people.
No, no.
This is about uncovering thehidden character inside of you,
(02:32):
waiting to leap out and shine.
And no, we're not reading thestars or palms either.
No, we're actually going tosummon the ever mischievous
Peter Pan and his Neverlandpersonality profiler.
What?
Yeah, go with me here.
It's gonna be magical.
All right, now close your eyesand think of the first Peter Pan
(02:57):
character that pops into yourhead.
Now don't overthink it.
Just let your imagination driftto Neverland for a moment.
All right, now here's where itgets interesting.
Keep your eyes closed, unlessyou're driving, of course, and
think of the Peter Pan characterthat feels the least like you.
The one that makes you say,nah, that is so not me.
(03:19):
All right, got those twocharacters.
Now the one you thought offirst, that's your true self.
And the one you thought ofsecond, that's the part of
yourself that you're runningfrom, desperately trying not to
be.
And together, they tell a storymore complex and fascinating
than any ordinary personalitytest ever could.
(03:40):
Yeah, are you ready to meetthat character hiding in your
soul?
Well, for this segment, I foundsome randos who would take this
test for me.
And we'll get to hear who theychose and how accurate the
profiler turned out to be.
Starting with Ray.
Alright, so we're going tointerview Uncle Ray.
(04:01):
This is the Neverlandpersonality profiler.
Noise (04:05):
Okay.
Truman (04:05):
So I'm going to just ask you to tell me the first
character that comes to mindwhen you think of the movie
Peter Pan.
Okay.
Captain Hook.
Captain Hook.
All right.
And then which character inPeter Pan would you least want
to be?
Noise (04:20):
The little boy that carries the teddy bear.
I
Truman (04:25):
knew he'd come up with something creative.
All right.
So Captain Hook.
So I'm going to put this intomy Neverland Personality
Profiler app.
Okay.
And it's going to tell you whatyour personality is like.
So Captain Hook.
Hold on.
I'm going to put it in here.
Captain Hook.
And then do we know the littleboy, one of the lost boys?
I
Noise (04:47):
was talking about the little boy with Wendy.
Truman (04:50):
Oh, so one of Wendy's brothers.
Yes.
Okay.
Noise (04:55):
There's no, he carries a teddy bear.
I don't know his name.
Truman (04:58):
Okay, so the personality profile says that you are
someone who sees the worldthrough a lens of strategic
complexity.
Does that sound like you?
I
Noise (05:08):
think that's pretty spot on.
Truman (05:09):
And you're likely to be a planner, someone who thinks
several moves ahead.
And while you may appear toughon the outside like Hook,
there's probably a deeperemotional intelligence.
Noise (05:21):
I think that is spot on.
Truman (05:23):
All right.
And you reject the simplistic,carefree nature of childhood?
Is that true, though?
Noise (05:30):
No, that seems a little bit off.
Truman (05:33):
Uh-huh.
Okay.
All right, so we've got to workon my app then, right?
Noise (05:37):
Just a little bit.
It's pretty scary how close itwas, though.
Truman (05:42):
Yeah, that's a good one.
So, why Peter Pan, you ask?
Well, he's not just a funmetaphor for our personality
test.
He made his grand debut onstage on this very day in 1904.
The original play was calledPeter Pan or The Boy Who Would
Not Grow Up.
And yes, that was the fulltitle.
(06:05):
And it was so popular at thetime in London and New York City
that the creator J.M.
Barrie decided to write a bookabout it as well, adapting from
his play.
And that was called Peter andWendy.
Now, You all know the gist ofthis story, right?
Peter Pan, our ageless rebel,skips the whole growing up
(06:27):
nonsense and lives in Neverland,a land of pirates and pixie
dust and endless adventures.
Well, he befriends Wendy andher two brothers and takes them
on adventures with the Lost Boysand Tinkerbell.
And eventually they face offagainst Captain Hook and his
pirate crew.
Arr! And they win the day.
(06:47):
And then...
Peter sadly returns Wendy andher brothers home because they
want to grow up.
But not Peter.
He stays behind in Neverland tocontinue his eternal childhood.
Now on the face of it, this isa great little story.
And of course, the wonderfulfolks at Disney have fantasized
(07:08):
the heck out of it and removed alot of the darkness that was
layered into J.M.
Barrie's original work.
Yeah.
If you research the originalPeter Pan plots, Peter Pan
plots, there's a lot of stalkinggoing on and coercion.
And yeah, it has very eerieundertones.
(07:29):
Some have even interpretedNeverland as a sort of
purgatory.
Yeah, but we all know I like tostick to the fun stuff.
And so now let's get anotherNeverland personality profile
reveal.
Joyce (07:44):
All right.
So what are we doing here thismorning?
Truman (07:47):
So you're going to be taking the Neverland personality
profile.
Joyce (07:51):
Neverland?
Truman (07:52):
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
So all you need to do is let meknow which Peter Pan character
you think of first.
I guess I think of Peter Pan.
Peter Pan.
Okay.
Let me type that in here realquick.
Okay.
Into the My Profiler app.
Peter Pan.
This is crazy.
Okay, Peter.
Noise (08:13):
Okay.
Truman (08:15):
Okay, and then you need to think of the character who
you feel least represents youfrom the whole Peter Pan story.
Joyce (08:25):
Actually, what first comes to my mind is Tinkerbell.
Truman (08:27):
Tinkerbell?
Okay.
Joyce (08:30):
Yeah.
Truman (08:32):
All right, I typed Tinkerbell into the app.
Okay, so my app saysFascinating Combination.
Your first character was PeterPan, and so you're an eternal
optimist with a rebelliousstreak.
That's funny.
Being drawn to Peter Pan firstsuggests you're spontaneous,
which I'm not sure of, but anadventure-loving, and you're
approached to life withchildlike wonder and creativity,
(08:55):
but in the best possible way.
You're likely charming,imaginative, and ready for the
next exciting journey.
I think that describes youpretty well, don't you?
Joyce (09:05):
Half of me, I
Truman (09:06):
think.
Joyce (09:07):
Just half of me.
But it's still early.
I'm still working on a half acup of coffee in my little Santa
Claus mug, so
Truman (09:14):
okay.
And then, your rejection ofTinkerbell is really
interesting, the app says.
While Tinkerbell representssomeone who is dramatically
emotional, intensely jealous,and prone to passionate
outbursts, you likely prideyourself on being more balanced
and level-headed.
No, that is not me at all.
All right.
The combined interpretationsays it suggests you're someone
(09:37):
who loves adventure and newexperiences, but approaches them
with a surprisingly matureoutlook.
That's pretty good.
That is pretty good, but howmany people have taken this
survey?
Can you validate the findingsis what I want to
Joyce (09:49):
know.
Truman (09:50):
Well, you see, I'm taking the results and then
improving the app as we go.
See how that
Joyce (09:55):
works.
Oh, I see.
Okay, I'm cool with that.
I'll start my morning with,yeah, Tito Pan, Tinkerbell,
whatever.
Okay.
Truman (10:06):
All right.
So I mentioned Disney'sadaption of the original Peter
Pan story.
They actually did two, 70 yearsapart, which is only seven
minutes in Neverland time.
Yep, in 1953, they had thecartoon version of the story,
which is probably the one mostof us remember, right?
But in 2023, they had realactors, Alexander Maloney and
(10:30):
Ever Anderson, performing asPeter and Wendy.
So those movies were actualreproductions and fanatizations
of the original story.
But there were other adaptionsout there, like the movie Hook
from 1991.
That presented the story from adifferent angle.
In that movie, Robin Williamsplays the part of Peter Pan who
(10:52):
grew up and his name becamePeter Banning.
And through a series ofadventures to rescue his
children from Captain Hook, heremembers his Peter Pan past.
Yeah.
And then, of course, there'sthe Johnny Depp movie called
Finding Neverland, which isabout the author himself, J.M.
Barrie.
And that movie aired in 2004.
(11:13):
It focused more on theinspiration for Peter Pan.
And then there was a dud moviecalled Pan.
And this one attempted to bethe prequel that starred Levi
Miller as Peter Pan and HughJackman as Blackbeard.
What?
Blackbeard.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So Blackbeard was a pirate whowas the reason that Peter Pan
(11:33):
and Captain Hook came to knoweach other.
Yeah.
Who knew that Neverland had somany layers, right?
Including our newfoundpersonality profile.
Let's get to another one.
You ready, Rose?
Hey.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So I'm going to have you do theNeverland personality profile.
Noise (11:54):
Okay.
Truman (11:54):
Okay, you even know what Neverland is?
Joyce (11:57):
Yeah, of course I know where Neverland is.
Where Alice went?
Truman (12:00):
Okay, so Neverland is where Peter Pan is from.
Oh!
Joyce (12:03):
Yeah,
Truman (12:06):
but that's okay.
All right, so part of thispersonality profile is you say
the person, the character thatfirst comes to your mind.
Joyce (12:13):
Okay.
Captain Hook.
Truman (12:14):
Captain Hook.
All right, so we're going totype that in.
Captain Hook.
Okay.
And then now we're going to askyou, What character do you feel
least represent you from PeterPan?
She's thinking.
So you're going to go withCaptain Hook again.
Captain Hook.
(12:36):
Okay.
So my Neverland personalityprofiler app says, interesting.
She thought of Hook first, butthen is the character least like
you?
Usually we're looking for twodifferent characters.
No, we want to go with it.
No, we want to go with it.
Go with it, right?
Joyce (12:54):
Yeah, go with it.
It's the first one I thoughtof, but it's at least like me.
Truman (13:00):
All right, so let's see.
This
Joyce (13:01):
is fascinating, it said.
Truman (13:02):
Yes.
Joyce (13:03):
Wow, this is a lot
Truman (13:04):
of information.
Yes, this is fascinating.
We won't read it all, Rose.
Thinking of Captain Hook firstsuggests that there's something
about the character that deeplyresonates or intrigues you.
Is that true?
Maybe.
Maybe.
Strategic thinking, emotionalcomplexity, and someone driven
by past experience.
Yeah, you have emotionalcomplexity, don't you?
But saying Hook is least likeyou creates an interesting
(13:26):
tension.
Tension is good.
So the combined interpretation,the unique combination,
suggests you're someone whounderstands the complexities of
human nature.
Joyce (13:34):
Facts.
Truman (13:35):
Uh-huh.
Joyce (13:36):
That's very true.
Truman (13:37):
And particularly how past hurts can shape us.
Joyce (13:40):
Wow, I knew that very well.
Truman (13:43):
And you might especially be self-aware about your own
potential for
Joyce (13:47):
harboring
Truman (13:47):
riches.
Joyce (13:49):
I am.
Truman (13:50):
All right.
I'm very self-aware.
So it
Joyce (13:52):
works.
That's crazy.
Truman (13:53):
Fantastic.
Thank you, Rose, for your time.
Joyce (13:55):
Yes, of course.
Wow, that's cool.
No, but that was actually veryspecific to me, I feel
Truman (14:00):
like.
All right.
That's fun.
Now I'm going to wrap us upwith three fun facts.
The first is that I actuallytraveled to Neverland myself.
I'm just kidding.
I'm kidding about that.
And I made up the wholepersonality profile thing as
well.
Noise (14:17):
Yeah.
Truman (14:18):
But actually, as I think about it, that might be a good
business idea.
Make a little phone app.
Yeah.
I could get one of these AItools to help me and make the
app and then put it out there inthe world.
Somebody would buy it, right?
I could get rich, right?
Probably not.
All right.
Actually, you know who is richas a result of Peter Pan?
Yeah.
(14:38):
Fun fact number two.
J.M.
Barrie didn't have a family ofhis own, so he actually used his
will to bequeath the copyrightsof the play and the book and
all things Peter Pan to theGreat Ormond Street Hospital in
London.
Now, as a condition to thatwonderful act of his, the
hospital was never allowed toreveal how much money it makes,
(15:01):
but they are making a ton.
And finally, fun fact numberthree, do you have any guesses
how many Peter Pan statues thereare in the world J.M.
Barrie commissioned the firstone in 1912, but there were at
least six duplicates made ofthat statue all around the
world.
Yeah, seven Peter Pan statuesworldwide.
(15:23):
That's seven great reasons todust off your passport, grab
some pixie dust, and strike apose with Peter himself.
Of course, if you do that, yourfriends and family will brand
you with the Peter Pan syndrome.
which is actually a thing.
Yeah, people who fear growingup are given this diagnosis.
(15:44):
Yeah.
All right, now before you headout on your statue selfie trip,
ping me with your Peter Pancharacter that you picked first
and the one that you were leasttrying to be, and I'll send you
back your Neverland personalityprofile.
And who knows?
Maybe it'll inspire some greatside trip adventures.
Oh, and always remember, Allthe world is made of faith and
(16:06):
trust and pixie dust.
Roses are red and Peter Panwears green.
Writing a review would help usget seen.
At a loss for the words,Tinkerbell would say, Pixie dust
for your ears.
This will brighten your day.
Your curiosity is a superpower.
(16:28):
Yes, you heard that right.
You're great, great.
Great, great, great, great,great, great grandparents had
this superpower too.
In fact, the curiosity andintelligence of your ancestors
was borderline miraculous.
Think about it.
They survived saber toothtigers and ice ages and
(16:52):
treacherous lands and seas.
Not only did the strongestpeople survive, but the people
with the right mix of brainpower survived.
People like you.
who observed events going onaround them and thought, why are
things the way they are?
And they survived by saying,not today, cruel and dangerous
(17:13):
world.
And they had children who hadchildren who had children and so
on all the way up to you.
And they passed along thesegenes, which makes you who you
are.
Well, December 27th is a day tocelebrate our ancestors who
watched, learned, and figuredthings out.
(17:33):
A day to praise those in ourfamily trees who asked
questions, who explored andtried something different.
Why December 27th, you ask?
Well, let me tell you a story.
Picture a young boy, fingersstained with dirt.
but eyes sparkling withexcitement as he carefully
(17:55):
collects beetles and examinesintricate details of insects
that most people would simplyswat away.
Then, picture his father, asuccessful physician who had big
plans for his son.
The family had a long medicaltradition, and becoming a doctor
was a mark of social status.
(18:16):
And our little naturalhistorian needed to get cleaned
up.
and continue to improve thefamily's reputation.
Well, as you can imagine, thatprobably wasn't going to work
for our new friend.
Let's call him Chucky for now.
You see, Chucky was moreinterested in the tiny worlds
(18:38):
crawling beneath rocks, thecomplex ecosystems hiding in
plain sight.
While other aspiring doctorshis age were studying anatomy
textbooks at the library, Chuckywas out in the fields,
collecting specimens, sketchinginsects, and wondering about the
incredible diversity of lifeall around us.
(18:59):
As you can imagine, his fatherclaimed that this was all a
waste of time.
Well, this family conflicthappened throughout all of
Chucky's formative years, andyou can probably guess that he
was going to find a way to rebeland go out on his own and
follow his true passions.
And guess what?
The perfect opportunity for himto do that came along with
(19:22):
Captain Robert Fitzroy, who washimself a naval prodigy.
Fitzroy was commissioned by theRoyal Navy in the 1830s to sail
around the world to makemaritime charts and detailed
maps of South America that wouldhelp make sailing safer and
propel the English Navy to greatheights.
Now, Captain Rob was anintelligent soul and a
(19:46):
naturalist.
And he was seeking a scientificcompanion who could document
the incredible biologicaldiversity they were sure to
encounter on their journey.
And here's a secret for you.
Captain Rob believed in acontroversial scientific theory
at the time.
So he was seeking someone whowould carefully observe and
(20:07):
document the natural world as itwas and not as people wanted it
to be.
And he hit the jackpot withCurious Chuckie.
a young man who would approachtheir expedition with rigorous
and academic discipline.
Hmm, interesting.
So on this day in history, theyboarded the HMS Beagle and set
(20:28):
sail.
Now I'm curious, have I givenyou enough clues to have figured
out who I'm talking about?
Well, let's keep going.
We'll join our friends later intheir journey.
Four years in to be exact, ourexplorers and cartographers came
to the Galapagos Islands whichare basically remote volcanic
(20:48):
islands way out in the PacificOcean, about 600 miles west of
South America, right on theequator.
So it's quite a ways offshore,maybe five days sailing time.
And you can imagine they haveanimals there that would be very
different from the animals onmainland South America.
In fact, today, theGalapagians, that's what you
(21:10):
call them, they boast abouttheir home islands that has 10
animals found only on theirislands.
Yeah.
Anyway, while there, ournaturalist Darwin, yes, you
heard that right, Chucky isCharles Darwin, and he
discovered something amazingabout turtles.
(21:30):
Yeah, the turtles on thedifferent islands were very
different from each other.
Some of the islands were lushrainforests, while others were
more rocky and had very littlevegetation.
I've been to Hawaii, and yes,the Pacific Islands can have
very different ecosystems, evenon the very same island.
(21:51):
If you've been there, you canprobably conjure up memories of
this contrast.
Now imagine in your mind therainforest turtles with big
thick dome looking shells andtheir heads pop out just a
little ways due to their shortnecks and they grab a leaf to
eat and these leaves areeverywhere.
Just like the predators thatthey would need to hide from in
(22:13):
this abundant ecosystem.
Okay, now imagine the starknessof the barren volcanic rock
island where there are fewleaves and almost no predators.
And the turtles here arestretching out their long necks,
trying to get a nibble of thatleaf.
And their shells are noticeablyfatter and less thick and much
(22:35):
lighter, enabling them to reachup higher to get their food.
So as you picture our tworeptile friends in your mind,
your high school sciencetraining has easily conditioned
you to realize that theseturtles had adapted to their
environment, right?
You'd agree that long-neckedturtles in a rough environment
(22:56):
only survived if they couldstretch out and get their food.
And they passed theirlong-necked genes on to their
descendants.
Well, guess what?
When Darwin was growing up,they didn't teach it this way.
They taught that divinity wasthe reason for this diversity.
God created the differentanimals because God knew that
(23:19):
some turtles would need longernecks And others would need
bigger, thicker shells, butcould have shorter necks.
And God knew all this stuff,and he planned it out
intentionally for all animals.
Now, like I said before,Captain Rob didn't buy into this
concept, and neither didDarwin.
And to be fair, lots of folksin the 1830s were challenging
(23:41):
these divinity theories.
But no one could prove it, atleast not scientifically.
And that brings us back to theHMS Beagle.
Now imagine how these folksspent their time, out on the
ocean, slowly sailing from placeto place, with time to reflect
and think and debate.
Well, that's exactly whatDarwin and Captain Fitzroy did,
(24:06):
especially on the long sail backhome to England.
And actually, it wasn't untilafter Darwin arrived home that
his theories and ideas becamesolidified in his mind.
One day, he was sharingpictures of some birds he had
drawn, and an aviary expertsaid, hey, those are all
finches.
And Darwin was like, no, no,they're different from each
(24:29):
other, like those turtles were.
But once he realized they wereall finches, just different from
each other, things startedclicking into place.
Now, you might already knowthat Darwin's book, On the
Origin of Species, was publishedin 1859.
But did you realize that wasalmost 20 whole years after his
(24:49):
trip around the world?
What?
Yeah, that would never happentoday, right?
People on this sailing venturewould be out tweeting their life
from the ship every day afterevery teeny discovery and making
up their theories on the spot,changing their story the next
day as something else unfolded.
No, not back then.
Darwin had been writing andassembling thousands of pages of
(25:13):
notes and organizing histhoughts for two whole decades
and debating all this evolutionideas with his colleagues and
such.
And finally, one day, acolleague motivated him to
publish his theories.
And so he did.
And then the book was famous.
And believe it or not, withinthe next 20 years, The entire
(25:36):
world of science completelyconverted to the theory of
evolution.
Even the religious zealots hadto concede that plants and
animals had evolved over timefrom God's original creations.
Which, of course, is exactlyhow God intended it in the first
place, right?
Yep.
And so, my friends, we comeback to where we started.
(25:58):
That curiosity, that incredibleworld-changing superpower, that
your ancestors carried, it'sthe same curiosity that drove a
young man named Charles Darwinto look closer and wonder why,
to challenge the accepted wisdomof his time.
So the next time you'rewondering why or how, remember,
(26:20):
you're not just asking aquestion.
You're carrying on a legacythat changed the world.
Your curiosity is yoursuperpower.
So use it boldly, my friend.
A time traveler's delight, weevolve as we go.
The stories improve as I learnand grow.
(26:40):
If these tales of wonder makeyou smile a bit, please share
with your friends and let theirminds get lit.
Have you ever wondered whatit's like to know every single
secret of one of America's mosticonic theaters?
Well, today we're sneakingbehind the curtain, literally,
(27:02):
at Radio City Music Hall.
where even the tour guides needto memorize a 23-page script
just to scratch the surface ofthis architectural wonder.
How do I know all that?
Well, my new friend JoyceHancock is joining me today to
share her experiences as a tourguide for this famous building.
And we did the math, people.
(27:24):
She's done over 17,000 toursover a span of 18 years there.
Wow.
And you can tell she lovedevery one of them.
What's the most interestingthing about that script that you
discovered when you werelearning through it all?
You
Joyce (27:39):
know
Truman (27:39):
what?
All of it.
All of it.
Because
Joyce (27:41):
I knew none of it.
Truman (27:43):
Okay.
Joyce (27:43):
I think the only thing I knew is that the Rockefellers
built Radio City.
You know, were the originalowners.
Right.
Truman (27:51):
The Rockefellers, right.
Joyce (27:53):
And I knew about the Rockettes, but I just didn't
know.
So here's this beautifulbuilding that I'd been going
into.
you know, as a child and thenas an adult, you know, for
concerts.
Right.
And just had no knowledge ofthe history and sort of, I just
(28:13):
sort of took the building forgranted.
Yeah.
But I will tell you from theday one of doing my very first
tour, I was in love with thatbuilding.
Truman (28:24):
Why is that?
Joyce (28:25):
I just, I paid attention.
You know, I was really presentto my surroundings.
Noise (28:31):
Yeah.
Joyce (28:31):
So when you're in the lobby, the lobby is a small area
with ticket booths, larger thanmost lobbies.
I mean, it's much larger thanany of the Broadway theater
lobbies.
And then you go from the lobbyinto a 60-foot grand foyer, and
it is just magnificent.
(28:52):
Yeah.
It is.
It's just awesome.
Truman (28:55):
Oh,
Joyce (28:55):
inspiring.
So each step of the tour is...
is a lovely surprise.
Truman (29:01):
So Joyce mentioned that the building was built by the
Rockefellers.
And that name is probablyfamiliar to you when it comes to
New York City, right?
Yeah.
The Rockefeller Center is wherethe annual Christmas tree can
be seen and where you can go iceskating.
And the Radio City Music HallTheater is right there in that
complex.
And the building opened on thisday in 1932.
(29:23):
Now at that time, it was thelargest indoor theater in the
world.
And guess what?
It still claims to be thelargest indoor theater today,
even 90 years later.
Yes, it's true, someone didbuild a theater with a few more
seats, but the theater itselfstill remains the largest.
(29:45):
And when the building opened,it featured the now famous
Rockettes.
And Joyce shared with us someinteresting facts about these
dancing Rockettes.
Joyce (29:55):
Everybody thinks that the Rockettes started in New York,
and they actually started asRussell Markert's Rockettes, not
Rockettes.
And then a gentleman, hisnickname is Roxy, who was, I
guess, the owner of the RoxyTheater, was brought over by the
Rockefellers.
(30:15):
to help with Radio City.
And he changed the name.
He feminized it to Rockettes.
Okay.
Yeah, so a lot of people don'tknow that.
I did not know that, and thatwas a surprising thing to learn.
Noise (30:29):
Huh.
Truman (30:30):
And the Rockettes started back in 1932, the same
as the building?
1927.
Oh, so they were five yearsbefore.
Joyce (30:37):
Isn't that something?
In St.
Louis, Missouri.
Truman (30:41):
Oh, in St.
Louis.
How about that?
Noise (30:42):
Yes.
Joyce (30:43):
Actually, you know what?
The Rockettes actually, I'msorry, started in 1925 as the
Missouri Rockets.
Truman (30:49):
The Missouri Rockets.
How about that?
Joyce (30:51):
Yeah, they came to New York to the Roxy Theater in
1927.
And then Roxy, when theRockefellers asked to help with
Radio City, he brought them toRadio City.
Truman (31:04):
Now, like I said in the clip, how about that?
I haven't seen the Rockettesperform myself, but I have heard
from others that they are quiteimpressive.
In our interview, Joyce talkedmore about the performers, and
you can hear all about that inthe bonus episode.
But I thought this one littlestory was a neat one to share.
Joyce (31:21):
One of the Rockettes took pictures with a little girl.
This young lady, I don't know,I'm thinking maybe she was 10
years old.
And before I left, that younggirl became a Rockette.
What?
And showed us tour guidespictures of herself With a
Rockette when she was a younggirl.
Truman (31:43):
Oh, I see what
Joyce (31:44):
you're saying.
Truman (31:45):
You're saying you had given a tour.
And again, it was a young
Joyce (31:48):
girl that was on the tour that took a picture with the
Rockette.
Truman (31:52):
And then later.
He
Joyce (31:53):
came a Rockette later.
And for Christmas, she gave usall pictures of herself as a
little girl with the Rockette.
She took a photo of on tour.
So that was a really lovelything.
Truman (32:05):
Yeah, that's a cool story, right?
In our talk, Joyce alsomentioned some of the things
that make the theater socompelling, like the moving
stages and the curtains.
Here's some of those soundbites.
Joyce (32:17):
If you're going to see a show, I would recommend the
Christmas Spectacular because itmakes use of all the special
effects.
Our stage is comprised of threeelevators and a turntable.
And there's a point in theChristmas show where each
elevator is at a differentlevel.
And then it comes together andthe turntable turns.
(32:42):
So that's really amazing.
Truman (32:45):
It sounds amazing.
And I was also researchingabout the curtain and how many
different shapes it can make.
Joyce (32:51):
It is.
It has 13 pulleys that enableit to create a medley of
different patterns.
And the curtain was the star onopening night of Radio City on
December 27, 1932.
It was
Truman (33:05):
the star?
Joyce (33:06):
It was the star.
Roxy had the curtain.
We say the curtain was dancingbefore it opened to its first
act.
Truman (33:15):
And yes, I've even seen videos about just the curtain
and how it's iconic in its ownright.
It's pretty cool.
So it sounds like this buildingis definitely worth your time
to take a visit.
And Joyce says it's worth it totake a tour even if the
building is empty and has noperformances that day.
She says that it's anawe-inspiring experience.
(33:37):
Now the most interesting thingI learned from my talk with
Joyce was more about how thebuilding impacted people rather
than its features and what itlooks like and its history.
She really had a neat storyabout how she had to give a tour
to a comedian that she wasn'tall that fond of because she
(34:00):
didn't like his content and hisdelivery style.
Now, the whole story is toolong to play in this segment,
but I definitely wanted you tohear how a building can humble a
star and in turn inspire howthat can change someone else's
impression.
Check this out.
Joyce (34:18):
And I watch him walk outside the building and look at
the front of the building.
And then he comes back in and Ican tell that he's in awe.
He's like standing in the foyerand he's looking up and I have
my uniform on.
So he asked me a question and Ianswered the question.
(34:38):
And then I look at him and Igo, would you like to take a
tour, sir?
And he said, I would.
He was so humble and just sogenuine that after the tour, I
went in the locker room and Iactually cried.
And I cried because I had beenso judgmental.
(35:00):
And even though, of course, Iwas a full grown adult already.
It was such a great lessonabout how we judge people and
maybe their Hollywood persona,you know, or their star persona.
And we don't know people.
And I've loved him ever since.
(35:21):
I just fell in love with him.
Truman (35:23):
Yes, I bet.
Yeah.
It's a great transformationalstory.
Awesome.
Joyce (35:27):
Yeah.
He was amazing.
He was so sweet.
And he kept saying to me thathe was in awe that he was going
to even perform there.
Like he didn't take it forgranted.
Truman (35:39):
Right.
Pretty neat.
Mic drop moment right there.
Okay.
So if you enjoyed listening tothese sound bites, then you'll
love the entire bonus episodewhere Joyce and I spend about 50
minutes together laughing andsharing stories.
You'll get to hear more aboutwhat she's up to these days as
well because she's retired fromgiving tours and is now out on
(36:00):
her own making content.
So we'll wrap up with thisthought.
You know it's pretty specialwhen a building can humble a
famous comedian and change askeptic's heart all in one tour.
Whether you've seen a showthere or just learned about it
today, Radio City Music Hallproves that some places really
(36:22):
do have magic between theirwalls.
I'm definitely booking a tourthe next time I'm in New York,
although I might skip memorizingthose 23 pages.
What a ride through time today,folks.
Three great stories that showus how imagination, curiosity,
(36:45):
and creativity shape our worldevery single day.
It's easy to see how December27th is all about visionaries
who dare to dream big.
Whether you're buzzing from thetimeless magic of Peter Pan, or
in awe of Darwin's ability towitness the truth about
evolution all around us, orbasking in the glitz and glamour
(37:08):
of the amazing Radio City MusicHall, why not share these
stories with someone who loves alittle wonder?
And guess what?
If you enjoyed today's stories,there's so much more waiting
for you.
For a dose of whimsicaladventure, you can discover some
out-of-this-world lovablecharacters featured on May 21st
(37:29):
and June 11th.
If Darwin's journey ofdiscovery inspired you, then
October 21st will light up yourimagination with Thomas Edison's
light bulb.
And stay tuned for May 14thwhen we hear about the Lewis and
Clark expedition headed west.
Also, there are other iconiclocations that await your
(37:49):
exploration.
You could get locked up inAlcatraz on June 11th, or get
lost in a lazy tour of theGuggenheim Museum on October
21st.
Oh, and if you enjoy hearingfrom guests and their favorite
subjects, there are half a dozenbonus episode options for you.
And they're easy to find.
You just scroll through thefeed and look for the words
(38:12):
bonus episode.
Yep, every day has a story, andthey're so much fun.
And we're going to stridethrough them all until we're
done.
Now, after you share thesespecial stories, you can also
mention the following famousfolks who celebrate their
birthdays today.
Eva LaRue toasts up anotheryear in the books.
(38:33):
She's an actress with a varietyof roles, including the soap
opera All My Children and thecrime show CSI Miami.
She also had some real-lifefame after being stalked for 12
years by some creepy personwho's actually now in prison for
his deeds.
Wow.
John Amos, who sadly recentlypassed away, He celebrated life
(38:58):
on December 27th each year.
He's also an actor, and you mayremember him from Good Times,
oh yeah, or from Roots.
He was also on the District TVshow, and he made guest
appearances on The West Wing,but my favorite was his role as
Cleo McDowell in Coming toAmerica.
Do you remember the Golden Arcsand the Big Mick?
(39:21):
Emily D.
Revin, another actress, sheblows out the candles today.
She's had lots of roles,including Claire on the
television show Lost, which hasrecently made a comeback on
Netflix, if you want to checkthat out.
And she was an alien-humanhybrid on the show Roswell.
And like I said, she's doneother shows as well.
(39:42):
Some famous birthdays from allof history include Johannes
Kepler from 1571 and LouisPasteur from 1822.
Obviously, Pasteur's last nameis the base word for
pasteurization, which is howthey make milk and other
beverages safe to drink, andwhich we'll hear more about on
(40:04):
April 20th.
And then Kepler, he was the guywho proved that planets orbit
the sun in elliptical patterns.
All right, now normally when Ithrow up the 50th most famous
person born today, according tofamousbirthdays.com, you get to
learn about someone you'veprobably never heard of.
Well, today's celebrity some ofyou have heard of, Ryan Fong.
(40:29):
He's a dancer and an actor.
He plays Tam on Young Sheldon,and maybe you've seen him light
it up on the stage on Dancingwith the Stars as a special
guest.
Yeah, he's got energy, and he'smotivated to keep challenging
himself.
So who knows what's next foryoung Ryan?
And when I looked atWikipedia's centenarians list, I
(40:50):
found that Ilse Wolfram turns102 today in 2024.
She was a pediatric surgeon whofocused on kidneys for most of
her career.
And then she retired from thatabout 40 years ago.
Yes, that's right.
She's been retired for 40years.
When she was working, she hadlectured in Sweden and London,
(41:13):
but now she resides in Rindland,Hulatanat.
Hopefully I said that right.
It's a town in Germany, WesternGermany, near France.
All right.
December 27th is also NationalFruitcake Day.
Saying that actually makes myface squinch up with disgust.
(41:37):
If you couldn't tell, I don'tlike fruitcakes.
But there are folks who lovethis special treat.
I'm not sure why Fruitcake Dayis celebrated after Christmas.
Maybe it's because people wantto re-gift their fruitcakes that
they got on Christmas tosomeone else.
But the re-gifting wasn't myidea.
(41:59):
Johnny Carson, the late nighttalk show host, actually came up
with that when he said, theworst gift of all is the
fruitcake.
And there's only one fruitcakein the entire world and people
keep sending it to each other.
Re-gifting.
Yep.
Today is also Make CutoutSnowflakes Day.
Yeah, you heard that right.
(42:19):
Fold up some paper and cut outsome pieces to make unique
snowflake designs.
That's today.
So go grab yourself some paper,cut some circles out of it,
fold it in half, then intothirds, and away you go.
It's actually a great teambuilding event.
I first heard of this specialday several years ago when a
(42:40):
friend and co-worker of mine,Adam, brought the idea to our
office.
And we had a lot of fun withit, actually.
I like Snowflake Day.
Today is also Visit the ZooDay, which was clearly invented
by someone in a southern state.
Because who in a northern statewould want to venture out on
December 27th to visit the zoo?
(43:03):
But I looked it up.
The Baltimore Zoo is actuallyopen on this day from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., and the National Zooin D.C.
is also open from 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
So you can go to the zoo onthis special day, but I would
probably rather be staying warmindoors, cutting snowflakes, and
(43:23):
telling funny jokes aboutfruitcakes.
Snowflakes and fruitcakes, I'ma poet, and I didn't know it.
All right, if you need a greatgift idea for your loved one, In
addition to retelling thestories you just learned about
this day in history, you canhave them open up a gift that is
customized to their birthday.
And I have several great ideasfor you, and you can find links
(43:47):
to all of these in the gift ideasection of the show notes.
Now often, I mention you canget a unique gift for the person
who has everything.
Well, today is no exception.
Your loved one can head toNeverland, There are books and
other decor about Neverland andPeter Pan.
There's even a neat Lego setfeaturing Peter Pan.
(44:10):
But I think the Tinkerbelloptions are the coolest.
You should check those out.
Obviously, there are greatDarwin-related gifts, including
his actual book that he wrote.
But there are dozens of otherbook options, books about him
and his life and the sailingtrip around the world that he
took, and even books out thereseeking to debunk Darwin's
(44:31):
theories.
Yeah.
And I was surprised to learnthat there are board games about
evolution.
So that's pretty cool, too.
There's also lots of fun stuffcelebrating the Radio City Music
Hall.
Coffee table books and decorfeaturing the building itself.
And, of course, there's alsoitems featuring the Rockettes.
Gotta check those out.
(44:51):
And then, for the famous folksthat were born today, they all
have some great gift ideas.
Mostly movies and posters.
And similarly, today's specialholidays have unique gift ideas.
Yes, of course, you can buysome fruitcake online.
Don't get any from me.
There are lots of coolsnowflake designs and snowflake
(45:13):
artwork items that areavailable.
And if you're up for it, youcan get tickets to actually go
visit the local zoo andcelebrate today.
And if you don't feel likegoing in person, you can get
some zoo picture books and do avirtual visit.
Or there's even board gameslike Zookeeper and Safari that
could also work.
(45:33):
Yeah, how about that?
The person who has everythingprobably does not have some of
the stuff I just told you about.
Yep, so like I said, lots ofcustomized gifts for folks who
celebrate December 27th.
But if you really want to upyour gift-giving game, you have
the chance to make someone'sbirthday special and make it
(45:54):
forever.
You could dedicate apersonalized shout out right
here on the podcast.
Yeah, I'll do it for you if yousend me an email and tell me
something fun you want to share.
Or you can even do your ownshout out by using the SpeakPipe
link that's available in theshow notes.
Today's special someone has afantastic shout out, but it's
(46:16):
short and sweet, so listenquick.
Joyce (46:18):
Hey, hippie.
Hope you get to climb a tree onyour birthday.
Or climb something else.
Happy birthday.
Truman (46:26):
Now, that's a great shout out, ladies.
Well played.
Now, as I mentioned, you canfind the link to do that in the
show notes.
As always, if you have a storythat just needs to be shared
about any day in the past, sendme an email and let's connect.
All right, so as we wrap up,this episode happens to be my
(46:51):
last one recorded in the 2024calendar year, and it was a
great year.
We had over 1,500 downloadsthis year, which is pretty
awesome.
Joe Rogan, you better startbiting your nails, buddy.
We had seven bonus episodeswith some great guests, and we
covered a lot of ground in ourregular episodes.
(47:12):
all the way back from Romulusbeating his brother to found
ancient Rome, all the way up torecent times when Bolt and
Phelps were beating everyonethey faced and bringing home
gold at the Olympics.
Along the way, we got to bebopto some great one-hit wonders
and parade through the streetscelebrating fun holidays.
(47:32):
We heard some fun stories aboutinventions and discoveries and
important organizations and evena scandal or two sprinkled in
and around.
All that fun.
Yep, it's been a great year forthis podcast, but it's also
been a great year forpodcasting, which is more
(47:52):
popular than ever.
Just under half of all U.S.
adults listen to a podcast atleast once a month.
And guess what?
You're in that count.
Thanks so much for being there.
Now, back when we started, thegoal was to get this show to the
top 1% of all podcasts ever.
And we accomplished thatmission thanks to you.
(48:15):
In 2025, we're going to up ourgame and we're going to aim to
get to the top half of allactive podcasts ever.
So that 1% number, that's forall podcasts ever recorded,
including all the shows that aredead and buried.
But right now, we are aboutone-third of our way to getting
(48:37):
into that top half of the activepodcast.
So we have some work to do,people.
Alrighty, well, let's get toit.
That's right, let's get to it.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome seeker.
Did you know that the powerfulforces of creativity and
curiosity are what makesDecember 27th an amazing day?
Whether you dream of adventure,love solving life's mysteries,
or simply crave a little magic,December 27th is here to
deliver.
If you're ready to uncover thesecrets of a day where
(00:23):
imagination took flight anddiscovery changed the world,
then come stride through historywith me.
Our journey kicks off inNeverland, where a sprinkle of
pixie dust and Peter Pan'stimeless adventures can help us
uncover your true personalityprofile.
And then, all aboard an 1830sailing ship, we'll pass through
(00:45):
the uncharted waters of theGalapagos, where tiny turtles
sparked ideas that would changescience forever.
Then we're off to the Big Appleto uncover the glamour and
secrets of Radio City MusicHall.
A former tour guide, Joyce,will tell us all about its grand
halls and a hidden passageway.
We'll return you to your normalself with a bit more knowledge
(01:08):
and some great stories to sharewith others.
After striding through December27th, you'll see how a single
spark, whether of imagination,discovery, or showmanship, can
brighten the future beyond whatanyone thought possible.
The portal's humming, history'scalling, and our day striding
adventure stories await.
(01:29):
So let's get to it, my friend.
Welcome, seekers, to theenchanting world of Daystrider,
the podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPastworthy, and together we'll
(01:50):
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact
day, but from some time in thepast.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some lighthearted
stories that'll leave yousaying, huh, I never knew that
(02:12):
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
So forget everything you knowabout personality tests.
This isn't about Myers-Briggsor disc people.
No, no.
This is about uncovering thehidden character inside of you,
(02:32):
waiting to leap out and shine.
And no, we're not reading thestars or palms either.
No, we're actually going tosummon the ever mischievous
Peter Pan and his Neverlandpersonality profiler.
What?
Yeah, go with me here.
It's gonna be magical.
All right, now close your eyesand think of the first Peter Pan
(02:57):
character that pops into yourhead.
Now don't overthink it.
Just let your imagination driftto Neverland for a moment.
All right, now here's where itgets interesting.
Keep your eyes closed, unlessyou're driving, of course, and
think of the Peter Pan characterthat feels the least like you.
The one that makes you say,nah, that is so not me.
(03:19):
All right, got those twocharacters.
Now the one you thought offirst, that's your true self.
And the one you thought ofsecond, that's the part of
yourself that you're runningfrom, desperately trying not to
be.
And together, they tell a storymore complex and fascinating
than any ordinary personalitytest ever could.
(03:40):
Yeah, are you ready to meetthat character hiding in your
soul?
Well, for this segment, I foundsome randos who would take this
test for me.
And we'll get to hear who theychose and how accurate the
profiler turned out to be.
Starting with Ray.
Alright, so we're going tointerview Uncle Ray.
(04:01):
This is the Neverlandpersonality profiler.
Noise (04:05):
Okay.
Truman (04:05):
So I'm going to just ask you to tell me the first
character that comes to mindwhen you think of the movie
Peter Pan.
Okay.
Captain Hook.
Captain Hook.
All right.
And then which character inPeter Pan would you least want
to be?
Noise (04:20):
The little boy that carries the teddy bear.
I
Truman (04:25):
knew he'd come up with something creative.
All right.
So Captain Hook.
So I'm going to put this intomy Neverland Personality
Profiler app.
Okay.
And it's going to tell you whatyour personality is like.
So Captain Hook.
Hold on.
I'm going to put it in here.
Captain Hook.
And then do we know the littleboy, one of the lost boys?
I
Noise (04:47):
was talking about the little boy with Wendy.
Truman (04:50):
Oh, so one of Wendy's brothers.
Yes.
Okay.
Noise (04:55):
There's no, he carries a teddy bear.
I don't know his name.
Truman (04:58):
Okay, so the personality profile says that you are
someone who sees the worldthrough a lens of strategic
complexity.
Does that sound like you?
I
Noise (05:08):
think that's pretty spot on.
Truman (05:09):
And you're likely to be a planner, someone who thinks
several moves ahead.
And while you may appear toughon the outside like Hook,
there's probably a deeperemotional intelligence.
Noise (05:21):
I think that is spot on.
Truman (05:23):
All right.
And you reject the simplistic,carefree nature of childhood?
Is that true, though?
Noise (05:30):
No, that seems a little bit off.
Truman (05:33):
Uh-huh.
Okay.
All right, so we've got to workon my app then, right?
Noise (05:37):
Just a little bit.
It's pretty scary how close itwas, though.
Truman (05:42):
Yeah, that's a good one.
So, why Peter Pan, you ask?
Well, he's not just a funmetaphor for our personality
test.
He made his grand debut onstage on this very day in 1904.
The original play was calledPeter Pan or The Boy Who Would
Not Grow Up.
And yes, that was the fulltitle.
(06:05):
And it was so popular at thetime in London and New York City
that the creator J.M.
Barrie decided to write a bookabout it as well, adapting from
his play.
And that was called Peter andWendy.
Now, You all know the gist ofthis story, right?
Peter Pan, our ageless rebel,skips the whole growing up
(06:27):
nonsense and lives in Neverland,a land of pirates and pixie
dust and endless adventures.
Well, he befriends Wendy andher two brothers and takes them
on adventures with the Lost Boysand Tinkerbell.
And eventually they face offagainst Captain Hook and his
pirate crew.
Arr! And they win the day.
(06:47):
And then...
Peter sadly returns Wendy andher brothers home because they
want to grow up.
But not Peter.
He stays behind in Neverland tocontinue his eternal childhood.
Now on the face of it, this isa great little story.
And of course, the wonderfulfolks at Disney have fantasized
(07:08):
the heck out of it and removed alot of the darkness that was
layered into J.M.
Barrie's original work.
Yeah.
If you research the originalPeter Pan plots, Peter Pan
plots, there's a lot of stalkinggoing on and coercion.
And yeah, it has very eerieundertones.
(07:29):
Some have even interpretedNeverland as a sort of
purgatory.
Yeah, but we all know I like tostick to the fun stuff.
And so now let's get anotherNeverland personality profile
reveal.
Joyce (07:44):
All right.
So what are we doing here thismorning?
Truman (07:47):
So you're going to be taking the Neverland personality
profile.
Joyce (07:51):
Neverland?
Truman (07:52):
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
So all you need to do is let meknow which Peter Pan character
you think of first.
I guess I think of Peter Pan.
Peter Pan.
Okay.
Let me type that in here realquick.
Okay.
Into the My Profiler app.
Peter Pan.
This is crazy.
Okay, Peter.
Noise (08:13):
Okay.
Truman (08:15):
Okay, and then you need to think of the character who
you feel least represents youfrom the whole Peter Pan story.
Joyce (08:25):
Actually, what first comes to my mind is Tinkerbell.
Truman (08:27):
Tinkerbell?
Okay.
Joyce (08:30):
Yeah.
Truman (08:32):
All right, I typed Tinkerbell into the app.
Okay, so my app saysFascinating Combination.
Your first character was PeterPan, and so you're an eternal
optimist with a rebelliousstreak.
That's funny.
Being drawn to Peter Pan firstsuggests you're spontaneous,
which I'm not sure of, but anadventure-loving, and you're
approached to life withchildlike wonder and creativity,
(08:55):
but in the best possible way.
You're likely charming,imaginative, and ready for the
next exciting journey.
I think that describes youpretty well, don't you?
Joyce (09:05):
Half of me, I
Truman (09:06):
think.
Joyce (09:07):
Just half of me.
But it's still early.
I'm still working on a half acup of coffee in my little Santa
Claus mug, so
Truman (09:14):
okay.
And then, your rejection ofTinkerbell is really
interesting, the app says.
While Tinkerbell representssomeone who is dramatically
emotional, intensely jealous,and prone to passionate
outbursts, you likely prideyourself on being more balanced
and level-headed.
No, that is not me at all.
All right.
The combined interpretationsays it suggests you're someone
(09:37):
who loves adventure and newexperiences, but approaches them
with a surprisingly matureoutlook.
That's pretty good.
That is pretty good, but howmany people have taken this
survey?
Can you validate the findingsis what I want to
Joyce (09:49):
know.
Truman (09:50):
Well, you see, I'm taking the results and then
improving the app as we go.
See how that
Joyce (09:55):
works.
Oh, I see.
Okay, I'm cool with that.
I'll start my morning with,yeah, Tito Pan, Tinkerbell,
whatever.
Okay.
Truman (10:06):
All right.
So I mentioned Disney'sadaption of the original Peter
Pan story.
They actually did two, 70 yearsapart, which is only seven
minutes in Neverland time.
Yep, in 1953, they had thecartoon version of the story,
which is probably the one mostof us remember, right?
But in 2023, they had realactors, Alexander Maloney and
(10:30):
Ever Anderson, performing asPeter and Wendy.
So those movies were actualreproductions and fanatizations
of the original story.
But there were other adaptionsout there, like the movie Hook
from 1991.
That presented the story from adifferent angle.
In that movie, Robin Williamsplays the part of Peter Pan who
(10:52):
grew up and his name becamePeter Banning.
And through a series ofadventures to rescue his
children from Captain Hook, heremembers his Peter Pan past.
Yeah.
And then, of course, there'sthe Johnny Depp movie called
Finding Neverland, which isabout the author himself, J.M.
Barrie.
And that movie aired in 2004.
(11:13):
It focused more on theinspiration for Peter Pan.
And then there was a dud moviecalled Pan.
And this one attempted to bethe prequel that starred Levi
Miller as Peter Pan and HughJackman as Blackbeard.
What?
Blackbeard.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So Blackbeard was a pirate whowas the reason that Peter Pan
(11:33):
and Captain Hook came to knoweach other.
Yeah.
Who knew that Neverland had somany layers, right?
Including our newfoundpersonality profile.
Let's get to another one.
You ready, Rose?
Hey.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So I'm going to have you do theNeverland personality profile.
Noise (11:54):
Okay.
Truman (11:54):
Okay, you even know what Neverland is?
Joyce (11:57):
Yeah, of course I know where Neverland is.
Where Alice went?
Truman (12:00):
Okay, so Neverland is where Peter Pan is from.
Oh!
Joyce (12:03):
Yeah,
Truman (12:06):
but that's okay.
All right, so part of thispersonality profile is you say
the person, the character thatfirst comes to your mind.
Joyce (12:13):
Okay.
Captain Hook.
Truman (12:14):
Captain Hook.
All right, so we're going totype that in.
Captain Hook.
Okay.
And then now we're going to askyou, What character do you feel
least represent you from PeterPan?
She's thinking.
So you're going to go withCaptain Hook again.
Captain Hook.
(12:36):
Okay.
So my Neverland personalityprofiler app says, interesting.
She thought of Hook first, butthen is the character least like
you?
Usually we're looking for twodifferent characters.
No, we want to go with it.
No, we want to go with it.
Go with it, right?
Joyce (12:54):
Yeah, go with it.
It's the first one I thoughtof, but it's at least like me.
Truman (13:00):
All right, so let's see.
This
Joyce (13:01):
is fascinating, it said.
Truman (13:02):
Yes.
Joyce (13:03):
Wow, this is a lot
Truman (13:04):
of information.
Yes, this is fascinating.
We won't read it all, Rose.
Thinking of Captain Hook firstsuggests that there's something
about the character that deeplyresonates or intrigues you.
Is that true?
Maybe.
Maybe.
Strategic thinking, emotionalcomplexity, and someone driven
by past experience.
Yeah, you have emotionalcomplexity, don't you?
But saying Hook is least likeyou creates an interesting
(13:26):
tension.
Tension is good.
So the combined interpretation,the unique combination,
suggests you're someone whounderstands the complexities of
human nature.
Joyce (13:34):
Facts.
Truman (13:35):
Uh-huh.
Joyce (13:36):
That's very true.
Truman (13:37):
And particularly how past hurts can shape us.
Joyce (13:40):
Wow, I knew that very well.
Truman (13:43):
And you might especially be self-aware about your own
potential for
Joyce (13:47):
harboring
Truman (13:47):
riches.
Joyce (13:49):
I am.
Truman (13:50):
All right.
I'm very self-aware.
So it
Joyce (13:52):
works.
That's crazy.
Truman (13:53):
Fantastic.
Thank you, Rose, for your time.
Joyce (13:55):
Yes, of course.
Wow, that's cool.
No, but that was actually veryspecific to me, I feel
Truman (14:00):
like.
All right.
That's fun.
Now I'm going to wrap us upwith three fun facts.
The first is that I actuallytraveled to Neverland myself.
I'm just kidding.
I'm kidding about that.
And I made up the wholepersonality profile thing as
well.
Noise (14:17):
Yeah.
Truman (14:18):
But actually, as I think about it, that might be a good
business idea.
Make a little phone app.
Yeah.
I could get one of these AItools to help me and make the
app and then put it out there inthe world.
Somebody would buy it, right?
I could get rich, right?
Probably not.
All right.
Actually, you know who is richas a result of Peter Pan?
Yeah.
(14:38):
Fun fact number two.
J.M.
Barrie didn't have a family ofhis own, so he actually used his
will to bequeath the copyrightsof the play and the book and
all things Peter Pan to theGreat Ormond Street Hospital in
London.
Now, as a condition to thatwonderful act of his, the
hospital was never allowed toreveal how much money it makes,
(15:01):
but they are making a ton.
And finally, fun fact numberthree, do you have any guesses
how many Peter Pan statues thereare in the world J.M.
Barrie commissioned the firstone in 1912, but there were at
least six duplicates made ofthat statue all around the
world.
Yeah, seven Peter Pan statuesworldwide.
(15:23):
That's seven great reasons todust off your passport, grab
some pixie dust, and strike apose with Peter himself.
Of course, if you do that, yourfriends and family will brand
you with the Peter Pan syndrome.
which is actually a thing.
Yeah, people who fear growingup are given this diagnosis.
(15:44):
Yeah.
All right, now before you headout on your statue selfie trip,
ping me with your Peter Pancharacter that you picked first
and the one that you were leasttrying to be, and I'll send you
back your Neverland personalityprofile.
And who knows?
Maybe it'll inspire some greatside trip adventures.
Oh, and always remember, Allthe world is made of faith and
(16:06):
trust and pixie dust.
Roses are red and Peter Panwears green.
Writing a review would help usget seen.
At a loss for the words,Tinkerbell would say, Pixie dust
for your ears.
This will brighten your day.
Your curiosity is a superpower.
(16:28):
Yes, you heard that right.
You're great, great.
Great, great, great, great,great, great grandparents had
this superpower too.
In fact, the curiosity andintelligence of your ancestors
was borderline miraculous.
Think about it.
They survived saber toothtigers and ice ages and
(16:52):
treacherous lands and seas.
Not only did the strongestpeople survive, but the people
with the right mix of brainpower survived.
People like you.
who observed events going onaround them and thought, why are
things the way they are?
And they survived by saying,not today, cruel and dangerous
(17:13):
world.
And they had children who hadchildren who had children and so
on all the way up to you.
And they passed along thesegenes, which makes you who you
are.
Well, December 27th is a day tocelebrate our ancestors who
watched, learned, and figuredthings out.
(17:33):
A day to praise those in ourfamily trees who asked
questions, who explored andtried something different.
Why December 27th, you ask?
Well, let me tell you a story.
Picture a young boy, fingersstained with dirt.
but eyes sparkling withexcitement as he carefully
(17:55):
collects beetles and examinesintricate details of insects
that most people would simplyswat away.
Then, picture his father, asuccessful physician who had big
plans for his son.
The family had a long medicaltradition, and becoming a doctor
was a mark of social status.
(18:16):
And our little naturalhistorian needed to get cleaned
up.
and continue to improve thefamily's reputation.
Well, as you can imagine, thatprobably wasn't going to work
for our new friend.
Let's call him Chucky for now.
You see, Chucky was moreinterested in the tiny worlds
(18:38):
crawling beneath rocks, thecomplex ecosystems hiding in
plain sight.
While other aspiring doctorshis age were studying anatomy
textbooks at the library, Chuckywas out in the fields,
collecting specimens, sketchinginsects, and wondering about the
incredible diversity of lifeall around us.
(18:59):
As you can imagine, his fatherclaimed that this was all a
waste of time.
Well, this family conflicthappened throughout all of
Chucky's formative years, andyou can probably guess that he
was going to find a way to rebeland go out on his own and
follow his true passions.
And guess what?
The perfect opportunity for himto do that came along with
(19:22):
Captain Robert Fitzroy, who washimself a naval prodigy.
Fitzroy was commissioned by theRoyal Navy in the 1830s to sail
around the world to makemaritime charts and detailed
maps of South America that wouldhelp make sailing safer and
propel the English Navy to greatheights.
Now, Captain Rob was anintelligent soul and a
(19:46):
naturalist.
And he was seeking a scientificcompanion who could document
the incredible biologicaldiversity they were sure to
encounter on their journey.
And here's a secret for you.
Captain Rob believed in acontroversial scientific theory
at the time.
So he was seeking someone whowould carefully observe and
(20:07):
document the natural world as itwas and not as people wanted it
to be.
And he hit the jackpot withCurious Chuckie.
a young man who would approachtheir expedition with rigorous
and academic discipline.
Hmm, interesting.
So on this day in history, theyboarded the HMS Beagle and set
(20:28):
sail.
Now I'm curious, have I givenyou enough clues to have figured
out who I'm talking about?
Well, let's keep going.
We'll join our friends later intheir journey.
Four years in to be exact, ourexplorers and cartographers came
to the Galapagos Islands whichare basically remote volcanic
(20:48):
islands way out in the PacificOcean, about 600 miles west of
South America, right on theequator.
So it's quite a ways offshore,maybe five days sailing time.
And you can imagine they haveanimals there that would be very
different from the animals onmainland South America.
In fact, today, theGalapagians, that's what you
(21:10):
call them, they boast abouttheir home islands that has 10
animals found only on theirislands.
Yeah.
Anyway, while there, ournaturalist Darwin, yes, you
heard that right, Chucky isCharles Darwin, and he
discovered something amazingabout turtles.
(21:30):
Yeah, the turtles on thedifferent islands were very
different from each other.
Some of the islands were lushrainforests, while others were
more rocky and had very littlevegetation.
I've been to Hawaii, and yes,the Pacific Islands can have
very different ecosystems, evenon the very same island.
(21:51):
If you've been there, you canprobably conjure up memories of
this contrast.
Now imagine in your mind therainforest turtles with big
thick dome looking shells andtheir heads pop out just a
little ways due to their shortnecks and they grab a leaf to
eat and these leaves areeverywhere.
Just like the predators thatthey would need to hide from in
(22:13):
this abundant ecosystem.
Okay, now imagine the starknessof the barren volcanic rock
island where there are fewleaves and almost no predators.
And the turtles here arestretching out their long necks,
trying to get a nibble of thatleaf.
And their shells are noticeablyfatter and less thick and much
(22:35):
lighter, enabling them to reachup higher to get their food.
So as you picture our tworeptile friends in your mind,
your high school sciencetraining has easily conditioned
you to realize that theseturtles had adapted to their
environment, right?
You'd agree that long-neckedturtles in a rough environment
(22:56):
only survived if they couldstretch out and get their food.
And they passed theirlong-necked genes on to their
descendants.
Well, guess what?
When Darwin was growing up,they didn't teach it this way.
They taught that divinity wasthe reason for this diversity.
God created the differentanimals because God knew that
(23:19):
some turtles would need longernecks And others would need
bigger, thicker shells, butcould have shorter necks.
And God knew all this stuff,and he planned it out
intentionally for all animals.
Now, like I said before,Captain Rob didn't buy into this
concept, and neither didDarwin.
And to be fair, lots of folksin the 1830s were challenging
(23:41):
these divinity theories.
But no one could prove it, atleast not scientifically.
And that brings us back to theHMS Beagle.
Now imagine how these folksspent their time, out on the
ocean, slowly sailing from placeto place, with time to reflect
and think and debate.
Well, that's exactly whatDarwin and Captain Fitzroy did,
(24:06):
especially on the long sail backhome to England.
And actually, it wasn't untilafter Darwin arrived home that
his theories and ideas becamesolidified in his mind.
One day, he was sharingpictures of some birds he had
drawn, and an aviary expertsaid, hey, those are all
finches.
And Darwin was like, no, no,they're different from each
(24:29):
other, like those turtles were.
But once he realized they wereall finches, just different from
each other, things startedclicking into place.
Now, you might already knowthat Darwin's book, On the
Origin of Species, was publishedin 1859.
But did you realize that wasalmost 20 whole years after his
(24:49):
trip around the world?
What?
Yeah, that would never happentoday, right?
People on this sailing venturewould be out tweeting their life
from the ship every day afterevery teeny discovery and making
up their theories on the spot,changing their story the next
day as something else unfolded.
No, not back then.
Darwin had been writing andassembling thousands of pages of
(25:13):
notes and organizing histhoughts for two whole decades
and debating all this evolutionideas with his colleagues and
such.
And finally, one day, acolleague motivated him to
publish his theories.
And so he did.
And then the book was famous.
And believe it or not, withinthe next 20 years, The entire
(25:36):
world of science completelyconverted to the theory of
evolution.
Even the religious zealots hadto concede that plants and
animals had evolved over timefrom God's original creations.
Which, of course, is exactlyhow God intended it in the first
place, right?
Yep.
And so, my friends, we comeback to where we started.
(25:58):
That curiosity, that incredibleworld-changing superpower, that
your ancestors carried, it'sthe same curiosity that drove a
young man named Charles Darwinto look closer and wonder why,
to challenge the accepted wisdomof his time.
So the next time you'rewondering why or how, remember,
(26:20):
you're not just asking aquestion.
You're carrying on a legacythat changed the world.
Your curiosity is yoursuperpower.
So use it boldly, my friend.
A time traveler's delight, weevolve as we go.
The stories improve as I learnand grow.
(26:40):
If these tales of wonder makeyou smile a bit, please share
with your friends and let theirminds get lit.
Have you ever wondered whatit's like to know every single
secret of one of America's mosticonic theaters?
Well, today we're sneakingbehind the curtain, literally,
(27:02):
at Radio City Music Hall.
where even the tour guides needto memorize a 23-page script
just to scratch the surface ofthis architectural wonder.
How do I know all that?
Well, my new friend JoyceHancock is joining me today to
share her experiences as a tourguide for this famous building.
And we did the math, people.
(27:24):
She's done over 17,000 toursover a span of 18 years there.
Wow.
And you can tell she lovedevery one of them.
What's the most interestingthing about that script that you
discovered when you werelearning through it all?
You
Joyce (27:39):
know
Truman (27:39):
what?
All of it.
All of it.
Because
Joyce (27:41):
I knew none of it.
Truman (27:43):
Okay.
Joyce (27:43):
I think the only thing I knew is that the Rockefellers
built Radio City.
You know, were the originalowners.
Right.
Truman (27:51):
The Rockefellers, right.
Joyce (27:53):
And I knew about the Rockettes, but I just didn't
know.
So here's this beautifulbuilding that I'd been going
into.
you know, as a child and thenas an adult, you know, for
concerts.
Right.
And just had no knowledge ofthe history and sort of, I just
(28:13):
sort of took the building forgranted.
Yeah.
But I will tell you from theday one of doing my very first
tour, I was in love with thatbuilding.
Truman (28:24):
Why is that?
Joyce (28:25):
I just, I paid attention.
You know, I was really presentto my surroundings.
Noise (28:31):
Yeah.
Joyce (28:31):
So when you're in the lobby, the lobby is a small area
with ticket booths, larger thanmost lobbies.
I mean, it's much larger thanany of the Broadway theater
lobbies.
And then you go from the lobbyinto a 60-foot grand foyer, and
it is just magnificent.
(28:52):
Yeah.
It is.
It's just awesome.
Truman (28:55):
Oh,
Joyce (28:55):
inspiring.
So each step of the tour is...
is a lovely surprise.
Truman (29:01):
So Joyce mentioned that the building was built by the
Rockefellers.
And that name is probablyfamiliar to you when it comes to
New York City, right?
Yeah.
The Rockefeller Center is wherethe annual Christmas tree can
be seen and where you can go iceskating.
And the Radio City Music HallTheater is right there in that
complex.
And the building opened on thisday in 1932.
(29:23):
Now at that time, it was thelargest indoor theater in the
world.
And guess what?
It still claims to be thelargest indoor theater today,
even 90 years later.
Yes, it's true, someone didbuild a theater with a few more
seats, but the theater itselfstill remains the largest.
(29:45):
And when the building opened,it featured the now famous
Rockettes.
And Joyce shared with us someinteresting facts about these
dancing Rockettes.
Joyce (29:55):
Everybody thinks that the Rockettes started in New York,
and they actually started asRussell Markert's Rockettes, not
Rockettes.
And then a gentleman, hisnickname is Roxy, who was, I
guess, the owner of the RoxyTheater, was brought over by the
Rockefellers.
(30:15):
to help with Radio City.
And he changed the name.
He feminized it to Rockettes.
Okay.
Yeah, so a lot of people don'tknow that.
I did not know that, and thatwas a surprising thing to learn.
Noise (30:29):
Huh.
Truman (30:30):
And the Rockettes started back in 1932, the same
as the building?
1927.
Oh, so they were five yearsbefore.
Joyce (30:37):
Isn't that something?
In St.
Louis, Missouri.
Truman (30:41):
Oh, in St.
Louis.
How about that?
Noise (30:42):
Yes.
Joyce (30:43):
Actually, you know what?
The Rockettes actually, I'msorry, started in 1925 as the
Missouri Rockets.
Truman (30:49):
The Missouri Rockets.
How about that?
Joyce (30:51):
Yeah, they came to New York to the Roxy Theater in
1927.
And then Roxy, when theRockefellers asked to help with
Radio City, he brought them toRadio City.
Truman (31:04):
Now, like I said in the clip, how about that?
I haven't seen the Rockettesperform myself, but I have heard
from others that they are quiteimpressive.
In our interview, Joyce talkedmore about the performers, and
you can hear all about that inthe bonus episode.
But I thought this one littlestory was a neat one to share.
Joyce (31:21):
One of the Rockettes took pictures with a little girl.
This young lady, I don't know,I'm thinking maybe she was 10
years old.
And before I left, that younggirl became a Rockette.
What?
And showed us tour guidespictures of herself With a
Rockette when she was a younggirl.
Truman (31:43):
Oh, I see what
Joyce (31:44):
you're saying.
Truman (31:45):
You're saying you had given a tour.
And again, it was a young
Joyce (31:48):
girl that was on the tour that took a picture with the
Rockette.
Truman (31:52):
And then later.
He
Joyce (31:53):
came a Rockette later.
And for Christmas, she gave usall pictures of herself as a
little girl with the Rockette.
She took a photo of on tour.
So that was a really lovelything.
Truman (32:05):
Yeah, that's a cool story, right?
In our talk, Joyce alsomentioned some of the things
that make the theater socompelling, like the moving
stages and the curtains.
Here's some of those soundbites.
Joyce (32:17):
If you're going to see a show, I would recommend the
Christmas Spectacular because itmakes use of all the special
effects.
Our stage is comprised of threeelevators and a turntable.
And there's a point in theChristmas show where each
elevator is at a differentlevel.
And then it comes together andthe turntable turns.
(32:42):
So that's really amazing.
Truman (32:45):
It sounds amazing.
And I was also researchingabout the curtain and how many
different shapes it can make.
Joyce (32:51):
It is.
It has 13 pulleys that enableit to create a medley of
different patterns.
And the curtain was the star onopening night of Radio City on
December 27, 1932.
It was
Truman (33:05):
the star?
Joyce (33:06):
It was the star.
Roxy had the curtain.
We say the curtain was dancingbefore it opened to its first
act.
Truman (33:15):
And yes, I've even seen videos about just the curtain
and how it's iconic in its ownright.
It's pretty cool.
So it sounds like this buildingis definitely worth your time
to take a visit.
And Joyce says it's worth it totake a tour even if the
building is empty and has noperformances that day.
She says that it's anawe-inspiring experience.
(33:37):
Now the most interesting thingI learned from my talk with
Joyce was more about how thebuilding impacted people rather
than its features and what itlooks like and its history.
She really had a neat storyabout how she had to give a tour
to a comedian that she wasn'tall that fond of because she
(34:00):
didn't like his content and hisdelivery style.
Now, the whole story is toolong to play in this segment,
but I definitely wanted you tohear how a building can humble a
star and in turn inspire howthat can change someone else's
impression.
Check this out.
Joyce (34:18):
And I watch him walk outside the building and look at
the front of the building.
And then he comes back in and Ican tell that he's in awe.
He's like standing in the foyerand he's looking up and I have
my uniform on.
So he asked me a question and Ianswered the question.
(34:38):
And then I look at him and Igo, would you like to take a
tour, sir?
And he said, I would.
He was so humble and just sogenuine that after the tour, I
went in the locker room and Iactually cried.
And I cried because I had beenso judgmental.
(35:00):
And even though, of course, Iwas a full grown adult already.
It was such a great lessonabout how we judge people and
maybe their Hollywood persona,you know, or their star persona.
And we don't know people.
And I've loved him ever since.
(35:21):
I just fell in love with him.
Truman (35:23):
Yes, I bet.
Yeah.
It's a great transformationalstory.
Awesome.
Joyce (35:27):
Yeah.
He was amazing.
He was so sweet.
And he kept saying to me thathe was in awe that he was going
to even perform there.
Like he didn't take it forgranted.
Truman (35:39):
Right.
Pretty neat.
Mic drop moment right there.
Okay.
So if you enjoyed listening tothese sound bites, then you'll
love the entire bonus episodewhere Joyce and I spend about 50
minutes together laughing andsharing stories.
You'll get to hear more aboutwhat she's up to these days as
well because she's retired fromgiving tours and is now out on
(36:00):
her own making content.
So we'll wrap up with thisthought.
You know it's pretty specialwhen a building can humble a
famous comedian and change askeptic's heart all in one tour.
Whether you've seen a showthere or just learned about it
today, Radio City Music Hallproves that some places really
(36:22):
do have magic between theirwalls.
I'm definitely booking a tourthe next time I'm in New York,
although I might skip memorizingthose 23 pages.
What a ride through time today,folks.
Three great stories that showus how imagination, curiosity,
(36:45):
and creativity shape our worldevery single day.
It's easy to see how December27th is all about visionaries
who dare to dream big.
Whether you're buzzing from thetimeless magic of Peter Pan, or
in awe of Darwin's ability towitness the truth about
evolution all around us, orbasking in the glitz and glamour
(37:08):
of the amazing Radio City MusicHall, why not share these
stories with someone who loves alittle wonder?
And guess what?
If you enjoyed today's stories,there's so much more waiting
for you.
For a dose of whimsicaladventure, you can discover some
out-of-this-world lovablecharacters featured on May 21st
(37:29):
and June 11th.
If Darwin's journey ofdiscovery inspired you, then
October 21st will light up yourimagination with Thomas Edison's
light bulb.
And stay tuned for May 14thwhen we hear about the Lewis and
Clark expedition headed west.
Also, there are other iconiclocations that await your
(37:49):
exploration.
You could get locked up inAlcatraz on June 11th, or get
lost in a lazy tour of theGuggenheim Museum on October
21st.
Oh, and if you enjoy hearingfrom guests and their favorite
subjects, there are half a dozenbonus episode options for you.
And they're easy to find.
You just scroll through thefeed and look for the words
(38:12):
bonus episode.
Yep, every day has a story, andthey're so much fun.
And we're going to stridethrough them all until we're
done.
Now, after you share thesespecial stories, you can also
mention the following famousfolks who celebrate their
birthdays today.
Eva LaRue toasts up anotheryear in the books.
(38:33):
She's an actress with a varietyof roles, including the soap
opera All My Children and thecrime show CSI Miami.
She also had some real-lifefame after being stalked for 12
years by some creepy personwho's actually now in prison for
his deeds.
Wow.
John Amos, who sadly recentlypassed away, He celebrated life
(38:58):
on December 27th each year.
He's also an actor, and you mayremember him from Good Times,
oh yeah, or from Roots.
He was also on the District TVshow, and he made guest
appearances on The West Wing,but my favorite was his role as
Cleo McDowell in Coming toAmerica.
Do you remember the Golden Arcsand the Big Mick?
(39:21):
Emily D.
Revin, another actress, sheblows out the candles today.
She's had lots of roles,including Claire on the
television show Lost, which hasrecently made a comeback on
Netflix, if you want to checkthat out.
And she was an alien-humanhybrid on the show Roswell.
And like I said, she's doneother shows as well.
(39:42):
Some famous birthdays from allof history include Johannes
Kepler from 1571 and LouisPasteur from 1822.
Obviously, Pasteur's last nameis the base word for
pasteurization, which is howthey make milk and other
beverages safe to drink, andwhich we'll hear more about on
(40:04):
April 20th.
And then Kepler, he was the guywho proved that planets orbit
the sun in elliptical patterns.
All right, now normally when Ithrow up the 50th most famous
person born today, according tofamousbirthdays.com, you get to
learn about someone you'veprobably never heard of.
Well, today's celebrity some ofyou have heard of, Ryan Fong.
(40:29):
He's a dancer and an actor.
He plays Tam on Young Sheldon,and maybe you've seen him light
it up on the stage on Dancingwith the Stars as a special
guest.
Yeah, he's got energy, and he'smotivated to keep challenging
himself.
So who knows what's next foryoung Ryan?
And when I looked atWikipedia's centenarians list, I
(40:50):
found that Ilse Wolfram turns102 today in 2024.
She was a pediatric surgeon whofocused on kidneys for most of
her career.
And then she retired from thatabout 40 years ago.
Yes, that's right.
She's been retired for 40years.
When she was working, she hadlectured in Sweden and London,
(41:13):
but now she resides in Rindland,Hulatanat.
Hopefully I said that right.
It's a town in Germany, WesternGermany, near France.
All right.
December 27th is also NationalFruitcake Day.
Saying that actually makes myface squinch up with disgust.
(41:37):
If you couldn't tell, I don'tlike fruitcakes.
But there are folks who lovethis special treat.
I'm not sure why Fruitcake Dayis celebrated after Christmas.
Maybe it's because people wantto re-gift their fruitcakes that
they got on Christmas tosomeone else.
But the re-gifting wasn't myidea.
(41:59):
Johnny Carson, the late nighttalk show host, actually came up
with that when he said, theworst gift of all is the
fruitcake.
And there's only one fruitcakein the entire world and people
keep sending it to each other.
Re-gifting.
Yep.
Today is also Make CutoutSnowflakes Day.
Yeah, you heard that right.
(42:19):
Fold up some paper and cut outsome pieces to make unique
snowflake designs.
That's today.
So go grab yourself some paper,cut some circles out of it,
fold it in half, then intothirds, and away you go.
It's actually a great teambuilding event.
I first heard of this specialday several years ago when a
(42:40):
friend and co-worker of mine,Adam, brought the idea to our
office.
And we had a lot of fun withit, actually.
I like Snowflake Day.
Today is also Visit the ZooDay, which was clearly invented
by someone in a southern state.
Because who in a northern statewould want to venture out on
December 27th to visit the zoo?
(43:03):
But I looked it up.
The Baltimore Zoo is actuallyopen on this day from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., and the National Zooin D.C.
is also open from 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
So you can go to the zoo onthis special day, but I would
probably rather be staying warmindoors, cutting snowflakes, and
(43:23):
telling funny jokes aboutfruitcakes.
Snowflakes and fruitcakes, I'ma poet, and I didn't know it.
All right, if you need a greatgift idea for your loved one, In
addition to retelling thestories you just learned about
this day in history, you canhave them open up a gift that is
customized to their birthday.
And I have several great ideasfor you, and you can find links
(43:47):
to all of these in the gift ideasection of the show notes.
Now often, I mention you canget a unique gift for the person
who has everything.
Well, today is no exception.
Your loved one can head toNeverland, There are books and
other decor about Neverland andPeter Pan.
There's even a neat Lego setfeaturing Peter Pan.
(44:10):
But I think the Tinkerbelloptions are the coolest.
You should check those out.
Obviously, there are greatDarwin-related gifts, including
his actual book that he wrote.
But there are dozens of otherbook options, books about him
and his life and the sailingtrip around the world that he
took, and even books out thereseeking to debunk Darwin's
(44:31):
theories.
Yeah.
And I was surprised to learnthat there are board games about
evolution.
So that's pretty cool, too.
There's also lots of fun stuffcelebrating the Radio City Music
Hall.
Coffee table books and decorfeaturing the building itself.
And, of course, there's alsoitems featuring the Rockettes.
Gotta check those out.
(44:51):
And then, for the famous folksthat were born today, they all
have some great gift ideas.
Mostly movies and posters.
And similarly, today's specialholidays have unique gift ideas.
Yes, of course, you can buysome fruitcake online.
Don't get any from me.
There are lots of coolsnowflake designs and snowflake
(45:13):
artwork items that areavailable.
And if you're up for it, youcan get tickets to actually go
visit the local zoo andcelebrate today.
And if you don't feel likegoing in person, you can get
some zoo picture books and do avirtual visit.
Or there's even board gameslike Zookeeper and Safari that
could also work.
(45:33):
Yeah, how about that?
The person who has everythingprobably does not have some of
the stuff I just told you about.
Yep, so like I said, lots ofcustomized gifts for folks who
celebrate December 27th.
But if you really want to upyour gift-giving game, you have
the chance to make someone'sbirthday special and make it
(45:54):
forever.
You could dedicate apersonalized shout out right
here on the podcast.
Yeah, I'll do it for you if yousend me an email and tell me
something fun you want to share.
Or you can even do your ownshout out by using the SpeakPipe
link that's available in theshow notes.
Today's special someone has afantastic shout out, but it's
(46:16):
short and sweet, so listenquick.
Joyce (46:18):
Hey, hippie.
Hope you get to climb a tree onyour birthday.
Or climb something else.
Happy birthday.
Truman (46:26):
Now, that's a great shout out, ladies.
Well played.
Now, as I mentioned, you canfind the link to do that in the
show notes.
As always, if you have a storythat just needs to be shared
about any day in the past, sendme an email and let's connect.
All right, so as we wrap up,this episode happens to be my
(46:51):
last one recorded in the 2024calendar year, and it was a
great year.
We had over 1,500 downloadsthis year, which is pretty
awesome.
Joe Rogan, you better startbiting your nails, buddy.
We had seven bonus episodeswith some great guests, and we
covered a lot of ground in ourregular episodes.
(47:12):
all the way back from Romulusbeating his brother to found
ancient Rome, all the way up torecent times when Bolt and
Phelps were beating everyonethey faced and bringing home
gold at the Olympics.
Along the way, we got to bebopto some great one-hit wonders
and parade through the streetscelebrating fun holidays.
(47:32):
We heard some fun stories aboutinventions and discoveries and
important organizations and evena scandal or two sprinkled in
and around.
All that fun.
Yep, it's been a great year forthis podcast, but it's also
been a great year forpodcasting, which is more
(47:52):
popular than ever.
Just under half of all U.S.
adults listen to a podcast atleast once a month.
And guess what?
You're in that count.
Thanks so much for being there.
Now, back when we started, thegoal was to get this show to the
top 1% of all podcasts ever.
And we accomplished thatmission thanks to you.
(48:15):
In 2025, we're going to up ourgame and we're going to aim to
get to the top half of allactive podcasts ever.
So that 1% number, that's forall podcasts ever recorded,
including all the shows that aredead and buried.
But right now, we are aboutone-third of our way to getting
(48:37):
into that top half of the activepodcast.
So we have some work to do,people.
Alrighty, well, let's get toit.
That's right, let's get to it.
Thanks for listening.
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