November 2, 2025 • 45 mins
What if the craziest bet you could make turned out to be the smartest move ever? October 26th is packed with gambles that seemed absolutely insane at the time - but changed everything forever. From a nobody director making an illegal guerrilla film with a bodybuilder who could barely speak English to a struggling shoe company betting half a million on a rookie who didn't even want to be there - today’s crazy ideas paid off big time!
- I’ll Be Back! This famous movie quote transcended Arnold’s acting career just like the Terminator movie franchise as transformed from a sci-fi action thriller terrifying audiences into a documentary about what AI autonomation is actually capable of 40 years later.
- They just needed some Air! In 1984, Nike was struggling, while Michael Jordan couldn’t get the endorsement deal he wanted. Pair the two together, add a “dash of Delores”, and you have the makings of the greatest shoe line ever - the Air Jordan created billionaires all around!
- Stonehenge was actually a computer. Today, I unveil a few of the secrets people have been asking for centuries about this unusual rock formation. What they were used for, how they got where they are today and more.
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 wild, engaging tales about billion-dollar gambles and ancient mysteries? You'll find yourself thinking differently about "crazy ideas" AND have some incredible stories to share at next week’s halloween party. If you need some great gift ideas, we have those too (along with links to where you can find them on Amazon).
Fun links from today's stories (these links worked in late-2025 - not sure how long the links will be available):
Text me your favorite time travel movie!!!
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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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:01):
Welcome Seeker.
It's not every day that you getto predict the future, birth a
cultural revolution, and touchsomething older than memory
itself.
Today is October 26th, and in1984, it was a day to remember.
A day humanity got a frighteningglimpse of its future and
(00:24):
decided to run full speedtowards it anyway.
At our first stop, we encountera time-traveling nightmare.
An unstoppable killing machinefrom the future arrives here
with one mission (00:36):
to murder the mother of an unborn child.
And after that, we'll findourselves in the boardroom of an
up and comer shoe company thatbet its entire future on an up
and comer athlete who didn'teven want to be there.
And then at our last stop, I'llsolve the mystery of some
(00:59):
massive stones arranged withimpossible precision by our
oldest of ancestors.
The portal's humming.
History secrets are waiting, andour day striding adventure
begins now.
So grab your curiosity, tellwhoever's waiting, I'll be back.
And let's soar through the airwith the greatest of all time.
(01:28):
Welcome, speakers, to theenchanting world of Daytet, a
podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPathworthy, and together we'll
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact day,
but from sometime in the past.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
(01:50):
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some light-hearted
stories that'll leave yousaying, I never knew that
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
On this day in 1984, alow-budget sci-fi thriller just
(02:13):
hit the theaters with a nobodydirector and a bodybuilder who
could barely act.
And their six million dollarbudget was held together with
duct tape and illegal filmpermits.
The critics barely noticed, butaudiences, they were terrified.
The Terminator didn't justlaunch a franchise, it invented
(02:36):
an entire genre that gave usnightmares about killer robots.
But if you think about it, thatsci-fi horror story from 1984
would actually seem a whole lotmore like a documentary of the
Army's next wave of weaponry ifit were filmed today.
In fact, just a few months ago,an article dropped with this
(03:00):
headline The Skynet countdown isover.
The era of autonomous AI hasbegun.
Yeah.
And as you know, we have AI thatcan clone voices, generate fake
videos, and yeah, pilotautonomous military drones.
And check out this fun fact.
(03:21):
The original movie had theTerminator coming back from the
year 2029, which is right aroundthe corner.
How far do you suppose AI willbe along in the next four years?
It's kind of scary to thinkabout, right?
Maybe the Moonby was a warningthat we should have taken more
seriously.
(03:43):
Have you seen it?
Have you seen the Terminator?
If not, you should make sometime for it.
It's pretty good.
And if you have, why not go backand give it a rewatch?
It's action-packed, mind-bendingstory plot has a fight scene
near the end.
When they thought that themachine was destroyed in the
fire, only to see the metallicskeleton rising up in the
(04:04):
flames, with its red eyeszeroing in on them.
That was scary stuff.
That scene caused my youngerbrother to wake up screaming for
weeks after we saw the movie inthe theaters.
And speaking of nightmares, thatscene was actually from a
nightmare.
Yeah, so the director of thismasterpiece, James Cameron, was
(04:27):
working on another movie when heawoke from a fever dream with
that exact image in his head,and he could never shake it.
You and I, we might call ourtherapist.
But thank goodness Cameroncalled Hollywood.
And you're thinking, of coursehe did.
He's a genius.
Wait a second.
(04:48):
Cameron wasn't anywhere neargenius level pre Terminator.
He was a special effects techand a famous director wannabe
back then.
But this anonymity actuallyworked in his favor.
Because of his low budget, thecrew had to film a number of
scenes without movie permits.
(05:10):
One morning, they're out on ahighway, waiting for the road to
heat up so they could get thoseheat waves to distort the
picture.
And a cop pulled up and asked,Hey, what's going on here?
And they said they were justUCLA students filming a project
for school.
And so the cop drove off andleft them alone.
And then there's the scene wherethe Terminator punched through a
(05:33):
car window to grab the bag thatwas inside.
Guess what?
They didn't even own that car.
It was some Rando's actual caron the street.
And they smashed the window andtook off.
Yeah, the guy didn't evenrealize until later when he
watched the movie that that washis car that got vandalized.
And for scenes like that, theyhad to hurry out the location,
(05:54):
scramble out of their vans andquickly film the scene, and then
beat feet before anyone wouldnotice or call their friends
that something was going on.
They even made Arnold changequickly in and out of his
costumes so people wouldn't knowit was him making a movie.
And you're thinking, yeah, thatmakes sense.
He was pretty famous, right?
(06:15):
Well, here's the thing.
Arnold was not famous as anactor at that time.
Yeah, he was a bodybuildinglegend, seven time Mr.
Olympia champion, but hismovie's not exactly Oscar
material.
His first film role was dubbedover because his accent was too
(06:36):
thick.
And in Conan the Barbarian, hehad twenty four lines.
Total.
Actually, we're lucky that hewas the one who played the
Terminator.
Originally, Arnold was cast forthe Kyle Reese role, and there
was talk of O.J.
Simpson playing the Terminatorrole.
What?
Well, thank goodness Camerondidn't think his audiences would
(06:59):
buy O.J.
as a cold-blooded killer.
Go figure.
So one day, while at lunch withCameron, Arnold got deep into
who should play the Terminatorrole and how they should make it
seem authentic.
SPEAKER_00 (07:11):
I didn't even try out Fork Terminator.
I was trying to be Carl Reese.
And during the lunch, when I metwith James Cameron, the
director, right, I kept talkingall the time about the
Terminator.
I said, whoever is playing it,he has to train himself to
disample weapons and to putweapons together and to shoot
(07:32):
and to load the weapons and allof this stuff.
Blindfolded, totallyblindfolded, because a
Terminator can never ever lookdown at his hand, what he's
doing, because he's a machine.
He's a robot.
And I said when he walks, he hasto have a certain walk.
I mean he scans and looksaround.
He has to have a certain scan.
It has to be absolutely clear atall times that this is a machine
(07:52):
with actu absolutely no humanbehavior.
So I kept talking about this,and how he has to tear his flesh
out and how he has to operate onhis eye and you know and no pain
and feelings.
And Jim Cameron looked at me onthe end of the lunch and he
said, So why don't you playTerminator?
I mean, you understand him sowell, this character, this is
exactly what we need.
(08:13):
And I said, No, no, no, Jim.
Please, please.
I counted the amount of linesthis guy says.
It's 27 lines.
I said, You can give it tosomeone else and say, But I want
to talk a lot, I want toperform, I want to be the
leading man.
He says, I will make that guythe leading man.
It's called the Terminator.
I will shoot it.
How funny is that?
SPEAKER_01 (08:34):
And the actual word count was only 17 lines.
Yeah.
So Arnold had 74 words in theentire movie.
But guess what?
Three of those words went on tobecome one of the top 50 movie
quotes of all time.
I'll be back.
Yeah, I love that line.
I used to use it all the time.
(08:55):
In fact, I still say it.
As did Arnold.
He used it in many movies.
Here's a compilation of them.
I'll be back.
That was the original one fromthe first movie.
I'll be back, Benny.
And then that one was fromCommando.
I'll be right back.
It was a movie called Raw Deal.
(09:16):
I don't remember that one.
I'll be back.
That's from my favorite TheRunning Man.
And then these next two are fromfeel-good movies, Twins and
Kindergarten Cop.
SPEAKER_00 (09:26):
I'll be back.
SPEAKER_01 (09:28):
Then he puts his Terminator hat back on.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
I'll be back.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
And then we have a little scene from the last
action hero.
I'll be back.
And then we get another scenefrom Twins.
That was with Danny DeVito.
And then he has this one fromthe sixth day.
(09:56):
I might be back.
He'll be back.
And then we're back to theTerminator.
3 and 4.
He'll be back.
I'm back.
And then we'll take you back toLast Action Hero.
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
Everybody keeps waiting for me to work in.
It's kind of like a callingcard.
SPEAKER_01 (10:12):
And then total recall.
And we get a little Bruce Willisinteraction.
I'll be back.
You've been back enough.
I'll be back.
And then back to Last ActionHero when Arnold's walking away
and he pauses to turn.
SPEAKER_02 (10:30):
I'll be back in Arnold.
SPEAKER_01 (10:35):
And as you know, that line's been used in other
movies and cartoons andspeeches.
I'm willing to bet that you'vegiven that quote a try in your
past.
Did you lower your voice andmake it sound a little choppy?
I'll be back.
If not, go ahead, give it a trynow.
I'll turn off the mic, we won'trecord it.
I'll be back.
(10:55):
So yeah, six million dollars, anobody director, and a
bodybuilder with seventy-fourwords of dialogue created a
franchise worth two billiondollars.
And a cultural icon that'sendured for forty years.
But here's what makes me stopand think.
In 1984, The Terminator was ahorror movie.
(11:17):
A nightmare.
The idea that machines couldthink and learn on their own and
kill without human control?
Pretty terrifying stuff.
And you fast forward to 2025,and we're actually building
those machines now.
Autonomous drones and AI weaponsystems.
Our military tech makes Skynetlook weak.
(11:39):
Yeah, James Cameron's feverdream with that metal skeleton
rising from the flames with theglowing red eyes.
Yeah, we jumped and we screamedand we kept buying movie
tickets.
But maybe we should have beentaking notes.
Because 40 years later, thatnightmare doesn't feel so
fictional anymore, does it?
(12:03):
Roses are red like theTerminator's eyes.
Writing review would be a niceprize.
Has Skynet scared the words outof you?
Type, I'll be back.
Then type, how about you?
Imagine you have your ownbusiness.
And you started it from scratch,selling a product that you use
(12:25):
every day and that you love.
And so this makes you all inwith your business.
Especially since you had toscrap and fight to get where you
are.
And for the last decade, you'vebeen on a great run.
Feels pretty good, right?
Oh yeah.
Now, let's say you've grown thisventure into a pretty big deal.
(12:47):
But lately, things aren't sohot.
The market vibe is changing, andyour competitors have caught up
and now pass you riding a newwave that just hasn't been your
style.
You gotta fix this.
You gotta do something.
And my question is, would yougamble?
(13:07):
Would you bet your company'sentire future on one person with
an endorsement deal unlike anythat's ever been done before?
Well, I can tell you what Phildid.
He gambled on Mike and it paidoff big time.
So who's Phil, you say?
(13:28):
Well, he's this guy who built arunning shoe company into a
really strong brand of runningshoes in the 1970s.
But then in the early 80s, hiscompany Nike was struggling.
They couldn't keep up with theshoe market that was evolving
away from jogging into aerobictrainers and sneakers.
(13:51):
And Nike was a running shoe, andback then it was a damned good
one.
But they didn't have anythinggoing in their sneaker line.
Especially out on the basketballcourt.
And that's where Mike comes in.
Michael Jordan, that is.
Fresh off of winning an Olympicgold medal.
(14:12):
No, not the one with the dreamteam.
That came later.
And just being drafted by theChicago Bulls after leaving
college hoops early?
Yeah, he was the next up andcomer.
And he loved Adidas basketballshoes.
Now he had to wear Converse inhis college games because that's
what the North Carolina teamwore.
(14:33):
But in practices, he woreAdidas.
And he was not interested inNike at all.
In fact, he even told one of theOlympic team coaches that he'd
sign an endorsement deal withanyone except Nike.
Well, guess what?
Karma wasn't having it.
(14:55):
Over at Adidas, their exec teamwas in disarray because their
founder had just recentlypassed.
So they were unable to come upwith a decision on a big demand
of$250,000 endorsement deal,which is about$800,000 in
today's money.
But that would have made it thebiggest basketball endorsement
deal ever.
(15:16):
Now the gods of the game in theearly 80s were Dr.
J, Magic, and Larry Bird.
You've heard of them, right?
Yeah.
All of them wore Converse.
Now, I gotta tell you, backthen, those Converse shoes were
ugly.
They were all white high tops,and that little Converse logo,
(15:37):
that was the only thing thatcame in different colors to
represent the teams that theyplayed for.
So Larry Bird's Converse was allwhite with a little green
coloring in the logo because heplayed on the Celtics.
Anyway, the bigwigs at Converse,they weren't impressed with
young Jordan.
Their lineup was elite.
(15:57):
They had the greatest players ofall time in their stable.
So when this young hotshot fromChicago came calling, meh, they
weren't impressed.
They lowballed him.
No quarter mill for you, kid.
Get in line.
Now you have enough hindsight toknow that these two companies
just blew their chances atworking with a player who's
(16:22):
widely regarded as the greatestto ever play.
Way to go, dummies.
So we're headed into the fall of1984, with the basketball season
fast approaching, and the Jordanfamily was ticking through their
options.
Adidas, nothing on the table.
Converse underwhelmed them witha hundred thousand dollar offer.
(16:44):
And then of course, Nike had atwo hundred and fifty thousand
dollar offer, exactly whatMichael's asking for, but he
didn't like Nike and didn't wantto hear it.
So let's meet Dolores Jordan,Michael's mom.
And she decided to take charge.
She essentially forced her sonto get on a plane with her and
(17:05):
go hear what Nike had to say.
The moment the Jordan familytouched ground in Oregon, Nike
rolled out the red carpet.
Literally.
And then eventually they made itto the boardroom.
And picture this Nike execs allwith their nervous energy
sitting around the boardroomtable.
And sitting right there in thecenter of the conference room
(17:26):
table on a little pedestal, ashoe.
And not just any shoe, but a redand black, high top basketball
shoe that looked like nothinganyone had ever seen.
Their first signature basketballshoe, the Air Jordan.
unknown (17:46):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:46):
They named the shoe after the player.
Had never been done before.
And Nike upped their offer to ahalf a million dollars, double
their original deal, and nearlywhat Jordan would make in his
entire season playing with theBulls that first year.
That's insane, right?
The Jordans should have jumpedat this deal.
(18:08):
But instead, Dolores leans inand says, there's one more
thing.
We want royalties.
The room is silent.
Nike executives are stunned.
Are you kidding?
This is already the biggest dealin sports history?
(18:28):
And you want royalties?
No, absolutely not.
We're done here.
And the Jordans walk out with nodeal.
Now, of course, after they left,everyone had time to think.
Nike was forecasting that theshoe would sell maybe three
million dollars over the nextfour years.
(18:51):
So the Jordan royalties wouldhave been some extra pocket
money, not that much.
And if they were right about thekid, well, it would just be a
few dollars.
But if they were wrong, PhilKnight, he might be out of a job
for the company that he started.
Eventually they decided, let'sjust do it.
(19:12):
They called back and made adeal.
Now, of course, you already knowthat Michael Jordan won six
championships with the Bulls.
He was on the dream team at theOlympics, and he was essentially
the face of the NBA after Magicand Larry Bird retired.
And eventually he became thefirst player ever to own
(19:33):
majority control of an NBA team.
Now, any guesses as to what thefirst year Air Jordan shoe sales
were?
Take a guess.
Did you say$126 million?
Yeah, that equals over$6 millionin royalties.
And that's just the first yearalone.
(19:56):
It was way more than the Bullspaid Jordan for that season,
more than double what the Lakerspaid Magic Johnson that year.
In fact, Jordan was making somuch from his shoe royalties
that he could have paid theentire payroll for two NBA teams
because of the salary cap.
That's just crazy.
(20:17):
Now I got a quick funny sidestory.
In that first year, Nike ran adsexplaining that the shoe was
banned by the NBA.
Remember, the NBA wanted allwhite high tops with only a
smidge of color, not bold redand black, like the statement
the Air Jordans made.
So they fined MJ$5,000 a game.
(20:37):
And guess what?
Nike paid every one of thosefines.
Greatest marketing stunt ever.
But here's what I can't stopthinking about.
Back on this day in 1984,everyone thought Nike was
insane.
A struggling shoe companybetting everything on a rookie
(20:58):
who didn't even want to workwith them.
The smart move would have beento play it safe, sign a veteran,
offer less money, anything.
But Phil Knight, he didn't playit safe.
And Dolores Jordan, she didn'tback down.
And today, Michael Jordan's networth from Air Jordan royalties
alone, several billion dollars.
(21:21):
Yeah.
Just last year, over 20 yearsafter he's retired, he made$300
million from shoes.
Yes, that's right.
They are still releasing new AirJordan models every year, in
case you didn't know.
So the next time someone tellsyou your idea is crazy, remember
(21:44):
the biggest wins come from thebets that everyone else was too
scared to make.
A time traveler's delight, wesoar through the air, just like
the goat, beyond all compare.
If these tales of greatness madeyour spirits take flight, please
share with your friends.
Just do it tonight.
(22:08):
What if I told you thatStonehenge, those mysterious
giant stones, standing out inthe middle of nowhere, wasn't
built by aliens or druids, butby ancient astronomers who used
them to predict the future.
No crystal balls, no magicpotions, just rocks, a little
(22:31):
bit of math, and generations ofpass down knowledge, making them
masters of the heavens.
Eclipses, solstices, mooncycles, they knew it all.
And today I'm going to answerhow and why those stones got
there.
You've seen pictures of theStonehenge, right?
(22:52):
A circle of massive stones, eachover ten feet tall, and each one
weighing more than a full sizeSUV, standing there out in the
middle of a windswept plain,with nothing around for miles,
no buildings, no cities, juststones.
Well, let's stride back justover five thousand years or so
(23:14):
to a place that's about twohundred miles west of where the
stone henge currently sits.
Yeah, there's a quarry therewhere the henge stones were
mined out of the ground.
And they actually found a spotwhere fifty-six of these magical
stones were originally assembledin a circle in a very specific
(23:35):
way.
And researchers have been ableto figure out that these stones
were matched up perfectly toallow those ancient astronomer
folks to predict lunar and solareclipses.
And they could also tell thefarmers when the longest and
shortest days of the year weregonna happen, which is pretty
useful when pretty much everyonewho lived everywhere was a
(23:59):
farmer.
Now you're probably thinking,Truman, couldn't any observant
person who's got a half a brainand lived long enough be able to
do the same thing without amassive collection of stones in
the ground?
Maybe.
But imagine this.
You're the keeper of the stonesfive thousand years ago.
(24:20):
Your great-great-grandparentstaught you the patterns, and now
you know, you literally knowthat in three days' time, the
sun is gonna vanish from thesky.
So you tell everyone in thevillage who will listen.
And of course, I don't believeyou.
They're like, okay, okay,whatever.
They can't believe you, right?
(24:41):
But then, three days later, atthe exact moment you predicted,
the sky goes dark, the birdstops singing, the temperature
drops a little, and people fallto their knees and stare at you.
The master of the heavens.
You have magical powers.
So now whatever you say becomeslaw.
(25:03):
That's the power Stonehenge gaveto its keepers.
Of course, these days there arewebsites that map out the exact
path the sun will be on when aneclipse is going to occur.
They'll even tell you where thevery best shadow's gonna be at
the exact time of day.
You've seen 'em.
We we had one uh last summer.
(25:24):
Nothing magical's going on,right?
But obviously we have theinternet, we have writing, we
have written records, we can useall those things to figure out
when the eclipses are gonnaoccur.
But way back when you and yoursmart family of rock readers had
your magic stone circle to amazethe masses.
(25:46):
So whatever else it is you do,don't forget to teach your
children so they too become themaster of the heavens.
Anyway, the biggest unsolvedmystery is why these magical
blue stones were moved fromtheir original location to where
the Stonehenge sits today ahundred and eighty miles inland.
(26:09):
These stones are huge.
Like I said, over ten feet talland weighing in at two tons.
They're about the weight of oneof today's Toyota Highlanders.
Okay, well, if you wanted tomove a Highlander that far, it
would take maybe three or fourhours to drive it.
But that's on a highway road,right?
Yeah, but of course there wereno roads back then, so maybe it
(26:31):
takes you a whole day on thatrough terrain.
But of course there were novehicles back then either.
There weren't even wheels backthen.
Wheeled carts didn't show up foranother thousand years or so.
Which leaves us with sleds.
People had to drag these stones.
(26:53):
Crazy, right?
Check this out.
In 2016, researchers trieddragging a replica stone with 20
people and they managed to go awhopping one mile per hour on
flat ground before collapsingfrom exhaustion.
One mile per hour.
(27:13):
Imagine if they tested thisgoing up hills or on muddy
ground or when there's rocks andtrees they have to go around.
Yeah, moving these stones wouldhave taken forever.
Why would anyone do such athing?
Just leave the stones where theyare.
Just master the sun and the moonfrom way over there instead of
(27:37):
doing it right here.
Nope, not gonna do that.
We want 'em here.
Why?
The answer is pretty simple.
And it's the same throughout allof history.
Some crazy leader wanted itdone.
Now historians have cooked upall kinds of elaborate theories
(27:58):
as to why religious ceremoniesor tribal unity.
But honestly, it's much simplerthan that.
Some powerful, obsessed leaderdecided that these stones had to
be moved, and he had themanpower to do it.
Was it rational?
No.
But power doesn't have to berational.
(28:20):
Sitting here today, listening tothis podcast, I'm pretty sure
that you don't have to try veryhard to think of an obsessed
leader of a powerful nation whomakes crazy stuff happen, right?
Throughout history, leaders withunchecked authority have forced
their people to build pyramids,dig man-made rivers running
(28:43):
through deserts, and erect wallsalong the borders of their
country to keep certain peopleout.
And sometimes the really, reallycrazy leaders have shoved the
entire world into a war.
Just because they could.
Alright, we we've gotten way offtrack here, people.
(29:04):
Let's bring this back to whywe're even talking about the
Stonehenge today, anyway.
Well, it was on this day inhistory that the monument was
donated to the public.
Yes, prior to October 26th,1918, some guy named Cecil Chubb
actually owned the property.
(29:25):
It was privately owned.
I wonder if he was able tofigure out how to use the stones
to predict eclipses.
So a quick funny story about howour man Cecil came to own the
Stonehenge in the first place.
One day, he was heading off toan auction in a nearby town,
kind of like a huge estate sale,with instructions from his wife
(29:48):
to pick up a dining room set.
She really wanted an upgrade.
But she was a little surprisedwhen he returns home and he
tells her about this great dealthat he Found on a bunch of
rocks.
Yeah, for just 6,600 pounds,which is about a million dollars
(30:08):
in today's money, Cecil becamethe proud owner of a hundred-ton
immovable eclipse predictingmachine.
I wonder if Mrs.
Chubb made him sleep outsidethat night with his new rock
formation.
Well, anyway, today about 4,000people visit the Stonehenge
every day.
(30:29):
And most of them are amazed asthey admire these rocks.
But here's what I want you toremember.
Five thousand years ago, someonestood in that circle, looked up
at the sky, and knew exactlywhen the sun would go dark, or
when the moon would vanish, orwhen the longest day of the year
would arrive without computersor books or anything else to
(30:53):
help them, except stones andmemory and the determination to
pass that knowledge down throughthe generations.
That's power and legacy.
And it worked so well that we'restill sitting here, thousands of
years later, trying to figureout how and why they did it.
(31:14):
Oh, and one last thing.
If you actually ever do visit,try to go during the summer
solstice, the longest day of theyear.
Because on that day, the sunrises perfectly framed by the
largest of stones, exactly asthose ancient astronomers
designed it five thousand yearsago.
(31:40):
What a ride through time today,folks.
We got to stride back to October26, 1984, the year that gave us
AI nightmares and sneakerobsessions.
Cameron and Schwarzeneggerdidn't just make a movie, they
made a prophecy.
And here's the kicker.
(32:02):
That original Terminatorpredicted Skynet would take over
in 2029.
Guess what?
That's four years from now,folks.
Four years.
Suddenly all this talk about AIand smart home devices feels a
little scary, doesn't it?
And while Hollywood was berthingour robot nightmares a few hours
(32:22):
north in Oregon, a one-of-a-kindbasketball player was sitting
down at the table, staring athis one-of-a-kind basketball
shoe while signing aone-of-a-kind endorsement
contract.
Before that signature, athletesendorsed products.
After, they were the product.
(32:43):
Even to this day, people aretalking about MJ as the GOAT
while his line of Air Jordanscontinue to be released.
Wow.
We then got to stride way, wayback to the beginnings of time,
before the wheel was eveninvented, and learn about one of
the world's greatest mysteries.
(33:04):
And the quirky way this specialmonument landed in the hands of
the public so it could beenjoyed by curious minds from
all around the world.
Maybe archaeologists willuncover more truths as they
continue to dig.
October 26th brought us killerrobots, game-changing kicks, and
(33:24):
some magical stones.
Three great stories about whathumans created that literally
changed our lives forever.
It doesn't get much better thanthis.
And guess what?
If today's stories made yougrin, there are dozens of other
stories waiting for you in ourback catalog.
Movies are your mojo?
(33:44):
Well, we cover some other sci-ficharacters on May 21st and June
11th.
And guess what?
Both of them have some greatmovie quotes.
Right up there with I'll beback.
SPEAKER_02 (33:58):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01 (33:59):
And basketball, it's a common theme around these
parts.
And you can hear the originstory of the sport on December
21st.
Or you can hear about the ballitself on February 12th.
Or you can deep dive with KiraMahoney as she talks about the
greatest college basketballcoach ever on February 23rd.
(34:21):
And if you're someone who thinksthe further back in time the
better, well, we can fill you upwith some ancient times content,
such as the founding of Rome onApril 21st, or hear Professor
Ilona unlock the secrets of theRosetta Stone on July 15th.
Every day has a story andthey're so much fun.
(34:43):
And we're gonna stride throughthem all until we're done.
We've got some fun names for youon today's birthday list.
One of the most popular or leastpopular lady politicians ever,
Hillary Clinton, celebratesanother year today.
She was a presidentialcandidate, the first lady, a
(35:04):
U.S.
senator, and the list goes on.
These days, she's on the facultyat Columbia University and even
co-taught some classes a yearago.
Just a few days ago, she and herhusband Bill celebrated their
50th wedding anniversary.
They both marked the occasionwith heartfelt posts on social
media.
(35:25):
But I haven't seen any evidencethat they were actually together
on that special day.
Another famous name for you, PatSajak, spins the wheel of time
once again today.
Did you know he got a start as aweatherman?
Now he's no longer the host ofWheel of Fortune, but surely
(35:46):
you've watched him and Vanna dotheir shtick.
They partnered together on thatshow for 40 years.
Country singer, writer, andguitarist Keith Urban gets sung
to today as he preps for blowingout those candles.
He was recently on tour thisyear, but he had to pause to let
his voice box recover.
(36:07):
And also, sadly, he's goingthrough a divorce with his
longtime wife, Nicole Kidman.
Sorry, Keith, it's tough timesfor you.
From the history books ofbirthdays, we have Henry
Derringer.
Does that last name ring a bell?
Or fire off a shot?
He's the inventor of one of thevery first concealed weapons,
(36:30):
the Derringer Pistol.
It was popularized by Westernmovies, but the most famous one
was used by John Wilkes Boothwhen he assassinated President
Lincoln.
Have you ever seen the movieAdventures in Babysitting?
If not, go check it out.
(36:50):
It's actually a funny littleflick.
It's worth your time.
Anyway, actor Anthony Rapp wasin that movie, and he's the 50th
most famous person born today,according to
FamousBirthdays.com.
He was on Broadway in the playRent, and he was also in Star
Trek Discovery.
Since we're doing movie quotestoday, he had a good one.
(37:11):
When the babysitter in the moviethreatened to kill him, he
offered raped.
What a punk.
And Centenarians Alert,billionaire Birgit Rousing of
Sweden turns 101 today.
Yeah, according to one source,she's the sixth most wealthy
woman in Europe.
(37:32):
That's pretty neat.
So October 26th is Chicken FriedSteak Day.
Yeah.
Have you had this delicacy?
This is where they tenderizebread and then deep fry a steak
and then slather it with gravy.
Sounds yummy, right?
Well, the town of La Mesa, Texasclaims to be the birthplace of
(37:55):
this concoction, and they evenhave an annual chicken fried
steak festival every year.
But what's weird is you'vealready missed it because they
host the festival in April, eventhough the holiday is here in
October.
Go figure.
Today is also micro needlingday.
(38:15):
What?
Yeah, I said micro needling, asin a teeny tiny needle.
So so what is this?
Well, let me tell you.
It's a skin treatment that usestiny needles to stimulate
collagen production for a moreyouthful appearance to your
face.
Yes, this is a thing.
(38:36):
It was invented in the late 90sby a plastic surgeon to help
stimulate skin for a firmer,thicker, and smoother look.
Yeah.
That's right.
And when I get to the birthdaygift ideas, you're gonna find a
link to the home micro needlingkit.
So we've got hackers, cybercriminals, and fishers with a PH
(38:59):
out there, all trying to stealour identity and our money.
Well, the heroes protecting usfrom those scoundrels are
celebrated today.
It's National Financial CrimeFighters Day.
Yeah, it's a thing.
And it's been around for sevenyears now, celebrating the first
line of defense againstfinancial crimes.
(39:24):
So do you have a loved one whocelebrates October 26th?
Yeah, well, if you do and youwant to make them feel really
special about this day, I've gotsome gift ideas that will turn
you into their hero.
Why do I say that soconfidently, Truman?
Well, it's because these giftsare customized to their special
(39:44):
day.
Not only that, many of theseideas are things they don't
already have or own.
Totally unique.
And guess what else?
There are links in the shownotes so you can easily find
these and order them so they'llbe at your place just in time.
Like what you ask?
Well, did you know that therewere six Terminator movies in
(40:04):
the franchise?
You can get a CD pack of all ofthem.
That way you can binge throughthem without jumping around all
the streaming services.
There are also some pretty coolaction figures your loved one
can display on their desk ortheir knick-knack shelf.
But the real no-brainer fromtoday's episode, Air Jordan's.
(40:25):
You can get a pair in any of theretro styles or pretty much
every color scheme you canimagine.
Check them out on the link Iprovided.
And maybe if your loved one isan MJ fan, a poster or
bobblehead of him works evenbetter.
Just click the link.
And hold the microphone.
I found something else that I'mwilling to bet no one you know
(40:48):
has ever thought to get them.
A Stonehenge model kit.
They can replicate the real lifemonument right there on the
coffee table.
Of course, you'll have to waittill June so you can line it up
with the rising of the summersolstice sun.
The famous folks that were borntoday all have some great books,
(41:10):
CDs or wall hangings that mightbe just what you're looking for.
Links to those are in the shownote, but my favorite from
today's birthdays was when I waslooking for the Derringer pistol
replica.
I found a little rubber bandshooter shaped like a derringer.
Now that's a fun gift idea.
Especially if your loved one issometimes a little immature like
(41:32):
me.
Now, as promised, I found somemicro needling kits and rollers
and facial serum.
Yeah, that's what they call it,facial serum.
That's the goop that will makeyour face more lovely.
I don't think they call it goopthough.
(41:53):
Alright.
So now, no more hemming andhawing about the person who has
everything because they do nothave a quality chicken fried
steak recipe book in theircollection.
Or any of the other fun giftideas I mentioned.
And of course, if none of thoseideas worked, there is one other
way to make this day special.
(42:14):
You could dedicate apersonalized shout out right
here on this podcast, andthey'll be memorialized forever.
Yeah, I can do the shout-out foryou if you email me their name
and something you want to share,or you can do your own shout-out
by using the speakpipe linkthat's available in the show
notes.
Today's shout-out is for someoneI used to work with who still
(42:38):
touches lives today.
I'll read what was written aboutJudy K.
Some people shine a light thatnever fades.
Judy is one of them.
A woman of faith and compassion,she's walked life's hardest
roads with grace, caring forothers, raising awareness, and
(42:58):
reminding us to love a littledeeper every day.
She believes in kindness,understanding, and the healing
power of connection.
Happy birthday to an amazingmom, grandmom, and friend to
all.
Wow, that's pretty nice.
We can only hope that each of usleaves that kind of enduring
(43:19):
impression on our loved ones,right?
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.
And a special thanks today to mymom and my great friend Michael
B.
Both of you have consistentlyreached out to make sure I'm
still podcasting.
(43:40):
Which means that you often enjoythese wacky stories I find from
time to time.
Your outreach is muchappreciated and part of what
keeps me going, so thanks.
And yes, it seems like theseshows have stretched out a
little from once every threeweeks to once every three
months.
But I have lots of ideasfloating around in my brain, and
(44:02):
sometimes those ideas get megoing on tangents.
Well, we'll see if anythingcomes of one of those tangents,
but you can feel good that I'velooked at options for the next
episode in December, and thereare some goodies out there.
Of course, if anyone has anyrequests, I'm happy to take on
your challenge.
Just reach out and let me know.
(44:25):
I'm not sure when I'll get backto publishing more often, but
time will tell, right?
But you don't have to worrybecause I'll be back.
Thanks so much for listening.
Until next time, this is TrumanPassworthy, reminding you that
every day has a great story.
(44:46):
And we'll be striding throughthem all to find some more
goodies for you.
Knock it out there and make yourown great story today.
Welcome Seeker.
It's not every day that you getto predict the future, birth a
cultural revolution, and touchsomething older than memory
itself.
Today is October 26th, and in1984, it was a day to remember.
A day humanity got a frighteningglimpse of its future and
(00:24):
decided to run full speedtowards it anyway.
At our first stop, we encountera time-traveling nightmare.
An unstoppable killing machinefrom the future arrives here
with one mission (00:36):
to murder the mother of an unborn child.
And after that, we'll findourselves in the boardroom of an
up and comer shoe company thatbet its entire future on an up
and comer athlete who didn'teven want to be there.
And then at our last stop, I'llsolve the mystery of some
(00:59):
massive stones arranged withimpossible precision by our
oldest of ancestors.
The portal's humming.
History secrets are waiting, andour day striding adventure
begins now.
So grab your curiosity, tellwhoever's waiting, I'll be back.
And let's soar through the airwith the greatest of all time.
(01:28):
Welcome, speakers, to theenchanting world of Daytet, a
podcast where we embark on adaily journey through history.
I'm your travel guide, TrumanPathworthy, and together we'll
explore some fascinating storiesthat happened on this exact day,
but from sometime in the past.
From groundbreaking inventionsto remarkable birthdays and
(01:50):
extraordinary events to quirkynational holidays, we've got it
all.
So kick back, relax, and openyour mind for some light-hearted
stories that'll leave yousaying, I never knew that
happened on this day.
Alrighty then, let's get to it.
On this day in 1984, alow-budget sci-fi thriller just
(02:13):
hit the theaters with a nobodydirector and a bodybuilder who
could barely act.
And their six million dollarbudget was held together with
duct tape and illegal filmpermits.
The critics barely noticed, butaudiences, they were terrified.
The Terminator didn't justlaunch a franchise, it invented
(02:36):
an entire genre that gave usnightmares about killer robots.
But if you think about it, thatsci-fi horror story from 1984
would actually seem a whole lotmore like a documentary of the
Army's next wave of weaponry ifit were filmed today.
In fact, just a few months ago,an article dropped with this
(03:00):
headline The Skynet countdown isover.
The era of autonomous AI hasbegun.
Yeah.
And as you know, we have AI thatcan clone voices, generate fake
videos, and yeah, pilotautonomous military drones.
And check out this fun fact.
(03:21):
The original movie had theTerminator coming back from the
year 2029, which is right aroundthe corner.
How far do you suppose AI willbe along in the next four years?
It's kind of scary to thinkabout, right?
Maybe the Moonby was a warningthat we should have taken more
seriously.
(03:43):
Have you seen it?
Have you seen the Terminator?
If not, you should make sometime for it.
It's pretty good.
And if you have, why not go backand give it a rewatch?
It's action-packed, mind-bendingstory plot has a fight scene
near the end.
When they thought that themachine was destroyed in the
fire, only to see the metallicskeleton rising up in the
(04:04):
flames, with its red eyeszeroing in on them.
That was scary stuff.
That scene caused my youngerbrother to wake up screaming for
weeks after we saw the movie inthe theaters.
And speaking of nightmares, thatscene was actually from a
nightmare.
Yeah, so the director of thismasterpiece, James Cameron, was
(04:27):
working on another movie when heawoke from a fever dream with
that exact image in his head,and he could never shake it.
You and I, we might call ourtherapist.
But thank goodness Cameroncalled Hollywood.
And you're thinking, of coursehe did.
He's a genius.
Wait a second.
(04:48):
Cameron wasn't anywhere neargenius level pre Terminator.
He was a special effects techand a famous director wannabe
back then.
But this anonymity actuallyworked in his favor.
Because of his low budget, thecrew had to film a number of
scenes without movie permits.
(05:10):
One morning, they're out on ahighway, waiting for the road to
heat up so they could get thoseheat waves to distort the
picture.
And a cop pulled up and asked,Hey, what's going on here?
And they said they were justUCLA students filming a project
for school.
And so the cop drove off andleft them alone.
And then there's the scene wherethe Terminator punched through a
(05:33):
car window to grab the bag thatwas inside.
Guess what?
They didn't even own that car.
It was some Rando's actual caron the street.
And they smashed the window andtook off.
Yeah, the guy didn't evenrealize until later when he
watched the movie that that washis car that got vandalized.
And for scenes like that, theyhad to hurry out the location,
(05:54):
scramble out of their vans andquickly film the scene, and then
beat feet before anyone wouldnotice or call their friends
that something was going on.
They even made Arnold changequickly in and out of his
costumes so people wouldn't knowit was him making a movie.
And you're thinking, yeah, thatmakes sense.
He was pretty famous, right?
(06:15):
Well, here's the thing.
Arnold was not famous as anactor at that time.
Yeah, he was a bodybuildinglegend, seven time Mr.
Olympia champion, but hismovie's not exactly Oscar
material.
His first film role was dubbedover because his accent was too
(06:36):
thick.
And in Conan the Barbarian, hehad twenty four lines.
Total.
Actually, we're lucky that hewas the one who played the
Terminator.
Originally, Arnold was cast forthe Kyle Reese role, and there
was talk of O.J.
Simpson playing the Terminatorrole.
What?
Well, thank goodness Camerondidn't think his audiences would
(06:59):
buy O.J.
as a cold-blooded killer.
Go figure.
So one day, while at lunch withCameron, Arnold got deep into
who should play the Terminatorrole and how they should make it
seem authentic.
SPEAKER_00 (07:11):
I didn't even try out Fork Terminator.
I was trying to be Carl Reese.
And during the lunch, when I metwith James Cameron, the
director, right, I kept talkingall the time about the
Terminator.
I said, whoever is playing it,he has to train himself to
disample weapons and to putweapons together and to shoot
(07:32):
and to load the weapons and allof this stuff.
Blindfolded, totallyblindfolded, because a
Terminator can never ever lookdown at his hand, what he's
doing, because he's a machine.
He's a robot.
And I said when he walks, he hasto have a certain walk.
I mean he scans and looksaround.
He has to have a certain scan.
It has to be absolutely clear atall times that this is a machine
(07:52):
with actu absolutely no humanbehavior.
So I kept talking about this,and how he has to tear his flesh
out and how he has to operate onhis eye and you know and no pain
and feelings.
And Jim Cameron looked at me onthe end of the lunch and he
said, So why don't you playTerminator?
I mean, you understand him sowell, this character, this is
exactly what we need.
(08:13):
And I said, No, no, no, Jim.
Please, please.
I counted the amount of linesthis guy says.
It's 27 lines.
I said, You can give it tosomeone else and say, But I want
to talk a lot, I want toperform, I want to be the
leading man.
He says, I will make that guythe leading man.
It's called the Terminator.
I will shoot it.
How funny is that?
SPEAKER_01 (08:34):
And the actual word count was only 17 lines.
Yeah.
So Arnold had 74 words in theentire movie.
But guess what?
Three of those words went on tobecome one of the top 50 movie
quotes of all time.
I'll be back.
Yeah, I love that line.
I used to use it all the time.
(08:55):
In fact, I still say it.
As did Arnold.
He used it in many movies.
Here's a compilation of them.
I'll be back.
That was the original one fromthe first movie.
I'll be back, Benny.
And then that one was fromCommando.
I'll be right back.
It was a movie called Raw Deal.
(09:16):
I don't remember that one.
I'll be back.
That's from my favorite TheRunning Man.
And then these next two are fromfeel-good movies, Twins and
Kindergarten Cop.
SPEAKER_00 (09:26):
I'll be back.
SPEAKER_01 (09:28):
Then he puts his Terminator hat back on.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
I'll be back.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
And then we have a little scene from the last
action hero.
I'll be back.
And then we get another scenefrom Twins.
That was with Danny DeVito.
And then he has this one fromthe sixth day.
(09:56):
I might be back.
He'll be back.
And then we're back to theTerminator.
3 and 4.
He'll be back.
I'm back.
And then we'll take you back toLast Action Hero.
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
Everybody keeps waiting for me to work in.
It's kind of like a callingcard.
SPEAKER_01 (10:12):
And then total recall.
And we get a little Bruce Willisinteraction.
I'll be back.
You've been back enough.
I'll be back.
And then back to Last ActionHero when Arnold's walking away
and he pauses to turn.
SPEAKER_02 (10:30):
I'll be back in Arnold.
SPEAKER_01 (10:35):
And as you know, that line's been used in other
movies and cartoons andspeeches.
I'm willing to bet that you'vegiven that quote a try in your
past.
Did you lower your voice andmake it sound a little choppy?
I'll be back.
If not, go ahead, give it a trynow.
I'll turn off the mic, we won'trecord it.
I'll be back.
(10:55):
So yeah, six million dollars, anobody director, and a
bodybuilder with seventy-fourwords of dialogue created a
franchise worth two billiondollars.
And a cultural icon that'sendured for forty years.
But here's what makes me stopand think.
In 1984, The Terminator was ahorror movie.
(11:17):
A nightmare.
The idea that machines couldthink and learn on their own and
kill without human control?
Pretty terrifying stuff.
And you fast forward to 2025,and we're actually building
those machines now.
Autonomous drones and AI weaponsystems.
Our military tech makes Skynetlook weak.
(11:39):
Yeah, James Cameron's feverdream with that metal skeleton
rising from the flames with theglowing red eyes.
Yeah, we jumped and we screamedand we kept buying movie
tickets.
But maybe we should have beentaking notes.
Because 40 years later, thatnightmare doesn't feel so
fictional anymore, does it?
(12:03):
Roses are red like theTerminator's eyes.
Writing review would be a niceprize.
Has Skynet scared the words outof you?
Type, I'll be back.
Then type, how about you?
Imagine you have your ownbusiness.
And you started it from scratch,selling a product that you use
(12:25):
every day and that you love.
And so this makes you all inwith your business.
Especially since you had toscrap and fight to get where you
are.
And for the last decade, you'vebeen on a great run.
Feels pretty good, right?
Oh yeah.
Now, let's say you've grown thisventure into a pretty big deal.
(12:47):
But lately, things aren't sohot.
The market vibe is changing, andyour competitors have caught up
and now pass you riding a newwave that just hasn't been your
style.
You gotta fix this.
You gotta do something.
And my question is, would yougamble?
(13:07):
Would you bet your company'sentire future on one person with
an endorsement deal unlike anythat's ever been done before?
Well, I can tell you what Phildid.
He gambled on Mike and it paidoff big time.
So who's Phil, you say?
(13:28):
Well, he's this guy who built arunning shoe company into a
really strong brand of runningshoes in the 1970s.
But then in the early 80s, hiscompany Nike was struggling.
They couldn't keep up with theshoe market that was evolving
away from jogging into aerobictrainers and sneakers.
(13:51):
And Nike was a running shoe, andback then it was a damned good
one.
But they didn't have anythinggoing in their sneaker line.
Especially out on the basketballcourt.
And that's where Mike comes in.
Michael Jordan, that is.
Fresh off of winning an Olympicgold medal.
(14:12):
No, not the one with the dreamteam.
That came later.
And just being drafted by theChicago Bulls after leaving
college hoops early?
Yeah, he was the next up andcomer.
And he loved Adidas basketballshoes.
Now he had to wear Converse inhis college games because that's
what the North Carolina teamwore.
(14:33):
But in practices, he woreAdidas.
And he was not interested inNike at all.
In fact, he even told one of theOlympic team coaches that he'd
sign an endorsement deal withanyone except Nike.
Well, guess what?
Karma wasn't having it.
(14:55):
Over at Adidas, their exec teamwas in disarray because their
founder had just recentlypassed.
So they were unable to come upwith a decision on a big demand
of$250,000 endorsement deal,which is about$800,000 in
today's money.
But that would have made it thebiggest basketball endorsement
deal ever.
(15:16):
Now the gods of the game in theearly 80s were Dr.
J, Magic, and Larry Bird.
You've heard of them, right?
Yeah.
All of them wore Converse.
Now, I gotta tell you, backthen, those Converse shoes were
ugly.
They were all white high tops,and that little Converse logo,
(15:37):
that was the only thing thatcame in different colors to
represent the teams that theyplayed for.
So Larry Bird's Converse was allwhite with a little green
coloring in the logo because heplayed on the Celtics.
Anyway, the bigwigs at Converse,they weren't impressed with
young Jordan.
Their lineup was elite.
(15:57):
They had the greatest players ofall time in their stable.
So when this young hotshot fromChicago came calling, meh, they
weren't impressed.
They lowballed him.
No quarter mill for you, kid.
Get in line.
Now you have enough hindsight toknow that these two companies
just blew their chances atworking with a player who's
(16:22):
widely regarded as the greatestto ever play.
Way to go, dummies.
So we're headed into the fall of1984, with the basketball season
fast approaching, and the Jordanfamily was ticking through their
options.
Adidas, nothing on the table.
Converse underwhelmed them witha hundred thousand dollar offer.
(16:44):
And then of course, Nike had atwo hundred and fifty thousand
dollar offer, exactly whatMichael's asking for, but he
didn't like Nike and didn't wantto hear it.
So let's meet Dolores Jordan,Michael's mom.
And she decided to take charge.
She essentially forced her sonto get on a plane with her and
(17:05):
go hear what Nike had to say.
The moment the Jordan familytouched ground in Oregon, Nike
rolled out the red carpet.
Literally.
And then eventually they made itto the boardroom.
And picture this Nike execs allwith their nervous energy
sitting around the boardroomtable.
And sitting right there in thecenter of the conference room
(17:26):
table on a little pedestal, ashoe.
And not just any shoe, but a redand black, high top basketball
shoe that looked like nothinganyone had ever seen.
Their first signature basketballshoe, the Air Jordan.
unknown (17:46):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:46):
They named the shoe after the player.
Had never been done before.
And Nike upped their offer to ahalf a million dollars, double
their original deal, and nearlywhat Jordan would make in his
entire season playing with theBulls that first year.
That's insane, right?
The Jordans should have jumpedat this deal.
(18:08):
But instead, Dolores leans inand says, there's one more
thing.
We want royalties.
The room is silent.
Nike executives are stunned.
Are you kidding?
This is already the biggest dealin sports history?
(18:28):
And you want royalties?
No, absolutely not.
We're done here.
And the Jordans walk out with nodeal.
Now, of course, after they left,everyone had time to think.
Nike was forecasting that theshoe would sell maybe three
million dollars over the nextfour years.
(18:51):
So the Jordan royalties wouldhave been some extra pocket
money, not that much.
And if they were right about thekid, well, it would just be a
few dollars.
But if they were wrong, PhilKnight, he might be out of a job
for the company that he started.
Eventually they decided, let'sjust do it.
(19:12):
They called back and made adeal.
Now, of course, you already knowthat Michael Jordan won six
championships with the Bulls.
He was on the dream team at theOlympics, and he was essentially
the face of the NBA after Magicand Larry Bird retired.
And eventually he became thefirst player ever to own
(19:33):
majority control of an NBA team.
Now, any guesses as to what thefirst year Air Jordan shoe sales
were?
Take a guess.
Did you say$126 million?
Yeah, that equals over$6 millionin royalties.
And that's just the first yearalone.
(19:56):
It was way more than the Bullspaid Jordan for that season,
more than double what the Lakerspaid Magic Johnson that year.
In fact, Jordan was making somuch from his shoe royalties
that he could have paid theentire payroll for two NBA teams
because of the salary cap.
That's just crazy.
(20:17):
Now I got a quick funny sidestory.
In that first year, Nike ran adsexplaining that the shoe was
banned by the NBA.
Remember, the NBA wanted allwhite high tops with only a
smidge of color, not bold redand black, like the statement
the Air Jordans made.
So they fined MJ$5,000 a game.
(20:37):
And guess what?
Nike paid every one of thosefines.
Greatest marketing stunt ever.
But here's what I can't stopthinking about.
Back on this day in 1984,everyone thought Nike was
insane.
A struggling shoe companybetting everything on a rookie
(20:58):
who didn't even want to workwith them.
The smart move would have beento play it safe, sign a veteran,
offer less money, anything.
But Phil Knight, he didn't playit safe.
And Dolores Jordan, she didn'tback down.
And today, Michael Jordan's networth from Air Jordan royalties
alone, several billion dollars.
(21:21):
Yeah.
Just last year, over 20 yearsafter he's retired, he made$300
million from shoes.
Yes, that's right.
They are still releasing new AirJordan models every year, in
case you didn't know.
So the next time someone tellsyou your idea is crazy, remember
(21:44):
the biggest wins come from thebets that everyone else was too
scared to make.
A time traveler's delight, wesoar through the air, just like
the goat, beyond all compare.
If these tales of greatness madeyour spirits take flight, please
share with your friends.
Just do it tonight.
(22:08):
What if I told you thatStonehenge, those mysterious
giant stones, standing out inthe middle of nowhere, wasn't
built by aliens or druids, butby ancient astronomers who used
them to predict the future.
No crystal balls, no magicpotions, just rocks, a little
(22:31):
bit of math, and generations ofpass down knowledge, making them
masters of the heavens.
Eclipses, solstices, mooncycles, they knew it all.
And today I'm going to answerhow and why those stones got
there.
You've seen pictures of theStonehenge, right?
(22:52):
A circle of massive stones, eachover ten feet tall, and each one
weighing more than a full sizeSUV, standing there out in the
middle of a windswept plain,with nothing around for miles,
no buildings, no cities, juststones.
Well, let's stride back justover five thousand years or so
(23:14):
to a place that's about twohundred miles west of where the
stone henge currently sits.
Yeah, there's a quarry therewhere the henge stones were
mined out of the ground.
And they actually found a spotwhere fifty-six of these magical
stones were originally assembledin a circle in a very specific
(23:35):
way.
And researchers have been ableto figure out that these stones
were matched up perfectly toallow those ancient astronomer
folks to predict lunar and solareclipses.
And they could also tell thefarmers when the longest and
shortest days of the year weregonna happen, which is pretty
useful when pretty much everyonewho lived everywhere was a
(23:59):
farmer.
Now you're probably thinking,Truman, couldn't any observant
person who's got a half a brainand lived long enough be able to
do the same thing without amassive collection of stones in
the ground?
Maybe.
But imagine this.
You're the keeper of the stonesfive thousand years ago.
(24:20):
Your great-great-grandparentstaught you the patterns, and now
you know, you literally knowthat in three days' time, the
sun is gonna vanish from thesky.
So you tell everyone in thevillage who will listen.
And of course, I don't believeyou.
They're like, okay, okay,whatever.
They can't believe you, right?
(24:41):
But then, three days later, atthe exact moment you predicted,
the sky goes dark, the birdstops singing, the temperature
drops a little, and people fallto their knees and stare at you.
The master of the heavens.
You have magical powers.
So now whatever you say becomeslaw.
(25:03):
That's the power Stonehenge gaveto its keepers.
Of course, these days there arewebsites that map out the exact
path the sun will be on when aneclipse is going to occur.
They'll even tell you where thevery best shadow's gonna be at
the exact time of day.
You've seen 'em.
We we had one uh last summer.
(25:24):
Nothing magical's going on,right?
But obviously we have theinternet, we have writing, we
have written records, we can useall those things to figure out
when the eclipses are gonnaoccur.
But way back when you and yoursmart family of rock readers had
your magic stone circle to amazethe masses.
(25:46):
So whatever else it is you do,don't forget to teach your
children so they too become themaster of the heavens.
Anyway, the biggest unsolvedmystery is why these magical
blue stones were moved fromtheir original location to where
the Stonehenge sits today ahundred and eighty miles inland.
(26:09):
These stones are huge.
Like I said, over ten feet talland weighing in at two tons.
They're about the weight of oneof today's Toyota Highlanders.
Okay, well, if you wanted tomove a Highlander that far, it
would take maybe three or fourhours to drive it.
But that's on a highway road,right?
Yeah, but of course there wereno roads back then, so maybe it
(26:31):
takes you a whole day on thatrough terrain.
But of course there were novehicles back then either.
There weren't even wheels backthen.
Wheeled carts didn't show up foranother thousand years or so.
Which leaves us with sleds.
People had to drag these stones.
(26:53):
Crazy, right?
Check this out.
In 2016, researchers trieddragging a replica stone with 20
people and they managed to go awhopping one mile per hour on
flat ground before collapsingfrom exhaustion.
One mile per hour.
(27:13):
Imagine if they tested thisgoing up hills or on muddy
ground or when there's rocks andtrees they have to go around.
Yeah, moving these stones wouldhave taken forever.
Why would anyone do such athing?
Just leave the stones where theyare.
Just master the sun and the moonfrom way over there instead of
(27:37):
doing it right here.
Nope, not gonna do that.
We want 'em here.
Why?
The answer is pretty simple.
And it's the same throughout allof history.
Some crazy leader wanted itdone.
Now historians have cooked upall kinds of elaborate theories
(27:58):
as to why religious ceremoniesor tribal unity.
But honestly, it's much simplerthan that.
Some powerful, obsessed leaderdecided that these stones had to
be moved, and he had themanpower to do it.
Was it rational?
No.
But power doesn't have to berational.
(28:20):
Sitting here today, listening tothis podcast, I'm pretty sure
that you don't have to try veryhard to think of an obsessed
leader of a powerful nation whomakes crazy stuff happen, right?
Throughout history, leaders withunchecked authority have forced
their people to build pyramids,dig man-made rivers running
(28:43):
through deserts, and erect wallsalong the borders of their
country to keep certain peopleout.
And sometimes the really, reallycrazy leaders have shoved the
entire world into a war.
Just because they could.
Alright, we we've gotten way offtrack here, people.
(29:04):
Let's bring this back to whywe're even talking about the
Stonehenge today, anyway.
Well, it was on this day inhistory that the monument was
donated to the public.
Yes, prior to October 26th,1918, some guy named Cecil Chubb
actually owned the property.
(29:25):
It was privately owned.
I wonder if he was able tofigure out how to use the stones
to predict eclipses.
So a quick funny story about howour man Cecil came to own the
Stonehenge in the first place.
One day, he was heading off toan auction in a nearby town,
kind of like a huge estate sale,with instructions from his wife
(29:48):
to pick up a dining room set.
She really wanted an upgrade.
But she was a little surprisedwhen he returns home and he
tells her about this great dealthat he Found on a bunch of
rocks.
Yeah, for just 6,600 pounds,which is about a million dollars
(30:08):
in today's money, Cecil becamethe proud owner of a hundred-ton
immovable eclipse predictingmachine.
I wonder if Mrs.
Chubb made him sleep outsidethat night with his new rock
formation.
Well, anyway, today about 4,000people visit the Stonehenge
every day.
(30:29):
And most of them are amazed asthey admire these rocks.
But here's what I want you toremember.
Five thousand years ago, someonestood in that circle, looked up
at the sky, and knew exactlywhen the sun would go dark, or
when the moon would vanish, orwhen the longest day of the year
would arrive without computersor books or anything else to
(30:53):
help them, except stones andmemory and the determination to
pass that knowledge down throughthe generations.
That's power and legacy.
And it worked so well that we'restill sitting here, thousands of
years later, trying to figureout how and why they did it.
(31:14):
Oh, and one last thing.
If you actually ever do visit,try to go during the summer
solstice, the longest day of theyear.
Because on that day, the sunrises perfectly framed by the
largest of stones, exactly asthose ancient astronomers
designed it five thousand yearsago.
(31:40):
What a ride through time today,folks.
We got to stride back to October26, 1984, the year that gave us
AI nightmares and sneakerobsessions.
Cameron and Schwarzeneggerdidn't just make a movie, they
made a prophecy.
And here's the kicker.
(32:02):
That original Terminatorpredicted Skynet would take over
in 2029.
Guess what?
That's four years from now,folks.
Four years.
Suddenly all this talk about AIand smart home devices feels a
little scary, doesn't it?
And while Hollywood was berthingour robot nightmares a few hours
(32:22):
north in Oregon, a one-of-a-kindbasketball player was sitting
down at the table, staring athis one-of-a-kind basketball
shoe while signing aone-of-a-kind endorsement
contract.
Before that signature, athletesendorsed products.
After, they were the product.
(32:43):
Even to this day, people aretalking about MJ as the GOAT
while his line of Air Jordanscontinue to be released.
Wow.
We then got to stride way, wayback to the beginnings of time,
before the wheel was eveninvented, and learn about one of
the world's greatest mysteries.
(33:04):
And the quirky way this specialmonument landed in the hands of
the public so it could beenjoyed by curious minds from
all around the world.
Maybe archaeologists willuncover more truths as they
continue to dig.
October 26th brought us killerrobots, game-changing kicks, and
(33:24):
some magical stones.
Three great stories about whathumans created that literally
changed our lives forever.
It doesn't get much better thanthis.
And guess what?
If today's stories made yougrin, there are dozens of other
stories waiting for you in ourback catalog.
Movies are your mojo?
(33:44):
Well, we cover some other sci-ficharacters on May 21st and June
11th.
And guess what?
Both of them have some greatmovie quotes.
Right up there with I'll beback.
SPEAKER_02 (33:58):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01 (33:59):
And basketball, it's a common theme around these
parts.
And you can hear the originstory of the sport on December
21st.
Or you can hear about the ballitself on February 12th.
Or you can deep dive with KiraMahoney as she talks about the
greatest college basketballcoach ever on February 23rd.
(34:21):
And if you're someone who thinksthe further back in time the
better, well, we can fill you upwith some ancient times content,
such as the founding of Rome onApril 21st, or hear Professor
Ilona unlock the secrets of theRosetta Stone on July 15th.
Every day has a story andthey're so much fun.
(34:43):
And we're gonna stride throughthem all until we're done.
We've got some fun names for youon today's birthday list.
One of the most popular or leastpopular lady politicians ever,
Hillary Clinton, celebratesanother year today.
She was a presidentialcandidate, the first lady, a
(35:04):
U.S.
senator, and the list goes on.
These days, she's on the facultyat Columbia University and even
co-taught some classes a yearago.
Just a few days ago, she and herhusband Bill celebrated their
50th wedding anniversary.
They both marked the occasionwith heartfelt posts on social
media.
(35:25):
But I haven't seen any evidencethat they were actually together
on that special day.
Another famous name for you, PatSajak, spins the wheel of time
once again today.
Did you know he got a start as aweatherman?
Now he's no longer the host ofWheel of Fortune, but surely
(35:46):
you've watched him and Vanna dotheir shtick.
They partnered together on thatshow for 40 years.
Country singer, writer, andguitarist Keith Urban gets sung
to today as he preps for blowingout those candles.
He was recently on tour thisyear, but he had to pause to let
his voice box recover.
(36:07):
And also, sadly, he's goingthrough a divorce with his
longtime wife, Nicole Kidman.
Sorry, Keith, it's tough timesfor you.
From the history books ofbirthdays, we have Henry
Derringer.
Does that last name ring a bell?
Or fire off a shot?
He's the inventor of one of thevery first concealed weapons,
(36:30):
the Derringer Pistol.
It was popularized by Westernmovies, but the most famous one
was used by John Wilkes Boothwhen he assassinated President
Lincoln.
Have you ever seen the movieAdventures in Babysitting?
If not, go check it out.
(36:50):
It's actually a funny littleflick.
It's worth your time.
Anyway, actor Anthony Rapp wasin that movie, and he's the 50th
most famous person born today,according to
FamousBirthdays.com.
He was on Broadway in the playRent, and he was also in Star
Trek Discovery.
Since we're doing movie quotestoday, he had a good one.
(37:11):
When the babysitter in the moviethreatened to kill him, he
offered raped.
What a punk.
And Centenarians Alert,billionaire Birgit Rousing of
Sweden turns 101 today.
Yeah, according to one source,she's the sixth most wealthy
woman in Europe.
(37:32):
That's pretty neat.
So October 26th is Chicken FriedSteak Day.
Yeah.
Have you had this delicacy?
This is where they tenderizebread and then deep fry a steak
and then slather it with gravy.
Sounds yummy, right?
Well, the town of La Mesa, Texasclaims to be the birthplace of
(37:55):
this concoction, and they evenhave an annual chicken fried
steak festival every year.
But what's weird is you'vealready missed it because they
host the festival in April, eventhough the holiday is here in
October.
Go figure.
Today is also micro needlingday.
(38:15):
What?
Yeah, I said micro needling, asin a teeny tiny needle.
So so what is this?
Well, let me tell you.
It's a skin treatment that usestiny needles to stimulate
collagen production for a moreyouthful appearance to your
face.
Yes, this is a thing.
(38:36):
It was invented in the late 90sby a plastic surgeon to help
stimulate skin for a firmer,thicker, and smoother look.
Yeah.
That's right.
And when I get to the birthdaygift ideas, you're gonna find a
link to the home micro needlingkit.
So we've got hackers, cybercriminals, and fishers with a PH
(38:59):
out there, all trying to stealour identity and our money.
Well, the heroes protecting usfrom those scoundrels are
celebrated today.
It's National Financial CrimeFighters Day.
Yeah, it's a thing.
And it's been around for sevenyears now, celebrating the first
line of defense againstfinancial crimes.
(39:24):
So do you have a loved one whocelebrates October 26th?
Yeah, well, if you do and youwant to make them feel really
special about this day, I've gotsome gift ideas that will turn
you into their hero.
Why do I say that soconfidently, Truman?
Well, it's because these giftsare customized to their special
(39:44):
day.
Not only that, many of theseideas are things they don't
already have or own.
Totally unique.
And guess what else?
There are links in the shownotes so you can easily find
these and order them so they'llbe at your place just in time.
Like what you ask?
Well, did you know that therewere six Terminator movies in
(40:04):
the franchise?
You can get a CD pack of all ofthem.
That way you can binge throughthem without jumping around all
the streaming services.
There are also some pretty coolaction figures your loved one
can display on their desk ortheir knick-knack shelf.
But the real no-brainer fromtoday's episode, Air Jordan's.
(40:25):
You can get a pair in any of theretro styles or pretty much
every color scheme you canimagine.
Check them out on the link Iprovided.
And maybe if your loved one isan MJ fan, a poster or
bobblehead of him works evenbetter.
Just click the link.
And hold the microphone.
I found something else that I'mwilling to bet no one you know
(40:48):
has ever thought to get them.
A Stonehenge model kit.
They can replicate the real lifemonument right there on the
coffee table.
Of course, you'll have to waittill June so you can line it up
with the rising of the summersolstice sun.
The famous folks that were borntoday all have some great books,
(41:10):
CDs or wall hangings that mightbe just what you're looking for.
Links to those are in the shownote, but my favorite from
today's birthdays was when I waslooking for the Derringer pistol
replica.
I found a little rubber bandshooter shaped like a derringer.
Now that's a fun gift idea.
Especially if your loved one issometimes a little immature like
(41:32):
me.
Now, as promised, I found somemicro needling kits and rollers
and facial serum.
Yeah, that's what they call it,facial serum.
That's the goop that will makeyour face more lovely.
I don't think they call it goopthough.
(41:53):
Alright.
So now, no more hemming andhawing about the person who has
everything because they do nothave a quality chicken fried
steak recipe book in theircollection.
Or any of the other fun giftideas I mentioned.
And of course, if none of thoseideas worked, there is one other
way to make this day special.
(42:14):
You could dedicate apersonalized shout out right
here on this podcast, andthey'll be memorialized forever.
Yeah, I can do the shout-out foryou if you email me their name
and something you want to share,or you can do your own shout-out
by using the speakpipe linkthat's available in the show
notes.
Today's shout-out is for someoneI used to work with who still
(42:38):
touches lives today.
I'll read what was written aboutJudy K.
Some people shine a light thatnever fades.
Judy is one of them.
A woman of faith and compassion,she's walked life's hardest
roads with grace, caring forothers, raising awareness, and
(42:58):
reminding us to love a littledeeper every day.
She believes in kindness,understanding, and the healing
power of connection.
Happy birthday to an amazingmom, grandmom, and friend to
all.
Wow, that's pretty nice.
We can only hope that each of usleaves that kind of enduring
(43:19):
impression on our loved ones,right?
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.
And a special thanks today to mymom and my great friend Michael
B.
Both of you have consistentlyreached out to make sure I'm
still podcasting.
(43:40):
Which means that you often enjoythese wacky stories I find from
time to time.
Your outreach is muchappreciated and part of what
keeps me going, so thanks.
And yes, it seems like theseshows have stretched out a
little from once every threeweeks to once every three
months.
But I have lots of ideasfloating around in my brain, and
(44:02):
sometimes those ideas get megoing on tangents.
Well, we'll see if anythingcomes of one of those tangents,
but you can feel good that I'velooked at options for the next
episode in December, and thereare some goodies out there.
Of course, if anyone has anyrequests, I'm happy to take on
your challenge.
Just reach out and let me know.
(44:25):
I'm not sure when I'll get backto publishing more often, but
time will tell, right?
But you don't have to worrybecause I'll be back.
Thanks so much for listening.
Until next time, this is TrumanPassworthy, reminding you that
every day has a great story.
(44:46):
And we'll be striding throughthem all to find some more
goodies for you.
Knock it out there and make yourown great story today.
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