May 22, 2025 • 27 mins
Fear and opportunism collide in this fascinating dive into one of history's strangest mass panics. When scientists discovered cyanogen gas in Halley's Comet's tail before its 1910 arrival, what should have been a minor scientific footnote exploded into worldwide hysteria. We explore how a single French astronomer's speculative comment about the gas potentially "snuffing out all life on Earth" sparked terror across continents.
The resulting panic is both hilarious and sobering. People frantically "comet-proofed" their homes by stuffing rags in window cracks, wearing wet towels as makeshift gas masks, and retreating to basements. Churches overflowed with terrified worshippers praying for salvation as Earth passed through the comet's tail. Meanwhile, opportunists saw dollar signs, creating an entire industry of bogus protective products almost overnight.
We unpack the wild array of scams that flourished: "anti-comet pills" (basically sugar tablets), colored water "elixirs," special umbrellas supposedly designed to protect from cosmic debris, and even comet insurance policies. Some bartenders brilliantly claimed alcohol would neutralize the comet's poison – perhaps history's most creative excuse for a drinking spree! Without strong consumer protection laws and with communication systems that took weeks to spread accurate information, these fraudsters made fortunes before anyone could stop them.
What makes this story so compelling is how it illuminates timeless aspects of human nature. The speed at which fear spread, the media's role in amplifying misinformation, and our vulnerability to snake oil salespeople feels eerily familiar more than a century later. When Halley's Comet finally passed by with no effect beyond a spectacular light show, the world collectively exhaled – and quietly tucked away their useless anti-comet products.
Join us for this cosmic journey through panic, pseudoscience, and profiteering that proves some aspects of humanity never change – even as we gaze at the stars. Have you encountered modern versions of these astronomical scams? Share your thoughts with us on social media or email us at historybuffoonspodcast@gmail.com!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Oh, hey there, oh hey there.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I like how you do that and then you open your beer
and it's like let's just nottalk anymore.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Welcome to the Origin of Weird but History Buffoons.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The History Buffoons.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm Bradley.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm Kate.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And let's find out something weird.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Oh my gosh.
Okay, I have a molasses cookie.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I know.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
With ice topping.
Oh my God From Festival.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So delicious.
Holy smoke I love how we keepmentioning this in our episodes.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
It's so good, holy smoke.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Holy balls.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh my, what you drinking.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I'm having a beverage .
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Cut water, tiki rum, mai Tai.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I really didn't want to bring that up, because this
is going to come out two weeksafter the one.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
We just had this on it's fine, cut water, tiki rum,
my type we had two left overfrom our sure fucking good
anyways it's not seltzer a weekand a half ago.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I should say it's not seltzer.
We learned that twelve and aand a half percent.
How?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
are you and let's move on.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I am well.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm eating a cookie, so I want you to talk some more.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Okay, so what I'd like to say is that Kate likes
cookies.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
And she's currently eating one.
And back to you, Kate.
Okay, so here we go All right.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
so I'm going to keep talking because, good lord, that
was terrible.
How was?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
your week, my week has been okay.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I'm still chewing, so you really want me to say more
and I'm purposely giving minimal, so okay, so we have an origin
of a weird story.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
How?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
was your week.
Well, I've been sitting on thisstory for about three weeks
yeah, because we, maybe two, weyeah, we don't know, we don't
know we uh, okay, so yeahsometimes we we do well with
planning um, um topics inadvance, okay, and occasionally
(02:20):
we'll squeeze in something yes,if it's pertinent to the time.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, aka the derby correct.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
We squeezed in a little bit of the derby history
of the kentucky derby for youthank you for everyone who
listened to that.
That was one of our bestepisodes in terms of downloads.
So we appreciate everyone whoactually listened to it and, uh,
thank you very much.
Hope you enjoyed it yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
So this is, um, an episode, or today's topic has
been around for a couple weeksnow, yeah, and just kind of
waiting to be talked about.
So, yeah, this is aboutHalley's Comet and the
anti-comet pills.
Anti, oh, I'm going to go intoit?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I hope so, because what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Okay, so Halley's Comet, you know of Comes out
every 75 years.
You're right, it's either 75 or76, depending on the time frame
Give or take, yeah, but yes,and it has all sorts of
superstition, much like JoeyOrtiz on the Brewers shaving his
mustache.
Shout out to our last episode.
Fast forward.
Nope, not our last episode.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Fast forward.
Nope, not our last episode, butyep.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
In our future Afrofarm.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Nope, definitely not that either.
It's even less that than ourlast episode.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Okay, it's either our future episode or our last
episode.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Two episodes ago.
By the time this comes out, sonof a bitch.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Haley's Comet yeah 75 or 76 years and it leads to all
sorts Of superstition.
So Fast forward or rewind, Iguess.
Or rewind to the 1990s, 1900s,my bad 1900s.
I mean 1990s were In the 1900sbut the 1900s astronomers had
actually figured out whether itwould Be back.
(04:03):
Yeah, they're like oh, it'sgonna come around in 1910.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Because it was around in 1986, right.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I remember it.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Let's say that 85, 86 .
I'm sure I say it later on theepisode that I don't remember
because it's been a couple weeks.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I'd like to say I believe you, but this is the
episode that I don't rememberbecause it's been a couple weeks
.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I'd like to say I believe you, but but they even
calculated that Earth would passright through the tail around
May 18th or May 19th of thatyear.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Now this led to a big public outcry, Because People
are superstitious.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Did they drink the Kool-Aid?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh, they drank the Kool-Aid.
That is a great idiom as well.
Shout out to Jim Jones and thecult Sure.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
What.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Do you know what drink the Kool-Aid means?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
What Tell me?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Who is what?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
He was a self-proclaimed reverend that
had a cult.
I think it was California.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
You're saying cult, right, yeah, not colt.
Because every time you say ityou say colt.
That's what confused me.
You keep saying colt.
I'm like what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
is that A?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
colt.
There it is Jesus.
I'm like he had a horse.
What the shit.
A colt Still too close to cult,but all right, let's run with
(05:57):
it, holy shit, because, like I,I know where it's from.
Okay, you said, you said jimjones and his cult, but you said
cult and I'm like what?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Oh my god, it's like how I pronounce root beer.
I don't pronounce it root Rootbeer.
I pronounce it root beer.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
A lot of people call it root beer.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Or root beer.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Nathan always.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Nobody calls it cult or cult or cult or cult.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Jim Jones had a cult in ghana.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Africa, south america , ghana, south america you're
the one who's doing the story,not me ghana, south america yeah
and he had everybody commitsuicide by kool-aid did they
have cults there in their cult?
Speaker 1 (06:46):
stop it okay okay, well, you're talking about
hayley's fucking comet fuck yeah, we are okay, hayley represent.
Okay, so in night in february10, scientists used a technique
called spectroscopy.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Spectroscopy Spectroscopy.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Yeah, and found cyogen, a poisonous gas, oh dear
, in Halley Comet's tail.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
How did they find that that's in space and they
weren't in space?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
in 1910.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Spectroscopy so that's how okay are you gonna go
into that?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
fuck, no.
So even though these scientistsknew the gas was super thin and
on a very large scale, meaningnot concentrated, the public
only heard the word poison.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Of course they did yes, especially back in 1910.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yes, so you can imagine the newspaper headlines
Mass hysteria.
They were screaming aboutdeadly gas heading straight for
the earth, something like that.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Was this newspaper from Transylvania?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Transylvania, heading straight for earth.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
No, Transylvania was alreadyylvania heading straight
for Earth.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Transylvania is already on Earth, anyways.
So apparently a reallywell-known French astronomer
named Camille FlammarionFlammarion, camille Flammarion.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Can we stop saying his name?
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Flammarion.
He was quoted as saying thatthe Earth went through the
comet's tail.
Can we stop saying his name?
He was quoted as saying thatthe earth went through the
comet's tail and our whole worldwould be filled with.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Poison.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Cyanogen gas possibly snuffing out all life on earth.
Possibly snuffing out all lifeon Earth.
Why the fuck would you tellnewspapers that Possibly
snuffing out all life?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
on Earth.
Can I answer the question whyhe would say that?
Because he wanted to be famous?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Fucking panic mode.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
No shit, because especially in 1910, you can't
just be like is he fucking realGoogle that shit, google that
shit.
Obviously you can't do that.
You only get your news fromwhat avenues of news you get,
which is typically newspapers.
Back then it's not like you hadTV.
You couldn't tune into Channelwhatever and get the local news
Channel 4.
Or 6.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Cnbc, NBC or 7 or 9.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I mean, we can go every number if you'd like, but
we're not going to, but no.
So they took in the news withthe mediums they had, which was
typically newspaper.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Newspaper telegrams.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So fuck y'all dude for causing a mass hysteria so
all right.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Stop with that he actually did try to clear things
up, saying that it was anunlikely situation, but more of
a like what if thought so, butthe newspapers were like yeah
we're gonna run with that,others we're gonna run with the
scary stuff yeah, because that'sway more.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
That's gonna sell more papers.
Dude, dude.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Sorry, but not sorry.
So comets if you will, cometsif you will.
Had a spooky reputationThroughout history.
People linked them to wars,dragons, Plagues, dragons,
tell-all black death.
(10:22):
Fuck, yeah, yeah, Hello, blackDeath.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Fuck, yeah.
Yeah, we did that.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
There was a comet before the Black Death.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah, we did that episode.
I also brought up dragons inthat episode.
Sure Game of Thrones.
Sure.
It's really not relevant.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So Halley's Comet in 1910 started all those old fears
, Plus, a few months before,another comet called the great
daylight comet was it reallybright, which must have been, oh
, you don't know.
It showed up out of nowhere andwas super bright, which already
had people on edge I literallyjust said oh, is it really
(10:59):
bright?
May have been, and you're likeit's been several weeks since
I've read this.
I get it.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
I understand.
That was fucking amazing, wowWay back in 1907.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So three years prior.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Oh my God, that's so long ago.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Headlines were already asking things like will
the coming cut Hold on?
There's a lot of alliterationhere.
Will coming comet collide withcurse?
I put this in myself.
It literally said will comingcomet collide with earth and I
(11:36):
said will coming comet collidewith curse.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
We were there, we heard you that was.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
That was a bit much okay, the beverage that we're
drinking is 12 and a halfpercent 12 and a half percent we
went over that two episodes ago.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I'm sorry, sorry if you can tell you're really not
that sorry.
Okay, I have to drive homeafter this Shut the fuck up.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You were cut off.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Oh, hold on while I slam the rest of this.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
As Haley's comic got closer in the spring of 1910,
things really went intooverdrive with the media and the
public, and scary news storiesand people's fears were like
feeding off of each other likewildfire right idiom like
wildfire oh yeah I mean, I feellike that one speaks for itself
(12:32):
lots of newspapers were writingthese crazy alarming articles
about how dangerous the cometwas, and that just made people
around the world even morepanicked.
You saw all sorts of reactionsfrom people trying to be
practical and getting ready toothers just completely fucking
(12:53):
losing it.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Losing their fucking minds.
Lost their shit, lost theirshit.
Big newspapers like the NewYork Times actually repeated
that scary prediction fromFlamin' Young.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Flamin' Young.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
About life.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Is that what?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
you said Flaming Flamerion, my bad.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Because you said Flamin' Young, I sure fucking
did.
That sounds delicious right now.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Flamerion About all life being snuffed out.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Okay, I don't like the sound of that.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
That so they even talked about these totally wild
breeder stories, like the oceansloshing out of the basins
because of the comets, andstories that were right on the
front page really push this ideaof the world ending isn't it?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I mean, again, we're talking about 1910, so I
obviously get it, but isn't itjust wild?
At that time they thought theocean was literally gonna slosh
out of its fucking spot.
I mean, again, they don't knowbetter.
K crossed her eyes.
She took a sip of her beveragethis is very potent but isn't it
(14:08):
just amazing, like, oh man,that's just gonna all come up on
here now.
I know that's gonna be empty,but it's all gonna be up here.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
We're gonna be under their feets of water churches
all over europe and america arefilled terrified people.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Can you blame them, though?
I mean, they don't fucking knowbetter.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
They don't know better, they're just like look
end of the world.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
You know I got to itch my ear.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
People were trying to get their spiritual lives in
order, thinking that it was theend.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
In Paris, churches stayed open all night while
Earth was supposed to be Just totake in the people, because,
yeah shit, we need people, wantto give their confessions or
whatever.
Blah, blah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And we're about to be passing through the comet's
tail.
Tens of thousands of peoplegathered at saint peter square
just to pray for salvationbasilica yeah it's like the Pope
was just reelected or whateverthe fuck they do.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I mean, he wasn't just like he was.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Elected, not reelected, but like elected yeah
he wasn't really.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
he didn't go for a second term.
Sure, you get elected until youdie or you resign, because
we've had what one Pope resign?
I think he was what two Popesago.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
But he had like some health issues or some shit.
I don't remember, doesn'tmatter.
So, anyways, it's wild to thinkabout like these things people
did to try to protect themselvesat home, right, okay, so we're
talking about comet proofingtheir lives, comet, comet,
proofing their lives okay thatthat's a little clearer, because
the first time was really likeComet, I'm drunkard.
Proofing their lives.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, I got that.
Oh, Jesus fuck.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Stop itching your ear and it won't happen.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And stop telling my ear to itch and I wasn't itching
my ear, I was scratching my earbecause I had an itch here
because it had an itch.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
So they people would seal up their windows and doors,
stuffing rags and paper intoany little crack to keep the
quote-unquote toxic gas out.
Let me use what you had so Iget that some families even went
down go ahead do they not haveany clock?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I don't know they could have clocked it up.
I don't know they could havecaulked it up.
I don't know if they have caulk.
They could have filled it upwith caulk and it would have
been fine.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
But some people went down to their basements and wore
wet towels over their faces.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Did they just think that wouldn't let as?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
like makeshift gas masks.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
That's what I was going to say.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Okay, that's what I was going to say.
Okay Makes sense.
I mean, I get that.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Hey look, listen to this.
Hey look, look, people in theUS are cocking their homes.
I literally had to do sentenceslater.
Are you fucking?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
kidding me?
I haven't read this in threeweeks.
Stop with that.
I understand that.
That's just fucking hilariousthat I brought that up.
I am okay with you having readthis.
In a couple weeks I get that,or three weeks, whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But that's fucking funny.
Yes, they were clocking.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
He's like hey, man, we need to clock our windows,
clock our doors, shout out toJFK.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
And of course, sales of actual gas masks shot way up.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Do you think anyone bought those old?
What was the pointy?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
the plague doctor masks, it wasn't mentioned, it
was mostly gas masks that wouldbe fantastic though.
So it wasn't just about beingcautious.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
People really panicked and to let led to some
really sad and bizarre thingsCan you blame them, though,
because this paper said hey man,we're all going to die because
this fucker said it's allpoisonous and we're going
through its tail so we're allgoing to die.
I mean to cause that masshysteria.
It's like and I get it it's1910.
I understand they don't knowthe science behind it or
(17:59):
whatever, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
But people have been around for a long fucking time.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
We're not gonna get taken out until a fucking meteor
hits our goddamn, like a giantfucking meteor hits our planet
or some other just ridiculousthing.
But they didn't know that.
So they panicked and theystarted being like how do we
save ourselves?
They thought shit like that.
So it's wild to think thatbecause we know so much more
(18:28):
today than they did a hundredyears ago.
But, holy fuck, that would havebeen scary as fuck.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Just being like, oh my god, we're gonna die so you
want to know what some of thethings are that came out of this
hysteria.
I would love to.
Things are that came out ofthis hysteria.
I would love to Anti-cometpills.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Who came up with that ?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
I don't know what the fuck, but it was probably the
biggest scam.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Was it the government ?
So there were basically medicalpatent pills that were
advertised as a cure for thecomet's poison.
So okay, Keep going.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It was harmless, but I read that a lot of them were
just sugar or quinine, With nospecial powers, that's the
problem is the pharmaceuticalindustry, which I don't agree
with personally and to eachtheir own on this.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
There are some benefits that come out of.
It is full of shit.
They want to sell you something.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
They're selling sugar pills.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
You could have fucking made that at home.
Yes, they didn't need to sellit to you, and fucking somebody
got rich off that shit becauseof the hysteria and the panic
that that fucker caused.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
And some of them were arrested for fraud.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Good, because they should have been, because that
is horse shit.
Yes, there's so many pills eventoday that it's like why are
those on the market?
You look at all thosecommercials.
I'd be like don't take this ifyou have whatever, because it
could cause death.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It's like cool, yeah, but my skin's gonna look a hair
better than it used to so therewas also anti comet elixirs oh,
jesus christ pharmacist oroffered a special haley's comet
elixir, basically just coloredliquid, claiming that it would
fight off poisonous gases those.
Those people should be shot inthe fucking street also
(20:25):
completely useless yeah, that'sbullshit and then get this
anti-comet umbrellas what thefuck you can't stop a fucking
comet with an umbrella inventorswere trying to sell these as
protection from falling debrisor other nasty stuff coming from
comet's tail isn't it sad howgullible people are because, you
(20:46):
know people bought that shit.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yes, because why else would that be, even in your
story, if no one bought that?
There's there's no reason thatwould be in your story, but
people did.
There's no reason that would bein your story, but people did,
and those people should be alsoshot in the street all sorts of
businesses were advertisingrespirators and masks that were
guaranteed to filter out thepoisons see they shouldn't have
(21:10):
guaranteed that.
Can we file a class actionlawsuit against them?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
the funny thing is no special mask was really needed
at all, since the commentscomments.
Gas was way too spread out toreally hurt anybody.
Yeah, it was all fake.
After may 19th, people realizedthat the only thing those masks
did was make the sellers richerexactly, so they fucking caught
on good but there was alsoinsurance brokers like fuck in
(21:40):
los angeles who would offercomet insurances that's
horseshit he would promise topay out 500 to your family if
hailey's comet killed you thatis complete and utter fucking
fraud at least 50 people signedup for this.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
I feel bad for those 50 people, at least 50 people.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
But also the taverns.
The taverns took advantage ofthis.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
All right, this I back.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Bartenders, either as a joke, because they were
clever started telling customersthat drinking was a way to
protect themselves.
The idea that if you had enoughwhiskey or gin in your system,
the comet's poison could not getto you okay, that is genius
drink for your health not foryour wealth absolutely
(22:28):
positively and some of the newscoverage actually ended up being
like free advertising for thesescams, of course.
Um, they they took stories aboutvoodoo doctors selling comet
pills.
Um, they would list alldifferent kinds of people buying
them and how much faith theyhad in the product.
Um, so, like a resoundingendorsement.
(22:51):
Um, you would read things likethey are well packed with comet
pills and that was you couldsell them as fast as you can,
and it creates this feeling thatyou could.
You needed to hurry up and buysome more, otherwise it's too
late.
You need to miss out on thesafety right.
Um, and then there were somebusinesses who would advertise
(23:15):
around the comet.
So not necessarily like talkabout the comet right but um
pears soap, for example, hadthis famous magazine ad and it
is part of our social media umin 1910 that actually showed
haley's comet in the pictureokay but the slogan was haley's
(23:35):
comet appears about once in 75years.
Pear soap is visible day andnight, every day of the year,
all over the world, wow, so itdoesn't really play on the
scarcity or the scare tactics.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
It just used it in its advertising.
Saying this shows up once we'rethere every day is what it's
saying.
Okay, I mean, I get that.
That.
That's fine to me, that's fine.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The whole like let's utilize and sell shit based off
of a fucking lie, basically, iswhat's irritating yes, so um,
another big product of why thosefake comic products did so well
was that back in 1910 theyweren't really strong.
There weren't really likestrong laws right to protect
(24:21):
people from scams and I get thatagain different times, so it
makes sense they, they had purefood and drug act.
If you used earlier to try andstop false, stop false medical
claims.
But it was still pretty forsure and wasn't really enforced
very well.
Right, so these con artistsartists would like sell their
bogus comic cures before anyonein charge could really step in
(24:45):
yeah they.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
They tried to make a quick buck before anyone could
stop them.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Basically yeah, and then think about the
communication back then theydidn't have radio or tv, no
internet.
It took them a long time forpeople to uh catch on to scam to
get accurate information andprove these rumors wrong.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Or to just literally catch on to the scam because it
took weeks back then Probablycertain areas of the states and
whatever.
So, yeah, that's bullshit.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
So when Halley's Comet finally zipped by in May
1910, the Earth passed rightthrough its tail noting nothing
bad at all.
No one got poisoned.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Weird, the world didn't end.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
The only real result was a pretty amazing light
fucking show in the night sky.
Yeah, yeah, and pretty soon thepublic panic faded away and so
did those fucking gadgets.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
See, and that's what sucks is that those people made
a quick buck and some of themhonestly got rich off of it for
nothing.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
For nothing.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Literally nothing, nope.
But it would have came back theyear you were born, then 85?
, 85?
Or the year after you were born.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
I vaguely recall.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Because I remember it when I was a kid, Like very
vaguely.
I remember it when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah, I vaguely recall.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
I reach out to Kate's parents here, do you remember?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
vaguely recall.
I reach out to kate's parentshere do you remember?
Speaker 2 (26:25):
the last one was february 9th of 1986.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, so you, you would have been less than a year
old yeah, seven months old.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
The very next one is going to be july 28th, 2061 I'd
like to say I'd be around, but Idon't think so.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Yeah, so that's the anti-comet pills of 1910.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
So it's snake oil for comets?
Yes, absolutely, Basically yeahabsolutely.
There's a million ways to diein the West, and that's one of
them.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
That's one of them, so Welp.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I suppose All right, buffoons, that's it for them.
That's one of them, so Welp, Isuppose All right, buffoons,
that's it for today's episode.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Buckle up, because we've got another historical
adventure waiting for you.
Next time Feeling hungry formore buffoonery, or maybe you
have a burning question or awild historical theory for us to
explore.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Hit us up on social media.
We're History Buffoons Podcaston YouTube X, instagram and
Facebook.
You can also email us athistorybuffoonspodcast at
gmailcom.
We are Bradley and Kate.
Music by Corey Akers.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Follow us wherever you get your podcasts and turn
those notifications on to stayin the loop.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Until next time, stay curious and don't forget to
rate and review us.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Remember, the buffoonery never stops.
Oh, hey there, oh hey there.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I like how you do that and then you open your beer
and it's like let's just nottalk anymore.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Welcome to the Origin of Weird but History Buffoons.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The History Buffoons.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm Bradley.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm Kate.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And let's find out something weird.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Oh my gosh.
Okay, I have a molasses cookie.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I know.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
With ice topping.
Oh my God From Festival.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So delicious.
Holy smoke I love how we keepmentioning this in our episodes.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
It's so good, holy smoke.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Holy balls.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Oh my, what you drinking.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I'm having a beverage .
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Cut water, tiki rum, mai Tai.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I really didn't want to bring that up, because this
is going to come out two weeksafter the one.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
We just had this on it's fine, cut water, tiki rum,
my type we had two left overfrom our sure fucking good
anyways it's not seltzer a weekand a half ago.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I should say it's not seltzer.
We learned that twelve and aand a half percent.
How?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
are you and let's move on.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I am well.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm eating a cookie, so I want you to talk some more.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Okay, so what I'd like to say is that Kate likes
cookies.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
And she's currently eating one.
And back to you, Kate.
Okay, so here we go All right.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
so I'm going to keep talking because, good lord, that
was terrible.
How was?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
your week, my week has been okay.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I'm still chewing, so you really want me to say more
and I'm purposely giving minimal, so okay, so we have an origin
of a weird story.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
How?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
was your week.
Well, I've been sitting on thisstory for about three weeks
yeah, because we, maybe two, weyeah, we don't know, we don't
know we uh, okay, so yeahsometimes we we do well with
planning um, um topics inadvance, okay, and occasionally
(02:20):
we'll squeeze in something yes,if it's pertinent to the time.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, aka the derby correct.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
We squeezed in a little bit of the derby history
of the kentucky derby for youthank you for everyone who
listened to that.
That was one of our bestepisodes in terms of downloads.
So we appreciate everyone whoactually listened to it and, uh,
thank you very much.
Hope you enjoyed it yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
So this is, um, an episode, or today's topic has
been around for a couple weeksnow, yeah, and just kind of
waiting to be talked about.
So, yeah, this is aboutHalley's Comet and the
anti-comet pills.
Anti, oh, I'm going to go intoit?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I hope so, because what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Okay, so Halley's Comet, you know of Comes out
every 75 years.
You're right, it's either 75 or76, depending on the time frame
Give or take, yeah, but yes,and it has all sorts of
superstition, much like JoeyOrtiz on the Brewers shaving his
mustache.
Shout out to our last episode.
Fast forward.
Nope, not our last episode.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Fast forward.
Nope, not our last episode, butyep.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
In our future Afrofarm.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Nope, definitely not that either.
It's even less that than ourlast episode.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Okay, it's either our future episode or our last
episode.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Two episodes ago.
By the time this comes out, sonof a bitch.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Haley's Comet yeah 75 or 76 years and it leads to all
sorts Of superstition.
So Fast forward or rewind, Iguess.
Or rewind to the 1990s, 1900s,my bad 1900s.
I mean 1990s were In the 1900sbut the 1900s astronomers had
actually figured out whether itwould Be back.
(04:03):
Yeah, they're like oh, it'sgonna come around in 1910.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Because it was around in 1986, right.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I remember it.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Let's say that 85, 86 .
I'm sure I say it later on theepisode that I don't remember
because it's been a couple weeks.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I'd like to say I believe you, but this is the
episode that I don't rememberbecause it's been a couple weeks
.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I'd like to say I believe you, but but they even
calculated that Earth would passright through the tail around
May 18th or May 19th of thatyear.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Now this led to a big public outcry, Because People
are superstitious.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Did they drink the Kool-Aid?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh, they drank the Kool-Aid.
That is a great idiom as well.
Shout out to Jim Jones and thecult Sure.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
What.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Do you know what drink the Kool-Aid means?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
What Tell me?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Who is what?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
He was a self-proclaimed reverend that
had a cult.
I think it was California.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
You're saying cult, right, yeah, not colt.
Because every time you say ityou say colt.
That's what confused me.
You keep saying colt.
I'm like what the fuck?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
is that A?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
colt.
There it is Jesus.
I'm like he had a horse.
What the shit.
A colt Still too close to cult,but all right, let's run with
(05:57):
it, holy shit, because, like I,I know where it's from.
Okay, you said, you said jimjones and his cult, but you said
cult and I'm like what?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Oh my god, it's like how I pronounce root beer.
I don't pronounce it root Rootbeer.
I pronounce it root beer.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
A lot of people call it root beer.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Or root beer.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Nathan always.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Nobody calls it cult or cult or cult or cult.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Jim Jones had a cult in ghana.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Africa, south america , ghana, south america you're
the one who's doing the story,not me ghana, south america yeah
and he had everybody commitsuicide by kool-aid did they
have cults there in their cult?
Speaker 1 (06:46):
stop it okay okay, well, you're talking about
hayley's fucking comet fuck yeah, we are okay, hayley represent.
Okay, so in night in february10, scientists used a technique
called spectroscopy.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Spectroscopy Spectroscopy.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Yeah, and found cyogen, a poisonous gas, oh dear
, in Halley Comet's tail.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
How did they find that that's in space and they
weren't in space?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
in 1910.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Spectroscopy so that's how okay are you gonna go
into that?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
fuck, no.
So even though these scientistsknew the gas was super thin and
on a very large scale, meaningnot concentrated, the public
only heard the word poison.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Of course they did yes, especially back in 1910.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yes, so you can imagine the newspaper headlines
Mass hysteria.
They were screaming aboutdeadly gas heading straight for
the earth, something like that.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Was this newspaper from Transylvania?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Transylvania, heading straight for earth.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
No, Transylvania was alreadyylvania heading straight
for Earth.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Transylvania is already on Earth, anyways.
So apparently a reallywell-known French astronomer
named Camille FlammarionFlammarion, camille Flammarion.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Can we stop saying his name?
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Flammarion.
He was quoted as saying thatthe Earth went through the
comet's tail.
Can we stop saying his name?
He was quoted as saying thatthe earth went through the
comet's tail and our whole worldwould be filled with.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Poison.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Cyanogen gas possibly snuffing out all life on earth.
Possibly snuffing out all lifeon Earth.
Why the fuck would you tellnewspapers that Possibly
snuffing out all life?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
on Earth.
Can I answer the question whyhe would say that?
Because he wanted to be famous?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Fucking panic mode.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
No shit, because especially in 1910, you can't
just be like is he fucking realGoogle that shit, google that
shit.
Obviously you can't do that.
You only get your news fromwhat avenues of news you get,
which is typically newspapers.
Back then it's not like you hadTV.
You couldn't tune into Channelwhatever and get the local news
Channel 4.
Or 6.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Cnbc, NBC or 7 or 9.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I mean, we can go every number if you'd like, but
we're not going to, but no.
So they took in the news withthe mediums they had, which was
typically newspaper.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Newspaper telegrams.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So fuck y'all dude for causing a mass hysteria so
all right.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Stop with that he actually did try to clear things
up, saying that it was anunlikely situation, but more of
a like what if thought so, butthe newspapers were like yeah
we're gonna run with that,others we're gonna run with the
scary stuff yeah, because that'sway more.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
That's gonna sell more papers.
Dude, dude.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Sorry, but not sorry.
So comets if you will, cometsif you will.
Had a spooky reputationThroughout history.
People linked them to wars,dragons, Plagues, dragons,
tell-all black death.
(10:22):
Fuck, yeah, yeah, Hello, blackDeath.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Fuck, yeah.
Yeah, we did that.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
There was a comet before the Black Death.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah, we did that episode.
I also brought up dragons inthat episode.
Sure Game of Thrones.
Sure.
It's really not relevant.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So Halley's Comet in 1910 started all those old fears
, Plus, a few months before,another comet called the great
daylight comet was it reallybright, which must have been, oh
, you don't know.
It showed up out of nowhere andwas super bright, which already
had people on edge I literallyjust said oh, is it really
(10:59):
bright?
May have been, and you're likeit's been several weeks since
I've read this.
I get it.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
I understand.
That was fucking amazing, wowWay back in 1907.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
So three years prior.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Oh my God, that's so long ago.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Headlines were already asking things like will
the coming cut Hold on?
There's a lot of alliterationhere.
Will coming comet collide withcurse?
I put this in myself.
It literally said will comingcomet collide with earth and I
(11:36):
said will coming comet collidewith curse.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
We were there, we heard you that was.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
That was a bit much okay, the beverage that we're
drinking is 12 and a halfpercent 12 and a half percent we
went over that two episodes ago.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
I'm sorry, sorry if you can tell you're really not
that sorry.
Okay, I have to drive homeafter this Shut the fuck up.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You were cut off.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Oh, hold on while I slam the rest of this.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
As Haley's comic got closer in the spring of 1910,
things really went intooverdrive with the media and the
public, and scary news storiesand people's fears were like
feeding off of each other likewildfire right idiom like
wildfire oh yeah I mean, I feellike that one speaks for itself
(12:32):
lots of newspapers were writingthese crazy alarming articles
about how dangerous the cometwas, and that just made people
around the world even morepanicked.
You saw all sorts of reactionsfrom people trying to be
practical and getting ready toothers just completely fucking
(12:53):
losing it.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Losing their fucking minds.
Lost their shit, lost theirshit.
Big newspapers like the NewYork Times actually repeated
that scary prediction fromFlamin' Young.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Flamin' Young.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
About life.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Is that what?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
you said Flaming Flamerion, my bad.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Because you said Flamin' Young, I sure fucking
did.
That sounds delicious right now.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Flamerion About all life being snuffed out.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Okay, I don't like the sound of that.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
That so they even talked about these totally wild
breeder stories, like the oceansloshing out of the basins
because of the comets, andstories that were right on the
front page really push this ideaof the world ending isn't it?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I mean, again, we're talking about 1910, so I
obviously get it, but isn't itjust wild?
At that time they thought theocean was literally gonna slosh
out of its fucking spot.
I mean, again, they don't knowbetter.
K crossed her eyes.
She took a sip of her beveragethis is very potent but isn't it
(14:08):
just amazing, like, oh man,that's just gonna all come up on
here now.
I know that's gonna be empty,but it's all gonna be up here.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
We're gonna be under their feets of water churches
all over europe and america arefilled terrified people.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Can you blame them, though?
I mean, they don't fucking knowbetter.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
They don't know better, they're just like look
end of the world.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
You know I got to itch my ear.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
People were trying to get their spiritual lives in
order, thinking that it was theend.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
In Paris, churches stayed open all night while
Earth was supposed to be Just totake in the people, because,
yeah shit, we need people, wantto give their confessions or
whatever.
Blah, blah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And we're about to be passing through the comet's
tail.
Tens of thousands of peoplegathered at saint peter square
just to pray for salvationbasilica yeah it's like the Pope
was just reelected or whateverthe fuck they do.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I mean, he wasn't just like he was.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Elected, not reelected, but like elected yeah
he wasn't really.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
he didn't go for a second term.
Sure, you get elected until youdie or you resign, because
we've had what one Pope resign?
I think he was what two Popesago.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
But he had like some health issues or some shit.
I don't remember, doesn'tmatter.
So, anyways, it's wild to thinkabout like these things people
did to try to protect themselvesat home, right, okay, so we're
talking about comet proofingtheir lives, comet, comet,
proofing their lives okay thatthat's a little clearer, because
the first time was really likeComet, I'm drunkard.
Proofing their lives.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, I got that.
Oh, Jesus fuck.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Stop itching your ear and it won't happen.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And stop telling my ear to itch and I wasn't itching
my ear, I was scratching my earbecause I had an itch here
because it had an itch.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
So they people would seal up their windows and doors,
stuffing rags and paper intoany little crack to keep the
quote-unquote toxic gas out.
Let me use what you had so Iget that some families even went
down go ahead do they not haveany clock?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I don't know they could have clocked it up.
I don't know they could havecaulked it up.
I don't know if they have caulk.
They could have filled it upwith caulk and it would have
been fine.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
But some people went down to their basements and wore
wet towels over their faces.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Did they just think that wouldn't let as?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
like makeshift gas masks.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
That's what I was going to say.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Okay, that's what I was going to say.
Okay Makes sense.
I mean, I get that.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Hey look, listen to this.
Hey look, look, people in theUS are cocking their homes.
I literally had to do sentenceslater.
Are you fucking?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
kidding me?
I haven't read this in threeweeks.
Stop with that.
I understand that.
That's just fucking hilariousthat I brought that up.
I am okay with you having readthis.
In a couple weeks I get that,or three weeks, whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But that's fucking funny.
Yes, they were clocking.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
He's like hey, man, we need to clock our windows,
clock our doors, shout out toJFK.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
And of course, sales of actual gas masks shot way up.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Do you think anyone bought those old?
What was the pointy?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
the plague doctor masks, it wasn't mentioned, it
was mostly gas masks that wouldbe fantastic though.
So it wasn't just about beingcautious.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
People really panicked and to let led to some
really sad and bizarre thingsCan you blame them, though,
because this paper said hey man,we're all going to die because
this fucker said it's allpoisonous and we're going
through its tail so we're allgoing to die.
I mean to cause that masshysteria.
It's like and I get it it's1910.
I understand they don't knowthe science behind it or
(17:59):
whatever, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
But people have been around for a long fucking time.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
We're not gonna get taken out until a fucking meteor
hits our goddamn, like a giantfucking meteor hits our planet
or some other just ridiculousthing.
But they didn't know that.
So they panicked and theystarted being like how do we
save ourselves?
They thought shit like that.
So it's wild to think thatbecause we know so much more
(18:28):
today than they did a hundredyears ago.
But, holy fuck, that would havebeen scary as fuck.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Just being like, oh my god, we're gonna die so you
want to know what some of thethings are that came out of this
hysteria.
I would love to.
Things are that came out ofthis hysteria.
I would love to Anti-cometpills.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Who came up with that ?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
I don't know what the fuck, but it was probably the
biggest scam.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Was it the government ?
So there were basically medicalpatent pills that were
advertised as a cure for thecomet's poison.
So okay, Keep going.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It was harmless, but I read that a lot of them were
just sugar or quinine, With nospecial powers, that's the
problem is the pharmaceuticalindustry, which I don't agree
with personally and to eachtheir own on this.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
There are some benefits that come out of.
It is full of shit.
They want to sell you something.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
They're selling sugar pills.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
You could have fucking made that at home.
Yes, they didn't need to sellit to you, and fucking somebody
got rich off that shit becauseof the hysteria and the panic
that that fucker caused.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
And some of them were arrested for fraud.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Good, because they should have been, because that
is horse shit.
Yes, there's so many pills eventoday that it's like why are
those on the market?
You look at all thosecommercials.
I'd be like don't take this ifyou have whatever, because it
could cause death.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It's like cool, yeah, but my skin's gonna look a hair
better than it used to so therewas also anti comet elixirs oh,
jesus christ pharmacist oroffered a special haley's comet
elixir, basically just coloredliquid, claiming that it would
fight off poisonous gases those.
Those people should be shot inthe fucking street also
(20:25):
completely useless yeah, that'sbullshit and then get this
anti-comet umbrellas what thefuck you can't stop a fucking
comet with an umbrella inventorswere trying to sell these as
protection from falling debrisor other nasty stuff coming from
comet's tail isn't it sad howgullible people are because, you
(20:46):
know people bought that shit.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yes, because why else would that be, even in your
story, if no one bought that?
There's there's no reason thatwould be in your story, but
people did.
There's no reason that would bein your story, but people did,
and those people should be alsoshot in the street all sorts of
businesses were advertisingrespirators and masks that were
guaranteed to filter out thepoisons see they shouldn't have
(21:10):
guaranteed that.
Can we file a class actionlawsuit against them?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
the funny thing is no special mask was really needed
at all, since the commentscomments.
Gas was way too spread out toreally hurt anybody.
Yeah, it was all fake.
After may 19th, people realizedthat the only thing those masks
did was make the sellers richerexactly, so they fucking caught
on good but there was alsoinsurance brokers like fuck in
(21:40):
los angeles who would offercomet insurances that's
horseshit he would promise topay out 500 to your family if
hailey's comet killed you thatis complete and utter fucking
fraud at least 50 people signedup for this.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
I feel bad for those 50 people, at least 50 people.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
But also the taverns.
The taverns took advantage ofthis.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
All right, this I back.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Bartenders, either as a joke, because they were
clever started telling customersthat drinking was a way to
protect themselves.
The idea that if you had enoughwhiskey or gin in your system,
the comet's poison could not getto you okay, that is genius
drink for your health not foryour wealth absolutely
(22:28):
positively and some of the newscoverage actually ended up being
like free advertising for thesescams, of course.
Um, they they took stories aboutvoodoo doctors selling comet
pills.
Um, they would list alldifferent kinds of people buying
them and how much faith theyhad in the product.
Um, so, like a resoundingendorsement.
(22:51):
Um, you would read things likethey are well packed with comet
pills and that was you couldsell them as fast as you can,
and it creates this feeling thatyou could.
You needed to hurry up and buysome more, otherwise it's too
late.
You need to miss out on thesafety right.
Um, and then there were somebusinesses who would advertise
(23:15):
around the comet.
So not necessarily like talkabout the comet right but um
pears soap, for example, hadthis famous magazine ad and it
is part of our social media umin 1910 that actually showed
haley's comet in the pictureokay but the slogan was haley's
(23:35):
comet appears about once in 75years.
Pear soap is visible day andnight, every day of the year,
all over the world, wow, so itdoesn't really play on the
scarcity or the scare tactics.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
It just used it in its advertising.
Saying this shows up once we'rethere every day is what it's
saying.
Okay, I mean, I get that.
That.
That's fine to me, that's fine.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The whole like let's utilize and sell shit based off
of a fucking lie, basically, iswhat's irritating yes, so um,
another big product of why thosefake comic products did so well
was that back in 1910 theyweren't really strong.
There weren't really likestrong laws right to protect
(24:21):
people from scams and I get thatagain different times, so it
makes sense they, they had purefood and drug act.
If you used earlier to try andstop false, stop false medical
claims.
But it was still pretty forsure and wasn't really enforced
very well.
Right, so these con artistsartists would like sell their
bogus comic cures before anyonein charge could really step in
(24:45):
yeah they.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
They tried to make a quick buck before anyone could
stop them.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Basically yeah, and then think about the
communication back then theydidn't have radio or tv, no
internet.
It took them a long time forpeople to uh catch on to scam to
get accurate information andprove these rumors wrong.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Or to just literally catch on to the scam because it
took weeks back then Probablycertain areas of the states and
whatever.
So, yeah, that's bullshit.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
So when Halley's Comet finally zipped by in May
1910, the Earth passed rightthrough its tail noting nothing
bad at all.
No one got poisoned.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Weird, the world didn't end.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
The only real result was a pretty amazing light
fucking show in the night sky.
Yeah, yeah, and pretty soon thepublic panic faded away and so
did those fucking gadgets.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
See, and that's what sucks is that those people made
a quick buck and some of themhonestly got rich off of it for
nothing.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
For nothing.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Literally nothing, nope.
But it would have came back theyear you were born, then 85?
, 85?
Or the year after you were born.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
I vaguely recall.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Because I remember it when I was a kid, Like very
vaguely.
I remember it when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah, I vaguely recall.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
I reach out to Kate's parents here, do you remember?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
vaguely recall.
I reach out to kate's parentshere do you remember?
Speaker 2 (26:25):
the last one was february 9th of 1986.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, so you, you would have been less than a year
old yeah, seven months old.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
The very next one is going to be july 28th, 2061 I'd
like to say I'd be around, but Idon't think so.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Yeah, so that's the anti-comet pills of 1910.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
So it's snake oil for comets?
Yes, absolutely, Basically yeahabsolutely.
There's a million ways to diein the West, and that's one of
them.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
That's one of them, so Welp.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I suppose All right, buffoons, that's it for them.
That's one of them, so Welp, Isuppose All right, buffoons,
that's it for today's episode.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Buckle up, because we've got another historical
adventure waiting for you.
Next time Feeling hungry formore buffoonery, or maybe you
have a burning question or awild historical theory for us to
explore.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Hit us up on social media.
We're History Buffoons Podcaston YouTube X, instagram and
Facebook.
You can also email us athistorybuffoonspodcast at
gmailcom.
We are Bradley and Kate.
Music by Corey Akers.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Follow us wherever you get your podcasts and turn
those notifications on to stayin the loop.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Until next time, stay curious and don't forget to
rate and review us.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Remember, the buffoonery never stops.
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