July 3, 2025 • 30 mins
The 4th of July may be over, but it’s never too late to learn the real story behind Independence Day. Manny Munoz talked with historian Kenneth C. Davis, author of the Don’t Know Much series — check out his work at DontKnowMuch.com.
Also, sunglasses aren’t just for style — they’re packed with science. Sara Durn from Popular Science breaks down the surprising evolution of shades in her latest article.
And finally, summer safety isn’t just for humans. Dr. Rachel Fellman from LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital shares must-know tips to keep your pets safe in the heat.
Also, sunglasses aren’t just for style — they’re packed with science. Sara Durn from Popular Science breaks down the surprising evolution of shades in her latest article.
And finally, summer safety isn’t just for humans. Dr. Rachel Fellman from LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital shares must-know tips to keep your pets safe in the heat.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on
the biggest issues in facting you this week.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Here's many munhos and welcome to another edition of Iheartradios Communities.
As you heard, I am Manny Munyo's and I would
love a follow from you on Instagram at iod manny
as my handle at iod m A n n Y.
The July fourth Independence Holiday is coming gone, but it's
(00:29):
never too late to learn about the true history of
July fourth. Let's discuss it as we bring in historian
Kenneth C. Davis, author of the Don't Know Much series
of books. His most recent is titled The World in
Books fifty two Works of great short nonfiction, and his
website is don't Know Much dot com. Ken thank you
(00:50):
for joining us. I always appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
It's always a pleasure to talk to you. Manny. We've
been talking about American history for a long time, but
we can never talk enough about it.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah. Well, let's start right there, because there is I
guess some controversy about the whole thing about celebrating Independence
Day on the fourth of July. Is that right?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
That's correct? If we did things the way John Adams
thought we should do it. Of course, John Adams, one
of the key founding fathers, the second President, one of
the men who contributed to the writing of the Declaration
of Independence. John Adams was sure we would celebrate Independence
Day on July second. Why because that's when the Second
(01:30):
Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia in seventeen seventy six, actually voted.
The Congress voted to sever the colonies ties with England,
and they voted for independence. Washington, I'm sorry. Jefferson's Declaration,
which explained the reasons for that decision to vote for independence,
(01:54):
was of course adopted two days later on July fourth,
and that's why we break July fourth. It immediately caught
the national imagination as the nation's birthday. But John Adams
was sure we would celebrate the second with fireworks and
church bells. He was just off by two days.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So the vote for independence was on the second. July
fourth was when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, but
it wasn't even signed for another month.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
That's correct, because it had to be sent out to
be printed, said first of all by hand in that
beautiful document that we all know with John Hancock's big
signature on it. Now, what actually was signed on the
July fourth was Jefferson's draft of the declaration and the
(02:44):
only two people who signed that day were John Hancock
and the Secretary of the Congress, who was not a
voting member of the Congress. He was just there to
officially witness that it had been passed. And right there
we have to stop and talk about what Jefferson's original
(03:05):
was like, why the Congress changed it, and Jefferson was
not happy about it. He was this thirty three year
old who thought what he had written was perfectly fine
the way it was. They had to sit for two
days while Congress went over the declaration, changed a lot
of words, added some words, and took out some important things.
The most important thing that they took out was the
(03:27):
decision to drop Jefferson's accusation that the King of England
was responsible for the slave trade, which was not true,
but that's not the reason they took it out. They
just didn't want any discussion of the slave trade and
slavery in the Declaration of Independence, so that was changed.
There were about eighty changes introduced into his work. Some
(03:49):
of them were minor word changes here and there. The
addition of more references to the divine and the providence
and the Creator than Jefferson have used himself. But he
wasn't a very devout Christian himself. He was what we
call a deists. So those things were added by the Congress.
(04:10):
So this was not a document that talked about slavery
at all. And even though the words are there, all
men are created equal, and that's the great contradiction in
our history, and I think it's important to come to
terms with it. So the declaration is adopted, it's announced,
people immediately go right out and ring church bells, and
(04:35):
it's read in public, and people cheered. It was immediately
recognized as a very important document explaining why the colonies
were severing their relationship with England. And remember, at the time,
most Americans were Englishmen, and they were technically British because
(04:55):
they were subjects of the king, but many of them
were first and second generation Englishmen who had come from
England or parts of England, others from Ireland and Scotland.
Of course, there was a significant German population, especially in
and around Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania, but most Americans were Englishmen,
(05:16):
and they believed that they were Englishmen. So it was
a big deal to say we're not going to be
subjects of the king anymore.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
How did the celebrations, I imagine it became a yearly thing.
How did they change from what it started like back
then to what we see now, because from what I understand,
sometimes early on they turned violent and everything else.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Well I'm not sure it was violence. But the most
famous incident right away is, of course, George Washington was
not in Philadelphia in seventeen seventy six. He was already
off commanding the American Army, the Continental Army as it
was called. He'd gone up to cam Massachusetts to take
(06:01):
over the army there a year earlier, in seventeen seventy five.
By July of seventeen seventy six, in August of seventy six,
Washington had moved his army to New York, where he
thought the British Army was going to sail. And he
was correct, and Washington had the declaration read to his
(06:23):
troops assembled in New York City down at the is
what is called the down where Wall Street is today.
We think of that as you know, way down in Manhattan.
That was the heart of New York city at the time,
So he had the declaration read to the troops, and
(06:44):
then the people went out and actually pulled down a
statue of King George the Third in what was called
the Bowling Green And if you go if you go
to Manhattan today, you can still go to the Bowling
Green subway station. It's near Wall Street and that's where
there was a statue of King George. They pulled it down.
(07:04):
It was melted down, and they say that the medal
that was melted down from the statue was then turned
into musket balls to be used against the British army.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Fascinating the symbolism there. What about different regional loyalties. Did
we see it celebrated differently at the time in the
north and the south or have we not seen that
develop yet?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I think that that gets into a whole element of
how people saw this at the time. John Adams, and
we just mentioned him a few minutes ago, said at
the time that he thought about a third of the
country was in favor of independence, a third of the
country wanted to remain loyal to the Crown of England,
(07:50):
and a third of the country didn't care one way
or another. But there's no question that as soon as
the declaration was announced, people celebrated it in places Philadelphia
and New York and other places around the country, especially
those places where there was high patriotic fervor, a place
like Boston, for instance, And the celebrations were pretty much
(08:12):
as we would think of them today, parades, very early
forms of fireworks. You know, fireworks have been around for
a long time. That you had something called illuminations back then,
which was sort of close to fireworks that would put
up pictures and have fire behind them, and it would
cast images in the sky just the way we do
with fireworks are now drones. So people did celebrate this
(08:37):
idea from the very beginning, but there was still a
strong loyalist for what they called at the time Tory
sympathy in parts of the United States, and so people
weren't There were people who weren't eager for this independence
and this war of independence that are brought with them,
(08:58):
and eventually many of those people who were called Tories
lost everything. They had their lands and their properties confiscated.
Many of them left the country and their land was
taken over. That's the part of the story we sometimes
don't tell, but there's no question that the fourth of
(09:18):
July captured the American imagination from the very beginning, and
it became a very popular holiday right away, and certainly
one of our first national holidays.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
A couple more minutes here with Ken Davis. He is
the historian author of the Don't Know Much series of books.
His website is Don't Know Much dot com. Did women
have any role in modern day United States the colonies
at the time when we began celebrating Independence Day?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Okay, well, the first most famous woman we have to
talk about in terms of Independence Day is obviously Betsy Ross.
Did she sew the flag? That's kind of a story
that was invented later on by the Ross family. She
was a seamstress in Philadelphia. She knew George Washington. Washington
(10:15):
wasn't there when the flag was designed, so it's very
unlikely he came to her, as the legend goes, and
told her to sew the flag. Most likely, we believe
that the design of the flag was created by a
man named Francis Hopkinson, who was one of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence, one of the more obscure signers.
(10:38):
Of course, fifty six men signed the Declaration, most Americans
can name a handful of them, obviously, John Hancock and
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but not too many names
beyond that. So the story of Betsy Ross is a
bit of mythology. And of course women had no vote
(11:00):
at the time, but there were certainly women who had
prominent voices. The first one that comes to mind is
the wife of John Adams, Abigail Adams. She was very
interested politically, She was very very much a supporter of
the Patriot cause, and they write a wonderful series of
letters back and forth between Philadelphia and Boston. One of
(11:23):
the most famous letters is Abigail writes to John that
while they're writing up this declaration of independence, they should
remember the ladies, because if they don't have a voice
in this, they'll make a revolution of their own. And
Adams kind of joking. They wrote back and said, you
can depend upon it. We won't surrender our masculine propriety.
(11:48):
He wasn't ready to go that far, And of course
it took a long time from seventeen seventy six to
nineteen twenty for women to get the vote in America.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
During the Cold War, July fourth became independence they became
kind of an anti communist propaganda tool, didn't it.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, Yes, because everything during the Cold War, you know it,
It was a celebration. What's I think more important in
many ways is how significant the Declaration of Independence was
to the spread of independence movements around the rest of
(12:30):
the world, almost immediately after seventeen seventy six and for
the next few centuries. Immediately, for instance, in Haiti, there
was an uprising rebellion. The first created republic accid the
United States in the Western Hemisphere is Haiti, and it's
a rebellion by enslaved people against the French colonial rulers.
(12:54):
And it was clearly influenced by the ideas of Thomas Jefferson,
and Jefferson's ideas were borrowed from Europe, and then they
went back to Europe and there were a tremendous independence
republican democratic, and I'm using that in a small sense
(13:15):
of republican and democratic. The ideas of creating republics that
would be democratic really fired across Europe in the eighteen
thirties into the eighteen sixties. You and I were talking
before this conversation about Italy. Italy was inspired very much
by the democratic idea, the republican idea that they saw
(13:37):
in the United States, which of course ultimately was inspired
in part by the Roman Republic. The founders of America
were big believers in the Roman Republic.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Last thing for you, I remember being a kid and
celebrating the bi centennial in nineteen seventy six. Next year
we will be celebrating I think it's our Sesques centennial
on July fourth Independence Day. How far have we come
as a country. What can we expect next year?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's interesting, of course, without getting into the politics of
the moment too much, Manny, we're at a kind of
inflection point here in the country, and we have a movement,
for instance, to create or teach a more so called
patriotic version of American history. And this idea of what
(14:28):
history we teach is very important. So I'm quite sure
that we're going to have a big celebration next year.
I also remember the by centennial very well. I think
I'm a little bit older than you, but it was,
you know, quite extraordinary here in New York City. We
had the tall ships come and of course the fireworks
(14:50):
were spectacular and all that, and we had those I
don't know if you remember, I don't remember them clearly,
the by centennial minutes, Yeah, tell us sure. I wish
somebody would bring that back again. Nobody's asked me to
do it, but I'd be happy to. You know, every day,
they would have just a little history lesson every day,
(15:11):
and I think that that would be a very very
valuable thing to have in this country at this moment
right now.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
He's Kenneth Davis, the author of the Don't Know Much
series of books. His most recent is titled The World
in Books fifty two Works of great short nonfiction and
if you want to know anything about history, check out
his website. It is don't Know Much dot com. Ken
I appreciate the history lesson every time we speak. Thank
you for your time. Be well.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
It's always a great pleasure. Manny, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Just a reminder, if you have any questions or comments,
you could follow me on Instagram at iod Manny is
my handle at iod m a n y. Summer brings
a whole slew of health concern from making sure we
protect our skin from the sun's rays, to making sure
we stay hydrated, to protecting our that's right, most of
us think of sunglasses as just a fashion statement, but
(16:04):
they're much more than that. Let's talk about it with
Sarah Dern, who's written an article in Popular Science titled
the Evolution of Sunglasses From Science to Style and back again. Sarah,
I appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So why the evolution of sunglasses? What made you think
to research and write on this?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Well, sungnglasses. You know, it's an everyday item that I
think a lot of us don't really think about beyond
you know, when we step into the sun. And something
we love to do with Popular Science is to really
highlight the fascinating histories of everyday objects.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
What is the history of the sunglass? Was it style first?
Was it to protect our eyes? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
The history of sunglasses is really interconnected with the history
of corrective lenses. The first corrective lenses in the early
Middle Ages. We're tinted, so corrective lands as were tinted
to modernize. They might look more like sunglasses, but they
(17:04):
were really designed to help correct vision. And some of
the earliest examples of maybe something more to help protect
your eyes from the sun, we see in indigenous communities
and Inuit people were goggles made of bone or driftwood
with tiny eyelets to prevent snow blindness. And we also
(17:27):
see Chinese examples of jade glasses that it's a little
unclear what their use was, but they would have maybe
mostly been used to conceal facial expressions and would have
been worn by medieval Chinese judges.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Huh, that's fascinating, And so how did we evolve from
that and protecting our actual vision to the cool factor
and making a style statement.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Yeah, I mean, it's hundreds of years of history. It
wasn't until the twentieth century where they really sunglasses are
associated with a cool factor. The earliest glass, you know,
with literal glass in them, lenses that were used to
(18:18):
shield eyes from the sun, were actually developed in seventeen
fifty in Venice. Glasses were called Galdoni glasses, and then
you know kind of throughout since then you see a
lot of innovations and sunglasses. But the cool factor really
comes from the fact that soldiers, American soldiers, the American
(18:44):
military developed the first aviator sunglasses. They were part of
the standard issue uniform for pilots during World War Two.
That association started to really give them like this heroic
vibe and then also during that time you see the
beginnings of Hollywood, and you see a lot of Hollywood
(19:07):
stars wearing sunglasses because these people were in what was
basically the desert in la with very intense sun and
they needed something to protect their eyes.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, and then I guess Tom Cruise with the ray
bands probably the most iconic. Why Venice. Why was Venice
such a key location in developing the early sunglasses.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, well, Venice when you look at you know, you
have these earlier examples outside of Europe, but when looking
at Europe and specifically glasses you know, made of glass.
Most glasses today aren't actually made of glass, but the
earlier ones were. And Venice was the capital of medieval
(19:52):
glass oh okay, and it's still very famous for their
glassworks today. So that was it was sort of a
perfect combination of there was a need. So Galdoni glasses
were mainly used by gondoliers, So you know, you have
these people working on these boats, farying people in the
(20:12):
hot sun, you know, straining their eyes. So there was
a need and there was also the resources available. So
you have these glass makers in Venice who you know,
had the skills to make them and The fascinating thing
about like Galdoni glasses specifically is that they look if
you look up a photo of them there, you could
(20:33):
almost see them at like your local mall right. The
tortoiseshell lenses, which are still very popular today, they were
made of actual tortoises shells, and then they have these
green lenses. I mean, they'd be a little like definitely
a fashion statement today. You could totally see them. And yeah,
it's kind of crazy how much they look like modern sunglasses,
(20:55):
given that they first started kind of appearing around seventeen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And it makes perfect sense because you mentioned the Galdoni
glasses and they're the guys faring people around on gondolas
and made me think of protecting your eyes because of
the water and the sun's reflection on the water. So
I imagine somewhere along the line polarization and UV protection
was developed. How how did that happen?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah, yeah, those are two. So polarization. There was an
American inventor in the nineteen thirties. His name was Edwin Land.
He created the first polarized lenses, which obviously helped to
reduce glare. So we're talking, you know, almost two hundred
years after.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
That's crazy last, right, And then you also had this
German eyewear manufacturer named Rodentstock in the early nineteen hundreds
and they developed the.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
First tinted lenses that were known to shield the eyes
from UV light.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
So you have both of.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Those innovations in the early nineteen hundreds, you know, just
and like by nineteen forty eight, there is a report
in the Optical Practitioners that reported that by nineteen forty eight,
you know, just a couple of decades after these innovations,
basically everyone owns a pair of sunglasses by that point.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
In your article, there's a whole lot of different examples.
Those railroad glasses are really really cool looking. It's a
fascinating story, and encourage you to check it out, Sarah Dern.
The article is titled the Evolution of Sunglasses from Science
to Style and back again. You could check it out
in Popular Science, Sarah. I appreciate the.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Time, Thank you so much, Manny.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
So, yes, we need to do some things differently to
protect ourselves over the summer, but what about our furry
four legged family members. We need to take precautions to
keep them safe during these scorching summer months. As well.
Let's discuss it with doctor Rachel Felman, a lead er
Animal specialty hospital doctor. Thanks for the time, my pleasure.
So what is the biggest concern for dogs, especially over
(23:06):
the summer. Is it just protecting them from the heat.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I think people just don't realize how hot it can
be under that thick fur coat, and so what we
think could just be a walk down the block, Oh
it's not that long in the middle of the day.
This definitely can lead to problems and dogs. We see
a lot of heat stroke and a lot of complications
from that that could be life threatening. So keeping your
dogs out of the sun and the heat of the day,
(23:30):
trying to limit your walks to you know, late at
night and early in the morning before the sun comes up.
Those are some important things that you could do to help.
You know, the pavement so hot, and we wear shoes,
but they don't, so they definitely can hurt themselves. I've
seen pop heads burnt and lots of things that we're
just don't think about.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
What are the early signs of heat stress and dog
or a cat for that matter, And how is it
different from just normal panting.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yeah, so the panting will basically be extreme for sure,
and it'll typically happen after they've been outside or coming inside.
You'll notice that they're panting, but that panting doesn't settle down.
Sometimes you'll see that their gums look a little bit discolored,
like a muddy color. And even when you bring them
into the ac they don't settle down. They seem restless, anxious, pacing,
(24:19):
can't really catch their breath, and that's really a sign
that they need the medical attention.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Do dogs not know that they need to go take
a drink of water.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
No, they definitely don't. They are just like children. They
don't know the dangers that they face and they don't
really know how to fix it. And so make sure
that your pets have plenty of fresh water when they're
spending time outside. You know, keeping them hydrated is helpful,
but honestly, avoiding the extreme heats is super important. They
(24:50):
really just can't handle an afternoon at the beach. The
way that we can.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Okay, so heat exhaustion is when they are are really
overheated and they've become intolerant and they need to come
inside and cool off. But heat stroke is when their
body basically has an extreme inflammatory response. As a result
of this overheating, their body temperature rises exponentially, and then
the blood proteins start to denature and they have a
(25:19):
massive inflammatory response that sometimes we can't come back from.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Are there certain breeds that are more prone to suffer
from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, things like that?
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Absolutely, so, those smushy faced dogs and cats, the breakycephalic breeds,
the Frenchies, the Boston.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Those kinds of dogs.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Definitely will overheat much faster than any other pets. But
that doesn't mean that your Golden Retriever is safe in
this heat.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
What about walking on the pavement You mentioned that a
few minutes ago. We know how we feel when we're
out by the pool or on the sand even and
if it's too hot. Do dogs not display that pain
if they're walking on paved and it's too hot for.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Them, No, it's mind boggling, but they just don't. And
then sometimes they come in a day or two later
the owners don't understand why they're limping and their pobheads
are burnt off. So really try to keep them walking
in grassy areas, cool pavement. Maybe something that's in the shade,
but definitely, if you notice that your pet seems in pain,
(26:21):
bring them in. But sometimes it's a little bit late,
so doing your best to keep them out of harm's
way is often the best path.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
What are some of the best ways to cool our
pet down? If they have been outside, We've been playing
in the sun or at the beach or whatever. We
don't know if they're overheating. You mentioned they don't know
to just go take a drink of water on their own.
What can we do to help assist them in cooling down? Yeah, so.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
You know, sometimes we think, oh, ice and alcohol things
that would rapidly cool, but that's really not what you
want to do. You want to provide active sources of
cooling fans. You want to get them hydrated, but once
they get to a certain point, they really need intravenous
fluidsation and oxygen to help bring that temperature down so
that they can cool effectively.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
What are some of the most common mistakes you see
pet owners make during the summer and not realizing that
that their pets are overheated and need need to go
see a vet.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Well, that's a good question, I think just generally not
understanding how hot that they're getting. You know, we get
hot and we can step in the shade, or we
could fan off and we sweat. We have active cooling,
and the dogs just don't. So thinking oh well, I'm
okay outside for an hour, they should be too.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It's just not the case playing with a hose things
like that, jumping in the pool. Is that something that
could also be dangerous depending on how hot it is.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
Yeah. So, actually remarkably, the hose water it sits in
the sun, and I've seen hose water cause burning on
the skin. Really Yeah, so you have to be super
careful hose water play. If you're not careful measuring the
temperature first when it's coming out that first water that
comes out of the hose, that can burn them for sure.
(28:05):
And then being in the water doesn't mean that they're hydrated, right,
So if they're outside and they're playing, they're not necessarily
cooled off. They just need to be hydrated and come inside.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I'm not one of these people that likes dressing my
dogs up, but I know that there are certain you know,
pets safe sunscreens and even UV protective clothing that might
be beneficial, I guess, you know, especially for lighter colored
pets or things like that. Is that something you recommend.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I guess I've never particularly recommended it. I think that
the more layers you put on them, the harder it
is for them to cool off, right, So it's really
you're trapping the heat all right.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Last thing for you, then, what are your rules of
thumb for making sure one you keep your animals safe
from overheating in in the summer sun. And if they
do go outside, how to make sure that they don't overheat?
Speaker 5 (28:54):
I would say watch for excessive panting, drooling. They all
of a sudden become tired. Sometimes they can throw up
or how some gi issues. That is really when you
need to seek veterinary care. Trying to keep them off
of the hot pavement limiting your outer activities. But honestly,
you want to have fun in the summer with your pets.
Just try to do it not during peak heat hours,
(29:14):
ups for those walks in the early morning or late
in the evening when the temperatures are cooler, and definitely
if they get hot, cool them off and bring them
to your veterinarian.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Doctor Rachel Felman, lead er Animal Specialty Hospital, helping us
keep our pets safe and happy and healthy during the
summer months. Really appreciate the time, be well, thank you
as always. I'd love a follow on Instagram and I
follow back at iod Manny is my handle at iodma
(29:44):
n y. And that'll do it for another edition of
Iheartradios Communities. I'm Manny Muno's until next time.
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on
the biggest issues in facting you this week.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Here's many munhos and welcome to another edition of Iheartradios Communities.
As you heard, I am Manny Munyo's and I would
love a follow from you on Instagram at iod manny
as my handle at iod m A n n Y.
The July fourth Independence Holiday is coming gone, but it's
(00:29):
never too late to learn about the true history of
July fourth. Let's discuss it as we bring in historian
Kenneth C. Davis, author of the Don't Know Much series
of books. His most recent is titled The World in
Books fifty two Works of great short nonfiction, and his
website is don't Know Much dot com. Ken thank you
(00:50):
for joining us. I always appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
It's always a pleasure to talk to you. Manny. We've
been talking about American history for a long time, but
we can never talk enough about it.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah. Well, let's start right there, because there is I
guess some controversy about the whole thing about celebrating Independence
Day on the fourth of July. Is that right?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
That's correct? If we did things the way John Adams
thought we should do it. Of course, John Adams, one
of the key founding fathers, the second President, one of
the men who contributed to the writing of the Declaration
of Independence. John Adams was sure we would celebrate Independence
Day on July second. Why because that's when the Second
(01:30):
Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia in seventeen seventy six, actually voted.
The Congress voted to sever the colonies ties with England,
and they voted for independence. Washington, I'm sorry. Jefferson's Declaration,
which explained the reasons for that decision to vote for independence,
(01:54):
was of course adopted two days later on July fourth,
and that's why we break July fourth. It immediately caught
the national imagination as the nation's birthday. But John Adams
was sure we would celebrate the second with fireworks and
church bells. He was just off by two days.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
So the vote for independence was on the second. July
fourth was when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, but
it wasn't even signed for another month.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
That's correct, because it had to be sent out to
be printed, said first of all by hand in that
beautiful document that we all know with John Hancock's big
signature on it. Now, what actually was signed on the
July fourth was Jefferson's draft of the declaration and the
(02:44):
only two people who signed that day were John Hancock
and the Secretary of the Congress, who was not a
voting member of the Congress. He was just there to
officially witness that it had been passed. And right there
we have to stop and talk about what Jefferson's original
(03:05):
was like, why the Congress changed it, and Jefferson was
not happy about it. He was this thirty three year
old who thought what he had written was perfectly fine
the way it was. They had to sit for two
days while Congress went over the declaration, changed a lot
of words, added some words, and took out some important things.
The most important thing that they took out was the
(03:27):
decision to drop Jefferson's accusation that the King of England
was responsible for the slave trade, which was not true,
but that's not the reason they took it out. They
just didn't want any discussion of the slave trade and
slavery in the Declaration of Independence, so that was changed.
There were about eighty changes introduced into his work. Some
(03:49):
of them were minor word changes here and there. The
addition of more references to the divine and the providence
and the Creator than Jefferson have used himself. But he
wasn't a very devout Christian himself. He was what we
call a deists. So those things were added by the Congress.
(04:10):
So this was not a document that talked about slavery
at all. And even though the words are there, all
men are created equal, and that's the great contradiction in
our history, and I think it's important to come to
terms with it. So the declaration is adopted, it's announced,
people immediately go right out and ring church bells, and
(04:35):
it's read in public, and people cheered. It was immediately
recognized as a very important document explaining why the colonies
were severing their relationship with England. And remember, at the time,
most Americans were Englishmen, and they were technically British because
(04:55):
they were subjects of the king, but many of them
were first and second generation Englishmen who had come from
England or parts of England, others from Ireland and Scotland.
Of course, there was a significant German population, especially in
and around Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania, but most Americans were Englishmen,
(05:16):
and they believed that they were Englishmen. So it was
a big deal to say we're not going to be
subjects of the king anymore.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
How did the celebrations, I imagine it became a yearly thing.
How did they change from what it started like back
then to what we see now, because from what I understand,
sometimes early on they turned violent and everything else.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Well I'm not sure it was violence. But the most
famous incident right away is, of course, George Washington was
not in Philadelphia in seventeen seventy six. He was already
off commanding the American Army, the Continental Army as it
was called. He'd gone up to cam Massachusetts to take
(06:01):
over the army there a year earlier, in seventeen seventy five.
By July of seventeen seventy six, in August of seventy six,
Washington had moved his army to New York, where he
thought the British Army was going to sail. And he
was correct, and Washington had the declaration read to his
(06:23):
troops assembled in New York City down at the is
what is called the down where Wall Street is today.
We think of that as you know, way down in Manhattan.
That was the heart of New York city at the time,
So he had the declaration read to the troops, and
(06:44):
then the people went out and actually pulled down a
statue of King George the Third in what was called
the Bowling Green And if you go if you go
to Manhattan today, you can still go to the Bowling
Green subway station. It's near Wall Street and that's where
there was a statue of King George. They pulled it down.
(07:04):
It was melted down, and they say that the medal
that was melted down from the statue was then turned
into musket balls to be used against the British army.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Fascinating the symbolism there. What about different regional loyalties. Did
we see it celebrated differently at the time in the
north and the south or have we not seen that
develop yet?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I think that that gets into a whole element of
how people saw this at the time. John Adams, and
we just mentioned him a few minutes ago, said at
the time that he thought about a third of the
country was in favor of independence, a third of the
country wanted to remain loyal to the Crown of England,
(07:50):
and a third of the country didn't care one way
or another. But there's no question that as soon as
the declaration was announced, people celebrated it in places Philadelphia
and New York and other places around the country, especially
those places where there was high patriotic fervor, a place
like Boston, for instance, And the celebrations were pretty much
(08:12):
as we would think of them today, parades, very early
forms of fireworks. You know, fireworks have been around for
a long time. That you had something called illuminations back then,
which was sort of close to fireworks that would put
up pictures and have fire behind them, and it would
cast images in the sky just the way we do
with fireworks are now drones. So people did celebrate this
(08:37):
idea from the very beginning, but there was still a
strong loyalist for what they called at the time Tory
sympathy in parts of the United States, and so people
weren't There were people who weren't eager for this independence
and this war of independence that are brought with them,
(08:58):
and eventually many of those people who were called Tories
lost everything. They had their lands and their properties confiscated.
Many of them left the country and their land was
taken over. That's the part of the story we sometimes
don't tell, but there's no question that the fourth of
(09:18):
July captured the American imagination from the very beginning, and
it became a very popular holiday right away, and certainly
one of our first national holidays.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
A couple more minutes here with Ken Davis. He is
the historian author of the Don't Know Much series of books.
His website is Don't Know Much dot com. Did women
have any role in modern day United States the colonies
at the time when we began celebrating Independence Day?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Okay, well, the first most famous woman we have to
talk about in terms of Independence Day is obviously Betsy Ross.
Did she sew the flag? That's kind of a story
that was invented later on by the Ross family. She
was a seamstress in Philadelphia. She knew George Washington. Washington
(10:15):
wasn't there when the flag was designed, so it's very
unlikely he came to her, as the legend goes, and
told her to sew the flag. Most likely, we believe
that the design of the flag was created by a
man named Francis Hopkinson, who was one of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence, one of the more obscure signers.
(10:38):
Of course, fifty six men signed the Declaration, most Americans
can name a handful of them, obviously, John Hancock and
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, but not too many names
beyond that. So the story of Betsy Ross is a
bit of mythology. And of course women had no vote
(11:00):
at the time, but there were certainly women who had
prominent voices. The first one that comes to mind is
the wife of John Adams, Abigail Adams. She was very
interested politically, She was very very much a supporter of
the Patriot cause, and they write a wonderful series of
letters back and forth between Philadelphia and Boston. One of
(11:23):
the most famous letters is Abigail writes to John that
while they're writing up this declaration of independence, they should
remember the ladies, because if they don't have a voice
in this, they'll make a revolution of their own. And
Adams kind of joking. They wrote back and said, you
can depend upon it. We won't surrender our masculine propriety.
(11:48):
He wasn't ready to go that far, And of course
it took a long time from seventeen seventy six to
nineteen twenty for women to get the vote in America.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
During the Cold War, July fourth became independence they became
kind of an anti communist propaganda tool, didn't it.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Well, Yes, because everything during the Cold War, you know it,
It was a celebration. What's I think more important in
many ways is how significant the Declaration of Independence was
to the spread of independence movements around the rest of
(12:30):
the world, almost immediately after seventeen seventy six and for
the next few centuries. Immediately, for instance, in Haiti, there
was an uprising rebellion. The first created republic accid the
United States in the Western Hemisphere is Haiti, and it's
a rebellion by enslaved people against the French colonial rulers.
(12:54):
And it was clearly influenced by the ideas of Thomas Jefferson,
and Jefferson's ideas were borrowed from Europe, and then they
went back to Europe and there were a tremendous independence
republican democratic, and I'm using that in a small sense
(13:15):
of republican and democratic. The ideas of creating republics that
would be democratic really fired across Europe in the eighteen
thirties into the eighteen sixties. You and I were talking
before this conversation about Italy. Italy was inspired very much
by the democratic idea, the republican idea that they saw
(13:37):
in the United States, which of course ultimately was inspired
in part by the Roman Republic. The founders of America
were big believers in the Roman Republic.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Last thing for you, I remember being a kid and
celebrating the bi centennial in nineteen seventy six. Next year
we will be celebrating I think it's our Sesques centennial
on July fourth Independence Day. How far have we come
as a country. What can we expect next year?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's interesting, of course, without getting into the politics of
the moment too much, Manny, we're at a kind of
inflection point here in the country, and we have a movement,
for instance, to create or teach a more so called
patriotic version of American history. And this idea of what
(14:28):
history we teach is very important. So I'm quite sure
that we're going to have a big celebration next year.
I also remember the by centennial very well. I think
I'm a little bit older than you, but it was,
you know, quite extraordinary here in New York City. We
had the tall ships come and of course the fireworks
(14:50):
were spectacular and all that, and we had those I
don't know if you remember, I don't remember them clearly,
the by centennial minutes, Yeah, tell us sure. I wish
somebody would bring that back again. Nobody's asked me to
do it, but I'd be happy to. You know, every day,
they would have just a little history lesson every day,
(15:11):
and I think that that would be a very very
valuable thing to have in this country at this moment
right now.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
He's Kenneth Davis, the author of the Don't Know Much
series of books. His most recent is titled The World
in Books fifty two Works of great short nonfiction and
if you want to know anything about history, check out
his website. It is don't Know Much dot com. Ken
I appreciate the history lesson every time we speak. Thank
you for your time. Be well.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
It's always a great pleasure. Manny, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Just a reminder, if you have any questions or comments,
you could follow me on Instagram at iod Manny is
my handle at iod m a n y. Summer brings
a whole slew of health concern from making sure we
protect our skin from the sun's rays, to making sure
we stay hydrated, to protecting our that's right, most of
us think of sunglasses as just a fashion statement, but
(16:04):
they're much more than that. Let's talk about it with
Sarah Dern, who's written an article in Popular Science titled
the Evolution of Sunglasses From Science to Style and back again. Sarah,
I appreciate the time.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So why the evolution of sunglasses? What made you think
to research and write on this?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Well, sungnglasses. You know, it's an everyday item that I
think a lot of us don't really think about beyond
you know, when we step into the sun. And something
we love to do with Popular Science is to really
highlight the fascinating histories of everyday objects.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
What is the history of the sunglass? Was it style first?
Was it to protect our eyes? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
The history of sunglasses is really interconnected with the history
of corrective lenses. The first corrective lenses in the early
Middle Ages. We're tinted, so corrective lands as were tinted
to modernize. They might look more like sunglasses, but they
(17:04):
were really designed to help correct vision. And some of
the earliest examples of maybe something more to help protect
your eyes from the sun, we see in indigenous communities
and Inuit people were goggles made of bone or driftwood
with tiny eyelets to prevent snow blindness. And we also
(17:27):
see Chinese examples of jade glasses that it's a little
unclear what their use was, but they would have maybe
mostly been used to conceal facial expressions and would have
been worn by medieval Chinese judges.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Huh, that's fascinating, And so how did we evolve from
that and protecting our actual vision to the cool factor
and making a style statement.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Yeah, I mean, it's hundreds of years of history. It
wasn't until the twentieth century where they really sunglasses are
associated with a cool factor. The earliest glass, you know,
with literal glass in them, lenses that were used to
(18:18):
shield eyes from the sun, were actually developed in seventeen
fifty in Venice. Glasses were called Galdoni glasses, and then
you know kind of throughout since then you see a
lot of innovations and sunglasses. But the cool factor really
comes from the fact that soldiers, American soldiers, the American
(18:44):
military developed the first aviator sunglasses. They were part of
the standard issue uniform for pilots during World War Two.
That association started to really give them like this heroic
vibe and then also during that time you see the
beginnings of Hollywood, and you see a lot of Hollywood
(19:07):
stars wearing sunglasses because these people were in what was
basically the desert in la with very intense sun and
they needed something to protect their eyes.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, and then I guess Tom Cruise with the ray
bands probably the most iconic. Why Venice. Why was Venice
such a key location in developing the early sunglasses.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Yeah, well, Venice when you look at you know, you
have these earlier examples outside of Europe, but when looking
at Europe and specifically glasses you know, made of glass.
Most glasses today aren't actually made of glass, but the
earlier ones were. And Venice was the capital of medieval
(19:52):
glass oh okay, and it's still very famous for their
glassworks today. So that was it was sort of a
perfect combination of there was a need. So Galdoni glasses
were mainly used by gondoliers, So you know, you have
these people working on these boats, farying people in the
(20:12):
hot sun, you know, straining their eyes. So there was
a need and there was also the resources available. So
you have these glass makers in Venice who you know,
had the skills to make them and The fascinating thing
about like Galdoni glasses specifically is that they look if
you look up a photo of them there, you could
(20:33):
almost see them at like your local mall right. The
tortoiseshell lenses, which are still very popular today, they were
made of actual tortoises shells, and then they have these
green lenses. I mean, they'd be a little like definitely
a fashion statement today. You could totally see them. And yeah,
it's kind of crazy how much they look like modern sunglasses,
(20:55):
given that they first started kind of appearing around seventeen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
And it makes perfect sense because you mentioned the Galdoni
glasses and they're the guys faring people around on gondolas
and made me think of protecting your eyes because of
the water and the sun's reflection on the water. So
I imagine somewhere along the line polarization and UV protection
was developed. How how did that happen?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yeah, yeah, those are two. So polarization. There was an
American inventor in the nineteen thirties. His name was Edwin Land.
He created the first polarized lenses, which obviously helped to
reduce glare. So we're talking, you know, almost two hundred
years after.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
That's crazy last, right, And then you also had this
German eyewear manufacturer named Rodentstock in the early nineteen hundreds
and they developed the.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
First tinted lenses that were known to shield the eyes
from UV light.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
So you have both of.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Those innovations in the early nineteen hundreds, you know, just
and like by nineteen forty eight, there is a report
in the Optical Practitioners that reported that by nineteen forty eight,
you know, just a couple of decades after these innovations,
basically everyone owns a pair of sunglasses by that point.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
In your article, there's a whole lot of different examples.
Those railroad glasses are really really cool looking. It's a
fascinating story, and encourage you to check it out, Sarah Dern.
The article is titled the Evolution of Sunglasses from Science
to Style and back again. You could check it out
in Popular Science, Sarah. I appreciate the.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Time, Thank you so much, Manny.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
So, yes, we need to do some things differently to
protect ourselves over the summer, but what about our furry
four legged family members. We need to take precautions to
keep them safe during these scorching summer months. As well.
Let's discuss it with doctor Rachel Felman, a lead er
Animal specialty hospital doctor. Thanks for the time, my pleasure.
So what is the biggest concern for dogs, especially over
(23:06):
the summer. Is it just protecting them from the heat.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I think people just don't realize how hot it can
be under that thick fur coat, and so what we
think could just be a walk down the block, Oh
it's not that long in the middle of the day.
This definitely can lead to problems and dogs. We see
a lot of heat stroke and a lot of complications
from that that could be life threatening. So keeping your
dogs out of the sun and the heat of the day,
(23:30):
trying to limit your walks to you know, late at
night and early in the morning before the sun comes up.
Those are some important things that you could do to help.
You know, the pavement so hot, and we wear shoes,
but they don't, so they definitely can hurt themselves. I've
seen pop heads burnt and lots of things that we're
just don't think about.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
What are the early signs of heat stress and dog
or a cat for that matter, And how is it
different from just normal panting.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yeah, so the panting will basically be extreme for sure,
and it'll typically happen after they've been outside or coming inside.
You'll notice that they're panting, but that panting doesn't settle down.
Sometimes you'll see that their gums look a little bit discolored,
like a muddy color. And even when you bring them
into the ac they don't settle down. They seem restless, anxious, pacing,
(24:19):
can't really catch their breath, and that's really a sign
that they need the medical attention.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Do dogs not know that they need to go take
a drink of water.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
No, they definitely don't. They are just like children. They
don't know the dangers that they face and they don't
really know how to fix it. And so make sure
that your pets have plenty of fresh water when they're
spending time outside. You know, keeping them hydrated is helpful,
but honestly, avoiding the extreme heats is super important. They
(24:50):
really just can't handle an afternoon at the beach. The
way that we can.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Okay, so heat exhaustion is when they are are really
overheated and they've become intolerant and they need to come
inside and cool off. But heat stroke is when their
body basically has an extreme inflammatory response. As a result
of this overheating, their body temperature rises exponentially, and then
the blood proteins start to denature and they have a
(25:19):
massive inflammatory response that sometimes we can't come back from.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Are there certain breeds that are more prone to suffer
from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, things like that?
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Absolutely, so, those smushy faced dogs and cats, the breakycephalic breeds,
the Frenchies, the Boston.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Those kinds of dogs.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Definitely will overheat much faster than any other pets. But
that doesn't mean that your Golden Retriever is safe in
this heat.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
What about walking on the pavement You mentioned that a
few minutes ago. We know how we feel when we're
out by the pool or on the sand even and
if it's too hot. Do dogs not display that pain
if they're walking on paved and it's too hot for.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Them, No, it's mind boggling, but they just don't. And
then sometimes they come in a day or two later
the owners don't understand why they're limping and their pobheads
are burnt off. So really try to keep them walking
in grassy areas, cool pavement. Maybe something that's in the shade,
but definitely, if you notice that your pet seems in pain,
(26:21):
bring them in. But sometimes it's a little bit late,
so doing your best to keep them out of harm's
way is often the best path.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
What are some of the best ways to cool our
pet down? If they have been outside, We've been playing
in the sun or at the beach or whatever. We
don't know if they're overheating. You mentioned they don't know
to just go take a drink of water on their own.
What can we do to help assist them in cooling down? Yeah, so.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
You know, sometimes we think, oh, ice and alcohol things
that would rapidly cool, but that's really not what you
want to do. You want to provide active sources of
cooling fans. You want to get them hydrated, but once
they get to a certain point, they really need intravenous
fluidsation and oxygen to help bring that temperature down so
that they can cool effectively.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
What are some of the most common mistakes you see
pet owners make during the summer and not realizing that
that their pets are overheated and need need to go
see a vet.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Well, that's a good question, I think just generally not
understanding how hot that they're getting. You know, we get
hot and we can step in the shade, or we
could fan off and we sweat. We have active cooling,
and the dogs just don't. So thinking oh well, I'm
okay outside for an hour, they should be too.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It's just not the case playing with a hose things
like that, jumping in the pool. Is that something that
could also be dangerous depending on how hot it is.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
Yeah. So, actually remarkably, the hose water it sits in
the sun, and I've seen hose water cause burning on
the skin. Really Yeah, so you have to be super
careful hose water play. If you're not careful measuring the
temperature first when it's coming out that first water that
comes out of the hose, that can burn them for sure.
(28:05):
And then being in the water doesn't mean that they're hydrated, right,
So if they're outside and they're playing, they're not necessarily
cooled off. They just need to be hydrated and come inside.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I'm not one of these people that likes dressing my
dogs up, but I know that there are certain you know,
pets safe sunscreens and even UV protective clothing that might
be beneficial, I guess, you know, especially for lighter colored
pets or things like that. Is that something you recommend.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I guess I've never particularly recommended it. I think that
the more layers you put on them, the harder it
is for them to cool off, right, So it's really
you're trapping the heat all right.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Last thing for you, then, what are your rules of
thumb for making sure one you keep your animals safe
from overheating in in the summer sun. And if they
do go outside, how to make sure that they don't overheat?
Speaker 5 (28:54):
I would say watch for excessive panting, drooling. They all
of a sudden become tired. Sometimes they can throw up
or how some gi issues. That is really when you
need to seek veterinary care. Trying to keep them off
of the hot pavement limiting your outer activities. But honestly,
you want to have fun in the summer with your pets.
Just try to do it not during peak heat hours,
(29:14):
ups for those walks in the early morning or late
in the evening when the temperatures are cooler, and definitely
if they get hot, cool them off and bring them
to your veterinarian.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Doctor Rachel Felman, lead er Animal Specialty Hospital, helping us
keep our pets safe and happy and healthy during the
summer months. Really appreciate the time, be well, thank you
as always. I'd love a follow on Instagram and I
follow back at iod Manny is my handle at iodma
(29:44):
n y. And that'll do it for another edition of
Iheartradios Communities. I'm Manny Muno's until next time.
Host
Manny Munoz
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