1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: They say that art imitates life, but sometimes in the 7 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: strangest ways, life imitates art. What begins is fiction created 8 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: to comment on the world, can end up shaping it. 9 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: And in a twist no screenwriter could script, the line 10 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: between performance and real life disappears. In twenty fifteen, a 11 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: new show hit the airwaves in Eastern Europe and instantly 12 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: became a hit call Servant of the People. The comedy 13 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: followed a character named Vassal Holoborodko, an affable yet absent 14 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: minded high school history teacher who lives with his parents 15 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: in the big city. After a particularly frustrating day, Vassal 16 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: makes a profanity laced rant against government corruption to a friend, 17 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: which one of his students secretly gets on camera. The 18 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: video goes viral, and suddenly this character, Vassal, find himself 19 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: at the center of a grassroots campaign for the presidency, 20 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: ordinary people rally around him, and he wins. Although Vassal 21 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: at first feels like a fish shot of water dealing 22 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: with the expectations of bureaucrats and the closed door deals 23 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: of oligarchs, he quickly finds his voice. The comedy series 24 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: follows him as he tries to weed out corruption in 25 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: the government, often to comedic effect. The show was funny, sharp, 26 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: and surprisingly heartfelt. While more than a little cynical, the 27 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: show was a hopeful comedy about a normal person making 28 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: real change, and the heart of it all was its star, 29 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: a comedian. Although he had studied law in school, he 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: had no political background, just a long career in entertainment 31 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: and a reputation for smart, satirical humor. So when he 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: announced in twenty eighteen that he was actually going to 33 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: run for president of his country under a new political 34 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: party also called Servant of the People, a lot of 35 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: people looked for the punchline, but he wasn't joking. He 36 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: ran a serious campaign centered around the very values his 37 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,959 Speaker 1: character had stood for transparency, anti corruption, and giving power 38 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: back to the people, and in twenty nineteen he won 39 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: over seventy percent of voters in the country chose him 40 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: for office, tired of traditional politicians and hoping that this 41 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: real life Polla Barodco could bring change. At first, the 42 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: world watched with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. They 43 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: wondered whether this TV star could actually lead a country, 44 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: especially one who was facing constant aggression from its neighbor 45 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: to the north, Russia. See back in twenty fourteen, Russia 46 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: had invaded and then annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which was 47 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: part of Ukraine. Obviously, tensions were high, and people worried 48 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: that their president, who was new to political diplomacy, might 49 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: bend to Putin's pressure. But then came twenty twenty two, 50 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: and everything changed. When Russia launched its full scale invasion 51 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: of Ukraine and February twenty fourth of twenty twenty two, 52 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: all eyes turned to their new TV president turned actual president. 53 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: Instead of fleeing the capitol, he stayed. He filmed a 54 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: now famous video on the streets of Kiev, flanked by 55 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: his team, saying I'm here, We're all here, We're defending 56 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: our independence, and his message was clear. He wasn't going 57 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: anywhere from that moment. On Volodimir Zelenski transformed. He wasn't 58 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: just a comedian turned president. He became a wartime leader. 59 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: He gave emotional, straightforward speeches addressing the world. He negotiated 60 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: with global leaders for supports, weapons and sanctions. Came the 61 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: face of Ukrainian resistance, wearing practical, humble, olive, drab T 62 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: shirts instead of fancy suits, and spoke directly to his 63 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: people through nightly addresses. And through it all, he led 64 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: with something that had first made Servant of the People 65 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: so popular on TV. Authenticity. There was no spin, no 66 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: dramatic reinvention, just a man who deeply believed in his 67 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: country and its people rising to meet the moment. It's 68 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: hard to imagine now that the world once only knew 69 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: of Volodimir Zelensky as a comedian. His transformation from entertainer 70 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: to head of state to global symbol of resistance is remarkable. 71 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,559 Speaker 1: What started as satire has turned into something profoundly real. 72 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: Zelensky is no longer just playing a role. He has 73 00:04:46,200 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: truly become the servant of the people. There are whole 74 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: online communities devoted to the goal of retiring early. Many 75 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: aimed to be done working by the age of forty. 76 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: They look at what careers might get them there the fastest, 77 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: and then they do everything they can to minimize their 78 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,239 Speaker 1: spending and their debt. But one man from the nineteenth 79 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: century had them all beat. He reached the pinnacle of 80 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: his career at the age of twenty six and spent 81 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: the rest of his life doing whatever he pleased. Thomas 82 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: wanted to give back after finding so much success at 83 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: a young age. By eighteen ninety, he had all the 84 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: money he could ever hope for. He noticed that his 85 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: home Boston, was dealing with high unemployment, and so he 86 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: set out to change that. He learned that shipbuilding was 87 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: a reliable source of employment in other ports in New England, 88 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: and so he completely changed careers, opening a naval yard 89 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: and employing four thousand Bostonians to build ships. But after 90 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: a while he felt like he had learned everything he 91 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,040 Speaker 1: could about that industry. He longed for yet another challenge, 92 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: and so he installed a new president at the company 93 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: and enrolled with his wife at MIT. His studies soon 94 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: led him to the field of paleontology because he was 95 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: fascinated by fossils, but once again, he eventually tired of 96 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: that once more, feeling that he had learned all that 97 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: he could, and so he reinvented himself a third time. 98 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: In nineteen ten, at the age of fifty six, Thomas 99 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: became fascinated by Shakespeare. He moved to England and studied elocution, 100 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: the art of clear and effective speaking. It was a 101 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: pursuit that eventually led Thomas to perform on stage. Then 102 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: he took those skills back with them to Boston, where 103 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: he put on plays and gave lectures. He died in 104 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four at the age of eighty, having pursued 105 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: every passion he could think of throughout his life. Those 106 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: he encountered may very well have wondered who this middle 107 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: aged man was who seemed to be free to pivot 108 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: careers and do as he pleased. Well, they needn't look 109 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: no further than his last name, Watson. No, he wasn't 110 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 1: Sherlock Combs's actual sidekick, but Thomas Watson was famous for 111 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,919 Speaker 1: being an assistant, and his fame predated the first Sherlock 112 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: Holme story. In eighteen seventy six, when a young Thomas 113 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: Watson was working as an assistant to the inventor Alexander 114 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: Graham Bell, he became the first person in history to 115 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: be on the receiving end of a telephone call. Bell's 116 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: famous words from that first call were said to be, 117 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: mister Watson, come here, I want you. And while it 118 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: sounds like a mild request by one boss to his assistant, 119 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: it was much more urgent. You see, Bell had just 120 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: spilled a vial of acid on himself due to his 121 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: excitement at his invention working. He really did need Thomas 122 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: to come and help him. Luckily, they recovered from that snafu, 123 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: and over the next few years, Bell and Thomas further 124 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: developed the invention together. In fact, you could argue that 125 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: Thomas was really the one who made it what it was. 126 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: In the months and years following that first call, he 127 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: designed the ringing and the receiver hook functions that became 128 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: an essential part of telephones, well at least until cell 129 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: phones were invented, but most of us are probably old 130 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: enough to still appreciate the original. The telephone caught on 131 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: at an incredibly rapid pace. There were soon millions of 132 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: telephone lines all over the world, and Bell and Thomas 133 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: profited from all of them. In nineteen fifteen, Thomas took 134 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: a break from his adventures around the globe to reunite 135 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: with Bell for one last history making milestone. Thomas traveled 136 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: to San Francisco simply to pick up the phone, and 137 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: once again Bell was on the other end of the line, 138 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: calling all the way from New York. This time he 139 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: said hello, mister Watson, can you hear me? And Thomas replied, 140 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 1: I hear you perfectly. It was the first Atlantic to 141 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: Pacific call. Never before had a country been so united 142 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: by a new invention. Just a few decades prior, it 143 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 1: would take a month to get a letter from one 144 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: end of the nation to the other, and now people 145 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: could contact each other within seconds. Thomas and Bell left 146 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: a huge mark on the human race, but Thomas didn't 147 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: let it go to his head. He kept seeking out 148 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 1: new adventures, remaining curious about the world that he had 149 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: connected through his genius. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 150 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 151 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 152 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 153 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make 154 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,839 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 155 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: book series and television show, and you can learn all 156 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: about it over at the worldoflore dot com. And until 157 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.