1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of curiosities. Under the best circumstances, the 5 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: odds of dying in a plane crash are one and 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: twenty million. You're more likely to be struck by lightning 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: or dye in a car accident than you are to 8 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: perish in a malfunctioning airplane. However, no matter how unlikely 9 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: the scenario, the fear of falling out of the sky 10 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: from thirty thousand feet up is very real, and it's 11 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: only amplified by stories like that of Tim Lancaster. Lancaster 12 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: was a forty two year old British Airways pilot with 13 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: over eleven thousand flight hours under his belt. He was 14 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: more than capable of handling a simple flight from Birmingham, England, 15 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: to Spain. On June tenth, Tim and his co pilot, 16 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: Alistair Atchinson, took a British Airways Flight fifty nine into 17 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: the clouds along with eighties seven Precious Souls. Take Off 18 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: was perfect. The plane soared skyward for twenty minutes as 19 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: it worked its way up. It was only when the 20 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: plane reached twenty three thousand feet that everyone started to 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: realize that this was one of those one in two 22 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: hundred million flights. An explosion in the cockpit startled the 23 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: passengers and blew the door to the flight deck clean 24 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: off its hinges. They saw everything the open window, the 25 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: debris and paperwork being sucked out the front of the plane, 26 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: and the pilot had gone missing the windscreen. Basically, the 27 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: plane's windshield had come loose and flown away completely, deep 28 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: pressurizing in the cabin, and the pilot, Tim Lancaster, had 29 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: been sucked out through the opening in a matter of seconds. 30 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: Another remember bravely ran to the cabin and took a 31 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: position in the pilot's seat while Atchinson, the co pilot, 32 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: got his bearings. He strapped on an oxygen mask and 33 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: told the passengers to hold tight. They were about to 34 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: make an emergency landing. He got on the radio to 35 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: signal to the closest airport that he needed a place 36 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: to land, but the wind whipping through the plane made 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: hearing anyone at air traffic control almost impossible. Without their confirmation, 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: Atchinson couldn't begin the emergency landing procedures. After some time, however, 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: a message from Southampton Airport came through and Atchinson began 40 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: his descent towards the runway. He landed the plane without incident, 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: saving the lives of every single person on board. But 42 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,119 Speaker 1: you might be wondering what happened to the pilot, Tim Lancaster. 43 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: After all, authorities eventually found the windshield and were able 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: to deduce what had caused it to separate from the 45 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: rest of the plane. An investigation revealed the use of 46 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: bolts of varying sizes in securing the windshield to the 47 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: flight act, none of which had been strong enough to 48 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: handle the changes in pressure between the cabin and the outside, 49 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: and Lancaster well, they didn't have to go far to 50 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: find him because he'd never left the season pilot had 51 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: been sucked out the window, but Atchinson, thinking on his feet, 52 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: had grabbed his colleague's ankles and held on with all 53 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: his strength until more crew members were able to come 54 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: and help him. Being exposed to such strong winds that 55 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: that high altitude should have killed him, especially as his 56 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: body continued to slide farther outside the cockpits. According to 57 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,119 Speaker 1: flight attendant Nigel Ogden, the first crew member to take 58 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: over holding the pilot's ankles. Lancaster kept hitting his head 59 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: on the fuselage, but letting go of him risked his 60 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: body being sucked into one of the engines, which would 61 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: bring down the plane even faster and kill everyone on board. 62 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: So they held on Ogden, withstanding frost bite and exhaustion, 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: until Atchinson was able to bring Flight fifty nine safely 64 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: to the ground. Not a single passenger or crew member 65 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: died in the incident, thanks to some quick thinking by 66 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: everyone involved, and although Lancaster also suffered from frostbite and 67 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: minor injuries, he was back on the job six months 68 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: later with a heck of a story to tell, for sure. 69 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: I can't help but wonder though, if he warned people 70 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: before he shared the story with them. This one will 71 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: give you chills, he must have said, So hold on tight. 72 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: It doesn't take a lot to change the world. Just 73 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: one small act can set off a chain of events 74 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: that could shape the future for generations to come, and 75 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: oftentimes those acts occur under durest when there's much to 76 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: lose and little to gain in the short term. During Prohibition, 77 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: the government took away alcohol across the country under the 78 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: belief that they were hearing the nation of abhorrent behavior. 79 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: Working class folks turned to bootlegging and hoarding to get by, 80 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: and their combined efforts eventually led to the repeal of 81 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: the Jaconian law. However, years earlier, it was a Roman 82 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: priest who broke the law of the land, and his 83 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: rebellion against the empire did more than change the law, 84 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: it changed the world. Around two d d at the 85 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: height of the rule of Emperor Claudius, the Second Rome 86 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: was on a bloody path of war and destruction. Claudius 87 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: needed his armies to be bigger and stronger. There was 88 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: only one problem. No one wanted to join up. Roman 89 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: men at the time had no interest in traveling across 90 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: Europe to fight on behalf of a cruel and despotic leader. 91 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 1: Legend has it that Claudius was so strong that he 92 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: could knock out a horse's tooth with a single punch. 93 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: He had no patience for formalities and positioned himself as 94 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: the opposite of the aristocratic emperors that came before him. 95 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: He was a soldier through an through, and he expected 96 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 1: his men to follow suit. Because he was a soldier 97 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: with deep affinity for the military. He had no time 98 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: for silly things like marriage or family life. In fact, 99 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: Claudius believed it was the concept of family that was 100 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: keeping men from joining his ranks. They were soft and weak, 101 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: he said. By getting married and raising children, they were 102 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: not living up to their full potential as soldiers of Rome. However, 103 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 1: rather than incentivized new recruits with promises of fame and glory, 104 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: you know, positive reinforcement, Claudius took the opposite approach. He 105 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: simply banned marriage. It was a harsh move, for sure, 106 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: and one that did not go unnoticed by the Church. 107 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: A local priest did not agree with this declaration. He 108 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: believed people should be able to pursue their love despite 109 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: what the emperor thought. Government had no right to deny 110 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: what God had already blessed. Although he knew it was illegal, 111 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: the priest found a way to rebel against Claudius. He 112 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 1: began performing clandestine marriage ceremonies for Roman couples looking to 113 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: build better lives for themselves. Unfortunately, just as had happened 114 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: with speakeasies during the prohibition, the authorities found out about 115 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: the secret ceremonies taking place right under the Emperor's nose. 116 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: They arrested the priest and paraded him in front of 117 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: the Prefect of Rome for a trial. Neither his testimony 118 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: on true love or his duties as a man of 119 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: the cloth made any difference to the Roman courts. He 120 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: had defied Emperor Claudius and made a mockery of his position. 121 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: The priest's fate had been sealed long before his trial. 122 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: He was sentenced to death, which was to be carried 123 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: out over a series of beatings and stonings before his 124 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: eventual decapitation. Claudius was going to make an example out 125 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: of this traitor for anyone else looking to challenge him. 126 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: So defiantly. The priest was held in prison for a 127 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: short time before his death, and during his stay something 128 00:07:55,200 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: unexpected happened. He found love. Not unlike young couples, he 129 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,679 Speaker 1: had married in secret, and despite the obvious barriers keeping 130 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: the two apart, their relationship flourished. You see, he had 131 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: fallen in love with someone outside his prison cell, the 132 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: daughter of one of his jailers. During their brief time 133 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: that they had together, they exchanged notes and letters professing 134 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: their love for each other all the way up to 135 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: the day of the priest's execution. He was beheaded for 136 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: his crimes as ordered, and went down in history as 137 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: a martyr for his cause on behalf of lovers everywhere. 138 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: And it was because of his efforts to stand up 139 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: to an unjust and immoral law that he was later 140 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: named a saint. And because he died on February, we 141 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: remember him on that same day each year, signing letters 142 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: and cards to our loved ones with his name, not 143 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: ours from your Valentine. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 144 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 145 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 146 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 147 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 148 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,599 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 149 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 150 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 151 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.