1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class Fun How 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and today 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna cover a little bit of India's history. We 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: don't really talk about India enough quite frankly, so it's time. 6 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: And this is an incident that some people have probably 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: heard of, but many have also not. One of the 8 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: lectures that I watched and preparing this particular episode's notes 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: mentioned that fifty years ago, most people that you asked 10 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: on the street would know about this incident, but that 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: today that number is really a great deal smaller. And 12 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: I will mention that I had not heard of it 13 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: before I started researching it, but Tracy had, so in 14 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: our sample set of two, there's only a fifty percent 15 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: knowledge rate, so well, well, and my knowledge of it 16 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: came from a non history class source, and not even 17 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: a history is historically accurate source, which is that the 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: very first job I ever had, I worked as a 19 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: summer employee at a finance office at the place that 20 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: my mom worked up and they had a file room 21 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: that the uh, the finance manager referred to as the 22 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: black Hole of Calcutta, and it was extremely hot, and 23 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: extremely crowded and extremely dirty. Uh And I gleaned from 24 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: all of that that's the dark Hole of or the 25 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,759 Speaker 1: black Hole of Calcutta was a dark, dirty, hot, oppressive, 26 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: terrible place. But I did not know anything else specifically 27 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: about it. So the Black Hole of Calcutta actually refers 28 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: to two things, or rather the same thing, but in 29 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: two different ways. So first, it was in fact a 30 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: small prison cell, like a kind of like the cell 31 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: you would put um, you know, people that were intoxicated 32 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: in overnight in old timey Westerns. Like it was a 33 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: small little cell um. And that was in Fort William, 34 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: which was in Calcutta, and we're going to talk a 35 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: little bit about Fort William. But second, it also refers 36 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: to this specific incident that is quite horrific and happened 37 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: there in that cell in the mid seventeen hundreds. I 38 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: feel like I should explain why I just laughed in 39 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: the background, which is that I grew up in North Carolina, 40 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: where the Andy Griffiths Show is on TV at all times, 41 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: and there is a I mean, in hindsight, it's very sad. 42 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,519 Speaker 1: It's an alcoholic named Otis who blacks himself up in 43 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: the jail, and the image of that made me chuckle 44 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: while you were talking exactly that's kind of what I 45 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: think of to you, like this was roughly akin to 46 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: like the Pokey in the Andy Griffith Show, Like it 47 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: was intended to be like a small misdemeanor situation. And 48 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: we'll talk about that some more as we go on, 49 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: but first we're going to kind of set the political 50 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: scene that was going on in India at the time. 51 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: In the late sixteen hundreds and early seventeen hundreds, that 52 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: was really a time of rising tensions in India. The 53 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: Mughal Empire was losing its power and had the centralized 54 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: provincial governors known as no bobs shared the power that 55 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: was previously held by the Mughal dynasty, and British commercial 56 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: efforts had set up a base of trade operations in Calcutta, 57 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: and they had erected a fort, Fort William to safeguard 58 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: these interests. The East India Company had been slowly building 59 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: its power base there over the years since the late 60 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: sixteen hundreds, and it had reached a point where it 61 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: basically controlled all of the commerce in the city. In fact, 62 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: Calcutta is the Anglicized version of the city's name, which 63 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: was the official name until its two thousand and one. 64 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: At that point, the Indian government renamed the city Kolkata 65 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: to more closely reflect the Bengali pronunciation. So while we're 66 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: going to leave the title of the episode with the 67 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: anglicized name to reflect the way that this story is known, 68 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: Kolkata is the more accurate name for the city. Yeah, 69 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: so going forward, we'll use the more accurate name. But 70 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: I doing a quick search online using the Kolkata spelling 71 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: usually just redirects you back to Calcutta if it finds things, 72 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: So that's why we're leaving the episode name that way. Well, 73 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: And that's a balance that you and I kind of 74 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: have to strike sometimes between an episode that people can 75 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: identify from the name and know what it's about enough 76 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: to want to actually listen to it and then find 77 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: out the more accurate story, right, and also for searchability online, 78 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: it's you know, we'll we'll tag it with both of 79 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: the ways so that people can easily find it. But 80 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: we're just you gotta fall in line with some of 81 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 1: these historical ones. So, uh, first, we're going to talk 82 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: about two men in particular who ended up being really 83 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: pivotal players in this event, and the first is suraj 84 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: Al Dawla, who was the Naab of Bengal, having succeeded 85 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: his grandfather in the position in seventeen fifty six. And 86 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 1: sarage Aldola was born somewhere between sevente and seventeen thirty three, 87 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,840 Speaker 1: depending on which sorts you look at, but basically he 88 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: was in his mid twenties when he gained power and 89 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 1: was in the midst of this. John the whole Well 90 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: was born in double In in seventeen eleven. He was 91 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: a surgeon by trade and he took a position as 92 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: a surgeon's mate on a ship that was bound for 93 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: Kolkata in seventeen thirty two. He was eventually hired as 94 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: a surgeon major for the East India Company and he 95 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: settled in Kolkata in seventeen thirty six. So, in the 96 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: middle of the eighteenth century, the East India Company had 97 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: a garrison in Fort William to defend the city in 98 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: British interests there and there had been repeated instructions throughout 99 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: the years from the parent company to those running things 100 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: in Colkata to ensure that the ports and the company 101 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: holdings were always protected and quote to make your fortifications 102 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: strong enough to discourage or sustain any attempts of the moors, 103 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: but in as private a manner as you can. The 104 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: East India Company had already been fortifying Fort William for 105 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: some time by the summer of seventeen fifty six, which 106 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: incensed the Bengal Noab. It had further stepped up these 107 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: efforts in the anticipation of a con lickd with France, 108 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 1: which eventually manifested as the Seven Years War. Siraj al 109 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: Dalla was, to put it mildly, quite displeased with this 110 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: increased defensive effort on the part of the British. So 111 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: the Nawab, believing that all this fortification was really a 112 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: direct challenge to his power, uh sent an order to 113 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: the British to cease with this fortification project, and no 114 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: response was given to this order. The British didn't even 115 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: acknowledge that they had ever gotten it, and the work 116 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: on the fort continued. They were both shoring up the 117 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,840 Speaker 1: physical fort and bringing in more troops, and so Sir 118 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: Raj al Dowlah, feeling that he had no other choice, 119 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: attacked Kolkata. His forces included between thirty thousand and fifty 120 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: thousand men, along with five hundred elephants and fifty cannons. 121 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: Their approach was really systematic and moved first through the 122 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: outlying areas of the city, working their way slowly inward. 123 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: This attack began on June sixteenth, seventeen fifty six. As 124 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: the army of the Naab approached the fort, the governor, 125 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: Roger Drake, his staff and many other British residents of 126 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: the fort fled. They made their way to the harbor 127 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: and two awaiting ships, and this left behind a number 128 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: of women and children, about a hundred and seventy soldiers, 129 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: which were commanded by John Zephaniah whole Well, John's Wholewell 130 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: that we talked about earlier, and Drake was later dismissed 131 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: by the company after this whole incident, he was charged 132 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: with incompetence and let go. As sarage al Dalla advanced, 133 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: the people in Fort William grew increasingly aware of the 134 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: very poor odds that they were facing. On the evening 135 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: of June eighth, it was decided that all European women 136 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: still remaining should be escorted to boats on the river 137 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: and after that whole, Well, having been left there alone, 138 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: rallied what men he could, even those who had not 139 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: been in the military, to prepare to defend themselves and 140 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: those left behind by Roger Drake, and he ended up 141 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: with approximately of hundred people in total. Only half of 142 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: those were Europeans. The other half was made up of Armenians, 143 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: Indo Portuguese and Indians. When Suraj al Dallah and his 144 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: men reached Fort William on the morning of June twenty 145 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: Holwell and his meager crew really did not have much 146 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: of a chance. Their morale was extremely poor. There had 147 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: been talk of retreating to the harbor and taking flight 148 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: and ships, although all the boats were gone by this time, 149 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: some of the remaining makeshift military simply ran. In addition 150 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: to being ridiculously outnumbered, their defenses at Fort William were 151 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: virtually non existent. So they had two murders at the fort, 152 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: but they were useless because all of the powder had 153 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,599 Speaker 1: gotten wet. This is also a very humid area and 154 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: it hadn't really been cared for and stored properly, and 155 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: the grape shot that they had on hand had also 156 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: been damaged and degraded in storage. All sort of ironic 157 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: when you consider that part of what had incensed the 158 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: Bengal nuab was the fact that Fort William was building 159 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: up its defenses. Apparently they were not doing a very 160 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 1: good job of that on the weapons front. But in 161 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 1: any case, hole Well stood as commander of the fort's garrison, 162 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: and that was simply by being one of the highest 163 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 1: ranking British men left there. He was kind of nominated 164 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: into that position by the people that were left behind. 165 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: He had zero military experience, recalled that he was in 166 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: fact a surgeon, and the men under him, who were 167 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: actually soldiers and not civilian volunteers, basically mutinied. They knew 168 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: that Holwell was not capable of handling them or the situation, 169 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: and many of them deserted. So in the end hole 170 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: Well ended up with about a hundred and fifty men. 171 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: So hole Well ended up surrendering within hours after the 172 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: few available firearms had exhausted the small ammunition supply that 173 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: was on hand. He believed that he and those with 174 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: him would be treated honorably. Hol Well was brought before Sarage, 175 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: who expressed his disdain for the European fortifications at Fort William. 176 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: The non Europeans who had stood along with Holwell were released, 177 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: and whole Well and all the other European captives were 178 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: left with Sarage's guards. Some of the captives were apparently 179 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 1: intoxicated in that whole mutiny thing. Apparently there was a 180 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: break into some liquor supplies, and these intoxicated people got 181 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:17,959 Speaker 1: a little aggressive with the guards. They were just a 182 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: little difficult to handle, and at some stage of these 183 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: kind of tense interactions, the guards became really frustrated, to 184 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: the point that someone insisted that these captives absolutely had 185 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: to be confined. That night, around eight pm, whole Well 186 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 1: his men, several of whom were wounded, and somewhere between 187 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: one and five women. Accounts really vary on exactly how 188 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: many were locked up in a cell that was nicknamed 189 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: the black Hole. And before we get to the details 190 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: of the night that these prisoners spent in the black Hole, 191 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: we're gonna pause before it gets because it gets kind 192 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: of dark here coming up, So we're gonna pause now 193 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: for a word from one of the great sponsors that 194 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: keeps us going. So the black Hole, the cell itself 195 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,839 Speaker 1: was simply a room. It was approximately eighteen feet that's 196 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: five point five meters long and about fourteen feet ten 197 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,079 Speaker 1: inches or roughly very roughly four meters wide, and the 198 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,599 Speaker 1: size of the actual cell very somewhat in terms of 199 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: whose description you're reading. And the building was actually demolished 200 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,719 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighteen, so verification on this one is a 201 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 1: lost cause. It wasn't a recessed cell into the ground. Um. 202 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: There were two small barred windows in the black hole, 203 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 1: and now this space, as we mentioned earlier, was built 204 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 1: in the four as a sort of lock up for 205 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,319 Speaker 1: minor offenses, and it certainly was not intended to hold 206 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: the number of people that were shut into it that night. 207 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: To compound the horror of the situation, the weather at 208 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: this time was well trainly hot, not uncommon for temperatures 209 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,199 Speaker 1: in Kolkata in June to reach the high nineties fahrenheit, 210 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: which is the mid to high thirties celsius. Yes, and 211 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: again this is one of those things where we only 212 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: have historical accounts, but there are several people that say 213 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: that it reached record some close to record highs this 214 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: particular year. So even surpassing those numbers and with people 215 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: that were crammed into the black hole together, we're climbing 216 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,679 Speaker 1: over each other for access to the windows and a 217 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: chance at just getting a breath of freshish air. And 218 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: they were also left minimal water for the night, so 219 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,599 Speaker 1: they fought over the meager supply that they had. The 220 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,200 Speaker 1: prisoners called to the guards for assistance or for mercy, 221 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: but there please were really met with laughter. They tried 222 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: to bribe the guards, but to no avail. Whole Will 223 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: likely survived because he was often near the windows trying 224 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: to reason with the guards for some kind of assistance. 225 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,839 Speaker 1: And there was actually part of Holwell's description of this 226 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: event where he talks about one guard that did seem 227 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: almost sympathetic to their plight, and it seems like this 228 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: ray of hope, and this particular guard was offered money 229 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: to shift some of the prisoners from the cell in 230 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: the black hole to like any other place that they 231 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: could be confined. And the guard left and it seemed 232 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: like he was going to take some action, but then 233 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,079 Speaker 1: he returned after a little while and said that the 234 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: Naab was sleeping and that no one was allowed to 235 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: wake him to ask if moving the prisoners would be acceptable. Allegedly, 236 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: one of the prisoners drank the sweat rolling off of 237 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: whole well and into his sleeves. Hold Well said that 238 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: he attempted to drink his own urine in desperation, but 239 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:27,319 Speaker 1: it could not handle the taste. Uh when another guard 240 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,599 Speaker 1: brought a small amount of water, Like I think the 241 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: account is that there were two small skins of water 242 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: for the group, because these people were all sweating, the 243 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: air was getting heavy with just moisture and they were 244 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: just getting super de hydrated. But a fight ensued and 245 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: a lot of that water was actually spilled, and hold 246 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,719 Speaker 1: Well really felt that like this may have been a 247 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: nice gesture, but the bottom line was that it did 248 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: more harm than good. And as the evening went on, 249 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: some of the men that were just exhausted just laid 250 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: down on the floor and died quietly, while others made 251 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,719 Speaker 1: sort of these last desperate rushes for the windows. At 252 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: one point, Hallwell pulled out his knife and intended to 253 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: cut his own arteries and commit suicide, but he reconsidered. 254 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 1: He wound up losing consciousness a short time later, And 255 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: according to Howell's account, one and forty six people were 256 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: locked into that tiny room, And this account has been 257 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: widely disputed. We'll talk about the numbers a little bit 258 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: more in a bit, But even the reduced number of 259 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 1: people that we're going to discuss that some modern scholarship 260 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: has has sort of determined was more accurate, it still 261 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: would have been an incredibly tight and frankly inhumane situation. 262 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: And so when the door was opened the next morning, 263 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: only twenty three people were still alive. The rest had 264 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: either died of suffocation or by having been crushed as 265 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: multiple people tried to break the door open on mass 266 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: It took more than twenty minutes to clear the bodies 267 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: away from the door to let the survivors of the 268 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: ten hours in the black hole get out. Holwell was 269 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: found under a pile of bodies. Once those who were 270 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: still alive were free of the cramped room, they were 271 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 1: allowed to lie down in the grass at the front 272 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: of the fort, and the handling of the dead is 273 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: described a little bit differently from account to account. In 274 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: some the bodies were hastily buried in sort of a 275 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: mass grave or a pit, and in others they were 276 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: merely thrown into an existing ditch. Holwell was taken before 277 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: sarage and tried to tell the nab of the horrible 278 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: ordeal that he had somehow managed to survive, but Sarage 279 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: wasn't interested in the story. Instead, he wanted information about 280 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: a rumored stronghold of riches that was somewhere in the fort. 281 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: Holwell didn't know of any such thing, which really frustrated Surage, 282 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: and he ordered the whole Well be sent away. So 283 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: at this point John Holwell was taken with three other 284 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: prisoners to Mershabod and his health at this point was 285 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: extremely poor. He was covered allegedly in boils, and after 286 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: several weeks as sort of a prisoner of war, he 287 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: was released on July seventeenth, And in part this is 288 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: because it was recognized that during his time working in 289 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: Kolkata he had treated the Indian population really quite well, 290 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: and particularly he had been very kind to those in 291 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: need of medical attention and even kind of helping out 292 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 1: in his role as a doctor for people that really 293 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: he had no um responsibility to take care of. It 294 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: took five months for Wholewell to get back to Great Britain, 295 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: and he did so on a sloop called the Siren. 296 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: During his time at sea, he penned his account of 297 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: what had happened during those ten hours trapped in a 298 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: small room with dozens of people. Meanwhile, while he was traveling, 299 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: word of these many deaths that had occurred at Fort 300 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: William reached the East India Company's offices in Madras, and 301 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 1: by October a two pronged military attack was launched against Surage. 302 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: Robert Clive led land forces that attacked Fort William and 303 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: Admiral Charles Watson led a fleet of ships to bombard 304 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: the stronghold from the harbor. In January seventifty seven, British 305 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 1: forces regained control of the fort from the Nawab and 306 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: his troops. Surage Aldalla was once again defeated by the 307 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: British the Battle of Plassy in June of seventeen fifty seven, 308 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: and he was executed. This is often cited as a 309 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 1: major turning point in the history of India, as it 310 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: marked the true establishment of British power there. So, before 311 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: we get to some of the discrepancies in these stories 312 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: that were told and and Wholewell's account versus what was 313 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: the realistic numbers, We're gonna have another brief word from 314 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: a great sponsor. So, after the horrors of the black 315 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: Hole incident were revealed to the public, the story was 316 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: actually used to bolster anti Indian sentiment. In Britain, it 317 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: was touted as what was obviously an example of how 318 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 1: primitive and savage people of other lands were when they 319 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,719 Speaker 1: didn't have sensible leadership from Great Britain, and in effect 320 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: it became this piece of pro empire proper ganda, never 321 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: mind the fact that you know, this British company had 322 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 1: come in and taken over a city in another country. 323 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: Clearly that city needed it. According to the point of 324 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: view that was put forth by people who really wanted 325 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: to use this story to benefit their interests, no one 326 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,119 Speaker 1: had any strong desire at this point either to question 327 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: hole Well's details in the matter or verify any of 328 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: his numbers, because they were too busy focusing on getting revenge. 329 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 1: And that's twentieth century. The details of hole Well's account 330 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:33,359 Speaker 1: have really been called into question. In ninetif H Little, 331 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: a schoolmaster from Britain, noted a number of discrepancies in 332 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: whole Well's description of the event and really discredited his 333 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: version of the story. Yeah, there were just a lot 334 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: of little things that when you go back and look 335 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: at the the details and the records, there are a 336 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 1: lot of things that just don't quite add up. Um 337 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: and Again, we've talked about before how one memory is fallible, 338 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 1: incredibly fallible, and to particularly you know, in a post 339 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: trauma situation, some things can get really warped, and it's 340 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: that just happens naturally. So I don't want to paint 341 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: it like people think whole Well was just being a 342 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 1: big fibure. He just was wrong about some of the details. Um. Additionally, 343 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: another author and professor, Brigian Gupta, conducted his own research 344 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: into the matter in the nineteen fifties and he used 345 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: again records and some calculations to determine that the real 346 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: number of men put into the black Hole was less 347 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: than half of what was reported by whole Well, probably 348 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,400 Speaker 1: sixty four. And the number of survivors, however, was very similar. 349 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 1: Uh Gupta puts it at twenty one versus whole Well's 350 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: account of twenty three, So the proportion of survivors was 351 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: actually much higher than had been believed for more than 352 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty years up to that point. That's 353 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: really a huge number of people to be in a 354 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: space stat's eyes, in that level of heat. Yeah, even 355 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: at half of what whole Well reported, it's a horrific 356 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: situation for people to be in. Gouda's research revealed that 357 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: all accounts that had been given about the night of 358 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,960 Speaker 1: June seventeen fifty six were linked back to whole Well, So, 359 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 1: in other words, none of them was given independently without 360 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:19,160 Speaker 1: his influence, which is again sort of natural. These people 361 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 1: all knew each other and had been through this traumatic event, 362 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: but it is believed that whole Well may have kind 363 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: of helped bolster his own story in talking about it 364 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: with other people the way people socialize, and they'll go, 365 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: do you remember when that thing happened? And it was 366 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: like this, and they're kind of collective recollection got a 367 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 1: little warpy, uh. And in addition to this discrepancy in numbers, 368 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: these later examiners of the events also indicate through their 369 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: research that noad sarraj Aldowla actually did not order this 370 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: cruel incarceration of the prisoners. He was, in fact, likely 371 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: completely unaware of it until after the fact. So even 372 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: when Wholewell was brought before him the next morning and 373 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: was trying to explain what had happened, the sarage wasn't like, oh, yeah, 374 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: a bunch of people died, that's great, whatever, Where's Where's 375 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: the gold in the rubies. He really had no idea 376 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 1: what had taken place the night before. So you might 377 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 1: think that John Z. Holwell would have never wanted to 378 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: return to Calkata, but in fact he did just that 379 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: in seventeen fifty nine. He was named governor in seventeen sixty, 380 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,919 Speaker 1: but disagreements with the East India Company's board of directors 381 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,200 Speaker 1: led him to resign just a few months later. And 382 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: during his time as governor, whole Well erected a monument 383 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,639 Speaker 1: near the site of the black Hole in memory of 384 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: the people that had died there, although this monument was 385 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: pulled down for reasons unknown in eighteen twenty one, and 386 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 1: after his resignation, he once again returned home to Britain 387 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 1: and he retired there. He spent the rest of his 388 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: years in Pinner, where he died in late seventeen. There's 389 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 1: an obelisk memorial in Kolkata, although it's not in the 390 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: location of the black Hole. It was originally erected in 391 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: nineteen o two at the actual black hole site, but 392 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: it was moved to the grounds of St. John's churchs 393 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 1: which was built by the East India Company in the 394 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: ninett yeah. That church had been there since I think 395 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: the seventeen hundreds. So after the many deaths by any accounting, 396 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:16,360 Speaker 1: whether you take the amended UH numbers or not UM 397 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 1: in the black Hole, this event was still used as 398 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 1: a cautionary tale about lack of aration enclosed spaces, and 399 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: considering that the space in the black Hole was somewhere 400 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:30,199 Speaker 1: around three hundred square feet or twenty eight square meters, 401 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,440 Speaker 1: and that it was very hot in the space with 402 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,160 Speaker 1: little air circulation, it was just an obvious recipe for disaster, 403 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 1: but it wasn't something that had been thought of in 404 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,679 Speaker 1: that way prior to this event. If the prisoners had 405 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,679 Speaker 1: stayed absolutely perfectly, still more of them might have survived, 406 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,920 Speaker 1: but there still would have likely been quite a few 407 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: deaths because of the extreme heat and the dehydration, and 408 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 1: of course those who died from being crushed and suffocated 409 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: during the attempt to break down the door would have 410 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: been spared as well. Yeah, but we just don't know. 411 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: I mean, it's kind of like the hot car situation, 412 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 1: except it's like putting dozens of people in a slightly 413 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,879 Speaker 1: larger hot car. But that's basically what we're talking about, 414 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: So I know, UM, in reading some accounts of it, 415 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: or some people talking about it online, They're like, how 416 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: could all those people die so quickly? It just didn't. 417 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: They were in a cell, there were windows, and it's like, 418 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 1: oh no, no, like we're talking about really actually horrific conditions. Um. 419 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: So that is the rather jarring and horrible story of 420 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,959 Speaker 1: the black Hole of Calcutta or Colcatta, if you use 421 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:43,920 Speaker 1: the modern pronunciation or the accurate pronunciation, I should say, Uh, 422 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: it's a little bit of a downer, but it's pretty 423 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: fascinating and it does make you think about how sort 424 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: of simple negligence can really cause some awful moments in history. Yeah, 425 00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 1: the foul room at my first job was definitely not 426 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,959 Speaker 1: that horrifying. It was just a dark room in an 427 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: attic that was not your conditioned and full of looming 428 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 1: boxes of files, which can also be dangerous, but not 429 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: that dangerous. Yeah. Yeah, And it is an interesting one 430 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: because when you read historians discussing this issue today, there 431 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: really is sort of this sense that at no point 432 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,199 Speaker 1: was anybody thinking like, oh, we will shove all these 433 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: people in here to die. They just were not considering 434 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: how lethal the environment was. So again, it's just through 435 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:43,200 Speaker 1: more negligence than like intent. Even it's very horrifying. I 436 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 1: can't imagine what an awful situation that would be. But 437 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: that is the story of the black Hole. It's a 438 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: completely different context, but it reminds me of stories now 439 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 1: of people who are trying to cross a border sometimes 440 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: because they are fleeing atrocities in their own country, who 441 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: wind up suffocating in like the backs of trucks and 442 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: under seats in cars and stuff like that because it's 443 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: just so hot. Which is it like a horror in 444 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 1: it whole different way. Uh So we're gonna shift gears 445 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: now and go to listener mail, which is not about 446 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 1: people suffocating, Thank goodness, it's much happier. Listener mail is. 447 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: This is from our listener Anna, and she says, Hi, 448 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: Tracy and Holly, I am a new listener to your 449 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 1: podcast for a little over six months, but I've been 450 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 1: binge listening to make up for lost time. I really 451 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 1: love how you hit so many different topics and you 452 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: always keep it interesting. I recently went on a trip 453 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: to China, so I listened to all of your China 454 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: related podcasts before I left, and I considered it studying. Uh, 455 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,160 Speaker 1: she said, I was listening today to your Virginia ACAR podcast. 456 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: Very nicely done, and I was amused along with you, 457 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:55,240 Speaker 1: that a huge breakthrough in medicine came from the simple 458 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,520 Speaker 1: concept of look at the baby. I wish I could 459 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,000 Speaker 1: tell you that concept has since been fully grasped, but 460 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: it hasn't. I work as a nurse in a large 461 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: pediatric I see you there are always lots of monitors, wires, bells, 462 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,639 Speaker 1: and whistles attached to our patients, and they do not 463 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,640 Speaker 1: always cooperate as they should. They alarm when nothing is wrong, 464 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: or vice versa. The nurse that trained me used to say, quote, 465 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 1: these monitors tell me nothing except that I need to 466 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: look at my patient. At times, it has even lent 467 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: to arguments with doctors. I once had a resident refused 468 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: to discharge a patient that was all better and ready 469 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 1: to go home with a family, very excited to leave 470 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: the hospital. He said it was because the patient had 471 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 1: unstable heart rhythms overnight. I had heard nothing of this 472 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: from the night nurse, so he had to show me 473 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 1: where he was talking about on the monitor screen. I 474 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,679 Speaker 1: assured him that those monitor irregularities were from someone patting 475 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 1: the baby, but he would not believe me. I had 476 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: to have him watch the monitor while I went over 477 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,879 Speaker 1: and patted the baby, reproducing the unstable heart rhythms to 478 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 1: convince him. And the baby and his very relieved parents 479 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 1: were happy to go home later that day. All that 480 00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: to say, we may have technology out the wazoo, but 481 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: once still has to look at the baby. I feel 482 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: like that should be a shirt now I do to 483 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: look at the baby. We should get on that. And 484 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,400 Speaker 1: we also need a moon Beaver's a lunar beaver shirt. Yeah, 485 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: I've been working on a lunar Beaver's one. I just 486 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 1: haven't got it where I want it. But I feel 487 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 1: like there was, oh oh, there was the one that 488 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:23,159 Speaker 1: I want that says mispronunciating. Since we'll do it. Uh. 489 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: And I goes on to say, I know you guys 490 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: like to hear what people do while they listen to 491 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: your podcast. I make cakes. I'm only a part time nurse, 492 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:32,400 Speaker 1: and I now have my own custom cake design studio 493 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: called Savior Fork. I appreciate you guys keeping me company 494 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: for long hours in the bakery. I emailed Anna back, 495 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:41,920 Speaker 1: but oh, my goodness, the cake she makes art art, 496 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: they're so incorcredibly, they're so good. She does everything from 497 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: like sort of fun whimsical stuff to just crazy elegant, 498 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:56,919 Speaker 1: beautiful things. I'm envious of her skill and completely wowed 499 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: by it. I am sad she does not live in 500 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: a look san where I can be like, hey, I 501 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: have a thing coming up. Yeah, those are some good 502 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,960 Speaker 1: looking cakes. She has a beautiful gallery. Uh we will 503 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,040 Speaker 1: ask her if it's cool if we link to her 504 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: gallery and maybe our show notes, because you guys will 505 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: want to see these gorgeous, gorgeous cakes. Uh So, if 506 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us, you can do so. 507 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: That is a history podcast at how stu works dot com. 508 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: We're also at Facebook dot com, slash missed in history 509 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: on Twitter at misston history at pinterest dot com, slash 510 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 1: missed in history at missed in history dot tumbler dot com. 511 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 1: And you can visit us and get shirts and we 512 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 1: will try to make good on some of those we 513 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: just talked about at miss in history dot spreadshirt dot com, 514 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: so you can get those crazy designs on your shirts 515 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: or bags or mugs or phone cases or what have you. 516 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: If you would like to do some research on your own, 517 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 1: you can visit our parents site, which is how st 518 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: works search for almost any topic your mind can conjure 519 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: and there's almost surely something covering it. Or you can 520 00:28:57,640 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: visit us online at mist in history dot com. Or 521 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 1: we have all of our show notes for any of 522 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: the episodes Tracy and I have worked on together. You 523 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 1: can't do that in a whole lot more Again, both 524 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,479 Speaker 1: our parents site how works dot com and at our 525 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: site ms in history dot com for more on this, 526 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Isn't how stuff Works dot com