1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Hey there, history fans. We're taking a break to stay 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: ahead of the holidays, but we've got plenty of classic 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: shows to keep you busy. 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 2: Hi again everyone, it's Eves and welcome to this Day 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 2: in History Class A show where History waits for no One. 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 2: The day was November twenty one, nineteen fifty three. The 7 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 2: pilt Down Man, the supposed fossil remains of a species 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 2: of extinct hominin, was exposed as a hoax. Charles Dawson 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 2: was an amateur antiquarian who lived in Lewis, Sussex. He 10 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: claimed that in nineteen o eight he began to find 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 2: fossilized remains in a gravel formation at Piltdown Common. Major 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 2: evidence of early humans in the British Isles had not 13 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 2: yet been uncovered, so his discoveries were potentially groundbreaking. They 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 2: attracted the attention of Arthur Smith Woodward, keeper of the 15 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: Geological Department of the British Museum. Woodward and Dawson continued 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 2: to search the gravel pit and discovered fragments of a cranium, 17 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 2: jaw and teeth. They suggested that all of the fragments 18 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 2: belonged to one individual. At a meeting of the Geological 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 2: Society of London. On December eighteenth, nineteen twelve, Woodward announced 20 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 2: the discovery of the Piltdown remains. He proposed that the 21 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 2: Piltdown Man represented an unknown species of extinct hominin that 22 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 2: was the missing evolutionary link between apes and early humans. 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 2: He dubbed the Piltdown Man Ioanthropist Dawsony or dawn Man 24 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 2: after Dawson. From nineteen thirteen to nineteen fifteen, more fragments 25 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: were excavated from the site and another one nearby. Dawson 26 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 2: died in nineteen sixteen. Many scientists accepted his view that 27 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 2: the fragments all belonged to the same individual, but others 28 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,919 Speaker 2: believed that the fragments came from more than one source, 29 00:01:55,320 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: possibly a modern man and an anthropoid eight. In nineteen fifteen, 30 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 2: Garrett Miller published the results of a study that concluded 31 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: that the jaw was that of a chimpanzee. This conclusion 32 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 2: was supported by other scientists, but debate continued over the 33 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 2: origin of the Piltdown remains. People began to doubt the 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 2: legitimacy of the Piltdown Man in the nineteen twenties. In 35 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 2: nineteen thirties, when other early human remains began to be 36 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 2: discovered around the world, plus it was determined that the 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 2: Piltdown gravels were not as old as they were once 38 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 2: thought to be. By the nineteen forties, more advanced dating 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: technologies had been developed. In nineteen forty nine, paleontologist Kenneth 40 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 2: Oakley and colleague C. R. Hoskins tested the Piltdown remains 41 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 2: using a kind of chemical analysis called fluorine testing. It 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 2: was determined that all the fragments were from around the 43 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 2: same time period, but were much younger than suggested, possibly 44 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: somewhere around fifty thousand years old rather than five hundred thousand. 45 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 2: That meant that the Piltdown Man could not be the 46 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: missing link between apes and humans. In nineteen fifty three, 47 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 2: after an improved method of florine analysis had developed, Oakleigh 48 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 2: physical anthropology professor Joseph Wainer and Oxford anthropologist Wilfrid Lgrose 49 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: Clark determined that the jaw and teeth were not the 50 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 2: same age as the skull. They reported their discovery in 51 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 2: the Bulletin of the Natural History Museum on November twentieth, 52 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty three. The next day, the hoax was announced 53 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 2: in the press The remains included fragments of a six 54 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: hundred year old human cranium, the jaw and teeth of 55 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: an orangutan, and the tooth of what was likely a champanzee. 56 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 2: The fragments had been stained with chromium and an iron 57 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: sulfate solution, and the teeth had been artificially abraded to 58 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 2: simulate where. On top of that, the remains were not 59 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 2: even from Britain. The Peltdown Man was a hoax. A 60 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 2: number of people have been pegged as the perpetrator of 61 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 2: the hoax, including Dawson and a museum volunteer turn keeper 62 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 2: of zoology at the museum named Martin A. C. Hinton. 63 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: In twenty six teen, researchers published an article that concluded 64 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 2: new evidence suggested Dawson was responsible for the hoax, though 65 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 2: he may not have acted alone. They said his quote 66 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: hunger for acclaim may have driven him to risk his 67 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 2: reputation and misdirect the course of anthropology for decades. I'm 68 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 2: Eve Jefcote and hopefully you know a little more about 69 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 2: history today than you did yesterday. Thanks for going on 70 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 2: this trip through history with us. We'll see you again 71 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 2: tomorrow with another episode. Yes sammamimimimimimimimimsmsmimmerers. 72 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to this Day in History Class, a 73 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: show that belts out the greatest hits of history one 74 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: day at a time. I'm Gabelusier, and today we're celebrating 75 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: the stage debut of legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald AYK 76 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: the first Lady of Song. The day was November twenty first, 77 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four. At seventeen years old, Ella Fitzgerald became 78 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 1: the first female performer to win Amateur Night at the 79 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,239 Speaker 1: Apollo Theater in Harlem. She had prepared a dance routine 80 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: in case she was called on stage to perform. However, 81 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: at the last minute, Ella made the fateful decision to 82 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: sing a song instead. What happened next earned her the 83 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 1: twenty five dollars prize and placed her firmly on the 84 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: path to stardom. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, 85 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: on April twenty fifth, nineteen seventeen. She took an interest 86 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: in dance in the third grade and loved showing off 87 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: her moves to her friends on the way to school 88 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: and at lunchtime. Ella's love of jazz came partly from 89 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 1: her mother, who listened to artists like Louis Armstrong and 90 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: the Boswell Sisters. As a young girl, Ella tried to 91 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: emulate the sound of lead singer Connie Boswell, later saying quote, 92 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: my mother brought home one of her records, and I 93 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,359 Speaker 1: fell in love with it. I tried so hard to 94 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,559 Speaker 1: sound just like her. Ella's life took a tragic turn 95 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty two when her mother died from injuries 96 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: sustained in a car crash. The loss hit Ella hard, 97 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: and she sank into depression. She dropped out of high 98 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: school and eventually got in trouble with the law. She 99 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,799 Speaker 1: was sent to a reform school in Hudson, New York, 100 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 1: where she was frequently beaten by her supposed caretakers. Ella 101 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: eventually ran away from the reformatory and survived the next 102 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: two years by singing and dancing on the streets of 103 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 1: depression era Harlem. At the time, the neighborhood was bursting 104 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: with talented black performers, and the new ruly opened Apollo 105 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: Theater was at the center of the action. After opening 106 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: in early nineteen thirty four, the theater quickly made a 107 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: name for itself as the place to see top tier 108 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: talent perform. One result of this glowing reputation was that 109 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: Apollo audiences expected to see the best. That meant they 110 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: were eager to accept and encourage strong performances. But the 111 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: flip side was that when a performance didn't meet that 112 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: high standard, the crowd was just as passionate invoicing its displeasure. 113 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: The rowdy reactions could be so brutal that the crowd 114 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: at the Apollo soon became known as the world's toughest audience. 115 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: Near the end of its first year, the Apollo Theater 116 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: began hosting a weekly amateur night where aspiring performers could 117 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: enter their names in a drawing for the chance to 118 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: compete on stage for prize money. But with a crowd 119 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: like the one I just described, the state were far 120 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: higher than just a cash prize. A positive response could 121 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: make your career, but a poor one could just as 122 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: easily break it. Ella Fitzgerald may not have taken that 123 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: risk on November twenty first, if not for two of 124 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: her friends who dared her to enter the drawing with them. 125 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: As she later explained, quote, it was a bet. We 126 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: just put our names in. We never thought we'd get 127 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: the call, But shockingly, Ella did get the call that night, 128 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,199 Speaker 1: though the timing couldn't have been worse. In the off 129 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: chance that she was called on stage, Ella had planned 130 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: to perform a snakelike dance routine popularized by Harlem artist 131 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: Earl Snake hips Tucker. However, just before Ella's name was called, 132 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: a talented local dance duo called The Edwards Sisters closed 133 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: out the evening's main show. Ella was mortified by the 134 00:08:56,679 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: idea of following an act that she once described as 135 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: quote the dancing as sisters in the world. The Edwards 136 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:09,559 Speaker 1: Sisters had actual costumes, their routines were flashy and polished, 137 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 1: and here was Ella, a disheveled, houseless teenager, about to 138 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: perform her street corner routine on the biggest stage in 139 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: town in front of a notoriously demanding audience. Decades later, 140 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: Ella described the moment she took the stage, saying, quote, 141 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: I looked and I saw all those people, and I said, 142 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: oh my gosh, what am I going to do out here? 143 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: Everybody started laughing and said what is she going to do? 144 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: That question was on everyone's mind, and at the last 145 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: possible moment, Ella changed the answer. Instead of dancing, she 146 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: would sing as amateur knight. Mc Ralph Cooper begged the 147 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: jeering audience to give the girl a chance. Ella asked 148 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 1: the band to play a hogy Karmi song called Judy 149 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:07,719 Speaker 1: Liwuden live Wut. There's only one in the line of 150 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:13,559 Speaker 1: the Sun. That's Junie You're your Barn. She was familiar 151 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: with the tune because Connie Boswell's cover version had been 152 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: one of her mother's favorite songs. Unfortunately, Ella was so 153 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: nervous that when the music began, she forgot the words. 154 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: The crowd started booing her, so Cooper returned to the 155 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: stage and asked one last time for their patients. He said, quote, 156 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: this young lady's got a gift she'd like to share 157 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: with us tonight. She's just having a little trouble getting 158 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: it out of its wrapper. Let's give her a second chance. 159 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 1: This time, the words came easily, and by the end 160 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: of the song the crowd was demanding an encore. Ella 161 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: happily obliged by singing another hit from the Boswell Sisters. 162 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: The object of my affections. 163 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: Want to go, but he wants to do one of. 164 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: They pick up my high affection and change. Her performance 165 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: brought down the house and won her the competition, but 166 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: more importantly, it helped the shy, self conscious girl realize 167 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:27,839 Speaker 1: that she belonged in the spotlight. As Ella later said, quote, 168 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: once up there, I felt the acceptance and love from 169 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 1: my audience. I knew I wanted to sing before people 170 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: the rest of my life. She got started on that 171 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: dream right away by entering and winning every talent show 172 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: in town. A year later, she began performing with the 173 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: Chickweb Orchestra, and then made her first recordings soon after. 174 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 1: All told, Ella Fitzgerald recorded more than two hundred albums 175 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 1: and two thousand songs in her lifetime, selling over forty 176 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: million albums in the process. She won thirteen Grammys, the 177 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Presidential Medal 178 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: of Freedom. Her fifty plus year career took her to 179 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: some of the greatest venues in the world, including twenty 180 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: six performances at Carnegie Hall, but the most important show 181 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: she ever played may have been that first one at 182 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: the Apollo Theater in Harlem, where a young girl with 183 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: a rocky past found her place in the world by 184 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: doing what she loved. I'm Gabe Luzier and hopefully you 185 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 186 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: did yesterday. You can learn even more about history by 187 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDIHC show, 188 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, you can 189 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: send them my way at this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 190 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,959 Speaker 1: Thanks as always to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 191 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,839 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 192 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,319 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another Day in History class. 193 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 194 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.