1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: a show that prized the lid off history and makes 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: it live again. I'm Gay Bluesier and today we're paying 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: tribute to the miracle lizard of the Lone Star State, 6 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: the one and only Old Rip. The day was January 7 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: ninety nine. A horned lizard named old Rip died of 8 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: pneumonia after allegedly surviving thirty one years sealed inside the 9 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: cornerstone of the Eastland, Texas Courthouse. The lizard, known colloquially 10 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: as a horny toad, had been eased in the building's 11 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: foundation while still alive, alongside other more traditional time capsule 12 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: items such as a Bible and several town documents. Most 13 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: lizards only live a few years in the wild, but 14 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: a popular theory in Texas holds that horned lizards can 15 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: live up to a hundred years in hibernation without the 16 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: need for food or water. Old Ripp's tail began in 17 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: eighteen seven with the construction of the Eastland County Courthouse. 18 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: A four year old boy named will Wood captured one 19 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: of the many horned lizards in the area and originally 20 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: named him. Blinky. Wood's father, County Clerk Earnest Wood, thought 21 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: the courthouse dedication would be a great way to test 22 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: the long held theory about the longevity of hibernating lizards. 23 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: He convinced his son to let him slip poor Blinky 24 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: into the building's cornerstone, with the expectation that only his 25 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: son would live long enough to see the outcome of 26 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: the experiment. However, the town of Eastland grew faster than 27 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: expected after only thirty years, a new, bigger, courthouse was needed, 28 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: so the old one was set to be demolished in 29 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: February of nineteen twenty eight. In the lead up to 30 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: the demolition, Ernest Wood told the editor of the local 31 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: paper about the lizard he had sealed inside the cornerstone 32 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: and how they were about to find out whether the 33 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: old legend was true. The paper ran his story on 34 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: the subject under the banner headline already for Liberation of 35 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: the Horned Toad, and they also spread the exciting news 36 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: through wire services as a result. On Saturday, February eighteenth night, 37 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: three thousand people gathered to watch as the cornerstone was opened. 38 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: Several ministers were on hand for the event as well, 39 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: as County Judge Ed Pritch, whose job was to authenticate 40 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: that the lizard wasn't secretly swapped for a fresh one. 41 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: When the lizard was finally pulled from its resting place, 42 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: it initially seemed quite dead, flat as a pancake and 43 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: covered in a thick layer of dust. But then all 44 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: of a sudden, one of its legs began to twitch. 45 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: Someone shouted the durn things alive, and the whole crowd 46 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: burst into cheers. Blinkie was promptly renamed old Rip, after 47 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: the legendary character Rip van Winkle, who famously slept for 48 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: twenty years, over a decade less than his reptile counterpart. 49 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: Following his resurrection, old Rip became a national celebrity. Newsreel 50 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: staged re enactments of the cornerstone removal an old Rip 51 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: was reported on in every periodical from the New York 52 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: Times to peer reviewed science journals. A print run of 53 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: sixteen thousand Old Rip postcard sold out immediately, and the 54 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: Fort Worth Star Telegram proclaimed Rip to be quote the 55 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: most famous animal since the serpent in the Garden of Eden. 56 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: At the peak of his fame, old Rip was escorted 57 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 1: on a publicity tour around the country by Will Wood, 58 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: the now adult man who had first caught him as 59 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: a child. They even traveled to Washington, d C. To 60 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: meet with President Calvin Coolidge, who reportedly canceled several prior 61 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: engagements to make room in his schedule for Old Rip. 62 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: Coolidge is said to have stroked the lizard's back with 63 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: his own horn rimmed glasses, and will would telegraphed home 64 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: saying that Old Rip had blinked approvingly at the President. 65 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: The lizard made his rounds in style, living happily in 66 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: a sand filled fish bowl, where he lazily munched on 67 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: all the red harvester ants that he could eat. Sadly, 68 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: Old Rip's career was cut tragically short when he died 69 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: of pneumo on January nineteenth, nineteen twenty nine, just eleven 70 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 1: months after his grand reveal. However, Old Ripped story didn't 71 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: end there. Following his demise, the horned lizard was embalmed 72 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: and laid to rest in a tiny, red velvet lined 73 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,479 Speaker 1: casket and the lobby of the New Eastland Courthouse. He 74 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: remained there until nineteen seventy three, when his remains mysteriously 75 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: went missing. A ransom note explained that the thief was 76 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: one of five young men who had perpetrated a hoax 77 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: on the town almost fifty years earlier. The anonymous confessor 78 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: claimed that in nineteen twenty eight, he and his friends 79 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: had removed the very much deceased original lizard from the 80 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: corner stone and switched it with a live impostor lizard. 81 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: The thief promised to return Old Ripp's body only if 82 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: his accomplices came forward to back up his story, but 83 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: no one ever did. Eventually, the kidnapper gave up his 84 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: campaign and sent another note saying that Old Rip could 85 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: be found at the county Fairgrounds. Officials retrieved the beloved 86 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: dead lizard and returned him to his place of honor 87 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: in the courthouse. Whether the thief's account was true or 88 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 1: not remains unknown, though if you ask the people of Eastland, Texas, 89 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,280 Speaker 1: they'll tell you that Old Rip was the genuine article 90 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: and that his kidnapper was the real impostor. Today, visitors 91 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: to the Eastland County Courthouse can still see the preserved 92 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: remains of Old Rip lying in state, as well as 93 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: the original cornerstone where he spent the bulk of his life. 94 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 1: They can also take part in a variety of local 95 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: events dedicated to everyone's favorite horned lizard. There's Old Rip Day, 96 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,719 Speaker 1: the Horned Toe Derby, the Rips Ribs cook Off, and 97 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: of course rip Fest and New Old citywide celebration that 98 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: includes a parade and a five k fun run. But 99 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: there's one other tribute to Old Rip that you may 100 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: already be familiar with, because, as it turns out, the 101 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: tenacious little lizard even left his mark on mainstream entertainment. 102 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: In nineteen, Warner Brothers director Chuck Jones and writer Michael 103 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: Maltese used the story of Old Rip as inspiration for 104 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: a Merry Melodies cartoon called One Froggy Evening. In the 105 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: famous short, a construction worker who's demolishing a building prize 106 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: off the top of a corner stone and discovers a 107 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: metal box stashed inside. When he opens the box, he 108 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: finds a document dated eight two, along with a live frog, 109 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: who promptly dons a top hat and cane and begins 110 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: belting out ragtime tunes while doing a little dance, though 111 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: only when he and the man who found the box 112 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: are alone. This character, Michigan Jay Frog, is widely thought 113 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: to be a loving homage to old Rip, a lizard who, 114 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: against all odds, cheated death and captured the heart of 115 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: a nation. Rest well, sweet Prince. I'm gay Bluesier and 116 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 117 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: than he did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up 118 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 119 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I HC Show, and if 120 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, you can always send 121 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: them my way at this day at i heart media 122 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 123 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 124 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class. For more 125 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, 126 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.