1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Volga Bam here with a classic 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: episode from our previous host, Christian Sager. Some common names 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: that we give our pets are more self explanatory than others. Spot, Colonel, 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: fluffy pants, the classics, you know, But how did Fido 6 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: become shorthand for a friendly and loyal dog? Hey, brain Stuff, 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: it's Christian Sager here. You may have met a furry ace, Bandit, 8 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: Jack or Sparky, but the chance of being introduced to 9 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: a Fido are much much lower these days. Fido doesn't 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: even make the top one hundred, but the once popular 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: name for male dogs has become a generic shorthand for 12 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: dog itself. So just why is the dog name Fido 13 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: such a part of the American lexicon? Well, the credit 14 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: goes to Abraham Lincoln, America's sixteen president. Before he was 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: comming er in chief and still lived in Springfield, Illinois, 16 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: Lincoln's household included several dogs and cats. One particularly therapeutic 17 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: dog was Fido, a mixed breed dog of yellow hue 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: whose name is Latin for faithful. Fido became Lincoln's near 19 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: constant companion about five years before the then lawyer became president. 20 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: According to the Presidential Pet Museum, Fido enjoyed scraps from 21 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: Lincoln's plate at meals, patiently waited outside the barbershop or 22 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: any other establishment Lincoln patronized, and generally became well known 23 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: as a good natured dog around town. In eighteen sixty three, 24 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: as he prepared to move to the White House, it 25 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: became apparent that Fido was a little too friendly and 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: perhaps ill mannered for high office. In fact, a nineteen 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: fifty four profile of Fido published in Life magazine called 28 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: him a frisky mongrel. To ensure Fido had a good 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: life back in springfiel Field, Lincoln decided to have a 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: local carpenter and his family take care of Fido, leaving 31 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: them detailed instructions for the dog's proper care and spoiling. 32 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: Fido was never to be chided for having muddy pause 33 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: in the house, and he was to be given scraps 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: from the table at meal time. To help soothe the 35 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: sense of loss, Lincoln had Fido's formal portrait taken with 36 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: the relatively new photographic technology, or so the story goes, 37 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: regardless of its providence, the photo made its way into 38 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: numerous newspapers, and shortly thereafter Fido, both the dog and 39 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: the name skyrocketed in popularity. The name's meteoric rise continued 40 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: during Lincoln's presidency and was further fueled by his assassination 41 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: in eighteen sixty five. As mourners flocked to Springfield for 42 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: the president's funeral, the carpenter returned to Lincoln's home with 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: Fido and let the mourning public meet the dog. Justice 44 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: Fido's man ster was killed by another man, so too 45 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: did Fido meet an unfortunate end at the hands of 46 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: another In eighteen sixty six, a year after Lincoln's assassination, Fido, 47 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: ever the trusting and people loving dog, came across a 48 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: man apparently sleeping on a sidewalk. Fido started to lick 49 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: the man's face, which prompted the man, who was drunk 50 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: at the time, to awaken panic and pull a knife 51 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: at the sight of the dog's mouth so close to 52 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: his face, stabbing Fido in self defense. With the popularity 53 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: of the name peeking in the late eighteen hundreds, Fido 54 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: made its way into the public consciousness during an era 55 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: when mass media was taking hold in the country and 56 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: remained there for years to come. While Fido met a 57 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: tragic end, his name lives on in popular culture, signifying 58 00:03:51,320 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: the platonic ideal of a friendly, faithful hooch. Today's episode 59 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: was written by Lauriel Dove and produced by Dylan Fagan 60 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: and Tyler Clay. For more on this and lots of 61 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff 62 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: is production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from 63 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 64 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.