Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of
Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all
Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting
Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Speaker 1: Is there anything more American than a road trip? This
Speaker 1: tradition seems to be so much of a part of
Speaker 1: American life and culture that it's hard to imagine a
Speaker 1: time when they didn't exist. It might seem like a
Speaker 1: straightforward question when was the automobile invented? But like so
Speaker 1: many of our stories, it's a little more complicated than that.
Speaker 1: Some could point back as far as the fifteenth century,
Speaker 1: when Leonardo da Vinci was creating schematics for fantastastical transportation machines.
Speaker 1: Most would credit Carl Friedrich Benz of Mercedes Benz, but
Speaker 1: the invention of the gas powered automobile Patten did in
Speaker 1: eighteen eighty five. This three wheeled unit changed the world
Speaker 1: for better or worse, depending on your view. Soon further
Speaker 1: patents followed, and by the early nineteen hundreds, Americans could
Speaker 1: see automobiles in their towns and cities, albeit somewhat rarely.
Speaker 1: They mostly belonged to the rich. But luckily we do
Speaker 1: have an exact date for the first American road trip.
Speaker 1: In nineteen oh three, no one was sure what an
Speaker 1: automobile could do, and in a time when most folks
Speaker 1: were still getting around with horse drawn wagons and buggies,
Speaker 1: the idea that there was nothing pulling their new vehicle
Speaker 1: must have been hard to wrap your head around. It
Speaker 1: started with a bet. Doctor Horatio Nelson Jackson of Vermont
Speaker 1: was on vacation with his wife Bertha in San Francisco.
Speaker 1: One night, they were having drinks and the conversation turned
Speaker 1: to the automobile. Jackson was an automobile enthusiast and was
Speaker 1: quick to defend his beloved machine. He accepted a bet
Speaker 1: for fifty dollars that he could drive a car across
Speaker 1: the United States from San Francisco to New York City
Speaker 1: in less than ninety days. Jackson could choose whatever car
Speaker 1: he wanted to get the job done. But of course,
Speaker 1: there were a few hiccups along the way. You see,
Speaker 1: the roads that Jackson would travel along the way were
Speaker 1: barely roads at all. They were terrible. They were full
Speaker 1: of potholes and ruts from decades of wagon wheels. He
Speaker 1: also didn't own any useful maps and didn't have a car.
Speaker 1: They'd come to San Francisco via a series of trains,
Speaker 1: oh and Jackson couldn't drive now. Wisely, Jackson asked for
Speaker 1: help and brought Sewell K. Crocker into his scheme. Crocker
Speaker 1: was a driver and a mechanic, and the two purchased
Speaker 1: a nineteen oh three Winton, a two cylinder and twenty
Speaker 1: horsepower touring car that they named the Vermont. The pair
Speaker 1: loaded up the car with everything they might need, sleeping bags, blankets,
Speaker 1: rubber suits and coats, an axe, a shovel, and other tools,
Speaker 1: a Kodak camera and a telescope, a rifle, a shot gun,
Speaker 1: parts for the car. At as much gasoline as they
Speaker 1: could carry, it only took fifteen miles for them to
Speaker 1: blow a tire, forcing them to use the only spare
Speaker 1: that they brought. When other tires blew out, they had
Speaker 1: to curl rope around the wheels so they could keep going.
Speaker 1: Since there weren't widespread mechanic shops yet, they often had
Speaker 1: to walk a long way to find gas or replace
Speaker 1: busted parts. They were further delayed when they asked a
Speaker 1: woman north of Sacramento for directions, and she sent them
Speaker 1: one hundred and eight miles out of their way so
Speaker 1: that her family could see an automobile for the first time.
Speaker 1: In Idaho, they picked up an essential traveling companion, a
Speaker 1: bulldog named Bud, who got fitted with his own little
Speaker 1: pair of goggles to keep the dust out of his eyes.
Speaker 1: This was around the time that the press caught wind
Speaker 1: of their journey, and the trio became celebrities. Soon large
Speaker 1: crowds were waiting for them at nearly every stop. As Jackson, Crocker,
Speaker 1: and Bud began making their way through the eastern half
Speaker 1: of the country, they were having an easier time. More
Speaker 1: of the roads were paved, especially in majors cities where
Speaker 1: they had previously managed seventy one miles a day. Once
Speaker 1: they reached the paved streets, they covered some two hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty miles. Admittedly, they did still have mishaps. They
Speaker 1: often got lost and had to replace parts, equipment, and gas.
Speaker 1: For this, they contacted the Winton Company, which was eager
Speaker 1: to provide They wanted to show that their machines could
Speaker 1: do all of this, and soon other car manufacturers had
Speaker 1: the same idea. Packard and Oldsmobile sent out their own
Speaker 1: drivers from the West Coast. So now not only was
Speaker 1: Jackson trying to beat the clock, but he had two
Speaker 1: other drivers to worry about. Luckily, Jackson had a head start,
Speaker 1: and their increased speed meant that they plowed through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,
Speaker 1: and Ohio. They made a celebratory stop in Chicago before
Speaker 1: pressing on, finally reaching New York State. Their final moment
Speaker 1: of calamity was just outside of Buffalo, where they had
Speaker 1: their first and only accident. Luckily, the car was quickly repaired,
Speaker 1: and Jackson, Crocker, and Bud rolled into New York City
Speaker 1: on July twenty sixth of nineteen oh three, d three
Speaker 1: days after making the bet. The trio never collected the
Speaker 1: fifty dollars, and really it wouldn't have covered the costs.
Speaker 1: Jackson spent about eight thousand of his own money to
Speaker 1: make the journey about two hundred and sixty thousand dollars today.
Speaker 1: Crocker stayed in New York City after the journey, while
Speaker 1: Bud and Jackson made their way back to Vermont Jackson
Speaker 1: later donated his car to the Smithsonian, where it's on
Speaker 1: permanent display. Oh And Jackson apparently had one final automobile
Speaker 1: related mishap later in life. It was a speeding ticket
Speaker 1: earned while cruising through Burlington, Vermont. The legal limit that
Speaker 1: he violated six miles per hour. Growing up, most of
Speaker 1: us learn the phrase all that glitters isn't gold, meaning
Speaker 1: that what we see on the surface doesn't reflect what's underneath.
Speaker 1: This was never truer than during America's Gilded Age. Mark
Speaker 1: Twain certainly captured the spirit of the times when he
Speaker 1: called it gold and glittering and corrupt, and no one
Speaker 1: lived out those principles better than the Vanderbilt family. The
Speaker 1: Vanderbilts were a real life rags to riches story, but
Speaker 1: no matter how wealthy they were, the old money New
Speaker 1: York families wouldn't accept them. There were certain rules the
Speaker 1: wealthy had to abide by it to be considered a
Speaker 1: part of society. These involved lineages, wealth, and a truly
Speaker 1: spectacular degree of snobbishness. These rules were created by Caroline
Speaker 1: Astor and her henchman, Ward McAllister. She ruled over New
Speaker 1: York society with an iron fist deciding who was in
Speaker 1: and who was out. Apparently, there were only four hundred
Speaker 1: suitable families in New York City, and the Vanderbilts weren't
Speaker 1: among them, at least not yet. By the mid eighteen hundreds,
Speaker 1: a new member of the family emerged that would take
Speaker 1: on Caroline Astor and the four hundred with the same
Speaker 1: single minded focus and discipline that she dedicated to every
Speaker 1: other aspect of her life. Life. Born Alva Erskine Smith,
Speaker 1: she was intelligent, with refined tastes, but no money. Her
Speaker 1: formerly prosperous family had lost their money in the years
Speaker 1: following the Civil War, and she needed to marry well.
Speaker 1: She found her perfect targets in William Kissom Vanderbilt, a
Speaker 1: party boy, and Alva was a force of nature, and
Speaker 1: she planned to use her cunning, her self assuredness, and
Speaker 1: the Vanderbilt fortune to break into Missus Astor's society. And
Speaker 1: the best way to do that was to throw a ball.
Speaker 1: Alva had recently completed her first manner at six hundred
Speaker 1: and sixty fifth Avenue, called the Petit Chateau, and planned
Speaker 1: to fill it in the most spectacular way possible. She
Speaker 1: struck up a friendship with Ward McAllister and used his
Speaker 1: connections to drum up interest in her party among the
Speaker 1: old crowd. It was the spring of eighteen eighty three
Speaker 1: and Lent was coming to an end. Traditionally, the start
Speaker 1: of Lent signaled the end of the New York social season,
Speaker 1: but Alva planned to give her fancy dress ball after Easter,
Speaker 1: which would set her apart from all other society hostesses.
Speaker 1: She dropped rumors to the press and to her friends,
Speaker 1: and soon the city was a buzz with gossip and
Speaker 1: whispers about the Vanderbilt Ball. By the time Alva sent
Speaker 1: out her invitations, wealthy men and women were frothing at
Speaker 1: the mouth to get into the Petit Chateau. Young ladies
Speaker 1: spent the weeks leading up to the party practicing their quadrilles,
Speaker 1: fancy themed dances performed by four couples in formation, looking
Speaker 1: to show off their looks and their dowries. No one
Speaker 1: was practicing more than missus Astor's daughter, Carrie. As the
Speaker 1: daughter of the Queen of Society, Carrie fully expected to
Speaker 1: be invited and in fact, to be a lead dancer
Speaker 1: in these quadrilles. Instead, what she got was a notification
Speaker 1: that Alva was very sorry, but Carrie couldn't come because
Speaker 1: Missus Caroline aster had never received Missus Alva Vanderbilt. By
Speaker 1: the laws of Missus Astor's own society, Alva was correct.
Speaker 1: Unless Missus Astor would acknowledge Eva Vanderbilt, Carrie couldn't attend
Speaker 1: the Party of the Century. Missus Astra evidently decided that
Speaker 1: she loved her daughter more than her rules. A calling
Speaker 1: card was duly dispatched, and Carrie Astor was allowed to
Speaker 1: take part in the spectacle. And it really was a spectacle.
Speaker 1: Newspaper reporters and gawkers packed the sidewalks as they watched
Speaker 1: a long line of carriages deliver the lushly dressed members
Speaker 1: of mister McAllister's four hundred in the elaborate costumes, jewels
Speaker 1: and powdered wigs of the time. Missus Astor herself attended
Speaker 1: as a Venetian princess, wearing every single diamond that she owned.
Speaker 1: Other costumes were a little more out there. Elizabeth Vanderbilt
Speaker 1: web dressed as a hornet in brown velvet and yellow
Speaker 1: satin with diamond and tenne. Missus Kate fearing Strong came
Speaker 1: as a cat, complete with a dress made of white
Speaker 1: cat tails and a hat made of taxidermied white cat
Speaker 1: Around her neck was a black velvet choker with a
Speaker 1: bell and the word Puss spelled out in glittering diamonds.
Speaker 1: Apparently that was her nickname, and Alice Vanderbilt, a rival
Speaker 1: in the family, came dressed as an electric light. Her gown,
Speaker 1: made of red gold and white satin and brocade, was
Speaker 1: trimmed with diamonds, and the gilded torch she carried was
Speaker 1: powered by a battery. She glittered in the light, but
Speaker 1: no one held a candle to Alva. Alva was also
Speaker 1: dressed as a Venetian princess, but she outshone missus Astor
Speaker 1: in every way possible. Her yellow and white ball gown
Speaker 1: was topped with jewels, but the crowning glory wasn't her tiara,
Speaker 1: It was a rope of pearls that belonged to Catherine
Speaker 1: the Great. The only attendees not dressed outlandishly were Alva's
Speaker 1: father in law, Billy, and his good friend some guy
Speaker 1: named Ulysses S. Grant, who were both dressed in plain
Speaker 1: old white tie. The house was a riot of flowers
Speaker 1: and lights, and the photographs truly do not do it justice.
Speaker 1: Alva converted the upstairs gymnasium into a forest filled with
Speaker 1: palm trees and orchids. She spared no expense on flowers, food, wine,
Speaker 1: and costumes for the quadrilles. All told, the ball cost
Speaker 1: and estimated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars back then
Speaker 1: almost six million dollars today, of which sixty five thousand
Speaker 1: was spent on champagne and eleven thousand on flowers. Everyone
Speaker 1: danced until dawn, when the guests stumbled out of the house,
Speaker 1: still in their costumes and powdered wigs a little worse
Speaker 1: for wear, and for a moment it seemed like New
Speaker 1: York had gone back in time. Really, in one night,
Speaker 1: Alva had dragged the high society, kicking and screaming, into
Speaker 1: her future. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of
Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast
Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky
Speaker 1: in partnership with house Stuff Works. I make another award
Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series,
Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it
Speaker 1: over at the worldolore dot com. Next time, stay curious.
Speaker 1: M