1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild. Our world is full of the unexplainable, 3 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: and if history is an open book, all of these 4 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. It's 6 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: always interesting to see what inanimate objects people become attached to. 7 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: Throughout childhood. Most of us had a favorite blankets or 8 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: toy we simply couldn't live without, which usually made things 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: interesting for parents and babysitters when they were accidentally left behind. 10 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: Most parents would love a how too manual to explain 11 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: what to do in certain situations, but unfortunately no magical 12 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: book exists. Instead, most parenting forums family and friends to 13 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: get to the bottom of the wise and house of 14 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: child rearing. Many have anecdotes about their child's favorite toy 15 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: toy being a loose description of whatever they manage to 16 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: haul into bed every night with them. Some kids bring 17 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: teddy bears and blankies to bed, while others bring toothbrushes, 18 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: bandaid tins, thermometers, plastic lizards, and, in one memorable case, 19 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: a plastic training potty. Several studies have been done to 20 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: try and explain why kids form such close bonds with 21 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: these items, but it really seems to come down to 22 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: a sense of safety. Most children will feel attached to 23 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: some kind of comfort object and often choose it on 24 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: their own, no matter how many stuffed animals are presented 25 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: to them. These items bring comfort and a sense of familiarity, 26 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: and even if the subject doesn't look particularly cuddly, the 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: memories link to its likely soothe and reassure them. Most 28 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: people would argue that trees are not cuddly. They're excellent 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: for climbing, tree houses, shade, and apples, but rarely for hugs. Luckily, 30 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,559 Speaker 1: for most parents, their child can't drag a tree into bed, 31 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: but some children will go to great lengths to ensure 32 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: the longevity of an old friend. This story starts with 33 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: an oak tree, a white oak to be precise, which 34 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: was estimated to be almost four hundred years old in 35 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: the eighteen hundreds. The oak tree lived in Athens, Georgia, 36 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: on property that belonged to the Jackson family. The Jacksons 37 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: were an institution in Georgia. One of the most well 38 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: known members of this clan was James Jackson, who immigrated 39 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,679 Speaker 1: from Devonshire, England, to Savannah, Georgia, and grew up under 40 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: the care of a local lawyer. He was a trained 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: duellist and served in the Revolutionary War, personally participating in 42 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: the recapture of Augusta and Savannah for the Americans. He 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: built up a law practice in Savannah and was elected 44 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: to the first Georgia State Legislature, where he served for 45 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: two non consecutive terms. In between, he was the Governor 46 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: of Georgia and a member of the US House of Representatives. 47 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: James married Mary Charlotte Young, and the couple had five sons, 48 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: four of which followed him into public service. Two served 49 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: in Congress, and one went on to become a Chief 50 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. One son, Colonel 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: William Henry Jackson, was a professor at the University of Georgia. 52 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: Now not much is known about William Henry Jackson, but 53 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: plenty has been speculated. For example, no one knows where 54 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: the title colonel came from, as he didn't have any 55 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: record of military service. With no family tree publicly available, 56 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: no one actually knows where he fell in the pecking 57 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: order of the jackson brothers, or if he held government 58 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: office like many other members of his family. Most frustratingly, though, 59 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: no one knows how he came to be so sentimental 60 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: about a tree. Some guests that he grew up on 61 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: the same property that the oak tree had been growing 62 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: on since at least the fifteen hundreds, that he had 63 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: fond memories from a childhood spent climbing its branches and 64 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: laying out under the shade provided. Or maybe Bason bought 65 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: the property as an adult and enjoyed walking underneath the 66 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: oak tree when he could get away from the university. 67 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: His reasons are entirely unknown, but thanks to a fascinating 68 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: story in the Athens Weekly Banner from August of eighteen ninety, 69 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: we do know that Jackson was extremely fond of his 70 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: oak tree, so fond, in fact, he wanted to be 71 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: sure it would be protected even after he was gone. 72 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: So William Jackson dated the tree to itself. Jackson was 73 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: very clear in his wishes, and the original deed reads 74 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: as this, for and in consideration of the great love 75 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: I bear this tree, and the great desire I have 76 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: for its protection for all time, I convey entire possession 77 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 1: of itself and all land within eight feet of the 78 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: tree on all sides. William H. Jackson, The Tree that 79 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: owns Itself became something of a local marvel, and people 80 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: came from all over to see it. It flourished throughout 81 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: the eighteen hundreds, but by the early nineteen hundreds doing 82 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: too well. It was struggling with erosion and was damaged 83 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: in an ice storm in nineteen oh seven, but the 84 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: town refused to let it go. A man named George 85 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: Foster Peabody paid for restoration work, including new soil and 86 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: even a tablet placed at the site to tell visitors 87 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: about it. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the killing blow came 88 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: on October ninth of nineteen forty two, when the tree 89 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: was blown over in a windstorm. The plot the tree 90 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,239 Speaker 1: once sat on stood empty for four years because honestly, 91 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: no one knew quite what to do until the Junior 92 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 1: Ladies Guarding Club of Athens stepped in and proposed planting 93 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: acorns from the original tree on the site. On December 94 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,679 Speaker 1: fourth of nineteen forty six, the sun of the Tree 95 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: that owns Itself was planted and is growing strong to 96 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: this day. And hey, I recommend stopping by if you're 97 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: ever in Georgia, it's really something that you have to 98 00:05:54,000 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: see to belief. We've all met someone and gotten a 99 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: strange feeling that something was off. Maybe it was in 100 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: a story they told or the way they dressed. We're 101 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: often instructed to trust our gut. Clearly, if we sensed 102 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,479 Speaker 1: that something is a miss, that means we must be 103 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: right right. During the nineteen thirties, the Catholic Church had 104 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: the same feeling about someone quite popular, and so they 105 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: launched an investigation into a person who had never given 106 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: them any reason to be suspicious before. It was just 107 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: that when the rumors got to be big enough, they 108 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: had no choice but to see if they were true. 109 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: Her name was Jane and she was born in Santa Monica, California, 110 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty eight. She was the youngest of three, 111 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,839 Speaker 1: with two older brothers named John and George Junior. Jane 112 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: was pushed towards entertainment by her mother, who enrolled her 113 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: in dance classes when she was only three years old. 114 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: It wasn't long before young Jane noticed by casting director 115 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: by the name of Charles Lamont, who had directed a 116 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: number of shorts starring Buster Keaton. Lamont worked for Educational Pictures, 117 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: a production company that made popular short films of the day. 118 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty two, he brought Jane to an audition 119 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: for him and immediately signed her for a contract. She 120 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: would star in a series of comedy shorts called baby 121 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: Burlesques that's burlesque with a ks at the end. But 122 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: these weren't risque performances meant for adults. They were short 123 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: parodies of popular films and current events starring small children. 124 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: For example, Jane played a saloon singer in a send 125 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: up of the Maywest film She'd Done Him Wrong, titled 126 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: Glad Rags to Riches. But pretty soon it was clear 127 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: that there was more to Jane than bit parts in 128 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: short films. She broke out of the background into more 129 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: starring roles. Educational Pictures even bumped her up into longer 130 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: films where she could really shine and shine. She did 131 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: so much so that a songwriter working at Fox noticed 132 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: her dan seen in the lobby of a theater after 133 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: he had just seen her in one of her pictures. 134 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: He invited her to screen test for a new movie 135 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: being made at Fox, and she nailed the audition and 136 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: not only won the role, but also a contract with 137 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: the studio. She went on to make a number of 138 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: films at Fox, which had her singing and dancing and 139 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: wholesome pictures the whole family could enjoy. Over the next 140 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: several years, Jane became a certified star, appearing alongside the 141 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: likes of Gary Cooper and Carol Lombard. And that's when 142 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 1: the rumors started to appear. Magazines and tabloid rags printed 143 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: all sorts of stories about Jane, like how she had 144 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: her teeth filed to make them look like baby teeth, 145 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: or that they were actually dentures. Outlets also suggested that 146 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: she wore a wig or dyed her hair. Fans used 147 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: to yank on it in public to see if the 148 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: rumor was true, and the worst rumor of all, that 149 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: she wasn't actually a child. According to some media outlets, 150 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: Jane was really a thirty year old little person and 151 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: she was fooling everyone. Clearly, no one could have achieved 152 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: such celebrities so young. It must have been a trick. 153 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: So eventually the Vatican got word of these allegations, as 154 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: they had become prevalent across Italy and Europe. The Church 155 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: decided to get to the bottom of them and sent 156 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: father Silvio Massante to visit Jane and her family. He 157 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: interviewed the starlets, asking all sorts of questions about her 158 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: upbringing and who she was. He also confirmed for them 159 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: the rumors back home in Italy that Jane was really 160 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: a thirty year old person. Well, Jane didn't know what 161 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: to say. She was shocked. After the interview was over, 162 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: father Massante determined that she was not, in fact a 163 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: person of short stature, and that was the end of 164 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: the investigation and for the most part, the rumors as well. 165 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: Shirley Jane Temple went on to have a film career 166 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: until nineteen forty nine, when she left the movies behind 167 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: for a stint on television until the nineteen sixties. After 168 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:58,440 Speaker 1: the cameras stopped rolling, Shirley got into politics. She became 169 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: a US ambassador to Anna, an ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and 170 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: served on various boards of directors for companies like Disney 171 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: and Bank of America. Shirley Temple was much more than 172 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,719 Speaker 1: a child star. She just wasn't thirty years old at 173 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: the height of her career. I hope you've enjoyed today's 174 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free 175 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by 176 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by 177 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I 178 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,080 Speaker 1: make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 179 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 180 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,679 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 181 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.