1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. This is part two of 4 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: our exploration of a little known astronaut program back in 5 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: the sixteen hundreds. Yes, that entire sentence sounds bananas, but 6 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: we assure you it is factual. Please listen to the 7 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: first part of this series before you proceed onto episode two. 8 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: I think that's all our housekeeping. Noal, yournal, I am Noal, 9 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: and you are Ben. And if I may be so bold, 10 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: I think we're ready to dive on in in his defense. 11 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: In defense of this nascent space program, we should point 12 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: out astronomers of this time, like around sixteen forty years so, 13 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: they knew how far away the moon was, right they did. 14 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: They knew it pretty accurately by today's standards. Um, so 15 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: they could kind of plot out what this trip might 16 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,479 Speaker 1: look like. If they, you know, made it a little 17 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: more routine, it would probably take several weeks. And this 18 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: made sense to them at the time because they were 19 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: used to those kinds of really long, arduous tracks because 20 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: of ocean voyages. And there's also a tinge of capitalism here, 21 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: not a small tinge by any means, because Wilkins is thinking, okay, 22 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: assuming all this works. There are a lot of ifs 23 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: Wilkins reasoning here, but John's thinking, Okay, if this works, 24 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: will we meet inhabitants on the moon. You'll see if 25 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: you read his stuff, you'll see that he called them 26 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: Selenites based on the name the Greek moon got us 27 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: Lean and he was like, Okay, if we meet these 28 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: people on the moon, hey, we might be able to 29 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: sell them stuff. We could establish a moon trade, a 30 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,959 Speaker 1: mean trade. I love it. In this history extra article 31 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: that we've been digging into, they referred to this as 32 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: a quote lucrative celestial markets, right exactly. I love that. 33 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: I love that. That was probably part of the pitch. 34 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: You know, he's like he's telling aristocrats and royalty about 35 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: how we could do this, and then he all that's 36 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: his But wait, there's more moment, you know. I mean, 37 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: it's it's very charming, especially when you read it now. 38 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: But it's sort of the same thing we talked about 39 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: when we're like, okay, if there was like the singularity 40 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: or like you know, beings from another dimension or another 41 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: you know, um planet, far far far away from us 42 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: came we would have no reference for communication, We would 43 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: have no shared anything. You know, we couldn't possibly assume 44 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: that we would. I guess maybe the moon's close enough 45 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: that they could be receiving our you know nowadays, you 46 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: know television transmissions like in that episode of Pete and 47 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: Pete about Johnny Unitis, remember that one classic episode. Um, 48 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: but yeah, this is a very uh again geocentric kind 49 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: of view of the world. These merchants would be so 50 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: full of themselves that they believe that they would have 51 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: anything to offer Moon people, right right, you know, moon 52 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: people would have contacted us if they wanted something shortly. Also, 53 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: before we let's get in front of the bad, very 54 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: dark humor here. Uh, this is before the opium trade 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: is really blossoming. If this had occurred a little bit later, 56 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: eighteen nineteen centuries, then I'm sure that Wilkins would have said, 57 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: and we can sell the moon people opium, because that 58 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: was that was very much a British push for a time. Anyway, 59 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,839 Speaker 1: his ideas had a few beautiful things about them. They're optimistic, Yes, 60 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: they're plausible. Yes, he's taking the knowledge of space, gravity, 61 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: human biology, all the stuff that's available at the time, 62 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: he is making a good faith effort to do due diligence. Also, 63 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: I said he was also super open minded, which I 64 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: think is a point you raised earlier in the episode. 65 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: Nod like he he wanted the truth, he wanted the 66 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: correct answers. His ego was not taking precedent over facts. 67 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: Like he if someone else said, um, well hey John, 68 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:39,680 Speaker 1: you know, I like what you're saying about blah blah blah, 69 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: but what about this idea, then he would hear them out. 70 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: He was very much crowdsourcing this and he had a 71 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: different He had a different take on different things at 72 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,359 Speaker 1: different times as new information came in and was available. 73 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: Like originally, I believe he someone asked him how these 74 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: asked for notts would eat while they're in space, right, 75 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: It's not like they can go hunting. It's probably not 76 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: a good look to shoot moon people if you land, 77 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: and he had an interesting pitch some I I didn't 78 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: think of. I know how weird this sounds today, but 79 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: he said, well, the we have to understand the space 80 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: travelers are not going to be subject to gravity at 81 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: this point, so quote, we shall not at all spend 82 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: ourselves in any labor and consequently not much need the 83 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: reparation of diet, but may perhaps live all together without it. 84 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,599 Speaker 1: So he's like, you're floating, you're not working against gravity, 85 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: you don't have to eat. This would also prove to 86 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: be incorrect. Shout out to dehydrated ice cream and space. 87 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: You know in Deadwood, how they often refer to the 88 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: Chinese as celestials like a like a racial slur. What 89 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: do you think it has anything to do with this 90 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: idea of moon of like aliens or them, like you know, 91 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: co opting that term for spacemen and just you know, 92 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: talking about like these weird Chinese people that might as 93 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: well be from another planet and calling them celestials. Yeah, 94 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: it comes from an old name that was used to 95 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 1: refer to China as the Celestial Empire. It was sometimes 96 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: called which is a translation of an an older name 97 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: for the region in the country, which I believe is 98 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: jan Chow. Interesting, Okay, that makes sense, but still, you know, 99 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: even even referring to it as the Celestial Empire implied 100 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: some level of mothering of almost like putting them in 101 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: the same boat as say, people from another planet. Exactly. Yeah, 102 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: that's a good point. This is coming from the perspective 103 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: of can we extend an empire? Here he found this 104 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: story of a German person who apparently slept throughout the 105 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: entire winter, hibernating essentially, and new research in our modern 106 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: day proves that there is there is a possibility to 107 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: create um the circumstances for human hibernation. But he also, 108 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: you know, again, I can emphasize this enough. He's working 109 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: with the information he has at the time, and he says, look, 110 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,679 Speaker 1: there are reports that I believe prove human beings can 111 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: indeed hibernate the way mammals like bears do, And he's 112 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: and so maybe they can just sleep right sleep the 113 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: moon voyage away and not have to eat and I 114 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: have to breathe, etcetera. He did say he did put 115 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: a little caveat in there, well, olive branch to the haters, 116 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: and he said, if none of these ideas convince you, 117 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: there may happily be some possible means for the conveyance 118 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: of other food. And he's like, all right, if you 119 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: guys are gonna be divas about it, I guess we 120 00:07:54,960 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: can pack some lunches, is how I took it. So 121 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: it's kind of nuts that Wilkins is making all this progress, 122 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: and it is progress. This ideation is solid. Uh. It's 123 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: it's nuts that he's able to do it, especially given 124 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: the widespread turmoil in England at the time. Again, in 125 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: sixty two, the English Civil War began. It led to 126 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: the abolition of the Anglican Church. The king was beheaded. 127 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector as a result of these events, 128 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 1: and that's when Wilkins marries uh Robina, Oliver Cromwell's younger sister, 129 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: and he becomes the brother in law of Cromwell, who 130 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: was at this time you know, it was at a time, um, 131 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: therefore a time he has temporarily removed the royal family 132 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: from power. And I think, I think, in my mind, 133 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: I just think of him as being a very heavy 134 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: handed ruler, um who was also a better a zealot, 135 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: isn't that right? Well, he definitely had a reputation, as 136 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: as we said, as an intense dude, a harsh ruler. 137 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: He was to your point, a religious hardliner. Uh. He 138 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: does have a real legacy though. A fun weird fact, 139 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: there are more roads named after Cromwell than any other 140 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: British ruler other than Queen Victoria. It's like there's I'm 141 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: sure they're like Cromwell Ladies, Cromwell Uh, Cromwell Street. That's 142 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: an easy one. British listeners, please let us know how 143 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: Cromwell's legacy affects your neck of the global woods. Here's 144 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: the here's the thing. That's why I keep bringing up 145 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: League of Extraordinary Gentleman or maybe Ozamandius and his explorations 146 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: and The Watchman, the HBO series. No spoilers, it's cool. 147 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: Check it out. Uh. When he is warden of Wadham College, 148 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: Oxford between sixteen forty eight and uh, just before sixteen sixty, 149 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: Wilkins gets his crew together. He assembles a club of 150 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: scientific friends and like it's kind of like a salon. 151 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: It's kind of like a a think tank. You know, 152 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: if they were, if they were getting together in a 153 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: different time, they might have made a podcast. I don't know. 154 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: I just I loved I love that approach where he's like, 155 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: fellow will to do intellectuals. You come, we should sup 156 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 1: on moist sponge and you speculate on the exploration of 157 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: the mean. It's just for comfort, bad, It's just just 158 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: a it's a sponge sponge your way to comfort. I 159 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 1: don't quite understand how that works, just to like what 160 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: you're what you're the nape of your neck or something 161 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: to keep a little maybe, Yeah, it's kind of how 162 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,839 Speaker 1: you suck on the sponge. I'm confused about the implementation 163 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 1: of the sponge. So why are we mentioning the idea 164 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: of Wilkins pitching stuff. Well, it's because it turns out 165 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: that he kind of was, like if you look at 166 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: his books, you might agree with science. His story named 167 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: Dr Alan Chapman, who says that his earlier works especially 168 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: read kind of like a proposal to investors, like, hey, 169 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 1: get in on the ground floor and then go twenty 170 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: miles up with me to the moon a k A. 171 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: Help me pay for materials and help me with the research. 172 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,599 Speaker 1: The interesting thing is and one thing I love that 173 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: you pointed out all that this wasn't all just pen 174 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: and paper brainstorming. The interesting thing here is that some 175 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:46,319 Speaker 1: of this stuff made it to the experimentation phase he had. 176 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: And I love this talk about goals for a house. 177 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: He had an inventor's garden of all these cool gadgets 178 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: and devices at the college when he was wardened, and 179 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: they held things like here's here's the kind of stuff 180 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: he ad in this garden, a talking statue, something called 181 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: a rainbow maker, which I imagine is a prism. Right, 182 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: that sounds right? That's so funny you say that. My 183 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: girlfriend is a stained glass artist and one of her 184 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: most popular items that she makes is something she calls 185 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 1: a rainbow maker, and it's a glass kind of frame 186 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: with a prism crystal hung in the middle. And actually 187 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: have one of my window and it's the most lovely 188 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: way to wake up in the morning with the morning 189 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:27,959 Speaker 1: sun streaming through and kind of splitting up into little 190 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: like dancing rainbows all over the room. But yes, she 191 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: literally calls them rainbow makers. That's so wholesome, man it. Yeah, 192 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 1: I bet that is. But that is amazing, especially depending 193 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: on where your window is placed. And check out her 194 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: work at Daylight glass Works on Instagram. Plug if that's okay, Oh, 195 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: this guy is going for the boyfriend points. Yeah, let's 196 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: do it. I got your back, all right? Cool? What 197 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: was it a good I'll say it to Daylight glass Works. 198 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: Daylight glass Works, you heard it here first, do check 199 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,400 Speaker 1: it out custom jobs whatever you want, you want it 200 00:12:54,400 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: in stained glass, She's got you covered. And uh, the 201 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 1: There are other inventions here. One that is very clever 202 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: and I think is still fascinating to a lot of 203 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,440 Speaker 1: people today is a glass bee hive, so that you 204 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 1: could see what goes on within the hive. That's so cool. 205 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: So his buddy we mentioned earlier, Robert Hook, another natural philosopher, 206 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 1: was also writing about experimenting with flying machines in the 207 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: garden with John Wilkins. Unfortunately they didn't get too specific 208 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: about it. Why did they not get too specific about it? Well, 209 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 1: there there are two ways to think of this, folks. 210 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,319 Speaker 1: We'll give you both ways, and then you can choose 211 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: which you like best. Uh. First, maybe it's because these 212 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: experiments were unsuccessful, all right. Yeah. Secondly, maybe it worked 213 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: too well. Maybe it worked so well that they were 214 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 1: like Cromwell, can never know. We must we must save 215 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: the world is not ready for base geese. We have 216 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:03,839 Speaker 1: to we have to keep people on the planet. Or 217 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: maybe they went to the moon. They're like moon people 218 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: are jerks. They took our moist sponges. Anyway, soon after 219 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: these experiments, we know that Robert Hook stops focusing on 220 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:18,719 Speaker 1: space exploration and gets really into clocks. Yeah, I mean, 221 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: you know a lot like, like we said, a lot 222 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: of the things that that the mechanics of designs like 223 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: his flying chariot and other uh, you know, concepts certainly 224 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: hinged on the kinds of electro mechanical you know, principles 225 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: that would would serve a watchmaker. Uh. And so we 226 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: we we all pretty much knew this was coming. Not 227 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,360 Speaker 1: too much of a surprise here. The flying chariot never 228 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: really became a thing. It was not particularly destined to 229 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: take wing uh for real zes um, science was moving 230 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: ahead such an insane clip that Wilkins was a pretty 231 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: good idea man, and this flying chariot, you know, was 232 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 1: clever and definitely fantastical. By the time he was fifty 233 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: years old, he had been left in the dust by 234 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: the the up and coming class of scientists. In sixteen 235 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: sixty four, he finally decided that it was just not possible. 236 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 1: By sixteen fifty nine, research done by his friends Robert 237 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: Boyle and Robert Hook actually led to the discovery of 238 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: the vacuum uh and and then led to things like 239 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: the vacuum two which we use today in electronics, and 240 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: also just understanding how things work in a vacuum and 241 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 1: that space itself is a vacuum and airless environment that 242 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: would not be possible to inhabit without some technology that 243 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: was way way above their weight class at this time, right, yeah, 244 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: exactly their weight less class. There, it is there, it 245 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 1: is so so Wilkins. Wilkins doesn't make it to space 246 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: in his corporeal form, but the charisma the guy had, 247 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: the curiosity city he had really put him at the 248 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 1: forefront of the scientific movement in England. And again, unless 249 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: you're talking about space travel, nothing occurs in a vacuum. 250 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: So the monarchy is restored. After Civil Wars sixteen sixty 251 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: Wilkins Scientific Club is chartered as the Royal Society. It 252 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: is still one of, if not the most prominent and 253 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: auspicious scientific body in Great Britain. Wilkins becomes Bishop of 254 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: Chester in sixteen sixty eight, and his pal Robert Hook 255 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: becomes the greatest experimental physicists of the age. And as 256 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: Wilkins continues his ongoing quest of discovery and innovation, he 257 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: keeps thinking, I love you, said idea man. He keep 258 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: thinking of new ideas. He's one of the people who says, 259 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: why don't we make a universal language so everyone can 260 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 1: talk to one another. Why don't we have get this, folks, 261 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:15,880 Speaker 1: a predecessor of encrypted personal messaging, which is nuts by 262 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: the way that he even thought of this. He was like, 263 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: let's make a signal cipher system so anybody can communicate 264 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: their thoughts to a friend at any distance with privacy 265 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: and speed. How nuts is that? How nuts is it 266 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,920 Speaker 1: for you to be sitting around in the mid to 267 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 1: late sixteen hundreds and go, you know what I need 268 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 1: to invent what text messaging? I need to invent signal? 269 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: I need to invent the signal. Oh totally. And we 270 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: did an episode around the New Year about Nikolai Tesla 271 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: and his pals some of their predictions that, like you said, 272 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: that is what science fiction is all about. It's about 273 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: predicting what could be without maybe having the means to 274 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 1: make it actually happen. And then so many people are 275 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: inspired by these ideas, you know, like the idea of 276 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 1: pocket communicators, you know from Star Track or whatever. Now 277 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,439 Speaker 1: that's just like everyday stuff. And we've talked about you know, 278 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 1: um texts, avery cartoons like or Chuck Jones I always 279 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: forget like Rocket Bye Baby, or like the you know, 280 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: the kind of pop culture pop art depictions of the future, um, 281 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: back in the fifties. So it's just very interesting to 282 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: see these kind of idea people, these thinkers like uh, 283 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: like Wilkins or you know, even people like Robert Heinlein, 284 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: like authors that then um kind of postulate things that 285 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: ultimately do come into being eventually. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And 286 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,399 Speaker 1: we buried the lead a little bit here. He coined 287 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 1: the words cell in biology, in the in the in 288 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: the discipline biology, and so he got a lot of 289 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: street cred from other natural philosophers, his his pals in 290 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: the club that became the Royal Society of Science. And 291 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: even if we look back on everything he got wrong, 292 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: what we see is a very self aware dude, because 293 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: he was thinking in the right direction. Like I said earlier, 294 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 1: you know, learning which questions to ask is just as 295 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: important as finding answers to questions, And a lot of 296 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: stuff he wanted to do actually happened just much later 297 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: than he would have liked. He said something really inspiring too, 298 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:34,640 Speaker 1: when he was talking about these these wild ass ideas 299 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: of exploring space. He said, he pointed out, you know what, folks, 300 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: we use boats and ships all the time, and the 301 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,199 Speaker 1: invention of ships at one time seemed impossible to the 302 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: people who first conceived them. And quote none but the 303 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: bold daring men Durst adventure, we have no just reason 304 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,360 Speaker 1: to be discouraged in our hopes of the like success. 305 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: So he's like, we built ships on the ocean, why 306 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: can't we get ships in the you know? And I 307 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 1: think this is what inspired um, the guy who later 308 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: took the stage name Fred Durst. He's he's been making 309 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: a new career for himself as a hack director. Really, 310 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,159 Speaker 1: I saw I saw him as an actor in a 311 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,679 Speaker 1: in a horror film I watched a while back, and 312 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 1: it was stuff to recognize him. So he's a director, huh, well, 313 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you could put that in quote fingers. 314 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,640 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. I haven't seen his work, to be fair, 315 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: but casey he might be where he made a movie 316 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 1: called I think the what was that, The Fan or 317 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 1: the Stalker something like that. John Travolta is in it, 318 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: and he basically plays a let's just say, developmentally disabled 319 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: fan of an actor who then goes full psycho and 320 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: home invades him and tortures him and ties him to 321 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: a chair. And just the clips of it that I've seen, 322 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 1: it's like, Wow, John Travolta, you really really went for that, 323 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: and fred Durst, you really pushed him to go for that. 324 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,400 Speaker 1: So I can't really support that casey, you know I'm 325 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:58,639 Speaker 1: talking about it looked rough. Yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't 326 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: go beyond just a few clips here there. But it 327 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: looks like a future Camp classic maybe Okay, well not 328 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,359 Speaker 1: not every trivol To joint can reach the caliber battlefield Earth. 329 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,640 Speaker 1: You know, that's just that's just the reality of the business. 330 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: But fred Durst decide John Wilkins is really inspiring. You know, 331 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: if we wanted to put it in perspective, we could 332 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: say that they belong to a sort of honeymoon era 333 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: of science. Enough stuff had been discovered again by Europeans. 334 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: Is very Eurocentric. To open up all kinds of wonderful possibilities. 335 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:43,120 Speaker 1: We knew that things we had thought were impossible we're achievable, 336 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: and now we just had to figure out what else 337 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: we could do. And and Wilkins, his likability, his genial nature, 338 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: I think stood the test of time because if you 339 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 1: look in one of his books, The Discovery, it ends 340 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: with him making a humble prediction where he says, you know, 341 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: posterity is probably going to be surprised by how ignorant 342 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: me and all my friends are today. It's uh it, 343 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: and you know, it comes at the end of some 344 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: very mistaken beliefs about the moon. He's basically he's saying, 345 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: even if I'm wrong, I'm trying and other people should 346 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: try to right. That's cool. I think that's so approachable. 347 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: I kind of want to hang out with him. I 348 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: do not want to hang out with his brother in 349 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: law again. It seems like Oliver Cromwell seems intense. Oh yeah, 350 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: as long as you keep the space geese uh safely 351 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: distanced from me, I would be down to hang as well. 352 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:54,120 Speaker 1: And with that, with our final shout outs to space geeks, 353 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: this concludes our two part series Space Geeks and Geese. Yes, 354 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: Geeks and Geese, I'll honk to that. So this concludes 355 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: our two part series All had the Life, Times and 356 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: uh Dreams of John Wilkins. We hope that you enjoyed it. 357 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: We hope that anybody listening to this who is maybe 358 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: you know, if you're young, you want to go to 359 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,440 Speaker 1: space camp, we hope you get a chance to. If 360 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: your parents want to send a kid to space camp. 361 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: We hope you get a chance to if you're if 362 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 1: you're listening right now, and let's say you know you're 363 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:35,159 Speaker 1: a middle schooler or a high school or something, believe us, 364 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 1: you totally can be an astronaut. I guarantee you. John 365 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: Wilkins would want you to. Isn't that is that off base? 366 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 1: Do you think that works? No? No, And not to 367 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,199 Speaker 1: mention the opportunities newly available opportunities perhaps that we're going 368 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: to see moving forward with the Space Force. I know 369 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: we probably ragged on that a little bit when it 370 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: first came out for reasons, um, but you know now 371 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 1: it's it's it's actually moving forward, and it seems like 372 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: there's some opportunities for some budding space enthusiasts to get involved. 373 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 1: And please let us know about your adventures and your endeavors. 374 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: Thanks as always to our super producer Casey pegram Thinks 375 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: as well to Christopher Hassiotis and Eve's Jeff co Huge 376 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: thanks to Gabe Luzier, researcher extraordinary, Jonathan Strickling, the quister 377 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,919 Speaker 1: Alex Williams who composed our theme, and Ben, thanks to 378 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: you for being a friend and always being there and 379 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: protecting me. From the Space Geese back at you knowl 380 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,920 Speaker 1: Here's to the Moon, to the Moon, Let's see you 381 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: next time. Fox. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, 382 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 383 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.