1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Mankey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Fashion doesn't sit still. It's constantly changing every decade, 7 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,319 Speaker 1: every year, every season. Sometimes certain trends return, like the 8 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: bell bottom craze of the nineteen nineties, and sometimes they 9 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: rightly go away forever, like the polyester leisure suits of 10 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: the seventies. But one clothing item has withstood the test 11 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: of time, existing for thousands of years across a variety 12 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 1: of cultures, even though it is widely considered to be 13 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: a modern creation. It started in fifty sid b c. 14 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: In the ancient city of catalhu Yuck, the ruins of 15 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: which can be found today in modern day Turkey. During 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: this era, an image of the mother goddess of the 17 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: native people was crafted. The image showed her wearing two 18 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: strips of cloth, one covering her chest and the other 19 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: covering her lower half, as she sat upon two leopards. 20 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: A similar outfit was seen thousands of years later in 21 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: fourteen hundred b c. It was depicted in Greek vases, urns, 22 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: and artwork, and was often seen on women participating in 23 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: athletic activities throughout history. Evidence of this garment was also 24 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: found in ancient Roman mosaics, Greek sculptures, and Latin literature. 25 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: It is almost as old as time itself. However, even 26 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: though this article of clothing was worn commonly and publicly, 27 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: it became increasingly seen as immodest and vulgar by more 28 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: conservative minded individuals as time war on. It was until 29 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: one man decided to tackle it head on and drag 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: it into the sunshine of the modern age. His name 31 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: was Louis Rayard, born in France in eighteen seven. He'd 32 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: worked as an automotive engineer until his mother's death around 33 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: nineteen forty. She had owned a clothing business, and Louis 34 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: took it upon himself to step into her shoes. No 35 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: pun intended running the company from that point on. Sometimes 36 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: he would stroll the nearby beaches and he would note 37 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: how the women couldn't get the kind of sun tan 38 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: they wanted. Their swimsuits covered too much of their bodies, 39 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: so they would roll the fabric back to expose more 40 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: of their skin. And this gave him an idea. What 41 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: if they didn't have to roll up the fabric, What 42 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: if they could wear a swimsuit that exposed their middrift 43 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: for them instead. It took several years, due in part 44 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: to the war effort and fabric shortages, but by ninety 45 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: six Louis had come up with just the thing, and 46 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: so had someone else. Jacques Heim, also from France, had 47 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,079 Speaker 1: gotten his start working for his parents for Company Me. 48 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: Just like Louis, Jacques took the reins and started running 49 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: it himself some years later, eventually broadening its offerings beyond 50 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: fur coats and stoles. The company's new Cotur line included dresses, 51 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: and Jacques also started producing clothes for young girls. But 52 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: aside from all of that, he made a bathing suit. 53 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,839 Speaker 1: It was comprised of a ruffled bandeau and a pair 54 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: of short bottoms with a thin strip of middrift exposed 55 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: between them. He called it the Atom French four Adam 56 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: and advertised it by pain sky writers to write out 57 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: the phrase the World's smallest bathing suit in the sky 58 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: over a popular resort but Jackaim didn't have Louis Royard's 59 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: marketing prowess. Louis knew what people wanted to see. He 60 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: would use even less fabric than his competitor, a meager 61 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: four small triangles tied together that amounted to no more 62 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: than thirty square inches of material. It had to be 63 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: seen to be believed. All he needed was a model. Unfortunately, 64 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: no one wanted to wear it, as there wasn't much 65 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: there to begin with. But he eventually found his model 66 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: in a young nineteen year old dancer named Micheline Bernardini. 67 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: She worked at a local music hall and agreed to 68 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: be photographed in louise new bathing suit. On July five, 69 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: he took her to a public swimming pool in Paris 70 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: and introduced her to the crowd. She made quite a splash. 71 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: The bottoms of her new swimsuit stopped just below her 72 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: navel and exposed more of her backside than any other 73 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: suit on the market, and as promised, her middrift was 74 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: fully exposed. Newspapers printed photos of her in the ensemble 75 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: too great acclaim, mostly from men. However, it was banned 76 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: in several countries and even a few places in the 77 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: United States. Over time, however, it gained in popularity among 78 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 1: swimmers and beach goers, and despite Joaquim beating Louis Royard 79 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: to market with his design, it was Louie's name for 80 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: the product that ultimately stuck. He had named his swim 81 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: suit after the location of a US atomic test site 82 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: near the later called Bikini a Toll. So with one 83 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: word and a few pieces of fabric, two men brought 84 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: a seventy year old garment into the twentieth century with 85 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: the invention of the bikini, and Louis even managed to 86 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: outdo his competition. A few weeks after Jacques had his 87 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: slogan written across the Sky for the resort, Louis hired 88 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: his own skywriters to do the same, except this time 89 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: he had them write something better smaller, it said, than 90 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: the smallest bathing suit in the world. Comedian and filmmaker 91 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: Mel Brooks famously said, rhetoric does not get you anywhere, 92 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,039 Speaker 1: because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. 93 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 1: But if you can bring these people down with comedy, 94 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: they stand no chance. He understood that in order to 95 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: rob evil people of their power, he had to make 96 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: them the butt of the joke. Perhaps no work of 97 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: his exemplifies this more than the musical number Springtime for 98 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:13,359 Speaker 1: Hitler from Brooks's nineteen sixty seven film The Producers, the 99 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: over the top Broadway performance in which Nazis sing and 100 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: dance paying tribute to a giant poster of their leader 101 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,840 Speaker 1: as the Hitler character entered the scene, and its portrayed 102 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: as a laughable beateneck not a fearsome dictator. But what 103 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: mel Brooks might not have known at the time was 104 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: that he didn't have to make up stories to make 105 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: the Nazis look like fools. One real life German U 106 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 1: boat captain managed to do that all on his own. 107 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: His name was Carl Adolph Schlitt, and he was in 108 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: charge of German submarine U twelve O six. The U 109 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: twelve oh six was a two D and twenty foot 110 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: sub weighing as much as eight hundred and seventy one 111 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: tons when submerged. It was built later in the war 112 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: and as a result had a few upgrades that separated 113 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: it from its earliest counterparts. One such upgrade was its 114 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: use of deep water, high pressured toilets, unlike British subs, 115 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: which kept septic tanks. On board that could be emptied 116 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: at a later time. The U twelve oh six fired 117 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: human waste into the ocean with every flush. This new 118 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: plumbing system allowed use of the restroom while the sub 119 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: was at depth, no need to worry about a heavy 120 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: tank to add weight to the vessel. There was only 121 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: one catch. Flushing the toilet was a lot more complicated. 122 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: It even required training on how to do it properly 123 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: without jeopardizing the integrity of the vessel and the lives 124 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: of the people on board. A person had to turn 125 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: a series of valves in just the right order to 126 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: evacuate the toilet's contents without seawater coming back in. In 127 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: April of the U twelve oh six was traveling two 128 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: feet below the waters off the coast of Scotland when 129 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: Captain Schlitt got the urge. He might have had a 130 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: large meal or one too many cups of coffee that day, 131 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: but whatever it was, he had to go now. Being 132 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: a submarine captain, a man in control of a massive 133 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: vessel and his own destiny, there was no reason for 134 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: him to think he couldn't handle something as simple as 135 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: using a toilet. And yet he soon learned that flushing 136 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: the U twelve O six is commode required more than 137 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: a jiggle of the handle. After he had done his business, 138 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: Schlitz stood up and realized that, unlike the sub, he 139 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: was out of his depth. He called in an engineer 140 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: to a system. Now there were two Nazis in a 141 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: small submarine bathroom with no idea how to flush the toilet. 142 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: The engineer turned one valve and that's all it took 143 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 1: for all hell to break loose. The room started to 144 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: take on seawater, with Schlitz remnants swirling around with them. 145 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: And to make matters worse, the bathroom was positioned over 146 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 1: the sub's battery. As the water breached the compartment, another 147 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: kind of toxic gas, flooring gas, to be precise, filled 148 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: the vessel. Schlitz and his crew had no choice but 149 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: to surface, and at the worst possible time. The U 150 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: twelve O six was almost immediately spotted by the British 151 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: Royal Air Force and fired upon. With no other options, 152 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: the fifty or so German crew abandoned the sub, which 153 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: was then deliberately sunk to keep its secrets from the Allies. 154 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: Four Nazis died that day, while the others were captured 155 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: in Schlitt's official report, he stated that he had been 156 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: in the engine room when one of his engineers had 157 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: tried to repair a vent at the front of the vessel. 158 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: The ensuing on rush of sea water made the sub 159 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: buoyant and they were forced to surface. He made no 160 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: mention of his time in the bathroom nor the failed 161 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: flush that had sealed the fates of him and his crew. 162 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: Captain Schlitt was only twenty seven when he was handed 163 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: control of the U twelve O six. It was his 164 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: first patrol. After spending several years in a p O 165 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: W camp. He was released and lived to the ripe 166 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: old age of ninety. But he had to live every 167 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: day of that knowing that he got his men killed 168 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: or captured because he didn't know how to flush a toilet. 169 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 1: And that's a real Schlitz show, if you ask me. 170 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 171 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 172 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 173 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership 174 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 175 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: called Lore which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 176 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 177 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.