1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Bogle bom here with another classic episode 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: from our archives. The Holidays are supposed to be a 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: time of peace and togetherness, but of course wars don't 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: stop for the holidays, whether it's within our families or 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: among our nations. But today's episode is the story of 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: one time that war did stop for Christmas. High brain 8 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Bogle bam here Today, I've got a Christmas 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: story for you, and I promise it has a happy ending. 10 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: The beginning is a little bit harsh though a World 11 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 1: War One gave the world its first brush with efficient 12 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: and widespread death. More than eight point five million people 13 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: would lose their lives to the war. Troops used trench 14 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: warfare for the first time. The hundreds of miles of 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: trenches that marked the landscape from the English Channel to 16 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: Switzerland held an astounding average of one soldier for every 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: four inches. Both sides held tenaciously to their positions. The 18 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: Battle of Verdun lasted nine months, caused three hundred thousand 19 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: deaths and resulted in almost no change in the position 20 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: of the lines. New technology made its way into battlefields 21 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: of France, Germany and Belgium, bringing death to soldiers in 22 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: new horrible ways. Machine Guns, which had made their debut 23 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: in the American Civil War, became more efficient over the 24 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: ensuing decades, and by the early twentieth century they could 25 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: deal six hundred rounds per minute. Chemical warfare was refined 26 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: in the form of mustard, chlorine and phosgene gas. Airplanes 27 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: were used for the first time in major combat, including 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: the concept of mass casualty bombings. The tank and the 29 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: flamethrower both made their debuts with mixed results, and the 30 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: casualties of World War One extended to civilians, making the 31 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: Great War a total war. In the midst of all 32 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: this madness, however, an event took place that serves to 33 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: renew a little faith in humanity. The Christmas Truce was 34 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: a brief moment of sanity, standing out against the chaos 35 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: of war. One of the first public statements Pope Benedict 36 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: the fifteenth made when he was elected to the papacy 37 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: was to plea for a truce on Christmas Day. Although 38 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: the Germans entertained the idea of a Christmas truce, the 39 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: Allied forces rejected it. Benedict's request fell to the wayside. 40 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: World War One had begun in Earnest on the Western 41 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: Front in the Flanders area of Belgium. The Christmas season 42 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,399 Speaker 1: arrived amid heavy fighting. Both sides were dug in and miserable. 43 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: Soldiers learned what it meant to live in discomfort and fear. 44 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: In some cases, enemy soldiers fought from trenches just thirty 45 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: yards or twenty seven ms from one another. All along 46 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: the front that Christmas, British and German troops received packages. 47 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: Inside they found notes of appreciation, chocolates, putting, tobacco and 48 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: other tokens. In their packages, the German troops received Christmas trees. 49 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: The small trees at tenen Bombs in German were sent 50 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: to the front perplete with small candles to light. On 51 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: Christmas Eve of nineteen fourteen, German soldiers lit the candles 52 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: and set some trees up on the ledges of their trenches. 53 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: When they began singing, the British troops joined in. Wary 54 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: hopeful soldiers began to peer over the trenches. As Christmas 55 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: broke over Flanders, a truce was carved. From the spirit 56 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: of the season. Germans held up signs unifight weeno fight 57 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,959 Speaker 1: British troops responded with signs proclaiming Merry Christmas. This Christmas 58 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: did turn out to be a very one. Today's episode 59 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: was written by Josh Clark and produced by Tristan McNeil 60 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: and Tyler Play. For more on this and lots of 61 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: other warming topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain 62 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: Stuff is a production of My heart Radio. Or more 63 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: podcasts in my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, 64 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.