1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,519 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 2: Guess what, Mango? 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: What's that? 5 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: Well? 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 3: So, I was looking to the history of Christmas lights 7 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 3: this week, and I was trying to figure out who 8 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 3: exactly is to blame for the yearly chore of untangling them. 9 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 3: I don't know if you deal with this, but it's 10 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 3: sort of a nightmare around. 11 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: Here in my house. It's Ruby. Ruby is always the culprit. 12 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 3: You didn't have to tell me that. I already knew 13 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 3: that it was Ruby. But I was looking a little 14 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 3: further back, further back than Ruby even and my search 15 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 3: led me all the way back to Thomas Edison's Christmas party. 16 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 2: This was back in eighteen eighty. 17 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 3: Now, to be clear, Edison didn't invent Christmas lights, just 18 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,840 Speaker 3: in case you were curious about that, and he didn't 19 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 3: technically invent the light bulb. But by all accounts, he 20 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 3: was the first to string lights together and use them 21 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 3: as yule Tide decorations, which I did not know before 22 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 3: this episode. 23 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: That is pretty awesome. Can I tell you something ridiculous? 24 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: On Friday, I snuck into this reading of a new 25 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: musical in the works about Nikola Tesla and Edison. And 26 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: the Edison character was incredible. It was almost like d V. 27 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: Diggs as like Jefferson in Hamilton. He was like this big, funny, 28 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: smarmy showman of a character. And so I've been thinking 29 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: about Edison all weekend before you mentioned this. 30 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 2: That's amazing. 31 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: But you know, I've always read about Edison that he 32 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: was like kind of a workaholic, and it's kind of 33 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: stunning to think of him getting into the holiday spirit here. Yeah. 34 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean your perception is spot on, and Edison 35 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 3: was definitely a workaholic and very much working on the 36 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 3: night in question. In fact, the whole goal of his 37 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 3: holiday get together was to try to convince a group 38 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 3: of investors and New York City officials to let him 39 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 3: wire the city for electricity. So to that end, he 40 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 3: invited them out to his laboratory. This was in Menlo 41 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 3: Park on the evening of December nineteenth, eighteen eighty, and 42 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 3: to help sell them on the idea of electric lighting, 43 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 3: he arranged an eye catching spectacle to greet them at 44 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 3: the train station. It was two rows of electric lamps 45 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 3: strung across wires. It was such a novel sight that 46 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 3: the New York Times reported on it two days later, 47 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 3: writing the train arrived at Menlo Park at five point 48 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 3: thirty one. Darkness had settled down upon the bleak and 49 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 3: uninviting place which mister Edison had chosen for his home. 50 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 3: But the plank walk from the station to the laboratory 51 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 3: was brilliantly lighted by a double row of electric lamps, 52 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 3: which cast a soft and mellow light on all sides. 53 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 3: The incandescent horseshoes gave out a yellow light which shone 54 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 3: steadily and without the least painful glare, and were beautiful 55 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 3: to look upon. Pretty fun description. 56 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: So first of all, I love that the New York 57 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: Times is writing about New Jersey as a bleak and 58 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: uninviting place, which feels like yeah. But I also loved 59 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: that Edison wasn't trying to kick off a new holiday tradition. 60 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: He was just trying to win business and impress his dinners. 61 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 3: No, that's exactly right. There's no indication that he meant 62 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 3: for the lights to be associated with Christmas. He was 63 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 3: just hosting a party around the holidays, and the lighting 64 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 3: seemed to fit the mood. But Edison maintained that same 65 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 3: sense of showmanship inside his lab as well. After giving 66 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 3: the group the grand tour the facility, he led them 67 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 3: up to the building's second story, which was almost completely dark, 68 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 3: and then on Edison's signal, the room lit up with 69 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 3: about forty electric lamps. It revealed this lavish bread of 70 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 3: food provided by the famous Delmonico's restaurant. 71 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 2: Pretty great. 72 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: That is pretty fancy. So it sounds like he went 73 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: all out. 74 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,119 Speaker 3: He did, and the effort seems to have paid off 75 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 3: because Edison's company did eventually secure the rights to provide 76 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 3: electricity in Lower Manhattan. And not only that, one of 77 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 3: his longtime colleagues, Edward Johnson, used the opportunity to introduce 78 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 3: the first intentional Christmas lighting display. Now, this was in 79 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 3: December of eighteen eighty two. Johnson decided to show off 80 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 3: his home's electricity and promote Edison's company. He commissioned a 81 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 3: string of lights made specifically for his Christmas tree, and 82 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 3: once they were ready on December twenty second, he positioned 83 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 3: the tree at the front of his home so it 84 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 3: would be visible through the windows, and then he turned 85 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 3: it on for. 86 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 2: The first time. 87 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 3: There were eighty bulbs total, each about the size of 88 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 3: a walnut, and they glowed in colors red, white, and blue. 89 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 3: But Johnson didn't stop there, so to make the spectacle 90 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: even more grand, he installed on an electric crank beneath 91 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 3: the floor that allowed the tree to rotate. Like this 92 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 3: guy was innovative. He was getting it on the rotating 93 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 3: tree thing. 94 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: That is amazing. It also feels like the wires would 95 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: get tangled in that situation, but I like the innovation. 96 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, And you know, as you'd expect, Johnson's revolving 97 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,720 Speaker 3: glowing Christmas tree dazzled passers by and through large crowds 98 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 3: every night that it was lit. And this spectacle was 99 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 3: newsworthy too, because at the time people generally lit their 100 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 3: trees with wax candles clipped to the branches, which actually 101 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 3: these days just sounds terrifying. I don't know, they didn't 102 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 3: all catch any fire, but you know, the safety of 103 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 3: electric Christmas lane lights became a major selling point in 104 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 3: the coming decades. And while Christmas trees today are mostly 105 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 3: strung with LED lights instead of their old incandescent cousins, 106 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 3: we still owe a big debt of thanks to Thomas 107 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 3: Edison and of course Edward Johnson forgetting the tradition rolling. 108 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 3: But Edison's bright idea for his dinner party is just 109 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,679 Speaker 3: the first of nine unforgettable holiday gatherings we'll talk about today. 110 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 3: So let's get into it. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome 111 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,799 Speaker 3: to part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always 112 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 3: I'm joined by my good friend Mangeshaw Ticketer and on 113 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 3: the other side of that soundproof glass helping himself to 114 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 3: a third slice of fruit cake. I mean, that's it's 115 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 3: a big slice too. It's impressive. That's our friend good 116 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 3: pretty great. Actually, I'm pretty jealous at this point. That's 117 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 3: our friend and producer Dylan Fagan. Now the strange part 118 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 3: is he seems to be genuinely enjoying it, which I 119 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 3: didn't think was actually allowed with a fruitcake. 120 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 2: I don't know what your feelings are. 121 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: That is really the last thing to go at the 122 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: holiday party, but it feels like Dylan's really on it. 123 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it usually goes in the trash, honestly, and 124 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 3: it makes the trash weigh like fifty pounds more, but 125 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 3: not on Dylan's watch. 126 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 2: So thank you for your service, buddy. 127 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: So Will. Since he start us off with the origin 128 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: of Christmas lights, I want to give you the backstory 129 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: on an even more old school Christmas decoration, and that 130 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: is the Nativity scene. And whether it's a live performance, 131 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: a long display, or a bunch of figurines on a mantle, 132 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: scenes depicting the birth of Christ have long been a 133 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 1: staple of the Christmas season. In fact, the very first 134 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: Nativity scene is thought to have been created more than 135 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: eight hundred years ago, and this was in Gareccio, Italy. 136 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: It was orchestrated by none other than Saint Francis of Assissi, 137 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: who you know. It was one of the most revered 138 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: saints in Catholic history, my mom's favorite saint in fact, 139 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: because of his love for animals. But he made the 140 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: scene as a way to make the Christmas story feel 141 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: more real for his fellow countrymen. 142 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 2: So I'm trying to picture this. 143 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 3: Did he just set up the little scene outside of 144 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 3: a village church or what did he do exactly? 145 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: It was a little more elaborate than that. So first 146 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: he obtained permission from the Pope in Rome because no 147 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: one had actually recreated the birth of Jesus before and 148 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: he didn't want it to be seen as blasphemous or 149 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: anything like that. So then he wrote home to one 150 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: of his friends in Grecio, and he asked him to 151 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: find a cave in the countryside where they could stage 152 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: the scene. And in the letter Francis explained his motivation. 153 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: He wrote, quote, I want to do something that will 154 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: recall the memory of that child who was born in Bethlehem, 155 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: to see with bodily eyes the inconveniences of his infancy, 156 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: how he lay in the manger, and how the ox 157 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: and donkey stood by. 158 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 3: And I do think it's fair to say if he 159 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 3: made people travel all the way out to a distant cave, 160 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 3: then he kind of nailed it on the inconvenience front. 161 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. But by the time Francis arrived at Greccio in 162 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: mid December, his friend had actually found a suitable cave. 163 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: He'd stalked it with a hayline manger as well as 164 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: two live animals, this ox and this donkey that Francis 165 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: had asked for. And once everything was ready, Francis invited 166 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: his fellow friars and all the farmers in the region 167 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: to come see the major scene during Christmas Mass. Now, 168 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: Francis himself preached the homily that evening in the cave. 169 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: It was illuminated by firelight, and crowds came from miles 170 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: around bearing candles and torches, and several of those in 171 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: attendance actually claimed to witness miracles at the mass. So, 172 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: for example, there were no figures or actors present in 173 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: the scene, but witnesses reported that a real, live infant 174 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: suddenly appeared in the empty manger, and in the weeks 175 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: that followed, all these miraculous healings for such to take 176 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: place in the grotto where the mass was held, so 177 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: sick animals and pregnant women were leisurely cured just by 178 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: touching the straw and the manger where the baby g 179 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:01,239 Speaker 1: Jesus had materialized. 180 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that definitely explains why we have a 181 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 3: pretty solid date for when this happened. Like, putting a 182 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 3: manger in a cave might not be worth reporting on, 183 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 3: but when you talk about these events that people are 184 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 3: reporting happen there, you know the magic that happened there, 185 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 3: it's likely the type of event people will remember. 186 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, and word of the Nativity scene did make the Browns. 187 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: Saint Francis's recreation prompted other churches in Italy to stage 188 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: their own scenes in the following years. And then over 189 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: time the practice spread to churches and other countries, as 190 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: well to town squares and eventually into private homes. But 191 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: for those who favor authenticity, you can actually still make 192 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,839 Speaker 1: the trip to where the tradition was born. The hermitage 193 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: where Francis staged the First Nativity is still there outside 194 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 1: the town of Correccio, and each Christmas the townspeople gather 195 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: there and mount a live historical reenactment of Saint Francis 196 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: and the First Nativity minus the infant Jesus. 197 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 2: Right right, Well, my. 198 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 3: Next fact is about a holiday party that Saint Francis 199 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 3: would not have approved of, though he might have at 200 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 3: least appreciated the theming here, because, according to New York Magazine, 201 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 3: the Bloomberg Company's two thousand Christmas party was based off 202 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 3: of the Seven Deadly Sins. 203 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:13,679 Speaker 1: I mean, I can see how like gluttony gets into 204 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: the mix, but but how do you put something like 205 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: wrath into a Christmas party? 206 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 3: Well, apparently it attracted a lot of people. Michael Bloomberg 207 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 3: himself was there. He attended along with fifteen hundred British 208 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 3: employees at the company's London office. And if the tabloid 209 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 3: rumors are true, it was the country's most extravagant office 210 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 3: party to date. The party is said to have cost 211 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 3: one million pounds, which is the equivalent of about two 212 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 3: point seven million dollars in today's money, and it took 213 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 3: a full ten days to set up all the decor 214 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 3: and the attractions that were part of it. 215 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: So I'm very curious. Now what were some of these attractions? 216 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 3: I mean just the usual holiday fair like, you know, 217 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 3: a makeshift casino, a sushi bar, some neck massage stations, 218 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 3: a couple manicure boosts, not to mention ten different open bars, 219 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 3: including one that was just a t off filled with 220 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:02,079 Speaker 3: candy and truffles. 221 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: Of course I like that. So it feels like you're 222 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,559 Speaker 1: covering like pride, slop, maybe greed and glutten me there. 223 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: But what about things like envy and luston and again wrath, 224 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 1: which I'm very curious about. 225 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:16,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a good question. I'm not sure about wrath, 226 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 3: but lust is a pretty easy one. They had dedicated 227 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 3: a quote lust room that featured a twenty five foot 228 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 3: wide bed decked out in purple satin, which feels a 229 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 3: little weird for an office party. 230 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 1: This is gross. 231 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, the less said about that one and the better 232 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 2: I think. 233 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 3: And as for Envy, they were live musicians and drag 234 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 3: queens performing in the whole night, and some of them 235 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 3: were said to wave around fistfuls of cash while shouting money. 236 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 3: Ain't it gorgeous? So that's the way they covered off 237 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 3: on that. But the wildest part is that even though 238 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 3: Bloomberg faced some moral backlash for the decat an event, 239 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 3: he still won his campaign for New York mayor the 240 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 3: following year. 241 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,719 Speaker 1: Well, I feel like everyone loves someone who could throw 242 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: a good party. But I want to head back to 243 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: some more whole holiday territory from our next back, because 244 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: it's actually about the Christmas parties thrown on Ellis Island. 245 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,920 Speaker 1: So for the first half of the twentieth century, the 246 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: island's Immigrant Reception Center was America's main port of entry. 247 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: As we've talked about before, they had roughly eighty percent 248 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: of the nation's immigrants passing through its gate each year, 249 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: and with that many people to inspect and process, some 250 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: families were obviously stuck there during Christmas holidays. So thankfully, 251 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: immigration officials did their best to keep things feeling festive 252 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: by throwing an elaborate Christmas party for the detainees. 253 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 3: Wow, so I've never heard of this before. So how 254 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 3: many manicure boosts did they have there? 255 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: Pretty sure zero? But that doesn't mean the staff didn't 256 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: plo out all the stops when it came to decorating, 257 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: especially during the center's busy early decades. So according to 258 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: Atlas Obscura quote, the Great Hall, with the soaring vaulted 259 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: ceilings and glossy tiled halls, featured nine Christmas trees, each 260 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: decked with color lights. At one end of the hall, 261 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: a giant glowing electric sign read Merry Christmas, likely the 262 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: first electric sign many of the immigrants had ever seen. 263 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: Each balcony, railing and pillar was wrapped gracefully in evergreen 264 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: roots and American flags. The largest tree in the room, 265 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 1: often topping thirty feet, stood at the opposite end of 266 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: the gallery. Under its branches, immigrants peered at the hundreds 267 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: of neatly wrapped packages, one for each person held at 268 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: Ellis Island on Christmas Day. 269 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 3: I mean, that does sound lovely, but it does make 270 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 3: me think though, like, what about all the Jewish immigrants 271 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 3: who were housed there at the same time. 272 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: So Ellis Island didn't offer a Honka party until the 273 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: nineteen forties. That was a little over a decade before 274 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: its closure in nineteen fifty four. And while Jewish immigrants 275 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 1: were still given gifts and invited to attend the Christmas Party, 276 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 1: you know, many chose to sit out for obvious reasons. 277 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 1: But another shortcoming of the Ellis Island parties was that 278 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: they didn't account for immigrants who had no prior knowledge 279 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,719 Speaker 1: of Christmas. So, for instance, there's this one story from 280 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: the New York Carol Tribune about this young Chinese boy. 281 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: His name was San Lee. He had to stay in 282 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: Ellis Island through Christmas, and the nurses tried to cheer 283 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: him up by arranging a visit from Santa But since 284 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: the boy obviously had no concept of Santa Claus, he 285 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: was totally freaked out with this like plump guy and 286 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: this shows up just laughing by his bedside, I can imagine, 287 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: reportedly under the covers, until the nurses were finally able 288 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: to convince him that Santa Claus was, as the Tribune 289 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: put it, a beneficent old gentleman of the Western world. 290 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 2: On a title. 291 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 3: I feel like we should just call him that from 292 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 3: now on, but I can imagine like, if you've never 293 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 3: heard of this concept before and then suddenly this figure 294 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 3: shows up, that would be terrifying completely. 295 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: And I do want to mention that while the Ellis 296 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: Island parties had some serious cultural and religious blindspots, they 297 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: did try to be very inclusive. So, for example, guests 298 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: at the nineteen thirty one party enjoyed such diverse acts 299 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: as a Japanese xylophonist, a Spanish ten, a German Christmas carol, 300 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: and a Hungarian folk dance. And then to cap it 301 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: all off, Oh Holy Night was sung in every language 302 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: spoken at the island, or almost every language, because according 303 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: to one reporter, the Chinese singers didn't have a translation 304 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: to the song, so they assisted by humming instead. 305 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 3: You know, I'm not sure this fact is as wholesome 306 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 3: as you thought it was, Mango, because I feel like 307 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 3: I'm picturing a room full of very baffled people who 308 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 3: were just kind of going along with all this because 309 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 3: they weren't allowed to leave. But it's definitely an interesting scene. 310 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, maybe wholesome isn't the right word for 311 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: a mandatory Christmas party, but I will say one poignant 312 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: thing that stuck out to me. In all the reporting 313 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: is that apparently the immigrants faces were said to light 314 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: up when they heard the language of their mother tongue 315 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: in song, and so even though the lyrics probably didn't 316 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: mean much to them, the singing did give them the 317 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: sense of delonging, which I'm sure felt nice. 318 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, now that makes sense. Heart well. 319 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 3: As fun as these holiday parties sound, there is one 320 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 3: crucial element they've all been. 321 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 2: Lacking so far. 322 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: Fruitcake. 323 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 3: No, not fruitcake. There's always fruitcake. That's actually the problem. 324 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 3: I was actually talking about eggnog, mango, the fruitcake of beverages. 325 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: So well, I know, and I hope I'm not revealing 326 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: too much that you used to love egnog? Do you 327 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: still ever drink eggnog? 328 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 3: I love eggnog so much. In fact, I loved it 329 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 3: so much as a kid. We're talking the non alcoholic variety. 330 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 3: I loved it so much as a kid that all 331 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 3: of our family passwords, like to get into computers, or 332 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 3: if you know, somebody was coming to pick you up 333 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 3: and had to say the family password, it always involved eggnog. 334 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 3: I loved it so much, and it made me so 335 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 3: hyperactive that my parents would have to dilute it with 336 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,280 Speaker 3: just some milk, because I would drink so much of it. 337 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: That is amazing. So tell me about this eggnog fact you've. 338 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 3: Got anyway, Well, I just wanted to share more about 339 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 3: my history with egnog, but no, I'll get to this. 340 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 3: So one interesting thing I learned this week is that 341 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 3: while today's egnog is generally just a kid friendly mix 342 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 3: of eggs, milk, sugar, cream, and of course spices, the 343 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 3: eggnogg of old almost always included alcohol. The hot drink, 344 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 3: originally known as posset, was developed in Britain during the 345 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 3: Middle Ages, and it was typically made from curdled milk 346 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 3: and spiced wine or ale. 347 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: Hot curdled milk with spiced wine sounds really advertized. 348 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 3: You wouldn't buy that if you saw that on the box. 349 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,679 Speaker 3: But it was also high class, and at first it 350 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,919 Speaker 3: was enjoyed almost exclusively by the upper class, so you 351 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 3: had to be a sophisticate to enjoy it. But when 352 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 3: the drink made its way to colonial America, it became 353 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 3: more widely available thanks to the colony's abundance of dairy 354 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 3: farms and sugar and rum, and in fact, the American 355 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,919 Speaker 3: eggnog became so popular that even George Washington tinkered with 356 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 3: his own private recipe. 357 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 1: So I should remember this because our friend Ethan brought 358 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 1: it in to our office at Mental Claws, the recipe, 359 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: and then we decided to make a day of it, 360 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: and we like all made this eggnog and it was delicious, 361 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: but it was like insanely alcoholic. 362 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, yes it was. It's probably not the right mix 363 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 3: for a midday office party. But not only did George 364 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 3: include the standard rum, he also threw in sherry, brandy 365 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 3: and of course whiskey. 366 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,920 Speaker 1: So do you have any instances of agnog really making 367 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 1: a party turn into a party like that being the 368 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: key ingredient. 369 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,399 Speaker 3: Lots of examples, but we're gon we're gonna stick with 370 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,920 Speaker 3: one here at a highly boozy agnog was certainly part 371 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 3: of a memorable Christmas party thrown at that famous West 372 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 3: Point Military Academy. This was in eighteen twenty six, at 373 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 3: a time when the school was desperately trying to shake 374 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 3: its reputation as kind of this rowdy and undisciplined academy. 375 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 3: So to that in west Point strict superintendent this was 376 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 3: Colonel Sylvanas Thayer. He had banned the consumption of alcohol 377 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,160 Speaker 3: on campus, including at the school's annual Christmas party. Now, 378 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 3: obviously that was an unpopular move among the cadets, so 379 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 3: a few days before Christmas, a group of them sneaked 380 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 3: out at night, wrote across the Hudson River and bought 381 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:05,439 Speaker 3: about four gallons of whiskey from a local tavern. They 382 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 3: then smuggled the booze back to campus and stashed it 383 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 3: away until late Christmas Eve. So they lay low until 384 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 3: after midnight at some point, and then these two officers 385 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 3: stationed in the barracks, Captain Hitchcock and Lieutenant Thornton, finally 386 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 3: went to bed. So the cadets then mixed up a 387 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 3: giant batch of eggnog and spent the next several hours 388 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 3: drinking and partying without any interruption. However, at around four 389 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 3: in the morning, Thornton and Hitchcock awoke to the sound 390 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 3: of basically a frat party on every floor of the barracks, 391 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 3: So the two officers rushed to break up the various gatherings, 392 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,679 Speaker 3: but the inebriated cadets weren't having any part of that, 393 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 3: and so some students threatened their superiors with swords and 394 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 3: wooden beams, and at least one of them pulled out 395 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 3: a pistol, so it's a pretty potent egnog I think, 396 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 3: though thankfully he missed his shot and the bullet struck 397 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:57,440 Speaker 3: the door jam instead of Hitchcock door jam. 398 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: That sounds so dangerous. 399 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 3: It's wild, But believe it or not, that was just 400 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,199 Speaker 3: the beginning. So after this near miss, Hitchcock sent for 401 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 3: the commandant to help put a stop to the chaos. 402 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 3: But because the cadets were too drunk to understand what 403 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 3: was happening, they assumed he had called in the artillery 404 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 3: men stationed in campus. So face with the threat of 405 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 3: armed guards, the cadets started taking up arms and trying 406 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 3: to fortify the barracks against intruders. So they broke apart furniture, 407 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 3: smashed windows, ripped the banisters from the stairways. Then they 408 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 3: busted up all the cups and dishes and scattered the 409 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 3: shards all over the floors. 410 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,199 Speaker 1: They basically home alone. 411 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 3: Bit they totally home alone this whole situation, and the 412 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 3: artillery men never arrived, of course, as they hadn't been 413 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 3: called in the first place. But the Commandant of Cadets 414 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 3: did show up, and thankfully he was able to call 415 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 3: on the riot, confiscate what remained of the eggnog, and 416 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 3: that was the end of the party. 417 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 1: That is insane. So so what happened to these cadets, 418 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: I'm assuming some of them were punished, right. 419 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 3: Well, some of them were. Out of the two hundred 420 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 3: and sixty cadets, about ninety of them were identified as 421 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 3: participants in the riot, Indicting all of them would have 422 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 3: reinforced the school's negative image, so instead they are only 423 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 3: expelled the most aggressive of the bunch. It was about 424 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 3: nineteen cadets and total. 425 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 2: I'm still a lot of people. 426 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: But can you imagine if they just been graduating one 427 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: that year because there had been an eggnog party? 428 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, too much eggnog really did them in pretty wild. 429 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 3: And you know, the rest of the partygoers were let 430 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 3: off the hook, including future Confederate President Jefferson Davis his 431 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 3: future General Roberty Lee, both of whom were students at 432 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 3: West Point during the Agnog riot. And in case we're wondering, 433 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 3: the annual Christmas party is no longer a tradition at 434 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 3: West Point. 435 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 1: Which is probably a good call. Actually, my next fact 436 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 1: is also about a rowdy gathering in late December, but 437 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: this one involves just two people. The eccentric Danish astronomer 438 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: Tycho Brahe and his third cousin made her up Parsburg, 439 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,919 Speaker 1: which is spelled like mader Up, though I assure you 440 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: I didn't. So this was back in the year fifteen 441 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:03,120 Speaker 1: sixty six when both were young men studying astronomy. This 442 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: is in Roastock, Germany. One day in early December, Braa 443 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: and his cousin get into a heated argument at a 444 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 1: friend's engagement party, most likely over a disagreement about a 445 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: mathematical formula because they were both astronomy nerds. Now the 446 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,200 Speaker 1: other partygoers were able to talk them down before things 447 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 1: got out of head. But then two weeks later the 448 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: boys were at it again, and that time things took 449 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: a violent turn. So it all goes down on December 450 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: twenty ninth, when a bunch of students gathered at a 451 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: local pub for some post Christmas revelry. After another evening 452 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: of heavy drinking Brahe and Parsburg, they decided to resume. 453 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 2: Their earlier argument. 454 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: I guess they just can't stop arguing over mathematics, and 455 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: both men were carrying swords at their hips, as was 456 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: the customer at the time. So once they had thoroughly 457 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:54,160 Speaker 1: offended each other, they reached for their blades and oh my, yes, insane. 458 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: Wait so but honestly, is this still over in math formula? 459 00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: Like they're about to throw down and have a sword 460 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: fight over who is the better mathematician. Yeah, it's about 461 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: as nerdy as a duel, looking get, but it still 462 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 1: came with some serious consequences for Tychobrahjiks. So the fight 463 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,200 Speaker 1: ends with him losing a significant chunk of his nose. 464 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: Though the exact extent of the injury is unclear, some 465 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: historians think he lost the majority of his nose. Contemporary 466 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: depictions show him wearing a prosthesis that only covers the bridge, 467 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: But in either case, the whole thing wasn't very flattering 468 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: for him, because while a small doing scar on the 469 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: cheek was considered a mark of bravery, something that's like 470 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:34,160 Speaker 1: kind of handsome, etc. Like having half your nose sliced 471 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: off is obviously less becoming, and Bray ended up wearing 472 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: a fake brass nose for the rest of his life. 473 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 2: I mean, it's. 474 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: Insane, But the funny thing is that he really seemed 475 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: to embrace the eccentricity that came with having a metal nose, 476 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: and actually his personal life only gets increasingly weird from 477 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 1: that point on. After finishing his studies, he moves to 478 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: an island with a castle and an observatory. This is 479 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: financed by the King of Denmark, and while living there, 480 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:05,199 Speaker 1: he hires a dwarf jester named Jep who he believes 481 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: to be psychic. He makes him sit under the dining 482 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: room table during every single meal. It's all very very confusing. 483 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 2: What on earth, Mango, It's so weird. 484 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: Apparently he also had a pet elk in the castle 485 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: that liked to drink beer, so they would drink together. 486 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:19,959 Speaker 1: But one night the elk had a little too much 487 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: to drink fell down the stairs to his death. It's 488 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: all very very absurd. 489 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, I mean, it feels like Jef should 490 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 3: have seen that one coming. And actually, remind me again. 491 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 3: I know we remember his name from all of our 492 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 3: science classes, but remind me what tych o'brie was known 493 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 3: for besides being a psychopath. 494 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 2: Obviously. 495 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, so Brian made sizeable contributions to the field of astronomy. So, 496 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: using the most precise instruments of his day, he was 497 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: able to track the movements of the planets and the stars, 498 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: and he did this with surprising accuracy. His observations actually 499 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 1: lead to the discovery of a rare supernova. And this 500 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: is all the way back in fifteen seventy two, And 501 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,479 Speaker 1: he also created this incredible series of important essays on 502 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,960 Speaker 1: the movement of comments. He actually would have been even 503 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:06,159 Speaker 1: more accomplished, except at the age of fifty four, after 504 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 1: attending a royal banquet in Prague, he ends up falling 505 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,320 Speaker 1: sick and dies a short time later, and again continuing 506 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:16,199 Speaker 1: with the weirdnesses of his life. The cause of his 507 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,199 Speaker 1: death has long been debated, but most historians think it 508 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: was because brahe grank accessibly at the banquet and then 509 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,120 Speaker 1: waited too long to go to the bathroom. 510 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 3: What like, this guy's life was weird enough, but you're 511 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 3: saying he died because he didn't feel like getting up 512 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 3: to pee. 513 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 1: Well, I mean it wasn'tok like he was lazy, it's 514 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: because he was polite weird. So there was a societal 515 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: custom at the time that said guests shouldn't excuse themselves 516 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,159 Speaker 1: to use the bathroom until their host does at first, So, 517 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: rather than seeming rude, which feels strange, for him, because 518 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,239 Speaker 1: he seems like the type of person who wouldn't be 519 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 1: caught up with politeness. He ends up staying seated and 520 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: winds up damaging his urinary cracks so badly that it 521 00:25:58,080 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: kills him a few days later. 522 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 2: Oh my god, that is so wild. 523 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:03,719 Speaker 3: It's a good tip for anyone hosting a party this 524 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 3: holiday season. You should let your guests know that it's 525 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 3: okay to get up and use the bathroom. We don't 526 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 3: want anybody pulling a brahe as they call it. 527 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 1: Think we just saved a few lives right there. 528 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, we did. 529 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 3: This podcast saves lives, so all right, Well, switching gears 530 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 3: a little, I do want to tell you about a 531 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 3: much tamer military Christmas party than the one Throne at 532 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 3: West Point that we were talking about. Now, this one 533 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 3: took place against all odds. It was actually in the 534 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,360 Speaker 3: Belgian trenches of the First World War, and it's commonly 535 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 3: referred to today as the Christmas Truce. So the way 536 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 3: this went is that on Christmas Even nineteen fourteen, French, 537 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 3: German and British soldiers laid down their weapons for one 538 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 3: night and had an impromptu Christmas party right there in 539 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 3: no man's land now, according to accounts from the soldiers, 540 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 3: men who had been shooting at each other just a 541 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 3: few hours earlier, again shaking hands, exchanging gifts, singing carols together, 542 00:26:56,840 --> 00:26:59,400 Speaker 3: and they passed around cigarettes and whiskey, and even played 543 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,120 Speaker 3: a game of side on the snow covered battlefield. 544 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 1: So I have heard of this before, mainly because of 545 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: the soccer game that took place, but I was never 546 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 1: really sure if it actually happened or not. It almost 547 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: seems like one of those things that is apocryphal, like 548 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: it's too sweet to be true. 549 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, you're right, it does seem that way. 550 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,199 Speaker 3: But it helps to remember that this happened just a 551 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 3: few months into the war, so neither side had a 552 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:26,919 Speaker 3: clear understanding of what they were fighting for beyond this 553 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,479 Speaker 3: vague notion of freedom, and at that point, no one 554 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,360 Speaker 3: could imagine that the war would drag on for another 555 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,920 Speaker 3: four years, and so once winter said in, many of 556 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:38,479 Speaker 3: the soldiers on the Western Front were more concerned with 557 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 3: surviving the cold than they were with killing their enemies. 558 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 3: So with that context in mind, it's easier to imagine 559 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 3: why French and British soldiers would be open to a 560 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 3: holiday ceasefire, especially on Christmas Eve. When they heard the 561 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 3: singing coming from the German trenches, they thought, you know what, 562 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 3: we'll join them, and according to one account, the English 563 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 3: soldiers began belting out their own carols in response, until 564 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 3: eventually the two sides were all. 565 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 2: Singing in unison. 566 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 3: It was such a moving experience that the following morning, 567 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 3: troops from either side made their way across the battlefield 568 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 3: and agreed to set aside their differences for the next 569 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 3: twenty four hours. Now, of course, none of this was 570 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 3: sanctioned by commanding officers on either side, and plenty of 571 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 3: soldiers kept right on fighting through Christmas in other parts 572 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 3: of the region, but the truce proved to be a 573 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,160 Speaker 3: deeply cherished moment for the regiments that took part in it, 574 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 3: and after the war was over, many of the men 575 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 3: told their families about the event, against the wishes of 576 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 3: army leadership, of course, and years later the published accounts 577 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 3: of various soldiers revealed the full details of the Christmas truth. 578 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: I really love that I had no idea those sort 579 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: of depth of it, and it's pretty wonderful. But I 580 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:48,880 Speaker 1: know we've got two more of fus to go, so 581 00:28:48,960 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. 582 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 3: You're listening to Part Time Genius, and we're looking back 583 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 3: at nine holiday gatherings that we wish we'd been invited to, 584 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 3: or actually maybe not in some cases. But all right, Mago, 585 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 3: you're up next. What's your last party fact on the list? Well, 586 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 3: up to this point, we've mostly talked about Christmas party. 587 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 3: So I thought i'd jump ahead to New Year's Eve 588 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 3: and tell you how that song all Lang Sign became 589 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 3: the official anthem of the holiday. You know, I actually 590 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 3: didn't know that song could be traced back to a 591 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 3: single occasion. 592 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: Well, not the song itself. That's believed to have been 593 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: written like way back in the seventeen eighties by the 594 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: Scottish poet Robert Burns. The translation of the title is 595 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: since long ago, and it was commonly sung in Scotland 596 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: when friends parted ways, and by the eighteen eighties it 597 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: was used to ring in the New year as well. 598 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: A handful of Americans also adopted the practice in the 599 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 1: early twentieth century, but it wasn't until New Year's Eve 600 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty nine that the tune became linked with the 601 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 1: holiday on a national So this is a night when 602 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: this Canadian American violinist. His name is Guy Lombardo performed 603 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,560 Speaker 1: Allline sign with a ten piece band at the Roosevelt 604 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 1: Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. He had been introduced to the 605 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: song as a child in his native Ontario, which happened 606 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: to be home to a large Scottish population, and he 607 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: thought the nostalgic farewell tune was the perfect way to 608 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: close out his shows. So Lombardo's band launch into the 609 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 1: number just as the clock struck midnight, and it was 610 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: heard not only by New York partygoers, but by radio 611 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: listeners who were tuning in from all over the country. 612 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 2: And so how did this work? 613 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 3: Like everyone just collectively agree that it was the song 614 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 3: to play at midnight from that point on. 615 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: Well, I mean, that's the power of radio, right But 616 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: it wasn't right away. Lombardo and his band continued to 617 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: play in New Year's Eve shows in New York for 618 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: almost half a century, and every single time they did, 619 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,520 Speaker 1: the Scottish song was the first tune they played at 620 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: the stroke of midnight, So people kind of became accustomed 621 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 1: to hearing it until finally it just didn't feel like 622 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: years without it. And while tons of artists have put 623 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 1: their own spins on the track over the years. When 624 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 1: the big ball drops in Times Square, it's actually still 625 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 1: Lombardo's version of old lying sign that rings out for 626 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: all of us to hear. 627 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 2: Wow. I mean, that is a wild legacy to have. 628 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:16,760 Speaker 2: It's impressive. 629 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 3: Well, you and I were on the same wave link, Mango, 630 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 3: because my last fact is also about a New Year's 631 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 3: Eve party, but not just any New Year's Eve party, 632 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 3: because as far as I can tell, this is the 633 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 3: only one on record to be held inside of a 634 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 3: thirty ton dinosaur. 635 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 2: I don't know if you found any. 636 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:33,480 Speaker 1: Others in that side of a dinosaur. 637 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 638 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 3: This happened back in eighteen fifty three, which makes it 639 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 3: even more impressive because these days it feels like anybody 640 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 3: can just make a giant dinosaur. But this is when 641 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 3: natural history artists and sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins hosted a 642 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,640 Speaker 3: New Year's Eve dinner party inside a full scale model 643 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 3: of an iguanadon. The event was held as a publicity 644 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 3: stunt to advertise Hawkins's latest upcoming project, which was a 645 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,560 Speaker 3: display of the world's first dinosaur sculptures at the Crystal 646 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 3: Palace Park in London. 647 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: So if he had a whole series of dinosaurs like, 648 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 1: what made him pick out the Iguanadog. 649 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:09,680 Speaker 3: It's a good question. So Hawkins chose the iguanadon to 650 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 3: host the meal because it was the largest of the 651 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 3: thirty three concrete dinosaur models that had been commissioned for 652 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,200 Speaker 3: the exhibit. True to the animal it was based on, 653 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 3: the sculpture measured approximately nine feet high thirty three feet long. 654 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 3: As for why the dinosaur sculptures were made in the 655 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 3: first place, they were meant to be one of the 656 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 3: new sort of premiere attractions at the Crystal Palace's big 657 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 3: reopening in eighteen fifty four. So at the time, the 658 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 3: public had only seen illustrations of dinosaurs in the occasional 659 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 3: incomplete skeleton I guess, and it was hard to get 660 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 3: a sense of the animal's true scale. So as a result, 661 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 3: dinosaurs weren't a subject of public fascination at the time, 662 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 3: But the Crystal Palace company saw dinosaur's true potential. They 663 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,520 Speaker 3: wagered that these life size replicas would be enough to 664 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 3: capture the public's interest and draw a big crowd for 665 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 3: opening day. So Hawkins New Yar's Eve dinner party was 666 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 3: a way to build excitement for the exhibit and kind 667 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 3: of wet the public's appetite for these big concrete dinosaurs. 668 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: Oh, I kind of love that. So so who was 669 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:07,479 Speaker 1: invited to this dinner? 670 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 3: Well, there were twenty one guests in total, including leading scientists, businessmen, 671 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 3: and journalists, and the guest of honor was Professor Richard Owen, 672 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 3: a trained doctor and aspiring palaeontologist who coined the term 673 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 3: dinosaur or terrible lizard, and he did so just eleven 674 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 3: years before Hawkins party. He was also the researcher who 675 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 3: advised Hawkins on the design of these dinosaur models, though 676 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 3: it's worth noting that the models were based on the 677 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 3: knowledge at the time and aren't considered scientifically accurate today. 678 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense, But I love that these guys 679 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: still got to eat dinner inside a giant dinosaur carbon. 680 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 3: Yeah. 681 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,800 Speaker 1: I mean I kind of want to know everything about this, 682 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: like what was on the menu, Like anything more you've 683 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:50,040 Speaker 1: got I'd love to hear. 684 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 685 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 3: Actually, the meal consisted of eight courses, including a mock 686 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,600 Speaker 3: turtle soup, mutton cutlets, and partridge stew. You know, your 687 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 3: typical meals. And as for the seeding, any of the 688 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 3: guests set inside the iguanadon's open back cavity. Now, we 689 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 3: don't know the exact arrangement of the tables or chairs, 690 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,760 Speaker 3: but a drawing published and illustrated London News does provide 691 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 3: a few clues. So the most likely scenario is that 692 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 3: eleven guests were seated in a row inside the belly, 693 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 3: and the rest were seated at a perpendicular table just 694 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:23,840 Speaker 3: behind the iguanadon, creating this t shaped table setting. The 695 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 3: drawing also shows the model surrounded by a tall stage, 696 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:29,760 Speaker 3: which enabled the guests and the weight stuff to climb 697 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:33,280 Speaker 3: inside a little bit more easily. After a few courses, 698 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 3: Hawkins reportedly gave a short speech and Owen followed it 699 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:40,400 Speaker 3: with a brief presentation about the sculptures. According to Hawkins, 700 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:42,759 Speaker 3: the dinner party got pretty rowdy from there, or as 701 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 3: he puts it, quote the roaring chorus was so fierce 702 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:49,319 Speaker 3: and enthusiastic as almost to lead to the belief that 703 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,400 Speaker 3: the herd of iguanadons were bellowing. 704 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: I love that, and it sounds totally preposterous, but yeah, 705 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: destruction I still love to think about. They got to 706 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: ring in the new year from inside this massive, hollowed 707 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 1: out dinosaur. It's pretty pretty awesome. 708 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely on my bucket list now for sure. 709 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:11,320 Speaker 3: And it should go without saying, but Hawkins Dinner Party 710 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 3: was a huge success. The press is coverage stoked excitement 711 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 3: for the exhibit's debut, and when the big day finally came, 712 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,399 Speaker 3: the dinosaurs did not disappoint. The lifelike recreations helped make 713 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 3: dinosaurs a subject of mainstream interest for the first time, 714 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 3: and for the next half century, more than a million 715 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:29,520 Speaker 3: people came to see the models every year. 716 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: So are these models still around? Like? Could I book 717 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,080 Speaker 1: a dinosaur to throw a dinner party in? 718 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 3: Well, the original Crystal Palace unfortunately caught fire in nineteen 719 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 3: thirty six, but thankfully the concrete dinos were durable enough 720 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 3: to survive the fire, and so most of them still 721 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 3: stand at the Crystal Palace Park two this day, and 722 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:50,439 Speaker 3: thanks to refurbishments, they now look better than ever, though 723 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:52,320 Speaker 3: I'm not sure you can run them out. 724 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,400 Speaker 1: Well, it is hard to imagine a better holiday party 725 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: than the one hosted inside a dinosaur. And since you're 726 00:35:58,120 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 1: the one who told us about it, I think you 727 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: get the trophie this week, which by trophy I mean 728 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,520 Speaker 1: this delicious prepackaged fruitcake. 729 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 3: Joan, Wow, this suddenly doesn't feel like much of a victory. 730 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:12,400 Speaker 3: But you know what, I think I'm going to donate 731 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 3: this to Dylan. It feels like the right holiday thing 732 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:14,880 Speaker 3: to do. 733 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,800 Speaker 1: All right. Well, that's it for today's Part Time Genius. 734 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 1: I know Will and I are both taking off for 735 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: the New Year's but we can't wait to be back 736 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: with new episodes in the meantime. Just thank you so 737 00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:28,319 Speaker 1: much for listening. It really means the world to us. 738 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: From Will, Mary, Gabe, Dylan and myself, we really appreciate you. 739 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: Happy Holidays. Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope 740 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. This show is hosted by Will Pearson and 741 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 1: me Mongagetikler and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. 742 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: Today's episode was engineered produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan 743 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:05,760 Speaker 1: with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced 744 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,279 Speaker 1: for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social 745 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:13,720 Speaker 1: media support from Sasha Gay, Trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shory. 746 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio 747 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: app Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.