Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild.
Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are
Speaker 2: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Speaker 1: When we're little, we imagine living in the most amazing places,
Speaker 1: don't we Like a giant castle with a moat full
Speaker 1: of crocodiles, or on a spaceship orbiting the Earth. But
Speaker 1: one former Texas mayor made his own dream come true
Speaker 1: in a truly unusual way. Roy was born and raised
Speaker 1: in Texas. He got an early start in politics when
Speaker 1: he was only sixteen years old after his father suddenly
Speaker 1: passed away. Forced to find a job and keep food
Speaker 1: on his family's table, he worked as an aid at
Speaker 1: the nineteen twenty eight Democratic National Convention in Houston, and
Speaker 1: it was there that Roy got a taste for his
Speaker 1: future career. In nineteen thirty one, he started his own
Speaker 1: private law practice after graduating college. A few years later,
Speaker 1: he became the youngest member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Speaker 1: His ambitions carried him up the political ladder from a
Speaker 1: judgeship in Harris County to Lyndon Johnson's congressional and senatorial
Speaker 1: campaign manager. The two had actually met at that convention
Speaker 1: back in nineteen twenty eight, and Roy eventually went back
Speaker 1: to law, but he found new opportunities for success in
Speaker 1: a variety of industries. He would take slag or buy
Speaker 1: product from steel production and sell it off as aggregate
Speaker 1: for building roads. He also made quite a bit of
Speaker 1: money in broadcasting, owning a series of television and radio
Speaker 1: stations across Texas. But eventually Roy found himself returning to
Speaker 1: politics in nineteen fifty two when he was elected as
Speaker 1: mayor of Houston, a position that he held for two terms.
Speaker 1: He didn't always get along with his constituents nor the
Speaker 1: other members of the local government. He'd been a strong
Speaker 1: proponent of integration when many of his white colleagues wanted
Speaker 1: to keep Houston racially segregated. Unfortunately, he was ousted in
Speaker 1: a special election in the mid nineteen fifties and was
Speaker 1: forced to step down, But he wasn't out because Roy
Speaker 1: was about to change Texas sports forever. In nineteen fifty nine,
Speaker 1: the former judge and Mayor joined the Houston Sports Association,
Speaker 1: which had been formed by a committee of local business owners,
Speaker 1: and they all had one purpose to get Houston its
Speaker 1: own baseball team. This dream came true in nineteen sixty
Speaker 1: when Houston acquired the Colt forty five franchise, but by
Speaker 1: the early nineteen sixties roy knew that they needed a
Speaker 1: proper stadium to play in, so he went to the
Speaker 1: HSA with a plan. He recalled a vacation that he
Speaker 1: had taken to Italy with his wife in nineteen sixty two.
Speaker 1: While touring the coliseum, he marveled at its design and features.
Speaker 1: It didn't matter better what was going on in the
Speaker 1: center of the arena. The round shape could accommodate just
Speaker 1: about anything, and if the outside temperature got too hot,
Speaker 1: a cover could be drawn over the top of the
Speaker 1: coliseum to keep everyone cool. And that's what the US
Speaker 1: needed around All Weather Stadium, and it would be built
Speaker 1: right in Houston. The facility was constructed on several hundred
Speaker 1: acres of swampland and featured a domed roof made of
Speaker 1: plexiglass to allow light in. It was given the futuristic
Speaker 1: name of the Astrodome, and the Colt forty fives moved
Speaker 1: in in nineteen sixty five under a new name of
Speaker 1: their own, one to match their home. They were now
Speaker 1: called the Houston Astros. Speaking of homes, Roy wanted somewhere
Speaker 1: to live that was close to the stadium. He had
Speaker 1: a flare for the theatrical visible in his sprawling mansion
Speaker 1: along Galveston Bay known as Huckster Home. For example, there
Speaker 1: was a space inside called the Circus Room, which featured
Speaker 1: colorful decor and old arcade games. So he had a
Speaker 1: lavish apartment constructed where he could both live and work.
Speaker 1: Bob Hope described it as early King Faruk, referencing the
Speaker 1: Egyptian king who was overthrown in nineteen fifty two in
Speaker 1: part for spending too much money on parades and his
Speaker 1: extravagant playboy lifestyle. Within this opulent apartment, Roy built a
Speaker 1: number of rooms, each one designed to fulfill a specific
Speaker 1: purpose or whim. His grandchildren had their own playrooms styled
Speaker 1: like a circus tent, while adults could while away the
Speaker 1: hours playing bowling or shooting pool in separate recreational areas,
Speaker 1: and if business had to be conducted on premises, there
Speaker 1: was a conference room with a long white table flanked
Speaker 1: by chairs covered in zebra fer He also had a
Speaker 1: personal movie theater, a children's library and inter faith chapel,
Speaker 1: a miniature golf course, a barber shop, and a salon
Speaker 1: for his wife. There was even a special presidential suite
Speaker 1: used only by Lyndon B. Johnson. But Roy wasn't content
Speaker 1: living far from his beloved Astros. Wanted to be where
Speaker 1: the action was, so he had this lavish apartment and
Speaker 1: office suite built as close as he could get to
Speaker 1: the team. Inside the Astrodome, Roy could literally walk out
Speaker 1: of his bedroom or office and watch a game going
Speaker 1: on below. He even had a special dining area that
Speaker 1: overlooked the field. Following his death in nineteen eighty two,
Speaker 1: everything was renovated to accommodate more stadium seating. Almost all
Speaker 1: traces of the Astrodome apartment are now gone, and the
Speaker 1: building itself has sat unused since two thousand and eight.
Speaker 1: Several attempts to revitalize and refurbish it have failed. In
Speaker 1: twenty thirteen, the county tried to turn it into a
Speaker 1: public park, Others tried to bring the building up to code,
Speaker 1: and some lobbied to have it demolished entirely until it
Speaker 1: was added to the National Register of Historic Places the
Speaker 1: following year. But maybe the best use of the astrodome
Speaker 1: has been sitting under everyone's noses this entire time. They
Speaker 1: should follow in the footsteps of Roy Hoffeinz and just
Speaker 1: turn it into an apartment building. It's strange to think
Speaker 1: that the most trivial parts of daily life might be
Speaker 1: influenced by nefarious players. It's even stranger to think that
Speaker 1: we might owe thanks to dangerous people for making our
Speaker 1: lives safer. This story is one of those twisted and
Speaker 1: unexpected tales from history. In nineteen thirty three, the prices
Speaker 1: of dairy products in the Midwest were fixed. However, independent
Speaker 1: dairy farmers demanded a higher price for their milk, but
Speaker 1: representatives from the Associated Milk Dealers, a dairy trade group,
Speaker 1: argued that the public would not be willing to pay more.
Speaker 1: As a result, these dairy farmers, who were union members
Speaker 1: of the Pure Milk Association, went on strike. Meanwhile, two brothers,
Speaker 1: Ralph and al were looking for a way to make
Speaker 1: more money. The brothers were a le of sorts. Their
Speaker 1: business tactics were highly uncommon unless someone was a close confidant,
Speaker 1: it was nearly impossible to even speak with them. At
Speaker 1: this time. The brothers were in the business of selling alcohol,
Speaker 1: but they had reason to believe that the industry was
Speaker 1: going to take a hit, so they turned their attention
Speaker 1: to Midwestern dairies. These dairies lacked regulation, and the brothers
Speaker 1: and their associates already controlled other food products like Wisconsin cheese.
Speaker 1: Ralph and Al's associates acquired Meadowmoor Dairies, located in Chicago, Illinois.
Speaker 1: Ralph had milkship from neighboring Wisconsin, which was much cheaper,
Speaker 1: and then bottled in Meadow Moore's facilities. When word of
Speaker 1: what they were doing got out to caused major conflict
Speaker 1: between themselves, union officials, and other dairies. Tensions were especially
Speaker 1: high because the economic hits of the Great Depression left
Speaker 1: many dairy farmers feeling helpless and desperate, so the two
Speaker 1: brothers hatched a scheme they wanted to take advantage of
Speaker 1: the situation. As the story goes, there, Cronies met with
Speaker 1: the leader of the local milk wagon drivers union, Steve Sumner,
Speaker 1: and asked him to let Meadowmoor higher non union workers.
Speaker 1: They also asked to sell their milk at a lower
Speaker 1: price than other dairies. They told Sumner that later on
Speaker 1: his union drivers could protest these changes, which in the
Speaker 1: public eye, would force Meadowmore to increase milk prices. Since
Speaker 1: the milk they got from Wisconsin was already cheaper, Ralph
Speaker 1: and al still stood to profit if Sumner agreed the
Speaker 1: brothers would protect him and his union. Ralph and al
Speaker 1: knew their protection was worth a lot. Two years prior,
Speaker 1: they reportedly kidnapped the president of the milk drivers union
Speaker 1: and held him for a fifty thousand dollars ransom. They
Speaker 1: used that money to buy meadow More. You could say
Speaker 1: that by offering Sumner protection, the brothers were really just
Speaker 1: promising to leave him alone. But Sumner wasn't so easy
Speaker 1: to push around, you see. There was a story that
Speaker 1: he had once caught a milkman drunk on the job,
Speaker 1: and he threw the man from his wagon and delivered
Speaker 1: the rest of the milk himself. Always to his principles,
Speaker 1: Sumner declined the brother's offer. This decision brought the conflict
Speaker 1: to a head, with many farmers feeling cornered, and the
Speaker 1: brothers determined to make a pretty penny. Violence erupted, store
Speaker 1: windows were smashed, people were attacked, and trucks were damaged.
Speaker 1: This period of street warfare went on for eighteen whole months,
Speaker 1: and it became known as the Chicago Milk Wars. However,
Speaker 1: Ralph and al were never actually caught in the violence,
Speaker 1: and that's because both of the brothers were already behind bars.
Speaker 1: Al for his part, was in on tax evasion charges
Speaker 1: and perhaps by now you have realized how he and
Speaker 1: his brother were so able to pull the strings. That's right,
Speaker 1: I'm talking about Ralph and al Capone. The bootlegging brothers
Speaker 1: strong armed their way into the dairy industry after President
Speaker 1: Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that he would repeal the Eighteenth Amendment,
Speaker 1: which outlawed the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. Once
Speaker 1: alcohol became legal again, no one would have had any
Speaker 1: use for the brother underground racket. Being two of the
Speaker 1: most legendary mom men of all time, they didn't care
Speaker 1: that their new endeavor would bring violence to the region.
Speaker 1: But there is a chance that al Capone did some
Speaker 1: good while in prison. Rumor has it a family friend's
Speaker 1: son became gravely ill and passed away after drinking expired milk,
Speaker 1: so from his cell al Capone lobbied to have expiration
Speaker 1: dates printed on all milk bottles. However, this may have
Speaker 1: just been another way for Capone to undercut his adversaries.
Speaker 1: We know that union regulations prevented him from cornering the
Speaker 1: dairy market and that dairy farmers were already struggling to
Speaker 1: make a living. This was particularly because store bought milk
Speaker 1: was becoming more popular than home delivered milk because it
Speaker 1: was cheaper for consumers. As you know, milkmen were union members,
Speaker 1: and it's no surprise that milk didn't stay fresh on
Speaker 1: someone's doorstep for as long as it would in a store.
Speaker 1: So it's possible that al Capone wanted the expiration dates
Speaker 1: printed on the bottles to give customers more or reason
Speaker 1: to opt for store bob milk. Either way, we can
Speaker 1: be grateful that milk does come with expiration dates and
Speaker 1: that we no longer have to go to war just
Speaker 1: to get a bottle.
Speaker 2: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet
Speaker 2: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn
Speaker 2: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com.
Speaker 2: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership
Speaker 2: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show
Speaker 2: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television
Speaker 2: show and you can learn all about it over at
Speaker 2: the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.