1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: Fellow Ridiculous Historians, we're returning to you with one of 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,719 Speaker 1: our favorite classic episodes. We all know the Statue of Liberty. 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: Have you guys ever gone inside? 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: Have you visited? When I was younger, I did visit it, 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 2: and I distinctly remember getting one of those little model 6 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 2: kits glue the pieces together the statue. That's awesome. What 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 2: about you, Max, I have not. I've only been New 8 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 2: York one time and it was a pretty short trip, 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: so I didn't get a chance to make it over there. 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 2: But I will. 11 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: Well maybe if we because you're going with us for 12 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,279 Speaker 1: some field trips in the near future, so maybe if 13 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: we get there a little bit early, we can all 14 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: go to the Statue of Liberty together. 15 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: Absolutely thanks to French. 16 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: Yes, thank you the French. The Statue of This is 17 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: a particular big thank you, because, as we'll see in 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: today's classic episode, the Statue of Liberty almost didn't go 19 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: to Ellis Island. If history went just a little bit 20 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: of a different way, the Statue of Liberty may well 21 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: have ended. 22 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 2: Up in Egypt. Let's roll the tape. 23 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. 24 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 2: Casey. 25 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: Could we get a little inspiring music. Here the new 26 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: colossus by Emma Lazarus, not like the brazen giant of 27 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 1: Greek fame, with conquering limbs, astride from land to land. 28 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: Here at our seawashed sunset gates shall stand a mighty 29 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, 30 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon hand 31 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: glows worldwide. Welcome her mild eyes, command the air bridged 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: harbor that twin cities frame, keep ancient lands. Your story, 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: pomp Christ, She with silent lips, Give me your tired, 34 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the 35 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless 36 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the 37 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: golden door. 38 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 2: Man, that was beautiful? Did you write that? No? 39 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: No, I wish Emma Lazarus is not my pen name, Poka. 40 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: But that is the That is the poem that adorns 41 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: the Statue of Liberty. 42 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 2: I thought it sounded familiar. Man, Noel, Have you visited 43 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 2: the Statue of Liberty? You know? The Actually the last 44 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 2: time that I really saw the Statue of Liberty relatively close, 45 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: I was with you. We were in New York and 46 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 2: we were doing a thing for like Liberty Mutual. I 47 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 2: had to Casey super producer, Casey Pegram was there as well. 48 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: We had the get to get the shot so that 49 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 2: it matched as close to those legit Liberty Mutual ads that. 50 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 3: You'd see on TV. That was deeply absurd. Well, yeah, 51 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 3: it was the whole deal. That was Yea. 52 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: Was that the same Was that the same trip where 53 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: we hunted down fake buildings? 54 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: Yes, indeed it was the same time. That's right. That 55 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 2: was a whole the whole thing. What an adventure. No, 56 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 2: but I actually did go up you know, you can 57 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 2: go up inside and even go up to the torch. 58 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: Don't remember if I made at that far when I 59 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 2: was quite young, and I ended up with a little 60 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: model that you put together, you glue together of Lady 61 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 2: Liberty yourself. 62 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I feel you, man. I loved going into 63 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: the Statue of Liberty. I'm a I'm a sucker for 64 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: touristy kind of stuff. We live in Atlanta and I 65 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: still do touristy stuff here. 66 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 2: They go to the World of Coke just on a weekend. 67 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: It's been a while, it's been a while I wonder 68 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: if it still has that magic, propagandistic appeal. 69 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure it does. And I'm pretty sure it's 70 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 2: still has the tasting room where you can taste bad 71 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: soda drink stuff across the world, the Italian app de justif. Yeah, Beverly, 72 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 2: it's funny that you mentioned that I was just in 73 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,119 Speaker 2: Chicago visiting and I was treated to a quite disgusting 74 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 2: liqueur that is very much a Chicago thing. A right 75 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: of passage is called malort and it is a bitter, bitter, 76 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: grapefruit liqueurse. So I love the idea of, you know, 77 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: gross things associating with the place. 78 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can't wait to go somewhere in 79 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: Scandinavian try sirm strong. You know, the reason that we're 80 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,919 Speaker 1: mentioning New York is because today's episode concerns the origin 81 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: story of the Statue of Liberty. And while we were 82 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: looking into this off air, I was thinking about you guys. 83 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you Noel, and you Casey and 84 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: you listeners, do you have an Ellis Island story in 85 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: your family's past, like in my family's admittedly murky history. 86 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: The best guess I can make is that we were 87 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: here before Ellis Island, before the Statue of Liberty became 88 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: a thing. 89 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:08,119 Speaker 2: But what about you guys. 90 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's the same with my family. It 91 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 3: all comes back to England, and so I think they 92 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 3: probably made the trip over a little bit before Ellis 93 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 3: Island got going. 94 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 2: I don't really know anything about any kind of immigration 95 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 2: stories about my family, but I know when I did 96 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 2: my ancestry dot com report, I was like ninety percent Scandinavian. 97 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, told me surprising this thing, the Statue 98 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: of Liberty. It's one of the most famous monuments in 99 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: the United States. People from across the world may not 100 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: know very much about this country of ours, but they 101 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: will likely recognize the Statue of Liberty. It's on the 102 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: level of the Eiffel Tower, you know what I mean, 103 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: in terms of its iconicism. 104 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and also in terms of its creation in fact, yes, yes, Alexander, 105 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 2: Oh gosh, we're gonna need some Casey on the case 106 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 2: help with this one. Let me give it a shot, though. 107 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 2: Alexandre Gustave iPhone, Gustav Hefel Yeah he fell okay, Casey 108 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 2: case Yeah. He designed the interior, like the part that 109 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 2: you the things that hold up the outside, the sculpture part, 110 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 2: and the steps and all that stuff that you can 111 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 2: go up into in the Statue of Liberty. The sculptor 112 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 2: who designed the actual exterior, the sculpture part is Frederic 113 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 2: Auguste Bartoldi. 114 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: Yes, that's correct. So let's travel back in time to 115 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: the completion of the Suez Canal. As it was getting 116 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: closer and closer to being finished. In eighteen sixty nine, 117 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: this French sculptor Bartoldi tries to convince the Egyptian government 118 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: to let him build a sculpture. And he says, he 119 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 1: walks into the room, is you know it's a pitch meeting, right, 120 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 1: those never change? And he says, you, guys, I've got 121 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 1: this idea for a statue. It's going to be huge, 122 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: literally and metaphorically. We're going to Egypt bringing light to Asia. 123 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. Huge, because it's inspired by another huge statue, huge 124 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 2: even in the name itself, the Colossus of Rhodes, a 125 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 2: colossal statue which was also the inspiration for a quite 126 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 2: famous television sculpture, similarly, the Titan of Bravos in Game 127 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 2: of Thrones. That's true, that's absolutely right. It's this massive 128 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:28,239 Speaker 2: stone creation that stands astride the waterways entering the city 129 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 2: of Rhodes, greeting visitors or scaring them away, depending on 130 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 2: how you look at it. But the French version of 131 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 2: this was meant to be much more of a welcoming experience, 132 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 2: right right. 133 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: And when we say the Statue of Liberty as we 134 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: know it today was inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes, 135 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: we mean that the sculptor was also following some of 136 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: the specifications of the colossus. The colossus, one of the 137 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: seven Wonders of the ancient world, was the tallest statue 138 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: of that time, was about one hundred and eight feet high, 139 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: and that's around the height of the modern Statue of 140 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: Liberty today, from feet to crown. But you see, what 141 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: you may not know about the Statue of Liberty was 142 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: that it was never originally meant to be in the US. 143 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,679 Speaker 1: He pitched it to Egypt. 144 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 2: First, wait a minute, you say, we just got the 145 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 2: scraps Egypt scraps, sculpt sculpture scraps, we got the tweak, 146 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 2: we got the reboot. 147 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: Okay, So he says, I want a ninety foot tall 148 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: statue of a woman clothed in Egyptian peasant robes, and 149 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: she'll be holding a torch. This torch will also serve 150 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: as a lighthouse to help guide ships into the canal. 151 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 2: Ry, I saw a little function in there with the forum. 152 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:42,199 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm on board. 153 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, although everybody agrees this is a good idea, negotiations 154 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: break down over the price and the leadership involved. They say, 155 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 1: this is this way too expensive, we can't do this, 156 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 1: So instead they just build a lighthouse, the Portsai Lighthouse, 157 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: and then any other large prop gets delayed by the 158 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: Franco Prussian War because Bartoli, and in addition to being 159 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: a sculptor, serves as a major of the militia. 160 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: So was this lighthouse bespoke in any way, ben, or 161 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 2: was it just a old run of the mill lighthouse. 162 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 2: It's bespoke. 163 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's one of the most important landmarks in the 164 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: city of port said, but is it cool looking? I mean, 165 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 1: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 166 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 2: That's fair, But it's certainly not a beautiful robed woman 167 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 2: extending a torch to the heavens right with a crown 168 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 2: representing all that is good and pure in the world. 169 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: Absolutely, they build that in eighteen sixty nine, that lighthouse, 170 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: and as the war. The Franco Prussian War continues, Napoleon 171 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: three is captured and deposed. Bartoli's home province of Alsace 172 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: is lost to the Prussian forces, and a liberal republic, 173 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: or a more liberal republic is installed in France. And 174 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: for a while Bartoli has been planning a trip to 175 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:06,440 Speaker 1: the United States, and he and his partner decide that 176 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: now the time is right, so they go across the pond, 177 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: and in June of eighteen seventy one, Bartold he crosses 178 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: the Atlantic with some letters of bona fides, some letters 179 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: of introduction, and he starts looking for a place to 180 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: stick this statue. 181 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, and here's the thing. You know, immigration has been 182 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 2: a hot button issue ever since the founding of our country. 183 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 2: It's like, do we do we take whoever wants to 184 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 2: come and breathe free and all that, or do we 185 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 2: draw some lines and be a little more choosy. And 186 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 2: obviously that's something that's very much alive today, maybe even 187 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 2: more so than it has been in quite some time. 188 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 2: But the argument for having some sort of symbol of 189 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 2: you know, receiving immigrants with open arms was certainly one 190 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 2: being made at the time, and so kind of good 191 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 2: timing that this particular statue was proposed. 192 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, and he also, for the record, tweaked his pitch 193 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: a little bit. He wasn't building exactly the same statue. 194 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: He was making these different sketches. He was figuring out 195 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: how he would pitch this to the Americans, and he 196 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: decided to what would the corporate term be. He decided 197 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: to pivot. He decided to pivot from this depiction of 198 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: an Egyptian woman that he described as a freed Egyptian slave, 199 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: and he changed the concept to libertas a robed woman, 200 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: the goddess of free slaves in ancient Rome, a more 201 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: universally understood symbol of freedom, at least according to National 202 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: Park Service ranger Danielle Simonelli. And this happens right after 203 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: the Civil War. It could have torn the country apart, 204 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 1: but it came out of this traumatic event with more 205 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: liberty than they had had previously. So at this point 206 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: everybody seems on the same page. And he starts wondering 207 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: where they would construct this statue. He zeroes in on 208 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,439 Speaker 1: a place called Bedloe's Island now spoiler alert named Liberty Island. 209 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: And he does this because he is gobsmacked by the 210 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: fact that ships arriving in New York all have to 211 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: sail past this island, So any ship that's arriving is 212 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: going to see this statue. It seems like the best 213 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: place to put it. Who knows, maybe he was thinking 214 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: Brooklyn instead and changed his mind. There was another fantastic 215 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: side benefit to locating the statue on this island. It 216 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,839 Speaker 1: was owned by Uncle Sam. It had been seated by 217 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: the New York State legislature in eighteen hundred for harbor defense. 218 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: This makes it land, in his opinion, common to all 219 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: the states. So he begins meeting a lot of New 220 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: York VIPs, you know, and he even meets the President 221 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: Ulysses s Grant, and Ulysses s Grant says, hey, man, 222 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: good idea. It's not going to be tough for us 223 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: to get that site for the statue. And he begins 224 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: a tour pitching this idea and getting popular support from 225 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: people of note and people with the financial wherewithal to 226 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:34,439 Speaker 1: donate to the cause. He actually crosses the US twice 227 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: on rail, and the entire time he's on this tour, 228 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: essentially this promo circuit, he is searching for people that 229 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,839 Speaker 1: he thinks will be down with the project. Now at 230 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: this point in the story, some of us listening are saying, hey, guys, hey, hey, 231 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: hang on, the Statue of Liberty. Wasn't that a gift. 232 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: Didn't France just give it to the United States? What's 233 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: all this about fundraising? Well, it was very It's interesting 234 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: because the statue itself did become a gift from France 235 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: to celebrate the Franco American Union, and that was in 236 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 1: large part due to the efforts of la Bolier, right. 237 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 2: Edward de Labolier. He was a French political thinker and 238 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 2: a fan and an expert of the US Constitution and 239 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 2: also himself an abolitionist, and he ultimately proposed that the 240 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 2: monument be gifted to the United States from France to 241 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 2: commemorate the preservation of freedom and democracy and to memorialize 242 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 2: the work of Abraham Lincoln and his freeing of the slaves, 243 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 2: which goes in line with some of the original intent 244 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 2: of the statue in having been an Arab slave woman, right, 245 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 2: which is amazing. But they still had to raise money 246 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 2: because the statue itself is the gift, right, But the 247 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 2: statue doesn't come with the pedestal. They have to build 248 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 2: something to base the statue upon. It's sort of like 249 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 2: have you guys seen those talk shows? This used to 250 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 2: happen a lot in the nineteen nineties talk shows where 251 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 2: everybody in the audience wins a big prize or someone wins. 252 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 2: Oprah is probably the most famous example. On one episode 253 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 2: of the Oprah Show, if I recall correctly, she gives 254 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 2: everyone in the audience a car, of course, but the 255 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 2: problem is when you get the car, you also have 256 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 2: to pay taxes on the car. My favorite one was 257 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 2: she gives everyone in the audience killer bees. I was 258 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 2: thinking of that same gift. Yeah, good one. And here's 259 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 2: the thing. La Boulay was who was a huge fan 260 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 2: of the Constitution and the United States and the efforts 261 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 2: of Abraham Lincoln in freeing the slaves, because you know, 262 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 2: the friends are all about revolution, as we know, and 263 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 2: libertae is the notion of individual freedom and you know, 264 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 2: self determination. So this guy, who was a political thinker, 265 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 2: was already known to Bertoldi or vice versa. Rather, he 266 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 2: knew Bertoldi because he had commissioned him to do a 267 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 2: sculpture or like a bust of him, or had he 268 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 2: had been commissioned. So they kind of joined forces and 269 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,239 Speaker 2: were able to get the ball rolling on this statue 270 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 2: as a joint venture between French and the United States. 271 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: Like you said, Ben, they already had the site picked out. 272 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 2: They had to raise some money to build that platform, right, 273 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: and then they were off to the races. 274 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, let's talk a little bit about the construction 275 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: and the erection of the statue. So Bartoli goes back 276 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: to France in eighteen seventy seven and he's concentrating on 277 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: completing the head of the statue. He makesu progress to 278 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 1: exhibit it at the eighteen seventy eight Paris World's Fair. 279 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: Models of the statue were put on sale to help 280 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: with fundraising in France, and they even sold tickets to 281 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: view the construction activity at the workshop where this was 282 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:08,199 Speaker 1: being built. The French government even greenlit a lottery. Some 283 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,159 Speaker 1: of the prizes were things like a silver plate or 284 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,880 Speaker 1: a terra cotta model of the statue, and by the 285 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: end of eighteen seventy nine they have raised about two 286 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,479 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty thousand frocs. So, Noel, you had mentioned 287 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: earlier that the same guy who built the Eiffel Tower 288 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:30,879 Speaker 1: helped create Gustave I Fel right, helped create this statue. 289 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,199 Speaker 1: He decided to do some pretty innovative things. He opted 290 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: not to use a completely rigid structure because it would 291 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: force stresses to accumulate in the skin of the statue 292 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: and eventually lead to it cracking. He created one of 293 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: the earliest examples of what's called curtain wall construction. That's 294 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: where the exterior of a structure is not load bearing 295 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: and instead it's supported by this internal framework a skeletonist. 296 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 2: Which is also why it matters you need an architect 297 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 2: and a sculptor. This thing is literally a habitable structure. 298 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:03,680 Speaker 2: I mean, you wouldn't live there, but you can certainly 299 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 2: has to sup it's massive, and it has to have 300 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,480 Speaker 2: the same care taken that you would in building a 301 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 2: skyscraper for example. Right. 302 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, And they also changed their minds about the structural 303 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,440 Speaker 1: material They were originally just going to rely on masonry, 304 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 1: but when they changed the construction materials to iron, this 305 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 1: allowed the sculptor to change his plans for the assembly 306 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: of the statue. Originally, he thought they would assemble the 307 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: skin on site on the island, but once the materials changed, 308 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: he decided to build the statue in France and then 309 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,919 Speaker 1: have it disassembled and transported to the US to be 310 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: reassembled on the island. So we're building a thing, we're 311 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 1: taking it apart, we're literally putting it in crates on ships, 312 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,959 Speaker 1: and then we're sailing back across the Atlantic. We're unpacking 313 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: everything and we're going to start putting it back together. 314 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 2: Yis. Yeah, this is complicated. This feels like way beyond 315 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 2: IKEA for sure. And also, I mean there's got to 316 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 2: be something of a language barrier. There'd have to be 317 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 2: some interpreters involved. This really is a joint effort. I'm 318 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 2: wondering who who were the builders, like, the actual folks 319 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 2: doing the work. It had to have been local people 320 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:21,959 Speaker 2: from New York, right, They weren't bringing people over from 321 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 2: France to actually do the work. 322 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, excellent, excellent questions. So in France they're using artisans 323 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: and craftsmen under Bartoldi's direction, and they're building a piecemeal 324 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: you know, the head, the shoulders, the arm holding the torch. 325 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: They don't just start at the feet and work their 326 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: way up to your questionable about the people who were 327 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: in New York helping construct and reassemble this statue. We 328 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: find a little bit of what would you call it 329 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:53,400 Speaker 1: synchronicity big time. 330 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:58,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, they were already newly arrived immigrants, because again New 331 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 2: York was known for that. It was this port city, 332 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 2: and it was this kind of gateway to the United 333 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 2: States for people that were trying to come and start 334 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 2: new lives. And they already had this opportunity to get 335 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 2: some gainful employment by building this massive thing that was 336 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:18,400 Speaker 2: a symbol of what they represented in the first place, 337 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 2: which I think is really interesting. 338 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:25,640 Speaker 1: And there's another employee that maybe doesn't get mentioned as 339 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: often as they should in the story of the Statue 340 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: of Liberty's construction. It's the model for the statue. 341 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 2: That's right. It was a real person. 342 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: It's a real person. Not only is it a real person, 343 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: but it is one of the best Mother's Day gifts ever. 344 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: Frederick Bartoldi uses his mother Charlotte, as the model for 345 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: the statue. 346 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,720 Speaker 2: What a good son, what a sweet boy. Yeah, I 347 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,720 Speaker 2: mean that is an enduring image. You know that is 348 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 2: going to be around for a long long time. Man, 349 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:56,880 Speaker 2: his mother must have really loved him, or who knows, 350 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 2: maybe they had a really horrible cantanker's relationship and he 351 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 2: was just trying to make a nice oh wow. Well, 352 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 2: either way she is now. 353 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,880 Speaker 1: She is now the inspiration for the most recognized statue 354 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: in the world. Immortalized. Yeah, immortalized, perfect word. And this 355 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: was first discovered in eighteen seventy six. Bartoldi invited a 356 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: French senator named Jules Bozarian to watch the opera with him. 357 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: He had a box at the opera house and when 358 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: the senator pulls back the curtain to step into the box, 359 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: he's freaking out because it looks like the statue of 360 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:37,119 Speaker 1: Liberty is a real life person sitting in that box. 361 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:43,120 Speaker 2: It's Charlotte. Oh yeah, that is wild Ben. But here's 362 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:45,639 Speaker 2: the thing. This is interesting. I didn't know this at 363 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 2: all until we started looking into this. Bertoldi held onto 364 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 2: the rights to the image of the Statue of Liberty 365 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,679 Speaker 2: for quite some time, and then eventually that copyright that 366 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 2: he held ran out, like they did to do and 367 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 2: they're open the doors to duplicate statues of Liberty. Here 368 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 2: we go. 369 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, so yes, yes, this is a very important point. 370 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: He obtained a patent on the Statue of Liberty and 371 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: it didn't run out for what fourteen years. The patent itself, 372 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: the description verges on the poetic when we're describing the statue, 373 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: it's quote, a statue representing liberty and lightening the world, 374 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: the same consisting essentially of the draped female figure with 375 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: one arm upraised burying a torch while the other holds 376 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: an inscribed tablet, and having upon the head a diadem, 377 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: which I love the phrase, the word diadem. We don't 378 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: use that very often. Now, what is It's almost like 379 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: a tiara, right, it's like a crown. 380 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 2: Huh yeah, so that's right, it did. It did run out, 381 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:57,160 Speaker 2: and now we have copycat statues of liberty all around 382 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 2: the world. We have them in Tokyo, Norway, Brazil, Vegas, 383 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 2: baby yah yeah yeah, and of course replicas of them 384 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 2: that you can get and little models that you can 385 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 2: glue together. I have a cutout cardboard one that's sort 386 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 2: of like a you can assemble and they'll punch the 387 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 2: holes and connect the pieces together. So it's you know, 388 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 2: it's it's everywhere. 389 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: Do you have a secret treasure trove of statue of 390 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 1: liberty memorabilia? 391 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 2: No, I just have the two. That'd be cool, though, 392 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 2: I know. 393 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: Maybe that could be maybe that could be a new hobby. 394 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: Oh you know what we should mention, the Statue of 395 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: Liberty is not the official name. That's just a nickname. 396 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 2: That's right. 397 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,680 Speaker 1: The real name was, at least Bartoldi's name for it 398 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: was Liberty Enlightening the World. But according to the Statue 399 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: of Liberty Encyclopedia, this statue has a ton of nicknames. 400 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,480 Speaker 1: We can go through a couple. One is Everybody's gal 401 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: which I had not heard. Everybody's Goal, Well, America's Freedom, 402 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: America's Great Lady Aunt, Liberty, Lady Liberty, Lady Liberty. Yeah, 403 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: grand dam green goddess, not to be confused with the 404 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 1: dressing giant goddess, the lady higher up, Lady on a pedestal, 405 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 1: lady with a torch, Mother of axiles, which is again 406 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: very Game of Thrones. And the list of names goes 407 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: on Saint Liberty, Giant Goddess, which I think is a 408 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 1: little bit heavy handed, but you know, it is an 409 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,479 Speaker 1: an enormous statue, so I guess they've earned that. So 410 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,640 Speaker 1: let's fast forward to the afternoon of October twenty eighth, 411 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:38,239 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty six. President Grover Cleveland, who was also the 412 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 1: former Governor of New York, presided over the dedication ceremony. 413 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 2: The good old fashioned New York ticke a tape parade. Yes, yes, 414 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 2: the very same. It's a huge parade. 415 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 1: Estimates tell us that anywhere from several hundred thousand people 416 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: to a million people showed up to be a part 417 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: of history on that day. And President Cleveland headed the 418 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: procession and then he stood in you know, the reviewing 419 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: stand to watch bands and marchers from all across the country. 420 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: The route begins at Madison Square, where they once housed 421 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:16,639 Speaker 1: just the arm and then it proceeds to the Battery 422 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: at the southern tip of Manhattan via Fifth Avenue and Broadway, 423 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: with a slight detour so the parade can pass in 424 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: front of the World Building on Park Row. And as 425 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,439 Speaker 1: people as as the parade was passing, particularly the New 426 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,919 Speaker 1: York Stock Exchange traders, leaned out of the windows and 427 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: started throwing ticker tape, beginning the tradition of the ticker 428 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:39,359 Speaker 1: tape parade. 429 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 2: Seriously, this is the first one. What that's fantastic. Yeah, 430 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 2: it's true. And around seven years this is this is 431 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 2: around seven years after he had originally patented his invention. 432 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 2: He has an invention. I love that idea. It's not 433 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 2: a work of art, it's like an it's considered an 434 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 2: invention because I guess it's functional because it has the 435 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 2: lighthouse qualities to it. That is when BARTOLDI stood aloft 436 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 2: himself up on the statue's face and release this giant 437 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 2: French flag into the cheering crowd of like a million 438 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:13,119 Speaker 2: New Yorkers who are looking on. 439 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,919 Speaker 1: And here's one of the weird parts about this. So 440 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 1: there are a bunch of speeches, right, the first speech 441 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 1: is on behalf of the French Committee. The second speech 442 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: is going to is supposed to be by the chairman 443 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: of the New York Committee, a guy named Senator William M. 444 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:30,440 Speaker 2: Everts. 445 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 1: And at this point he's supposed to do the speech right, 446 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: and then at the end of the speech, they're supposed 447 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: to let the flag drop. But Bartoldi, we can only 448 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: imagine how nervous he is. This has been years in 449 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: the making, right, BARTOLDI has bad timing because Everts has 450 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: a pause in his speech, and Bartholdi's like, oh, it's 451 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: go time, and so he lets the flag drop in 452 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,360 Speaker 1: the middle of this guy's speech, and the crowd goes wild, 453 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: and the senator, we can only imagine, has it's like, 454 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: you know, throw up his hands and exit the scene 455 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,399 Speaker 1: because you can't keep talking when people are seeing this 456 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: statue unveiled for the first time. So eventually President Cleveland 457 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:15,159 Speaker 1: comes up and he says, quote the statue, stream of 458 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance a man's oppression 459 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:23,640 Speaker 1: until liberty enlightens the world. They ask Bartoldi to speak like, hey, speech, speech, speech, 460 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: and he. 461 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 2: Says, no, my work speaks for itself. There we go. 462 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,879 Speaker 2: That's a move. By the way, Yes, how come people 463 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 2: don't name their kids Grover anymore? 464 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: There's someone out there there may be a Grover listening 465 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: with us today. 466 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 2: Oh well, hey, let us know. Is your name Grover 467 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,719 Speaker 2: right in? Do you know a Grover? Do you know 468 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:42,919 Speaker 2: a Grover? Have you hugged a Grover today? 469 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,880 Speaker 1: And let us know if you have Ellis Island in 470 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: your family's past and what their experience was like. There 471 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,879 Speaker 1: are so many different things that we could explore in 472 00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: the story of the Statue of Liberty, but for our 473 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: purpose is the day. I think the thing that surprised 474 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: both of us was that this came pretty close to 475 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,120 Speaker 1: not being an American thing at all. 476 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 2: That's true. That was the hook of today's episode. Which 477 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 2: we we sorta of got rid of in the front. Yeah, 478 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 2: that's how we do. We gotta have a ridiculous hook 479 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 2: and then this is an excuse talk about some cool history. 480 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 2: There we go, There we go. A reason, maybe exactly, 481 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 2: always always a reason. But I enjoyed this very much. 482 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 2: Do you want to Should we do a little listener mail? 483 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 2: We have none in a minute. 484 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been a while, let's give it a go. 485 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: Cool as the return of listener mail. Our first email 486 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: today comes from kimberly M. Kimberly M says, Hi, guys, 487 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: I'm a big fan and came across a topic recently 488 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 1: that I'm dying to hear you discuss. Get this no 489 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: trial by ordeal. You've heard of this, right, Yeah, It's 490 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: like feats of strength during Festivus. 491 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 2: So uh so. 492 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 1: Kimberly says. This is the practice of proving one's innocence 493 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: of an accused crime by participating in a danger or 494 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: painful task and either avoiding injury altogether via the intercession 495 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: of a deity, or to heal well from the injuries incurred. 496 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: These trials occurred across the world, ranging from burning to 497 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: boiling to drowning to poisoning. The list goes on. It 498 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: really boggles the mind that one would have to submit 499 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: to torture to keep one's good name. I'd love to 500 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: hear your thoughts on this. Here's hoping, kimberly M. That's 501 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: a cool idea. 502 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 2: I think it's possible that we should just do one 503 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 2: as an episode, just do a trial by the word. Yeah, yeah, 504 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 2: we just expose ourselves to some sort of horrific task 505 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 2: individually and see who comes out. 506 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: On top, like put our fist in boiling oil, or 507 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: volunteer Casey to do that. 508 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 2: On our behalf. Yeah, he could be our champion, Casey, 509 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 2: are you cool with that? 510 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 3: Absolutely not? 511 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 2: No, Okay, that sounded like a yes. Whatever. 512 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 3: We have to rewind the tape on that. 513 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 2: Well, whatever it was, it was definitely Casey on the case. 514 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 2: He's a problem solver. 515 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: Mm hm, he's a solution Oary And thanks so much 516 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: for writing in with that fantas plastic idea, Kimberlee. I 517 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 1: think we put it on the cue. We'll see about 518 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 1: actually doing a trial. 519 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 2: That's fair. I have one here from sawyer G. She says, hey, guys, 520 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 2: I love your show, and I was listening to one 521 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 2: from a little bit ago about the casual cannibalism during 522 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 2: the sixteenth and seventeenth century. During the episode, I was 523 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,360 Speaker 2: hashtag shook when you started to describe the way old 524 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 2: Arabian men would allow themselves to be mummified alive basically 525 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 2: by honey, and then after a century that mixture was 526 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 2: used as a cure all type of medicine. The reason 527 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,480 Speaker 2: I was hashtag shook wasn't because of the nature of 528 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 2: that validly weird ritual, but because of a song on 529 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 2: one of my favorite albums. The song is called Sweet 530 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 2: Bod by Lemon Demon, and the song is about taking 531 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 2: a corpse, leaving it in a tomb of honey, and 532 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 2: then one hundred years later using it as a product 533 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 2: to sell to housewives with headaches. I always loved the 534 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 2: song because it was such a strange and unique concept. 535 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 2: I often thought to myself, Huh, how did he make 536 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 2: this up? Then, as I was sitting down listening to 537 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 2: your episode and the same process came up, my jaw 538 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 2: hit the floor. It's more of a qui instance for me, 539 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 2: but I thought you guys might want to check out 540 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 2: the song because it's incredible and up your collective alley. 541 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 2: The whole album is a concept album where ancient aliens 542 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 2: and any conspiracy of the like ends up being true. 543 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 2: And then she gives a Spotify ln and it turns 544 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 2: out the guy responsible for the Lemon Demon is Neil Syria, Syria. 545 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 3: Guy you see Rega is what I say in my head? 546 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 2: Okay, got it. Case He has an amazing series of 547 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 2: albums that Casey turned us onto called Mouth Sounds. It's 548 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 2: sort of like a ridiculous, hilarious kind of girl talk 549 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 2: mashup thing. A lot of it uses all Star by 550 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 2: Shrek and mashes up different kind of like nineties songs 551 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 2: like Ants Marching by Dave Matthews Band with like you know, 552 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 2: all kinds of different stuff. It's hilarious and a lot 553 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 2: of fun to listen to. Lemon Demon is much more 554 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,960 Speaker 2: of like a weird eighties tinged like lounge kind of 555 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 2: record with a little bit of horror theme, and it's 556 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 2: very true. He does have a song about this concept 557 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 2: that you found Ben, that we talked about, and the 558 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 2: casual cannibalism, the meleified man. That's the one. 559 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, no proven case of one has been found yet, 560 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: but is there somewhere in the world in a dusty 561 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 1: sepulcher a person who has been mellified. I don't know 562 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: if it would be a world changing event to find one, 563 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: but it would be so very very cool. And you 564 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,360 Speaker 1: have to ask yourself, without getting too far into the 565 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 1: ethics involved, you have to ask yourself, would you take 566 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:32,440 Speaker 1: a nip of you know, corpse honey? Yeah, sort of 567 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: like tapping the admiral right, exactly exactly? If so, let 568 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: us know, or if you've actually run into this in 569 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: real life, if you've seen a meleified man, I will 570 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: get on the plane tomorrow. I really want to see 571 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 1: one in real life. 572 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,719 Speaker 2: You can write to us at Ridiculous at HowStuffWorks dot com, 573 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,960 Speaker 2: or you can check out our Facebook group Ridiculous Historians, 574 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 2: where all kinds of memory is afoot pretty much around 575 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 2: the clock. 576 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: Yes, and you can also see our personal adventures and 577 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: miss adventures on our own Instagram accounts. 578 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 2: I'm at ben Bolin, i am at Embryonic Insider as 579 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 2: always massive thanks to our super producer Casey Pegrim, our 580 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 2: research associate Gabe and Alex Williams who composed our theme. 581 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: And Hey Noel, thanks to you for coming by today. 582 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:19,959 Speaker 1: Because a lot of people I don't want to put 583 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: you on the spot. A lot of people don't know it, 584 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: but this guy woke up at four point thirty in 585 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 1: the morning and flew in from a different state to 586 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: do this show. 587 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 2: Boy in my arms tired, but it's great exercise. It's 588 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 2: really good for your core. It's true, and there's nowhere 589 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,960 Speaker 2: I'd rather be than right here with all of you folks, 590 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 2: who we will see next time. Talk to you soon. 591 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:51,160 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 592 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.