1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: Leo was not a musical child. Since he was born 7 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh nine two orange farmers in Fullerton, California. 8 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: His earliest memories were less harmonies and melodies and more sun, 9 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: dirt and citrus. He did take a few piano lessons 10 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: as he grew up, and even tried to play the saxophone, 11 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: but all that was soon left behind once Leo discovered 12 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: his true passion electronics. When he was fourteen years old, 13 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: Leo's uncle brought him to his auto shop. While the 14 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: engines and complicated mechanics fascinated Leo, the thing that truly 15 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: caught his attention was his uncle's hobby project, a radio 16 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: made out of spare parts. The second he saw Leo 17 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: was hooked. That's why the saxophone and piano lessons had 18 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: never stuck. He didn't want to create sound. He wanted 19 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: to broadcast it. As Leo the kid grew into Leo 20 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: the young man, his passion for machines grew with him. 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: He found jobs around Orange County as a delivery man 22 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: and then as an accountant, but he always carved out 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: time to tinker with his radios. When the Great Depression 24 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: put him out of work as a bookkeeper, Leo decided 25 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: to finally follow his dreams. He borrowed six hundred dollars 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,279 Speaker 1: and in nineteen thirty eight opened his very first radio 27 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: repair shop. Leo quickly found his calling as an inventor 28 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: and technician. Soon musicians from miles around were coming to 29 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: his fuller tin repair shop for public address systems and 30 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: electronic amphlifi. With so many musicians around, Leo began experimenting 31 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: with not just making tools to broadcast music, but instruments 32 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: to make music itself. In the early nineteen forties, Leo 33 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: began trading ideas with his client, Clayton or Kaufman, who 34 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: went by the name Doc. Doc was a country musician 35 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: who played an instrument called a lap steel guitar. These 36 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: originated in Hawaii, of all places, When a player laid 37 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: an acoustic guitar flat on his lap and used a 38 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:31,239 Speaker 1: steel slide to smoothly shift between pitches. The pair soon 39 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: developed an electric version of the instrument, which immediately became 40 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: a favorite among country musicians. So for the next few years, 41 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,399 Speaker 1: Leo made his money churning out amps and these new 42 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: electric lap steel guitars. Leo was also an introverted inventor 43 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: who was happiest when he was at his workbench. He 44 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: was constantly changing and improving his creations, looking for the 45 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: little additions that would make them work harder, be more efficient, 46 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: and most importantly, sound better. His coworkers joked that if 47 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: he had one hundred dollars to make something, he would 48 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: spend ninety nine dollars making it work and one dollar 49 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: for it to look pretty. By nineteen fifty, Doc had 50 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: left the company and Leo was looking for a new 51 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: way to expand. Lap steel guitars were great, but the 52 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 1: market was limited. However, there was a new instrument that 53 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: seemed to be growing in popularity. You see, around this time, 54 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: big bands, which had dominated dance halls for more than 55 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: a decade, were falling out of favor. Venues were hiring 56 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: smaller outfits which played rhythm and blues or honky tonk 57 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,399 Speaker 1: country music. Many of these bands started using electric guitars, 58 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: which were loud enough to cut through a crowded roadhouse. 59 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: Often they were hollow acoustic guitars with electric pickups that 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: enabled them to be played through amplifiers, but these were uncommon, 61 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: expensive and not easy to maintain on the road. Leo 62 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: saw his inn and in nineteen fifty one he introduced 63 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: his new invention, a mass produced, solid bodied electric guitar. 64 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: The guitar was loud and durable, with a bright, clean sound. 65 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: It had interchangeable parts, too, which meant that if you 66 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: broke the neck on the road, you could just swap 67 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: it out. It was easy to tune and wouldn't produce 68 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: feedback when plugged into an amp, and most importantly, it 69 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: was cheap. The low cost of Leo's guitars fueled a 70 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: boom in electric guitar music that completely changed the face 71 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: of pop culture. Jazz, rhythm and blues, and motown fused 72 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: into a brand new sound called rock and roll, and 73 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: Leo's instruments were rights at the forefront. From Eric Clapton 74 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 1: and Jimmy Page to Muddy Waters and BB King. Leo's 75 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: guitars were the favorites of rock Royalty. They even found 76 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: their way into the hands of both the Beatles and 77 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: the Rolling Stones. Sometimes our careers take us place as 78 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: we never intended. Ongoing radio enthusiast Leo Fender never expected 79 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: to end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 80 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: but he changed the face of music forever in nineteen 81 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: fifty one when his Fender Telecaster leapt onto the scene. 82 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: Not bad for a guy who didn't play guitar. It's 83 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 84 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: What we find attractive in our mate differs from person 85 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: to person. It could be the shape of their nose, 86 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: or how big their ears are, or something not physical 87 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: at all, like their sense of humor. But for hundreds 88 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: of years, Europeans grew obsessed with the looks of the 89 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: noble elite, but not because they found them attractive. Actually, 90 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: it was quite the opposite. It started back in the 91 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: sixteen hundreds when words spread of a young woman named 92 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: Tannakin Skinker. And I know she sounds like a Star 93 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: Wars character, but her story is one of tragedy and horror. 94 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: According to seventeenth century writings, Miss Skinker's mother had not 95 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: been kind to the less fortunate. After a beggar woman 96 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: approached her for help, the woman sent her away. Well, 97 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: as it turned out that was no ordinary beggar she 98 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: had dealt with. It was a witch disguise who took 99 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: her revenge out on the woman's poor unborn daughter. The 100 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: witch said, and this is a modern paraphrase, as the 101 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: mother is hoggish, so too shall be her unborn child. 102 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: And with that Miss Skinker's fate was sealed. She was 103 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: born with the face of a pig and could not speak, 104 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: only grunt. She also ate out of a silver trough Sadly, 105 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: her piggish demeanor was off putting two potential suitors. It 106 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: didn't matter how much money her family had or how 107 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: nice her clothes were, no man would approach her. But 108 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: before you think of it as a unique and isolated story, 109 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: the tale of Tannakin Skinker is actually similar to a 110 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: few other tales of rich young European women, such as 111 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: the story of Miss Jacob's Daughter, also from the sixteenth century. 112 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: The details there are much the same as in Tannikin's ordeal. 113 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: A pregnant Dutch woman rejects a beggar at the door, 114 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: only to have her unborn daughter cursed with a pig 115 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: face once she was born. There was also an occurrence 116 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: involving a London woman in eighteen fifteen. Her carriage was 117 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: overtaken by curious onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of 118 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: the swinelike features she was reported to possess. Her story 119 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: found its way into various papers and publications, further spreading 120 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: the mythology of the pig faced woman far and wide. 121 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: In fact, it was the newspapers that pushed the narrative 122 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: of the London woman with a pig face over the 123 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: course of several articles. One reader even wrote into The 124 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: Times asking for a job as an assistant to a 125 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: lady who was heavily afflicted in the face. Another offered 126 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: to marry the pig faced woman. But had these individuals 127 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: really been cursed with faces like pigs or was there 128 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: something else going on? Well, there's no medical proof that 129 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: any of these women actually existed, but we do have stories, songs, articles, 130 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: and other works alleging that they did. London's printing industry 131 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: in the nineteenth century published everything from penny dreadfuls to 132 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: urban legends about people and places that may or may 133 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: not have been real anything to sell a paper have 134 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: been away to knock the wealthy down a peg or two. 135 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: After all, they had all that money and they didn't 136 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: share it with the less fortunates, making them ugly on 137 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: the inside. So maybe the poor started spreading rumors about 138 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: how they were ugly on the outside too. But there 139 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: was something else at play here, specifically, how people from 140 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: all walks of life were fascinated by birth defects. For 141 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: a long time, children born with physical deformities or genetic 142 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: mutations were often seen as novelties or as sideshow exhibits. 143 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: It was believed that their parents had angered God or 144 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: done something horrible for them to be born this way. 145 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: Of course, rarely were the targets of these stories men 146 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: Men were almost never depicted as animalistic in appearance, so 147 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: there was a healthy dose of sexism at work as well. 148 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: After all, if a woman, especially a pregnant woman, became 149 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: sick or displeased the church, or stepped out of line 150 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: in any way, then she and her unborn child would 151 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 1: be punished. Thankfully, London's fascination with the pig faced woman 152 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: died out months after the first stories had been published. 153 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: But the idea did rear its ugly head again, as 154 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: actual circus side shows advertise their own versions of the character. 155 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: In reality, they usually shaped a bear and put it 156 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: in address, hoping that that would convince attendees. One thing, however, 157 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: is true. The pig faced Woman's existence, whether real or imagined, 158 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:28,079 Speaker 1: showed us all who the real monsters were. I hope 159 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 160 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 161 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 162 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how 163 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 164 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 165 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the Worldolore 166 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.