1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke'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 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: That little device in your hand or your pocket, you know, 7 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: the one with the touchscreen and the web browser. It's 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 1: called a phone, but its purpose has become more important 9 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: than that. It keeps us in touch with people all 10 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 1: over the world, It connects us to all kinds of 11 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: social media platforms, and most importantly, it captures those everyday 12 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: moments in a snap. Our phone cameras are indispensable, and 13 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: they are the result of decades of research and development 14 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: to get smaller, faster, and more powerful, because, as they 15 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: always say, the best camera is the one you have 16 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: with you. But long before we carried them in our pockets, 17 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: cameras were big boxes made of wood and glass. It 18 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: took hundreds of years to get to where we are today, 19 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: and a number of photographic innovations occurred during that time, 20 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: But one has been forgotten over the years, which is 21 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: surprising because it was also one of the most influential. 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: It was the result of work performed by an English 23 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: polymath named William Henry Fox Talbot. In eighteen thirty five, 24 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: Talbot invented a way to capture images on paper. He 25 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: was aware of certain devices used by artists, such as 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: the camera obscura, which projected an image on the inside 27 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: of a small box, but he wanted a way to 28 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 1: save the picture permanently, and so he got to work 29 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,559 Speaker 1: developing a special kind of paper. It was writing paper 30 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: coated in salt and silver nitrate. When the surface of 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: the paper was exposed to light, the chemicals would darken 32 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: and preserve the image imposed upon them. It was a 33 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: technique that he called the hollow type process, and Talbot 34 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: used his special paper to capture photos of things like 35 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: the construction of Nelson's column at Trifalgor Square and portraits 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: of people that he knew. The images were a stark 37 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: difference from today's photographs, though they almost seem like negatives today, 38 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 1: where the light portions are dark and the parts where 39 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: there should be dark are actually light in tone. But remember, 40 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: this was one of the first times that people saw 41 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: a reproduction of a moment that was not sketched or painted. 42 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: I mean this was groundbreaking. Meanwhile, another photographer was entering 43 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: the fray with his own invention. His name was Louis 44 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: de Guerre and he was a French artist who had 45 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: been experimenting with silver salts and how they react to light. 46 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: His camera used a copper sheet plated in silver, and 47 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: when that sheet was exposed to iodine crystal vapor, it 48 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: formed a coating of silver iodine on one side, which 49 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: was then blasted with external light. It took a while, 50 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: but the exposure eventually rendered a clear image. His creation 51 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: was called a de guerotype. But where the two processes 52 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: differed was in the calotype's versatility. For example, the translucent 53 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 1: negative image created by the calotype process could be used 54 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: to create positive prints. The two men also went in 55 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: different ways when sharing their gifts with the rest of 56 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: the world, and that's mostly why the calotype has all 57 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: but been forgotten by modern photographers. You see, Talbot patented 58 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: his process across England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, which cost 59 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: him a pretty penny. He also spent a lot of 60 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: money defending his patents from infringement. This led to very 61 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: few paid licenses for that patent and almost no lasting 62 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: use within the industry, even though Talbot's work did more 63 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: to push modern photography forward than Deguer's. In fact, by 64 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: defending his patents so vociferously, Talbot helped spur innovation among 65 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: amateurs who sought a way around expensive licenses, which pushed 66 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: the technology forward. Dagare, on the other hand, sold his 67 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: patent to the French government, which made the Daguerotype process 68 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: free for anyone to use anywhere in the world except 69 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: in Britain. Daygare's agent, a guy named Miles Berry, had 70 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: been granted a patent on his client's invention back in England, 71 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: so now any person looking to make de garotypes there 72 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: had to pay for a license to do so. As 73 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: for France, they compensated the inventor for his generosity with 74 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,919 Speaker 1: a lifetime pension, and it turned out that giving away 75 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: one's patents to a more commercially viable process was the 76 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,119 Speaker 1: smart thing to do. Talbot, on the other hand, only 77 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: loosened the restrictions on his own patents in the eighteen 78 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: fifties after extensive pleading from the photographic community. He begrudgingly obliged. 79 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: By eighteen fifty two, hundreds of calotypes were being produced regularly, 80 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: but it wasn't enough to overtake the de gherotype. A 81 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: combination of Talbot's vicious defense of his patents and the 82 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: calotype's exhaustive development process helped seal its fate. De Gerotypes 83 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: eventually fell out of favor once other technologies, such as 84 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: the ambrotype, provided quicker, less costly results, and that's what 85 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: matters most when inventing something new. It has to be faster, cheaper, 86 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: and better. Anything else just won't get developed. Our minds 87 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: are constantly changing. The more we experience and learn, the 88 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: more we unlock. We might study a new language or 89 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: a musical instrument, activities that can cause our neurons to 90 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: fire in different ways than they had before. But sometimes 91 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: the brain can be temperamental. For example, we can walk 92 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: into a room and suddenly forget what brought us there 93 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: in the first place, or we'll blank on the name 94 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: of a famous actor we're trying to figure out what 95 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: other movies they appeared in. But perhaps one of the 96 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: most peculiar ways our mind plays tricks on us is 97 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: deja vu deja vu was a French term that was 98 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: coined by philosopher Elmilbo rock Back in eighteen seventy six. 99 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: In English, it translates to already seen. Deja vu is 100 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: used to describe the sensation of having been in a 101 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: certain place or situation before. Many of us have experienced 102 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 1: deja vu at one time or another. Will enter a 103 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: room and suddenly be overcome with the feeling of having 104 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: been there in the past, even if it's a brand 105 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: new place. Deja vu has been linked to a number 106 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: of different neurological conditions and disorders, including epilepsy and migraines. 107 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: But there's a phenomenon that's similar to deja vu, and 108 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: it's a trick of the mind as well, except it's 109 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: the exact opposite. It's called jamme vou or never seen 110 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: in French. Unlike deja vu, which makes the person feel 111 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: as though they've been somewhere before, jamez vou gives someone 112 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: the sense that place that they've been to, or a 113 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: situation they've already experienced, is somehow brand new to them again. 114 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: It's hard to imagine such a thing happening to us today, 115 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: but we actually deal with jam may vou more often 116 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: than we realize. You can even do it right now 117 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: by picking a random word like dog or road and 118 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: repeating it out loud, over and over again. After a while, 119 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like a word anymore. Even writing at 120 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: numerous times in row achieves the same effect. Back in 121 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: two thousand and six, English researcher Chris Mullin at the 122 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: University of Leeds published the results of a study he 123 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: had conducted. He asked ninety four undergraduates to write out 124 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: several words multiple times. Some words were common, like door, 125 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: while others were lesser known, such as sword. Participants were 126 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: instructed to write as quickly as possible, but they were 127 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: free to stop for any reason, for example, if they 128 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: suddenly felt strange or if they're hand cramped. Mullin wasn't 129 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: going to turn red in the face if anyone needed 130 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: a break. They were then told to provide their reason 131 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: for the pause, and the results, seventy percent of the 132 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: group put down their pens because the terms they were 133 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: writing stopped looking like words entirely, and this typically happened 134 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: after only about a minute. There jamz vous did not 135 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: discriminate either whether a word was common or previously unknown 136 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: participants stopped recognizing them after they were copied about thirty 137 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: three times. In a second experiment, Mullin had everyone write 138 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: the article the an extremely common word that we are 139 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: all familiar with. It took even less time for fifty 140 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: five percent of them to stop scribbling due to ja 141 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: me vu. One person reported that the words lose their 142 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: meaning the more you look at them, while another claimed 143 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: almost looks like it's not really a word, but someone's 144 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: tricked me into thinking it is. Despite Mulin's modern experiment, 145 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: the concept of je ma vou goes back a lot further. 146 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: American psychologist Margaret Floyd Washburn was testing in effects all 147 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: the way back in nineteen oh seven. She had asked 148 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: one of her students to stare at a word for 149 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: three minutes, at which time the arrangement of the letters 150 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: began to look unlike anything in the English language. Washburn 151 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: called the phenomenon and the ensuing academic paper the loss 152 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: of associative power in words. After long fixation. Decades later, 153 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: with Chris Mullin's help, we finally had a much shorter 154 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: and much more catchy name. Much like its sister, deja 155 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: vu can be caused by other issues of the mind, 156 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: including epileptic seizures, but for many of us it's just 157 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: part of everyday life. Our brains are capable of strange 158 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: and wonderful things, and sometimes they make the words we 159 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: see each day look like strange shapes from another planet. 160 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 161 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 162 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 163 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,559 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 164 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 165 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,079 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 166 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 167 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: Worldolore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.