1 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what Will? 3 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 2: What's that Mango? 4 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: So I just found out that the first surprise parties 5 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with birthdays or parties. 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 2: I don't really understand what any of this means, but 7 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 2: go ahead and explain, please. 8 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: So apparently the earliest use of the term surprise party 9 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: was in an eighteen forty novel by Irish writer Charles 10 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: lever And a surprise party was a squad of soldiers 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: lying in wait and engaged in a sneak attack. But 12 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: what's interesting is that, as weird as it might seem 13 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: for surprise parties to have this, you know, military origin, 14 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: it actually kind of makes sense. The word surprise is 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: direc from this old French verb suprendre, which means to 16 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: seize or to invade. So from the very beginning the 17 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: word surprise had this military context, and that actually carried 18 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: over to English in the fourteenth century. 19 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 2: Well I'm curious, so when does the meaning change to 20 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 2: more of what we think of as a surprise, like 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 2: something more more pleasant. 22 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: So that doesn't emerge until about one hundred years later. 23 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: Before that, the word was used almost exclusively to refer 24 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: to an unexpected attack on troops. In fact, it would 25 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: have been redundant to call something a surprise attack, because 26 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: back then every surprise was an attack. 27 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 2: I'll be honest, though, that's kind of how I feel 28 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 2: about surprise parties today. 29 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I know you're joking, but there are definitely 30 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: people who hate surprise parties, and there's actually a scientific 31 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: reason for that. The momentary shock from a surprise triggers 32 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: the release of a stress response hormone. It's called nora adrenaline, 33 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: and this is part of the body's fight or flight response. 34 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: So your heart ray and blood pressure go up whether 35 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: brain focuses on assessing the threat. So when someone comes 36 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: at you in a dark room with a dozen flaming sticks, 37 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: your brain and your body can't help but go on 38 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: the defensive. But thinking about surprise parties made me wonder 39 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: about all the other things associated with parties, like why 40 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: do we blow out birthday candles? Whose idea was it 41 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: to throw confetti everywhere? And why do people like glitter? 42 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: So those are just a few of the questions we're 43 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: tackling today. Strap on your party hat because we're about 44 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: to dive in. 45 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 2: Hey their podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 46 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 2: Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good 47 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 2: friend Mangesh how Ticketer and on the other side of 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 2: that soundproof glass slicing off a nice fat piece of 49 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 2: cake for himself. I'm glad he's rewarding himself today. That 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 2: is our friend producer for real. That's Dylan Fagan. Now 51 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 2: he very kindly brought this in for today's show. But 52 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: I do want to clarify something up front. Even though 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 2: it looks like a birthday cake with a lot of candles, 54 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 2: today isn't one of our birthdays. 55 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: I know who's supposed to blow those things out. I mean, 56 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: I guess Dylan, because he's only one back there in 57 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: the booth. But I do want to point out how 58 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: thoughtful Dylan is. He set out slices for each of 59 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: us before digging in for himself, because that's the kind 60 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: of guy he is. But I am curious, why are 61 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: there candles on this thing? 62 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 2: I thought maybe it was just because he's a huge 63 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 2: fan of surprise parties. You were talking about surprises at 64 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 2: the top of the show. I think we forgot to 65 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: mention by the way one of the greatest sketches or 66 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 2: recurring sketches of all time on SNL, where Christen Wig 67 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: plays the ant that just can't handle the excitement of 68 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 2: all these surprises. It's pretty great, but oh yeah, it's 69 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 2: pretty yeah. It's just such a such a such a 70 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 2: such a good good care there. But you know, typically 71 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: the easiest way to tell cake cake from birthday cake 72 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: is to check if the cake is on fire or not. 73 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 2: And in Dylan's defense, adorning a cake with candles on 74 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 2: it isn't just a birthday thing. In fact, the tradition 75 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 2: is thought to have started back in ancient Greece. It 76 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 2: was a tribute to Artemis, who was the goddess of 77 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: fertility and hunting. Now she was closely associated with the 78 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 2: moon as well, so her followers would bait round cakes 79 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: in her honor, and then they would decorate them with 80 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 2: lit candles, sort of to mimic the glow of the 81 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 2: full moon. I'd never thought about that before, but it 82 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 2: makes sense. So while the first candles on a cake 83 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 2: were still celebratory and still a present, they weren't really 84 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 2: connected to birthdays like they are today. 85 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: And so what do the Greeks do in that non 86 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: birthday scenario, like, did they blow off the candles or 87 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: did they just let them burn down like we're doing here. 88 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 2: Well, nobody knows for certain. They may have just handled 89 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: it on a cake by cake basis. But it's worth 90 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,799 Speaker 2: noting that many ancient cultures believe that smoke could carry 91 00:04:57,839 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 2: their prayers to the gods, which is kind of a 92 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 2: nice idea. That was the whole idea behind burnt offerings 93 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 2: in Some historians think that the modern tradition of making 94 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 2: a wish when you blow out the birthday candles may 95 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 2: have developed from that same belief. You think about blowing 96 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 2: out the candles the smoke rising up to the gods, like, 97 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 2: it's an interesting idea, that's really fascinating. 98 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: And I know this is a ridiculous question and we 99 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: probably don't have an answer to it, but do we 100 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: have to know who the first person was to put 101 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: candles on a cake specifically for a birthday? 102 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know about the very first person, but 103 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 2: one of the earliest and the most well known was 104 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 2: the German nobleman, Count Ludwig Vaughan Zisendorf, which is such 105 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 2: a great name now thanks to the contemporary account of 106 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 2: author Andreas Frye. We know that the Count pulled out 107 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 2: all the stops for his birthday back in seventeen forty six. 108 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 2: He bought in wagonloads of decorations and set up special 109 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 2: lighting all throughout his hull. But the most impressive part 110 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 2: of the celebration had to be the dessert, because according 111 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 2: to fry I quote, there was a cake as large 112 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 2: as any oven could be found to bake it, and 113 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 2: holes made in the cake according to the years of 114 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 2: the person's age, everyone having a candle stuck into it 115 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 2: and won in the middle. So it was a big cake. Now, 116 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 2: I was considerate enough not to mention the count's age, 117 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 2: but a little quick math does tell us he would 118 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 2: have turned forty six that year, so that means, counting 119 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 2: the one in the middle, there were forty seven candles 120 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 2: on his birthday cake, which explains why they would have 121 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:25,679 Speaker 2: had to make it so massive. 122 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess they hadn't invented number shaped candles yet, 123 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: right right right. 124 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,599 Speaker 2: That took a lot of technology to get this. 125 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: But I am curious, like what was the deal with 126 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: the candle in the middle, Like was that just so 127 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: one to grow on? Kind of thing? 128 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 2: I haven't heard that term one to grow on. So 129 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 2: that's why I mean, I guess pretty much most sources 130 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 2: I found say that the center candle symbolize the light 131 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 2: of life and the hope for another good year and 132 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,919 Speaker 2: a year of good health. Now, of course, Count Zinzendorff 133 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 2: didn't come up with the candle tradition himself. Well, the 134 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,280 Speaker 2: account of his party maybe the earliest known. There was 135 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 2: written record of birthday cake candles, and plenty of German 136 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 2: families who were also known to celebrate the candles during Kinderfest, 137 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 2: which was a child's birthday celebration. And those cases, though, 138 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 2: the candle practice worked a little bit differently than what 139 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 2: we are used to today. So rather than blowing out 140 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 2: the candles right away, German families lit them in the 141 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 2: morning and they kept them burning all the way down 142 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 2: until dinnertime, and if any of the candles happened to 143 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 2: burn out before it was time to cut the cake, 144 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 2: a vigilant family member would swoop in to replace it 145 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 2: with a fresh one. 146 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: That is incredible, but also like why I mean, if 147 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: they were burning through a whole day's worth of candles, 148 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: then the cag had to be covered in wax by 149 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: the time they finally went to eat it, right. 150 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it would taste pretty disgusting 151 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 2: since most candles were made from rendered animal fat at 152 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 2: the time. But you know, many Germans at the time 153 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 2: believed that children were especially vulnerable to spiritual attacks on 154 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 2: their birthdays, and so making sure the candles on the 155 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 2: kid's cakes stayed lit was was really this sort of 156 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 2: symbolic way to protect them from an evil influence, and 157 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 2: for most parents, the peace of mind was more important 158 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 2: than coating your cake and wax. 159 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: It's pretty wild to see just how many of our 160 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: birthday traditions have grown out of like these old religious 161 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: customs and decisions. I mean, it's a similar story with 162 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: those plastic noise makers that people had out at parties. 163 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: They actually have their roots in pre Christian Europe, when 164 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: people believe that evil spirits targeted you on your birthday, 165 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: so all your friends and relatives were supposed to make 166 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: a bunch of noise to scare them off and protect you. 167 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 2: I mean, it's funny that you can walk around places 168 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 2: like party City and just see a whole bunch of 169 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 2: things that have roots and ancient rituals. You know. 170 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, it's pretty interesting, but now that you 171 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: measure it, there's at least one party staple with a 172 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: much more modern origin story involves a New Jersey cattle rancher, 173 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: a precision cutting machine, and a whole boatload of schnibbles. 174 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 2: I love it when you have a tease like that 175 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 2: where I have no idea what you're talking about, but 176 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 2: you know what, let's take a quick break. I'm going 177 00:08:57,840 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 2: to try to figure it out, and then when we 178 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 2: come back, you can bring me up to speed. 179 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius and we're celebrating the 180 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: strange science and hidden histories behind the world's favorite party supply. 181 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: So will what's the worst party you've been to? Or 182 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: like something you hate to see at parties? Clowns, magicians. 183 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 2: I'm gonna be honest with you, Mango, I love it 184 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: when clowns and magicians are at parties because they make 185 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 2: people sort of uncomfortable to anybody that's bold enough to 186 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 2: like dress up as a clown or do the magician thing, 187 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 2: just given all how they are always the punchline of 188 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 2: jokes like I love that bravery, that boldness, just the 189 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 2: weirdness of it all. So I'm going in a different direction. 190 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: I'm actually saying I really like it at parties when 191 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 2: people have the things that people tend to hate the most. 192 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: Anyway, what about you, Well, we went to something that 193 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: was teased to me as a party, and then it 194 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: was the startup thing and we showed up and then 195 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: they put us all on computers and we had to 196 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: do all these reviews of things that we had not 197 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: intended to do, and I was so angry, Like I 198 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: didn't want to sit there and review restaurants and cafes 199 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: just to get into the small apartment where I could 200 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: get a drink. That's ridiculous, annoying. But another thing I 201 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: really hate about parties is glitter, and whether it's on 202 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: decorations or banners or party hats, I hate how it's 203 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: impossible to find and clean off, mostly because of static cling. 204 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: And is that why glitter sticks to everything? Because that actually, 205 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: you know what, Mango, I'm going to go back to 206 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: your previous question. 207 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 2: Parties with lots of glitter. That is one of the 208 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 2: things I'm not a fan of. I know the kids 209 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 2: love it, but it sticks to everything. But anyway, I 210 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 2: thought it might have a little light adhesive on it. 211 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 2: But what is the reason here? 212 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, so most glitter is actually made of bits of 213 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: plastic covered and a layer of aluminum, and because that 214 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: metal coating is negatively charged, it forms a powerful bond 215 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: when it comes into contact with anything that's positively charged. 216 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: So that could be something like human skin. But that's 217 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: not to say that static electricity is the only reason 218 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: why glitter is so sticky. It could be things like 219 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 1: air viscosity. Also like surface tension if you're thinking about 220 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: like trying to remove glitter from a flat surface or 221 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: a wet surface, like that's part of the reason. 222 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is pretty interesting. But I sometimes wonder why 223 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 2: glitter is still a thing because other than my daughter 224 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 2: who just loves it and wants it to be involved 225 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 2: in every dinner much less party, I feel like it's 226 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 2: a thing we should be over by. Now what do 227 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 2: you think? 228 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it is sparkly, and if history as 229 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: taught as anything, it's that humans are big fans of bright, 230 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: shiny objects, and this actually that might not be such 231 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: a bad thing. I remember this study from a while back. 232 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: There were these researchers who rowed up a big group 233 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: of toddlers and infants and then monitored their enthusiasm for 234 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: licking different kinds of plates, and apparently the babies were 235 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: far more attracted to plates with glossy surfaces than they 236 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: were the ones with matt finishes. 237 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm sort of in the same camp. If 238 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 2: something super shiny like that, I sort of get the impulse. 239 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 2: But what did that prove? Exactly? 240 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, you gotta lick it because late licking parties can 241 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: be fun, is what it proved. 242 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 2: Okay, Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and put that also 243 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 2: on the list of things I don't want to happen 244 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:26,439 Speaker 2: at parties. 245 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: It also suggests that humans are innately drawn to shiny, 246 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 1: glistening objects, and it's not because we think they're pretty, 247 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: but because they mimic the reflective sheen of fresh water. So, 248 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: millions of years ago, the drive to seek out clean 249 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,439 Speaker 1: water helped keep our ancestors alive, and thanks to evolution, 250 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 1: that same instinct is alive and well in this plate 251 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: licking baby experiment today. 252 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 2: Okay, so I see, So being dazzled by glitter just 253 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 2: sort of means maybe you're thirsty. 254 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: Mm hmm, yeah, thirsty for sparkle. But what's kind of 255 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: fascinating is that glitter wasn't invented until the nineteen thirties, 256 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: and even then it was only by accident. 257 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, you were hitting about this earlier, something about 258 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 2: New Jersey and New Jersey farmer, I guess, and a 259 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 2: bunch of snubbles. 260 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,839 Speaker 1: What was the word you said, snibbles? It's actually an 261 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: industry term for the leftover bits of paper, plastic, or 262 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: fabric that result from manufacturing. And as for the Jersey farmer, 263 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 1: he was a cattle rancher who had turned into an inventor. 264 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: His name was Henry Ruschmann. In the nineteen thirties, he 265 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: created a precision cutting machine to neatly trim developed glossy photos, 266 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: but sometimes it malfunctioned and it cut the prints into tiny, 267 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 1: useless pieces. Now, Rischmand threw out the schnibbles at first, 268 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: but after noticing how pretty they were when they caught light, 269 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: he built a new machine to purposely produce them from 270 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 1: plastic scrap, and in their early forties he began marketing 271 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: glitter for use in craft projects and holiday decorations. And 272 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: while it was only supposed to be a side business 273 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: at first, like a little extra income to help support 274 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:03,439 Speaker 1: his day operation slinging. All this glitter turned out to 275 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: be way more lucrative than his other work, and that 276 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: was due in part to the material shortages during World 277 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: War Two. At Christmas time in nineteen forty two, Americans 278 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: were encouraged to spare their candles, and it was encouraged 279 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: that people use glitter to brighten their homes for the holidays. 280 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 2: It's so funny to think it's something as unnecessary as glitter, 281 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 2: you know, starting out is really like a wartime need. 282 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it was such a strangely specific idea that 283 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: Riuschman's company, they're called Meadowbrook Inventions, it pretty much had 284 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: a monopoly on glitter for decades. In fact, all these 285 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: years later, Meadowbrook is still one of only two glitter 286 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: manufacturers in the world, and the other one is called 287 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 1: glitter X, and weirdly, it is also based in New Jersey. 288 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 2: I'm honestly god a shock that the market for glitter 289 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 2: is big enough to sustain two separate companies. I mean, 290 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: these are microplastics, after all. You would think a single 291 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 2: factory could just crank out all the need that's out there. 292 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: I mean, glitter isn't just used for crafting and party supplies. 293 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: It gets mixed into all kinds of consumer products that 294 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: we don't think about, so it's everything from like nail 295 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: polish to NFL helmets. There are even a few scientific 296 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: applications too. For instance, this is amazing. Zookeepers and animal 297 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 1: researchers will sometimes add glitter to animal feed so that 298 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: they can tell one animal's fecal sample from another, which 299 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: is just not fu real. So another thing to keep 300 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: in mind is that we actually don't know what the 301 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: industry's biggest client is doing with all their glitter and 302 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: what does that mean. So you remember our pal Katie Weaver. 303 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: She wrote this amazing piece for The New York Times 304 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: a few years ago where she interviewed someone like glitter 305 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: X about how glitter is made, and at one point 306 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: she asks what the company's biggest market is, but the 307 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: spokeswoman refuses to answer. She just laughs and says, you 308 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: would never guess it. Just leave it at that, because 309 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,120 Speaker 1: they don't want anyone to know that it's glitter. 310 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 2: Is such a cryptic response, like shouldn't she have just 311 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 2: said like party hats or something. There's surely somebody who's 312 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 2: figured out what the reason is right. 313 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 1: So apparently there's a ton of online debate about this. 314 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: So far, no one's come off with any solid evidence. 315 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: But for this glitter conspiracy, some people think it's used 316 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: in toothpaste. Others say it's mixed into sand on luxury beaches, 317 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: both of which would of course be horrible news for 318 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: our bodies in the world's oceans. But those are really 319 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: just guesses because big glitter is not tellent. 320 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 2: Big glitter, well, whatever it is, it's going to be 321 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 2: with us for a good long while because I read 322 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 2: it takes one thousand years for glitter to degrade. A 323 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 2: thousand years. 324 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, which is why I wear team candles. 325 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 2: Here at Partime View, we most definitely are. Now that said, 326 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 2: if you're interested in engineering a festive atmosphere by throwing 327 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 2: colorful little bits around, there's a much more environmentally friendly 328 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 2: way to do it, and we're going to discuss that 329 00:16:53,240 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 2: right after this break. Welcome back to part Time Genius. 330 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 2: All right, Mango, So we talked a little bit about 331 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 2: some party traditions that have their roots in antiquity, and 332 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 2: it turns out we can add confetti to that list 333 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,199 Speaker 2: as well. Now, humans have a long colorful history of 334 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 2: tossing around small objects at celebrations, and while shredded paper 335 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 2: is the material of choice today, the ancient Greeks went 336 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 2: for a much greener option. Actually, on special occasions like 337 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 2: a soldier returning from war, an athlete winning a match, 338 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 2: or a couple getting married, the public would celebrate by 339 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 2: tossing around branches and leaves and garlands and just various 340 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 2: other bits of plant matter. 341 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: So they were just throwing plant matter in the air 342 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: or were they throwing it at the people who are 343 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: being honored? 344 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,119 Speaker 2: Honestly, it's kind of a free for all, like some 345 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 2: people threw clippings over or onto the people being honored, 346 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,879 Speaker 2: and others through the greenery in front of them to 347 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 2: be walked on. And historians aren't sure how the practice 348 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 2: got started, but the best guess is that it evolved 349 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 2: from gift get traditions, like you know, placing a laurel 350 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,440 Speaker 2: crown on the winner of a race or things like that, 351 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 2: And you know, because an athlete might not want to 352 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,479 Speaker 2: stand around to be crowned by one hundred different people, 353 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,399 Speaker 2: so instead the crowd settled for throwing a gift and 354 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:13,719 Speaker 2: the winner's general direction. 355 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: Okay, I got it, but these gifts were basically worthless, 356 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: Like they weren't tossing flowers of fruit or anything useful. 357 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: They were just throwing like branch clippings. 358 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, that's true. I mean none of the greenery 359 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 2: was ever collected or saved. It just all got trampled. 360 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 2: But that's kind of why the practice can be thought 361 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: of as a forerunner to throwing confetti, And both of 362 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,919 Speaker 2: these cases, it doesn't matter so much what's being thrown. 363 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 2: It's the sheer volume of what you're throwing and the 364 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 2: act of throwing, and that kind of makes the whole 365 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: thing feel like a big party. 366 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: Well obviously, like throwing bits of colorful paper are more 367 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,920 Speaker 1: like a fluria of flower pedals or something like that, 368 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: But that feels so much better than geting smacked in 369 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: the face with pine needles or tree branches like that 370 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: doesn't seem like much of a party for those. 371 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 2: I've been with you over that. I think anybody that 372 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,080 Speaker 2: thinks that is a party would be at that a 373 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 2: little strange. But we are lucky though, that somebody finally 374 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,640 Speaker 2: thought to cut the plants into small throwable strips. 375 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,879 Speaker 1: And so when does that happen? Exactly? Like how old 376 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: is modern confetti. 377 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 2: Well, paper confetti only came about in the late nineteenth century, 378 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 2: and prior to that many cultures had made the switch 379 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:21,199 Speaker 2: from throwing greenery at celebrations to throwing food stuffs. So 380 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 2: the practice was especially popular at weddings, where guests would 381 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 2: shower the newly weeds with handfuls of rice and raisins, 382 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 2: nuts or even shortbread. And you think about more modern weddings, 383 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 2: a lot of times you see things like rice being 384 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 2: thrown as well as you know, couples exiting the wedding 385 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 2: or things like that. But some cultures eventually applied the 386 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 2: custom to other kinds of celebrations. You think about milestone birthdays, anniversaries, 387 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 2: and in many cases the foods that were thrown were 388 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 2: tasty enough for the guests to collect and eat them afterward. 389 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 2: And in eighteenth century Italy they even adopted a special 390 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:58,400 Speaker 2: word for these small throwable treats, confetti, or translated little sweets. 391 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: Oh that's interesting. I never had any idea that the 392 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: word meant something. And you know, it kind of feels 393 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: like a tease now that you're just getting paper instead 394 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: of sweets. 395 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's weird to think about, but confetti sprinkles are 396 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 2: actually more in line with the original confetti. Yeah, like funfetti, 397 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,639 Speaker 2: Love some funfetti. It's probably one of my top ten cakes. 398 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 2: You know, to make a good fun fetti cake. But 399 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 2: Italy's take was a little more nuanced than that. So 400 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 2: in the nineteenth century, Italian confetti consisted mostly of sugar 401 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 2: glazed nuts or dried fruit seeds sugared almonds, and this 402 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,400 Speaker 2: was especially popular at the country's carnival. 403 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: Parties, which sounds better in theory, but I also don't 404 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: want to be pelted by like a bunch of sticky almonds. 405 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 2: You're so picky about the things you want to be 406 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 2: pelted with. But actually all joking aside, You're not alone 407 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 2: because plenty of partygoers also complained that the candied nuts 408 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,320 Speaker 2: were too dangerous, and not only because it hurt to 409 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 2: get hit with them, because kids would often crawl around 410 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,080 Speaker 2: in the busy streets to collect them and to make 411 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 2: matters where some bad actors started making fake confetti and 412 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 2: it looked like sugared almonds but in reality was just 413 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,760 Speaker 2: globs of hardened plastic. So carnival, I know, it's terrible. 414 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 2: So carnival party goers were eventually fed up with being 415 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 2: bruised by fake almonds, and so in the late eighteen hundreds, 416 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,439 Speaker 2: Italy retired edible confetti and brought in paper confetti to 417 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 2: replace it. Now, aside from being far less bruising, paper 418 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,959 Speaker 2: confetti proved cheaper, easier to clean up, and better still, 419 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 2: it wasn't something that children would run into the streets 420 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 2: to pick up. 421 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 1: And it's like a better visual spectacle, right, Like the 422 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: paper hangs, it flutters and the air instead of just 423 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: like thudding to the ground. 424 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean it's funny that you mentioned that, 425 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 2: because confetti actually dazzled people and helped New York police 426 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 2: keep the peace. Back in the early nineties, New Year's 427 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 2: in Times Square was more like a drunken brawl than 428 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,400 Speaker 2: a party. But in nineteen ninety two the city tried 429 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,479 Speaker 2: to lighten things up by dumping a few thousand pounds 430 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 2: of confetti on the ground. 431 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,360 Speaker 1: Thousand pounds and that works. 432 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 2: And one spot they dropped it on one guy and 433 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 2: it was just air, you know the scene you pictured, 434 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 2: it flying everywhere, and the whole mood of the party 435 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 2: actually shifted that night. And so every New Year since, 436 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,439 Speaker 2: most people in Times Square have been too dazzled to 437 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 2: fight with each other. And it's interesting to imagine that scenario, 438 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 2: but it kind of makes sense. But while we're talking 439 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 2: about New York, we should probably talk about the city's 440 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,679 Speaker 2: own homegrown version of confetti, which is the ticker tape. 441 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: You know, for some reason, I just assumed tickertape came 442 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: from London. I didn't realize it was a New York convention. 443 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. Ticker tape made its debut in the eighteen sixties 444 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 2: when the world's first stock ticker was unveiled at the 445 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,679 Speaker 2: New York Stock Exchange. The device could receive up to 446 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 2: the minute stock prices over telegraph wires and then print 447 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,640 Speaker 2: them out almost in real time on these long, thin 448 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 2: ribbons of paper tape. Both the machine and the paper 449 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 2: were named for the distinctive tick tick tick sound that 450 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 2: the type wheel made while printing. 451 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 1: So tickertape kind of starts out as the opposite of confetti. Right. 452 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: It wasn't party paper, it was business. 453 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 2: Paper, that's exactly right. But that all changed a couple 454 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,199 Speaker 2: decades later. During the official opening of the Statue of 455 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 2: Liberty in eighteen eighty six, there was this big celebration 456 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 2: in Lower Manhattan with a parade starting at City Hall 457 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 2: and ending at Battery Park with a clear view of 458 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 2: the statue. Now, the use of ticker tape wasn't a 459 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 2: plan part of the festivities, and the city's fledgling financial 460 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,719 Speaker 2: district wasn't even part of the route. But office workers 461 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,120 Speaker 2: didn't let that stop them from joining in the party. 462 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 2: So when they heard the parade was passing a few 463 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 2: streets over, some workers open their windows flung out the 464 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,920 Speaker 2: ribbons of used ticker tape that had been lying around 465 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 2: the office, And when people and other buildings saw this, 466 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 2: they started doing the same thing. It sort of sets 467 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,199 Speaker 2: off this chain reaction around the city. The flurry of 468 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 2: ticker tape added such a festive touch to the proceedings 469 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,920 Speaker 2: that it soon became a fixture of New York parades. 470 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:43,959 Speaker 2: Although they're far less common today, the city has hosted 471 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,880 Speaker 2: more than two hundred ticker tape parades over the last 472 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 2: century and a half. And although a few people realize that, 473 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 2: there's even a monument in New York called the Canyon 474 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 2: of Heroes that memorializes each ticker tape parade along with 475 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,520 Speaker 2: the people and the events that it was meant to celebrate. 476 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 2: I never heard of That funniest part is that the 477 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 2: ticker tape actually outlasted the stock ticker itself. The last 478 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 2: mechanical models were released back in the early nineteen sixties, 479 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 2: but ticker tape is still being tossed around all these 480 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 2: years later. 481 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: That is amazing. And speaking of things that are amazing, 482 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: we should probably cap this party off. Get a little 483 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 1: fact off. Here's another one of the lesser known uses 484 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: of glitter solving a murder case. So back in the 485 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: early two thousands, California forensic scientist Ed Jones helped solve 486 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,199 Speaker 1: the murder by matching the same red glitter found in 487 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: a victim's hair to samples recovered from the suspect's vehicle. 488 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 1: Apparently the killer had tried to clean his truck after 489 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: the crime, but true to form, a few telltale pieces 490 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: of glitter managed to sneak by him. 491 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 2: You know, the one time when glitters stickiness actually comes 492 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,359 Speaker 2: in handy, Okay, I'll acknowledge that. All right, Well, here's 493 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 2: a weird one I found out about confetti. Have you 494 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 2: ever noticed that when confetti rains down after the World 495 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 2: Series or some big event like that, the image quality 496 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,920 Speaker 2: on your TV takes a huge dip, it starts to 497 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 2: look called choppy and the image kind of shutters. That's 498 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,679 Speaker 2: because the raw video has to be compressed for broadcast. 499 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 2: But instead of reproducing every pixel that appears in a frame, 500 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 2: compress files reuse some of the same information based on 501 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,400 Speaker 2: visual patterns, and that helps save space. So, for example, 502 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 2: in a wide shot of a baseball field, the background 503 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 2: information might be reused for multiple frames at a time, 504 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,199 Speaker 2: sort of frees up more data to focus on the 505 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,120 Speaker 2: players that are moving on the screen. Now, this reuse 506 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 2: of pixels is subtle enough miss this in most cases, 507 00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:38,120 Speaker 2: but confetti throws a wrench in things. It becomes much 508 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 2: harder to predict the next frame when you suddenly have 509 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:43,680 Speaker 2: hundreds of tiny paper slips moving randomly through the shot, 510 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 2: all at once. Now, in cases like that, the video 511 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 2: has to consume more bits per second to keep up 512 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 2: with the action, and the picture quality inevitably takes a 513 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 2: big hit. So, even in the age of high speed 514 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 2: streaming and ultra HDTVs, we still can't quite capture the 515 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 2: full visual majesty of this low tech confetti storm. It's 516 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 2: kind of wild. 517 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 1: I've never even thought about that. So, speaking of technical things, 518 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: have you ever wondered how crick candles work. I have. Yeah, 519 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: So with regular candles, the force of your breath actually 520 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: pushes the flame away from its fuel source, right, and 521 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,880 Speaker 1: it causes it to go out. But trick candles are 522 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: manufactured with a small amount of magnesium inside their wicks. Now, 523 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,120 Speaker 1: the magnesium won't ignite when the candle is burning because 524 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 1: the flame prevents oxygen from reaching it, and magnesium can't 525 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: burn without oxygen. However, once the candle is blown out, 526 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 1: oxygen immediately comes in contact with the magnesium and with 527 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 1: a smoldering ember at the tip of the wick, and 528 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: this causes the magnesium dust particles to ignite, creating tiny 529 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: sparks that are hot enough to relight the candle. The 530 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,199 Speaker 1: chemical reaction can be repeated over and over until the 531 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:51,640 Speaker 1: magnesium supply is exhausted or until the birthday kit loses 532 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: their patients, whichever happens first. 533 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 2: All right, Well, speaking of birthday candles, I've always wondered 534 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 2: if we really spread germs and bacteria when we low 535 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 2: them out, So I decided to look into this, and 536 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 2: it turns out that scientists from the Canadian Center of 537 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:09,199 Speaker 2: Science and Education have conducted some pretty extensive studies on this, 538 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 2: and I'm sorry to say the results are not pretty. 539 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 2: After multiple trials, the team found that cakes with candles 540 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 2: that were blown out contain nearly fifteen thousand percent more 541 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 2: bacteria than cakes that did not have candles blown out. 542 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 2: That's obviously bad news for germophobes, but there is a 543 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 2: silver lining here. So the research shows that most bacteria 544 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 2: can't survive thisliva in our mouth or the acid in 545 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 2: our stomach. We have a much greater chance of getting 546 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 2: sick from bacteria that makes it into our noses and 547 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 2: our eyes. So as long as you don't shove cake 548 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:42,360 Speaker 2: up there, you can still chill down in relative safety. 549 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: It's good to know. Here's the story from a party 550 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 1: that went completely wrong. So back in nineteen twelve, sixteen 551 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,280 Speaker 1: women were fired from their jobs at the Ladies Home 552 00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: Journal for dancing the Turkey trot on their lunch break. 553 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: Although the trendy dance this stuff had been named and 554 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: modeled after the movements of a turkey, including elbow lifts 555 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 1: to mimic the bird's flapping wings, it still managed to 556 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: spark this outrage from the era's moral police. Some venues 557 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: posted signs that said no turkey trotting allowed, and others 558 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,239 Speaker 1: went so far as stationing a uniformed employee in the 559 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: center of the dance floor to watch out for illicit trotter's. 560 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,399 Speaker 1: The dance prohibitions hit peak absurdi though, when sixteen Philadelphia 561 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: women were fired from a magazine for dancing the trot 562 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: on company grounds. The staff had gathered in the ladies 563 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: wreck room. This was during their lunch hour, and they 564 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: were gearing up for the coming weekend by teaching each 565 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: other these dance steps. Unfortunately, the magazine's chief editor, Edward Bach, 566 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: happened to pass by just as the women were demonstrating 567 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 1: the trot, and needless to say, he did not like 568 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,719 Speaker 1: what he saw. The mass firing was reported nationwide and 569 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: most papers ran the same headline. Girls danced the turkey 570 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 1: trot and editor Boch saw them and was fearfully shocked. 571 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 2: So weird. That's great fact though. I actually have another 572 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 2: cautionary tale for you, and it's about a French nobleman 573 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 2: who threw an epic party in the seventeenth century and 574 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 2: wound up paying for it for the rest of his life. 575 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 2: His name was Nicolay Fouquet, and his party was supposedly 576 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 2: meant to honor the most famous guest, twenty two year 577 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 2: old King Louis the fourteenth. In reality, though, the event 578 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 2: was just a way for Fouquet to show off his 579 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 2: fancy new estate and maybe get himself promoted to Prime Minister. 580 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 2: So Fouquet pulled out all the stops to achieve this. 581 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 2: He invited somewhere between three thousand and six thousand people, 582 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 2: and he gave every single one of them a costly gift. 583 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 2: These diamond brooches for the ladies and thoroughbred horses for them. 584 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 2: Then these gifts are wild now. He also called in 585 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 2: a favor from the famous playwright Molier and had him 586 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,239 Speaker 2: write a new comedic play to be performed for the 587 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 2: first time after dinner. The performance was held in these 588 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 2: lavish gardens, and when it concluded, guests were treated to 589 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 2: a spectacular firework show above the estate. There was even 590 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 2: a big mechanical whale that quote swam through a canal 591 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 2: and shot off even more fireworks. The party was a 592 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 2: huge success by every measure except one. King Louis didn't 593 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 2: feel honored by the event. In fact, the young king 594 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 2: felt threatened by Fouquet's flagrant display of wealth, especially since 595 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 2: it seemed to support earlier accusations that Fouquet had been 596 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 2: stealing money from the Royal Treasury. But whether the rumors 597 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 2: were true or not, Fouque's fate was sealed by the 598 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 2: end of the party. He was arrested on trumped up 599 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 2: charges just a few weeks later and spent the rest 600 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,440 Speaker 2: of his life in prison, all because he threw a 601 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 2: party that was a little too good. 602 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: I feel like, aside from glitter, wounding, a king's ego 603 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,800 Speaker 1: is probably the ultimate party foul. So I do think 604 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: between the thurdbred horses and the approaches and all that, 605 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:48,480 Speaker 1: I think you get the trophy for this one. 606 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 2: I mean, that's a lot of horses. Actually, I think 607 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 2: Fouquet deserves the trophy for that. That is just wild. 608 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 2: All right, Well, that's going to do it for today's 609 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 2: Part Time Genius from Mary Gabe, Dylan Mango and me. 610 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 2: Thank you so so much for listening now. If you 611 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 2: enjoyed the show, come find us on Instagram at part 612 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 2: Time Genius and be sure to tune in next week 613 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 2: for another brand new episode. 614 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 615 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongashtikler 616 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,440 Speaker 1: and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's 617 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: episode was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan 618 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,479 Speaker 1: with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced 619 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: for iHeart by Katrina Norvel and Ali Perry, with social 620 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: media support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shorey. 621 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 622 00:31:52,800 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.