1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what Will? 3 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: What's that Mango? 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: So I was commuting this week to the Midtown offices 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: at iHeart and I read a story that kind of 6 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: related to my commute. It's about a guy named Morton Plant. 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 2: Morton Plant. What a great name. I feel like you 8 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 2: could just stop right there and I'd be happy. I 9 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 2: think we're done. 10 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: That's it. Well, it is a great name, but it 11 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: gets a little better. So Plant was a financier who 12 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: had made a fortune from his family's railroad company. And 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: this was in the early nineteen hundreds. He built himself 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: a limestone mansion on Fifth Avenue and fifty second Street, 15 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: which is obviously a pretty smank area, and then a 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: decade later he built another mansion on fifth and eighty 17 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: sixth Street. Now, when Plant and his wife relocated, he 18 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: agreed to lease the fifty second Sat property to a 19 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: pair of up and coming jewelers. And they were named 20 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: Lewis and Pierre Cardier, and they had been outgrowing a 21 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: smaller shop up the street. 22 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: So Cardier like the jewelers we know today, right, Yeah, 23 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 2: that's right. 24 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,199 Speaker 1: And around the same time Plant's wife May she walks 25 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 1: past the Cardier window and she spots this gorgeous double 26 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: strand natural pearl necklace, so it is super fancy, and 27 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: she tells her husband all about it, and he decides 28 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: he's gonna do the romantic thing. He's gonna go out 29 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: and get it for her, which is really really sweet, 30 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: right it is, But I don't think you'd leave it 31 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: just there. 32 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 2: I feel like there's gonna be a twist to this story. 33 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: We're gonna end this episode twice early Sinday. Right, No, 34 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: there is a twist. So this isn't just any necklace. 35 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: It is incredibly expensive. So Plant made a deal with 36 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: the Cardiers. In exchange for the necklace and one hundred 37 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: dollars in cash, he traded them his mansion, his entire mansion. 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: So he's wait, he traded his mansion for a single necklace. Yeah, 39 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: but at the time the necklace was valued at a 40 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: million dollars, which is about twenty four million dollars to day, 41 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: so it's not like he exactly got ripped off. In fact, 42 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: he was thinking quick and figuring out how to purchase 43 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: a gift without like, you know, liquidating any funds or 44 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: anything like that. He really wanted this for his wife. 45 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: The problem was that, unbeknownst to Mordan Plant, at that 46 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: very moment, a Japanese entrepreneur was developing technology to produce 47 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: cultured pearls at scale, and this changed everything about the 48 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 1: price of pearls. So basically, this new industry caused the 49 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: value of natural pearls to plummet, so that by the 50 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: time may Plant died in the nineteen fifties, her necklace 51 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: was worth just one hundred and fifty one thousand dollars. 52 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 2: Only worth one hundred and fifty one thousand dollars, I mean, 53 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 2: that's not even worth wearing mango. That's almost embarrassing to 54 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 2: have a necklace worth this time. 55 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: But no, I mean like twenty four million dollars. 56 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 2: True, No, that that is wild. And what we do 57 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 2: know you definitely can't buy a fifth avenue mansion for 58 00:02:58,560 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 2: that amount of. 59 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: Money, definitely, But remember the Plants still had their other 60 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: fifth Avenue mentioned, so you don't have to feel too 61 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: bad for them. And to this day, more than plants 62 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,679 Speaker 1: Old Home is the Cardier's flagship store in New York, 63 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 1: so you can think of him the next time you're 64 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: making a reckless purchase to impress someone you love. 65 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 2: I will keep that in mind. Well, today we've got 66 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 2: eight more stories of romantic gestures gone a little bit 67 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: wrong or sometimes a lot wrong, because that is how 68 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 2: we celebrate Valentine's Day around here. Whether you're single, taken, 69 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 2: or it's complicated, this one's for you. So let's dive in. Hey, 70 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 2: their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, 71 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 2: and as always, I'm here with my good friend Mangesh 72 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: hot ticketter and over there just sobbing into a pine 73 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 2: of Hogan DAWs. I know he loves Hogan DAWs, but 74 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 2: he's crying into it today. That's our pal and producer 75 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 2: Dylan fag And now I'm no expert Mango, but this 76 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 2: looks to me like a classic case of heartbreak. So 77 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: poor Dylan and Valentine's Week, So I don't know, it 78 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 2: just seems like a tough one for him. 79 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, but actually he's holding up a sign it says 80 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: I didn't get dumped. I just did my annual rewatch 81 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: of A Walk to Remember, which I believe is a 82 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: Mandy Moore movie. 83 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 2: You know, I've actually never seen it. Mango, I need 84 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 2: to confess that. 85 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: He's making another sign now that says this one says, 86 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: I cannot work for people who've never seen a walk 87 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: to remember. So we don't want to lose Dylan. So 88 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: we'll be streaming that tonight. 89 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 2: Tonight, for sure, I'm on it. 90 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 1: So this week we thought we'd do something on romantic 91 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: gesture has gone wrong. And one of the things I 92 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 1: found in my research were cards known as vinegar Valentine's. 93 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: Have you heard of these? 94 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 2: Will? I don't think I have? What are they? 95 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: So? They're like straight out of middle school mean Kids playbook, 96 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: as Atlas Obscura describes them. In the Victorian era, there 97 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: was no better way to let someone know they were 98 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: unwanted than with the ultimate insult, the vinegar Valentine, also 99 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: called comic Valentine's. These unwelcome notes were sometimes crass and 100 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: always a bit emotionally damaging end quotes. So essentially they 101 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: were these commercially bought postcards that you would like mail 102 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: like Valentine's cards, except that they'd contain an insulting poem 103 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: or illustration. And I can't imagine a crush walking up 104 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: to me like smiling and then handing me one of 105 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: these Like. It just feels so devastating because instead of 106 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: like I choose you, choose you or whatever, here's what 107 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: one reads. It reads quote, you claim you're good at everything, 108 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: so come on, show me proof and let me see 109 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: how good you are by jumping off a roof. 110 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 2: Oh the horrible. That is insane. Mango. 111 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess nothing says I hate you like a 112 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:00,799 Speaker 1: vinegar Valentine. The Smithsonian called it an early of trolling. 113 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: But it's a little different from what we're talking about today, 114 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,119 Speaker 1: which is mostly elaborate romantic gestures that just went wrong. 115 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: So will what do you want to start with today? 116 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:10,720 Speaker 1: All right? 117 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 2: I think we need to go way back, Mango. I 118 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 2: think we should start with Stonehenge. Of course, you know 119 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 2: the big pile of rocks in England. 120 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: Or little pile of rocks if you're watching spinal tap. 121 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: But this is true, I am familiar. 122 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 2: All right. Well, archaeologists believe it was arranged in its 123 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 2: current semicircular shape sometime around twenty five hundred BCE, so 124 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 2: a long time ago, and believe it or not, for 125 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: a long time it was privately owned. The property was 126 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 2: bought and sold several times finally ended up in the 127 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,359 Speaker 2: hands of a family called Antrobus. Now they passed it 128 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 2: down through the generations until Sir Cosmo Antrobus inherited from 129 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 2: his older brother Edmund, who died in early nineteen fifteen. 130 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: I mean, Cosmo Antribus is another amazing name. 131 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 2: We are racking them up today and there's more here. 132 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 2: So enter our next character, who is a barrister by 133 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: the name of Cecil chubb An another great name. It's 134 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 2: just like one after another. Well, anyway, one day in 135 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 2: the fall of nineteen fifteen, Cecil makes plans to attend 136 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 2: an auction in the town of Salisbury. Now, his wife 137 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 2: Mary reportedly had sent him out with one task to 138 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 2: buy a set of curtains for her while he was there, 139 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 2: but instead he buys stonehenge, you know, goes out for curtains, 140 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 2: ends up a stone hinge which their Cosmo had put 141 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 2: up for sale. Now the price on this six thousand pounds, 142 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 2: which is nearly six hundred and fifty thousand dollars in 143 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 2: today's money. 144 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: I feel like I can't imagine the conversation when he 145 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: got home, Like, you know, he's talking to his wife 146 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: and he's like, sorry, I forgot the curtains, but I 147 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: did get you the most expensive pile of rocks in 148 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: the world. 149 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty much a big swish there. Well, apparently 150 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 2: Mary Chubb wasn't thrilled with the surprise gift. Sure to 151 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 2: be fair, Cecil's impulse by may have had a more 152 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 2: noble motivation. So at the time there were rumors that 153 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 2: wealthy Americans might want to buy Stonehenge, perhaps to dismantle 154 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 2: it and ship it off to the other side of 155 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 2: the Atlantic. Apparently buying up British antigues had become something 156 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 2: of a sport for American millionaires at the time, and 157 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 2: Cecil Chubb felt Stonehenge should remain in England and of 158 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 2: course be accessible to the public, So in nineteen eighteen 159 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 2: he gave the monument to the British government, saying it 160 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 2: was quote a gift to be held for the nation. 161 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 2: So today's Stonehenge remains a public property managed by the 162 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 2: English Heritage Charitable Trust. 163 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: I like that, and in a way, I guess making 164 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: a gift like that to your country is kind of 165 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: a romantic gesture, but maybe not from his wife's perspective. Well, 166 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: hopping over to another continent, I want to tell you 167 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: about Ishmael Pasha, the viceroy of Egypt under Ottoman rule. 168 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: So as a young man, he studied at Broad in Paris, 169 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: where he became enamored with all things European. So when 170 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: he came to power in eighteen sixty three, one of 171 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: his top priorities was making Egypt look more like France. 172 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 2: I mean nothing against France, but that's kind of a shame. 173 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 2: I feel like being Egypt is sort of one of 174 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 2: Egypt's biggest strengths, don't you. 175 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, seriously, But Ishmael was obsessed with European architecture. He 176 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,319 Speaker 1: also loved the art music, you know, the whole nine yards. 177 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: And at the time, the Suez Canal was being built 178 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 1: by a French company and that had been granted a 179 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: concession by the Egyptian government. So there were lots of 180 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: connections between Egypt and France in the eighteen sixties, including 181 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: a rumor that Ishmael had fallen in love with the 182 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: French Empress Eugenni, the wife of Napoleon the Third. Napoleon 183 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: the Third is the grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first president, 184 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: second Emperor, and last monarch of France anyway. So Eugenny, 185 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,079 Speaker 1: it turns out, came from a Spanish noble family and 186 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 1: was known for her fine taste in fashion and art 187 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: in decor. It said that Ishmael met her during his 188 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: time in Paris and he just became incredibly smitten with her. 189 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: So when it was time for the Suez Canal's grand opening, 190 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: this was in eighteen sixty nine, he invited Eugenny to 191 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: attend as a guest of honor. 192 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 2: He must have been impressed by the canal, because can 193 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 2: you imagine being one of the first people to see 194 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 2: something like that. 195 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, it must have been incredible. But even more impressive 196 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: was the palace that Ishmael had built for the occasion. 197 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: He called it the Palace al Jazeera, and it costs 198 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: about seven hundred and fifty thousand Egyptian pounds to build, 199 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: which was really a fortune at the time. He hired 200 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: European architects to build it in this neoclassical style. He 201 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: brought a renowned German designer to outfit the interior. Reportedly, 202 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: Ishmael even had one of the rooms designed as a 203 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: replica of Eugenni's chambers in Paris, so that she'd feel 204 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: right at home, like it was this grand, grand gesture. 205 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 2: Wow, So what ended up happening? Did that? Did that 206 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 2: win her over? 207 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: It really wasn't enough, apparently, Like the thing is, Eugennyan 208 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: Napoleon didn't have a great relationship that was kind of 209 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 1: widely known. He kept mistresses on the side, but for 210 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: whatever reason, whether it was loyalty or not wanting to 211 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 1: cause an international incident, when the Suez Canal festivities ended, 212 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: Eugeni just packed bags and went home to France. And 213 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:05,959 Speaker 1: Ishmael of course was super heartbroken. But worse than that, 214 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: all that spending meant that he'd racked up millions of 215 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: pounds of debt, Like he borrowed so much money from 216 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: France and Great Britain that eventually those countries stepped in 217 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: to exert control over the Egyptian government. Like that's how 218 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: much he borrowed. And Ishmael was deposed spent the rest 219 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,439 Speaker 1: of his life in exile. And here's an interesting detail. 220 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: Part of the Al Jazeera Palace building was incorporated into 221 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: the Cairo Marriott, a five star luxury hotel, So you 222 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: can actually book a room there today for yourself and 223 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: anyone you're trying to impress. 224 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 2: Well that's a great travel tip. All right. Well, let's 225 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 2: stay on the topic of prominent national leaders, and I'm 226 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 2: going to go to Winston Churchill for my next fact. 227 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 2: I know you've heard lots about Churchill's political life, but 228 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 2: today I want to take a peek at his personal life. 229 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 2: So he married a woman named Clementine Josier. This was 230 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 2: in nineteen oh eight and they remained together until his 231 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 2: death in nineteen sixty five. But before he settled down, 232 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 2: Churchill was a real ladies man. One biographer reported that 233 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 2: he was known for prowling London's theater district, trying to 234 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 2: pick up girls from various music calls. And then he 235 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 2: fell in love with Pamela Plowden. She was the daughter 236 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 2: of a military official he knew from his time in 237 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 2: the service. Now, Pamela had many admirers, so Churchill knew 238 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 2: he'd have to go above and beyond in order to 239 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:21,959 Speaker 2: win her affection. 240 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: So does he buy her like an extravagant gift or 241 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: what happens here? 242 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 2: Not at all? That was actually part of the problem. 243 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 2: So Churchill had wealthy relatives, but he himself wasn't super rich, 244 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 2: and Pamela made it known she wanted to marry someone 245 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 2: with money, since she didn't come from a family of 246 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 2: means either, so Churchill relied on his greatest skill. Those were, 247 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 2: of course words. Now he began writing her this steady 248 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 2: stream of love letters and kept at it for up 249 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 2: to two years. Now. In what might have been my 250 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 2: favorite gesture of all, when he finished his first and 251 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 2: only novel, he had the manuscript delivered to her. He 252 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 2: even came up with a plan to make more money, 253 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 2: and after becoming a member of Parliament, he embarked on 254 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 2: a lecture tour across North America, giving paid speeches that 255 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 2: earned him thousands of pounds. 256 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: Wow. So at this time, I'm guessing he's pretty financially secure, 257 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 1: he's employed, he's a good writer. So does she fall 258 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: from him now? 259 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 2: Mega? Remember this is an episode about romantic gestures that 260 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 2: did not work, so of course not in this case. 261 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 2: So Churchill proposed repeatedly and Pamela rejected him every single time, 262 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 2: eventually marrying Victor Bulward Lytton, who went on to have 263 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 2: a prominent political career of his own. But he never 264 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,559 Speaker 2: not once gifted her a manuscript of a novel. So 265 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:37,959 Speaker 2: I think it's just just a shame. 266 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 1: Well, at least Churchill figured it out and ended up 267 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: in a long and happy marriage of his own. The 268 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: same cannot be said of our next hapless Romeo, Count 269 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: Gregory Orlov. He was a Russian military officer from a 270 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: prominent family, and in seventeen fifty nine he met the 271 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: Grand Duke Peter, who later became Emperor Peter I, and 272 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: his Prussian wife, Catherine, who was later known as Catherine 273 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: the Great. It said that Katherine and Orlov fell deeply 274 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: for each other and began a relationship right away. Apparently 275 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: she was very unhappy in her marriage. Catherine was an 276 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: ambitious reader, a political thinker, and Peter, her husband, was 277 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: less intellectual and more interested in drinking. 278 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 2: I mean, it kind of sounds like they never should 279 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 2: have gotten married in the first place. 280 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: I mean, it was one of these royal things, right, 281 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 1: Like it's an arranged marriage designed to strengthen the ties 282 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: between Prussia and Russia. But Peter became an emperor in 283 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: seventeen sixty two, and shortly thereafter Orlov and his brother 284 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: Alexey helped plan a coup that overthrew him, making Katherine 285 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: the Empress of Russia. 286 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 2: I mean nothing, says, I love you like a coup mango. 287 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 2: Let's be honest. 288 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and not only that, Just a week after the coup, 289 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: Alexei strangled Peter to death so Catherine would never have 290 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: to deal with his poorish behavior again. There's actually no 291 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: evidence that she was aware of that part of the plot, 292 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: but still it paved the way for her in or Love, 293 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: to become Russia's biggest power couple. Accept Catherine's advisors weren't 294 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: thrilled about this, and they wouldn't let them marry. She 295 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: did give Orlov the title of count and several high 296 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: level appointments, and he worked alongside her to reform Russia's 297 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: legal code. But in seventeen seventy two the relationship ended. 298 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: It turns out that Catherine had fallen in love with 299 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: another man, Gregory Petempkin, who'd also been involved in carrying 300 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: out the coup. So now Orlov's like shocked. He's trying 301 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: to win her back, and he goes out and he 302 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: buys one of the most famous diamonds in the world. 303 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: This is incredible. It weighs nearly two hundred carrots. It's 304 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: an egg shaped stone that was allisurely stolen from a 305 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: temple in Mysore in India and smuggled to Europe and 306 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: in seventeen seventy four Orlov purchased it for one point 307 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: four million Dutch florins. Catherine accepted the gift because you 308 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: know who wouldn't, and she had it mounted in her 309 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: royal scepter. But she was still in love with Potemkin 310 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: and she refused to rekindle her romance with or Love 311 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: and this sent to into a tailspin. You know, he 312 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: spent all this money he was trying to woo her. 313 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: He ends up leaving Russia, rebounds by marrying one of 314 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: his cousins, and then dies when he was in his 315 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: forties after suffering a mental collapse. 316 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 2: Oh that is a rough story. We'll have another one 317 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 2: about a diamond as well, this one involving movie stars, 318 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 2: a media frenzy, and of course un unhappy ending. So 319 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 2: I'll tell you all about it after we take a 320 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 2: quick break. 321 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Part time Genius. Today. We've got nine 322 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: romantic gestures that turned into disasters. Okay, well, so you 323 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: said you've gotten another fact about a diamond. 324 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 2: Indeed, I do, and it's not just any diamond. So 325 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 2: the jeweling question is a pear shaped beauty weighing almost 326 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 2: seventy carrots. I love how we're throwing all these talk 327 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 2: about carrots around as though we have any idea what 328 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 2: this means. But that's a lot. So in nineteen sixty 329 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 2: nine it was put up for sale at an auction. 330 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 2: Back then, one of the biggest celebrity couples in the 331 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 2: world was Welsh actor Richard Burton an American superstar Elizabeth Taylor. 332 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 2: Now they were known for their luxurious lifestyle and Burton 333 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 2: often bought Taylor the high end diamonds that she loved 334 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,439 Speaker 2: very much. Now they heard about this stone for sale 335 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 2: and actually had the auction house fly it to them 336 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 2: in Switzerland where they were vacationing, just so they could 337 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:27,439 Speaker 2: get a preview before the sale. 338 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: That is incredible. 339 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 2: It's just just crazy and it's all very relatable at 340 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 2: the same time. But at the auction, Burton got out 341 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 2: bid by Cartier, you know, the jewelry we were talking 342 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 2: about earlier. But Burton was absolutely insistent, saying, no one 343 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,160 Speaker 2: but Taylor could wear this diamond, and so he ended 344 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,159 Speaker 2: up buying it from Cardier for one point one million 345 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 2: dollars or the equivalent of nine point four million dollars today. 346 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: That's incredible, and Elizabeth Taylor must have been ecstatic about this, 347 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: right she was. 348 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 2: But you know, before the couple took ownership of the diamond, 349 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 2: they allowed Cardia to it on display in their Fifth 350 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 2: Avenue shop, where thousands of people lined up every single 351 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 2: day to see it. And finally the diamond was delivered 352 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 2: to the Burton Taylors on their yacht off the coast 353 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 2: of Monica. 354 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: I feel like it just gets more and more relative. 355 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 2: It really does. This is wild. So they were there 356 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 2: for Princess Grace's birthday party, and while I'm sure people 357 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 2: were happy for her Highness, the real star of the 358 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 2: event was Elizabeth Taylor wearing this enormous diamond around her neck. 359 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 2: But you know this isn't going to end well. Of course, 360 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 2: Taylor and Burton's marriage fell apart, and they divorced soon after. 361 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,640 Speaker 2: They remarried briefly, and then split for good in nineteen 362 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 2: seventy six, at which point Taylor decided to sell the diamond. 363 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 2: But some good did come of it, though she used 364 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 2: the proceeds to help build a hospital in Botswana. You 365 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:48,199 Speaker 2: didn't see that one coming. That went from like crazy 366 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 2: crazy to a nice gesture. 367 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: There, I do like it. Well, here's a story about 368 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 1: a different kind of beautiful ending. Are you familiar with 369 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 1: the artist Marina Abramovich. 370 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. Actually, she's the one that did the project at 371 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 2: MoMA where she said and stared at people right. 372 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: Yeah. It was called the Artist's Present And she's had 373 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 1: a really fascinating career kind of blurring the boundaries between 374 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 1: conceptual art and performance art. And in the seventies and 375 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: eighties she was in a relationship with a fellow artist. 376 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 1: His name was Ulai, and they began collaborating. They created 377 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: performance pieces together, like one where they plugged their nostrils 378 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: and exhaled directly into each other's mouths until they became 379 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: faint from lack of oxygen like it's weird but interesting stuff, 380 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: and another called rest Energy. This one's crazy. Bramovich held 381 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,640 Speaker 1: the handle of a bow with the drawn arrow held 382 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 1: by Ulai, and they leaned back until the bow was 383 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 1: completely taught, with the arrow pointing at Abramovich's heart, and 384 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: if Ulai's finger slipped, it would have killed her instantly, 385 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: But the tension on the bow was coming from her 386 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:58,440 Speaker 1: way too, so not just his and they wore microphones 387 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: to amplify their heartbeats. They stood perfectly still for four minutes. 388 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 2: My god, that sounds terrifying, yeah, but it's also art, 389 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 2: right of course. 390 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 1: That's also the level of trust they had in each other. 391 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 1: And in nineteen eighty they decided to get married with 392 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: the performance slash romantic gesture that was bigger than anything 393 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: they'd done before. Their plan was for each of them 394 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 1: to start at one end of the Great Wall of 395 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: China and then they just walked towards each other, a 396 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 1: journey that would take months, and the idea was wherever 397 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: they met, they'd marry on the spot. The problem was, 398 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: they need a ton of permits from China, right, The 399 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: Chinese government wasn't just handing out permits, and it took 400 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: eight years to get all the paperwork squared away, and 401 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: by then they had broken up. So they had this 402 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: grand romantic gesture plan but no reason to do it anymore, 403 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:49,600 Speaker 1: except they decided to do it for a different reason. 404 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: They decided to turn the performance into a farewell right. 405 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,439 Speaker 1: It was kind of an epic way of ending their relationship. 406 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,159 Speaker 1: After all, they had spent all this time getting the permits, 407 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: so they wanted to continue through with it, so in 408 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: April of nineteen eighty eight, they took their places at 409 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: either end of the wall, and they start walking, and 410 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,399 Speaker 1: they met near the middle. Later that summer, Abramovich said 411 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,440 Speaker 1: that when she saw it live for the first time 412 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: in months, quote, first I was angry, then I was sad, 413 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: then I cried. They'd been traveling with help from translators 414 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: provided by the Chinese government, and at their reunion, Ulai 415 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,960 Speaker 1: had devastating news for Abramovich. He'd fallen for his translator, 416 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:30,200 Speaker 1: she was pregnant, and they planned to marry in Beijing. 417 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: He and Abramovich didn't speak again for decades. 418 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 2: Isn't that wow? So it was like a romantic gesture 419 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 2: turned romantic breakup, turned really really bad breakup pretty much. 420 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: Ulai even sued Abramovich in twenty fifteen in a dispute 421 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 1: over royalties on their collaborative works, but a few years 422 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: later they reunited when she spotted him in the audience 423 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: at a lecture she was giving at a Copenhagen museum. 424 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: He put his arm around her and they laughed like 425 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: old friends, and later Abramovich said that in that moment, quote, 426 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 1: I gave up all the anger, all the hate, all 427 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: the rest, and I think what's left is the beautiful 428 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: work that we left behind, and this is what matters. 429 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,400 Speaker 2: Wow. All right, well, speaking of beautiful work, our next 430 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,400 Speaker 2: story is all about a watch that's both a technical 431 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:19,239 Speaker 2: marvel and an artistic statement unlike any other. Now, this 432 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 2: all began in Versailles in seventeen eighty three. There was 433 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,880 Speaker 2: an admirer of Marie Antoinette's some say it was Swedish 434 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 2: diplomat Axel von Furson. So anyway, decides to dazzle her 435 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 2: with the gift of an extravagant watch. And the only 436 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 2: person who could make a time piece worthy of the 437 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:40,440 Speaker 2: Queen was Abraham Louis Briget, the Parisian watchmaker who invented 438 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 2: many of the mechanisms that became standard in the watchmaking industry. 439 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 2: So Briget was up for the challenge, and he began 440 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 2: devising this pocket watch made of gold and platinum, rubies 441 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 2: and sapphires, all the good stuff. And it was said 442 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 2: that he was given no budget to work with, meaning 443 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,120 Speaker 2: in other words, this sky was the limit here. 444 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 1: Which means he was designing a really really stunning watch. Yeah. 445 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 2: Actually, what made it really special is the number of 446 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 2: complications it had, and watchmaking lingo. A complication is any 447 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 2: function other than just telling time, So like an alarm, 448 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 2: a date display, these are complications. And for this epic watch, 449 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 2: Brigay loaded it with every complication he knew how to make. 450 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 2: He built in a thermometer, a perpetual calendar, a chime, 451 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,360 Speaker 2: a display showing how much energy was left so you'd 452 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 2: know when it needed winding, and more. And so when 453 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 2: it was done there were eight hundred and twenty three components, 454 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,639 Speaker 2: many of them visible through the watch's transparent crystal face. 455 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 2: Isn't that amazing? 456 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: I love that it tells you the temperature, the date 457 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: it's gonna alarm on it. It's like a antiquated iPhone, right. 458 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,679 Speaker 1: But what did Marie Antronett think about all this? 459 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,920 Speaker 2: Well, this is of course where the disaster part comes in. 460 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 2: Because the watch was so complicated, it wasn't completed until 461 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 2: eighteen oh two, almost twenty years after the work first began. 462 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 2: By that point, Marie Antoinette was long gone. Now, if 463 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 2: you recall French history one oh one, she got sent 464 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 2: to the guillotine in seventeen ninety three, so she never 465 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 2: got a glimpse of this amazing watch. And once more, 466 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 2: Brigue himself died four years before the watch was finished. 467 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 2: His son, who took over his father's business, had to 468 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,120 Speaker 2: step in and finish the job. 469 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 1: So if Marie Antrnette wasn't alive to receive the gift, 470 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 1: what happened to the watch? 471 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 2: Well, the Brigue company held onto it for a while, 472 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 2: and then they sold it to a private collector, changed 473 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 2: hands a few times, eventually landing in a museum in Jerusalem. 474 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 2: Was actually stolen from there in the nineteen eighties and 475 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 2: disappeared for decades. Finally, in two thousand and seven, it 476 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,439 Speaker 2: was recovered, along with several others stolen time pieces, and 477 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 2: returned to that same museum. Oh that's incredible. 478 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: Well, we have one last story today, and this one 479 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: doesn't involve jeweles, watches or any physical objects at all, 480 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 1: because there's a whole other category of romantic gestures out there. 481 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: I'm talking about, do do something for someone you love. 482 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 2: I like that Love Languages book. Have you read that? 483 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:05,880 Speaker 2: It talks all about like acts of service. 484 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: I haven't read it, but I imagine that's exactly what 485 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: this is. So back in the nineteen forties, in the 486 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,439 Speaker 1: golden age of Hollywood, Rita Hayworth was one of the 487 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: biggest movie stars in the world. Right she was a 488 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: trained dancer. She worked her way up the studio system, 489 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: going from bit parts to a starring role opposite Fred 490 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 1: Astaire in the nineteen forty one musical You'll Never Get Rich, 491 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: and she became an icon, appearing in hit movies and 492 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 1: on magazine covers. She landed this high profile contract with 493 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: Columbia Pictures as well. Now, her personal life was much rockier. 494 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: She had left an abusive first husband to Mary Orson Wells, 495 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,440 Speaker 1: but that relationship fell apart a few years later. And 496 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: then in nineteen forty eight, at a glamorous party on 497 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,640 Speaker 1: the French Riviera, Hayworth meets a gentleman named Ali Khan. 498 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:55,120 Speaker 1: And Khan is a fantastically wealthy social ae and he's 499 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 1: a prince whose father was the Aga Khan, or head 500 00:25:58,040 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 1: of the Ismaili Muslim community. 501 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 2: Sounds like it's straight from a plot of a nineteen 502 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 2: forties Hollywood. 503 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: Movie exactly so. Ali Khan was actually married at the time, 504 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,439 Speaker 1: and he had a reputation for being a playboy, but 505 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: Hayworth found him really charming, and after just a few 506 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 1: days of courtship, she moved into his villa in the 507 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: south of France. He organized parties to introduce her to 508 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,159 Speaker 1: his society friends, but it was kind of awkward, right, Like, 509 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 1: she doesn't speak French. So anyway, he whists her off 510 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: to Spain and proposes, and she says no because she 511 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: has to get home to Hollywood to start work on 512 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: a new film, and besides, she actually has a young 513 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,120 Speaker 1: daughter in the States from her marriage with wells Now. 514 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: Ali Khan was undeterred. He pursues her to the Los Angeles, 515 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: where he showers her with gifts. The relationship gets into 516 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: the press, and, in addition to some casual racism at 517 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: the time related to Ali's Pakistani heritage, people were outraged 518 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 1: at the flamboyance of their affair, especially because he was 519 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: still married. 520 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 2: This is good stuff, magatherre like lots of good components. Here, 521 00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:59,120 Speaker 2: I got my bucket a popcorn, like, keep keep going. 522 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: This is really good, right. So Ali Khan's father wanted 523 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,199 Speaker 1: him to break it off because it was making the 524 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: whole family look bad, and instead he gets a divorce 525 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: and he and Hayworth finally marry in nineteen forty nine. 526 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: But their lives are so different, right. He is a 527 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 1: jet setter who keeps us safe full of various currencies 528 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:20,919 Speaker 1: so you can dash off to any corner of the 529 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,400 Speaker 1: globe at any moment's notice. And he was also expected 530 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: to make official visits to the Ismaili communities in Africa 531 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:29,879 Speaker 1: and Asia. You know, this is all part of their 532 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,919 Speaker 1: tradition and as part of the service, he wants his 533 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 1: wife to join him. But here's where the sacrifice comes in. 534 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: So Hayworth actually gives up her film career to be 535 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: with him. And this is a really, really costly decision. 536 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: Columbia Pictures Suser for one point two million dollars for 537 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 1: breaking her contract. 538 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 2: Oh that is a huge leap to make. So tell me, Mengo, 539 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 2: unlike every other story we've heard so far, tell me 540 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 2: they lived happily ever after. 541 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: I mean, you know where this is headed. So they 542 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,040 Speaker 1: had a daughter shortly after their marriage. But from that 543 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: point on, it's just a disaster. Hayworth was totally out 544 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: of her element on these diplomatic trips. Ali Khon didn't 545 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,280 Speaker 1: change his Playwroy ways, and Hayworth ends up going home 546 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 1: to the US and initiating divorce proceedings. But the worst 547 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: part is her reputation wasn't tatters her over the top 548 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,919 Speaker 1: lifestyle with Ali, not not to mention the fact that 549 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: she'd taken up with a married man while being the 550 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: mother of a young child from her first marriage. All 551 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 1: of this prompted a ton of outrage at the time, and. 552 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:28,880 Speaker 2: Of course this was aimed at her, not him. 553 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 1: I'm guessing right, yeah, I mean, he did get a 554 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: little bit of blowback, but yeah, of course it was 555 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: aimed at her. And in nineteen forty nine, an American 556 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: women's club actually organized a boycott of her films, with 557 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: one woman saying, quote Rita Hayworth's studio shitsacker, her trapesing 558 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: around is an insult to American womanhood. 559 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 2: So did her career ever recover from this? 560 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: I mean, that is the good part. So she finally 561 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 1: returned to the screen in nineteen fifty two. It was 562 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: with a movie called Affair in Trinidad, and she went 563 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: on to make several more hit films, but her relationship 564 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: with Columbia execs remained tricky, partially because of her decision 565 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: to quit the movies for love. 566 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 2: Wow, Well that's the lesson for today. I guess, don't 567 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 2: abandon a lucrative Hollywood career to galivan around with a prince. 568 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 2: Just write that down, always put that in your back pocket. Well, 569 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 2: I know, we said nine mango. We love to do 570 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 2: our nine facts. But how about we end the day 571 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 2: with the story of a tryhard who actually did win 572 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 2: his crushover in the end. 573 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 1: I'm for it. So who are we talking about? 574 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 2: And I remember us talking about this back in our 575 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:34,280 Speaker 2: mental loss days. This was, of course President Richard Milhouse Nixon. Now, 576 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 2: from the outside, the Nixon's marriage wasn't one that most 577 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 2: people envy. The New York Times referred to the love 578 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 2: between the couple as quote dry as dust. Ben Bradley 579 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 2: of The Washington Post called it sort of a dingy marriage. 580 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 2: I have a feeling they never touched each other in 581 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 2: any way, you know, not great, But anyway, the letters 582 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 2: between them over the course of their marriage actually show 583 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 2: quite a bit of affection and passion and understanding between 584 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 2: the two of them. Whatever their marriage would become, the 585 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 2: initial dating period was not great. Apparently, the first time 586 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 2: he met her, he said, I'd like to have a 587 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 2: date with you. She responded, I'm busy. Then he said 588 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 2: I'd like to marry you, and she laughed in his face. 589 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:17,600 Speaker 2: But as Politico puts it, he pursued Pat with the 590 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 2: same determination and persistence he would later use to win 591 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 2: seven elections. He hated ice skating, but bloodied himself repeatedly 592 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 2: to learn so he could go skating with Pat and 593 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 2: her friends. On weekends. In order to spend time with her, 594 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 2: he drove her to Los Angeles, where she went on 595 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 2: dates with other men. He would return on Sunday afternoons 596 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 2: and wait until she was ready for him to drive 597 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 2: her home. Six months after they met, Pat went to 598 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 2: Michigan to buy a car and did not contact Dick 599 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 2: for three months. Apparently it took him three years, but 600 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 2: eventually all that hanging around her convinced her of his charms, 601 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,720 Speaker 2: and so, as Pat wrote to her parents after he'd 602 00:30:55,840 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 2: enrolled in the service, Dick looked so different, younger, real, tan, thinner, 603 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 2: and of course very handsome. She made it clear she 604 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,320 Speaker 2: missed him, and it wasn't long before they were married. 605 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 1: I don't know that proposing marriage on your first meeting 606 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: after someone has just turned you down for a date 607 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: is the right way to go about winning someone's affections, mon, 608 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: But I'm glad it worked out. But what about gifts? 609 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,440 Speaker 1: Was there anything tricky to got for Pat that we 610 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: know about? 611 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 2: Let me think about as well, pandas. Of course, when 612 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 2: Pat went to China with President Nixon, she was totally 613 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 2: taken with the pandas, and President Nixon gifted China too Muskox, 614 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 2: which they reciprocated with pandas. So in a way, the 615 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:37,719 Speaker 2: fact that we have giant pandas in this country is 616 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 2: because of their love. 617 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: Oh that's when I had never thought of that. Well, 618 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 1: I guess it's pretty romantic. But that does it for 619 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,680 Speaker 1: this very On Valentine's Day episode of Part Time Genius, 620 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: don't forget to follow us on Instagram at part Time Genius. 621 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: We have some exciting stuff coming up later this month, 622 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: including a whole bunch of listener prize giveaways, so stay 623 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:01,959 Speaker 1: tuned for that, and in the meantime, Will, Mary, Gabe Dylan, 624 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: and myself thank you so much for listening. Part Time 625 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. This show 626 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongaish Heatikler and 627 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:29,520 Speaker 1: research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's episode 628 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 1: was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan with 629 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 1: support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced for 630 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social media 631 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shorey. 632 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 633 00:32:49,400 --> 00:33:07,320 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.