1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosity is a production 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: open book, all of these amazing tales are right there 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to 6 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Bravery comes in all shapes its sizes. 7 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: It might be the kid who stands up to the 8 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: bully at school, or the person who asks their crush 9 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: out on a date. Bravery doesn't have to mean putting 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: one's life in danger. Of course, any action movie will 11 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: tell you it means big muscles and even bigger guns. 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: But one World War Two soldier proved Hollywood all wrong. 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: His was a story about bravery that was almost too 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: good to be true. And his name was Leo Major. 15 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: Major was born in nineteen twenty one in Massachusetts. His 16 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: parents were French Canadian, but his father had brought his 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: mother's stateside while he was working for the American Railroad Company. 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: Before Leo turned one, Mr Major moved every wooden back 19 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: home to Montreal, Canada as he got older, Though the 20 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: young Major didn't get along with his father and went 21 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: to live with an aunt when he was just fourteen. 22 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: There weren't many opportunities for work where he lived, but 23 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,679 Speaker 1: he did have a desire to show his father that 24 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: he could make something of himself, so when he turned nineteen, 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: he joined the Canadian Army. From the get go, Major 26 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: did more than make something of himself. He proved everyone 27 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: that he was a force to be reckoned with. He 28 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: stormed the beaches of Normandy in nineteen forty four and 29 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: single handedly captured a German armored personnel carrier. Then he 30 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: took out a handful of s S patrolman a few 31 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: days later, only to be or severely injured by a 32 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: phosphorus grenade thrown by the enemy. The explosion cost Major 33 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: one of his eyes, after which he was told to 34 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: go back to England. He was told he could no 35 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: longer work in this condition, but he disagreed, saying he 36 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: only needed one eye to shoot with, and he was 37 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: allowed to stay. Major was hurt again in nineteen forty 38 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: five when the carrier he was writing was struck by 39 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: a mine. The driver and the chaplain on board were killed, 40 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: but Major survived with two broken ankles and a broken 41 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: back that he refused to let fully heal. Against everyone's 42 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: better judgments, he went right back to fighting. Nothing was 43 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: going to keep him away. The Canadian Maverick returned to 44 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: the front lines. He traveled to the Netherlands to help 45 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: his fellow Canadians, as well as the Polish and British, 46 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: clear the shipping route to Antwerp. Report there was instrumental 47 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: in getting supplies to the Allies station North. The seventh 48 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: Canadian Infantry Brigade took up a position just outside of 49 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: the town as Wall in Holland, but had no intel 50 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: on the enemy forces already there. Major and his comrade, 51 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,679 Speaker 1: Corporal Wilfred Arsenal, volunteered to check things out and report back. 52 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: They set out around eleven o'clock that night of April thirteen, 53 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: where they stumbled upon a German outpost. Corporal Arsenal was 54 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: killed by several s S soldiers. Major returned fire and 55 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: took them out before getting away. Armed with just a 56 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: pair of guns and a bag of grenades, Major continued 57 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 1: onto the Empties Wall with one goal in mind, liberation. 58 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: The citizens were all in their homes due to a 59 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: town wide curfew, but he needed a safe place where 60 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: he could read the map in his jacket pocket. He 61 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: knocked on a few doors and was ignored. No one 62 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: would let him in, especially because on first glance he 63 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: looked like a Nazi. He soon realized the only way 64 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: he was going to get what he needed meant breaking 65 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 1: into a house by force. His first attempt startled the 66 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: young family with small children, but one glimpse of the 67 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: Canadian flag on his uniform and they knew that he 68 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: wasn't there to hurt them. Major studied his map with 69 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: their blessing, and then ventured back out into town. He 70 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: managed to locate a machine gun outpost and capture the 71 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: ten soldiers inside using only his machine pistol and three grenades. 72 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: He then found the German officers quarters and convinced one 73 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: of the senior officers that he was one of an 74 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: entire Canadian army ready to take control of the town. 75 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: The Germans could leave now with their lives, or stay 76 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: and face the consequences. Major even let him keep his 77 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: gun as a show of good faith, and it worked. 78 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: After locating the leader of the Dutch resistance, Major drove 79 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: through town in a commandeered German military car, firing his 80 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: machine gun at Nazi soldiers and vehicles along the way. 81 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: Many of them had already fled, believing the Allies had arrived. 82 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: Those who were still in the streets were gunned down 83 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: by Major as he drove by, and the coast was 84 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: finally clear. The resistance went to town hall and encouraged 85 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: citizens to come out of hiding. Wall was finally free. 86 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: Leo Major had almost single handedly liberated the town, capturing 87 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 1: ninety three German soldiers and set the s S headquarters 88 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: on fire. He had demonstrated bravery in the face of 89 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: adversity many times before, never taking no for an answer 90 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: and refusing to give up. But on the night of April, 91 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: Leo Major became more than a brave soldier. He weighed 92 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: a one man war on the Third Reich and turn 93 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: himself into a living legend. His actions earned him the 94 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: Distinguished Conduct Medal, as well as a pretty colorful nickname. 95 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: They called him the one eyed Ghost. Our methods of 96 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: communication are part of what sets us apart from other species. 97 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: A written word has been a large part of how 98 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: we communicate with others. Before technology, people frequently wrote in 99 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: journals and to one another. In the entertainment world, musicians 100 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: and authors wrote music and stories. Scholars and scientists passed 101 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 1: along information and made critical nuts. Businesses kept track of 102 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: receipts and orders. All of this writing is how we've 103 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: gained knowledge about civilizations throughout time in the world, over 104 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: census records, whether reports, news of the day. We owe 105 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: much of what we've learned from the written word, and 106 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: for as long as there have been letters, there have 107 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,119 Speaker 1: been people who decipher ancient language is no longer used. 108 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: We've learned about historical events from history is most famous, 109 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: and about the lives of everyday people as well. Without 110 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: someone to decipher ancient languages, though, much of what we 111 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: know would only be an educated guess, according to experts. 112 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: In a Syriology, Adolph Leo Oppenheim had read more of 113 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: the ancient language than any one of his generation. Like 114 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 1: others in his field, he studied the history, the archaeological finds, 115 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 1: and the language of Mesopotamia, a region that now covers 116 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: Iraq and northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and parts of Iran. 117 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: The language Oppenheim studied is called kunea form which is 118 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: a set of symbols found in fifteen or more languages 119 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: in ancient times. Symbols were used to form words starting 120 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: as far back as the Bronze Age all the way 121 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: through the Common era. Canea form and Egyptian hieroglyphs are 122 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: two of the earliest systems of recorded writing, and among 123 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: his peers no one was more qualified to read the 124 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: four thousand year old Clay's tablet, written around seventeen fifty BC. 125 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 1: The discovery had been made by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley, 126 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: who led an expedition with the University of Pennsylvania and 127 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: British Museum in the Sumerian city of Ur. The crew 128 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: had come across ruins during their twelve year dig from 129 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty two to nineteen thirty four. The clay tablet 130 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: had been part of other similar tablets found on the 131 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: site for years. The Babylonian tablets sat in storage until 132 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: they became part of the British Museum's collection in nineteen 133 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: fifty three, but it wasn't until the nineteen sixties before 134 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 1: the tablets found their way to Oppenheim at the University 135 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: of Chicago for translation. The tablets all contained similar messages, 136 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: but two things were clear. The site had belonged to 137 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: a copper Merchant and customers had written the tablets. Tablet writing, 138 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: by the way, was no small feat. The letter writer 139 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: had to make the tablet with clay and water, and 140 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: while the tablet was still wet, the writer used a 141 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: read as a pen to inscribe the symbols onto the surface. 142 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: Then the tablets were left to bake in the sun. 143 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: The less important tablets were delivered and read, and then 144 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: reused by soaking them in water, but the ones Wooly 145 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: found had been kilned fired. The people who had written 146 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: the Copper Merchant had all taken considerable time and effort 147 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: to make and write the notes, much less sending a 148 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 1: messenger to deliver them. In particular, Oppenheim noticed how lengthy 149 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: the note was from one customer he identified as a 150 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: man named Nanni. It's not clear exactly where Nannie lived 151 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: in relation to the archaeological site, although he mentioned that 152 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: the Copper Merchant was in enemy territory. Oppenheim and the 153 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 1: other experts also determined that Nannie's clay tablet predated the 154 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: others that Willy's team had found. Before Oppenheim passed away 155 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: at the age of seventy in nineteen seventy four, he 156 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: wrote a book on clay tablets that he transcribed through 157 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: the years, including the ones Willie had found. As it 158 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: turns out, Nannie's tablets is the very first of its 159 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: kind in history. He'd been one of re customers who 160 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: had either not received copper ingots from the merchant or 161 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: had received subpart copper. That's right, long before the days 162 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:13,199 Speaker 1: of customer service, Nannie had written the oldest known customer complaint. 163 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 164 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 165 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 166 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership 167 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,839 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 168 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 169 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 170 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:46,119 Speaker 1: World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.