1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Not every job is glamorous. The person who 7 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: cleans the horse stables or mops the floor at a 8 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: football stadium doesn't win any awards. They aren't lauded for 9 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: their efforts despite their necessity. Some jobs are thankless, even 10 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: though without them things would get pretty bad, and it's 11 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: been that way for a very long time. Some jobs 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: during the sixteenth century seemed less than desirable. Certain individuals 13 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: were tasked with helping kings and queens in intimate and 14 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: unpleasant ways. Queens often had women of the bedchamber who 15 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: would assist them in daily duties like getting dressed or 16 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: drawing a bath. A lady of the bedchamber would also 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: act as a confidant and a personal assistant. Kings had 18 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: a similar arrangement with someone entitled the groom of the stool, 19 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: like a woman of the bedchamber. The Groom of the 20 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: Stool would help the king wash up and put on 21 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: his clothes, but he also had another duty which involved 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: helping him onto his throne. And you're not thinking of 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: the right throne at this moment. When a king had 24 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: to use the bathroom, he relied on his Groom of 25 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: the Stool to assist him. This very important person would 26 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,279 Speaker 1: prep the king's toilets, which was a velvet padded box 27 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: with a hole in the top. Inside the box for 28 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: two pewter chamber pots, while outside a length of fabric 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: for cleanup was also provided. This royal stool could be 30 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: carried anywhere for those times when the king had to 31 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: shed his clothes quickly and do his business. King Henry 32 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: the seventh even created a special room known as the 33 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: Privy Chamber for when he had to go. Only grooms 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: were allowed to go in there with him. But the 35 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: Groom of the Stool wasn't just responsible for being the 36 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: king's bathroom caddie. His um duties also consisted of things 37 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: like watching what the king ate and when anticipating he 38 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: might have to go next, oh and controlling who had 39 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: access to him at any time. On top of all, 40 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: of that, the groom assisted the king with getting dressed 41 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: and undressed each day, but perhaps his most important function 42 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: was as a sounding board for when the King was 43 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: at his most vulnerable, like when he was using his 44 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: portable commode. You see, the groom of the stool served 45 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: as the king's personal secretary during bathroom time, which made 46 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: him very popular with lower members of the court. They 47 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: would pass on their questions and concerns to him so 48 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: that he could ask the King. Given that the groom 49 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: had his captive audience squatting nearby, he was a personal 50 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: assistant and chief of staff all in one. However, if 51 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: you think the job was a bad gig, you'd be wrong. 52 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: The groom had the power to influence the King's opinion 53 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: on almost any subject. With a few words, a person 54 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: could have their life changed for better or for worse. 55 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: So it was a good idea to always be on 56 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: the groom's good side. King Henry the Eight's groom, Sir 57 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: Anthony Denny, held the King's stamp, which acted as an 58 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: official signature. Denny had the power to approve any documents 59 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: on behalf of the King and King Henry the Seventh 60 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: entrusted his groom to carry out what was considered fiscal 61 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: terrorism on the local gentry made up of wealthy farmers, knights, 62 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: and their heirs. In order for the court to bring 63 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: in more money, they came up with numerous laws and 64 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: taxes to siphon money away from the workers and into 65 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: the king's pockets, all of which was orchestrated by the 66 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: king's personal treasurer, the groom. Grooms were also keenly aware 67 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: of the political dealings going on within the court. Though 68 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: they almost never attended official meetings, the us really heard 69 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: things later on when the king was regaling them well 70 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: seated upon his stool. In some cases, the role of 71 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: groom was performed by a whole entourage who would sit 72 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: with the king while he went to the bathroom. It 73 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: was rare for a king to ever be alone even 74 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: while he slept. Personal attendants often stayed in the same 75 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: bedroom as the king in case he needed anything during 76 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: the night. To be a groom of the stool was 77 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: a great honor. Groom positions were coveted by many, and 78 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: for good reason. They allowed unfettered access to the king 79 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: at almost all times, and all they had to do 80 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: was make sure the king could do his business, both 81 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: official and otherwise, safely and securely, and that doesn't sound 82 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: like a crappy job at all. In eighteen fifty nine, 83 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: English poet Edward fitz Gerald translated astronomer and poet Omar 84 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: Khayam's poems and published them as a collection. At first, 85 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: the book didn't farewell commercially, but by eighteen seventy two 86 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: the poems became so successful in the United States that 87 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: there were clubs dedicated to the Persian poets. Most of 88 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: Kayam's works were quatrains, a stanza of four lines with 89 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,239 Speaker 1: alternating rhymes. He believed that fate was an unstoppable force 90 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: and nothing could change it. Many of his poems centered 91 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: around death, or at least hinted at it. So beloved 92 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: were the poets versus that renowned English bookbinder Francis sang Gorski, 93 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: decided to make the most expensive and elaborate book ever made. 94 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: That was no small feat, since back in the late 95 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds, book binding was an art form. Pages were 96 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: often gilded, using a light coating of gold along the edges. 97 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: While earlier books had been bound in paper over stiff boards, 98 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: Other books were bound in cloth and leather. The more 99 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: prominent books were leather bound and used gold tooling on 100 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:02,039 Speaker 1: the covers and spines. San Gorski covered the pages in 101 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,920 Speaker 1: the finest leather died in royal green. The cover included 102 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: a thousand jewels, including rubies, turquoise, and garnets. All six 103 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: hundred pages were made from gold. He spared no expense. 104 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: He had the front stamped with a gilded Greek bazuki, 105 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: an instrument similar to a mandolin. On the back, there 106 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: were gilded images of three peacocks, and apparently that was 107 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 1: what doomed the book. You see, many European cultures consider 108 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: peacock's bad luck. In the thirteenth century, for example, invaders 109 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: often wore the bird's magnificent plumes. Others believe that keeping 110 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: a peacock feather in the house would bring you bad luck, 111 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 1: and then there's the superstition that bad luck comes in threes. 112 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: The ornately appointed book became known as the Great Omar, 113 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: and it took Sangorsky two years to complete it. Once finished, 114 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: he put it on a ship bound for New York City, 115 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: where the book might find the most influential buyer. But 116 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: US customs wanted and a nor miss customs fee, so 117 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: san Gorsky had the book returned to England. Unfortunately, a 118 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: coal strike there brought the economy to a standstill, and 119 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: few wanted to purchase such an expensive item. Disheartened, he 120 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: placed the book up for auction, where it is sold 121 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: for less than half his target price. The new owner 122 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: was proud of his bargain, and like san Gorsky, he 123 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: tried to send it to New York City. For whatever reason, 124 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 1: though he wasn't able to secure voyage on a cargo ship, 125 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: but was delighted to send it aboard a first class 126 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: luxury liner on its maiden voyage. You can see where 127 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: this is going, right, That's right. The book set sail 128 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: to America on the Titanic. Whatever is left of the 129 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: book is still somewhere beneath the North Atlantic Ocean. A 130 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: second tragedy struck not long after the Titanic's fateful journey, though. 131 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: Although san Gorsky couldn't swim, he at some point in 132 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: his life jumped into a river to save a drowning woman, 133 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: only to drown as well. After that, there were whispers 134 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: that the book had cursed him. Sandor Sky's partner, George 135 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: Sutcliffe scoffed at such a rumor and set out to 136 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: create a second version of the book. While not as 137 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: elaborate as the first, it was still an expensive and 138 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: ornately decorated book. Surely the new owner would be delighted 139 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: to have such a beautiful piece of work. That wasn't 140 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: to be, though, When World War Two erupted. Sutcliffe had 141 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: the book placed into a London bank vault for safekeeping, 142 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: and that's when the Germans dropped bombs all over the city. 143 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: The bank, the vault, and the book were all destroyed. 144 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: Shortly afterwards, Sutcliffe suffered a stroke and passed away. He 145 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: had left the firm to Stanley Bray, his nephew, who 146 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: decided to make his own version of the book. His 147 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: effort took decades and was finally completed in nineteen nine. 148 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: Five years later he also died. The book never made 149 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: it to auction, and instead was donated to the British Library, 150 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: where it resides today. Bray was asked shortly before his 151 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 1: death if he was superstitious or believed in fate. He 152 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: replied that he wasn't a believer, though admitted that the 153 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: peacock might be a symbol of disaster. That was his story, 154 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:10,719 Speaker 1: and like fate, he was bound to it. I hope 155 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 156 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 157 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,079 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 158 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how 159 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 160 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 161 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the World 162 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,839 Speaker 1: of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.