1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: I have this idea. Arts is a lot like Isaac 7 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: Newton's third Law of Motion. Just hear me out for 8 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: a second. As the law states, for every action there 9 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: is an equal and opposite reaction. The forces of motion 10 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: push and pull at each other, and in the same way, 11 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: artistic movements exist in tension with themselves. You cannot have 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: modernism without postmodernism as an essential counterbalance force. And in 13 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: that regard, consider the historical significance of art in relation 14 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: to totalitarianism. Every time a state uses art as a 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: means of control, oppression, or propaganda, they cannot fully contain 16 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: how that will reverberate in the greater artistic world. Oppressive 17 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: art can birth art that is, in its very form, 18 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: an expression of rebellion. In nineteen thirty four, Maxim Gorky 19 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: proposed an artistic philosophy that would become known as socialist realism. 20 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: As an artistic expression of the new Soviet Union. The 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: works in this field would celebrate the state and the 22 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: party for the people. It was supposed to be a movement, 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: but it would become a doctrine. The form of the 24 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: work became the way in which the art was supposed 25 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: to look in Soviet Russia, and naturally it provoked a response. 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: The generation that came later birthed the so called sixtiars artists, 27 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: writers and thinkers who came to prominence in the nineteen sixties. 28 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: Their work actively defied socialist realism in form and content. 29 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: Many of these artists were socialist politically, but had become 30 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: disillusioned with life in the USSR. Their interpretation of left 31 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: wing values was not strict adherence to the communist party line. 32 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: It was an artistic expression. Enter A La Horska. She 33 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: was the Ukrainian daughter of a Soviet film executive, and 34 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: she would grow to resent the repressive politics of Stalin's Russia. 35 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: She started painting when she was young, earning praise and 36 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,839 Speaker 1: recognition for realistic works, but ultimately she grew away from 37 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: the style, growing increasingly fond of traditional Ukrainian art. Her 38 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: later works favored bold colors and abstract, fantastical designs, work 39 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: that was in direct defiance of Soviet realism. In Kiev, 40 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: she freely experimented with mediums, paints, mural, stained glass windows, 41 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: you name it. Her apartment became a popular meeting place 42 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 1: for sixty year gatherings. By the mid nineteen sixties, the 43 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: KGB was keeping tabs on all of these artists. Their 44 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: work was defiant in spirit as well as in form. 45 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: One of a La Horska's early stained glass windows was 46 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: destroyed before it could be exhibited for the way that 47 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 1: it depicted Mother Ukraine as a sorrowful presence under the 48 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: yoke of Russia. Her phone would be tapped and many 49 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: of her friends arrested or killed. Horska's work for the 50 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: Ukrainian underground had only just begun. She provided shelter to 51 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: enemies of the USSR, attended anti government protests, supported her 52 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: colleagues who had been sent to labor camps, and all 53 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: of this while continuing to produce bold artwork that celebrated 54 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: the unique culture of Ukraine. Horska, however, didn't escape persecution 55 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: for long. In nineteen seventy she vanished without a trace. 56 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: Her body was later found in her father in law's cellar. 57 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: Her father in law meanwhile had been found dead on 58 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: some nearby railroad tracks. It was supposed to look like 59 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: a suicide after he had killed her, but everyone knew 60 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: the truth. This was the KGB attempting to silence a 61 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: public opponent. But if the intent was decided silence her, 62 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: it was ineffective. Her funeral later that December turned into 63 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: a massive protest against the communist regime, and her name 64 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: joined the ranks of martyrs for the cause of Ukrainian liberty. 65 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: And then there's her artwork, those murals, paintings and portraits. 66 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: They outlived the USSR and many still remain in treasured 67 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: museum collections all across Ukraine. Their value comes from the 68 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: indomitable voice she represented, someone who fought for persecuted people 69 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: with every tool she had available to her. Art is 70 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: a curious thing. It is inherently political, no matter how 71 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: escapist it aspires to be. Art exists as an expression 72 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: of culture, and culture is a cumulative thing, something that 73 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: can't be forced onto a nation against the will of 74 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: its people, and Russia today clearly realizes this as during 75 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: the war in Ukraine, Several of Alahorska's pieces have been 76 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: destroyed by invading forces, but it's twenty twenty five and 77 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: artistic practice exists farther than just one physical space. Destroying 78 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: Horska's murals does not erase them from cultural memory or 79 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: the digital copies taken by people who have seen them. 80 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: Art is as ephemeral as an emotion, and both are indestructible. 81 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: The winds were lighter than usual as Tommy Tomberlin climbed 82 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 1: skyward over the island. The twenty six year old part 83 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: time flight instructor kept his hands off the controls, letting 84 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: his students in the front seat. Twenty four year old 85 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: Jimmy Duncan get used to piloting the small two seat airplane. 86 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: It was a clear morning with only light clouds and 87 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: great visibility. You couldn't ask for a better day to fly, 88 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: and Tommy was enjoying the warmth of the sun on 89 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 1: his face through the glass cockpit window. Glancing down, he 90 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: saw another plane parked on a small runway. It had 91 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 1: botched its landing, rolled off the gravel into the grass 92 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: where it had gotten stuck. The two pilots, a young 93 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: man and a woman were struggling to push it back 94 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: onto the runway. The woman looked up, saw Tommy's plane 95 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: and waved. That had to be Marguerite's, another young flight 96 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: instructor who worked with Tommy. She wouldn't be happy about 97 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: the delay, which would put her behind schedule for her 98 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: next student. Tommy did not envy her. He'd hate to 99 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: be grounded on a morning like this. He waved back 100 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: and then instructed Jimmy to bank right and follow the 101 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: island's northeastern shore. A few minutes later, they were soaring 102 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: over Rocky Cliffs when a flash caught Tommy's attention. He 103 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: turned to see two bright red lines streak toward him. 104 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: The plane shuddered as something punched through the rear fuselage. 105 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: Jimmy shouted in surprise, and Tommy whirled around, searching the 106 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: skies in a panic. He saw another flash and heard 107 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: the sharp burst of machine gun fire. Someone was shooting 108 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: at them. Tommy didn't think. He grabbed the stick, taking 109 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: control of the plane back from Jimmy, and he dove. 110 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: Now Tommy wasn't a military pilot in a warplane. He 111 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: was a twenty six year old civilian in a slow, 112 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: cheap hobby aircraft made of wood and canvas, but he 113 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: knew that he'd have a better chance of evading an 114 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: attack by flying low. As long as he stayed close 115 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: to the waves and the cliffs, anyone dive bombing him 116 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: from above would be forced to pull up to avoid 117 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: a crash. When he was just fifty feet above the water, 118 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: Tommy leveled out. He glanced back to see two sleek 119 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: metal fighters close on his tail. They fired again, and 120 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: Tommy rolled, turning into the island. They had to get 121 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: out of the sky as soon as possible, and that 122 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: meant cutting across the island to the civilian airport on 123 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: the southwestern harbor. But as he banked in that direction, 124 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: he let out a groan of despair. Dark clouds blocked 125 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: his path. A rain squall had appeared over the mountains, 126 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: cutting off the quickest path back to the airport, and 127 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: that left only one option. With the fighters still close 128 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: on his tail, Tommy plunged toward a canyon, cutting through 129 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: the jungle. It was a risky play. The pass was 130 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: notorious for powerful gusts that could throw his injured plane 131 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: into a tailspin, but Tommy gritted his teeth and pushed ahead, 132 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: skimming just eight feet above the trees. His knuckles turned 133 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: white as he fought with the controls. The plane trembled 134 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: with every dip and turned, but the tailwind was in 135 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: his favor today, rocketing him through the pass at breakneck speed. 136 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: The fighters finally peeled away, unwilling to follow so close 137 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,199 Speaker 1: to the jagged cliffs. Tommy barely noticed, though, his focus 138 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: locked on the narrow strip of sky ahead. Then the 139 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: trees fell away and the sky opened up, and he 140 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: was through. Tommy led out a breath that he'd been 141 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: holding onto, but his relief was short lived. As he 142 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: emerged from the pass, the whole island unfolded before him. 143 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: The sky was filled with hundreds of planes, all bearing 144 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 1: the red circle of the rising sun. They swarmed over 145 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: the island's many military buildings, strafing runways and bombing aircraft carriers. 146 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: Fires burned along the shores as dark smoke billowed up 147 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: from the naval base at Pearl Harbor. You see, Tommy's 148 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: plane was one of six civilian aircraft in the sky 149 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: when the Japanese Naval Air Force descended on Hawaii that Sunday. 150 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: Tommy and his student passenger made it to the airport 151 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: in one piece, although the plane was riddled with bullets. 152 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: Not all the other civilian pilots were so lucky. The 153 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: next day, President Franklin Roosevelt told the world what had 154 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: happened on December seventh of nineteen forty one, a day 155 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: that would live in infamy and one that, as Tommy 156 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: Tomberland learned firsthand, was a very curious day to fly. 157 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 158 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 159 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 160 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership 161 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 162 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 163 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at Theworldoflore 164 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.