1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: a show that marks the milestones of history one day 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: at a time. I'm Gabe Louzier, and today we're looking 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: at how one New Englander's weird political bet transformed the 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: mundane act of walking into America's new favorite pastime. The 7 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: day was February eighteen sixty one. After losing a bet, 8 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: Edward Payson Weston embarked on a four hundred and seventy 9 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: eight mile walk from Boston to Washington, d C. According 10 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: to the terms of the bet, he had to arrive 11 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: at the US Capitol in time to attend Abraham Lincoln's 12 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: inauguration on the morning of March four. That means he 13 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: had just ten days to cover nearly five hundred miles 14 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: on foot in the dead of winter. Weston was born 15 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: in Providence, Rhode Island, on March fifteenth, eighteen thirty nine. 16 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: He grew up in a middle class family and went 17 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: to school in Boston. Later, he bounced from one career 18 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: to the next, first apprenticing with a jeweler in Providence 19 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: and then taking a job at a newspaper in New York. 20 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: At one point, he even ran away and joined the circus. 21 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: By his early twenties, Weston still didn't have a clear 22 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: career path, but his talent for self promotion always kept 23 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: him comfortable, and in the years ahead it would provide 24 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: him with much more than that. Weston's unusual athletic career 25 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: began with a bad bet during the presidential election of 26 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty He had bet against Lincoln winning the White House, 27 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: and his friend George Eddie had beton Lincoln's favor. The 28 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: loser would have to walk nearly five hundred miles from 29 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: the Massachusetts State House to the capital for Lincoln's inauguration, 30 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: and just to make it extra difficult, they would have 31 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: just ten days to do it. That November, Weston lost 32 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: his bet when Lincoln won the election, claiming thirty nine 33 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,119 Speaker 1: point eight percent of the popular vote in a four 34 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: way race. On New Year's Day eighteen sixty one, Weston 35 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: decided it was time to start practicing. He walked from 36 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: new Haven, Connecticut, to Hartford, Connecticut and back again in 37 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: less than twenty four hours, around trip distance of about 38 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 1: seventy two miles. A man taking a long walk might 39 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: not seem like national news, but The New York Times 40 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: felt differently. The paper reported about Weston's big upcoming walk, 41 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: and for the next two months, his name was seldom 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: absent from the country's headlines. Weston used this publicity to 43 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: attract several sponsors to foot the bill for his journey. 44 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: After all, he would need plenty of money for food 45 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: and lodging along the way, as well as for a 46 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: horse drawn carriage to carry spare clothing and supplies. Two 47 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: men would also need to be hired to follow along 48 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: in the carriage and make sure Weston actually walked the 49 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: entire way. In addition to money and basic supplies, one sponsor, 50 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: the Rubber Clothing Company, also gave Weston a special rubber 51 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: suit to help keep him dry in the winter weather. 52 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: It's unclear how Weston would have accomplished his trip without 53 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: the aid of sponsors, but I think the truth is 54 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: he never intended to find out. Before leaving Boston, he 55 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: printed up stacks of advertising flyers, which he would then 56 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: leave at various stops along his route to help entice 57 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: new sponsors. This was crucial because Weston didn't have much 58 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: money of his own. In fact, his departure on February 59 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: twenty second was slightly delayed because a constable arrested him 60 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: at the state House for unpaid debts. He quickly talked 61 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,679 Speaker 1: his way out of custody, pledging to repay the debt 62 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: once he returned from Washington. With that out of the way, 63 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: Weston set out from Boston in the early afternoon, followed 64 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: closely behind by his attendants in the carriage. A crowd 65 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: of supporters cheered him on his way, and that evening, 66 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: in the town of Framingham, he was greeted by a 67 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: drum corps and treated to a fancy dinner. That kind 68 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: of pampering proved to be the norm for much of 69 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: Weston's trip. Thanks to a route schedule he had printed 70 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 1: in advance, crowds of well wishers met him at every 71 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: stop along the way. This kind of enthusiasm resulted in 72 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: most places not charging Weston for food or lodging, unbeknownst 73 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: to his sponsors. How her charity wasn't the only repeat 74 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: occurrence on Weston's trip. He also got arrested again too. 75 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: When he reached Worcester at midnight on his first day, 76 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: a sheriff was waiting to arrest him. This time, for 77 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: a different unpaid debt. His pledge to repay the debt 78 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: in two months wasn't going over as well and Worcester, 79 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: but when two fans volunteered to guarantee his promise, the 80 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: sheriff agreed and set Weston loose again. That was his 81 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: last brush with the law on the long road to Washington, 82 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: But the rest of the trip was still no picnic. 83 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: It rained or snowed for more hours than not, and 84 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: in one town he was chased by a dog and 85 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: wound up spraining his ankle. Later, in Pennsylvania, he got 86 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: turned around and wound up taking the wrong road for 87 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: several hours. Then there was the day when Weston reported 88 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: a severe pain in his chest, something he later attributed 89 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: to quote the eating of mustard on sandwiches. Thankfully, he 90 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: pulled through in the end. Edward Payson Weston arrived in Washington, 91 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: d C. At five p m. On March fourth, eighteen sixty. 92 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: He had been on the road for ten days, four 93 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: hours and twelve minutes. Unfortunately, that put him into town 94 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: several hours too late to witness Lincoln's inauguration. Still, since 95 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: he had come all that way, Weston decided to make 96 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: the most of it. He attended the inauguration ball that evening, 97 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,799 Speaker 1: where he met members of Congress, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, 98 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:44,799 Speaker 1: and the President himself. Abraham Lincoln reportedly offered to pay 99 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: for Weston's train ticket home, but he refused, saying that 100 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: he intended to vindicate himself by walking back to Boston 101 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:57,599 Speaker 1: in less than ten hours. Needless to say, that didn't happen. 102 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: Weston technically lost the bed due to his late arrival, 103 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: but his successful promotion of the journey had left him 104 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: with a new profession a nice consolation prize. From then on, 105 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: he would be known as Weston the Pedestrian, a professional 106 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: walker who helped launch a national craze for long distance walking, 107 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: also known as pedestrianism. Seriously, it's hard to imagine today, 108 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: but in the late eighteen hundreds, competitive walking became America's 109 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: favorite spectator sport. There were two flavors of pedestrianism. The 110 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: first was outdoor destination walking, like the kind that first 111 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: made Weston famous. Once the sport had taken shape in 112 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: the late eighteen sixties, Weston won all kinds of cash 113 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:50,119 Speaker 1: prizes for walking from one place to another, and then 114 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: he further capitalized on those trips by lecturing on the 115 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: benefits of walking and by publishing melodramatic accounts of his 116 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: adventures on the road. One of his early career highlights 117 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: was walking the twelve hundred plus miles from Portland, Maine, 118 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: to Chicago, Illinois, in just twenty six days. That hike 119 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: made him a household name, and he quickly followed it 120 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: up with other stunts, like the time in eighteen seventy 121 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: one when he walked two hundred miles around St. Louis backwards. 122 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: In the eighteen seventies, pedestrianism hit peak popularity with the 123 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: emergence of its second form, track walking. These events were 124 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: usually held inside at a skating rink or a big 125 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: exhibition hall or arena. In walking matches, competitors would agree 126 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: to walk around a track for a certain period of time, 127 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: or to a certain distance, or just until the other 128 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: walker got exhausted and could no longer continue. There were 129 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: also record attempts, where a competitor would walk the track alone, 130 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: racing the clock to beat a previous best time. Crowds 131 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: for such events couldn't umber in the thousands. For larger 132 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: venues like Madison Square Garden, for instance. But alas America's 133 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: love affair with pedestrianism proved short lived. By the eighteen nineties, 134 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 1: the rise of the bicycle and of baseball had stolen 135 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: what little allure there was to watching two men walk 136 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: in circles for hours on end. The final nail in 137 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: the coffin came in the mid eighteen nineties, when charges 138 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: of race fixing and drug use gave the sport a 139 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: black eye. When Weston himself was caught chewing coca leaves 140 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 1: during a race for an extra boost of energy, public 141 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: sentiment turned quickly, and pedestrianism never recovered. Still, even once 142 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: his sport lost its luster, Weston kept right on walking. 143 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: In fact, at age sixty eight, he walked from Maine 144 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 1: to Chicago again, and that time he did it in 145 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: twenty four hours, less than he had in his twenties. 146 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: The old pro took his last big hike in nineteen thirteen, 147 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: when he was seventy four years old. On that outing, 148 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: he walked from New York to Minneapolis in fifty one days, 149 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: selling a ten cent souvenir program all along the way. Unfortunately, 150 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: Weston's walking career came to a sad abrupt end in 151 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty seven, when he was struck by a taxi 152 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,839 Speaker 1: cab in New York City. He never walked again and 153 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: died two years later at the age of ninety. Throughout 154 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: his life, Weston walked an odd path, going from an 155 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: aimless young man to a reckless salesman to a beloved 156 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: professional athlete. His sport of choice may seem silly and 157 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: quaint by today's standards, but it entertained hundreds of thousands 158 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: of people during its brief rise to fame in the 159 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: years following the Civil War. It also gave a still 160 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: fractured country something harmless to bond over. In that way, 161 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: pedestrianism was just as legitimate a sport as any other, 162 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: even if it was more boring than baseball. That's right 163 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: that I said. I'm gay, Bluesier and hopefully you now 164 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,599 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 165 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 166 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d I HC Show, 167 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions you can 168 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: always send them my way at this day at I 169 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. A big thanks to Chandler May's 170 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 1: for producing the show. And thanks to you for listening. 171 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 172 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: in history class. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 173 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,439 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 174 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.