WEBVTT - 9 Things about Unicorns, Zombies and... Darth Baggins?!

0:00:02.480 --> 0:00:04.520
<v Speaker 1>I guess what, mango? What's that? Well, so I was

0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:06.480
<v Speaker 1>thinking about Halloween last week. I don't know if you

0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:10.800
<v Speaker 1>knew this, but but Halloween was was last week? I

0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:12.760
<v Speaker 1>think I heard. I think I heard it was last year.

0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:14.960
<v Speaker 1>It turns out, turns out it was last week. But anyway,

0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:17.800
<v Speaker 1>there were so many great costumes out there, and I

0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:19.440
<v Speaker 1>think one of the things I realized is that as

0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:21.759
<v Speaker 1>many new costumes as there are, you know, things like

0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.960
<v Speaker 1>Fortnite and Black Panther and p J Mask, I mean,

0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:28.560
<v Speaker 1>you still see so many costumes that just never seem

0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:32.159
<v Speaker 1>to go away. So what do you think about all right? Well,

0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:35.040
<v Speaker 1>I was actually looking up the most searched for Halloween

0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:37.920
<v Speaker 1>costumes in America this year, and I wrote down some

0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:40.280
<v Speaker 1>of these. So here's some of the classics on that list.

0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:46.440
<v Speaker 1>You've got dinosaur, Unicorn, pirate, Princess, Ninja, mouse, which, mermaid, Rabbit.

0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:48.280
<v Speaker 1>I mean, I feel like these could have been the

0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:52.120
<v Speaker 1>most popular Halloween costumes from like twenty or thirty years ago,

0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:57.680
<v Speaker 1>except rabbit. Like, you know, rabbit, why are you? Why

0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:59.720
<v Speaker 1>are you looking up like how to make a rabbit?

0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:05.640
<v Speaker 1>It feels pretty easy, you know, obviously for all the

0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.280
<v Speaker 1>listeners out there. We meant to do a Hallyween episode

0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:11.080
<v Speaker 1>last week, but we had some technical issues and we thought,

0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:12.959
<v Speaker 1>why don't we make up for it this week. Why

0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:15.760
<v Speaker 1>don't we use that list of like popular costumes to

0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:18.960
<v Speaker 1>inspire some new facts that everyone can share. All right, well,

0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:42.000
<v Speaker 1>I'm game for that, so let's dive in. Hey, their

0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:44.960
<v Speaker 1>podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson

0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:47.080
<v Speaker 1>and as always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesh

0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.200
<v Speaker 1>how Ticketer and sitting behind the soundproof class with at

0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:53.000
<v Speaker 1>least ten tiny old Jack Lannards on his desk. I'd

0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:56.000
<v Speaker 1>say maybe a dozen or even a Baker's, doesn't Mango

0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.360
<v Speaker 1>all sitting on that desk and they are so old.

0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:02.320
<v Speaker 1>He carved each of these last week, and each one

0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.040
<v Speaker 1>is after a different Jack. Like he's got Jack Donneghee

0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.480
<v Speaker 1>from thirty Rock, He's got Jack Kennedy, one Jack Welch,

0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:11.720
<v Speaker 1>because I guess Tristan is really into g even a

0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:14.880
<v Speaker 1>Jack O'Brien from The Daily es Christ. I mean, Tristan

0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:17.760
<v Speaker 1>is truly an artist. That's right. That's our friended producer

0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:20.280
<v Speaker 1>Tristan McNeil. Now go, like we were saying at the

0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:22.119
<v Speaker 1>top of the show, there are a lot of Halloween

0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:26.400
<v Speaker 1>costumes that tend to repeat themselves year after year. Yeah,

0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:28.360
<v Speaker 1>it's funny. I I think one of the best things

0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:30.520
<v Speaker 1>about having kids is that you get to see them

0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.800
<v Speaker 1>dress up, and even better that you get to force

0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.040
<v Speaker 1>costumes on them when their babies. Like this is more

0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:38.520
<v Speaker 1>common enough. But the first time I was at this

0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.640
<v Speaker 1>cafe and I saw this guy walking past with this

0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.200
<v Speaker 1>giant building on his head, and I thought that is

0:02:44.280 --> 0:02:46.760
<v Speaker 1>kind of strange. And then he turned and he had

0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:49.720
<v Speaker 1>this little baby dressed as a gorilla just clinging to him,

0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:52.440
<v Speaker 1>and you realized it was King Kong on the Empire's

0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.880
<v Speaker 1>Day building. Like I loved it so much, but every

0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:57.480
<v Speaker 1>time I tried to make my kids go with me

0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:00.840
<v Speaker 1>for Halloween, they just completely rejected him. So what have

0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:04.560
<v Speaker 1>you wanted to go as? Like? I don't even remember

0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:06.440
<v Speaker 1>that Some of them are just costumes I thought the

0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.640
<v Speaker 1>kids should have. Like Ruby was into Star Wars one year,

0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.400
<v Speaker 1>so I thought Ruby one Kenobi would be funny, but uh,

0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:18.200
<v Speaker 1>instead she decided to go as Darth Baggings, which which

0:03:18.280 --> 0:03:21.560
<v Speaker 1>is that a thing? I think she was crossing Darth

0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:26.200
<v Speaker 1>Vader and Bill go Bag And one of my only

0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.320
<v Speaker 1>successful costumes was as a refrigerator years ago, and it

0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.880
<v Speaker 1>had like kids art on it, and when you opened

0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.079
<v Speaker 1>the door there was a light on and like funny

0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:35.960
<v Speaker 1>foods that were inside, and then there was like a

0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:38.160
<v Speaker 1>cord as a tail in the back. So I thought

0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:40.800
<v Speaker 1>maybe I should reprise that and go as a fridge

0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:43.120
<v Speaker 1>and then have like Henry go as a mini fridge,

0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.360
<v Speaker 1>but that got rejected to so I've had lots of

0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:48.560
<v Speaker 1>these fails. I love the stories. It seems like there's

0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:50.680
<v Speaker 1>always a good story that comes out of your your

0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.520
<v Speaker 1>Halloween experiences. I remember I think Henry was like two,

0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.320
<v Speaker 1>maybe almost three, and he told you he was going

0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:58.760
<v Speaker 1>to go as a fireman, so you and Lizzie of

0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.080
<v Speaker 1>course had a fireman called to them all picked out,

0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.760
<v Speaker 1>and then at the very last minute he insisted he

0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.680
<v Speaker 1>said fire truck. And so unlike me, who would have said, nope,

0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.320
<v Speaker 1>you're a fireman, you ended up having to make him

0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:16.360
<v Speaker 1>turn into a fire truck instead. It was pretty amazing. Yeah,

0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:20.719
<v Speaker 1>it was a lot of cardboard reviews, but you know,

0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.760
<v Speaker 1>as you'll see, Darth Waggins and fire truck are not

0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:26.279
<v Speaker 1>on the list of most research costumes. But I do

0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:28.400
<v Speaker 1>think we should dig in. So what costume are you

0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:30.120
<v Speaker 1>going to talk about first? All right, well, I feel

0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:32.640
<v Speaker 1>like we should start with with unicorns, which I guess

0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:36.160
<v Speaker 1>are the fourth most research costume this year. And I'm

0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:38.600
<v Speaker 1>actually gonna tie this to Marco Polo. I'm guessing you

0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:42.160
<v Speaker 1>didn't see that coming and his no idea, It's true. So,

0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:45.800
<v Speaker 1>on his trip to China, Marco Polo finally found unicorns,

0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.279
<v Speaker 1>only unfortunately they weren't as beautiful as the old myths

0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:51.760
<v Speaker 1>and legends had made them out to be, and he

0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:55.240
<v Speaker 1>honestly felt tricked, And so he later wrote about this encounter,

0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:57.440
<v Speaker 1>and here's what he had to say. They have hair

0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.640
<v Speaker 1>like that of a buffalo, feet like those an elephant,

0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.080
<v Speaker 1>and a horn in the middle of the forehead, which

0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:06.440
<v Speaker 1>is black and very thick. 'tis an ugly brute to

0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:08.599
<v Speaker 1>look upon. And that makes a lot of sense, you know,

0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:12.839
<v Speaker 1>since the thing Marco Polo had actually found were, of course, rhinoceroses.

0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:18.200
<v Speaker 1>I do love the idea of like every little girl

0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:20.839
<v Speaker 1>out there, a little boy going out as a unicorn

0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:25.960
<v Speaker 1>is actually a rhinoceros. Like it's amazing. I I kind

0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.200
<v Speaker 1>of feel like it's uh, it's a little like when

0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:32.560
<v Speaker 1>I heard that mermaids were the result of sailors spotting

0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.599
<v Speaker 1>manatees in the ocean. Like I remember thinking, like, how

0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:37.800
<v Speaker 1>is that possible? Of mermaids are depicted as these like

0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:42.560
<v Speaker 1>gorgeous you know, model like creatures and and manatees as

0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:44.840
<v Speaker 1>much as I love them, have you know, never been

0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:46.720
<v Speaker 1>on the cover of though if they were, I might

0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.880
<v Speaker 1>pick up my first copy of Oogue. Actually, there's another

0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:51.680
<v Speaker 1>great unicorn fact that I think you should know, and

0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.960
<v Speaker 1>so if you want to try your hand at tracking

0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:58.440
<v Speaker 1>down a unicorn, you can actually get a unicorn questing license.

0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.919
<v Speaker 1>Now this comes from Lake Superior State University in Michigan,

0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:04.840
<v Speaker 1>and you pay for it. Is it just like a

0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.760
<v Speaker 1>novelty license? Well, I guess the practice began as this

0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:11.080
<v Speaker 1>pr stunt and this was you know, over forty years ago.

0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.400
<v Speaker 1>This is the nineteen one. But to this day the

0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:17.919
<v Speaker 1>university continues to issue these unicorn hunting licenses to anybody

0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:21.120
<v Speaker 1>who's interested. Though there are a number of regulations, and

0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:23.000
<v Speaker 1>so here here are a few of them. For instance,

0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.600
<v Speaker 1>all unicorn questers are encouraged to bring their own flask

0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:31.600
<v Speaker 1>of kognac and pinking shears on any expedition and and

0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:36.000
<v Speaker 1>you're actually limited to hunting one unicorn per month, no females.

0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:38.760
<v Speaker 1>And the good news is that, according to the terms,

0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:43.040
<v Speaker 1>the licenses quote good for a lifetime and beyond except

0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:47.719
<v Speaker 1>for Valentine's Day. So I do love that you've had

0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.800
<v Speaker 1>too great unicorn facts to kick this off. But uh,

0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:54.479
<v Speaker 1>you know, one thing I see every Halloween season is witches,

0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:57.520
<v Speaker 1>and I do not know why it's such a popular outfit,

0:06:57.640 --> 0:06:59.880
<v Speaker 1>Like I get that which is our part of Halloween.

0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:01.919
<v Speaker 1>It it's weird to me that, like everyone wants to

0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:03.599
<v Speaker 1>be a witch. I feel like I gave out candy

0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:06.279
<v Speaker 1>to at least fifteen of them this year. But I've

0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.479
<v Speaker 1>got a great gross fact for you about witches. So

0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:11.840
<v Speaker 1>if you need to find out if a witch is

0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:15.000
<v Speaker 1>making you sick, there's a little historical life hack Gid

0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:16.920
<v Speaker 1>found for us. All you have to do is collect

0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:20.160
<v Speaker 1>some of your own urine, mix it with rye meal,

0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.960
<v Speaker 1>and then form it into a little pack, and then

0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.560
<v Speaker 1>you take that witch's cake as it's called, and feed

0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:27.960
<v Speaker 1>it to a dog. Now you have to know any

0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.000
<v Speaker 1>dog will do, because, as the history books will tell you,

0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:34.200
<v Speaker 1>they're all familiar with the doll. Right of course, Then

0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.120
<v Speaker 1>if the dog comes down with the same symptoms you're exhibiting,

0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.160
<v Speaker 1>you'll know for sure that you're being afflicted by witchcraft.

0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.880
<v Speaker 1>And as an added bonus, the dog will even help

0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:45.120
<v Speaker 1>you find the witch who did it, because when he

0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:47.640
<v Speaker 1>eats the cake, the witch you cursed you and your

0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:50.240
<v Speaker 1>urine will feel it and cry out and pain. I mean,

0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:52.840
<v Speaker 1>it's it's one of those things you just wonder how

0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:59.680
<v Speaker 1>they possibly made this up. It's just science, scientific method.

0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:02.240
<v Speaker 1>But you know, obviously this is ridiculous and no one

0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:04.440
<v Speaker 1>should try it at home. But the residents of Salem

0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.120
<v Speaker 1>Village believed this back in because the witch cake practice,

0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.440
<v Speaker 1>I guess was pretty well known in England at the time.

0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:12.400
<v Speaker 1>And of course it didn't work that well. You know,

0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:15.240
<v Speaker 1>they tried to put in practice, but nothing came of it,

0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:17.480
<v Speaker 1>which is good news for both witches and I guess

0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.160
<v Speaker 1>the dogs of the I'm going to say I think

0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.840
<v Speaker 1>the dogs benefited the most. But a well, here's a

0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.720
<v Speaker 1>quick one about Black Panther that actually just learned this week.

0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.880
<v Speaker 1>So comic readers were first introduced to Black Panther in

0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.560
<v Speaker 1>July of nineteen sixty six, and this was in the

0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:34.360
<v Speaker 1>pages of Fantastic four number fifty two, and of course

0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:37.000
<v Speaker 1>his appearance was historic. I mean it marked the first

0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:40.520
<v Speaker 1>time that a superpowered African character had appeared in a

0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.440
<v Speaker 1>starring role in an American comic. What's interesting is that

0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:48.320
<v Speaker 1>the superhero's name doesn't come from the activist Black Panther Party,

0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:50.880
<v Speaker 1>you know, the one that rose to prominence in the sixties.

0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.840
<v Speaker 1>The characters theybut actually pre dates that group's formation by

0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:58.840
<v Speaker 1>about three months. So instead, it's actually meant to reference

0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:02.280
<v Speaker 1>a famous African Americ contink battalion from World War Two,

0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:05.480
<v Speaker 1>and they were not allowed to serve alongside white U

0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:08.680
<v Speaker 1>S troops during the war, and the unit was nicknamed

0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:11.880
<v Speaker 1>the Black Panthers after this insignia they wore, which was

0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:15.040
<v Speaker 1>a profile of a ferocious panther with the motto come

0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.559
<v Speaker 1>out Fighting written under it. Now, the Panthers later received

0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.920
<v Speaker 1>a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions and are actually

0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:24.160
<v Speaker 1>considered by some historians to be one of the most

0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:29.040
<v Speaker 1>effective tank battalions in the entire war. M that's pretty fascinating,

0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.520
<v Speaker 1>But how did Marvel come up with this name for

0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:35.280
<v Speaker 1>the character? Apparently Stanley and Jack Kirby, you know, they

0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.240
<v Speaker 1>had lived through World War Two and remember the battalion

0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.600
<v Speaker 1>and its nickname, and obviously black Panther is better than

0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:43.840
<v Speaker 1>the original name that they were thinking of, which was

0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:50.960
<v Speaker 1>Cold Tiger. Coal Tiger is a terrible namebor. Sure. You

0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:54.319
<v Speaker 1>know one of the costumes I'm terrified of is clowns.

0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:56.679
<v Speaker 1>And actually this year we went to this house around

0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:59.160
<v Speaker 1>the corner from us, and the entire family dressed up

0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:02.559
<v Speaker 1>like killer clown and they were so clearly out to

0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.720
<v Speaker 1>scare kids. And you know, my two kids are so different,

0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:08.360
<v Speaker 1>Like Henry decided he didn't need any candy that at

0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:10.560
<v Speaker 1>least he just stood outside the gate and told jokes

0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.800
<v Speaker 1>and uh and Ruby just kind of strolled in and

0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:19.720
<v Speaker 1>demanded candy. But curious, did you like clowns as good?

0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:22.520
<v Speaker 1>You know, I know a lot of people are terrified

0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:25.200
<v Speaker 1>of them. I guess I didn't feel strong. They didn't

0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.880
<v Speaker 1>really understand them, like they weren't somebody that I wanted

0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:31.560
<v Speaker 1>to be entertained by. But I wasn't. I wasn't terrified

0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:33.880
<v Speaker 1>of them. Yeah, I mean, I feel like I watched

0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.800
<v Speaker 1>u um Bozo the Clown on TV, like in the afternoons,

0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:39.760
<v Speaker 1>and and you know, I absolutely loved seeing them at

0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.280
<v Speaker 1>Barnum and Bailey, And this is actually where my fact

0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.840
<v Speaker 1>comes in. So I started thinking about how clowns crammed

0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.280
<v Speaker 1>themselves into these like tiny cars, and I started wondering, like,

0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:50.640
<v Speaker 1>there's got to be some kind of trick to it, right,

0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:53.720
<v Speaker 1>Like fifteen cars will just spill out of these tiny spaces.

0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:56.240
<v Speaker 1>And of course I turned to Gabe and I asked

0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:59.000
<v Speaker 1>him about it, and he found this quote according to

0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:03.400
<v Speaker 1>Greg Descent, who's executive director of the International Clown Hall

0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:06.000
<v Speaker 1>of Fame and Research Center, I mean, you know, Gabe

0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:10.960
<v Speaker 1>finds the best likedle source. Greg says, quote, there's no

0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:13.520
<v Speaker 1>trick to the clown car gag. There are no trap

0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.600
<v Speaker 1>doors and stadium floors, and the cars are real cars.

0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.760
<v Speaker 1>So basically the car is fully functional, but its interior

0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.679
<v Speaker 1>has been completely stripped and gutted and freed up as

0:11:22.760 --> 0:11:25.640
<v Speaker 1>much space as possible, so like they take the seats out,

0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.280
<v Speaker 1>often the driver is sitting on a milk crate instead

0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:30.800
<v Speaker 1>of like a like a proper stool or or a

0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:33.960
<v Speaker 1>regular chair, you know. And uh, from there, it's just

0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:36.680
<v Speaker 1>a matter of cramming in as many clowns as possible,

0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:40.400
<v Speaker 1>and the average compact clown car can fit anywhere between

0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:44.280
<v Speaker 1>fourteen and twenty one clowns which props they have inside

0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:48.360
<v Speaker 1>with them. Yeah, that is impressive, twenty one people fitting

0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:50.440
<v Speaker 1>in a car like that. It actually kind of reminds

0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:53.080
<v Speaker 1>me of how you probably remember this, How it felt

0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:55.640
<v Speaker 1>like at least once a week during college, we would

0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.000
<v Speaker 1>pack people into that tiny little Honda and for some

0:11:59.080 --> 0:12:01.480
<v Speaker 1>reason we would go a Macaroni Girl and then they

0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:04.640
<v Speaker 1>were playing of good restaurants where we always went to.

0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.920
<v Speaker 1>It's just so strange. Well, anyways, speaking of terrifying things,

0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.400
<v Speaker 1>people have been scared of zombies and in one form

0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.160
<v Speaker 1>or another for thousands of years now. And actually I

0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.560
<v Speaker 1>didn't realize how long we've been scared of them, But

0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:23.880
<v Speaker 1>apparently archaeologists have uncovered ancient Greek burial sites with skeletons

0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:26.800
<v Speaker 1>that were pinned down with rocks and these other heavy

0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.640
<v Speaker 1>objects put on their chest, and this was all to

0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.920
<v Speaker 1>stop the corpses from coming back to terrorize the living.

0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.200
<v Speaker 1>Now today zombies seem to have, you know, this larger

0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.200
<v Speaker 1>role in the cultural zeitgeist than it feels like just

0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.080
<v Speaker 1>about any other time in history. And believe it or not,

0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:45.560
<v Speaker 1>actually the atomic bomb maybe to blame for that. So

0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:50.280
<v Speaker 1>according to Stanford literary scholar Angela Bicara vigor wide scale

0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.120
<v Speaker 1>disasters of the mid twentieth centuries such as the bombing

0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.280
<v Speaker 1>of Hiroshima that actually paved the way for the rise

0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.679
<v Speaker 1>of zombie narratives and these other stories that focus on

0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:04.120
<v Speaker 1>math destruction and and really all these desperate survival situations

0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:07.160
<v Speaker 1>that resulted from those. I guess I just wouldn't have

0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:09.040
<v Speaker 1>put it together that that, like in all kind of

0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.800
<v Speaker 1>the atomic bomb stuff. Yeah, and it's it's it's actually

0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.280
<v Speaker 1>not just the storytellers who have tapped into the cultural

0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.640
<v Speaker 1>fears that that led to this zombie mania. So the

0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:20.800
<v Speaker 1>CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually

0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.079
<v Speaker 1>got in the act a couple of years ago by

0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:27.520
<v Speaker 1>launching this zombie Preparedness website, and it's actually a smart

0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:30.360
<v Speaker 1>way to get people thinking about how to prepare for

0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.680
<v Speaker 1>all sorts of disasters, whether they're zombie based or not.

0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.520
<v Speaker 1>And it's actually been a pretty big success. Oh, that's

0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:39.480
<v Speaker 1>pretty fascinating. So, in a totally different fath I'm going

0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:42.319
<v Speaker 1>to talk about mermaids. Mermaids feel like the opposite of

0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:45.120
<v Speaker 1>zombies to me. But you know, back in two thousand

0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:48.760
<v Speaker 1>thirteen Animal Planet air these two fake documentary specials called

0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.480
<v Speaker 1>Mermaids The Body Found and Mermaids New Evidence, and they

0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:56.520
<v Speaker 1>basically showed these fake scientists proving the existence of mermaids.

0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:59.199
<v Speaker 1>But it's kind of like that old BBC hoax we've

0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:02.800
<v Speaker 1>talked about before about spaghetti farmers who row pasta on trees,

0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.400
<v Speaker 1>and then you know, millions of people wrote in wondering

0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:07.320
<v Speaker 1>where they could get their own spaghetti trees. You know,

0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.000
<v Speaker 1>I guess the people who watched this Mermaid special didn't

0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:13.959
<v Speaker 1>realize the disclaimer in the credits that said certain events

0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.319
<v Speaker 1>in the film are fictional. And so there were so

0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:20.880
<v Speaker 1>many people affected that Google searches for our Mermaids Reel

0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.960
<v Speaker 1>outpaced questions like our Aliens Reel and our Ghost Real

0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.040
<v Speaker 1>for the year. And it got so bad that the

0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:32.360
<v Speaker 1>n o A, which is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.920
<v Speaker 1>they received so many inquiries that they actually issued an

0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:40.480
<v Speaker 1>official statement denying the existence of mermaids. That's pretty funny. Well,

0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:42.040
<v Speaker 1>I know we have two more facts to go, but

0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:59.120
<v Speaker 1>let's get to those after a quick break. Welcome back

0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:02.640
<v Speaker 1>to Part Time Genius. We're talking facts inspired by Halloween costumes. Now,

0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:06.600
<v Speaker 1>chances are you've seen those inflatable t rex costumes that

0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.000
<v Speaker 1>have been popping up all that of internet memes and

0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.760
<v Speaker 1>videos lately. You know, I I saw a ton of

0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:14.720
<v Speaker 1>them around this year. But if you're wondering just how

0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:18.760
<v Speaker 1>anatomically correct the costumes are, I'm so sorry to break

0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.880
<v Speaker 1>it to you. They're not very accurate. And they probably

0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:24.480
<v Speaker 1>weren't as like wobbly as they look when people love

0:15:24.520 --> 0:15:27.640
<v Speaker 1>them on. I'm guessing yeah, they weren't a laughing stock

0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:31.080
<v Speaker 1>t rex is apparently. I'm gonna start with the thinly

0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:33.160
<v Speaker 1>little arms that everyone finds so funny. You know, the

0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.440
<v Speaker 1>t rex is arms are usually portrayed as like disproportionately

0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:40.000
<v Speaker 1>small compared to the massive body, But in reality, the

0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.320
<v Speaker 1>t rex Is arms were over three ft long, and

0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:45.080
<v Speaker 1>they supported biceps strong enough to bench press at least

0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:49.160
<v Speaker 1>four thirty pounds each, so pretty strong. You know. It

0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.240
<v Speaker 1>actually means that the Rex's arms would have come in

0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.040
<v Speaker 1>handy if a t Rex was ever you know, knocked

0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:56.720
<v Speaker 1>over and had to lever itself off the ground, and

0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:58.520
<v Speaker 1>also if it just had to hold on tight to

0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.920
<v Speaker 1>squirming prey before chomping um. And then there's a matter

0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:05.400
<v Speaker 1>of scales versus feathers, so fluffy dinosaurs were basically the

0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.880
<v Speaker 1>norm when it came to smaller species. But when the

0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:11.640
<v Speaker 1>remains of this feathered, nearly t rex sized dinosaur was

0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:14.000
<v Speaker 1>found back in two thousand and twelve, the door was

0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:17.080
<v Speaker 1>open to the possibility that rex is also sported feathers,

0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:20.360
<v Speaker 1>at least when they hatched. So paleontologists contend that the

0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:23.480
<v Speaker 1>animals may have had fluffy feathers their whole lives, which

0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:26.640
<v Speaker 1>would have really made for both like more interesting and

0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.880
<v Speaker 1>gleamed up costume. You know what, if there's one thing

0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:33.080
<v Speaker 1>people really love, Mango, it's when other people fact check

0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:36.840
<v Speaker 1>their costumes. So I'm sure you're really popular on Halloween.

0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:39.760
<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, I'm gonna end this on a fact

0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:42.480
<v Speaker 1>about wonder Woman. It just feels appropriate and I love

0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.920
<v Speaker 1>this one, so we all. No wonder Woman herself is

0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.200
<v Speaker 1>a force to be reckoned with. But that famous invisible

0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.040
<v Speaker 1>jet of hers is actually something of a joke, or

0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.280
<v Speaker 1>at least that's how MATEL treated it back in two

0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.040
<v Speaker 1>thousand and ten, and that's when they released this fake

0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.800
<v Speaker 1>mock up of an invisible jet toy as an April

0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:02.400
<v Speaker 1>Fool's joke. Now, the unexpected part came when fans began

0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:05.960
<v Speaker 1>clamoring for the product to actually be released, and so

0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.720
<v Speaker 1>Mattel eventually answered their prayers by offering an exclusive Hot

0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:13.280
<v Speaker 1>Wheels and Visible Jet at Comic Con. So here's the catch.

0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:16.080
<v Speaker 1>There was no toy in the box at all. Instead,

0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:19.040
<v Speaker 1>the package just contained a plastic tray with the shape

0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.920
<v Speaker 1>of a jet molded into it, along with a couple

0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:23.960
<v Speaker 1>of small weights, you know, to make the box feel

0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:26.720
<v Speaker 1>like there was a real toy inside, of course, for

0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.200
<v Speaker 1>fans who you know, keep their collectibles mint in box. Anyway,

0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:33.480
<v Speaker 1>this wasn't much of an issue, and funny enough, Mattel

0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.440
<v Speaker 1>wasn't the only one to pull such a stunt. Back

0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:39.880
<v Speaker 1>in two thousand fifteen, the Smithsonian did something pretty similar

0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.960
<v Speaker 1>also on April Fool's Day, of course, except they took

0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:46.480
<v Speaker 1>things to a whole another level. So for one day only,

0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.840
<v Speaker 1>the National Air and Space Museum put Wonder Woman's Invisible

0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:53.800
<v Speaker 1>Jet quote on display. So they released this video on

0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:57.520
<v Speaker 1>YouTube announcing the jets arrival and documenting how the workers

0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:00.399
<v Speaker 1>were able to suspend it from the ceiling. But you know,

0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:02.280
<v Speaker 1>since it's an invisible jet and all, you kind of

0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.840
<v Speaker 1>just have to take their word for it. Oh I

0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.520
<v Speaker 1>love that. I actually really love when museums played a

0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:10.280
<v Speaker 1>like pop culture and get people into, you know, the

0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.040
<v Speaker 1>exhibits that way. Like I really think you should take

0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.760
<v Speaker 1>the trophy home this week. All right, Well, thanks so much,

0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:18.000
<v Speaker 1>and thanks to all of our listeners for being patient

0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.600
<v Speaker 1>and waiting an entire week to get their Halloween facts.

0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:22.800
<v Speaker 1>I know all of you were just sitting there waiting

0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.720
<v Speaker 1>for this, but anyway, from Gave, Tristan, Mango and me,

0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:26.800
<v Speaker 1>thanks so much for listening