1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,559 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, we're rerunning two episodes today. Enjoy the show. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Hey guys, welcome to this Day in History class, where 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 4 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: The day was April three, eighteen sixty. The first mail 5 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: delivered be a Pony Express left from St. Joseph, Missouri, 6 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: on a rider in horse relay to Sacramento, California. The 7 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: rider used a motila, which was a leather cover over 8 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: a horse's saddle that riders used as a mail bag. 9 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: The mochila included a letter from President James Buchanan to 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: John Downey, the governor of California. The letter of congratulations 11 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: have been telegraphed that morning from Washington, d C. To St. Joseph. 12 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: That first ride and the entire Pony Express service was 13 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: great at getting mail across long distances as compared to 14 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: the extremely inefficient mail delivery process that was standard at 15 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: the time. But the Pony Express didn't last two years 16 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: thanks to technological advances in money woes. In the mid 17 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds, mail delivery to California, a brand new state, 18 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: was slow. Stage coaches could take weeks to carry mail overland, 19 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: and steamships took circuitous routes around South America are through 20 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: the Isthmus of Panama or the Isthmus atron Tepec in 21 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: Mexico to make it to its final destination. But the 22 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: twenty four day overland service from Missouri to California was 23 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: just not going to be sufficient anymore, as the approach 24 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: of the Civil War made fast mail delivery imperative. The 25 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: origins of the idea for the Pony Express have been 26 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: linked to several people, including California Senator William M. Gwyn 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: u S, Secretary of War John B. Floyd, and Benjamin Fickland. Regardless, 28 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: the private freighting firm Russell Agers and Waddell set out 29 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: to create the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company, 30 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,959 Speaker 1: better known as the Pony Express. St. Joseph, Missouri, a 31 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,839 Speaker 1: prime location because of its access to the East through 32 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: railroads and telegraph, was chosen as the eastern terminus of 33 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: the mail route. Sacramento, California's capital, would be the western 34 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: end of the route. The route started off following the 35 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: Oregon Trail, then departed from that trail west of Salt 36 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: Lake City, Utah. It traveled through the modern day states 37 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California 38 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: and covered a distance of more than eighteen hundred miles 39 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: or kilometers. Benjamin Fickland was a superintendent of the route, 40 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: and he divided the route into five divisions, with superintendents 41 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 1: for each. There were about two hundred relay stations ten 42 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: to fifteen miles apart along the route, where riders would 43 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: transfer the motila to the next mount and change horses 44 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: every about nine and twenty miles. There were home stations 45 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: where riders would eat and sleep after handing the mail 46 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 1: off to the next rider. More than four hundred horses 47 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: were purchased for the route, and station keepers and stock 48 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: tenders were hired. In addition to riders, riders had to 49 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: meet specific requirements. They had to be brave, relatively thin, 50 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: experienced riders with knowledge of the trail. They would be 51 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: assigned to and ad ran in the Sacramento Union on 52 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: March nineteenth, eighteen sixty to recruit the perfect workers. It 53 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: read man wanted. The undersigned wishes to hire ten or 54 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: a dozen men familiar with the management of horses. As 55 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: hustlers are riders on the Overland Express Route Viassault Lake 56 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: City wages fifty dollars per month and found found means 57 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: room and board. On April third, eighteen sixty, the first rider, 58 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: Johnny Fry, took off on his horse around seven fifteen 59 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: pm and headed west, crossing the Missouri River by ferry 60 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: and speeding across cans this for ninety miles until it 61 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: was time for him to hand off the proverbial baton. 62 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: Forty writers took part in that first delivery to Sacramento, 63 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: and by five five pm on April thirte the last 64 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: rider arrived in Sacramento too much fanfare. The mail was 65 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: then taken by the steamboat Antelope to San Francisco. We 66 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: may scoff at the delivery time today, since we're spoiled 67 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: with overnight shipping and the promise of drone delivery, but 68 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: the Pony Express took only ten days on average to 69 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: deliver mail from Missouri to the West coast the Pony Express. 70 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: His best time was seven days and seventeen hours when 71 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: riders delivered Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address from Nebraska to California. 72 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: There were some notable writers too, like Robert Pony Bob Haslam, 73 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: who in May eighteen sixty traveled three hundred and eighty 74 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: miles in less than forty hours because another relay writer 75 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: was afraid he would run into pie eat people's who 76 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: had been attacking stations. The Pony Express was successful and 77 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: that the riders delivered more than thirty five thousand pieces 78 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: of mail in record times and only one bag of 79 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: mail was reported to be lost over the course of 80 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: its year and a half run. But ultimately the Pony 81 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: Express failed because the service was too expensive for average people. 82 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: There was conflict among executives, and various setbacks meant the 83 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: company couldn't afford to support the service. It never turned 84 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:30,039 Speaker 1: a profit. Even more pressing, though, was the connection of 85 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: the East and West coast by a transcontinental telegraph line 86 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: in October eighteen sixty one. The Pony Express shut down 87 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: in November. I'm eaves, Jeffcote, and hopefully you know a 88 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: little more about history today than you did yesterday. And 89 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: just an additional note about other mail routes that have 90 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: been established before the Pony Express. Ganghis Khan also instituted 91 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: a horse relay to deliver messages, and American newspapers used 92 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: horse relays between New York and Boss in between eight 93 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: and eighteen thirty. If you'd like to follow us on 94 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: social media, you can find us at t d i 95 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Come back 96 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:27,359 Speaker 1: tomorrow for another tidbit from History. Hey everyone, it's Eaves 97 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: again and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 98 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: show that takes history and squeezes it into bite size stories. 99 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 1: The day was April three, nineteen leftists launched an uprising 100 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: against police and right wing paramilitary groups on j Ju 101 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: Island in South Korea. The uprising lasted until May of 102 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 1: nineteen forty nine. It's suppression resulted in the day of 103 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: an estimated thirty thousand people, many of them killed by police, soldiers, 104 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: and anti communist That was around ten percent of the 105 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: island's population. The uprising is also known as the April 106 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: third incident. In August of nineteen forty five, the Japanese 107 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: surrendered to Allied forces in World War Two. That ended 108 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: the Japanese occupation of Korea, which had begun in nineteen ten. 109 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: Korea was then divided at the thirty eight parallel, with 110 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: the Soviets in the north and the Americans in the south. 111 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: The island of Jju was controlled by the United States 112 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: Army military government in Korea. Though there was a lot 113 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: of unrest on mainland Korea, the island of Jju was 114 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: geographically and politically isolated. During the first year of American occupation, 115 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: the situation on Jju remained relatively peaceful. The Jju People's 116 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: Committee gained a lot of support across the island, but 117 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty six, Jju was incorporated as a separate 118 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: province of US backed South Korea. This led to more 119 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: righteous administrators and police being on the island. Late that year, 120 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: the Workers Party of South Korea, a communist party, one 121 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: control of the Jju People's Committee and uprising in the 122 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: southern provinces of the Korean mainland were blamed on communists 123 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: and contributed to more anti left tension on Jju. On 124 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: March first, nineteen forty seven, tens of thousands of Jju 125 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: residents gathered in Jju City to mark the anniversary of 126 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: the March First Movement, a demonstration against Japanese rule that 127 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: occurred in nineteen nineteen. The residents also opposed increased taxation, 128 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: the dissolution of the People's Committee, and police brutality. Police 129 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: fired into the crowd, killing six people and wounding others. 130 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: Many people in the Workers Party were arrested during the demonstrations. 131 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: There were a series of strikes in response to the shootings. 132 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: Following this incident, tensions grew between the right and the 133 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 1: left on Jju. In November of ninety seven, the United 134 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: Nations adopted a resolution calling for elections in the southern 135 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 1: part of Korea. The elections were set to take place 136 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:22,319 Speaker 1: on May tenth, ninety eight. They would affirm the division 137 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: of the Korean Peninsula between the communist North and capitalist south. 138 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: As the elections approached, people in the Workers Party planned 139 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: protests against them. On April third, ninety people from the 140 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: Workers Party, alongside other communist supporters, attacked police stations on Jju, 141 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: killed police officers, and destroyed polling centers. The reasoning behind 142 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: the uprising has been debated. The commander of the police 143 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: forces attempted to negotiate with guerilla leaders, but they could 144 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,599 Speaker 1: not come to a peaceful resolution. The fighting continued, disrupting 145 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: the May tenth elections. The Republic of Korea, also known 146 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: as South Korea, was established in August of nineteen forty eight. 147 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: By October, the South Korean government was ramping up efforts 148 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: to squash the uprising. Martial law was declared, and the 149 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: campaign against rebel forces turned brutally violent. Tens of thousands 150 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: of people were killed in the uprising and it's aftermath, 151 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: and thousands more fled the island. The uprising was effectively 152 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: suppressed by May of nineteen forty nine, though sporadic fighting 153 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,839 Speaker 1: continued over the next several years. The Korean War began 154 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: in June of nineteen fifty when North Korea invaded South Korea. 155 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 1: The existence of the Jaju Uprising and any investigations into 156 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: it were suppressed in South Korea in the decades after 157 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: it happened. The United States role in the suppression of 158 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: the uprising has been the subject of a lot of debate. 159 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: The South Korean police apologized for the massacre for the 160 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: first time in twenty nineteen. I'm Eve Jeff Cote, and 161 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 162 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. You can give us a shout or 163 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: a share on social media at t d I h 164 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: C Podcast, and you can also send us an email 165 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: at this day at I heeart media dot com. Thanks 166 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: again for tuning into the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 167 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I 168 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 169 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.