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 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 4 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:25,639 Speaker 2: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 6 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 2: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 7 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,279 Speaker 1: Even now, in our modern world, the idea of a 8 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: monarch is appealing to some people. Elections are messy and 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: they can lead to corrupt politicians taking power, But many 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: times throughout history, the biological air to a throne didn't 11 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: want the throne itself or refused to do the work 12 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: to be prepared for it. And such was the case 13 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: in the thirteenth century in the Indian kingdom of Delhi, 14 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: where the sultan's sons all paled in comparison to his 15 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: highly capable daughter. Razia spent her days running all over Delhi, 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: meeting with dozens of people who needed her to solve 17 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: their problems, and one morning alone, she arbitrated a dispute 18 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: between two merchants, inspected a rickety horse stable, and ordered 19 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: new armor for the guards. Meanwhile, her oldest brother, Firos 20 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: spent his days lounging by the river, drinking wine and 21 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 1: betting his concubines. Their father, the Sultan, was away at war, 22 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: and so it fell to Rozia to run things. It 23 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: was a difficult situation, but she rose to the occasion. 24 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: She worked hard as a young woman to learn everything 25 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: she could about administration and warfare should she ever need 26 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,039 Speaker 1: to assist her father. And now that time had come 27 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: soon the people grew to love her. The city was cleaner, safer, 28 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: and more efficient with Rozia in charge. When her father 29 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: returned from his military campaign in the year twelve thirty one, 30 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: he was greatly impressed by all her work. It astonished 31 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: Razia when he invited her and the heads of the 32 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: noble families to his throne room, or he named Razia 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: his heir. I have to mention that it was unheard 34 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: of to have a female ruler in the Kingdom of Delhi. 35 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: The kingdom had converted to Islam just a few decades prior, 36 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: and female rulers were forbidden. But the Sultan had always 37 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: been unconventional. He was born a slave, and he fought 38 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: his way to power, and he knew that his sons 39 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: just weren't the ones to continue his empire. Now it 40 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: had to be Razia, and this controversial decree was immediately 41 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: put to the test in twelve thirty six when the 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: sultan died from an illness, and it should have been 43 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: Razia's turn to rule, but the nobles immediately turned against her, 44 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: instead putting her brother Firose on the throne. But over 45 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: the next few months he proved to be a selfish 46 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: and cruel leader. He did nothing to help his people 47 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: and instead spent all his time hunting down and executing 48 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: any potential rivals, including one of his own brother. Razia 49 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: was only spared because Firoza's arrogance kept him from seeing 50 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: a woman as a threat to his power, but Razia 51 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: should have been his chief concern. Only a few months 52 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: into Firoz's harsh rule, Razia went out into Delhi and 53 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: gave an impassioned speech to the people. She told them 54 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,799 Speaker 1: that her brother was ruining all of her and her 55 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: father's hard work in building up the kingdom. He would 56 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 1: bring war on all of them if he continued to rule, 57 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: and the people agreed. Following Razia, they stormed the palace 58 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: and captured Firos. Razia had no sympathy for him, she 59 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: ordered his execution, getting justice for the brother that Phiro's 60 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: had killed. For now, the nobles had no choice but 61 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: to accept Razia as their sultan. She once again set 62 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: about improving the kingdom, establishing universities and libraries, and sending 63 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: the army out across the empire to keep the peace. 64 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: But having a female ruler still didn't sit right with 65 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: the Muslim nobles. The final straw came when Razia took 66 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: a lover, a formerly in slaved African named Yakut. An 67 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: unmarried female ruler with a black lover would be controversial 68 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: in India today. In medieval times, it sent the country 69 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: into a frenzy. In the year twelve forty, just three 70 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: and a half years into Razia's rule, the nobles attacked 71 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: her army and took her prisoner. They executed Yakut and 72 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: planned to do the same to Razia, but the nobles 73 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: soon started squabbling amongst one another about who would rule 74 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: after she was dead. And that's when the noble who 75 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: had captured Razia, a man named Altuonia, had an unlikely 76 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: change of heart. He realized that Razia was the only 77 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: one fit to rule, and he pledged his loyalty to her, 78 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: and Razia knew that her affair with Yakuts had been controversial, 79 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: and so she made the decision to marry Altunia with 80 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: the hopes that it would help the other nobles accept her, 81 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 1: but unfortunately their hearts were dead set against the idea 82 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: of a female sultan. Razia and Altunia's army went up 83 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: against the combined army of the other nobles in one 84 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 1: final climactic battle, and ultimately Razia's men were defeated. She 85 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: and her husband were forced to flee the kingdom in 86 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: the end, with no one left to protect them. Razia 87 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: and Altonia were captured by soldiers from a neighboring Hindu kingdom, 88 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: and these were political and religious rivals that had no 89 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: sympathy for her. They put her to death in October 90 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: of twelve forty. It's incredibly curious that the Kingdom of 91 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: Delhi preferred to go to war rather than accept the 92 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: most qualified ruler simply because she was a woman. To 93 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: this day, she remains one of the very few queens 94 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: in Islamic history. It goes to show that monarchies are 95 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 1: rarely about merit and all about preserving the status quo 96 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: If you've ever looked up at the night sky, you 97 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: have probably noticed that some stars seem to twinkle. There brightness, ebbs, 98 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,839 Speaker 1: and flows. Some nights they blaze overhead, while other nights 99 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: they look so faint as to almost disappear. Almost a 100 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: century ago, a curious young woman looked up at those 101 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,479 Speaker 1: same stars and asked a vital question, why why do 102 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: some stars flicker while others burn steady? The question would 103 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: launch a year's long investigation and reveal one of the 104 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: most important scientific discoveries ever made. When Cecilia died in 105 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine at the age of seventy nine, her 106 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: official obituary celebrated the life of a curious and whip 107 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: smart astronomer, a Harvard professor, a loving wife, and a 108 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: doting mother. It was a wonderful tribute to a brilliant 109 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: and dedicated astrophysicist, But the obituary failed to mention Cecilia's 110 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: most stunning achievement, one that should cement her name alongside 111 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: scientists like Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein. In fact, 112 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: Cecilia Paine may be one of the greatest scientists to 113 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: have ever lived. Cecilia was born in Wendover, England, in 114 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: nineteen hundred and from a young age she was an 115 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: avid reader with a curious mind. She loved school and 116 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 1: wanted to pursue a college degree, which was highly unusual 117 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: for women at the time. That might be why her 118 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: mother refused to cough up money for tuition, so Cecilia 119 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: found another way to go to college. She won a 120 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,559 Speaker 1: full scholarship to Cambridge University. She knew that she wanted 121 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: to study science, but wasn't sure which field. On a whim, 122 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: she decided to attend a public lecture from astronomer Arthur Eddington. 123 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: He talked about a recent expedition to view a solar 124 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: eclipse and how his observations proved Einstein's theory of general relativity. 125 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: Cecilia was wrapped. From that moment on she knew she 126 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: wanted to study physics. She spent the next few years 127 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: taking classes and devouring countless textbooks on astronomy, but because 128 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: she was a woman, Cambridge refused to give her a 129 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: science degree, and so in response, Cecilia said fine, and 130 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty three she moved to the United States, 131 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: where she met the director of the Harvard College Observatory. 132 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: He was so taken with Cecilia that he offered her 133 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: a graduate fellowship at Harvard. By the time Cecilia started 134 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: that fellowship, the Harvard Observatory was deep into a study 135 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: on stellar spectra, which was essentially photographs of starlight, except 136 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: these photos spread starlight out into its full rainbow of colors, 137 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: like when light catches in a prism. Basically, they were 138 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: trying to catch the full light spectrum for thousands of stars. 139 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: It was arduous work, but Cecilia was intrigued, so she 140 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: dedicated herself to the project. Now, about sixty years before 141 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: Cecilia arrived at Harvard, another astrophysicist conducted a similar experiment. 142 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: He heated up various chemical elements and observed the spectrum 143 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 1: of light given off when these elements turn into gas. 144 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: What he learned was that each element had its own 145 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: unique light spectrum, almost like a fingerprint. And Cecilia was 146 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: aware of this study. In fact, she was ruminating on it. 147 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: One night while stargazing, she found herself wondering why certain 148 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: stars seemed to flicker. She called these variable stars and 149 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: hypothesized that they were made of different elements than the stars. 150 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 1: That held steady, and so she came up with a 151 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 1: brilliant way to test out her theory. She compared starlight 152 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 1: spectra to elemental gas spectra, which allowed her to measure 153 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 1: the surface temperature of stars. Once she could see the 154 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: spectra of each star, she could piece together which elements 155 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: were involved in its composition. Two years after starting the project, 156 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty five, Cecilia presented her findings as part 157 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: of her doctoral thesis, and her results were surprising. Even 158 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: though stars were huge and impossibly dense, they were almost 159 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: entirely made of hydrogen and helium, the two lightest elements 160 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: in the universe. But that's not all. She also revealed 161 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: a true surprise through her observations. She also learned that 162 00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: the majority of the visible universe is made of hydrogen. 163 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: In other words, she discovered what the fabric of our 164 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 1: universe is made of. Her professor was so proud of 165 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: her that he sent her thesis to a colleague at Princeton, 166 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: a guy named Professor Henry Russell. But Russell tossed her 167 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: thesis aside, calling her results impossible, and of course that stung. 168 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: Cecilia knew she had done solid research, and yet she 169 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: didn't know how to argue with a tenured professor. Luckily, 170 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: her peers found her thesis brilliant. It inspired colleagues to 171 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 1: check her work, and within a few years, supplemental research 172 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: showed that Yes, Cecilia had been correct all along. It 173 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: was incredible, at just twenty five years old, she had 174 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:43,439 Speaker 1: successfully figured out the anatomical makeup of the universe. After that, 175 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: Cecilia Payne became the first person to ever earn a 176 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: PhD in astronomy from Harvard. But despite being one of 177 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: the most brilliant astronomers of our time, her work was 178 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: often brushed aside or credited to men who proved similar 179 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 1: theories years later. She received some recognition throughout her career, 180 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: but a pales in comparison to the prestige given to 181 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: her male colleagues. Although the American Astronomical Society did give 182 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: Cecilia much deserve recognition, in nineteen seventy six, they awarded 183 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: her the prestigious Henry Norris Russell Prize. The award named 184 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: yes for Professor Russell, the Princeton astronomer who told her 185 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,680 Speaker 1: that her research was impossible. It's fair to say that 186 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: she proved him wrong. Simply by keeping her goals sky high. 187 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 188 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 189 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 190 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 191 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 192 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 193 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 194 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: worldolore dot com. 195 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: And until next time, stay curious.