1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Hey everyone. Technically you're getting two days in History today 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: because we were running two episodes from the History Vault. 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 1: You'll also here two hosts, me and Tracy V. Wilson. 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: Hope you enjoy. Welcome to this Day in History Class 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: from how Stuff Works dot Com and from the desk 6 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,799 Speaker 1: of Stuff you Missed in History Class. It's the show 7 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: where we explore the past one day at a time 8 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: with a quick look at what happened today in history. Hello, 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson and 10 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: it's October. On this day in Tommy Smith and John 11 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: Carlos raised their fists in protest on the winner's podium 12 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. And the lead 13 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: up to these games, Harry Edwards had started an organization 14 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: called the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Harry Edwards had 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: been a discus thrower and when this happened, he was 16 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: working as a sociology professor. This organization called for things 17 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: like more black coaches and restoring Muhammad all these heavyweight title. 18 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: It also called for banning South Africa and Rhodesia from 19 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,839 Speaker 1: the Olympic Games. Both South Africa and Rhodesia had minority 20 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: white governments and we're operating in a state of apartheid. 21 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: They also called for the replacement of International Olympic Committee 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: President Avery Brundage, who had been repeatedly accused of racism 23 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: and anti Semitism. There were threats to boycott the Olympic 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: Games if these demands weren't met, and some athletes did 25 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: boycott the Games, but others participated. And that year in 26 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: Mexico City and the two race, American Tommy Smith won 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: the gold, Australian Peter Norman won the silver, an American 28 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: John Carlos won the bronze. So Smith and Carlos had 29 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: helped organize the Olympic Project for Human Rights. They were 30 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: students of Harry Edwards, and when they went to the 31 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: podium to receive their medals, Smith and Carlos had their 32 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: shoes off and they were wearing black socks. Each of 33 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: them were one black glove. Smith also wore a scarf 34 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: and Carlos were beads. And when the Nationville anthem was playing, 35 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: they raised their fist in a black power salute and 36 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,519 Speaker 1: bowed their heads. The black socks were there to symbolize 37 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: black poverty, and the scarf and the beads were to 38 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: represent the victims of lynching. When you look at pictures 39 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: of this moment, Peter Norman, the Australian athlete who won 40 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: the silver, looks almost like a bystander, but he wasn't 41 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: at all a bystander. He was standing with them in solidarity. 42 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: He was wearing a badge from the Olympic Project for 43 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: Human Rights and in addition to supporting Smith and Carlos's 44 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: protest that day, Norman was doing this to oppose racism 45 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: and racist government policies in Australia, where he was from. 46 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: There is some debate about whose idea this protest was, 47 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: including between Smith and Carlos, but it was Norman who 48 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: suggested that the two men each wear one of the 49 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: same pair of gloves when one of them realized that 50 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: he had forgotten his altogether. This was a protest by 51 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: three and against segregation, discrimination and racism, and their actions 52 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: were immediately heavily criticized. Many people in the crowd immediately 53 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: started jeering as soon as they realized what was happening. 54 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: Smith and Carlos were ejected from the Games. They were 55 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: suspended from the US Olympic team, they were blacklisted from 56 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: the sport. Once they got home, they got death threats 57 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: and the words of Brendage of the IOC quote the 58 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: action of these Negroes was an insult to the Mexican 59 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: hosts and a disgrace to the United States. This was 60 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: at a time before Olympic athletes were generally invited to 61 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: visit the White House, but public relations consultant Robert mcelwaine 62 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: had suggested that maybe all the American medalists, all of them, 63 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: should be invited, and that was something that was ultimately declined. Also, 64 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: after returning home, Smith and Carlos were tracked by the FBI. 65 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: Peter Norman faced huge backlash at home as well. He 66 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: was reportedly kept out of the nineteen seventy two Olympics 67 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: and Munich for having participated in this protest. He was 68 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: ostracized from the sport at home, and he never returned 69 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: to it. When he died in two thousand and six, 70 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,119 Speaker 1: Carlos and Smith were among his pall bearers. The Australian 71 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: government apologized for the treatment that Norman received in twelve 72 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: Today there is a statue of this moment in the 73 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and 74 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: Washington d C. Which shows Smith and Norman and Carlos 75 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: as they were on the podium that day. Thanks very 76 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: much to Terry Harrison for audio work in this podcast, 77 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 1: and you can subscribe to the Stay in History Class 78 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever else you get 79 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: your podcasts. You can tune in tomorrow for an unexpected flood. 80 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: Hi everyone, I'm Eves. Welcome to This Day in History Class, 81 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: a podcast for folks who can never have enough history knowledge. 82 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: The day was October eighteen thirty four. Much of the 83 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: Palace of Westminster, the home of the British Parliament, was 84 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: destroyed in a fire. In medieval times, the Palace of 85 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: Westminster was the main royal residence in London, and it 86 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: housed the law courts and government departments. By the eighteen hundreds, 87 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: the complex had been expanded and renovated so much that 88 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: it had become a winding mix of passages, walls, staircases 89 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 1: and buildings. Members of Parliament have been raising concerns about 90 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: the state of their accommodations for a while, so though 91 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: the fire on October eighteen thirty four was accidental, conditions 92 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: in the complex were ripe for disaster. Wooden tally sticks 93 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: were used as a form of tax receipt until eighteen six, 94 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: when an act prohibiting the use of talies for record 95 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: went into force, but it took years for the system 96 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: to be overhauled. By eight thirty four, there were still 97 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: tallies that needed to be thrown away. The Exchequer, a 98 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: government department responsible for collecting and managing taxes and revenues, 99 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: was tasked with getting rid of two carts full of 100 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: tally sticks. The Clerk of Works decided to have them 101 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: burned unsupervised and underfloor stoves in the basement of the 102 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 1: House of Lords. So workers followed his orders and did 103 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: just that. People who visited the House of Lords that 104 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: day noticed how hot the floor was and that smoke 105 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: was rising from it, but the housekeeper and the Clerk 106 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: of Works ignored the warnings. The premises were closed around 107 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: five pm. Around an hour later, a doorkeeper's wife announced 108 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: that the House of Lords was on fire. Not long 109 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: after it was discovered, a fireball exploded out of the building. 110 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: The fire attracted a lot of attention. Crowds of spectators gathered, 111 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: and many of them painted sketched the scene. Parish engines, 112 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: insurance companies and the private London Fire Engine Establishment worked 113 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: to put out the blaze. Volunteers including MPs and lords, 114 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: also staffed water pumps throughout the night. By the time 115 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: the fire was under control, Westminster Hall, the Undercroft Chapel 116 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: of St Mary, the Jewel Tower, the Chapter House of 117 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: St Stephen's, and part of the Cloisters were saved, but 118 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: the House of Commons in the House of Lords were destroyed, 119 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: along with most other buildings in the complex. After the fire, 120 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: people capitalized on the bus surrounding the event by selling 121 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: cheap prints and creating souvenirs from stone, lead and wood 122 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: taken from the site. The damage to the palace was 123 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: estimated at two million pounds. Nobody was prosecuted for causing 124 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: the fire and destruction of the buildings, but a public 125 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: inquiry did suggest the fire was a result of negligence. 126 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: A commission was formed to look into a loss of 127 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: parliamentary records. It made recommendations that led to the creation 128 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: of the Public Record Office, which later became the National Archives. 129 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: Architect Charles Berry won a government competition to design a 130 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: new palace. He and Augustus Pugin developed a new complex 131 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: that included the surviving structures. I'm Eve Steff Coote and 132 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 133 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. Spend some of your daily social media 134 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: time with us at t D I h C podcast. 135 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: You can also email us at this Day at I 136 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. Thanks for listening, and we'll see 137 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: you again tomorrow. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit 138 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where every listen 139 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.