1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: We've all seen the aftermath on the news. Houses turned 7 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: to splintered rubble, livestock pluck from fields like lint off 8 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: a sweater, and fallen trees blocking roadways. The effect of 9 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: a tornado on a community is nothing short of devastating, 10 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: and it could take months or even years before the 11 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: affected residents can feel whole again. But in seventeen sixty four, 12 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: in the German town of Volta, a tornado touchdown unlike 13 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: anything anyone had ever seen before or would ever see again. 14 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: On June twenty ninth, around one in the afternoon, a 15 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: twister appeared southwest to Feldberg. By the modern standards of 16 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: the Fujita scale, it touched down, measuring at an estimated 17 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: F two in intensity as it moved northeast. The Fujita 18 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: scale is a joint effort between meteorologist Ted Fujita and 19 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: Alan Pearson, the director of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center. 20 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy one, Fujita unveiled his eponymous scale, which 21 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: measured and categorized tornadoes by their size and wind speed. Weaker, 22 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: smaller twisters fell lower on the scale in the F 23 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: zero to F one range, while the most powerful ones 24 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: would earn up to an F five rating with me 25 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: so far good. For example, an F two tornado maintains 26 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: an average wind speed of between one hundred and thirteen 27 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: and one hundred and fifty seven miles per hour, but 28 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: as this particular vortex track, it picked up speed, reaching 29 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: F three status in minutes. By this point, its wind 30 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: speed was over two hundred miles an hour, and it 31 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: was only getting worse. Two children who had gotten caught 32 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: in its path were tossed into a nearby lake and survived. 33 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: The hail it kicked up obliterated a small flock of 34 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: geese in the area as well, and the stumps of 35 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: previously filled trees were ripped out of the ground like 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: rotted teeth. This tornado was over three hundred feet wide 37 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: by now and showed no signs of slowing down. A 38 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: local witness described it as a wedge tornado as it 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: crossed over a lake and caused the water level to rise. 40 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: Once it reached the other side, it took out a 41 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: house by ripping the roof clean off and leveling the walls. 42 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: Nothing remained, including the poor soul who had been inside 43 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: when it struck. One common myth about tornadoes is that 44 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: they weakened when crossing over a body of water, but 45 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: that's false. Tornadoes have no problem going over lakes and rivers, 46 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: as was the case with this particular twister. In fact, 47 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: it's believe that at another tornado known as a water spout, 48 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: formed over the lake and merged with the tornado, fueling 49 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: its growth and intensity. Once back on dry land, it 50 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: turned northward and wiped out a beach timber forest in 51 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: its path. The tornado was possibly an F four by 52 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: now with a width of seven hundred and thirty eight 53 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: feet across and wind speeds of up to two hundred 54 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: and sixty miles per hour. Massive oak trees were pulled 55 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: out of the ground and hurled over one hundred feet 56 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: into the air, while crops and grasses were ripped from 57 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: the earth. The tornado shifted once again, this time toward 58 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: the northeast, where it wiped out Liechtenberg Forest. The further 59 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: it traveled, the worse it got with a tornado, eventually 60 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: reaching its maximum intensity. Based on what we know now, 61 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: its wind speeds would have measured roughly three hundred miles 62 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: per hour, officially making it an F five tornado. One 63 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: of the strongest ever to be recorded, and in its 64 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: crosshairs was a dairy farm with a mansion on its property. 65 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: The tornado ran through the stately home as though it 66 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: were made of twigs, leaving only the first floor behind. 67 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: People on the ground reported seeing birds get sucked into 68 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: it as well, but that wasn't the worst of it. 69 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: It now measured almost three thousand feet across and was 70 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: so strong it ripped the skeleton out of its grave. 71 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: The woll Deck tornado traveled for about an hour over 72 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: a distance of eighteen and a half miles before it 73 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:31,799 Speaker 1: finally disappeared. The damage it left behind was unfathomable, and yet, 74 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: despite the carnage left in its wake, only one person died, 75 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 1: and although their death was a tragedy, it's a miracle 76 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: that more people weren't grievously hurt or killed. While this 77 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: freaked tornado, wreaked havoc on this poor corner of Germany. 78 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: Oh and last I checked, no wicked witches or little 79 00:04:51,000 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: dogs were harmed in the process. Strength can manifest in 80 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: a number of ways. It might be the strength to 81 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: leave a cheating partner, or the strength to speak in 82 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: front of a crowd of people. But a Canadian man 83 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: named Louis sear knew a very different, more literal kind 84 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: of strength. Louis was born in eighteen sixty three in 85 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: a small town in Quebec, Canada. When he turned twelve, 86 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: he began helping on his family's farm, tending to the livestock, 87 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: among other tasks. In the winter, he would work in 88 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: a logging camp among lumberjacks. The people around Louis noticed 89 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: that there was well something different about him. He was 90 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: a little bigger than the other kids and a lot stronger. 91 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: It wasn't a surprise, after all, his mother, Philamina Berger Sir, 92 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: Was allegedly a strong woman as well. Louis was often 93 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,480 Speaker 1: seen moving large equipment by himself, or lifting massive bales 94 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: of hay and cords of wood with no one to 95 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: help him. His feats of strength caught the attention of 96 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: other loggers who would encourage him to perform for them. 97 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: One day, on his way home from camp, Louis saw 98 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: that a farmer's wagon had gotten caught in the mud. 99 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: The farmer had been unable to free it by himself, 100 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: even with the help from his horse, so the burly 101 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: teenager stepped in to take the reins, well, not literally, 102 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: He lifted the wagon out of the mud with his 103 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: bare hands, leaving the farmer in awe of his raw strength. 104 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: But once Louis reached seventeen years old, he began taking 105 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: his talents more seriously. At the time, someone named David 106 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: Michaud was considered the strongest man in all of Canada. Well, 107 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: Louis wasn't about to let him claim all the glory, 108 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: was he, and so he challenged David to a weightlifting competition. 109 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: But despite the man's best efforts, Michau was unable to 110 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: hold onto his title of strongest man in Canada. That 111 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: mantle now belonged to Louis Sear, who was able to 112 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: lift a four hundred and eighty pound bowlder with ease. 113 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: In the late eighteen seventies, Louis's family moved from Canada 114 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: to Boston, Massachusetts, and after a few years he started 115 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: competing in strongman competitions professionally. His first ever show in 116 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: America saw him take home first prize. But what exactly 117 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: did he have to do to win it? Did he 118 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: pull a heavy wagon across a field or rip a 119 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: thick book in half? No. To win this competition, as 120 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:21,119 Speaker 1: well as many other strength contests, Louis had to lift 121 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: an adult male horse over his head, which he did 122 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: without breaking a sweat. The horse, by the way, weighed 123 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: almost a full ton. Unfortunately, there wasn't much money in 124 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: being a professional strongman, so he found work as a 125 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: police officer back in Canada. For two years from eighteen 126 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: eighty three to eighteen eighty five, he became Montreal's strongest cop, 127 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: weighing in in over three hundred pounds compared to the 128 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: average officer's weigh of one forty to one sixty five. 129 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: He was large and imposing, and his stature no doubt 130 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: put criminals on edge. He'd earned the job after he'd 131 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: stopped a knife fight between two strangers. Being as big 132 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: and strong as he was, Louis easily confiscated their knives 133 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: and then curled one man under each arm. Before hauling 134 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: them to the nearest police station. Throughout his career, the 135 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,679 Speaker 1: strong man with a neck and biceps measuring twenty inches around, 136 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: accomplished a number of mind boggling feats. He once lifted 137 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: eighteen men on a platform strapped to his back for 138 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: a total of four thousand, three hundred and thirty six pounds. 139 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: He also used one finger to lift five hundred and 140 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: thirty four pounds of weight, and one time he managed 141 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: to restrain four draft horses going in opposite directions, a 142 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: test of strength that would have ripped a weaker man 143 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: in half. But one of his most impressive demonstrations occurred 144 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,959 Speaker 1: when Louis lifted a two hundred and seventy three pound 145 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: dumbbell with one arm. No one else could manage it. 146 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: In fact, most other strong men couldn't lift his dumbbells 147 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,679 Speaker 1: with two hands. That's how strong Louis was. And finally, 148 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,679 Speaker 1: later in life, Louis became a boxer and a wrestler. 149 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: He once took on a kin eighty and sideshow performer 150 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: named Eduard Bouprey, who stood a whopping eight feet two 151 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: and a half inches tall. Louis, by the way, it 152 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: was only five eight and a half, but Boo Prey 153 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: was no match for his rival's sheer strength and force 154 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: of will. Louis took him down and won. Sadly, everyone's 155 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: favorite Canadian Juggernauts eventually slowed down his immense size only 156 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: ballooned as he ate more and exercised less. He died 157 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: of nephritis or inflamed kidneys in nineteen twelve, but his 158 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: legacy lives on in the numerous weightlifting records he held 159 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: throughout his life. Louis Seer was a man who knew 160 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: how to have a good time. He could lift you 161 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: up with a kind word or you know, just as pinky. 162 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 163 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 164 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 165 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Mankey in partnership with 166 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 167 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 168 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at Theworldoflore dot com. 169 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.