1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. M Hello, 4 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. My name is Matt, my 5 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: name is Noel. They called me Ben. We are joined, 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: of course, as always with our long suffering super producer 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: Paul Decant. Most importantly, you are you, and that makes 8 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: this stuff they don't want you to know. You, guys, 9 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna set us up with a with a pretty 10 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: much gimme question. Have you ever been to d C 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: d C comics and it was a place? Yeah? Well 12 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: I went to Washington, d C. There we yeah, yeah, 13 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: hold the one. I was there on the day of 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,919 Speaker 1: the Donald Trump inauguration and that town was on fire 15 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: and felt like a third world country. It was very strange. 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: Have you ever been to Philadelphia? Yes, yeah, I've seen 17 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: the Liberty Bell, my friends. That's what everyone says. Is 18 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: it as true? I thought that that's literally my Philadelphia 19 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: story too, That's all that's so. Is is it impressive 20 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: in person? It's definitely a bell with a crack in it, 21 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: old crack. So uh. I'm asking this because today folks. 22 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: Our episode centers on the formation of the United States 23 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: in a way, the Founding Fathers in a way, and 24 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: uh eccentricity in a very real way. We're exploring the 25 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: strange life and the unknown facets of Benjamin Franklin. But 26 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: who is Benjamin Franklin? First off, since we already know 27 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: so much about Hamilton's, how do you I haven't been 28 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: able to get tickets. I don't know jack about Hamilton's 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: soundtrack never stops at my house. You can get the soundtrack, yeah, 30 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: you can spotify baby. So. Benjamin Franklin was born on 31 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: January eleven, seventeen oh six, in a house in Milk 32 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 1: Street in Boston. Milk Street, Yes, yes, very very white, 33 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: Milky Street in Boston. Over the course of two marriages, 34 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: his father, Josiah Franklin, had seventeen children, how irresponsible, and Benjamin, 35 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: who was the child of the second marriage, was the 36 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 1: fifte kid and the youngest son. I bet he got 37 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: his as kicked. Oh yeah, just wait yeah. Unlike some 38 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: Founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin was born in what would later 39 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: become the United States, but at the time this area 40 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: was known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father, Josiah, 41 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: was a soap and candlemaker, and he was raised Presbyterian. 42 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: Although his father intended Ben to serve in the church 43 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: since he was the youngest son, Benjamin Franklin was not, 44 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: as you might imagine, super into this idea. Yeah, that's 45 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: a story that occurs a lot. Father has aspirations for 46 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: the oldest or the youngest a lot of times to 47 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: become essentially the father, like to continue on the life 48 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: of the father, right, to follow in the footsteps. Right. 49 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: At age ten, Benjamin became an apprentice at his father's shop, 50 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: and Franklin the elder was very concerned that Ben might 51 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 1: decide to become a sailor like one of his older brothers, 52 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: a guy named Josiah Jr. So uh, Franklin the Elder 53 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: had been joined one of his other older brothers, because again, 54 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: there's a whole litter of these of these guys. As 55 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: an indentured apprentice at the printing press, and what does 56 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: this mean exactly? An indentured apprentice, isn't it sort of 57 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: like an indentured servant, but you get like work experience, 58 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: it's like being an intern. Yeah, yeah, that's that's a 59 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: great description. Noal because it means that Benjamin couldn't earn 60 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: wages that he could keep until he was twenty one. 61 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: And go into your earlier question about asked kicking. It 62 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: turns out Ben's brother, James was a nightmare. He was abusive, 63 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: he was resentful, I think, physically abusive. And part of it, 64 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 1: pro Franklin historians will tell you is because James was 65 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: very mad that Benjamin was already better at printing than 66 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: he was probably better at like everything. It's Benjamin Franklin 67 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: we're talking about. I mean, if you know anything about him, 68 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: you know he was the jack of all trades, a 69 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: renaissance man. Oh yes, it's very true. And then pretty 70 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: soon after all of this was going down, James the 71 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: brother founded this thing called the New England Current. It 72 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: was the second newspaper in America. And ben was still, 73 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: you know, doing his indentured work tud thing, and he 74 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: was he was relegated to setting letters, which is a 75 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: laborious task, takes forever, it's very difficult, um and it's 76 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: mostly just time consuming and um exacting. Then he had 77 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 1: to sell papers door to door, but he wanted to 78 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: actually get in on writing stuff that went into the paper. 79 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: Rather than just doing the mechanical labor of making it happen. 80 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: And his brother hated that idea. Yeah, he was not 81 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: into it either, So he, like a lot of writers 82 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: or aspiring writers, came up with a pseudonym silence do 83 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: good or dogged dagod silenced good. I think that sounds 84 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: like the name of like the real life name of 85 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: us of a superhero character, like a Marvel character from 86 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: the you know, seventies. Yeah, maybe it was Seilens do 87 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: go perhaps perhaps, But Silence, if we if we go 88 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: with Silence had a backstory, right, Yeah, some Silence is 89 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: allegedly a widow, and Silence had strong objections to arbitrary 90 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: government and the unlimited power welded by these arbitrary governments. Eventually, 91 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin gets an opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom. 92 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: Being like almost anyone his age, he says his Times 93 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:24,799 Speaker 1: version of hell yes and travels to England. He returns 94 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: from London into what will later become the United States 95 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:33,679 Speaker 1: and found his own print shop. So Franklin continued to 96 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: work in Philadelphia as a printer, um also an inventor 97 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: and an activist. Uh, and then I just want to 98 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: real quickly. Aside, we did an episode in our podcast 99 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 1: other podcasts side podcast, Ridiculous History about how Ben Franklin 100 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: invented a phonetic alphabets, and a lot of that was 101 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: rooted in his love of type setting and fascination with 102 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: the written language and how you know it was different 103 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: and the spoken language. So that was a big foundation 104 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: for his his work. Absolutely, and eventually by seventeen seventy five, 105 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: he is elected to represent the state of Pennsylvania in 106 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: the Second Continental Congress. We're we're skipping over a lot 107 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: of his early life here because we want to get 108 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: to this strange stuff. But we should at least talk 109 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: about the Revolutionary War, oh yeah, which which happened almost 110 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: immediately after that. A year later, in seventeen seventy six, 111 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: Franklin is appointed as a member of the Committee of Five. 112 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: And these are the people you may have heard about 113 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: early on in your childhood education. These are the people 114 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: that drafted the Declaration of Independence, the people who really, 115 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: I mean, if you want to say founding fathers, you 116 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: gotta throw them in there, because they made the document, 117 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: which was another thing that I saw in Philadelphia. It's 118 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: all coming back to me flooding back Independence Hall. You 119 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: can go and see that story document um preserved in glass, 120 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: and you're not supposed to even touch the glass. So 121 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: go to Philadelphia, a tour of the United States before 122 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: it was and as it became. You should work for 123 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: the Pennsylvania Tourism. Boy, that's Matt's secret life. So this 124 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: was a difficult time for Franklin because he was temporarily 125 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: disabled by gout. He was unable to attend most meetings 126 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: of the committee as a consequence, but he reportedly made 127 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: several small, crucial changes to the draft of the declaration 128 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: that was sent to him by Thomas Jefferson. Very nice. 129 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: So he's like the editor that makes those last little changes, 130 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: and then the other writers are like, oh darn you. Yeah, 131 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: you know, I think that's accurate in many ways. This 132 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: this time is when you'll also hear one of his 133 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: most famous real quotes, as opposed to all the fake 134 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: stuff you can find on the internet. Uh. He says 135 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: at the signing, Uh, John Hancock said they all have 136 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: to hang together, And then Benjamin Franklin reportedly said, yes, 137 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: we must deed all hang together, or most assuredly, we 138 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: shall all hang separately. Let's hang together like we're doing 139 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: right now. That's the way I like to picture. I 140 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,599 Speaker 1: like the picture like after they signed, John Hancock was 141 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 1: doing the version of you know what, let's go get 142 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:16,599 Speaker 1: a drink. We should all hang out more often. We 143 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: should hang together. Can either hang together or hang hang alone, 144 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: but most assuredly we will be hanged. I think that's no, 145 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: not quite right. I'm pretty sure that's what he's saying here. Well, 146 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: be that as it may. Benjamin Franklin was never a soldier. 147 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: In the lead up to the war and the push 148 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: for independence, often functioned as a diplomat. In December of 149 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:43,559 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy six, he was dispatched to France as Commissioner 150 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: for the United States, which was, you know, a diplomatic 151 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: role there. He remained in France until seventeen eighty five. 152 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: Who's there for quite a while in nine years. He 153 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: loved it there. Yeah, and his long suffering wife was 154 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: not too pleas east, but you know, agreed with him 155 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: that he he was doing important stuff, you know what 156 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: I mean. It's like the most extreme version of I know, 157 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: I'm staying late at work tonight, hunt, but I'm making 158 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: moves in France. In France and making moves in France. 159 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 1: He was a bit of a heel though, wasn't he. 160 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: I mean he was. He was a ladies man. He 161 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: probably wasn't the most faithful, doting husband that there ever 162 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 1: could be, right, And that's good foreshadowing there no In France, 163 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: he made vital progress in garnering support for the US, 164 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:36,439 Speaker 1: even if it's only because they really hated England but 165 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: really hated Britain. He secured a critical military alliance in 166 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy eight. He also negotiated the Treaty of Paris. 167 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: And we cannot emphasize this enough. Without French support, the 168 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 1: Revolutionary War could have had vastly different results. I'd venture 169 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,439 Speaker 1: to say definitely would have different results without the military 170 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: might of France. So what happened afterward, So we discussed it. 171 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: In seventeen eighty five, Franklin returns to Philadelphia. He that's 172 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: when he left France. Um in seventeen eighty seven he 173 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: became a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention. And this is 174 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: this is one of those things that Benjamin Franklin, because 175 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: of his positions that he's held up to this point, 176 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: he gets this as kind of an honorary position. You're 177 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: you're you, Benjamin Franklin are appointed to the Philadelphia Convention, 178 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 1: sort of like an emeritus position. You know, yeah, you've 179 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: been or you've been around, you've done enough stuff, you 180 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: can be a part of this. And he was, you know, 181 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: a living legend at this time, right, And he also 182 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:48,599 Speaker 1: became a staunch abolitionist, eventually leading abolitionist movements in Philadelphia. 183 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: But it wasn't all trumpets and angel farts and happy endings, 184 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: because Franklin struggled with obesity and gout throughout his middle 185 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: age and especially his later years. In fact, he was 186 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: rarely seen in public after seventeen eight seven, sort of 187 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 1: a Marlon Brando kind of figure, but without island of 188 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: dr Moreau and more gout and perhaps more cowts. Yes, 189 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: he died from what is known as a pleuritic attack, 190 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 1: that's the inflammation of the membranes or ploy that surround 191 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: the lungs and line the chess cavity at his home 192 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia on April seventeenth, seventeen ninety at age eighty four. 193 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: And today Benjamin Franklin is remembered as the only founding 194 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: father who is a signatory of all four of the 195 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 1: major documents of the founding of the United States. We're 196 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: talking the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, 197 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: the Treaty of Paris, as well as the official United 198 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: States Constitution. That's a pretty big deal. You know. The 199 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: thing about the Constitution is for something that gets brought 200 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:56,080 Speaker 1: up so often in discourse today, I'm always surprised by 201 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: how few people have actually read it. Is there a 202 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: constitute an app? I feel like if if somebody puts 203 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: out an official Constitution app, a lot more people will 204 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: read it. Or maybe a game there if they gamify 205 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: the Constitution. There are also a lot of a lot 206 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: of organizations that will send you a free pocket constitution. 207 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: You know, if you ever want to look like an 208 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: incredible nerd in front of your friends just at the bar. 209 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: Actually article to which you know, any listeners out there 210 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: that have a pocket Constitution, we mean you, no harm o, 211 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: no good on you. I think it's actually a really 212 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,199 Speaker 1: cool thing. Well, I I have one. I just don't 213 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: want to take it out it out, Yeah I don't. 214 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: I mean, hopefully I'm not ever going to be in 215 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: a situation where I have to take out the Constitution 216 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: and say, you know, pardon me, officer. Yea, the pen 217 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: is might here, then the gun. I don't think that 218 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: will end well. But not only was he an incredible 219 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: politician and states men, I don't believe he ever officially 220 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: held elected office, did he. Uh? He did serve in 221 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: a position was very much like the governor of Philadelphia, 222 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: But he was not, you know, a senator. And I 223 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: think a lot of people, because he's on you know, 224 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: the Big Bill, the Hondo, people assume that he he 225 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: you know, had some sort of elected capacity. Never president 226 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: as we know, Yeah, exactly, vice president. Hugely innovative, though 227 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: an inventor um a sort of a Willy Wonka type figure, 228 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: only you know, with functional stuff, not just stuff that 229 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 1: gives you diabetes. Oh yeah. He invented and improved a 230 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: lot of things that were massively important at the time 231 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: and continue to be in a way. Bifocals being able 232 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: to see up close with your glasses as well as 233 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: far away, depending on how your eyes are functioning. The 234 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: flexible catheter. Now you may you may say to yourself, Wow, 235 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: these catheters that are so flexible are terribly annoying and 236 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: hurt and it stinks using these catheters. Just imagine if 237 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: they were glass or just stiff, they couldn't move. Nope, 238 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: I can't imagine it. Thank you, Ben Franklin. Um again 239 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: as a person who's never used to catherinter Besides on 240 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: my dog, that's a whole other story we can get 241 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: into later. Also, the glass harmonica. I'm not sure how 242 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: important that one truly is. I'm sure some music historian 243 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: could explain in us it has a spooky story, Yeah, 244 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: a grizzly rumor about it. Yeah. The glass harmonica, which 245 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: would be really interesting to you guys as musicians if 246 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: you've ever seen it. It's a series essentially of nested 247 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: glass bowls that rotate and such that you can wet 248 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: your finger and slide it across. You know how You 249 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: hear the sound when you slide a finger around a 250 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:53,239 Speaker 1: rim of glass, and it makes that into a musical instrument. 251 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: So it's got a a noise that would sometimes be 252 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: described as eerie, sometimes as irritating. But the the weird 253 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: part is that it fell out of favor because, as 254 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: you know, all glass containe well the last majority of 255 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: glass contained lead at the time, and so there was 256 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: this urban legend or this rumor that using a glass 257 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: armonica would be very bad for your health, could drive 258 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: you crazy if you lead poison. So it fell, uh, 259 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: it fell to the wayside. But this guy, as as 260 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: we had said, was so prolific that, you know, you 261 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: just got to accept, if you're the Tony Stark of 262 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: your time, that not everything is going to be the 263 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: Iron Man suit, you know, not every invention. Yeah, he 264 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: even had his own stove, the Franklin stove, which is 265 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: sort of the portable cast I would say portable. I 266 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: mean it's very heavy, but it's the kind of like 267 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: old timey cast iron stove that you think of maybe 268 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: being in a cabin that you're renting and in the 269 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: mountains or something like that. It has than type door 270 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: where the fire would be and a stove pipe on 271 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:08,199 Speaker 1: top to ventilate the smoke and it would heat. It 272 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: was basically like a space heater and also known as 273 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: the Pennsylvania Fireplace, which sounds like euphemism or something. One 274 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: thing that's a I don't want to speak for everybody. 275 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: For me, it's personally admirable. This this following note about 276 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: Franklin's inventions. Of all the inventions he made, and we 277 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: just listened a few quickly. He refused to patent a 278 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 1: single one because his argument was that he living in 279 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: the time he lived, was already benefiting from so many 280 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: other inventions by earlier people, and he felt it was 281 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: only fair and just that he provide the same benefits 282 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: in turn. You know what I mean, Like, he's not 283 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: giving somebody money every time he uses something that has wheels, 284 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 1: so why should he charge someone just for wanting a 285 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:02,439 Speaker 1: catheter that is flexible? I yeah, I completely agree with 286 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: your thoughtsman. I think that is extremely admirable. He went 287 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,239 Speaker 1: open source in the I was about to say, like, our, 288 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 1: do we know the company that makes those little micro 289 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: processors that you can use to program robotics we're using 290 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: in like maker type competitions and stuff. They open source 291 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: all their stuff. You can get the schematics for those, 292 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 1: and there are third parties that improve upon them or 293 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: make different versions of them, and that's par for the course. 294 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: I think that's pretty cool, very forward thinking fellow that 295 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin. Yeah, and it's mirroring today's Tony Stark ellen 296 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,199 Speaker 1: Musk who's doing some of that same stuff with Tesla 297 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, that's a very admirable thing. But 298 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 1: they're also quite a few strange aspects to the life 299 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: of Benjamin Franklin. Their myths, rumors, and legends about this 300 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: America's most eccentric founding father. We we found some that 301 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,919 Speaker 1: are amusing and some that are, you know, pretty pretty 302 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: out there true story. He made up around two hundred 303 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: terms for getting wasted. Two hundred words for getting wasted. 304 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 1: This is a known thing. This is true. Yeah, yeah, 305 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: he because why am I not? Why am I only 306 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: using like three of them? Well, maybe because you don't 307 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: have a copy of The Drinker's Dictionary, published in seventy seven, 308 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 1: with a list of over two hundred alternative terms for 309 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: drunkenness that Ben Franklin had overheard in taverns over the years. 310 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: In his newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette, ah phrases such as 311 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 1: he's drank more than he has bled, He's bungy, bungy, 312 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 1: He sees the bears piste in the brook. These are 313 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:49,640 Speaker 1: just the bees to loaded his cart. Oh, he is chapfallen, 314 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: Chap falling, He's biggie, bewitched, block and block boozy bows, 315 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 1: been at the Barbados, The bug. These are great. You guys, 316 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: maybe we should take a take a page from his 317 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: life and start making up our own terms, although I 318 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,239 Speaker 1: guess we already do that on this show. Lister's right 319 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: in and let let us know which of those was 320 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: your favorite that we should use. He's had a thump 321 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: over the head with Sampson's jawbone. See, I feel like 322 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: if somebody can say that they're describing someone else who's drunk, 323 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: if I were drunk and I was trying to say 324 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: I've had a thump over the head with Sampson's jawbone, 325 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 1: I feel like I would stumble on though that you 326 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,440 Speaker 1: know that Benjamin Bowland, he owes no man a farthing. 327 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: And to go back to my characterization of him as 328 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: sort of a Willy Wonka esque figure, he's wamble crop. 329 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: Wamble crops is the winner for me. And and also 330 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 1: when he wasn't, when it wasn't compiling these very humorous things, Uh, 331 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: he was as as Matt Noel mentioned earlier, a bit 332 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: of a lithary, a bit of a ladies man lifario right, 333 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,320 Speaker 1: A man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual 334 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: relationships with women, particularly so sort of a don juan. 335 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: And that's your new word for the day. Did we 336 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:20,399 Speaker 1: get her style? It will be now. So he was 337 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: notorious for sleeping around whenever the opportunity presented itself. He 338 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: had a child out of wedlock, and you know what, 339 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:30,680 Speaker 1: to his credit, which was unusual at the time, he 340 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: admitted to whomever the mother was that it probably was 341 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: his kid, and he said he would take care of 342 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 1: the kid, and he never revealed the mom's identity. He also, 343 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: has Nuel pointed out, abandoned his wife for years and 344 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: lived the high high life of hedonism in France. In 345 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 1: his own correspondence, Benjamin Franklin laments his uncontrollable libido. Yeah, 346 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: he was a sex addict, which one of the first. 347 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: The next one was David Degovney. Yeah. Well, and you 348 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 1: know they're even tales of him outright hitting on his 349 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: friends wives and is the you know, the marriages of 350 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,639 Speaker 1: his friends, just just in casual conversation with you know, 351 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: the men present. My you are a saucy lass. Alright, 352 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: get your bungye. Oh god, he's eating a toad and 353 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: a half for breakfast. That's another one. So he had several, 354 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,440 Speaker 1: you know views we would consider eccentric, if not controversial 355 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: today as well. He was a huge proponent of air baths. 356 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: That's where you you just sit around naked, regardless of 357 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: the temperature. You just hang on. You just hanged dong. No, 358 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: that's all. That's always sunny thing. I just love it. 359 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: That's my one of my favorite expressions for being nude. 360 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: Does he hang do? Really? I remember that? Yeah? And 361 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: he also we we talked about this a little bit. 362 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: But the rein ending of the alphabet, coming up with 363 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: the phonetic stuff, that's that's pretty amazing. Yeah, that's that's right, Matt. 364 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,399 Speaker 1: He he did, he did attempt that. It didn't catch 365 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: on us. We're not here to talk about his drunken 366 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: revelry and inventing, are we We're talking. We're here to 367 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:19,120 Speaker 1: talk about some some darkness. There is some darkness within 368 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 1: this one, and we'll explore it after a word from 369 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: our sponsor. Here's where it gets crazy. There is a 370 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: massive amount of conspiracies out there about the Founding Fathers. 371 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: They arrange all over the place, but uh, we really 372 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: should just do. Have we done a Founding father's conspiracies? 373 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: We think we have not yet, And that's something that 374 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: Paul brought up when when we asked if we asked 375 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: if there was an episode that he he thinks we 376 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,120 Speaker 1: should do in the future. Oh yeah, all right, Paul, 377 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:57,679 Speaker 1: we'll guess what. We're gonna get to that one, and 378 00:23:57,720 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 1: we're going to start with this one because there are 379 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:05,679 Speaker 1: everal specific conspiracy theories surrounding Mr Benjamin Franklin, and the 380 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: first one, um is one that is common to several 381 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 1: other Founding Fathers, including Mr George Washington. Uh, was that 382 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: Franklin was a member of the Freemasons, the Illuminati, the 383 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: of the Bavarian sort, or you know, some other secret society. 384 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: And here's the crazy thing. It's partially true. It's true. Yeah, 385 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: Like Matt said, Benjamin Franklin, like many Founding Fathers, was 386 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,440 Speaker 1: definitely a Freemason, that's right. In seventeen thirty one, Franklin 387 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,560 Speaker 1: joined the Masonic Lodge of St. John in Philadelphia. Then 388 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: in thirty two he helped create the by laws of 389 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: his lodge. Then two years later he became a grand Master. 390 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 1: That same year, seventeen thirty four, Franklin also published the 391 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:58,359 Speaker 1: first Masonic book printed in America that was called The 392 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:03,199 Speaker 1: Constitutions of the Freemasons. So it's very interesting to me 393 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: because he's a fairly young man. Well I guess at 394 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: the time, twenty something isn't that young. But when he 395 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: joined the lodge for the first time, and he he 396 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: grew in the ranks very quickly and then started writing 397 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: inside that world of freemasonry, uh you know, and then 398 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: just to get up there to become the grand master 399 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 1: of the Nine Sisters Lodge in Paris. That's that's pretty big, right. Yeah. 400 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: He remained an active member for over sixty years until 401 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 1: seventeen nine when he passed away, and when he was 402 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: serving as America's diplomat to France. As Matt said, he 403 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: became a grand master. So what about the Illuminati. We 404 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:47,240 Speaker 1: have a series on the Illuminati. If you have not 405 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 1: heard it yet, we're watched the videos. We invite you 406 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: to check them out. The the Illuminati, historically will refer 407 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: to the Bavarian Illuminati, is formed by a fellow named 408 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: Adam Wi Shop may have seventeen seventy six. Again, yeah, 409 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 1: I know, all right, right, this is the closest thing 410 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: there is to a quote unquote verified Illuminati, and they 411 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: would have been around on the continent while Franklin was 412 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: in Europe, but there's no solid proof that Ben and 413 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: Adam came into direct contact. Now, that does not mean 414 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 1: it didn't happen, And it is true that Franklin's philosophical 415 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: viewpoint probably would have jibed by Shop like they would 416 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: have been feeling it. They would have hit it off. 417 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: It's more possible those still not proven, that Franklin could 418 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: have encountered ideas or concepts in Europe. They came from 419 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 1: Bishops Group or inspired that group. But back to the 420 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: actual Illuminati membership thing. If Benjamin Franklin was active in 421 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: this regard, the guy probably would have talked about it. Why. Well, 422 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:01,399 Speaker 1: that's because Mr Benjamin Franklin, h um, Well, he was 423 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: in this other little secret society. It's one called espionage, 424 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: one where there are a lot of secrets. But here's 425 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,640 Speaker 1: the problem. Ben wasn't very good at it. Yeah, Benjamin 426 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: Franklin was a shitty spy. Yeah. And and I would 427 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 1: venture to say it's because of the lifestyle that he 428 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: kept that he was used to and there was a 429 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: lot of revelry I'm assuming in Benjamin Franklin's life, and 430 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,959 Speaker 1: that uh the truth serum that he would take on 431 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: his own I'm assuming didn't help, right, right, I believe 432 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 1: you're referring to alcohol. Yes, yes, uh so, according to 433 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: a c I a piece that was published internally and 434 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: later declassified called quote British penetration of America's first diplomatic mission. 435 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:55,639 Speaker 1: Uh Benjamin Franklin was just terrible at this. Like he 436 00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:01,400 Speaker 1: was very good at making connections, very persuasive and brilliant thinker, 437 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: but not the most talented when it came to security. 438 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:09,919 Speaker 1: One of his closest acquaintances blew up his spycraft operation 439 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,880 Speaker 1: continually as he was sending clandestine cries for support to France. 440 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: The mole was a guy named Edward Bancroft, who had 441 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,160 Speaker 1: who knew Ben Franklin from the United States, was one 442 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,320 Speaker 1: of his most trusted friends. Franklin trusted him so much 443 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: he made the guy his secretary at the U. S 444 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,399 Speaker 1: Commission to France, which means Bancroft had access to everything. 445 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:37,400 Speaker 1: And furthermore, the British Empire paid him one thousand pounds 446 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: a year for his assistance, which was nothing to sneeze at. 447 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: That's smack of donkey money. I don't know what that means. 448 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna steal that one. You've got Sacca donkey money. 449 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: So as Commissioner France, Franklin was running all kinds of 450 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: clandestine operations with Tacit. French aid. They were at the 451 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: very least turning uh, turning their eyes away, but in 452 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:04,920 Speaker 1: most cases they were attempting to help when they could. 453 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: But what kind of stuff were they doing. We're talking 454 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:10,600 Speaker 1: about procuring weapons, all kinds of different supplies for the 455 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,719 Speaker 1: war effort or the in preparation of war, the money 456 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: for the American Army, just straight up giving money to 457 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: the American Army, sabotaging the Portsmith Royal Navy dockyard. Sabotage 458 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: is a big thing. And if you know you can 459 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 1: prove that there's money coming in a clandestine way to 460 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 1: do something like that, it's not good for your cause. 461 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: And of course they negotiated a secret treaty between the 462 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: United States or America and France. But here's the thing. 463 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 1: While all that's going on, Britain pretty much knew everything 464 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:48,520 Speaker 1: that was happening. Minute by minute. They're like, okay, this 465 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: is about to happen. Okay, this is about to happen. 466 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: This is going down. Here's where this money is going right, Yeah, exactly. 467 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: There was no op sack or operational security. The public 468 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: had access to the estate. Sensitive pay Burr's documents were 469 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: strewn everywhere. Apparently, secret conversations were held, sometimes as loud 470 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: arguments in public places. It's that's us. Yeah, it's like 471 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: the way our president takes meetings that you know, this 472 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: is his club surrounded by diners. Yeah, that was controversial. Later, Yeah, 473 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: you're talking about Marl logo meetings. Yes, yes, I'm saying 474 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: like that doesn't doesn't It seems historical president would would 475 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: make that a teachable moment. There's one more macab's story here. 476 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: All right, so far we have uh, Freemasonry true, Illuminati 477 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: difficult to prove, spionage, spycraft true. But he was bad 478 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: at it, like really bad at it. But there's one 479 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: more story here, one more conspiracy, and it's maccabb and 480 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: it's grizzly and it's graphic. Forget the idea of skeletons 481 00:30:57,080 --> 00:31:00,360 Speaker 1: in the closet, what about bodies in the base? Smith 482 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: You're you're saying bodies in a basement that Benjamin Franklin 483 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: like of a home that Benjamin Franklin owned. Was it 484 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: a murder dungeon. So yeah, okay, because maybe not maybe 485 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 1: not a full fledged murder dungeon, but definitely we'll start 486 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: off with a creepy house. So for almost twenty years 487 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 1: leading up to the signing of that fable Declaration of Independence, 488 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin lived in London at thirty six Craven Street. 489 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: He just has a talent for choosing terrible street names. 490 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 1: Just creepy street names. Craven. I don't know why that 491 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: sounds creepy to me. Milk streets creepy to Craven. The 492 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: street right off Milk Street West Elm Street was one 493 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,920 Speaker 1: block over. Uh. So in seventeen seventy six, is we 494 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:51,960 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, he came back to the States. Um, let's 495 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: do a little fast forward action to several centuries. Why not? Um, 496 00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: that house was in quite horrible disrepair. So there was 497 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,719 Speaker 1: like a preservation organization called the Friends of Benjamin Franklin 498 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 1: House who decided to make some renovations to the four 499 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: story town house. Um. It was on the verge of collapse, 500 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: just total structural damage caused by time and in attention. Um, 501 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 1: so extensive work had to be done. It's like on 502 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,880 Speaker 1: the foundation, like you know, pulling out the studs. They 503 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,480 Speaker 1: had to do some repairs to make it safe enough 504 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,840 Speaker 1: for construction crews to go back and do repairs. And 505 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 1: it's this historical thing, so you have to be very 506 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:37,520 Speaker 1: careful about what you're you know, preserving as you're doing this. 507 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: And by this time, this was the last structure around 508 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: in which Benjamin Franklin actually lived, so hugely important. It's this, uh, 509 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: it's this piece of history. And can you imagine being 510 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: there working on this team, trying to make sure everything 511 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,160 Speaker 1: is functional so that you can work on it. And 512 00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: then also, you know, trying to get the house to 513 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: a place where you can have people come in and 514 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:02,719 Speaker 1: use it as a museum or something. And then you 515 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:08,760 Speaker 1: stumble upon this windowless secret room below the house's garden. 516 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: There was a murder dungeon. Yeah, so this group, the 517 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:17,280 Speaker 1: friends of Benjamin Franklin House, fountain this thing and they 518 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: discovered something in there, fifteen bodies in the basement. Bet 519 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 1: they weren't feeling so friendly then, were they. I would 520 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: I would not be. I imagine there might have been 521 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,959 Speaker 1: somebody in the group who said, look, technically, I'm a 522 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: friend of Benjamin Franklin's house. Not Benjamin Franklin. Here's what 523 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: they found. The room or or this pit was about 524 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: a meter wide and a meter deep. All in all, 525 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: there were over twelve hundred pieces of human bones hidden inside. 526 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:49,239 Speaker 1: Experts believe five of the skeletons came from children. The 527 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: oldest skeleton was that of an elderly male, and the 528 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: youngest was a baby like a uh, not quite an infant. Baby. 529 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: Bones were disturbed and damage, showing lens that have been 530 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,200 Speaker 1: cut or completely hewn through. Some of the skulls showed 531 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: evidence of trepid nation, which is a let's call it, 532 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 1: the controversial medical procedure wherein the back base of the 533 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:23,880 Speaker 1: skull is drilled to ostensibly well in hopes of relieving 534 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 1: pressure or you know, letting the demons. Yeah, and someone 535 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: even had the tops the entire top of the skull removed, Yes, exactly. 536 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 1: And these were not ancient skeletons from some ill fated 537 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: massacre of the past, you know, some ancient Roman army 538 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:46,880 Speaker 1: or invading force. These were contemporary roughly with Franklin, meaning 539 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:50,360 Speaker 1: they most likely died and passed from the mortal veil 540 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: while he was alive. So was this guy Benjamin Franklin 541 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,399 Speaker 1: a serial killer. Well find out after a word from 542 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:13,280 Speaker 1: our sponsor, and and we're back. For people with anti 543 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 1: Masonic leanings, this is often This discovery of bodies is 544 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: often presented as evidence that Franklin either condoned or participated 545 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:25,280 Speaker 1: in a series of murders because he's take place over time. 546 00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: You know, it's clearly on his property, and you know, 547 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:34,440 Speaker 1: people who hate Freemasons would would naturally jump to that conclusion. 548 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:39,800 Speaker 1: As morbidly fascinating as this sounds, it's likely not true. 549 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's a letdown to you guys, 550 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:45,160 Speaker 1: or if it's a if it's a relief, it certainly 551 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:47,360 Speaker 1: would make me judge him a little bit just for 552 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:51,359 Speaker 1: not being very good at hiding bodies. He's a smart man. 553 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 1: If he was really wanted to be a murderer, you 554 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: think he'd be more creative than not put them all 555 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: in one place. That's a really good point. And he 556 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 1: probably invents some sort of sheen, right, yeah, or at 557 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:05,319 Speaker 1: least not put him in his own house. I mean, 558 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: that alone is insane. So sure, it is possible that 559 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: Franklin was killing people for one reason or another, but 560 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: given his prolific confessional nature in the way he loved 561 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: to talk about himself and what he's doing and what 562 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: he thought. So experts likely would have learned something more 563 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: about this before the discovery of the bodies, especially given 564 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: his pensiant for you know, eating a toad and a 565 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: half at breakfast time, and you know his inability to 566 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: keep his espionage under wraps. Are you saying he ate 567 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:41,799 Speaker 1: the baby? No, that that was another one, and that 568 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: was the same you're still on the drinking expressions, because 569 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,240 Speaker 1: we we've we've already discussed and learned that he couldn't 570 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:54,440 Speaker 1: keep things that are hugely important but not as important 571 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,600 Speaker 1: as I am a murderer. He was unable to keep 572 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: his espionage acts under wraps. If he was a murderer, 573 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,799 Speaker 1: you'd think something would slip out at some point in 574 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,080 Speaker 1: one of these debaucherous nights, and maybe just no, but 575 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 1: maybe he did and nobody reported it, but because of 576 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:15,440 Speaker 1: his stature and his power, But I highly doubt that. 577 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:17,880 Speaker 1: You know what, the only counterpoint we would have for 578 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,399 Speaker 1: that is that he kept the secret of his illegitimate 579 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,200 Speaker 1: son's identity. But that's the only thing we could find 580 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: that he really kept secret. And then also I think 581 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: so was Toad and a half of reference to belching 582 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:36,680 Speaker 1: or something. Somebody drinks a lot. Anyway, that's a different episode, right, 583 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:43,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, could he have kept his secret? I don't know. 584 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:47,320 Speaker 1: I don't know. So where did these bodies come from? 585 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: If Benjamin Franklin is not some sort of super elite 586 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:56,120 Speaker 1: evil James bonds by Master serial killer, historians trace the 587 00:37:56,160 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 1: bones to the activities of one of Franklin's proto Jay's 588 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:04,439 Speaker 1: whose name was William Houston. And this man was known 589 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:09,120 Speaker 1: as the father of hematology um and was a pupil 590 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:13,839 Speaker 1: of the famous anatomist William Hunter. But these two men 591 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:19,280 Speaker 1: had irreconcilable differences. Houston appears to have started his own secret, 592 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:23,000 Speaker 1: underground anatomy school because that's the that's the thing that 593 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:29,360 Speaker 1: you do. It's like fight club but with corpses. Yeah yeah, um, 594 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: And we're gonna, yeah, we're gonna get into like why 595 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 1: there would be all those bodies and you how you 596 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:38,160 Speaker 1: could even do that and you could start an amateur 597 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:43,440 Speaker 1: school of anatomy in whoa whoa amateur? I mean yes, 598 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:47,560 Speaker 1: But this guy Houston started this underground school at his 599 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:50,000 Speaker 1: mother in law's house. A woman by the name of 600 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 1: Margaret Stevenson, which you know, if I was his woman 601 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 1: in law and I found out that he was doing that, 602 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: I might be a little miffed. I might get awkward 603 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: at Sunday supper. And this is interesting because here's where 604 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: the strings start to connect. Stevenson was the landlord of 605 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,720 Speaker 1: the house on Craven Street where Franklin lived for years 606 00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 1: and years. And notice how NOL calls this an underground 607 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 1: anatomy school. That's because the school was most likely illegal 608 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: or at the very very least in an incredibly gray 609 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: area of the law. And that leads us to the 610 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 1: story of when Matt, I know you love this story. 611 00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 1: It's the story of resurrection men. Oh yeah, oh yeah. 612 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,640 Speaker 1: So today, if you go to your school bookstore and 613 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:39,960 Speaker 1: you're in college, you're gonna find your anatomy text books 614 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,920 Speaker 1: and you're gonna see inside them all sorts of uh, 615 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,920 Speaker 1: super helpful information about how the human body functions, what 616 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 1: each tiny little bit can do, what the cells do, 617 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,240 Speaker 1: what the what your muscles and your bone structure and everything, 618 00:39:54,920 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: how your lungs function. Well, here's the thing, um, people 619 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,200 Speaker 1: had to go into the human body to find out 620 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:06,200 Speaker 1: how all of that stuffed works and to make the 621 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 1: illustrations of the venus system going throughout your body and 622 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:17,399 Speaker 1: your respiratory system. And for a long time, the let's see, 623 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:21,120 Speaker 1: let's say, the the practice or the knowledge of anatomy 624 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:24,840 Speaker 1: was considered almost a dark art because of the grizzly 625 00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:28,000 Speaker 1: stuff you had to do to gain the knowledge. The 626 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,360 Speaker 1: desecration of the dead, you know, one of the oldest 627 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:36,799 Speaker 1: taboos in many cultures. So cadavers were so difficult to 628 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:42,799 Speaker 1: legally obtain that anatomists, even well respected and promising ones 629 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:46,959 Speaker 1: like Houston Hunter, had to resort to other means, by which, yes, 630 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen, we mean grave robbings. Sort of like 631 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,920 Speaker 1: um Mary Shelley's character Dr Victor Frankenstein, who dug up 632 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 1: bodies for scientific research and did horrible, terrible things to them, 633 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: um and reanimated them. Um. This idea of the resurrection men, 634 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:07,520 Speaker 1: it's sort of an interesting hyperbole because they're being dug up, 635 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: but they are in fact still dead, and that's a 636 00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:13,600 Speaker 1: very important part of this kind of experimentation. It's it's 637 00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:17,520 Speaker 1: this behavior is not moral per se, certainly more moral 638 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:21,000 Speaker 1: than doing it on somebody who's alive. R Killing somebody 639 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: for the purposes of doing these things right. Vivis section right, 640 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,360 Speaker 1: So it's still not as bad as VIVI section. But 641 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:32,640 Speaker 1: people were strongly against these very controversial So these anatomous 642 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: would have to go digging for graves themselves, or they 643 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:40,800 Speaker 1: could hire shadowy individuals known as resurrection men, which is 644 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 1: a little bit of false advertising, because they were just 645 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: digging them up. They were not, as we said, bringing 646 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: them back to life. Well, they were giving them new 647 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 1: life in the form of a textbook. They became a textbook. 648 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 1: They're saying they made the textbooks out of the bodies. No, 649 00:41:56,440 --> 00:42:00,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying they gave new life to these bodies by 650 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,279 Speaker 1: turning them into knowledge, by immortalizing them in the field 651 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:07,440 Speaker 1: of medicine. That's the Henrietta Lacks argument, isn't it. So 652 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:10,600 Speaker 1: thirty six Craven Street, it turns out, was a fantastic 653 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: location for an illegal anatomy school. Resurrection men could deliver 654 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:18,120 Speaker 1: bodies stolen from graveyards to the Tim's wharf at the 655 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:20,880 Speaker 1: bottom of the street, very close to the house. Or 656 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:25,280 Speaker 1: uh there was a weekly public execution at the gallows 657 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:27,320 Speaker 1: that was on the other side of the garden wall, 658 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,399 Speaker 1: just you know, hey, toss him over this way, and 659 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 1: to avoid scrutiny. To go back to that question about 660 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,319 Speaker 1: why they didn't dispose of the body, is in a 661 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:39,319 Speaker 1: better way to avoid scrutiny, Houston would just discard the 662 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:42,160 Speaker 1: bodies on the property when he was done. No need 663 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:46,480 Speaker 1: in his mind, apparently to rebury them in original or 664 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:50,839 Speaker 1: respectful graves. I have a question. We were talking about 665 00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:52,719 Speaker 1: how this was in a gray area, all of this 666 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:56,880 Speaker 1: um and how it was difficult to legally obtain corpses 667 00:42:56,920 --> 00:43:00,120 Speaker 1: to work on. Was their statute at the time that 668 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:05,960 Speaker 1: expressly prohibited this kind of behavior, like where bodies buried protected? 669 00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 1: Were there's certain cemeteries that had certain laws, would you 670 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:10,799 Speaker 1: be more likely to be able to get a good 671 00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:14,600 Speaker 1: one in like a less prestigious cemetery, Like I was wondering, 672 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:16,360 Speaker 1: was this a universal thing or was this sort of 673 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,640 Speaker 1: a case by case basis. Right, Yeah, that's that's a 674 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:22,640 Speaker 1: good question. There was inequality even in death. A lot 675 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:27,520 Speaker 1: of cemeteries were separated along religious lines, so you know, 676 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:30,360 Speaker 1: there would be a Jewish cemetery separate from say a 677 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:35,520 Speaker 1: Catholic or Protestant cemetery. Uh. The one of the things 678 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:38,000 Speaker 1: that was fascinating. Is course of our research, we found 679 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:42,320 Speaker 1: a mental floss, a mental flass article that said originally 680 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:45,560 Speaker 1: it was illegal. It was for all intents and purposes 681 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 1: illegal to take a body. But there wasn't a statute 682 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:54,480 Speaker 1: there was. It was more like a very complex series 683 00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:57,160 Speaker 1: of hoops you would have to jump through to legally 684 00:43:57,239 --> 00:44:01,480 Speaker 1: procure a body for this action. And that's why these 685 00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:07,239 Speaker 1: anatomy classes and dissection exhibitions were so crowded all the time. 686 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,520 Speaker 1: So you think about every historical film we see where 687 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:15,239 Speaker 1: there's the really steep angled circular room, it's like it's 688 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:18,400 Speaker 1: literally like a theater, probably where the term operating theater 689 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:20,719 Speaker 1: came from. Right, who could call I bet you, I 690 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:26,560 Speaker 1: bet you're right? So it was it was much much 691 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:33,600 Speaker 1: faster and less expensive two unfortunately, steal the bodies of 692 00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:37,000 Speaker 1: the poor and the disadvantaged. Yeah, and for the people 693 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:41,600 Speaker 1: who were advantaged and wealthy. There was technology that was 694 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:45,560 Speaker 1: coming out that you could set up essentially traps around 695 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:49,000 Speaker 1: your grave site and with your coffin that would shoot 696 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,960 Speaker 1: projectiles out at people that tried to open your coffin. 697 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:55,359 Speaker 1: There was all kinds of you know, I mean, it's 698 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:59,279 Speaker 1: it's in practice yea. In practice, it doesn't look as 699 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:01,960 Speaker 1: awesome as it sounds, And it would be essentially like 700 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 1: a bolt, like if you had a crossbow or something 701 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:09,880 Speaker 1: that would fire out, like traveling an ancient tomb or something, right, Yeah, yeah, exactly. 702 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:13,840 Speaker 1: So that's why resurrection men traveling groups. That makes a 703 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 1: lot of sense. Well that's a rough, rough industry to 704 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:20,479 Speaker 1: intern in, isn't it. Oh, Because if you die trying 705 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:24,280 Speaker 1: to rob the grades, then you just become the product. Wow. Yeah, 706 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:28,840 Speaker 1: Oh that's spooky. Well, the good news is that it 707 00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:34,479 Speaker 1: turns out Benjamin Franklin most likely was not some sort 708 00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:41,520 Speaker 1: of bloodthirsty original version of the American Psycho. The same 709 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:45,600 Speaker 1: year he left to return to America, Houston the Anatomist 710 00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:49,040 Speaker 1: accidentally cut himself while dissecting a rotting corpse and died 711 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:55,719 Speaker 1: of infection. Or did Benjamin Franklin find him in the 712 00:45:55,760 --> 00:46:01,440 Speaker 1: basement with some bodies and Benjamin Franklin himself put a 713 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:05,080 Speaker 1: stop to it, and then he became He became Benjamin Franklin, 714 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 1: the serial killer hunter. I mean, I would watch it. 715 00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:12,280 Speaker 1: You're saying you don't think Ben Franklin like co signed 716 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:14,920 Speaker 1: on this. I think he had to to a degree 717 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:18,000 Speaker 1: because he was living in the same house. And it's 718 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:21,720 Speaker 1: it's as difficult as it is for us to say 719 00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:24,160 Speaker 1: that he would be a serial killer, I would argue 720 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:27,200 Speaker 1: it's equally difficult to say that he was somehow completely 721 00:46:27,239 --> 00:46:32,239 Speaker 1: clueless right the spell alone? There we go. Yeah, you 722 00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,640 Speaker 1: know something was up, something was rotten in the the seller. 723 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:38,640 Speaker 1: Who were these strange men stopping by the house with 724 00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:43,080 Speaker 1: corpse sized bags? You know, I just for a fellow, 725 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,520 Speaker 1: who is that clever and that intelligent? I have a 726 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:50,920 Speaker 1: hard time believing that this wouldn't occur to him. But 727 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:55,880 Speaker 1: there ends our examination today of the dark side of 728 00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:01,280 Speaker 1: one of America's most eccentric founding fathers. But not our show. 729 00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,200 Speaker 1: We will return very soon, and we'd like you to 730 00:47:04,360 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 1: tune in as we delve into a strange question. Could 731 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:12,160 Speaker 1: have thought be alive? A thought like a th h 732 00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:14,560 Speaker 1: O t at A couple more letters and you'll get there, 733 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:18,280 Speaker 1: got it like a thinky brain thought? Not that thought 734 00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:25,120 Speaker 1: over there? That that train over there? There we go. 735 00:47:25,480 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: In the meantime, you can find us on the internet. 736 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:33,040 Speaker 1: We're all over the place. Yes, yes, you can find myself, Noel, 737 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,440 Speaker 1: Ben and Paul on stuff. They don't want you to 738 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:37,839 Speaker 1: know dot com. That's our website. You can find every 739 00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:41,000 Speaker 1: episode we've ever produced there. You can even find videos. 740 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,719 Speaker 1: There's all kinds of stuff. It's a treasure trove. If 741 00:47:43,719 --> 00:47:45,400 Speaker 1: you don't want to do that, you can go to Twitter. 742 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:47,719 Speaker 1: You can tweet at us we are Conspiracy Stuff. Also 743 00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:52,200 Speaker 1: on Facebook Conspiracy Stuff, and on Instagram were Conspiracy Stuff show, 744 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,400 Speaker 1: and do check out our new Facebook community page. Here's 745 00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: where it gets crazy. This is where you can learn 746 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:04,239 Speaker 1: firsthand what your fell low listeners are thinking about. And hint, hint, 747 00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:07,760 Speaker 1: wink wink, nudge nudge, cough cough, maybe get some inside 748 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:11,480 Speaker 1: into upcoming episodes before they hit the air waves. That's right, 749 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:13,759 Speaker 1: And we'll also be mining that sucker for any and 750 00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:16,239 Speaker 1: all ideas you've got, so throw them in there. And 751 00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:19,320 Speaker 1: uh and we're listening and watching. Not in a creepy 752 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:22,160 Speaker 1: way though, I mean a little creepy at least on 753 00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:24,560 Speaker 1: my part. But if you don't want to do any 754 00:48:24,560 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: of that stuff, you don't like the Facebook, you don't 755 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:27,560 Speaker 1: want to be a part of a group, what can 756 00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:29,440 Speaker 1: you do? You can send us an old fashioned email, 757 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:33,280 Speaker 1: the old fashioned way at conspiracy at how stuff works 758 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:53,480 Speaker 1: dot com.