1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Histories, a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the 2 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much for 3 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: tuning in, and happy belated Mother's Day to all the 4 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: mothers out there. There's a super producer, Max. 5 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 2: Ben Noel, you. 6 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 3: Know, and you're my brother from another mother. Both of you, 7 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 3: the both of yous gonna lump you into that fun 8 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 3: alliterative rhyming phrase. 9 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: We're also in typical ridiculous history fashion doing a show 10 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: about a holiday several days after it occurred. 11 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, exactly. 12 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 3: I take it back. A brother from another mother isn't 13 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 3: really a literative at all. It's just more of a 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 3: rhyming thing. It's got a nice internal rhyme, it rolls 15 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 3: off the tongue and has a good mouth feel, But 16 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 3: alliterative it is not. Ben, We're here again talking about 17 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 3: a holiday that was started with all great intention. Like 18 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 3: many holidays, you know, whether it be to honor a 19 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,559 Speaker 3: deity of some sort, perhaps a member of the human species, 20 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 3: such as a mother or a father, and then you know, typically, 21 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 3: like the way of most holidays, we see the co 22 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 3: opting by interests, special interest groups aka corporations and people 23 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 3: that want to make money off of stuff like this. 24 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, it's a very well intentioned event that the 25 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: best way to say it is the creator of Mother's 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: Day has a very complex relationship with Mother's Day. 27 00:01:59,120 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 4: Right. 28 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's introduce Mother Jarvis. That's the street name for 29 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: Anne Reeves Jarvis. She is a homemaker in Appalachia. She 30 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: teaches Sunday school and Anne is born in eighteen thirty two. 31 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: She lives a long, full life. She is an activist. 32 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: She's a radical in her. 33 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 3: Way, like Ninja Turtles radical or like extreme. Well, I 34 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 3: guess that could be applied to the same. 35 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: She's bodacious. 36 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 3: She's bodacious. Yes, she hangs ten. But she's also a 37 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 3: cowabungo tour she's an activist. 38 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 2: You're right. 39 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 3: This is something in a post Civil war era that 40 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 3: she has decided that she wants to place some emphasis 41 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 3: on honoring the work of mothers, you know, while we 42 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 3: the men were away. You know, it's the same thing 43 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 3: like Rosie the Riveter and all that stuff, like the 44 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 3: idea of holding down the fort while the young men 45 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 3: are away fighting and potentially dying during the war. 46 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: So let's give mothers their due. Yeah, and let's also 47 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 1: educate them. Let's help them. Let's help mothers, especially impoverished 48 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: mothers in Appalachia. Let's help them be set up for success. 49 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: She was very concerned about the perilously high infant mortality rate. 50 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: There were very, very serious problems that predated the Civil War, 51 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: but they were exacerbated by that bloody conflict. She also 52 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: organized women's brigades. She encouraged women to help each other out, 53 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: regardless whether they were fighting for the Union or the Confederacy. 54 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: And then she start she proposed something called a Mother's 55 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: Friendship Day to promote peace between former Union and Confederate families. 56 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: Now that's a tall milkshake. There's a lot of blood 57 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: on the hands there, no. 58 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 3: Question, And just to not really walk back what I said, 59 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 3: but I mean, she did want to highlight, you know, 60 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 3: how important the work of mothers and women were during 61 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 3: this time. But to your point, Ben, it really was 62 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 3: much more of a functional, organizing kind of effort, wasn't 63 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 3: it like to provide resources to help you curtail some 64 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 3: of these shocking statistics. 65 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, and we do want to note this is very important. 66 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: It's kind of like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. Or 67 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: a story of royals. The person we're talking about, Mother Jarvis, 68 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: full name Anne Maria Reeves Jarvis. She is different. She's 69 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: a different person entirely from her daughter, Anna Marie Jarvis, 70 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 1: who will come up later. So Anne is the mom 71 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: and Anna is the daughter. We've got to introduce a 72 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: third person here, a second woman that was very influential 73 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: in the founding and Mother's day. 74 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 3: Julia Ward Howe a poet and she knew it. Also 75 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 3: a reformer. During the Civil War, she was an active 76 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 3: volunteer in the very important and new US Sanitary Commission. 77 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 3: This was in order to provide sterilization hygienic environments in hospitals, 78 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 3: to make sure that folks who were sick and wounded 79 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 3: from injuries and war conditions were taken care of properly, 80 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 3: and that going into a hospital wasn't in and of itself, 81 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 3: a death sentence. If you go into a hospital with 82 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 3: a severe wound or illness and it's not been cleaned 83 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 3: or it's not been you know, sterilized, you could emerge 84 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 3: from that hospital worse than you came in, or not 85 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 3: emerge at all. 86 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 87 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it can get infected, You can intercepsist all kinds 88 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:45,239 Speaker 1: of nasty things can happen. In eighteen sixty one, Julia 89 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: Ward Howe also writes the famous Civil War anthem, the 90 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: Battle Hymn of the Republic, and was talking briefly, who 91 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: was I think it was our how Robert Evans on Twitter, 92 00:05:58,440 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: old friend of the show. 93 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 2: He just you guys wild. 94 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: He was on Twitter, and I think he must have 95 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: just overheard this song because he all he posted, without 96 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: much of an explanation, was the Battle Hymn of the Republic. 97 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: Has no right to slap this hard. 98 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, it kind of a banker. And she wrote it. 99 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: It gets published February of eighteen sixty two, and then 100 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 1: she does another predecessor of Mother's Day In eighteen seventy, 101 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,280 Speaker 1: Julia Ward Howe says, we need a Mother's. 102 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 2: Day for peace. 103 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 1: It's just celebrating the idea of peace, celebrating the idea 104 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,600 Speaker 1: that there could be a future without. 105 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 3: War totally and let's just be you know, of course, 106 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 3: mothers are the source of all life, of human life. 107 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 3: This is an obvious, no brainer statement, but one that 108 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 3: I think often gets overlooked. So it makes sense to 109 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 3: kind of feature the idea of the mother, you know, 110 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 3: as a central kind of force of creation as opposed 111 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 3: to death and destruction, of a counter to some of 112 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 3: the horrifying conditions of war. So she kind of put out, 113 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,280 Speaker 3: I guess, sort of a not really a manifesto, more 114 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 3: of a declaration, a proclamation literally, called the Mother's Day 115 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 3: Proclamation in eighteen seventy. She felt that mothers had the 116 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 3: power to prevent war, you know, just through their actions 117 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 3: and through the way they raised their children and sort 118 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 3: of the ideals that they instill into their into their offspring. 119 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, like when jay Z's mom told him to not 120 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: talk trash about nas so much. Moms can stop stuff. 121 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: Moms exercise a great power over the world, and it's 122 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: it's a noble thing for Julia Ward how to recognize 123 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: right and to leverage and her version of Mother's Day 124 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: was actually stuck around in a bunch of cities, in 125 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: Boston in particular, for three decades, but in the years 126 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: leading up to World War One it kind of petered out, 127 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: and there it stayed until nineteen oh seven. From right 128 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: before World War One till around nineteen oh seven, there 129 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: wasn't really a Mother's Day. People just hopefully people were 130 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: just nice to their moms every. 131 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 3: Day, one would hope and enter our tertiary hero here, 132 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 3: I guess the aforementioned Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, the 133 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 3: daughter of Mother Jarvis, the og Mother's Day banner bearer. 134 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 3: I guess you could call a standard bearer, right, Anna M. Jarvis. 135 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 3: After her mother had passed in nineteen o six, Jarvis 136 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 3: the younger, she decided to memorialize her mother's life and 137 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 3: works by campaigning for a national recognition of a Mother's 138 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 3: Day of a sort. She said that she hoped and 139 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 3: prayed that someone sometime will found a memorial Mother's Day 140 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 3: commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity 141 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 3: in every field of life because, and Jarvis said, she 142 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 3: is entitled to it. 143 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and we're getting we're getting a lot of this 144 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: from the Forgotten History of Mother's Day by Heidi stone Hill. 145 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 1: And there are a couple other sources we don't want 146 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: to shout out quite yet because they might spoil the turn. 147 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 2: There was a turn here. There's always a turn. 148 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 3: We sort of foreshadow of the turn a little bit, 149 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 3: you know, you could kind of figure out on your own. 150 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 3: Because this is why we can't have nice things. 151 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: So Ada his ideas were less about public service and 152 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 1: more about just saying, hey, moms are the hardest working 153 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: of all people. Let's at least to acknowledge that. And 154 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: she went on a one woman campaign. She was one 155 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: woman army, writing to everybody, sending telegrams, showing up at 156 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 1: the offices of public figures and saying, do you have 157 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: time to sit down for a second, you know, how's 158 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: your mom? 159 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 2: Et cetera. 160 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 1: And she spoke widely to groups large and small. She 161 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: paid for all of this. She didn't have a huge 162 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: support network at first. She made zines basically the the 163 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: early nineteen hundreds equivalent of zine's booklets about She was 164 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: a pamphleteer, right, a pamphleteer booklets about Mother's Day. She 165 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: herself had no children of her own. 166 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 2: I think that's interesting. I mean, you know, that doesn't 167 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 2: really matter. 168 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 3: I think she perhaps decided that she was going to 169 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 3: focus her energies into this kind of crusade, you know, 170 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 3: I mean, we don't have any information as to whether 171 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 3: there were any outs, you know, any I knew any 172 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 3: circumstances that led to her not having children, But it 173 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 3: sure seemed like whether that was the case or not, 174 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 3: she put that effort that would have gone into braising 175 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 3: children into this effort. I think that orialized her mother, 176 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 3: and to memorialize and honor mothers everywhere. 177 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 2: I think that's one way to look at it. 178 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: I mean, even now in twenty twenty three, there's a bout, 179 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: there's a lot of very real, lazy prejudice against people 180 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: who for one reason or do not one reason or another, 181 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: do not have children. And it's it's pretty gross. It 182 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: was even worse back then, you know, when you're a woman, 183 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 1: and it just I mean, I just want to acknowledge 184 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: that because I'm sure very many ridiculous historians listening today 185 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: have experienced that prejudice. It's an ugly thing, and so 186 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: she probably was judged in her in her time. 187 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, terms like old maid and stuff, you know what 188 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,320 Speaker 3: I mean. Like it was, it was inherently there was 189 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 3: a bias against women that didn't have children, because the 190 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 3: assumption was that either they you know, couldn't and that 191 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 3: that othered them some way, or they were choosing not 192 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 3: to and we're therefore selfish in some way, shape or form. 193 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 3: And nowadays, of course, you know, women can have children 194 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 3: and also be professional and do all of the things 195 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 3: and push for these types of campaigns and also raise families. 196 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 3: This is very much part of, you know, the way 197 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 3: things have moved, and I think there's less of this 198 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 3: attitude around, but. 199 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 2: It's still there. 200 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: It's still very much I can tell you it's still 201 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 1: very much there. And you don't have to have children 202 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: to be a good person, No, And having children does 203 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: not inherently make you a good person. 204 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 2: Does But. 205 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 1: We just wanted to acknowledge this. You know, Anna is 206 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: going is going through some rough stuff, but she perseveres. 207 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,959 Speaker 1: May nineteen oh eight, she creates the first official Mother's Day, 208 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: or her version of Mother's Day, at a church in Grafton, 209 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: West Virginia, and then at a department store in Philadelphia. 210 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: Imagine how huge this is for the department store if 211 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: you think about it, they're the first people to get 212 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: in on the monetization of Mother's Day. 213 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 2: Wow, that might have been the beginning of the end. 214 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, as far as the you know, more altruistic version 215 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,320 Speaker 3: of Mother's Day was concerned. 216 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 2: But it also makes sense. 217 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 3: You know, department stores in those days were very much 218 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 3: a rallying place, you know, for the community to kind 219 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 3: of come together. You had your like soda fountains and 220 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 3: all of that stuff. And you know, it was really 221 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 3: just kind of a place where you would go to 222 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 3: be seen and to see other people in the community. 223 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,320 Speaker 3: So it certainly made sense, but it unfortunately kind of 224 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 3: led to some negative consequences. 225 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 1: One hundred percent. Yeah, and her campaign is successful, Politicians 226 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: and newspapers start picking it up. It's increasingly in the 227 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: zeitgeist of America. It all leads to nineteen fourteen when 228 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,719 Speaker 1: President Woodrow Wilson calls Mother's Day a way to recognize 229 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:00,320 Speaker 1: that tender genental lawMy the mothers of America. 230 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 2: And also screw you Woodrow Wilson. 231 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, also Woodrow Wilson, not the best, not the best. 232 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: Thank you Max with the facts of. 233 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 2: Phones and he drops in the knowledge. 234 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 4: Just for you. 235 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:17,559 Speaker 2: So good, there we go. 236 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 3: No, let's put it in, yes, Max, Max with the 237 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 3: eternal beef against Woodrow Wilson, who was sort of a 238 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 3: human And we already are starting to see kind of 239 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 3: different philosophies on Mother's Day emerge. You know what is 240 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 3: what we we we we know the original intent with 241 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 3: Mother Jarvis was very quite literally to provide resources and 242 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 3: support for mothers who were bearing the brunt of you know, 243 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 3: raising the family while men were away with very little help, 244 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 3: with very little resources, often in dire poverty and difficult 245 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 3: situations involving you know, infant mortality and lack of healthcare. 246 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 3: So initially the whole idea was very much about providing 247 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 3: some of these things. It then kind of maybe became 248 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 3: a little bit more about just sort of like a 249 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 3: raising awareness for the amazing work that mothers do, the 250 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 3: gentle silent army of Windrow Wilson's quote there, or tender 251 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 3: gentle army rather, they're not silent necessarily. But then we 252 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 3: start to see it kind of that co opting that 253 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 3: we're talking about, really, you know, taking those philosophies and 254 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 3: kind of yeah, I don't know, grinding him into the 255 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 3: dirt a little bit. 256 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: Well capitalized on them, right, that's the worst part, right. 257 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 3: I guess maybe being a little harsh, but sometimes when 258 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 3: you do capitalize on things, you sort of suck the goodness, 259 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 3: right right, Yeah. 260 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 1: Because and we'll get to some interesting facts and statistics 261 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: here at the end, but yeah, it starts in a 262 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: really good place. Both Jarvis's and Julia Howe are making 263 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: They're doing tremendous big things. By nineteen twelve, a lot 264 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: of other churches and towns and states are holding Mother's 265 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: Day celebrations of their own, and Anna Jarvis has established 266 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: the Mother's Day International Association. But almost immediately she gets 267 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: disillusioned because the holiday becomes all about swag. You buy 268 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: printed cards for your mom, You buy flowers. Hey, mom, 269 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: here's another gift, here's some candy. It becomes an expectation, 270 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: It becomes normalized that there must be these things bought 271 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 1: and sold as part of this. And Jarvis feels like 272 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: the holiday has gotten away from her. You know, she 273 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,360 Speaker 1: feels like the lady who created the original Monopoly game. 274 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: She's like, why are these people taking my idea and 275 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: soullessly making money off it? So she starts campaigning against 276 00:16:58,040 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: Mother's Day profiteers. 277 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 3: All the while, you know, candymakers, flores, greeting card companies 278 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 3: are looking and. 279 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 2: Saying, what, who us? 280 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 3: We just want your mothers to have nice things, you 281 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,440 Speaker 3: know that you buy from us exclusively. 282 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 2: It's process. She sued everybody. 283 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:23,360 Speaker 1: She called them charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers, and other 284 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: termites that would undermine with their greed. One of the finest, 285 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: noblest and truest movements and celebrations. She's still coming out 286 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: of her own pocket for this too. 287 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 3: She's so well and too great detriment to her personal wealth, right, 288 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 3: I mean she she did. You know that she did 289 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 3: have a quite a significant inheritance, and it dwindles significantly 290 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 3: because she was paying all these legal fees. So it 291 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 3: really does kind of show you how difficult it is 292 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 3: to fight city hall, you know, in these kinds of situations, 293 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 3: because it's a free market economy. Man, they're not doing 294 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 3: anything wrong. You can't prove that they co opted something exactly, 295 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 3: can you. 296 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 2: I mean, it must be difficult. 297 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: You can't tell people, like how do you tell people 298 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: that they can't like their mom on a specific day? 299 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like, how do you legislate 300 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: against that? 301 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:17,719 Speaker 2: I mean? 302 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 3: And I'm sure they're literally the argument that the lawyers 303 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 3: you know, for these companies were making, like like is 304 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 3: it wrong to give your sweet mother a box of sweeties, 305 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 3: you know. 306 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 2: And chocolate confections? 307 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,679 Speaker 3: Is it wrong to watch your mother to have a 308 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 3: beautiful bouquet of flowers representing her vibrant spirits? 309 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 2: You know? Like I could just picture the eye rolls. 310 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: You know, I know, and we want to shout out 311 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: Sarah Pruitt over at history dot com why the founder 312 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: of Mother's Day turned against it. Look, Anna Jarvis went 313 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: super hard in the pain on this stuff. 314 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 2: She would conventions. 315 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty five, there was this organization called the 316 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: American War Mothers and they used Mother's Day as a 317 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:14,360 Speaker 1: fundraising opportunity, and they were selling carnations at this convention. 318 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: Anna Jarvis doesn't just crash the convention in Philly, she 319 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: gets arrested for raising a ruckus for disturbing the peace. 320 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: She also takes shots at first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for 321 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: using Mother's Day as a fundraising opportunity. She wants all 322 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: the smoke, basically. 323 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 2: So basically, but that's the thing. 324 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 3: Though you put out an idea like that into the world, 325 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 3: it's gonna happen. And short of I don't know, arguing 326 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 3: for some sort of copyright infringement, which you can't really 327 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 3: do in this case because it's meant to be a 328 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 3: recognized holiday for all. So I don't really know what 329 00:19:57,680 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 3: leg she had to stand on here in terms of 330 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 3: her arm. It seems like at the end of the day, 331 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,440 Speaker 3: she was kind of just shouting into the abyss. 332 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, and she did have a copyright argument, right, that's 333 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: what she took to court. But it's very easy to 334 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,640 Speaker 1: get around that stuff, you know, And so she's repeatedly 335 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: incredibly frustrated with this. By the nineteen forties, she is 336 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: more or less disowned the concept of the holiday altogether. 337 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 1: She is lobbying the government to see it remove from 338 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: the calendar, but no one's listening. Mother's Day is it's 339 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: a gold mine man, and businesses begin to count on 340 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: it in their balance sheets, so they're not going to 341 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: let it go. 342 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:44,360 Speaker 3: Speaking of the copyright claim, didn't wasn't like the apostrophe 343 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,120 Speaker 3: moved around a little bit in in an. 344 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 2: Effort to get around that. Yeah, this is interesting. 345 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, she she claims copyright on the phrase second 346 00:20:56,080 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: Sunday in May Mother's Day mother mot a h R 347 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: apostrophe s And she's like a possessive, Right, I'm gonna 348 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: ensue anybody who uses this without my permission. So yeah, 349 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: like you said, people said, all right, that's fine, we'll 350 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: use the plural possessive, which is just moving the apostrophe. 351 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, day for all mothers as opposed to singular the 352 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:28,119 Speaker 3: day that belongs to mother, right, tricksy tricksy stuff. But 353 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,439 Speaker 3: but I mean I don't love it, but it is. 354 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 3: You can't own those words exactly right. Dungeons and dragons 355 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 3: would call it lawful evil. That's right, because I mean 356 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 3: her copyright existed on the phrase second Sunday in May 357 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 3: Mother's Day. If there's a rhyme there. She didn't necessarily 358 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 3: hold the legal, you know, per strings for the concept 359 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 3: of a day for mothers. You can't really do that. 360 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 3: That's like owning a baseball cap, you know, yeah, or 361 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 3: like the fidget spinner whatever. 362 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: Right, And this is not to say that Anna didn't try. 363 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: You can find a Newsweek article from nineteen forty four 364 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: that claims she had thirty three separate pending lawsuits that year. 365 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: By this point in time, she has lived a long life. 366 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: She is eighty years old. She's got a lot of 367 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: health problems that come with old age. She's not doing 368 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 1: well financially because she spent so much of her inheritance 369 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: on these battles. She is in an assisted living space 370 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: in a sanatorium in Philly. And there were we found 371 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,760 Speaker 1: a lot of rumors. I guess you could call them 372 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: our speculation that companies in the floral and card industries 373 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: secretly paid to take care of her. But if you 374 00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: talk to historians like Kathleen and Dalini, then you see 375 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: no story and has been able to verify this. People 376 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 1: just kind of say, hey, be nice if that were true. 377 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: We don't have proof. It might just be a nice story. 378 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: But we do know that even at the end of 379 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 1: her life, she was still she was still fighting Mother's Day, 380 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: like on a door to door basis right. 381 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 3: I hate that though, man, you know, I mean, it's 382 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 3: just because she did have such good intention. She was 383 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 3: carrying on this legacy of you know, her mother's work 384 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 3: before her, and spent her whole life just you know, 385 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 3: the rest of her life, the part of her life 386 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 3: that should have been her being taken care of, you know, 387 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 3: when when she spent all this time trying to take 388 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,920 Speaker 3: care of other mothers. Instead she spent it under duress 389 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 3: and feeling as though her legacy had been like Sully, 390 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 3: this thing that she had worked so hard to create. 391 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:53,399 Speaker 1: And she passed away of heart failure in November of 392 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,680 Speaker 1: nineteen forty eight, But Mother's Day continued, and Mother's Day 393 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,880 Speaker 1: is not the creation of any single individual. Really, it's 394 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: the creation of multiple women. And the modern Mother's Day 395 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: is still yes, is it monetized, is it commodified? Of 396 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,919 Speaker 1: course it is, But that doesn't necessarily make it bad. 397 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: It doesn't mean that you have to participate financially, you 398 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: know what I mean. There are I'm sure, I'm sure 399 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: there are thousands and thousands of moms listening right now 400 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 1: who are thinking, I don't know, I just want my 401 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: kid to call me, you know what I mean? 402 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 3: Absolutely, yeah, call your mom, Call your mom, Call your mom, 403 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 3: because you just you never know when the last time 404 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 3: you're going to be able to speak to her. 405 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 2: We'll be That's true, It's very true. 406 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 3: Well today, you know, Mother's Day it does exist. 407 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 2: It is a calendar day. 408 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 3: Which day is it? I know we missed it by 409 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:57,360 Speaker 3: a little bit here with Sunday, May fourteenth, And that's 410 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:58,919 Speaker 3: always the day that it is. It's not like the 411 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 3: third Sunday of the mon there's something like that in 412 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 3: in in May. 413 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,639 Speaker 2: It's always the thirteen, always the second Sunday. It is 414 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 2: the same. Okay, So it's one of those second Sunday. 415 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 2: That's that. 416 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,399 Speaker 3: That's why I'm always confused because it's like there's no 417 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 3: hard date associated with it. 418 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: That's always a weird one to me too. You know 419 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 1: what's another Thanksgiving? 420 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, thanksgivingest one, because calendars are a human invention and 421 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 4: they're therefore imperfect. 422 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: But yes, you can also find Hey, it's not just 423 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 1: the US. You can also find other observances of Mother's 424 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 1: Day in places like Ethiopia. You can find it in Thailand, 425 00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: where Mother's Day is celebrated in August on the birthday 426 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 1: of the Queen right and it's tied to the royal family. 427 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: You can find it all over the world because everybody 428 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 1: can agree despite all the differences that the human species has, 429 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:01,360 Speaker 1: we're all big fans of moms in general, our own 430 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: mothers in particular. And Noel, I found that I've got 431 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,879 Speaker 1: some silly statistics with Mother's Day, at least in the 432 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 1: United States. And I bet, I bet you've heard this one. 433 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: This is probably it's probably my favorite one. Forty percent 434 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,640 Speaker 1: of adults will take their mom out to a restaurant 435 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: on Mother's Day, and for a long time it was 436 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 1: for a long time it was considered the busiest day 437 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: in the restaurant industry. Yeah, yeah, for sure, it's the 438 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:39,160 Speaker 1: second busiest. Actually only Valentine's Day. 439 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 2: Is a bigger one. Yeah, and Valentine's Day is a 440 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:43,679 Speaker 2: whole story onto it. 441 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 3: So in terms of the infiltration by greeting card companies 442 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 3: and you know, wine makers and what have you, you know, 443 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 3: chocolate tears, all of that stuff. It's also often used 444 00:26:54,840 --> 00:27:01,120 Speaker 3: as a day for launching political causes associated with feminism. 445 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 3: For example, in nineteen sixty eight, Corretta Scott King, of course, 446 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 3: the wife of Martin Luther King Junior, hosted a march 447 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,920 Speaker 3: in support of underprivileged women and children on Mother's Day. 448 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: Which I think, you know what, we cannot speak for, uh, 449 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: cannot speak for Anna ourselves, but I like to think 450 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: she would be okay with that kind of that one. Yeah, 451 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,360 Speaker 1: that would be okay because they're not selling T shirts 452 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: or anything. We know that it's such a big business. 453 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: This statistic blew me away. In twenty twenty one, just 454 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: that one year, American consumers spent an estimated twenty eight 455 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 1: point one billion dollars on Mother's Day and Mother's Day 456 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:44,400 Speaker 1: stuff like what. 457 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 2: Kind of what kind of flowers are they buying? Are 458 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 2: they buying people? Are they getting their mom? Or cars? Yeah, unclear, unclear. 459 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 3: You know what kind of flowers I've been buying lately, Ben, 460 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 3: what's that lego flower? Oh? The lego orkid is awesome, fantastic. 461 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 3: We have like the succulents. We have like some kind 462 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 3: of spring bouquets. They never die, they'll never let you down, 463 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 3: They'll never make you feel like a slacker for either 464 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 3: overwatering or underwatering. I'm still kind of trying to get 465 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 3: the hang of plants and keeping them alive. But you know, 466 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 3: there's still time. 467 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:20,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know. 468 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: I I have a bit of a green thumb. I 469 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 1: have had the same and they're called a money tree. 470 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: I've had the same one since I was an intern 471 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: at How Stuff Works. Nice old Ben Benn is still 472 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,119 Speaker 1: kicking it, and I'm starting a green space at the 473 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 1: rooftop of my new place. You guys are definitely invited. 474 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 2: I can't wait to check it out. I'm really excited. 475 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 3: I'm actually about to get some landscaping work done in 476 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,479 Speaker 3: my backyard with all native plants. I've been assured by 477 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 3: the folks who help me design it that they and 478 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 3: I won't have to do much to them because they're 479 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 3: gonna thrive already. Just like in this environment, so really 480 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 3: looking forward to that and also similarly would love to 481 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 3: have you all over for like a Fourth of July 482 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 3: barbecue situation. And didn't want to end on any kind 483 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 3: of down or note, but I just want to put 484 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 3: out a just a you know word to say I 485 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 3: miss my mother, who lost my mother a year ago, 486 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 3: roughly to the day, and first Mother's Day without my mom, Sandra. 487 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 3: So love you Sandra, and miss yet and happy Mother's Day. 488 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: I'd like to say just a few brief words to 489 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: a lot of people. Mother's Day can be tough when 490 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: your mom has passed on, you know. Mother's Day can 491 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: be tough when you know your family is maybe at odds, 492 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: maybe you don't speak to your kids, maybe you and 493 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 1: your mom butt heads. Before my mother passed away also 494 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:55,479 Speaker 1: quite recently, I was incredibly fortunate, and I like to 495 00:29:55,520 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 1: think that I knew that my mother was a very 496 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 1: very kind, beautiful woman. I don't think I ever really 497 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:08,959 Speaker 1: had a fight with her, which is nuts. She just 498 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: she would just tell me she well, she was a 499 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: teacher for so many years, you know, like in your 500 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: mom was also teaching people, but. 501 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 2: She was we fought all the time, so I'm jealous. 502 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: I think she had just like because even though I'm 503 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: an only child, because I was essentially if your mom's 504 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: a teacher, you were one of twenty eight to thirty 505 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: two children's awesome year. 506 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 3: But it's also like a beautiful thing to I mean, teaching, 507 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,120 Speaker 3: as we've talked about many times on this shows, is 508 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 3: such a gift, you know, to be able to take 509 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 3: what you've learned and to pass that on to people 510 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 3: who can then use it to literally change their lives 511 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,959 Speaker 3: or you know, guide the trajectory of their life. And 512 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 3: some of my mom's students, specifically singing my mom was 513 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 3: a singing teacher, have gone on to have great careers 514 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 3: in great opera houses and stuff, and wasn't the path 515 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 3: that I chose. But I'm just I'm very proud of 516 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 3: her and the way that she's change these people's lives. 517 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 3: And I'm sure that you see that with your mom's students, 518 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 3: and you feel the same way. 519 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: And we guarantee you, fellow Ridiculous historians, your mom is 520 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: proud of you. Thanks of course, to our super producer, 521 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: mister Max Williams. Hey, thanks to missus Williams. Good job 522 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: on the kids. Thanks thanks to Alex Williams, I mean, 523 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: thanks to everybody. I think we're ending on a good 524 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: note here. 525 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 2: I think so too. Yeah. No, and thanks to you Ben, 526 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,240 Speaker 2: my brother from another mother, no question about it. Call 527 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 2: your mom please do. We'll see you next time, folks. 528 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 529 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.