1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,280 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, we're rerunning two episodes today, which means he 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: might hear two hosts enjoy the show. Welcome to this 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: day in history class. It's July eleven today. In fourteen 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: o five, Jungha departed on the first of his many 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: famous voyages from China. Jungha was born in what's now 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: Yunnan Province in southwestern China, and his name was originally Maha. 7 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: The Ming army invaded the region where he was living 8 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: when he was still a boy, and he was taken captive. 9 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: Almost three years later, he was castrated, which was a 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: really common thing for captives of the army at this time. 11 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: Many people didn't survive this procedure, but he did, and 12 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: he was sent to serve Jiu yan Jiang, the hang 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: Wou Emperor. He wound up traveling with the Prince jud 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: on military expeditions. Judy eventually became the emperor. That was 15 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: after a civil war, and he gifted Maha with a 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: new name, and that name was Jung became the jung 17 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: La Emperor. He decided to mount a series of enormous 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: treasure expeditions and he selected Jungha as the commander. This 19 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: fleet was huge. It contained hundreds of ships, about twenty 20 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: eight hundred total people in the fleet, and then the 21 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: ships themselves were huge. The biggest ones were these enormous 22 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: junks known as dragon ships, and they were laden with 23 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: the best goods that China had to offer, so porcelain, silks, tapestries, cotton, 24 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: lacquer ware, art, hemp oils, candles, on and on and on. 25 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: These were between three hundred and nine and four hundred 26 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: and eight feet long and between a hundred and sixty 27 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: two hundred and sixty six ft wide that's roughly a 28 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty long and about fifty meters wide, and 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: they were also full of very luxurious accommodations. Use accommodations 30 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: were for Chinese diplomats and for other diplomats from other countries. 31 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: The idea was that these ships would go to these countries, 32 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: they would re establish diplomatic relationships, and then diplomats would 33 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: return from those countries back to China. There were also 34 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: worships in the fleet, supply boats, lots of other vessels. 35 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: All of these ships had to communicate with each other, 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: and they did this with flags and lanterns and carrier 37 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: pigeons and drums and gongs, were used on the ships 38 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: themselves to communicate on board. This fleet that Jung Hua 39 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: commanded went out on seven voyages, and to be clear, 40 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: they weren't exactly exploring. Most of the routes that they 41 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 1: traveled on were ones that other people had traveled, often 42 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: from the other direction, much earlier in history. Like I 43 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: said earlier, the point was to re establish diplomatic and 44 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: trading relationships, mostly to places that China already knew existed. 45 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: They did huge diplomatic work during all of this, and 46 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: these voyages were so far ranging. They went down the 47 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: coast of China, they went through what is now Vietnam, 48 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: Borneo and Sumatra, onto India and the Arabian Peninsula, and 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,239 Speaker 1: then down the coast of Africa to Mozambique, so so 50 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: much of that part of the world covered in these voyages. 51 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: Young La Emperor Judy died on August twelfth of fourteen four, 52 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: and then the next emperor who followed him ordered these 53 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: treasure voyages to be stopped. But that emperor didn't live long, 54 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: and when his son assumed the throne, he started up 55 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: the voyages again. But it was on this one last 56 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: tremendous treasure voyage that Janko actually died. He was probably 57 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: buried at sea somewhere along the way. He would have 58 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: been about sixties, somewhere in his sixties. In addition to 59 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: commanding these huge voyages, he had probably taken at least 60 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: one pilgrimage to Mecca, and he also documented all of 61 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: these voyages, and this would have been just a treasure 62 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: trove information about life in all of these places during 63 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: this time. But in fourteen seventy seven all of his 64 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: documents and papers were lost. This might have actually been 65 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: an intentional act of destruction, and this is one of 66 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: the reasons why there are accounts of Jung Hu's travels 67 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: that really exaggerate what he did. They even say that 68 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: he made it all the way to the America's. He 69 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: almost certainly did not make it all the way to 70 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: the America's, but that shouldn't diminish what he did do. 71 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: I mean, he traveled so far and the goods that 72 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: he was taking to all these places were so rich 73 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: that later on, when Europeans started to make their way 74 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: to these same countries, people there weren't quite as impressed. 75 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: They really thought that what they had seen earlier from 76 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: China was much better. You can learn more about jung 77 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: Ha in the March episode of Stuff You Miss in 78 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,720 Speaker 1: History Class, and you can subscribe to This Day in 79 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: History Class on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and whatever else 80 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. Tune in tomorrow for a bizarre deportation. 81 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Day in History Class, where we bring 82 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: you a new tipbit from history every day. The day 83 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: was July eleven, eight seven. Swedish balloonists Solomon August Andre, 84 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: engineer Canute Frankel, and photographer Niels Stromberg left Denskoya, also 85 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: known as Dame's Island, in a hydrogen balloon. The plan 86 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: was to travel from small bar to Russia, Canada or Alaska, 87 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: passing over the North Pole on the way. At the time, 88 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: people were obsessed with reaching the North and South Poles, 89 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: but nobody had yet done it. Unfortunately, Andre and his 90 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: cruise journey would end in their demise. Andre rode in 91 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: a balloon for the first time in Ewo. Soon after 92 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: he bought his own balloon, called the Sevilla. He'd took 93 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: nine trips in it on his own, making observations and 94 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: updates to the balloon along the way. At the time, 95 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: steering was a big problem that balloonists needed to solve 96 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,919 Speaker 1: in order to control balloons better. On his sixth trip, 97 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: Andre used drag ropes to slow the balloon in a 98 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: sail to try to steer it. Drag ropes hang from 99 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: the balloon basket and drag on the ground. Since the 100 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: ropes were heavy and created friction, they slowed the balloon 101 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: to the point where the sales could keep it from 102 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: just traveling with the wind. But drag ropes weren't particularly 103 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: effective in controlling a balloon. Andre took his last trip 104 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 1: in a severe in March of eight. He was sure 105 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 1: he could use a balloon to travel long distances and 106 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: discover new places, including the North Pole. By seven, people 107 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: had already unsuccessfully attempted to reach the North Pole. Sweden 108 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: was behind an Arctic exploration and eager to up its game. 109 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: Despite Andre's relative and experience with ballooning and the ineffectiveness 110 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: of drag ropes, he was convinced he could raise the 111 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: money to fly to the North Pole in a balloon. 112 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: Dynamite inventor Alfred Noble and Oscar the Second, the King 113 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: of Sweden, helped finance the construction of a balloon to 114 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: take on a polar expedition. The balloon was built in 115 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: Paris from six hundred pieces of fortified silk, and it 116 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: was called the Eagle. A five story house was built 117 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: for the balloon on Dane's Island in Norway's Ballbard Archipelago. 118 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: The house protected the balloon from when interference while it 119 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: was being filled. Andre chose meteorologist Niels Icomb an assistant 120 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: professor of physics Niels Stromberg to accompany him on his 121 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: trip to the North Pole, but after the team could 122 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: not get the right winds to set off on their 123 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: trip in eight Andre had to go back to Sweden 124 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: to raise more money, and Iicomb quit the expedition. He 125 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: was replaced by civil engineer Canute Frankel. Stromberg would take 126 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: photographs and Frankel would record scientific opser rations. The crew 127 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: got back to Day's Island in May of ee. Stronderberg 128 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 1: estimated that it would take them from thirty to sixty 129 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: hours to reach the North Pole. He wrote, once having 130 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: reached the northernmost point, we don't care what the wind 131 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: carries us. Of course, we would rather land in Alaska, 132 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: near the Mackenzie River, where we would very likely meet 133 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: American whalers who are favorably disposed towards the expedition. It 134 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: would really be a glorious thing to succeed so well. 135 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: But even if we were obliged to leave the balloon 136 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: and proceed over ice, we shouldn't consider ourselves lost. We 137 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: have sledges in provision for four months, guns and ammunition, 138 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: hence are just as well equipped as other expeditions as 139 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: far as that is concerned. On July eleven, the balloon 140 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: lifted off from Day's Island carrying the three men. It 141 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 1: lost three of its four guide ropes, lost gas from 142 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: some of it seems, and became frozen and water logged. 143 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: As the expedition traveled north and higher in altitude, the 144 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: gas leaked so much that the basket ended up striking 145 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: the Arctic ice. After sixty five hours and thirty three 146 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,319 Speaker 1: minutes of travel over five hundred and seventeen miles or 147 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: thirty two kilometers, they were forced to bail from the balloon. 148 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: There were still hundreds of miles south of the North Pole. 149 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: They started out, heading southeast towards a depot they had 150 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: arranged for on an archipelago in Russia, but because the 151 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: ice was drifting they were heading west faster than they 152 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 1: were east, so they headed southwest for another depot, but 153 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:35,559 Speaker 1: that too proved a useless journey, as the ice sent 154 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: them south southeast. Surviving in the harsh, freezing temperatures was difficult. 155 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: They ate bears, seals, and ivory goals, and they camped 156 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: on ice flows. Frankel and Andre got diarrhea, which got 157 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: so bad they took morphine and opium for it. A 158 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: blister on Frankel's foot made him incapable of pulling his sledge. 159 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 1: As conditions got worse, they planned on wintering on Thetoya 160 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: or White Island, and continuing the journey in the spring. 161 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,959 Speaker 1: Andre's last diary entry was for Friday, October eight. When 162 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: they died is unknown, but they could not have lasted 163 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: much longer after they reached White Island. It's also not 164 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 1: clear how they died, though it was likely not by 165 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: murder or suicide. It could have been from poisoning by 166 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: metal cans, drowning, dehydration, batulism, or a polar bear attack, 167 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: among other potential causes. In nineteen thirty, the crew of 168 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: a ship called the Broad Fog found the remains of Andre, Frankel, 169 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: and Stromberg, their campsite, their journals, and Stromberg's film on 170 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:42,839 Speaker 1: White Island. Ninety three of Stromberg's photos were recoverable. I'm 171 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:45,319 Speaker 1: Eves Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more about 172 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. You can find us 173 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at T d i h 174 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: C podcast. Thanks for joining me on this trip through history. 175 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: See you here, same place tomorrow. For more podcasts from 176 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 177 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.