1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hey there, History fans, We're taking the day off, but 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: don't worry. We've got plenty of classic shows to tide 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: you over. Please enjoy these flashback episodes from the TDI 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: HC Vault. Hello, and welcome to This Day in History Class, 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: a show that replays the home runs of History one 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: day at a time. I'm Gabe Luesier, and in this episode, 7 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: we're talking about a breakthrough addition to the Sporting Goods catalog, 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: a protective face mask that turned out to be a 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: game changer for baseball catchers. The day was April twelfth, 10 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy seven. Harvard's student James Ting became the first 11 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: known baseball player to wear a catcher's mask. The new 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: headgear was based on a design by Harvard team captain 13 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: Frederick Thayer. It was made from a modified fencing mask 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: and was meant to enable the catcher to get closer 15 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: to the plate without fear of being injured by a 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: ball or a bat. Despite that obvious benefit, Thayer's invention 17 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: proved a tough sell, as most baseball players and fans 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: considered it unmanly to wear protective gear. Baseball catchers had 19 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: a rough time during the early years of their sport, 20 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: their position behind home plate put them directly in the 21 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: line of fire during batting. Any foul ball or bad 22 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: bounce was another potential bruise, a reality made more painful 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 1: by the player's aversion to wearing protection. In those days, 24 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: the only gear a catcher used was a rubber mouthguard 25 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,919 Speaker 1: similar to that of a boxer. There was no mask, 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: no chess guard, no shin guards, not even a glove. 27 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: That reckless style of play led to frequent injuries, and 28 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: as a result, the career of the average catcher was 29 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: only three or four seasons. In the late eighteen sixties, 30 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: the popularity of the curveball made the catcher's job even 31 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: more dangerous. Catchers were used to standing several feet behind 32 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: the plate, but with a curveball, they had to come 33 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 1: in much closer to make the catch, greatly increasing their 34 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: odds of being struck. The change didn't go over well 35 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: with some players, which is why the Harvard team of 36 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy seven had such a hard time finding a catcher. 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: The Crimson, as the team was called, actually started pre 38 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: season training that year without a catcher. Team captain and 39 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,679 Speaker 1: third baseman Fred Thayer tried to fill the gap by 40 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: moving in James Ting from the outfield. But Ting wasn't 41 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: having it. He knew he was liable to get his 42 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: nose broken or his teeth shattered playing catcher in the 43 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: age of the curveball, and Thayer knew it too. The 44 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: team captain came across a possible solution while walking across 45 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: campus one day. He noticed that members of the fencing 46 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: team were carrying face masks on their way to practice, 47 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: and he wondered if something similar could work in baseball. 48 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: Thayer got his hands on one of the masks and 49 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: took it to a local tinsmith in Cambridge. They worked 50 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: together on the design, making changes where needed to meet 51 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: the needs of the sport. For example, the fine wire 52 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: mesh of the fencing mask was too dense for baseball, 53 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: as catchers needed to see everything on the field, not 54 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: just directly in front of them. The solution was to 55 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: replace the mesh with a series of intersecting metal bars 56 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: that were wide enough apart to see through, yet narrow 57 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: enough to stop a baseball. Thayer and the tinsmith also 58 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: added a forehead pad and a chin rest to help 59 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: absorb the impact of a ball. Thayer convinced Ting to 60 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: try out the finished mask during practice, and when it 61 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: proved effective, he agreed to be the team's new catcher. 62 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: On April twelfth, eighteen seventy seven, Ting wore the mask 63 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: during a game in Lynn, Massachusetts. It was a cold, 64 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: windy day, but roughly three thousand people turned out to 65 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: watch the match. It wasn't a very good one, though, 66 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: ending with a ski of Harvard eleven Lynn III. The 67 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: main highlight was a strong showing from James Ting. He 68 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: scored two runs, and more impressively, he made just two 69 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: errors behind the plate, which was remarkably low for the era. 70 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: The Harvard Crimson newspaper was completely won over by the 71 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: catcher's mask, writing quote, the new mask proved a complete success, 72 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: since it entirely protected face and head, and added greatly 73 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: to the confidence of the catcher, who need not feel 74 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: that he is every moment in danger of lifelong injury. 75 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: To the ingenious inventor of this mask, we are largely 76 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: indebted for the excellent playing of our new catcher, who 77 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: promised to excel the fine playing of those who have 78 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,359 Speaker 1: previously held his position. But praise for the mask was 79 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 1: not universal. The opposing team complained the mask had given 80 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 1: Harvard an unfair advantage, and when the press learned of 81 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: the new device, it was largely dismissed as cowardly. One 82 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: alarmist critic leaned heavily on hyperbole, writing quote, we shall 83 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: probably soon behold the spectacle of a player sculling around 84 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: the bases with a stove funnel on his legs and 85 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: boiler iron riveted across his stomach. Other reporters mocked the mask, 86 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: calling it a rat trap, a muzzle, and a bird cage. 87 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: One sports writer even went so far as to claim 88 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 1: that baseball injuries didn't actually happen. Writing for the Portland Telegram, 89 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: he said quote, there is a great deal of beastly 90 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: humbug and contrivances to protect men from things which do 91 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: not happen. There is about as much sense in putting 92 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 1: a lightning rod on a catcher as there is a mask. 93 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: Despite the public backlash, professional teams recognized the mask's advantages 94 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: fairly quickly. Some players reached out to Thayer directly to 95 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: request a mask of their own. The interest convinced there 96 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: to patent his invention the following year. By that time, 97 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: the country's leading sporting goods manufacturer AG Spaulding had already 98 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: begun selling Thayer's catching mask. In the years to come, 99 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,799 Speaker 1: the company made several improvements on the design, including additional 100 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: padding and buckled straps. The only problem was Spalding didn't 101 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: have the rights to the mask. As a result, Thayer 102 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: sued the company for patent infringement in eighteen eighty three, 103 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: and Spalding was ultimately forced to pay him royalties. There 104 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: was some initial hesitation to wear the new gear, as 105 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 1: catchers were sometimes taunted by the crowds for hiding behind 106 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: a mask, but in the end, keeping their faces intact 107 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: proved more enticing than appeasing a few angry fans. By 108 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: the late eighteen eighties, the catcher's mask had been widely 109 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: accepted by players and fans alike, and over time other 110 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: forms of protective gear were embraced as well, including shin guards, 111 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,559 Speaker 1: the chest protector, and the all important catchers mitt. As 112 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: for Thayer's prototype mask, the one James Ting wore in 113 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: that first game, no one's quite sure what happened to it. 114 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,039 Speaker 1: There are two masks that are both purported to be 115 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: the true original. One belongs to the Baseball Hall of fame, 116 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: and the other is on display in the reading room 117 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: of the Harvard Varsity Club. It's unclear which mask is 118 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: the genuine article, or maybe they're both wrong. In the end, 119 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: which mask was first is less important than the fact 120 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: that neither mask was last. Despite a rocky start, the 121 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: catcher's mask has since become a fundamental piece of equipment 122 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: from baseball. Catchers are all the more handsome for it. 123 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucy and hopefully you now know a little 124 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. You can 125 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: learn even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 126 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 127 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, feel free to get in touch 128 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks 129 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for producing the show, 130 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 131 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another Day in History Class. Hello, and 132 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: welcome to This Day in History Class, a show that 133 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: demystifies history one day at a time. I'm Gabeluesier, and 134 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: today we're looking at the traumatic day when Americans learned 135 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: that despite what the circus said, unicorns still didn't exist. 136 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: The day was April twelfth, nineteen eighty five. The Chief 137 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: veterinarian of the US Department of Agriculture anounced that a 138 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: famous circus animal alleged to be a unicorn, was in 139 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 1: fact a goat. Earlier that month, the Ringling Brothers in 140 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: Barnum and Bailey's Circus had revealed the supposedly mythical creature 141 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: during a show at Madison Square Garden. The unicorn, known 142 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: as Lancelot, was introduced with appropriate fanfare. He marched across 143 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: a path of rose petals as the theme song from 144 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: Rocky played in the background. The circus claimed that the 145 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: unicorn had simply wandered into one of its tents after 146 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: a show in Houston the previous summer. According to Lancelot's handler, 147 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 1: Heather Harris, no one knew where the animal came from, 148 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: or quote whether it flew here or walked or took 149 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: a train. Most audiences didn't mind that cryptic backstory. They 150 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: were just thrilled to see a real live unicorn, even 151 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: if it did look suspiciously like a goat with a 152 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: shaggy and a weird horn. But not everyone was happy 153 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: to see the so called living unicorn. After the new 154 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: York debut in early April. Animal rights groups such as 155 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: the Humane Society and the ASPCA voiced concerns about the 156 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: animal's welfare. They were pretty sure that Lancelot wasn't a 157 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: real unicorn, and they wondered what the circus might have 158 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: done to make a normal goat look more like a 159 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: storybook creature. Representatives from the ASPCA went to the circus 160 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: to investigate. They expected to find a fake horn strapped 161 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: to the goat's head, but once they got up close, 162 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: they could tell the horn wasn't a prop. This was 163 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: even more troubling to animal rights advocates. It suggested that 164 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: a real horn had somehow been implanted or grafted to 165 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 1: the center of the animal's head. Such a process would 166 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: not only be painful, but could potentially affect the animal's 167 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 1: long term health as well. In light of that discovery, 168 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: the president of the ASPCA implored the public to boycott 169 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: the circus. He also demanded the chance to examine Lancelot, 170 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: as well as the three other unicorns that served as 171 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: stand ins for the show's star. However, as you might expect, 172 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 1: Ringling Brothers said no. A spokesman for the circus refused 173 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 1: to comment on the origin of Lancelot's horn or his 174 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: status as a possible goat. Instead, he stuck to the 175 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 1: company script, saying, quote, the animal arrived at our show 176 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: in Houston in July nineteen eighty four. We don't know 177 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: how or why, but they were just there. As the 178 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: cry for Boycott's grew louder, Wringling Brothers fought back by 179 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: taking out full page newspaper ads urging fans to come 180 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: see the living unicorn for themselves. The text Warren's quote, 181 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: don't let the grinches steal the fantasy. It was at 182 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: this point that the Department of Agriculture decided to step in. 183 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: It dispatched a team of veterinarians, led by doctor Gerald Toms, 184 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: to determine whether the animals in question were some kind 185 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: of goat or something else as the circus claimed. After 186 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: inspecting Lancelot and his stand ins up close, doctor Toms 187 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 1: announced that they were indeed goats. He then added quote, 188 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,559 Speaker 1: but if you want to surrender to whimsy, then their 189 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:30,200 Speaker 1: unicorns too. More importantly, the vet was able to confirm 190 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: that the goats were in good health, their horns were 191 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: not implants or artificial additions, and the animals didn't seem 192 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 1: bothered by them at all. The next day, Ringling Brothers 193 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: held a press conference celebrating the all clear from the USDA. 194 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,439 Speaker 1: They showed X rays to prove that Lancelot's horn was 195 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: a natural extension of his body, and even encouraged reporters 196 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: to pull on it to show that it wouldn't come off. 197 00:12:56,559 --> 00:13:00,239 Speaker 1: The circus felt vindicated, but it wasn't a complete victory. 198 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: After all, Doctor Tom's confirmed that the animals were officially goats, 199 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,679 Speaker 1: not unicorns. Some people thought that constituted a bait and switch. 200 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: The circus had promised a living unicorn and instead delivered 201 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: a one horned goat. However, Ringling Brothers had an answer 202 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: to that criticism as well. Spokeswoman Debbie Lynde said, quote, 203 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: as far as we're concerned, it's a unicorn. A unicorn 204 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: is an animal with one horn, and hey, she's not wrong. 205 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: By now, though, you're probably wondering what the deal is 206 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:40,079 Speaker 1: with Lancelot's horn. How did he and his three stand ins, Galahad, 207 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: Avalon and Perceval all wind up with one central horn 208 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:49,199 Speaker 1: instead of two lateral ones. The answer, as doctor Gerald 209 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 1: Tom's deduced, was that the goats had undergone a surgical 210 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: procedure at a very young age. When a goat is 211 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: less than a week old, the buds of its horns 212 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 1: are still a part of the skin and are not 213 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: yet connected to the animal's skull. Because of this, someone 214 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: was able to maneuver the unfixed horns into the middle 215 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,880 Speaker 1: of the goat's forehead and then stitch them close together. 216 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: Over time, as the horns grew and intertwined, they gradually 217 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: fused into a single horn. If anesthesia was used during 218 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: that procedure, then it's unlikely the animals felt any pain 219 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: or suffered from any lasting effects. But even if they've 220 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: felt no discomfort, there's something inherently distasteful about altering the 221 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: biology of a developing animal purely for the sake of 222 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: esthetics or to make some money. To be clear, though, 223 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey's Circus didn't have 224 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: anything to do with the actual surgeries, and for that matter, 225 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: neither did any doctor. Instead, the horn manipulation was carried 226 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: out by Oberon Zell, an artist, writer, and self proclaimed 227 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: wizard who had a passion for cryptozoology and neo paganism. 228 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: Zell became fixated on historical references to unicorns, the horse 229 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: like creatures whose single horn was said to have purifying 230 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: effects on whatever it touched. Zell's studies eventually led him 231 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: to the research of Franklin Dove, a biologist who had 232 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: developed a method for fusing the horns of a goat 233 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: back in the nineteen thirties. Intrigued by the prospect of 234 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: crafting his own unicorns, Zell, who had taken biology and 235 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: pre med in college, decided to give it a try. 236 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: With a bit of effort and the help of his 237 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: life partner Morning Glory, Zell pulled off the procedure. Pretty soon. 238 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: He had nine single horned goats or unicorns, and from 239 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty to nineteen eighty four he made a living 240 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: displaying the animals at Renaissance fairs. During these appearances, he was, 241 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: of course, dressed like a wizard. Eventually, Zell was put 242 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: in touch with Ringling Brothers, who were always looking for 243 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: new acts to freshen up the show. The circus was 244 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: impressed with Zell's unicorns and signed a four year licensing 245 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: deal to take four of the animals on a national tour. 246 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: It was reportedly worth about five hundred thousand dollars, but 247 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: as part of the deal, Zell had to keep quiet 248 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: about his role, including the methods by which the horns 249 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: had been grown. Although the circus had signed a four 250 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: year deal with Zell, it ultimately cut Lancelot from the 251 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: show after just two years. The decision was largely meant 252 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: to keep the show from getting stale, as rotating acts 253 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 1: ensured that repeat visitors wouldn't see the same circus every time, 254 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: but you have to imagine that all of that negative 255 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: publicity was a factor as well in either case. Once 256 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: public interest in unicorns had cooled, the circus moved on 257 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: to promoting its next big act, and that was King Tusk, 258 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: a twelve foot tall elephant whose tusks were thankfully in 259 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: the right places. As for Lancelot and the backup goats, 260 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: they returned back to Oberon Zell and Morning Glory in 261 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty seven. According to an interview Zell gave years later, 262 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: the star animal was never the same after his time 263 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: in the Spotlight. Zell said, quote, he was generally pretty 264 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: depressed because he loved being a show animal. I built 265 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: a barn in Corral just for him that we dubbed 266 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,520 Speaker 1: Fort Unicorn. We took care of him until his eventual 267 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: death a few years later in nineteen ninety one at 268 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: the age of eleven. Wringling Brothers in Barnum and Bailey's 269 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: Circus carried on itself until twenty seventeen, when declining interest 270 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: and long standing concerns about animal rights finally forced the 271 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: show to close for good. In today's world, unicorns are 272 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: firmly back in the realm of fantasy where they belong, 273 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: meaning that fans of symmetrical goats can finally rest easy. 274 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Luzier and hopefully you now know a little 275 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: more about unicorn history today than you did yesterday. If 276 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,919 Speaker 1: you want to learn even more about today's topic and 277 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,919 Speaker 1: see Lancelot for yourself, look us up on Twitter, Facebook, 278 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:15,880 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show. You can also rate 279 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: and review the show wherever you get your podcasts, or 280 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,640 Speaker 1: you can write to us directly at this day at 281 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, 282 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 283 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in History class.