1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Hey there, history fans. We're taking a break to stay 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: ahead of the holidays, but we've got plenty of classic 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: shows to keep you busy. 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,399 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. I'm Eves and you're 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: listening to This Day in History Class, a podcast that 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 2: really takes to heart the phrase you learn something new 7 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 2: every day. The day was November twenty fourth, nineteen fourteen. 8 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: Bessie Blunt was born in Hickory, Virginia. Blunt was a 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: physical therapist and inventor who created tools and devices to 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 2: help people with physical disabilities. Bessie's parents were George Woodard 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 2: and Mary Elizabeth Griffin. She went to Digg's Chapel Elementary School, 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 2: a school that was built after the Civil War for 13 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: the children of formerly enslaved people and Native Americans. She 14 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 2: said that at the school, black kids learned how to 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 2: read by reading verses out of the Bible. She was 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: left handed, but one of her teachers would beat her 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 2: on her knuckles for writing with her left hand. She 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 2: figured that quote, if it was wrong to write with 19 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 2: my left hand, then it was wrong to write with 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 2: my right hand. So she taught herself to write with her. 21 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: Teeth and feet. 22 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 2: Her family moved to New Jersey, where Bessie studied nursing 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 2: at Kenney Memorial Hospital and attended Panzer College a physical education. 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: After she graduated from Panzer, she studied physical therapy at 25 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 2: Union Junior College. Once she became a practicing physical therapist, 26 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: she worked at veterans' hospitals where she taught soldiers who 27 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 2: lost limbs or didn't have use of their limbs new 28 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: ways to perform tasks. She taught them how to write 29 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 2: with their teeth and feet, and she designed inventions that 30 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 2: would help the veterans with tasks that could not be 31 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 2: compensated for with physical therapy. One of those inventions was 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: a device that helped people who were unable to use 33 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 2: their limbs to reach their mouth eat on their own. 34 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 2: She spent ten developing her first design of this device, 35 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 2: and after about four years of further development, she created 36 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 2: a working model made of stainless steel. One bite of 37 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 2: food at a time was delivered through a tube. A 38 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 2: patient would then bite down on the tube, which activated 39 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 2: a motor, and dispense that bite of food through the mouthpiece. 40 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 2: The device shut down between bites so the patient would 41 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 2: have time to chew the food. The chief medical director 42 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 2: of the Veterans Administration told her the feeding device was 43 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 2: impractical and that hand feeding was preferred. Medical supply companies 44 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: were not buying into her device, so she donated the 45 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,839 Speaker 2: patent rights to the French government in nineteen fifty one. 46 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 2: The French government was interested in using the device in 47 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 2: military hospitals, but also designed another feeding device, which was 48 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 2: made up of a tube attached to a dish that 49 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 2: was connected to a brace that a person wore around 50 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 2: their neck. In nineteen fifty three, she appeared on a 51 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,519 Speaker 2: television show about inventions called The Big Idea. She went 52 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 2: on to work as a caretaker for the mother in 53 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 2: law of Theodore Edison, son of inventor Thomas Edison, and 54 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 2: she designed more inventions, like a kidney shaped vomit basin 55 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: made out of paper mache. The invention wasn't picked up 56 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: in the US, but the Belgian government took interest in it, 57 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: and the basins are still used in Belgian hospitals today. 58 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 2: In nineteen sixty nine, Blunt switched career paths, turning to 59 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 2: forensic science. She became a handwriting analyst and published a 60 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 2: paper on medical graphology, or the study of handwriting. She 61 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 2: detected forded documents for the Violent Police Department in New 62 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: Jersey and for police departments in Virginia. She applied to 63 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 2: work in the FBI and was turned down, but in 64 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: nineteen seventy seven she took an advanced studies course in 65 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 2: the document division at Scotland Yard. She's believed to be 66 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: the first black American woman to train and work at 67 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 2: Scotland Yard. In her later years, Blunt continued to do 68 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 2: freelance forensic work, and she authenticated documents for museums. She 69 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 2: also worked as a consultant in law enforcement investigations. Blunt 70 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 2: died in New Jersey in December of two thousand and nine. 71 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 2: I'm Eve Stefcote and hopefully you know a little more 72 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 2: about history today than you did yesterday. Keep up with 73 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 2: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDIHC podcast, or 74 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 2: if you want to get a little more fancy, you 75 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 2: can send us an email at This Day at iHeartMedia 76 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 2: dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow 77 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 2: with another episode. 78 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 79 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: show that discovers something new about history every I'm Gabe Luzier, 80 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 1: and in this episode we're talking about the time when 81 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 1: a European explorer got lost while searching for a mythical 82 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: land and wound up finding the island of Tasmania instead. 83 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: The day was November twenty fourth, sixteen forty two. Dutch 84 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: explorer Abel Tasman recorded the first European sighting of the 85 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: island now known as Tasmania. He noted the discovery and 86 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: his journal entry for that day, writing quote, in the afternoon, 87 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: about four o'clock we saw land bearing east by north 88 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 1: of us at about ten miles distance. The land we 89 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: sighted was very high. The next day the crew sailed 90 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: along the shoreline and Tasman gave the island a new name. 91 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: He didn't name it after himself, though that came later. Instead, 92 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: Tasman named it after the man who had financed their expedition, 93 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: the Governor General of the powerful trade hub known as 94 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: the Dutch East India Company. He marked the occasion in 95 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: his journal, writing quote, this land, being the first land 96 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: we have met with in the South Sea and not 97 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: known to any European nation, we have conferred on it 98 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: the name of Anthony van Damon's Land, in honor of 99 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: the honorable Governor General, Our illustrious master who sent us 100 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: to make this discovery. In the weeks ahead, Tasman and 101 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: his crew would also discover the island of staten Land 102 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: better known today as New Zealand, as well as Fiji, Tonga, 103 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: and several other Pacific islands. These were big discoveries in 104 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: their own right, but they weren't what Tasman had been 105 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: sent to find. His true mission was to explore a 106 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: mysterious southern land known as Tara Australis aka Australia, which 107 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: was still largely unknown to Europeans by sixteen forty two. 108 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: Dutch explorers knew there was some kind of large land 109 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: mass somewhere far to the south, but no one had 110 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: ever mapped or explored it. This uncertainty made the Southern 111 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: continent into a kind of legendary land. Some geographers of 112 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: the era went a little wild with their speculation. They 113 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: suggested that Terra Australis might be a massive stretch of 114 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: dry ground that covered the entire lower half of the globe. This, 115 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: they argued, would almost have to be the case, because 116 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: how else could the southern hemisphere counterbalance the northern one. 117 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: In the end, they misjudged the size of Australia just 118 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: a little and Abel Tasman didn't end up finding the 119 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: mainland until a second trip two years later. The annoying 120 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: part is he came incredibly close to finding it the 121 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: first time. By early December, Tasman was just about two 122 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: hundred miles south of what's now Victoria, Australia. If it 123 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,679 Speaker 1: weren't for bad weather, he could have kept sailing north 124 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: and bumped right into it instead. A full picture of 125 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: the southern continent wouldn't come into focus until over a 126 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: century later, when British sailors found what other explorers had 127 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: just missed. But even without a sighting of Australia, Tasman's 128 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: first voyage was still eventful. After he and his crew 129 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: cited Tasmania on November twenty fourth, they spent the next 130 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: week exploring the island's southern coast as they dodged bad 131 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: weather and searched for a safe place to land. On 132 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: December first, they finally laid anchor and spent the next 133 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: few days exploring the island interior. The crew was grateful 134 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: to find fresh water and edible plants, which Tasman described 135 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: as quote refreshments for our own Behoof. During their time 136 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: on the island, they reported hearing voices and seeing rising 137 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: smoke and other signs of human life, but they never 138 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: actually met the indigenous people of Van Damon's land. Still, 139 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: even without a true encounter, Tasman's reporting on the inhabitants 140 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: effectively ended their fourteen thousand year isolation streak. It must 141 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: have been nice while it lasted. Abel Tasman definitely got 142 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: a bit turned around while searching for Terra Australis, but 143 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: he still managed to make some notable discoveries. For Europe. 144 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: He charted hundreds of miles of coastline, helped fill in 145 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: some blank spots on the map, and pretty much disproved 146 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: the idea of a dry super continent that wraps all 147 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: around the globe. Sadly, his patrons at the Dutch East 148 00:09:55,679 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: India Company didn't see it that way. Since Tasman had 149 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: and established any new trade routes or trading posts, the 150 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 1: company considered his voyages a flop, including his later expedition 151 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: where he actually made it to the northern coastline of 152 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: present day Australia. Too little, too late, apparently. As for 153 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: the island he accidentally discovered on that day in late November. 154 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: It was eventually colonized by the British in the early 155 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,319 Speaker 1: nineteenth century. The colonists kept the name Van Damon's Land, 156 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 1: but it was subsequently changed after the island became self 157 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: governing in the mid eighteen fifties. By that time, the 158 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 1: British military had nearly wiped out the Aboriginal inhabitants of 159 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: the island. The old name had become synonymous with those atrocities, 160 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 1: so the decision was made to rename it Tasmania. It 161 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 1: was a tribute to the island's first visitor, the one 162 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: who came and left in peace, and who first put 163 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: the island on the map for better or were. I'm 164 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: Gabe Luesier and hopefully you now know a little more 165 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you'd like 166 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: to keep up with the show, you can follow us 167 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI HC Show and 168 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: if you have any comments or suggestions you can send 169 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: them my way at this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 170 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 171 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 172 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,319 Speaker 1: for another Day in History class. 173 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:44,319 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, 174 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.