1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: Wander around Florence, Italy, birthplace of the Renaissance, and you're 7 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: bound to find priceless works of art everywhere you look. 8 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,319 Speaker 1: For the past eight hundred years, Florentine museums have been 9 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: collecting and displaying some of the greatest pieces of Western 10 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: art in the world. But after all this time, new 11 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: works are still being discovered. In nineteen seventy five, for example, 12 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: a worker was busy in the bowels of the Medici 13 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: Chapel clean out a coal storage room. As he stripped 14 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: away decades of old plaster, he was surprised to find 15 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: something hiding underneath a human figure sketched in charcoal. Had 16 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: another handyman whiled away his lunch hour doodling on the 17 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: walls one hundred years before, or was something amazing hiding 18 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: beneath this plaster? When the worker brought the director of 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: the chapel down to sea. This director realized those little 20 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: doodles were something very special. After more workers carefully removed 21 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: the overlay of plaster, the chapel director was certain that 22 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,479 Speaker 1: he had found something important. Dozens of charcoal and chalk 23 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: sketches of faces, torsos, and legs decorated the walls. One 24 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,199 Speaker 1: set of legs seemed very familiar. In fact, it looked 25 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: a whole lot like a pair that belonged to his 26 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: statue in the museum. Above them a mausoleum completely designed, 27 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: built and sculpted by Michelangelo. Michael Angelo, of course, was 28 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: one of the four teenage mutant Ninja turtles. Wait no, 29 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: that's not right. He was one of Florence's most famous artists. 30 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: His colossal statue of David still draws tourists to the 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: city today. His talent was so great that he was 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: even asked to paint the Assistine Chapel at the Vatican. 33 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: So why were his sketches hiding in an underground coal pit. 34 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: The answer lies at the intersection of art and politics. 35 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: Michelangelo was a famous and influential figure during his time. 36 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: He had power in the city states of Rome, Venice 37 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: and Florence, and even at times had the ear of 38 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: the Pope, which meant that to certain people, like the 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: Medici family of Florence, Michelangelo was dangerous. The Medici were 40 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: a noble family in Florence who ran the wealthiest bank 41 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: in the region. Their vast holdings made them incredibly powerful 42 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: in Florence and gave them influence over the Vatican. With 43 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,239 Speaker 1: so much money to burn, they helped fund the Renaissance 44 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: by commissioning work from artists. During the first few years 45 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: of Michelangelo's career, the Medicis were good friends and patrons. 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: Beginning in fourteen eighty nine, when Michelangelo was just a 47 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: fourteen year old apprentice, he was taken in by the 48 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: Mediici court and supported as an artist. He painted, sculpted, 49 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: and designed many works for them over the years, but 50 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:12,679 Speaker 1: in fifteen twenty seven their relationship abruptly soured. That year, 51 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: Florence citizens ousted the Medicies as rulers of the city 52 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: state and declared it a true republic. The medichiese countered 53 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: by raising an army to lay siege to the city. Michelangelo, 54 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: a native Florentine, immediately jumped into action to help the 55 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: city that he loved. As a seasoned architect and designer, 56 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: he helped design the city's siege fortifications to hold off 57 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: advancing armies, and for two years he helped support Florence. 58 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: But when the city fell to the Medichi forces in 59 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: fifteen thirty, the Mediiciese were not exactly happy to see 60 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: their old artist friend. Pope Clement, who also happened to 61 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: be a member of the Medici family, swore out a 62 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: warrant for Michelangelo's execution. The Pope, the mouth of the 63 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: Catholic Church itself, wanted Michelangelo dead, so the great sculptor 64 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: went into hype. For two whole months, Michelangelo hid right 65 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: under the Medicies's nose in a tiny storage room below 66 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: the Medichi chapels. The only light in his hiding place 67 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: was from a tiny window, and yet even under pain 68 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: of death, Michelangelo just couldn't put the charcoal down. He 69 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: spent his voluntary imprisonment sketching ideas for his new projects. 70 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: He expected that soon enough Pope Clement would realize the 71 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: pickle he had put himself in. Sure Michelangelo had supported 72 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: the ousting of the Mediciese, but he was simply too 73 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: talented to kill, and just as predicted, Michelangelo was pardoned 74 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: a few months later. The Pope had a new project 75 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: for him too, the Last Judgment, a vast fresco to 76 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: adorn the wall of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo's time in 77 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: hiding was soon forgotten. He continued to work for the 78 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: Mediciese and other patrons until his death in fifteen sixty four, 79 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: and he left behind hundreds of breathtaking paintings, sculptures and buildings, 80 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: but perhaps his most human works or a handful of 81 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: doodles that he drew on the wall wondering if he 82 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 1: would ever be free again. Mass crime fighters are a 83 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: part of American pop culture, maybe even the most iconic part. 84 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: Marvel and DC heroes like Batman, Superman, Spider Man, and 85 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: Captain America have been appearing in comics, movies, TV shows, 86 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 1: and on shirts, lunchboxes, and backpacks for almost one hundred years. 87 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: Those heroes have their roots in the pulp adventure novels 88 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: of the early twentieth century, stories about characters such as 89 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: Zoro and John Carter of Mars, and in turn, those 90 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: characters were inspired by Wild West full heroes of the 91 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: nineteenth century. So while today superheroes seem like fantasy men 92 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: in masks, fighting crime was a very real phenomenon in 93 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: the Old West. Only the real life masked men were 94 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: a lot more complicated than their fictional counterparts, and their 95 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: secret identities were often just as strange as their masked personas. 96 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: Nathaniel En Kinney was a striking figure even when he 97 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: wasn't preaching from the pulpit. He stood at six feet 98 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: and weighed between two hundred and fifty and three hundred pounds. 99 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: His fiery sermons matched his imposing stature. He would preach 100 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: with his Bible in front of him on a podium 101 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: and his two pistols lying on either side. Kinny believed 102 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: in evangelical morality, a fairly strict interpretation of Christian belief. 103 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: No drinking, no smoking, no partying, no womanizing, and certainly 104 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: no criminal behavior of any kind. He was in the 105 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: wrong place for such beliefs. Nathaniel Kinney brought his family 106 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: to the Ozarks in eighteen eighty three. The Ozarks, by 107 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: the way, are a mountainous region in southern Missouri and 108 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: northern Arkansas and in the post Civil War period, the 109 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: Ozarks were especially lawless. You see, many of the Southern 110 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: states struggled with law and order in the wake of 111 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: the Confederacy's law, and Missouri was always incredibly politically divided, 112 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: never entirely a Confederate or a Union state. As such, 113 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: pro Union and pro Confederate neighbors often clashed. Nathaniel Kinney, 114 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: a Union veteran, grew tired of criminals of all kinds. 115 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: There were dozens of murders in his county, and the 116 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: culprits often went free by bribing local judges, and so 117 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: Nathaniel decided to take action. He gathered over a dozen 118 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: of his local friends and had them meet him at 119 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: the site of a recent murder. He gave a speech 120 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: over the body of the murder victim, saying that it 121 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: was he and his fellow citizen's duty to uphold the law, 122 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: even if those in power chose not to. So they 123 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: formed their own crime fighting society, calling themselves the Bald Nobbers. 124 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: Not the most intimidating name, but it had meaning behind it. 125 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: A bald knob is a hill. It refers to the 126 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: mountainous terrain of the Ozarks, so a bald knobber was 127 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: essentially someone who traveled over those hills. However arduous they 128 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: might be, the bald and craft through their own masks. 129 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: They used flower sacks, so again not quite as intimidating 130 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: as Batman, but they worked with what they had, and 131 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: one day outlaw brothers Frank and Tuball Taylor, got into 132 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: an argument with a local shopkeeper, John Dickerson. They shot 133 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: up the store and even wounded John. The brothers were 134 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: then arrested, but were related to a local judge, so 135 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: the bald Nobbers knew that the outlaws would be out 136 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: on bail soon, and they couldn't quite stomach the thought 137 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: of that. So the Bald Noobbers donned their masks and 138 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: rode out into the night, arriving at the jail where 139 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: the Taylor brothers were being held, They dragged them from 140 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: their cells, beat them, and then hanged them. And you 141 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: can see why modern superheroes don't kill, because it makes 142 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: for a less gruesome story. As time went by, legend 143 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: of Nathaniel spread, preacher by day, masked crime fighter by night. 144 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: The ranks of the Bald Noobbers grew, until eventually there 145 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: were a thousand of them. But as you can imagine, 146 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: all that power soon went to Nathaniel's head. He was 147 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: the only one who could judge if a person deserved 148 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: to live or die, to judge if they were pure 149 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: and moral like him. Before long, the Bald Nobbers became 150 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: just another outlaw gang, using their influence to kill indiscriminately 151 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: and even bribe officials when it suited them. They had 152 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: become the very thing that they were fighting against. In 153 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty eight, after years of Nathaniel terrorizing the Ozarks, 154 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: a rival gang member finally shot and killed him. But 155 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,840 Speaker 1: the legend of the Bald Nobbers lives on, so much 156 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: so that there's even a theme park ride in the 157 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: modern day Ozarks dedicated to the gang, as well as 158 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: a popular stage play. The story of the Bald Nobbers 159 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: shows us what a dangerous concept mass crime fighting is 160 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: in real life, but it also shows that when a 161 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: society fails to protect its citizens, they have no choice 162 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: left but to stand up for themselves. However, as Spider 163 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: Man creator Stan Lee taught us, with great power comes 164 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: great responsibility. Any modern day massed crime fighter would do 165 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: well to remember this and to perhaps choose a less 166 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:06,439 Speaker 1: curious then a sack a flower. I hope you've enjoyed 167 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for 168 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show 169 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 1: by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created 170 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. 171 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is 172 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can 173 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the Worldoflore dot com. 174 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.