1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 2: Guess what, Mango? What's that? 3 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: Will? 4 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: All right? 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 3: I know I brought these glue bottles into the studio 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 3: here and that we have put what do you think 7 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 3: Maybe we're on our fifth round of spreading it on 8 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 3: our hands and peeling it off. 9 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: Just because it's so much fun. 10 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 3: Oh my god, it's so fun. But there's actually a 11 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 3: reason that I do this. I do this in classrooms 12 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 3: now because I'm here to prove a point. I actually 13 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 3: need you to know that the glue that kids use 14 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 3: in schools, it's not really. 15 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: Glue at all. What do you mean by that? 16 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 3: It's a misnomer. And when I say misnomer to the kids, 17 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 3: they looked at me puzzled. But they need to know 18 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 3: what the word misnomer means as well. But true glue 19 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 3: is derived from natural materials like animal byproducts, plant resins, 20 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 3: and since school glue like Elmer's, is actually made from 21 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 3: synthetic materials, that technically makes it an adhesive. This is 22 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 3: a very very important point. 23 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: Man. I loved the idea of you just like stomping 24 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: around the second grade classrooms yelling stop putting that adheseve 25 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:07,479 Speaker 1: in your mouth. 26 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you know how much I 27 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 3: travel these days, and so I try to make it 28 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 3: a point by stopping by at least two or three 29 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 3: classrooms to make this point. But sure, I mean nearly 30 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 3: every example prior to twentieth century was all natural, like 31 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 3: tree sap, beeswax, egg whites. 32 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 2: Animal blood. 33 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: Then in fact, the very first commercial glue company in 34 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 3: the UK made their glue from fish by products from 35 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 3: sturgeons to be specific. 36 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 2: Can you imagine what this felt like? 37 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,199 Speaker 1: So I actually remember Salvador Dali made this homemade cologne 38 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: for his wife and it was out of like glue 39 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: and fish parts. But you know, if you'd use that 40 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: UK glue instead, like he could have saved himself. It's 41 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: kind of like a glue life hack. 42 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, it totally is, and would have felt so good 43 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 3: to like peel it off your neck. 44 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: And I think I'm gonna go another round here. 45 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 3: But it wasn't just in the UK, like fish glue 46 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 3: was the norm in the US too, and at least 47 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 3: until Elmer's Glue all hit the market in the late 48 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 3: nineteen forties. Now, at that time, the Elmer's brand also 49 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,679 Speaker 3: used natural ingredients in the glue, but the kind of 50 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 3: use were far less smelly than the sturgeon so Elmer's 51 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 3: glue all was originally produced by the Borden Company, which 52 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 3: you know is in the dairy business, and one of 53 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 3: the main ingredients in the early form of the glue 54 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 3: was casein, which you probably know is this protein found 55 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 3: in dairy milk and something the Bordon Company obviously had 56 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 3: a lot of. 57 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: That's pretty interesting. So are there any advantages to using 58 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: casin over something like fish parts? 59 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 3: Well, definitely the improved smell, not surprisingly, but case and 60 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 3: glue also spread more easily at dried clear much easier 61 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 3: to wash out. So if you think about, you know, 62 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 3: kids using it, that was really important. But despite all 63 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 3: of these improvements, for some reason, they're packaging left much 64 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 3: to be desired. Like the glue was originally sold in 65 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 3: this glass bottle, which you know was getting broken all 66 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 3: the time with kids handling, and it came with this 67 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 3: separate wooden applic that was attached to the side of 68 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 3: the bottle with just a rubber band, and so it 69 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 3: was frequently going missing. 70 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: And so when school. 71 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 3: Kids across the country started investing in this stuff, that's 72 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 3: when Borden decided to wise up and they now adopted 73 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 3: this This what we think of is this very classic 74 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 3: white plastic bottle and has the orange dispenser tip on 75 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 3: the top. 76 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: So you know me and you know I love glue knowledge. 77 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: But what is it that means you want to talk 78 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: about glue today? 79 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, you really are some kind of an expert on this. 80 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 3: But I wanted to talk about school back in September. 81 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 3: But as everybody knows, we've all been a bit busy 82 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 3: around here. But since our kids are firmly back in school, 83 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 3: no vacation in sight, I thought it'd be fun to 84 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 3: explore some of the weird origin stories behind school supplies 85 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 3: and a few other things you might find in the classroom. 86 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 3: So it's time to bust out your protractor. Lock in 87 00:03:52,280 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 3: that retainer because class is back in session. Right Hey, 88 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 3: the podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will 89 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 3: Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend 90 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,559 Speaker 3: mangesh Hot ticketter on the other side of that soundproof glass, 91 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 3: jotting down some notes in his Lisa Frank notebook. 92 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 2: I'm so jealous of this. 93 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 3: Our friend and producer Loel Burlante check it out mega, 94 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 3: Like it's just this smiling panda writing on top of 95 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 3: a smiling dolphin, and they're both eating these rainbow colored 96 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 3: ice cream cones, which also seems to somehow be smiling. 97 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: The moll finds the best stuff. It's incredible, and now 98 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: I'm smiling. 99 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 3: You know. 100 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: I am glad that you kicked this off talking about glue, 101 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: because it makes it less weird that now I want 102 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: to talk about backpacks. So these days, the first backpack 103 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: that most people own is a school backpack, but that 104 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: hasn't always been the case. So prior to the mid 105 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: twentieth century, most American students either carried their books to 106 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: class by hand, or else they wrapped a leather belt 107 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: or cloth strap around the books and then kind of 108 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: slung that over their shoulder. And a few students did 109 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: use small briefcase style satchels to carry their stuff to class, 110 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: but for the most part, students really went backless and 111 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: stuck with these trusty book straps instead. 112 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 3: It's so weird to think about a world without backpacks, like, 113 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 3: especially since you're saying it wasn't all that long ago. 114 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 3: I mean, no one really thought about wearing a bag 115 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 3: on your back before the twentieth century. 116 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 2: I don't really understand that. 117 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: So, I mean, rocksacks were I guess a thing before that, 118 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: and there were basically the drawstring bags that you slung 119 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: over your shoulder, but these zippered bags with dual straps 120 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: like that didn't come along until nineteen thirty eight. And 121 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: that was the year when a mountaineer named Jerry Cunningham 122 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: invented the first ever zippered backpack out of canvas cloth 123 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: and mostly you did this because he didn't like the 124 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,599 Speaker 1: way traditional rocksacks slid around on his back when he 125 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,479 Speaker 1: was climbing. So Jerry's design was a big hit with 126 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 1: hikers and campers and people like that, real outdoorsman. But 127 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: actually it would take another thirty years before his invention 128 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: would finally make its way off the trail and into 129 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: the classroom. 130 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 2: Again. 131 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 3: I mean, it's hard to believe it would take this 132 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 3: long to realize that there was a market for these 133 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 3: beyond just mountaineers. So was it Jerry's idea to bring 134 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 3: it into the classroom as well? 135 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: No, not exactly. I mean, he did keep playing with 136 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: his backpack. He made the first nylon backpack in nineteen 137 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,559 Speaker 1: sixty seven, and his designs were mostly for outdoor living. 138 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: But it's actually that company, JanSport. Did you have a 139 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: Janzport growing up? 140 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 3: Oh totally, yeah, that's multiple danceports despite the like lifetime guarantee. 141 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 3: I think I probably had three different jans Pots. 142 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: I know we had between JanSport and LB, and I 143 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: had so many backpacks and they all had like life 144 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: lifetime guarantees, and I went through all of them. So 145 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: he designed this teardrop design and JanSport tweaked it a 146 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: little and they used it to win over students. But 147 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: that even makes it sound like a little more intentional 148 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: than it was. So the University of Washington had this 149 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: small sports shop inside their campus bookstore because so many 150 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 1: kids in their we're into climbing and hiking and whatever, 151 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: and so in nineteen sixty nine the shop began stalking 152 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: jan Sports new lightweight nylon backpack mainly is used as 153 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: like a day pack for these hikes, and when students 154 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: realized the bags were perfect for keeping books and supplies, 155 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: and it really took off. 156 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 3: It's funny because a pretty similar thing happened with lunch boxes, 157 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 3: which was another surprisingly recent addition to the school supply. 158 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: Cannon, which is I guess people didn't want their sandwiches 159 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: wet for lunch. 160 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 2: No, I don't. 161 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 3: I don't know if you want your sandwiches wet, that's 162 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 3: so nasty. Kids were mostly just improvising, you know, through 163 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 3: the mid twentieth century or so, they'd use an old 164 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 3: cookie tin or a tobacco tin they had lying around somewhere, 165 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 3: And so it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that 166 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 3: dedicated lunch pails finally arrived on the scene. 167 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: I always think that word lunch pails is so funny, 168 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: like the idea of carrying around a bucket full of food. 169 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 2: I mean, they kind of were. 170 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 3: I mean, the original lunch pails for these small metal buckets, 171 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 3: except they did come with lids, and later versions took 172 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 3: on more of a like a toolbox or bread basket shape, 173 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 3: and they featured these clasps so you could keep the 174 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 3: lid shut when you carry them around, which is the 175 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 3: kind of lunchbox men took to work in the early 176 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,679 Speaker 3: twentieth century. You can kind of visualize those images we've seen, 177 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 3: and pretty soon their children followed suit at school. 178 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: So when did these bright colors and the cartoon characters, Like, 179 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: when did all that stuff get onto the lunchboxes. 180 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 3: That actually happened pretty early, Like the first one, aim 181 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 3: specifically at kids, came in nineteen thirty five when the 182 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 3: Aladdin Company put a picture of Mickey Mouse on the front, 183 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 3: but with the depression, it didn't quite take off at 184 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 3: that time. 185 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm guessing funds for that sort of thing were 186 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: a little limited, and you know, foods at a premium, 187 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: not you know, not the things you're carrying it around in. 188 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:43,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, that's true. 189 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 3: But you know, the Aladdin Company kept their idea for 190 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 3: this novelty lunch box in their back pocket, and when 191 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 3: TV started to take off, this was in the early 192 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 3: nineteen fifties, the company got another turn at this, and 193 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 3: so they released the metal lunch Box and Thermis that 194 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 3: featured a cruelly drawn picture of hop Along Cassidy. Well 195 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 3: that might sound pretty dull today, the hop lunch Box 196 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 3: was actually a massive hit. They sold six hundred thousand 197 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 3: of these things in a single year, and that success 198 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 3: was enough for another screen cowboy to take notice. This was, 199 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 3: of course, Roy Rogers, so he approached the Latin about 200 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 3: making a lunch box of his own, but the company 201 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 3: actually turned him away because they didn't think a second. 202 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 2: Cowboy lunchbox would sell. 203 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: It's just too much cowboy. You don't want two Cowboys. 204 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 1: I'm guessing they were wrong about that, though, right. 205 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 3: They were very wrong about this, because remember westerns were 206 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 3: a big deal in fifties entertainment, on the same scale 207 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,839 Speaker 3: as like the superhero movies today, and there was absolutely 208 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 3: room on the shelf for two Cowboy lunchboxes. 209 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 2: And Roy Rogers knew this. 210 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 3: So to that end, Rogers partnered with a different company, 211 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,959 Speaker 3: it was American Thermos, and then together they released a 212 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 3: lunchbox that was so popular and wound up selling two 213 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 3: and a half million units in nineteen fifty three. 214 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:00,719 Speaker 2: Whoa. 215 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 3: Not only did Roy Rogers you know, this lunch box 216 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 3: sell through the roof, it also set a new benchmark 217 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 3: for lunchbox design. It had this full color illustration that 218 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 3: covered the entire box, and Thermos and so from their 219 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:19,599 Speaker 3: lunchboxes really took off. Companies started churning out countless designs 220 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 3: with TV movie, comic book characters. The biggest hit was 221 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 3: this Disney lunch box painted to resemble a school bus 222 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 3: that was carrying Mickey and the other Disney characters along 223 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 3: Like Pinocchio and Dumbo, and so over nine million of 224 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 3: those school lunchboxes were sold, making it the most popular 225 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 3: lunch box ever made. 226 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: That's pretty incredible. So where lunchbox is still mostly metal 227 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: at that point or had they already switched over to plastic. 228 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 3: No, these were all still metal, and when all was 229 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 3: said and done, roughly one hundred and twenty million metal 230 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,559 Speaker 3: lunch boxes were sold between nineteen fifty and nineteen seventy. 231 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 3: The party kind of ended in nineteen seventy two, though, 232 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 3: when the state of Florida banned metal lunch box is 233 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 3: from schools. They were you worried that kids were using 234 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 3: these heavy boxes as weapons, which led to the plastic 235 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 3: boxes that we've seen in more recent years and the 236 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 3: eventual declining sales of lunch boxes in general. 237 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,079 Speaker 1: So we've covered two of the most quintessential school supplies 238 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: I feel, like backpacks and lunchboxes. But here's another thing 239 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: I hadn't thought about in a while, and that's the 240 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: humble plastic recorder, which is still used in music classes today. 241 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 3: You know, I have always wondered, like, how has decided 242 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 3: that every kid in America should learn how to play 243 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 3: the recorder? Like I've always just assumed someone on the 244 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 3: school board was in cahoots with the manufacturer, and that's 245 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 3: how it somehow took off. 246 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, so I was actually curious about that too, And 247 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: it turns out that it's largely thanks to the influence 248 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: of this famous German composer whose music theory became the 249 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: basis for a lot of the school music programs we 250 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 1: see today. His name was Carl Orff, and while his 251 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: name might not ring a bell, you've definitely heard his 252 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,319 Speaker 1: most famous work, and at least one movie trailer. It's 253 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: called Carmina Burana and it sounds like this. 254 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, that definitely rings a bell. I mean, it's kind 255 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 3: of the go to hook for every epic movie since 256 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 3: the nineteen nineties exactly. 257 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: But anyway, so Orf's approach to teaching music stress the 258 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,319 Speaker 1: importance of rhythm and creative thinking rather than just memorizing 259 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 1: musical notations. And he thought the best way for a 260 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: kid to learn music was by teaching him to play 261 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: a simple, accessible instrument that kind of mimic their own 262 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 1: vocal range. And the soprano recorder perfectly fit that bill, 263 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: because you know, at its core, the recorder is practically 264 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: just a whistle, and unlike more complicated instruments, there are 265 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: no strings to strum. You don't have to purse your 266 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 1: lips in any strange way. You just kind of blow 267 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: and out comes this screechy, high pitched tone. At least 268 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: that's what I hear from my kids. But if you 269 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,120 Speaker 1: cover this hole or that hole with your fingers, you 270 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: can actually change the notes you play. But the recorder's 271 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: classroom dominance wasn't cemented until the nineteen sixties, and that's 272 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: when advances in manufacturing finally allowed the instruments to be 273 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,920 Speaker 1: mass produced in plastic. The plastic recorders were especially attractive 274 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: to educators because they were cheap enough that you could 275 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: buy them in bulk, but still durable enough that you 276 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: know they'd last, and they had a pretty good sound. 277 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 3: I do have to say, I mean, you're being pretty 278 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 3: cavalier about potentially alienating all those professional recorder players that 279 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 3: might be in our audience. I think you should be 280 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 3: a little bit more careful. 281 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: I think you're right, actually, And Gabe, who did this research, 282 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: warned me that recorders used to be considered a pretty 283 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: serious instrument. According to experts, the recorders heyday was probably 284 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: during the Baroque era when composers like Bach and Vivaldi 285 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: would actually crank out pieces that showcased recorders in all 286 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: different sizes, and the recorder kind of got offstaged when 287 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: the flute came into Europe and Asia and gradually stole 288 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: the show. But adult musicians do still compose for and 289 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: play the recorder today, according to Susan Burns, who's the 290 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: administrative director of the American Recorder Society, quote, the recorder 291 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: is a professional instrument in its own right. Everyone says, oh, 292 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:09,479 Speaker 1: it's so easy to play, but it takes a lifetime 293 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,079 Speaker 1: to master, you. 294 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 3: Know, Tony, I don't know if you've ever seen this 295 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 3: clip that went viral of you hear the song turned 296 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 3: down for what being played, and then right after they 297 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 3: say that, it pans to this group of elementary school 298 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 3: students and they start playing the like chorus or whatever 299 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:27,359 Speaker 3: on their recorders. 300 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 2: It was pretty great. 301 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: I know, we've got so much more. So let's take 302 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: a quick break. 303 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 3: They're listening to Part Time Genius and we're talking about 304 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 3: the strange stories behind school supplies. All right, Mango, So 305 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 3: as you know, there's a question every parent has to 306 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 3: ask sooner or later, and that is, how can I 307 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 3: keep my kid from freaking out about their first day 308 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 3: of school? Like, it's a scary amount of change for 309 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 3: a child to deal with, and there's no universal answer 310 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 3: for how to combat that fear. But the Germans and 311 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 3: Austrians have what's probably the closest thing I think, and 312 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 3: what is that Well, basically you distract them with a 313 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 3: giant cone full of presents. I mean, it seems so 314 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 3: obvious in hindsight, but this is a real thing in 315 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 3: Germany and Austria. So each year since the early eighteen hundreds, 316 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 3: the latest crop of first graders are gifted with what's 317 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 3: called a shultata, which is to help celebrate their very 318 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 3: first day of school. The name translates as school bag, 319 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 3: but it's more like this giant cone shaped Christmas stocking. 320 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 3: So parents will fashion it out of paper and it's 321 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 3: sometimes as big as two or three feet tall, and 322 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 3: then they fill it with like candy and toys and 323 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 3: all these other treats to help make the first day 324 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 3: of school more special. 325 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: Actually, just look this up. It's crazy. These cones are 326 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: like as big as the kids. It's insane. 327 00:15:58,800 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, there is. 328 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: So all the first year students just lugged these giant 329 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: cones around like all day. 330 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 2: Well not anymore, no. 331 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 3: I mean nowadays most kids get their shulta does at 332 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 3: home and leave it there. But back in the early 333 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 3: days of the tradition, kids actually had to rush to 334 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 3: the school yard and pick their own from this tree 335 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 3: that was said to grow them only when it was 336 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 3: time for the school year to start. 337 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 1: That's amazing. I can imagine kids just like waiting at 338 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: the gates and then running in and getting these plucking 339 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: these cones from truths. It is kind of funny that 340 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: you brought up cones, because I actually have the goods 341 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: on a different sort of cone that was supposed to 342 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: I guess bring up the opposite reaction, and that's the 343 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: dance cap. So during the Victorian era, this goofy cone 344 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: shaped hat became a symbolic form of discipline in European 345 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: and American schools alike, and if a student acted up 346 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: in class or didn't know the answer to a question, 347 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: they'd have to go sit in the corner. And I'm 348 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: sure you've seen cartoons of like Dennis the Menace or 349 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: whatever where he's wearing a dance cap sitting in the corner. 350 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: But the hope was all this embarrassment would curtail future 351 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: misbehaved Yeah. 352 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 3: I mean, there's nothing like a little public shaming to 353 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 3: keep the kids in line. 354 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 2: You know. 355 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: Well, it must have been pretty traumatizing for the kids. 356 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 1: But the practice actually continued in the US and Europe 357 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: well into the twentieth century, and Dunce caps were pretty 358 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: common all the way up until the nineteen fifties. 359 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,160 Speaker 3: Oh, I do think of it as like a much 360 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 3: older image. I didn't realize they lasted that long. 361 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. 362 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: So here's the wildest part and something I hadn't heard 363 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: before this week. But we think about the Dunce cap 364 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: as something that signifies like a lack of intelligence, and 365 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: it actually began as a symbol of a really accomplished scholar. 366 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: Born sometime in the thirteenth century. His name was John 367 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: Dunn Scotis, and he was a Franciscan priest and a linguist. 368 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,479 Speaker 1: He studied theology and philosophy at Oxford and taught classes 369 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: at the University of Paris. And he even had a 370 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: group of students and others that kind of followed his 371 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 1: teachings and lived near him, and they called themselves Duntsmen. 372 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: So Atlas Obscura has an article about it, and it says, quote, 373 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: Scotis was a renaissance man centuries before the Renaissance even 374 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: took place. But all of that said, it should be 375 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: known that Scotus liked to wear a big, pointy wizard 376 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: hat whenever he went out in public. So while he 377 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: was this incredibly smart guy, his sense of fashion might 378 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 1: be a little lacking or a little too forward, you know, 379 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: depending on how you how you look at it. But 380 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:16,640 Speaker 1: the cool thing is, and no one is really sure 381 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: whether Scotis was inspired by depictions of wizards that he'd seen, 382 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: or whether it was his own cap that inspired the 383 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: wizard's look that we think of now. 384 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,920 Speaker 3: I think in either case, it sounds like the takeaway 385 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 3: here is that wise people wear very pointy hats. I 386 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 3: think that's the only thing I could take from it always. 387 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: But you know, Scotis even went a step further. He 388 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,640 Speaker 1: actually believed that the conical shape of his hat kind 389 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,160 Speaker 1: of functioned as this metaphysical reverse funnel, with knowledge collecting 390 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: at the pointy end and then flowing down around his brain. 391 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: And so, as silly as it sounds, the idea caught 392 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 1: on with academics of the day, and the cone shaped 393 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: cap became the symbol of both duntsman and of high 394 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: intelligence in general. 395 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 3: It's sort of bizarre, So like what happened? Like what 396 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 3: changed the hats from a mark of pride to this 397 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 3: symbol of shame. 398 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 1: I guess, funnily enough, it's actually the Renaissance that changed it. 399 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,919 Speaker 1: So by the mid sixteenth century, popular theology and philosophy 400 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: had moved away from Scotus and his teachings, and that 401 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: lack of popular favor made the remaining Duntsman look silly 402 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: and kind of outdated. Plus their pointy hats didn't help, 403 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: so over time, the Duntsman and the dunce cap kind 404 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 1: of became the symbol of foolishness and stupidity. 405 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 2: It's such a strange legacy. 406 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: On the bright side, though, historians have kind of vindicated 407 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,360 Speaker 1: Scotis over the years, and he's not held up as 408 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:34,359 Speaker 1: one of the finest thinkers of the Middle Ages, and 409 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: Pope John Paul the Second even beatified him back in 410 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three for his work as a religious scholar. 411 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: So who knows, maybe we can turn things around for 412 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: this famous cap too. Anyway, we've got more to come, 413 00:19:46,240 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: but first a quick break. Welcome back to part time genius. 414 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: So will you've probably heard by now that sitting is 415 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: the new smoking when it comes to health concerns, and 416 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: that's why so many offices these days are switching the 417 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: standing desk for their workers. But you know, despite all 418 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 1: the studies touting the health benefits of standing over sitting, 419 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: it's unusual to find standing desk in elementary. 420 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 3: Schools, which I mean, that's a good point because it 421 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 3: is kind of weird when you think about it. I mean, 422 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 3: you assume all the benefits of standing desk apply just 423 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 3: as well as students as they would to adult office workers. 424 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. So there was this 425 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: study that came out last year and it found that 426 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,359 Speaker 1: third graders who used a standing desk at school were 427 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: more focused in the classroom and more active overall compared 428 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: to kids of the same age who use traditional sit 429 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: down desk. And another study came up with the same 430 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: results for second through fourth graders, setting a twelve percent 431 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,359 Speaker 1: increase in engagement from students who had the option of 432 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:52,199 Speaker 1: standing in class. 433 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 3: I mean, it does sound like things might change in 434 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,479 Speaker 3: the not two distant future, and maybe we'll see standing 435 00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 3: desk become more of the norm in these classrooms. 436 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 2: Yeah. 437 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: So, a handful of elementary schools across the country have 438 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: already started adding standing desk to their classrooms, and I'm 439 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: guessing more and more schools will jump on the trend 440 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,640 Speaker 1: as they become more affordable. But in the meantime, one 441 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: elementary school teacher in California, Lynn Akers, has already made 442 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: the switch to standing desks, and she explained the benefits 443 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: this way. Quote, children naturally learn through movement. If you 444 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,160 Speaker 1: restrict them to sitting, they interrupt you more and maybe 445 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: asked to go to the bathroom a lot. They need 446 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: to get their energy out, which makes sense. 447 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 3: But you know, on the other hand, restricting kids this 448 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 3: standing all day long could also lead to just as 449 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 3: many problems. 450 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 2: I mean, what if they get tired. 451 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. So, schools are actually using a mix of standing 452 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: and sitting desks, which lets the kids choose the option 453 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: what works best for them. And even at schools where 454 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 1: there are only standing desks, they tend to provide kids 455 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 1: with these tall chairs or stools so that just in 456 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: case they're tired, they can rest their legs. 457 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 3: It's definitely a smart move And you know, since you 458 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 3: mentioned how kids need an outlet for their energy, I 459 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 3: do want to touch on something that's kind of become 460 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,479 Speaker 3: really a controversial topic. Are you talking about recess? I 461 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 3: am definitely talking about recess. You know, we have to 462 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 3: talk about recess. But instead of talking about how some 463 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,640 Speaker 3: schools have tried to abolish recess, which maybe was where 464 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,479 Speaker 3: you were thinking, I actually wanted to look at how 465 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 3: we can make recess an even more effective form of 466 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:20,360 Speaker 3: exercise than it already is. So, according to researchers in Denmark, 467 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 3: the perfect place to start is with our school's playgrounds. 468 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 3: In twenty fifteen, Danis researchers conducted a study where they 469 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 3: had hundreds of elementary students where accelerometers and these GPS 470 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 3: trackers during their school year so that their activity levels 471 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,400 Speaker 3: at recess could actually be monitored. But here's the thing. 472 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 3: The kids didn't all attend the same school or have 473 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 3: recess on the same playground, and this variance allowed the 474 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 3: researchers to see which types of schoolyard are more or 475 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 3: less conducive to exercise, and so, based on the data 476 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,679 Speaker 3: from these accelerometers, the children in the study were significantly 477 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 3: more active when playing on grassy areas and its sites 478 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 3: featuring playground equipment, and on the other end of the spectrum, 479 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 3: concrete lots were the worst of the bunch, so they 480 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,640 Speaker 3: elicited the least energy expenditure of all the environments studied. 481 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 3: So the hope is that with this kind of insight 482 00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:16,719 Speaker 3: on what works best, developers can make better decisions and 483 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 3: create playgrounds and school yards where you know, it's easier 484 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 3: and more fun for kids to choose to be active 485 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 3: on their own. 486 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:25,919 Speaker 1: Which is interesting. So what kinds of stuff are we 487 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 1: talking about though, Like, because I'm guessing it's something beyond 488 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: your typical slides and monkey bars. 489 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 490 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 3: So the researchers behind this study helped a few different 491 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 3: schools renovate their playgrounds and the main focus was to 492 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 3: widen the variety of activities on offer. So in addition 493 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 3: to the standard playground fair like swing sets, they added 494 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 3: these areas specifically designed for dancing and climbing and skating, 495 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 3: and they even dedicated this trampoline area. 496 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:53,880 Speaker 2: And I mean, really, who wouldn't. 497 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 3: Want to spend at least an hour a day in 498 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 3: a place like that all those options? 499 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: I know it does sound pretty fun. And in the end, 500 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,639 Speaker 1: isn't that the only school supply that a kid really needs? 501 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 2: Fun? 502 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 3: Pens, pencils, notebooks for lers, there's probably a few other things. 503 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it spoken like a true grown up, So why 504 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: don't we keep the fun going with a fact off? 505 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: So here's a quick one on crayons. According to a 506 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: Yale University study, Crayola crayons are one of the most 507 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 1: recognizable sense for adults, ranking at number eighteen of all 508 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: the sense they tried, and it beat out Believe this 509 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: or not, cheese and bleach. Ah. 510 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 2: That's impressive. 511 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 3: All right. Well, speaking of names for crayons, did you 512 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 3: know that Crayola uses multiple names to refer to the 513 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 3: same colors. So the practice started early, with the company 514 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 3: using fifty four names to refer to just thirty eight 515 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,159 Speaker 3: separate colors by the end of nineteen oh three, and 516 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 3: things only balloon from there. So you fast forward to 517 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 3: twenty fifteen and Traila had to signed seven hundred and 518 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,360 Speaker 3: fifty nine names to just three hundred and thirty one colors. Now, 519 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 3: to be clear, though, this doesn't mean the company is 520 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 3: stuffing duplicate crayons and the same box under a different name, 521 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 3: but if you were to open different boxes, you might 522 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 3: actually find that the same blue crayon is simultaneously labeled 523 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:23,719 Speaker 3: as Liberty blue, iron Man blue, or Birdy blue, depending 524 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:24,920 Speaker 3: on the box that you get. 525 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,479 Speaker 1: So pencils may seem a little old fashioned as more 526 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: kids learn to type and use pens, but don't count 527 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: them out just yet. According to the Chicago Tribune, they 528 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:36,120 Speaker 1: keep coming back into fashion every so often, and when 529 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:39,120 Speaker 1: Sudoku first became a craze, pencils actually had a seven 530 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: hundred percent increase in sales in London. 531 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:42,160 Speaker 2: Holy cow. 532 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: Wow. 533 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 2: All right, Well, here's a quick one. 534 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:46,879 Speaker 3: I didn't realize until our friend Aaron McCarthy did this 535 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 3: story on trapper keepers. So apparently the unique folders were 536 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 3: called trappers because they kept papers in them so well, 537 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 3: and then the binder was called a trapper keeper because 538 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 3: it held all the trappers to get You know. 539 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: I had always wondered why it had that name. It 540 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: is such a strange name for a product that I 541 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,199 Speaker 1: absolutely love. So you gave us the skinny on Elmer's 542 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: glue at the top of the show. So now I'm 543 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,160 Speaker 1: actually going to clue you in on Elmer himself because 544 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: believe it or not, Elmer wasn't created just for the 545 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: glue bottle. He was actually based on a real bull 546 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: that the Bordon Company used to advertise its products at 547 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirty nine World's Fair. So the original plan 548 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,679 Speaker 1: was to have the dairy company's famous spokescow, Elsie, appear 549 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,119 Speaker 1: at the event, but she was actually busy shooting the 550 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: film version of Little Women or the sequel. I guess 551 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: Little Man. It's so bizarre, but she was on set, 552 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: so Bordon knew they couldn't show up to the World's 553 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: Fair empty handed, so at the last minute, the company 554 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: found a bull to use instead, and at the fair, 555 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: the company dubbed him Elmer and announced that he was 556 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: the unmentioned husband of Elsie, which I'm sure Elsie wasn't 557 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,719 Speaker 1: too happy about it, but the public loved the idea 558 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,679 Speaker 1: and Elmer was quickly made the mascot for the Bordon 559 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: Chemical division, you know, the other side of the company, 560 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: And that's how we wound up on the glue that 561 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:01,920 Speaker 1: would eventually bear his name. 562 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,719 Speaker 3: That was a much more involved origin story than I 563 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 3: expected for the fact off, especially, but I do like 564 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 3: the way you brought the episode full circle. So just 565 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 3: for that, I think I'm gonna give you the trophy 566 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 3: and I will take it all right. Well, that's going 567 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 3: to do it for today's Part Time Genius for myself, Mango, Gabe, 568 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 3: and Lowell. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back 569 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:38,639 Speaker 3: soon with another episode. Part Time Genius is a production 570 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 3: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 571 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.