1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: the show, fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so 3 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Let's hear it for mister Mourning 4 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: himself or super producer mister Max Williams. 5 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 2: You're saying about about like I'm such a night owl, 6 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: even years after being a getting out of the bartending. 7 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 2: It came like if I stay up way too late, 8 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 2: like one night, it goes straight back to it. 9 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 3: It's tough. So you get to a certain age you 10 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 3: got to catch up on that sleep. I've become the 11 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 3: same way. It's like ninety thirty PM to bed for 12 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 3: me sometimes in six am to rise. The morning routine 13 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 3: is a big part of my life these days. And 14 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 3: I'm here for it, y'all. 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: And I don't really sleep. My name is Ben Bullen. 16 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: That voice you just heard is none other than mister 17 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: Noel Brown. And in this episode we are exploring the 18 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: history of something that a lot of us don't think 19 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: about through this lens. For many, the majority of people, 20 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: I imagine, when you wake up, whatever time that is, 21 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: you have a wake up routine, if you're rising in 22 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: the morning. We see this all the time. In real 23 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: life and in fiction, you have rituals right. They may 24 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: be elaborate, for some they may be very simple. You 25 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: might have your morning shower, brush your teeth right, give 26 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: your hair a comb, and wink at yourself in the mirror. 27 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: You might also have a bunch of makeup and so on. 28 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 3: Some words of affirmation, perhaps what is it? Stuart Smalley 29 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 3: from snl O Old School Essay says, I'm smart enough, 30 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 3: I'm something enough, and gosh darn and I I matter. 31 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 3: I forget it. You know, people like me? People like me. 32 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 3: That's exactly right now. You know, maybe not all that, 33 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 3: but I'm serious when I say that the morning routine 34 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 3: and just routine and ritual in general has become a 35 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 3: lot more important to me of late, as far as 36 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 3: like a way to kind of center things and focus 37 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 3: energies in the right direction. I always was kind of 38 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 3: like down on it or thought it was stupid, but 39 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 3: I am fully on board these days. Whether it be skincare, 40 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 3: you know, hair washing, shampoo, face washes, I'm here for 41 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 3: all of it, guys. Beard poultices not poultices has leaves 42 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 3: and sticks in it. We are going to talk about 43 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 3: ungwint and ungwint. That's the word hundreds. I can jump 44 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,399 Speaker 3: in here real quick. I mean Todill's point right there. 45 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 2: Like I was always just like you know, brush your teeth, 46 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: go to class, brush teeth go to work type of person. 47 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 2: But you know, as age, I've learned more and more, 48 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 2: and it's actually funny enough, like your blood pressure is 49 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 2: often the highest, like an hour or so before you 50 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 2: wake up. Your brain is just running through rem and 51 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 2: stuff like that. So I've learned that in the morning 52 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: it's super important for me to just kind of take 53 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 2: some time and not to run out the door, because 54 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 2: I can just run out of the door and do 55 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,119 Speaker 2: things and just be a jerk to every person I meet. 56 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: You have to have those quiet moments with yourself. A 57 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: lot of these processes or processes whatever you prefer, that 58 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about today, they have varying levels 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: of importance to varying individuals. I'm not gonna get into 60 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: my weird routines, but we know they have ancient origins. 61 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 3: They tend to write, especially your routines megachees, jeez, thank 62 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 3: you like Eldritch origins. Mist oh Man. 63 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, the Blood Covenant holds, but still everybody. 64 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 3: Everything has to make a living. 65 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: And we wanted to start with the origins of soap, 66 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: which nol I feel that we have we have discussed 67 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: somehow in the past. 68 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's another accidental invention. Yeah, because I believe there 69 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 3: was material running down a mountain from burning of bodies. Yeah, 70 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 3: and then it created. 71 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 2: At animal sacrifice. 72 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it went down Mount Sapo. 73 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 2: But the problem is, no one has ever found a 74 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 2: Mount Sapo or anything referred to Mount Stapo. 75 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: And this is coming to us thanks to some excellent 76 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: research by our good pal and research associate, Jeff Factor G. 77 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 3: Bartlett. 78 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: I asked him what he wanted to be called, and 79 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: he said factor Gen. 80 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 3: Okay, that's mysterious. That sounds like a brand of fuel, 81 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 3: like a Alvaline rating of something like that. But yeah, 82 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 3: I mean, look that the whole you know, coming down 83 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 3: the mountain situation does Reek of Apocrypha, but at least 84 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 3: it doesn't Wreek of bo and that's because of soap, 85 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 3: which it may or may not have invented. 86 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, the origin of soap is apocryphals right word. It's 87 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: as mysterious as the origin of cheese, right, which also 88 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: has a cool story about its providence that has not 89 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: been proven. The thing is the history of soap. Its 90 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: origin story is gross. You could tell we were referencing 91 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: an earlier episode on Sacrifices Soap. Apparently this is according 92 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: to the New York Times. By the way, soap most 93 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: likely originated as a product of a long ago cookout. 94 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 1: So if you've ever roasted meat over a spit we 95 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: are all three big fans of cookouts, then you'll see 96 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: that these globs of unctuous fat driven to the ashes. 97 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 3: Shous I love that word, so whether or not the 98 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 3: specifics of the like and then it slid down the 99 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: side of Mount whatever, and they discovered it and soap 100 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 3: was born. That usually is an oversimplification whenever you hear 101 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 3: like a one story worry solution to something that all 102 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 3: encompassing like soap. Once again, parallel thinking and also just 103 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 3: parallel accidents, because it is a result of something. In 104 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 3: every interesting discovery, Many interesting discoveries are the results of 105 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 3: something happening as a byproduct and someone thinking, oh what 106 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 3: if I like rubbed this all over my filthy body. 107 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 3: You know, not everything specifically soap, but you know, like 108 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 3: a mushroom. We talk about this like the someone decided 109 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 3: they were going to eat it, then they died. Then 110 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 3: enough people tried to eat different ones that they figured 111 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 3: out that this one was tasty, and this one will 112 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 3: kill you, and this one will make you see funny 113 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 3: pink elephants. 114 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, so they they did figure out. Now, listen, 115 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: the past was a very dirty time, just to be 116 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: quite honest, And that point about bo holds true. If 117 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: you traveled back to the past, depending on when you 118 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: emerged in the timeline, what of your first impressions would 119 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: be just the hellish combination of unpleasant smells. So people 120 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: somewhere figured out that you could take this stuff, this 121 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: fat dripped into ashes, and you would have a substance 122 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: that was kind of slippy, slippery, and it could lift 123 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: dirt off your skin. We know that. So we don't 124 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: really know the origin of soap, and I love the 125 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:27,239 Speaker 1: way you frame that story, Nol. We do know, however, 126 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: that written recipes for soap date back almost five thousand years, 127 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of it's a phrase that you 128 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: often use. There's a lot of parallel thinking. It's something 129 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: that people probably independently invented at multiple points in history. 130 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 3: Because everyone was cooking flesh, and all that flesh was excreting. 131 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 3: That's the wrong word, the unctious dripping fluids. Gosh, I'm 132 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 3: really not doing myself any favors linguistically here, but you 133 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 3: get nail image. This is happening the world over. I mean, 134 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 3: that was one of the first things man figured out, 135 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 3: was how to sustain themselves by eating living things. So 136 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 3: talo or animal fat or if you remember that pretty 137 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 3: gross little subplot and Fight Club where they used liposuction 138 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 3: material to make soap. Tyler Durden and all that movie 139 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 3: maybe didn't age the best, but I still hold the 140 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 3: place a fond place in my heart to Tala or 141 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 3: animal fat reacts with lie, which is also something that 142 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 3: is featured in Fight Club, and a process called stephonification. 143 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 3: We have discussed a lot of this soap stuff in 144 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,559 Speaker 3: previous episodes, but this is just step one of the 145 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 3: morning routine, and we're gonna get to a myriad of 146 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,079 Speaker 3: others very quickly. We thought we'd do a little bit 147 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 3: of a review on soap for everyone absolutely ed. 148 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: While we're reviewing that, let's take a brief excursion to 149 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: talk about the origin of the morning shower. Back in 150 00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: the day when your beloved ancestors were waking up up 151 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: in ancient mournings fell ridiculous historians. They also liked a 152 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: good morning shower, and the best way to get clean 153 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: was to go under a waterfall if you were lucky 154 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: enough to live by one, or to bathe in a 155 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 1: pool or a lake. The water fall has natural water pressure, 156 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: so it's better at getting junk and dirt. 157 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 3: Off of you. Right. 158 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: This also shows us that people who are not lucky 159 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: enough to have this access didn't really have much recourse 160 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: or much agency to clean themselves up. Society had to 161 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: advance with the invention of the jug. 162 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:45,160 Speaker 3: It's so crazy because you never think to transport water, right, 163 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 3: There were so people as that that was how do 164 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,559 Speaker 3: we do this? It comes from these places and it's 165 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,559 Speaker 3: falling through our fingers. What do we do? 166 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: I just love it because that's that's peak ridiculous history. 167 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: To imagine that communities and civilizations rose and fell without 168 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: ever figuring out jugs. 169 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, the humble vessel vessel and then you know, it's 170 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 3: also why you see early culture of course bathing directly 171 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 3: in rivers. I mean, not that they hadn't also figured 172 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 3: out jugs by that point. But even before that, like 173 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 3: when we think of, like perhaps in India, cultural significance 174 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 3: of folks bathing in the Ganges, which of course held 175 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 3: religious significance as well, but they obviously had vessels. But 176 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 3: I can just imagine early man, for lack of a 177 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 3: better term, early sapiens, coming upon these bodies of water 178 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 3: and figuring out that if you just kind of splash 179 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:36,679 Speaker 3: the stuff on, even without soap or just you know, 180 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 3: took a little swim, it would be refreshing and potentially defunctifying. 181 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 3: And really quickly, I just want to say, we're talking 182 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 3: about the shower, and immediately popped into my mind my 183 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 3: favorite European word for shower, which is from courtesy of 184 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 3: the French, which is of course la douche. Yes, it's 185 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 3: just it's good, it's visual. It's like I can I 186 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 3: can hear it. I can hear what it's described, the 187 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 3: sound of the water cleansing you and splashing upon you, 188 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 3: making a little hunder sound. 189 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: You know. I also I am a fan. We come 190 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: from very different backgrounds, folks. I am a fan of 191 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: the Schwitz. Yes, I love which is right, yes them bath. 192 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,959 Speaker 3: Can we talk about this recently in the sopranos. There 193 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 3: was a whole situation where he wouldn't take a Schwitz, 194 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 3: he wouldn't make because he was he was a rat, 195 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 3: the rat. 196 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: I see, Yeah, Schwitz means a lot of different things. 197 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: But but we love, we we love these different words 198 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: for these mourning routines, and the shower, the cleansing of 199 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: the body is one of the ancient and most fundamental 200 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: aspects of most mourning routines. We also, I love thanks 201 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: to the humble jug the vessel, because now I can't 202 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: get it out of my I'm picturing like thousands of 203 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,199 Speaker 1: years of human beings finding a river or a lake 204 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: or a waterfall and saying, well, I live here now 205 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:02,840 Speaker 1: because I don't know how to move this. 206 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 3: Yeah. And then of course we get into more advanced 207 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 3: versions of water moving in the form of aqueducts and 208 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 3: then of course indoor plumbing. The Greeks, however, when it 209 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 3: comes to the morning routine, adopted the idea of this 210 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 3: morning cleanse, this bath, this douche and improved upon it 211 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 3: by developing the first as we're alluding to, drainage systems 212 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 3: drainage e LII trainage. 213 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is another pivotal moment in the history 214 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: of cleanliness because the Greeks adopted this idea of kind 215 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: of again cribbing from earlier concepts discovered and invented by 216 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: ancient egypt and Mesopotamian society. Egyptians never really got past 217 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: the primary stage of having water carried in and out 218 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: of a room manually. So the Greeks looked around. This 219 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,119 Speaker 1: is all perfect for an ancient made for TV commercial. 220 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: The Greeks looked around and said, there's got to be 221 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: a better way, and so they came up with this, 222 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: as you described, ingenious drainage system. For the first time 223 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: in known history, water could be transported in and out 224 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:22,079 Speaker 1: of rooms via pipes asterisk caveat. It's not a total 225 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 1: win because the first pipes were made of lead. 226 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, And I think we talked about on 227 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 3: stuff they don't want you to know in a strange 228 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,679 Speaker 3: news segment. A study that recently showed that the fall 229 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 3: of Rome was at least in part due to all 230 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 3: the lead that they were taking in. They experienced a 231 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,719 Speaker 3: decline in let's just say intellect. 232 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, and impulse control and things like that. Please 233 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: check out later studies. We're going to do an episode 234 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 1: about lead in the near future, but please also check 235 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: out these studies about lead exposure in more modern times. 236 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: There's some real science to it, and it's disturbing. 237 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 3: If we want to. 238 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 1: Keep it on a positive note, I guess we could say, 239 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: Nolan Max that this means the ancient Greeks were history's 240 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: first plumbers. The showers were also made accessible to people 241 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: who were not the one percenters. There were bath houses, 242 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: you know, communal areas just like a modern public pool 243 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 1: where everybody can have a schitz together. 244 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 3: For sure, and there definitely still are We've talked about 245 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 3: I think more than one occasion. Here in Atlanta, we've 246 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 3: got an amazing Korean bath house out in the Buford 247 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 3: Highway area called Jesu. And in Europe, in Germany in particular, 248 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 3: other places in Europe, for sure, bath house culture is huge, 249 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 3: and there are these incredibly elaborate and ornate, these Roman 250 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 3: style kind of bath houses that are very popular for 251 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 3: you know, young and old alike. 252 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't wait, Well, finally get our ridiculous history 253 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: field trips in play. I can't wait to take you 254 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: guys to an Onsend in Japan. Those are so this 255 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: communal bathhouse thing to your point, still is very much 256 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: a extant invention and phenomenon. Unfortunately for ancient history, as 257 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: we know spoiler, the Roman and the Greek empires collapsed 258 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: and this technology, all the progress that we're making on 259 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: it was consequentially held back. It was put on pause 260 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: for centuries, not exactly lost, but the breaks were indeed 261 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: pumped shift in priorities. 262 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 3: We could call it. 263 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: Maybe this is this is not us talking trash about 264 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: Western Europe back in the day. Instead, we're referring directly 265 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: to Cleaninginstitute dot org, which tells us the following after 266 00:15:54,640 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: Rome fell around four to six seven CE, Europe got 267 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 1: dirty bathing habits declined so much that it became a 268 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: public health crisis, Oh for sure. 269 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 3: And you can check out our episode on the Great 270 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 3: Stink of London, which deals with a lot of these 271 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 3: same concepts. The idea of miasma theory or diseased air 272 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 3: which which as we know, you know, there is such 273 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 3: a thing as airborne contagions. The idea of a virus 274 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 3: becoming airborne is very very real. But stink can't exactly 275 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 3: kill you, but bacteria can, you know, I mean, the 276 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 3: really really nasty byproducts of you know, sewage, untreated sewage 277 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 3: flowing through the streets, and while it's not exactly the 278 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 3: same as an airborne contagion, it's it's not good. But 279 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 3: this idea of miasma theory was it was debunked. This 280 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 3: is what I'm getting at. 281 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was debunked, but they were on the right track, 282 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So picture the open sewers. 283 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: Picture all the nasty stuff that a product of human 284 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: society becoming a vector for bacteria, for mold, for fungus, 285 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: for vermin, for intestinal parasites, you know, things that humans 286 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 1: at the time didn't really have an understanding of. Hence 287 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: we have miasthma theory. So there were a couple of 288 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: areas of the medieval world where people still try to 289 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 1: keep themselves themselves clean. Oh we should also mention, yes, 290 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 1: if you are thinking this as you play along your home, 291 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: being dirty was a factor that led to the Black 292 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: Death the pleasure. It was not the only reason. The 293 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: main reason was the fleas on the rats, but not 294 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: having cleanliness rituals also helped. Still, daily bathing was a 295 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 1: common custom in Japan by this time by what we 296 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: call the Middle Ages, and at Iceland, people did the 297 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: coolest thing. They went to hot springs. Have you ever 298 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: been to a hot spring once? 299 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 3: It is literally a town I want to stay in 300 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 3: North Carolina called hot springs, and there are these like 301 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 3: open kind of I don't know, like that's sort of 302 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,119 Speaker 3: coming out of the earth that have this bubbling, you know, 303 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 3: kind of jacuzzi water in it, and they're great. I 304 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 3: actually went with my kid's mom when she was pregnant 305 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 3: with said kid, and it was there were like some 306 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 3: really low temperature ones which were okay for her to 307 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 3: sit in, and then some that got really really really 308 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 3: really hot as well. But it's interesting how they were 309 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 3: the thermal vents. I think like the location of them 310 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:38,240 Speaker 3: and the number of them sort of determined how hot 311 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 3: the particular pool would be. 312 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: Absolutely I've been to. I think I've been to the 313 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: one you're describing. I've also been to some in several 314 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,439 Speaker 1: other countries, and I got to tell you, they're not 315 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: all created equal, that's right. Some of the most disappointing, 316 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: some of the most disappointed hot springs I visited were 317 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: in Guatemala when I was living there. But I you 318 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: want to give points for honesty if you go to 319 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 1: warm springs Georgia. Yeah, they don't say they're hot because 320 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: they're not springs worm springs, Yeah, which sounds better than 321 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: tepid butcher. Anyhow, here we are, we are fast forwarding. 322 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: We see that right around the seventeenth century, excuse me, 323 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: cleanliness and bathing starts to be a priority again in society, 324 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: particularly if you have a lot of money and prestige. 325 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 3: Right, cleanliness is next to godliness. Isn't an old adage 326 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 3: for nothing? Right? I mean it was literally intended to 327 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 3: wash their ass as some people might say. Beat me 328 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 3: on that, Max, because it was a genuine public health crisis. 329 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 3: But it's interesting too. We're going to get to a 330 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 3: place where the tables kind of turn and people are 331 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 3: like washing too much, and that could cause a problem too. Yes, teezer, 332 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 3: tezer for what's to come? So fast forward to seventeen 333 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 3: sixty seven, when the first you know, modern equivalent of 334 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 3: the shower hit the market and was patented by a 335 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 3: stove maker by the name of William Feetham from London Town. 336 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: I just want his name to be pronounced feet Ham, Sophie. 337 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 3: Ham, yeah, or Ham feet you know whatever. And it 338 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 3: piggyback on a lot of this incredibly innovative technology, not 339 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 3: least of which is the humble basin, the humble vessel, 340 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 3: the humble jug. Water was pumped into this basin above 341 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 3: a user's head before a chain was pulled. That would 342 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 3: basically it's like the remember the ice bucket challenge. Yeah, 343 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 3: it's just getting dumped by a bucket of water dumped 344 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 3: on your head that you have a little bit of 345 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 3: control over it. So on a hinge, right, which is 346 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 3: so weird. 347 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 1: Because this guy also manufactured stoves, So why wouldn't he 348 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: figure out some warm or hot water process anyway? 349 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 3: Isn't that funny? Yeahn't that funny? Ben? Sometimes the answers 350 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 3: right right under your nose and it takes somebody else 351 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 3: looking into the outside to figure that part out, which 352 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,719 Speaker 3: we're gonna get to, Yes we are. 353 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:10,480 Speaker 1: And by eighteen ten, well, obviously, just to summarize here, folks, 354 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 1: that first modern shower had some serious disadvantages. It didn't 355 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,639 Speaker 1: have a way to purify water for what, and it 356 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: reused a lot of water growth. That's no, that's the 357 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: opposite of cleaning yourself. That what's what they call wallowing 358 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: down filth? Yeah, a little bit of bathrot. By eighteen ten, 359 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 1: the English Regency shower is invented. 360 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 3: Now we go fancy. 361 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: We don't know who invented this, but we know it 362 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: did offer the first hot shower of its kind for people. 363 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: And then in eighteen fifty, after the Greek and Roman 364 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: method of reliable plumbing was rediscovered, people looked around and said, 365 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: oh my gosh, we don't have to reuse the same 366 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: dirty bath water and that's great. Yeah, I'm sorry. I 367 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: don't mean to put a gross image in anyone's head. 368 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: But if anybody has seen. 369 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 3: The film Gummo, there's a very intense scene where there's 370 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 3: a kid eating a chocolate bar now eating spaghetti in 371 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,639 Speaker 3: a in the filthiest bathwater you've ever seen. And then 372 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 3: he starts eating chocolate bar and he drops it in 373 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 3: the water and picks it uph Yeah, it is the 374 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 3: ick y'all cool movie. Arminy kurran very very not for everyone, 375 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 3: but not for every interesting film. Early Chloe seven performing. 376 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: A singular vision for sure. So all right, the thing is, 377 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 1: as we mentioned, interest in personal cleanliness, or prioritization of 378 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,879 Speaker 1: personal cleanliness. It waxes and wings over over time. Now, 379 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: if you've ever had to spend some time sleeping rough. 380 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: You know, no judgment, but you know that personal cleanliness 381 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: becomes its own job. And it may be surprising to 382 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: realize that at certain points in Western Europe, and even 383 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: before the mid nineteen cent tree in the United States, 384 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,159 Speaker 1: people didn't really bathe for personal cleanliness. It might be 385 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: a religious ritual if you're a knight right before a 386 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: big fight or something, but it's washing of the feet 387 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: of your apostles, for example, right right, So it had 388 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: more of a spiritual significance. But when it came to 389 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: the average, you know, wake up at sunset and take 390 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: your shower kind of thing, a lot of Americans thought 391 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: it was unhealthy. They thought, you know, similar to that 392 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: coating on a chicken's egg. They thought that the dirt 393 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: and grime they picked up in their day to day 394 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: lives was a protective layer, and that if they got 395 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: rid of the layer, they would expose their body to 396 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: unclean things the miasmas or diseased are as you mentioned earlier. 397 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: And for a long time, Americans associated the bathing of 398 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: the body with these bad stereotypes of stuck up Europeans 399 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: who were soft and opulent. Eventually, people start installing bathtubs 400 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 1: in their homes. But this did not roll out at 401 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:13,120 Speaker 1: a uniform pace, and a lot of working class people 402 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: living in tenements did not have access to running water 403 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: in cities. And being a person with some very rural 404 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,520 Speaker 1: backgrounds in my past, I can assure us all that 405 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: running water took a long time to get across the 406 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: United States, and some people still don't have running water today, 407 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: which is a crime shame. 408 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 3: When you picture that, Ben, I did in my mind 409 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,160 Speaker 3: think like so literally about the idea of how long 410 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 3: it would take to run water across the entire country. 411 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 3: That would take a really long time. But yeah, in 412 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 3: terms of the evolution of it and the availability of it, 413 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 3: you are absolutely correct. Hell man, it's a little bit 414 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 3: of an inexact science in certain houses to this day, 415 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 3: I have a bit of an older house, and uh, 416 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 3: you really got to keep on top of them pipes, 417 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 3: man or else things because water, boy, oh boy, it's 418 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:13,159 Speaker 3: great for a lot of things. But man, is it 419 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 3: insidious when it is not being your friend? Yeah? It 420 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 3: is also unstoppable and tenacious hundred percent water. Does it 421 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,199 Speaker 3: take a nap? Yeah, it's crazy. It's like fire. I mean, 422 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 3: I mean staying in the obvious there, but like how 423 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 3: how crucial it is for life, but how also deadly 424 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 3: and anti life. It can be drowning, floods, and you know, 425 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 3: the decimation of entire homes, whether it be through storms 426 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 3: or just a slow leak that you're not aware of 427 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 3: that can cause rot and literally entirely damage the foundation 428 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 3: of one's home. 429 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: Dude, I don't want to sound too Buddhist on it's 430 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 1: outside of the scope of this show, but think about it, folks. 431 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:56,760 Speaker 1: In a PvP, a one on one contest, a match 432 00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 1: between stone and water, the water will always win if 433 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: there is not a time limit. 434 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's the race. It's true. It's true. Tenacity is 435 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 3: it will always come out to if you've got time 436 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 3: and water has nothing but time. 437 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: Water's petty, That's what we're saying. Sure, anyway, we are 438 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: saying there's some great marketing. If you enjoyed our conversation 439 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: about hair dye earlier, Eel of Clock to Tour, shout 440 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 1: out to Edward Burne's marketing is a huge part of 441 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,440 Speaker 1: selling cleanliness to Americans in New York in eighteen ninety one, 442 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: they're trying to sell the idea of a public bath 443 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 1: a bath house, and so New Yorkers who visit this 444 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: public bathhouse are given a free bar or cake as 445 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: they called it, of Colgate soap as they're waiting in 446 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: line to go into this big communal bathhouse. And now 447 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:58,239 Speaker 1: personal hygiene starts. The stereotypes flip once again. Now if 448 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: you are clean and reverend, you were seen as being 449 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:05,400 Speaker 1: a good American. It even made it into the boy 450 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: Scout oath for sure. 451 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 3: And just like Loreal got it on the ground floor 452 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 3: with hair dye and then expanded their reach to all 453 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 3: aspects of beauty, Colgate did the very same thing. And 454 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,280 Speaker 3: it all started with a humble cake of soap, a freebie, 455 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 3: the ultimate marketing maneuver, exactly. 456 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 1: Yeah. And so from this we see that around the 457 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties, the US begins pushing the shower as an 458 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: idea in a wide social move, and they say, look, 459 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: you don't have to be a robber baron or a 460 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: trained tycoon to get a shower. You know, you should 461 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 1: have a shower just to be a good clean American. 462 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: And the US then emerges as this sort of underdog, 463 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: becoming a front runner in the world of normalizing cleanliness. 464 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: The UK is lacking behind folks. They don't start pushing 465 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:09,280 Speaker 1: for showers on a wide scale until about the nineteen sixties. 466 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 3: I find this insane, and that never occurred to me. 467 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 3: It's so wild not to mention that wasn't really until 468 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 3: the eighties when the shower became like a must have. 469 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,120 Speaker 3: Let's insane. I just assume, you know what's funny though, 470 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 3: I do recall a time as a little kid, namely 471 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 3: where I only took baths. Yeah, and then there came 472 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 3: a crossover point where I never really took a bath again. 473 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,240 Speaker 3: It was just all showers. 474 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 1: I think that happens to a lot of people, because 475 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: now a bath is especially in these are hurried times. 476 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: A bath is seen more as a meditative event, you know. 477 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 3: What I mean. Yeah, whale songs, candles. 478 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe a nice book, some instrumental music. 479 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: So all right, Now we are in twenty twenty five, 480 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: as we record on May twenty ninth year of Our Lord, 481 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: it is considered in a central part of being a 482 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: modern person in the United States to bathe yourself, to 483 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 1: have a good hygiene regiment. Katherine Ashenberg points out nearly 484 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: one in four American houses built in two thousand and 485 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: five had three or more bathrooms. So twenty five percent 486 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 1: of the homes built that year had three bathrooms or more. 487 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: That's a lot of bathrooms. I don't object to it. 488 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: I am pro bathroom. I like that there are options. 489 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: But this goes to something we mentioned earlier that I 490 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: think we should dive into right now. Take a dip 491 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: in this. Folks, Americans now bathe so frequently that they 492 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: can cause themselves harm. This is coming to us from 493 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: our friends at the National Museum of American History. And 494 00:29:56,160 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: this reminds me of an episode our pals Josh Chuck 495 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 1: recorded way back in the day about the danger of 496 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: antibacterial soaps. Can you tell us what's going on with that? 497 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 3: For sure? I mean it's about antibiotic resistance, the idea 498 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 3: of superbugs as well. When we expose ourselves to this 499 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 3: anti biotic I guess, which is essentially what antibacterial soap is, 500 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 3: we develop a resistance to it, especially if we use 501 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,040 Speaker 3: it too much. And I do remember a time where 502 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 3: antibacterial soap was a selling point, and I do think 503 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 3: that that is not as much the case anymore. It 504 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 3: was specifically soaps containing the compound triclosan, which had become 505 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 3: so popular that some scientists were truly concerned this could 506 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 3: contribute to the aforementioned antibiotic resistance and the development of 507 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 3: superbugs antibiotic resistant viruses. 508 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. The pickle of it is that over using 509 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: type bacterial soap can it can decimate the good bacteria 510 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: that you need, and it can also at the same 511 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: time encourage, you know, that skyrocketing evolution of a superbug. 512 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,479 Speaker 1: And that's why you have to be a little bit 513 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: careful about it. Doctors will warn you that there are 514 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,360 Speaker 1: skin conditions that can be caused by the soaps we 515 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: used to wash our bodies and clothing. And I don't 516 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 1: experienced that too. It's not pretty. And here we are 517 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: going to pause. This turned out to be a two parter. 518 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: We have it, maybe more than a two parter. We 519 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: haven't even gotten to hair gel, hairspray, history of deodorant, 520 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 1: the history of toothpaste, and brushing your teeth. 521 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 3: We've got a wash malfloride skincare. I was gonna say, 522 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 3: when we're talking about developing these resistance and cleaning off 523 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 3: things that you need. I recently went through a situation 524 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 3: where I was like you know what, I'm gonna start 525 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 3: washing my face. I've never been a face wash guy. 526 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 3: I've never had like a skincare routin love it and 527 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 3: the face wash that I picked, all of a sudden, 528 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 3: it caused me to break out, and I've never broken 529 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 3: out in my life. I was sort of like, well, 530 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 3: I guess I should do this. So you do have 531 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 3: to kind of be careful and not wash your face 532 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 3: too much because you can wash off these certain oils 533 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 3: that you actually need on your skin to maintain a healthy, 534 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 3: you know, biome. Kind of right, yeah, this is this 535 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 3: is true. 536 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: I'm laughing because I've been in those situations as well, 537 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:34,320 Speaker 1: and it kind of reminds me of other non human 538 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,480 Speaker 1: cleaning products where they tell like a fabric cleaner or 539 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: something that says, test this on a small area that's 540 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 1: cospicuous before you put it all over the floor. 541 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, and who does that? Does anybody else actually do that? 542 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 3: I'm always just willy nilly, just let's go. I'm all in, right, 543 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:52,920 Speaker 3: this is my time for this. 544 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,480 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I've been in some non ideal situations with that, 545 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:01,120 Speaker 1: but we are in an ideal situation and right now, folks, 546 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 1: we are going to call it a day. We're going 547 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 1: to be back later in the near future where we're 548 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: going to explore some of the other aspects of the 549 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 1: modern morning routine. We can't wait for you to tune in. 550 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: Big big thanks to our super producer, mister Max Williams, 551 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: Big big thanks to our research associate Jeff Factor G. Bartlett. 552 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: And let's see who else? What do you think Jonathan 553 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: Strickland ak the quizters morning routine. 554 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 3: Is like, huh, it's a good question. But polished his 555 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:30,600 Speaker 3: dome perhaps? 556 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: Yeah? Maybe wash himself in the tears of children. Oh yeah, 557 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: that's tracks so big, thanks dude, Jonathan, of course, man, 558 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: we're just messing with you. Who else know? 559 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 3: Who else? Wills aj Bahamas Jacobs who I believe uses 560 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:49,360 Speaker 3: the morning ritual that was very popular during the Revolutionary 561 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 3: War exclusively. You think he probably like bathes in like 562 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 3: cold tars. 563 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:59,000 Speaker 1: Maybe that's the one part of living constitutionally that he 564 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: just doing after that year. 565 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,120 Speaker 3: If it works, tried and true, Yeah, time on our tradition. 566 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,600 Speaker 1: If it works, it works, as you said, big thanks 567 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,399 Speaker 1: to the Rude Dudes of Ridiculous Crime. Do check out 568 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: their show. If you like us, you'll love them and Noel. 569 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:16,960 Speaker 1: Thanks to you, Man, I can't wait for us to 570 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:18,800 Speaker 1: get into more of this stuff you need to. 571 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:30,000 Speaker 3: We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 572 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:33,319 Speaker 3: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 573 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 3: to your favorite shows.