1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Napoleon Bonaparte's career was defined 5 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: by success over sixty battles fought and only eight losses. 6 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 1: That's a record very few can live up to. Maybe 7 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: it's because he planned obsessively, analyzing every detail and preparing 8 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: for every potential outcome. Perhaps it was because he was 9 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: annoyingly practical, having expanded on tactics put forth by his 10 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: predecessors in order to carry out his grand plans for conquest. 11 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: Or heck, maybe it was both of those things. Despite 12 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: napoleon strategic genius, though there were some battles he simply 13 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 1: couldn't prepare for, no matter how long he researched. In 14 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: one instance, the opposing army was too unpredictable, too ferocious, 15 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: too difficult to comprehend, and it resulted in one of 16 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: the most devastating losses of his military career. In July 17 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: of eighteen oh seven, Napoleon's French army had just won 18 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: a major battle against the Russian Empire. With that victory, 19 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: he brought an end to the hostilities between both sides, 20 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: which resulted in a peace treaty one signed. Napoleon decided 21 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: the best course of action would be to celebrate. He 22 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: instructed his chief of staff, Alexander Bertier, to organize a 23 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: luncheon for the highest ranking men in the French military. 24 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: But it wasn't just a luncheon, No, these men were soldiers. 25 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: They didn't want to eat. They wanted to kill the 26 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: food that they would enjoy together, and nothing would have 27 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: been more sporting than a good old fashioned rabbit hunt. Bertier, 28 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: not someone to carry out a task for his boss, 29 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: lightly arranged cages teeming with thousands of rabbits around the 30 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: perimeter of a vast grassy meadow. After a period of 31 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: mingling and talking shop, the men picked up their rifles, 32 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: boarded a carriage, and set out for the hunt. Once 33 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: the men arrived, the cages were opened and the rabbits 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: hopped into the field. Except they didn't scatter. They weren't 35 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: afraid at all. They took one look at Napoleon and 36 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: his hunting party and their agenda became clear. The hunters 37 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: became the hunted, an ocean of bunnies charged toward them, 38 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: waves of fur and ears coming for the seasoned French officers, 39 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: and rather than aiming their guns, they simply watched and laughed. 40 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 1: After all, what kind of harm could a bunch of 41 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: rabbits do? As an aside, I'm sure most of you 42 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: have heard the phrase a murder of crows right. A 43 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: murder is a quasi technical term for a group of crows, 44 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: like a pride of lions. For rabbits, the options are 45 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: a bit less entertaining, a warren, a herd, or even 46 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: a husk. But my personal favorite is a trip, and 47 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: that's what Napoleon's officers were facing down, a trip of bunnies. 48 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: As the incursion grew closer, Napoleon's good nature quickly turned 49 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: to one of fear. The rabbits surrounded the hunters, climbing 50 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: up their legs and torsos as the men tried hopelessly 51 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: to brush them off. They used their writing crops, nearby sticks, 52 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: and anything else they could get their hands on to 53 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: beat back the onslaught of furry fiends, but nothing worked. 54 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,839 Speaker 1: The rabbits kept attacking, and Napoleon, not one to run 55 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: from battle, lightly new defeat. When he saw it, he 56 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: had no choice but to retreat, so he and the 57 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: men jumped back into their carriage, hoping to escape. But 58 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: the bunnies seemed to have learned some military strategy of 59 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: their own, like divide and conquer. They split into two 60 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: groups and lengked the carriage on all sides. Some even 61 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: managed to make it inside as it was rolling away. 62 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: It wasn't until the carriage was out of sight when 63 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: the animals finally calmed down. The most brilliant military man 64 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: in generations had been outdone by an invading army of rabbits. 65 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: But at least Napoleon had someone else to blame for 66 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: the fiasco, his chief of staff, Bartier. You see, on 67 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: such short notice, it had been impossible for Bartier to 68 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: find enough wild hairs to satisfy a party full of hunters, 69 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: so he'd put out word to the local farmers that 70 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: he wanted to buy their rabbits. Only too happy to 71 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: oblige a man so prominent within Napoleon's army, the farmers 72 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: had agreed and sold him all the rabbits they had. 73 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: If only Bertier had done his research, he would have 74 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: learned that farm raised rabbits were conditioned. They had come 75 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: to identify the presence of a human being as a 76 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: sign that food was on its way. They weren't attacking 77 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: so much as they were looking for their next meal. 78 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: And a Poleon, well, he suffered the most humiliating defeats 79 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: of his career. One might even say it tripped him up. 80 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: Not long after Italy declared war against France and Britain 81 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: during World War Two, the country became a major target 82 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: for Allied bombers. Not of all those targets, Naples held 83 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: the title as the most bombed Italian city of the war. 84 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: Hospitals and churches were leveled, residential neighborhoods became battle grounds, 85 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: and roughly sixty Italian civilians had been killed in bombing 86 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: raids by the end of the war. While the country 87 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: bounced back relatively quickly, so much had already been lost 88 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: and would never be recovered. The bombers had carried out 89 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: the attacks as a form of liberation from tyranny form fascism, 90 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: from the clutches of an autocratic dictator. Swooping in, dropping 91 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: their payloads and flying back to their respective basis. Bombing 92 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: raids became standard fair during the war, but pilots always 93 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: had unpredictable factors to deal with. Sure, there were enemy 94 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,239 Speaker 1: planes to watch out for, as well as return fire 95 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: from soldiers on the ground, but a pilot's deadliest enemy 96 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: inside or outside of war has always been the weather. 97 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: Blue skies could turn gray in seconds, and suddenly a 98 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: routine flight home met negotiating high winds and lightning while 99 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: also struggling to remain in the air, and for one 100 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,919 Speaker 1: particular B twenty four bomber nicknamed Lady be Good, the 101 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: weather would prove to be a more dangerous foe than 102 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: any Nazi. Lady Big Good's crew had just wrapped up 103 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,119 Speaker 1: a bombing run over Naples on the afternoon of April 104 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: ninette when it ran into trouble. The mission had been simple. 105 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 1: A squadron of twelve bombers would fly over the city first, 106 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: followed by another group of thirteen bombers right after. At 107 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: just after three pm, Lady be Good had taken off 108 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: from Benghazi, Libya, when a sandstorm kicked up, making visibility 109 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: almost impossible. The B twenty four fell behind from the 110 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: rest of the planes, but eventually made it to Naples 111 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: several hours later, along with three others. When their mission 112 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,239 Speaker 1: was over, they turned around and headed back to base, 113 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: but Lady be Goods navigation system started acting up. The pilot, 114 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: Lieutenant William Hatton, radioed for a landing location, but it 115 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: never came. Hatton flew directly over the base, taking his 116 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: crew and his plane deep into the Sahara Desert. Hours 117 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: passed and fuel was running low. With no way to 118 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: land safely, Hatton instructed his men to put on their 119 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: parachutes and abandon the plane. At two am, nine men 120 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: jumped from the Lady be Good, allowing the plane to 121 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: fly solo to its final resting place in the dark 122 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: of night. Rescue efforts were launched the next day, with 123 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: teams scouring the desert and the Mediterranean Sea for any 124 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: signs of wreckage. When they found nothing, the men and 125 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: their lady were presumed lost. It wasn't until fifteen years 126 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: later when British petroleum workers spotted something from the air 127 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: over the calin Shio Sand Sea. They've been scouting locations 128 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: for potential drilling, and radioed authorities at a local air 129 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: base about their discovery. No one had any idea what 130 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: was out there. There were no records of any wrecks 131 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: that far into the desert. A few months later, more 132 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: reports of a down plane started pouring into the base, 133 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: so on ma of nineteen fifty nine, a recovery team 134 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: started investigating the claims, and there it was, the Lady 135 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: be Good, broken into two pieces, but otherwise intact. The 136 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: plane had been remarkably well preserved, no doubt due to 137 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: the dry desert environment. The machine guns still worked, there 138 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: were still food and water rations on board. Even a 139 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: thermis of tea had been found, with the liquid inside 140 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 1: still drinkable. By all appearances, it seemed the crew had 141 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: abandoned the plane midflights, but never found her again. In 142 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: the winter of the following year, the U. S. Army 143 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: began sweeping the desert for signs of the plane's crew. 144 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: They found the bodies of five of the men, including 145 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Hatton, While most of the others were eventually discovered 146 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: later having been buried in the sand, only the gunner staff, 147 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: Sergeant Vernon Moore, remained unaccounted for. After Lady be Goods discovery, 148 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: some of her parts were sent back to the United 149 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: States to be evaluated by teams of engineers. The military, 150 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: hoping to save a little money saw an opportunity to 151 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: repurpose those parts on other aircraft, a decision they would 152 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: soon come to regret. Transmitters from the Lady Be Good 153 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: were installed in a C fifty four Skymaster transport plane 154 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: that was forced to abandon its cargo in an emergency 155 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: landing after suffering from propeller problems. Another transport plane was 156 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: fitted with the Bombers radio receiver before it disappeared into 157 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: the Mediterranean. Even inconsequential pieces from the Lady Be Good 158 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: seemed cursed after being installed another aircraft, a single engine 159 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: prop plane, crashed off the coast of Libya, almost all 160 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,199 Speaker 1: of it lost beneath the waves, except for an arm 161 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: rest that had washed ashore, an arm rest that had 162 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: come from the Lady Be Good. Despite its amazing resilience, 163 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: it seems that the Lady Be Good just couldn't live 164 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: up to its name, it's legacy. After all, it was 165 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: more than a little bad. I hope you've enjoyed today's 166 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free 167 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by 168 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by 169 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works, I 170 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: make another award winning show called Lord, which is a podcast, 171 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: book series, and television show and you can learn all 172 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 173 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.