1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. The law specifically forbid it. No one except 7 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: doctors were allowed to dissect corpses. The act was considered 8 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: a desecration of the dead. Therefore, only the bodies of 9 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: criminals were permitted to be studied, and once analyzed, even 10 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: they had to receive a decent burial. He wasn't a doctor, though, 11 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: so he took to dissecting bodies in secrecy, in relative secrecy. 12 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: He was just seventeen at the time, and the majority 13 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 1: of the cadavers he worked with came from the monastery 14 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,199 Speaker 1: of Santa Spirito in Florence, Italy, and with the full 15 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: permission of the Catholic Church. He had always been interested 16 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: in the human form. When he was just thirteen, he 17 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: studied under a famous sculptor, and by the time he 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: reached adulthood, his talent for documenting the intricacies of the 19 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: human form had not gone unnoticed. Back then, doctors and 20 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: medical students relied on such drawings. Importance was given to 21 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: the understanding of how bones and muscles lie under the skin. 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: When he was just fifteen, he showed so much potential 23 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: that the statesman known as Lorenzo de Medici, a k a. 24 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: Lorenzo the Magnificent, became quite impressed with the young man's 25 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: talent and incredible understanding of the human form. Not only 26 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: did Medici take him in and raise him alongside his 27 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: own children, who became his childhood friends, the statesman also 28 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: granted him a special room to continue his dissection. Soon 29 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: he joined the Florentine Center for Humanism. Like many young 30 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: and aspirational students in the field, he poured over drawings, sculptures, 31 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: and skeletons. The ultimate goal was scientific naturalism, the highly 32 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: detailed and accurate portrayal of the subject in a natural setting. 33 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: After the death of his mentor, Lorenzo de Medici, he 34 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: offered to create a large wooden cross complete with a 35 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: life size sculpture of Christ, in exchange for the new 36 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: Statesman's permission to continue his studies and to obtain more 37 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: corpses and it worked now. Since cadavers were prone to decomposition, 38 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: he would quickly make molds of muscles in various positions 39 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: for later reference. He spent years dissecting countless human corpses 40 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: and even those of animals, mostly horses. Though cardinals and 41 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: other leaders frequently remarked that experienced and trained physicians and 42 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: scholars themselves knew less about the human physique than this 43 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: young man, and that he dissected more than men he 44 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: had in a lifetime of service. His knowledge and talent 45 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: caused some jealousy among even the most revered of his peers. 46 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: They didn't always agree, and they often clashed when they met. 47 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: For years, he drew his discoveries with the most striking detail, 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: but later he began to doubt his abilities and destroyed 49 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,119 Speaker 1: most of his drawings. His rivals may have played down 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: his talents, but others did not. Unlike most artists, he 51 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: rechieved recognition and fame well within his own lifetime. Today, 52 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: thousands flocked to see his works. You see, he wasn't 53 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: a physician or even a philosopher, and while he did 54 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: create intricate and detailed illustrations for medical use, he wasn't 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: even an anatomist. No, he was an artist and one 56 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: of the best. Later, Pope Julius the second commission him 57 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: the artists that we've come to note today as Michelangelo 58 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: for one of his most famous works, the Sistine Chapel. 59 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: The chapel ceiling is his most famous painting, and the 60 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: marble statue David his most famous statue. The depiction of 61 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: God creating Adam perfectly illustrates the human brain. Other panels 62 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: also demonstrate Michelangelo's vast knowledge of human anatomy. The Statue 63 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 1: of David took Michelangelo two years to complete. It's fine 64 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 1: anatomical details impressed city leaders, who decided David should reside 65 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, where everyone could see 66 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: the breathtaking statue up close, instead of seeing it high 67 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: on a cathedral. Ledge and Michelangelo's envious rival, the first 68 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: Renaissance man himself, Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, he also dissected 69 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: cadavers for the sake of art, and while the two 70 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: men didn't agree on many things, they both believe that 71 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: when it came to portraying the human body, art is 72 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: not only better when it imitates life, but also death. 73 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: America loves to celebrate first the first president, the first 74 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: telephone call, the first time Edison turned on a light bulb, 75 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: charting new territories, and performing feats no one has done before, 76 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: especially intrigues us. And often it's these tales of adventure 77 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: that have the most incredible journeys to take us on. 78 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: For example, on July six of nineteen sixty nine, Neil 79 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon 80 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: before spacecraft, though we were celebrating airplanes. On nineteen seven, 81 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: Charles Lindberg was the first person to cross the Atlantic solo. 82 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: And before that, well, there's another amazing story to tell. 83 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: On April eighteen forty four, The New York Sun reported 84 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,559 Speaker 1: the sensational adventure of several men and their balloon trip 85 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: from England to the United States. The headlines that day 86 00:05:54,960 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: read astounding news by Express via Norfolk the Atlantic cross 87 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: in three days. As you might imagine, crossing the Atlantic 88 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: in such a short time was nothing less than astounding. 89 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: Accompanying the detailed five thousand word article was an illustration 90 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: of the balloon, named the Victoria. At the Helm was 91 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,720 Speaker 1: the inventor of the first steam powered airship and famed 92 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: aeronaut himself, Thomas Monk Mason. Two crewmen and five of 93 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: Mason's friends helped steer the craft, while author Harrison Ainsworth 94 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: chronicled the journey. The article listed eleven oh seven a 95 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: m as the moment the balloon left the ground in 96 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 1: North Wales. They gathered at daybreak, but waited until a 97 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: dense fog had lifted. For a few moments. The crew 98 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: held their breath as the balloon cleared the cliffs. Found 99 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: the ascent force greater than we had expected, the journal read. 100 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: The gorges and cliffs along the ocean's edge had been 101 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: nothing short of romantic and breathtaking. One of the crewmen 102 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: noted that the mountains they passed over in the south 103 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: looked small in comparison to when traveling through them on 104 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: the ground. Once at sea, the crew lowered the balloon 105 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: Along the way. They passed over a few ships sailing below, 106 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:08,720 Speaker 1: and the men took to cheering them and yelling as 107 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: the balloon flew past. By night, the winds had increased, 108 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: pushing the balloon even faster. The wind, along with the 109 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: night air and the atmosphere, made the men rather cold, 110 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: and they wrapped themselves in blankets. The next day, though 111 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: the balloon shifted more northward then anticipated, and the wind 112 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: had died down a bit. This morning, we had again 113 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: some little trouble with the rod of the propeller, which 114 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: must be entirely remodeled for fear of serious accident. The 115 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: journal stated, the wind has been blowing steadily and strongly 116 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: from the northeast all day, and so far fortune seems 117 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: bent upon favoring us. By night, though the sea oddly 118 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: appeared to glow by the light of the moon and stars. 119 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: By the third day, though the crew was exhausted. Around 120 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: one pm that day, they finally spotted land off the 121 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: coast of South Carolina and were overjoyed. By the time 122 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: they touched down on Sullivan's Island in Charleston County, the 123 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: wind had nearly died down. The final entry read, we 124 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: have crossed the Atlantic fairly and easily crossed it in 125 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: a balloon. Who shall say that anything is impossible hereafter 126 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: and readers were enthralled. People instantly scrambled to buy the paper, 127 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: and The Sun sold an impressive fifty thousand copies. Everyone 128 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: wanted to have a keepsake of history in the making. 129 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: There was one small problem though. Two days after it 130 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: had been printed, the newspaper revealed that the whole thing 131 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,599 Speaker 1: had been a hoax. You see, the first balloon to 132 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: cross the Atlantic wouldn't happen for another one hundred and 133 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: forty four years, when the Double Eagle two made the 134 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: trip in eight in a little less than six days. 135 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: Though the men in The New York Sun's story really 136 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: did exist, they'd been in on the hoax from the start, 137 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: and the whole thing had been created and written by 138 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: one author, a man who the paper didn't pay a 139 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: single sent despite the tremendous profit they earned from it. 140 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: That author's name a struggling right named Edgar Allan Poe. 141 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,679 Speaker 1: Oh and there's more, you see. Curiously, pose great hoax 142 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,200 Speaker 1: went on to inspire another great storyteller by the name 143 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: of Jules Verne. He would write his beloved novel Around 144 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: the World in Eighty Days in eighteen seventy two, although 145 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: despite the modern film version, his original never had a balloon. 146 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 147 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 148 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 149 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: The show was created by me, Aaron Manky in partnership 150 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 151 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television 152 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:50,719 Speaker 1: show and you can learn all about it over at 153 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 1: the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, 154 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: stay curious.