1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Hey everyone. Technically you're getting two days in History today 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: because we were running two episodes from the History Vault. 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: You'll also here to hosts me and Tracy V. Wilson. 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: Hope you enjoy. Welcome to this Day in History Class 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: from how Stuff Works dot Com and from the desk 6 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,799 Speaker 1: of Stuff you Missed in History Class. It's the show 7 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: where we explore the past one day at a time 8 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: with a quick look at what happened today in history. 9 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson and it's 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: August twenty one. The Haitian Revolution began on this day 11 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: in Haiti. At the time was the Caribbean colony of 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: San Domange, which was held by France, and it made 13 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: huge amounts of money for France through the sugar industry. 14 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: The enslaved population who was working at those sugar plantations 15 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: was the vast majority of the colonies population. This was 16 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: true of a lot of places that were relying on 17 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: chattel slavery to do their labor. Often the enslaved workforce 18 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: was vastly larger than the enslavers who were living there. 19 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: Vast majority in the case of San Domente was about 20 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: thirty thousand white people, about twenty four thousand free people 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: of color, and four hundred and fifty thousand enslaved Africans 22 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: and people of African descent. The people who were enslaved 23 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: on these sugar plantations were doing just grueling work in 24 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: a punishing climate that was also prone to tropical diseases. 25 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: In terms of enslaved people, the conditions were particularly horrifying. 26 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: Then the French Revolution started that affected the entire French Empire, 27 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: including Francis colonies and other parts of the world. And 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: as they heard about what was happening in the French Revolution, 29 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: the free people of color and Sando Manage started demanding 30 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: full citizenship rights. The free people of color definitely had 31 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: a lot more rights than the enslaved people. Some of 32 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: them also enslaved people themselves. They didn't have the same 33 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: rights as the white population. Some but definitely not all 34 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: of sand demands. White citizens were also thinking about making 35 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: some kind of move for independence from France, So there 36 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: was a lot going on and a rebellion and by 37 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: the free people of color in seventeen ninety was really 38 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: quickly put down. Then in August of the uprising started 39 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: among the enslaved people, and it was really violent. The 40 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: most well known leaders of this uprising were Jean Jacques 41 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: des Selline and Francois Dominique tous Saints, who would later 42 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: take the name to Saint Lovature. These two men were 43 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: really good at organizing and its strategy, and by sevente 44 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: the enslaved people had taken over a portion of the colony. 45 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: France was really on its way to defeat at this 46 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: point in the colony, but it was also at war 47 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: with Spain and Britain, and so this blossomed into an 48 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,679 Speaker 1: international conflict, with other nations seeing the chance to possibly 49 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: claim sand demand for the own and with the enslaved 50 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: people seeing opportunities to work with some of these other 51 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: countries to fight back against France. Eventually, France gave the 52 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: more affluent freemen of color full citizenship rights, basically because 53 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: they were backed into a corner, and France abolished slavery 54 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: in its colonies in seventeen ninety four. Method the enslaved 55 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: people who had been working with France's enemies then switched 56 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: sides because There's enemies had not yet abolished slavery. Eventually, 57 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: toussas Lature named himself Governor General for life in eighteen 58 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: o one, although he did die in France in eighteen 59 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: o three after being captured and imprisoned. All in all, 60 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: this revolution went on from seventeen nine to eighteen o four, 61 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: and in the end the colony gained independence from France, 62 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: declared independence on January one of eighteen o four, and 63 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: was renamed Haiti. It became the first country to be 64 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: founded by formerly enslaved people. Although life in Haiti did 65 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: continue to be really difficult since nearly its whole population 66 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: had been enslaved for all of this time and it 67 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: had no opportunity to build their own wealth. The legacy 68 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: of slavery also continues to affect life and culture in 69 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: the economy of Haiti all the way up until today. 70 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: The effect of this revolution on the United States was 71 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: also huge. As was the case before the uprising, the 72 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: enslaved population of the American South in most places greatly 73 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: outnumbered the enslaving white population. In a lot of places, 74 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: people had already been really scared of slave uprisings, and 75 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: the fact that this had happened in Haiti and it 76 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: had been successful, I mean people even more terrified. Simultaneously, 77 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: there were others in the nation who were just ready 78 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: to start trading with this newly independent nation. But the 79 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: people who were terrified of this whole situation wound up 80 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: becoming even more strict and harsh and draconian, and how 81 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: they treated their enslaved population, and the hope of preventing 82 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: this kind of thing from happening in the United States. 83 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: You can learn more about all this in the January 84 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: episode of Stuff You Miss Some History Class, And thanks 85 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,919 Speaker 1: to Tara Harrison for audio work on this show. You 86 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: can subscribe to This Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts, 87 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: Google Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Tomorrow, 88 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: tune in for a set of rules governing warfare. Welcome 89 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, where we bring you 90 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: a new tipbit from history every day. The day was 91 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: August one, nineteen eleven. An Italian thief named Vincenzo Perucha 92 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: stole the Mona Lisa from the Loube Museum in Paris. 93 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: Parucha moved to Paris in nineteen o eight. In nineteen eleven, 94 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 1: he worked at the Loube as a handyman, fixing the 95 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: glass in the displays. Months before he would steal the 96 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: Mona Lisa. A French reporter stayed overnight at the Louver 97 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: in a sarcophagus to show how bad surveillance at the 98 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: museum was. The Louver did not have the best measures 99 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: in place to protect the artwork from theft. For instance, 100 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: many of the paintings were hanging and easy to take 101 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: off of the wall. By many accounts, Perugia, no stranger 102 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: to the personnel in the museum, entered the Loub on 103 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: the evening of Sunday, August twentie, nineteen eleven, wearing the 104 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: same white smocks that the Loop employees wore. He went 105 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,359 Speaker 1: to the gallery that held the Mona Lisa and hid 106 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: in a closet until the museum closed. Then he took 107 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: the Mona Lisa out of its frame and walked out 108 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: with it under his smock. On one but Perusia himself 109 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: said that he entered the Louver on the morning of 110 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: Monday Auguste grabbed the Mona Lisa off the wall when 111 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,840 Speaker 1: nobody was in the gallery and left with it under 112 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: his smock. Either way, he took the painting back to 113 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: his apartment. The theft went unnoticed for a whole day, 114 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: since paintings were often removed for cleaning or for photos. 115 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: But the day after the theft, security guards realized that 116 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: the artwork was missing and reported the theft to the police. 117 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: Police launched an investigation into the crime. The Mona Lisa's 118 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: frame was found in a stairwell, and the museum announced 119 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: the theft to the public. The museum closed for a week. 120 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: The press jumped on the story, which became international news. 121 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: Over the next two years. Fans of the Mona Lisa 122 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: and Loup visitors expressed their frustration with the theft of 123 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: the beloved artwork. Investigators questioned witnesses and stopped cars and 124 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: pedestrians for searches, but they weren't turning up any leads. 125 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: The newspaper Parish Journal, was offering a reward for information 126 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 1: about the theft, and a man named Joseph Jerry Pere 127 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: went to its office with a small statue he claimed 128 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: that he stole from the Louver. He once worked for 129 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who had once called for the 130 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: Loup to be burned down, and had several small statues 131 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: that were stolen from the Louver. Pire implicated a Pollinaire 132 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: and the Mona Lisa theft, but investigators did not think 133 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: that Apollinaire committed the crime alone, so they went after 134 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: Picasso too, who was a friend of a Pollinaires and 135 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: had bought stolen statues from Pire. But after their trial, 136 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: Apollinaire and Picasso were let off the hook. The investigation 137 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: went cold, though people continued to speculate on the paintings whereabouts. 138 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: Some claimed they saw it in Brazil or a Japan. 139 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: Some said it was in the mansion of financier JP Morgan, 140 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: but Peruchia had been keeping the Mona Lisa hidden. He 141 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: insisted that he just wanted to return it to Italy, 142 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: where it rightfully belonged, as Napoleon has stolen it, though 143 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: it was not plundered under Napoleon. Whether or not he 144 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: was being truthful when he gave this justification for the 145 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: theft has been up for debate. In nineteen thirteen, he 146 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,199 Speaker 1: tried to sell the painting, using the pseudonym Leonardo Vincenzo. 147 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: He wrote to an art dealer in Florence named Alfredo Jerry, 148 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,719 Speaker 1: saying he would bring the painting to Italy in exchange 149 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: for five hundred thousand lira. Jerry agreed, and Perugia took 150 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: the Mona Lisa to Italy. Jerry said that Ufizi Gallery 151 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: would authenticate the painting, but instead of buying the painting, 152 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: Jerry reported Perrucha to the police. He was arrested on 153 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:55,439 Speaker 1: December eleventh in his hotel. The Ufizi Gallery displayed the 154 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,200 Speaker 1: Mona Lisa for a couple of weeks before it was 155 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 1: returned to the Louver in January of nineteen fourteen. Parucha 156 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: was convicted of theft in August of nineteen fourteen and 157 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: sentenced to just over a year in prison, though he 158 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: served less time than that. Art enthusiasts and critics showed 159 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: renewed interest in the Mona Lisa after its return. I'm 160 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: each Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more about 161 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. We love it if 162 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: you left us a comment on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. 163 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: At t d i h C podcast, thanks for showing up. 164 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: We'll meet here again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 165 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 166 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.