1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday and season's greetings everyone. Today's Saturday classic is 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: a Christmas favorite, the World War One Christmas Truths, which 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: took place at various points along the Western Front on 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: Christmas Eve. We still get requests for this one, which 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: was covered by past host Sarah and Debilina in eleven 6 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: and then in a much shorter episode so far back 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: in the archive that Josh Clark of Stuff You Should 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: Know was on this show That was by Candice and 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: Josh back in two thousand and eight. So this classic 10 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: is the Sarah and Deblina version after the podcast had 11 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: evolved to be a lot closer to what it is today. 12 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: So let's just hop right to it and we hope 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: whatever you celebrate, you have great holidays this year. Welcome 14 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: to Stuff you Missed in History Class from house Stuff 15 00:00:50,560 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 16 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: Sarah Dowdy and I'm debling a chalk reboarding and it's December, 17 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: so tis the season for a holiday podcast special. And 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: I always like to do some kind of episode to 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,559 Speaker 1: mark the season, but I usually try to pick something 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: that's a little bit offbeat. A couple of years ago, 21 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: Katie and I went for a Saturnalia celebration, which was 22 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: really fun. Imagine frenzied clapping of hands, the King of 23 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: the Beans. Last year we were kind of off beat too, 24 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: aren't we. We did. We covered that scrooge like tail 25 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: of Oliver Cromwell, he who canceled Christmas, plus some some 26 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: New England Puritan action too in there. But this year 27 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: we've chosen something that is a bit more somber, a 28 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: bit more serious, but also in my opinion, more moving 29 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: to the spontaneous Christmas e of truth that broke out 30 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: along the Western Front during World War One. And it 31 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: of course took place in the first months of a 32 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: year's long war, and it was never repeated after the 33 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: first winter, so you really and look at it as 34 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: an isolated event very early in the war. But as 35 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: Christmas nineteen fourteen approached, many men who had been sniping 36 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: and shelling each other just hours before, set aside their weapons, 37 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: sang carols together, decorated trees, and traded corn, beef and 38 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: cigarettes for beer and schnops. It's kind of a remarkable story. 39 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,799 Speaker 1: It sounds so unbelievable. In fact, many folks think it's 40 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: an urban legend. It even has a snoop's entry. If 41 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: that tells you something, the real mark of a possible 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: urban legend, right. Others think, yes, it's true, but way overblown. 43 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: That only a few soldiers and certainly no officers frattenized 44 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: on the front, but actually soldiers of all ranks stationed 45 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: in sectors across the front called local truces, for as 46 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: little as a few hours or as long as two weeks. 47 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: So how did a truce like this come about in 48 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: the first place? How do you walk out into no 49 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: man's land between the trenches and propose a friendly exchange 50 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: ange of schnops or button how? Indeed? So, first, a 51 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: little background on the early months of the war. World 52 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: War one started in July nineteen fourteen, and in the 53 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: first month the Germans raced through Belgium on their way 54 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: to France, and they were finally halted in September at 55 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: the first Battle of the Marner, I should say, slowed down, 56 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,800 Speaker 1: and this began a stalemate, the real digging in of heels, 57 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: the trench warfare, where victory meant moving your line up 58 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: just a few yards. You know, the way that we 59 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: imagine World War one. It's not a war where people 60 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: are zipping around across Europe really quickly, so four hundred 61 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: and seventy five miles of trenches were established from the 62 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: North Sea to Switzerland. That was the Western Front and 63 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: enemy troops that the front lines were, of course often 64 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: very close to each other, I mean like physically just 65 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: a few yards away from each other. So such close 66 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: quarters created these natural limited truces in some of the 67 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: quieter spots where each side would tacitly agree not to 68 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: shoot down a posing rations parties with sniper fire. Since 69 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: it was early in the war, some still also followed 70 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: the idea of fair play, like breaking for breakfast hour. 71 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: It seemed natural then that if you could break for breakfast, 72 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: maybe you could also break for Christmas. But that idea 73 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: was totally unlikely on a high level. Pope Benedict the 74 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: fifteenth Call for Christmas Truths was pretty much ignored by 75 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: political leaders across Europe. Some senior military even preemptively planned 76 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: against possible white flags flown on Christmas. On December twenty, 77 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, 78 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: message the Royal Navy that quote, any white flag hoisted 79 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: by a German ship is to be fired on as 80 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: a matter of principle. They were convinced that the Germans 81 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: would use the white flag as a trick, and I 82 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: didn't want any funny business. I would suspect that too. 83 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: Oh so you would. You would probably not be participating 84 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: in its cynical I mean, it is war, maybe just cautious. 85 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: So for many soldiers to the idea of mar king 86 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: Christmas in any way during war seemed inconceivable. Even in 87 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen. For instance, German officer Captain Rudolph Binding, who 88 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: had just come out of the First Battle of Epra, 89 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: called the Massacre of Innocence in Germany due to the 90 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: huge number of very young, very inexperienced soldiers who were 91 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: killed there, wrote to his father on December twenty of 92 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: his thoughts on Christmas at the front. He wrote, quote, 93 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 1: the simplicity of Christmas, with the laughter children, surprises, the 94 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: joy of giving little things. This is as it should 95 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: be when it appears alone. But when it enters the 96 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: lists with a war, it is out of place. Enemy 97 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: death and a Christmas tree. They cannot live so close together. 98 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: The guys are clearly thought otherwise. Though while none of 99 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 1: the wartime rulers thought it proper to suspend fighting on Christmas. 100 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: They did think small gifts for the troops were appropriate. 101 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: King George the Fifth and Queen Mary had cards and 102 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: tins of extra rations and putting sent to British troops, 103 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: for example, and the Kaiser had cars and tiny Christmas 104 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: tree shipped to the front lines, complete with ready to 105 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 1: light candles. I think I'd like a Christmas tree better 106 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: than a tinned pudding. Yeah, that doesn't It hasn't tried one, 107 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: so what do I know. But it's these barter ready 108 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: goods puddings or cigars whatever, and the cheery trees and 109 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: the tendency of both British and German people to sing 110 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: that started the truth in most factors where it occurred. 111 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: So we'll give you a few accounts of how it 112 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: went down, because of course it is scattered across this 113 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 1: huge Western front. But in one case, a British century 114 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: near Laventi, France spotted a group of Saxon's on December 115 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: and they were up on top of their trench parapet, 116 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 1: but they didn't look very scary. They were goofing off. 117 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: One guy was juggling and uh, some of them were 118 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: waving the Brits over in a friendly way, not like 119 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: a mocking way. Um. The British officer in charge thought 120 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: this was really sketchy, really potentially dangerous, and Warren his 121 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: troops just basically don't mess with that, because inviting them 122 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: over they might be trying to see what our trenches 123 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: look like a could be a trick. But the next day, 124 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: on Christmas Eve, there was ultimately this cautious exchange between 125 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: the Germans and the Brits of cigars and beer, and 126 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: the German side for cigarettes and corned beef on the 127 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: British side, which was called bully beef. It was kind 128 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: of detested by the soldiers even at this point, so 129 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: they were probably willing to make that trade. And then 130 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: English newspapers, to which I think that's interesting that the 131 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,239 Speaker 1: German soldiers would be coveting the English news. At dusk 132 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: of the Germans again climbed their parapets, but this time 133 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,679 Speaker 1: it was too light Christmas trees, and at eleven pm 134 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: they started singing still and knocked, which is of course 135 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: silent night Christmas Day, with the mud all covered and 136 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: hardened by deep freeze and a sky bright and blue, 137 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: both sides came out again to exchange gifts and also 138 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: this is what I found surprising names and addresses, and 139 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: they promised to write or visit after the war them 140 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: apparently did. I mean, It's years later, but they did 141 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: maintain those friendships in relationship. And there was also an 142 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: impromptu soccer game which ended with a recorded Saxon victory 143 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: over the Lancashire Few Sellers. So there you go. They 144 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 1: were they were trying to enjoy themselves in the middle 145 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: of this. But across the front, similar episodes played out. 146 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: For instance, rifleman Ernest Morley of the sixteenth Battalion, London 147 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: Regiment wrote how things started in his sector. He said, quote, 148 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: we had decided to give the Germans a Christmas present 149 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: of three carols and five rounds rapid accordingly, as soon 150 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: as night fell we started and the strains of white 151 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: shepherds arose upon the air. We finished that and paused 152 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 1: preparatory to give the second item on the program. But 153 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: low we heard answering strains arising from their lines. One 154 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: of them shouted a merry Chris Smith English, We're not 155 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 1: shooting tonight. German lieutenant Johannes Niemann wrote of the decoration saying, quote, 156 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 1: our soldiers had hung little Christmas trees covered with candles 157 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: above the trenches, and British Sergeant A. Level wrote, quote, 158 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: I shall remember to my dying day right along the 159 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: whole line where hung paper lanterns and illuminations of every description. 160 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 1: And I keep imagining the terrible image you have of 161 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 1: World War One trenches with trees that are just completely decimated, 162 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: villages decimated, mud and bodies everywhere, and little Christmas trees 163 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: and lanterns strung around it. It really it paints quite 164 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: a picture if you try to imagine that. But Private 165 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: Albert Moren described hearing the Christmas Eve carols as quote 166 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: one of the highlights of my life. So you can 167 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: imagine that it did have this really huge effect on 168 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: these men who had just been seeing carnage day after day, 169 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:59,720 Speaker 1: or boredom, experiencing boredom to have something so pleasant and 170 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: so out of the ordinary occur. And on Christmas Day 171 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: the truce continued in many of the places with more 172 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:11,679 Speaker 1: games and gift exchanges and singing and combined religious services, 173 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: and uh soldiers would swap gear, you know, like switch hats, 174 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: or let me trade for your German coat for my 175 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 1: British coat or something and take pictures together, kind of 176 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: like just dressing up in costumes almost. And there was also, 177 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: of course, the very somber task of burying the dead, 178 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: some of whom had been lying out there in No 179 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: Man's land, where, of course, as the name implies, nobody 180 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: could go collect them for weeks or even months. Yeah, 181 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: and it's interesting to note that while the French and 182 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: Belgians didn't really participate in the Christmas Truths in the 183 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,719 Speaker 1: same way that some British did, they might have had 184 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: harder feelings against the Germans. Obviously, some did arrange a 185 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: temporary Christmas armistice solely for the purpose of burying the dead, 186 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: so they would carry each other's men's to the middle, 187 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: exchange and shake hands, so something that was a lot 188 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: more umber, a lot more official. Just let's agree to 189 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 1: take care of this important task and not celebrate, right, 190 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 1: no singing of carols with that. Another truce oddity was 191 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: the exchange of insignia, buttons, scraps of cloth, and best 192 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: of all, pickle helves. The German dress helmet. So those 193 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: are the helmets with the little spikes on top. And 194 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 1: I can imagine why you might want one as a 195 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: as a souvenir. But there's one story from the London 196 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: Rifle Brigade written up in a History Today article by 197 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 1: John Terrain that tells of a German soldier who had 198 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: traded away his dress helmet, and the day after Christmas 199 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 1: he calls out to speak to a British officer and 200 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: they meet up in No Man's Land, and the German 201 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: explained that he had traded his helmet the day before, 202 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 1: and he had a grand inspection the next day, so 203 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: he really kind of needed to borrow it back. He 204 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: apparently borrowed it, must have used it for his inspection 205 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: in a satisfactory manner, and then did return it in 206 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: exchange for a little more bully beef, because that was 207 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: hot stuff in the German trenches. Another famous incident has 208 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: a British soldier recognizing his German barber from London and 209 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: getting a trim in the middle of No Man's Land. 210 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: And that's actually not quite as unlikely as it may 211 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,959 Speaker 1: sound to some people. Many Germans had worked in pre 212 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: war England, so I might have known each other. And 213 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: there's another example of a soldier in the British Hampshire 214 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: Regiment who described the area between the trenches as just 215 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: a mass of gray and khaki, and those are, of 216 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: course the two sides uniforms and um. That helped me 217 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:36,559 Speaker 1: also imagine what this looked like. I can imagine the 218 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: Christmas Eve with the light strung up in the Christmas 219 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: trees and all of that, but to imagine Christmas Day 220 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: just all of these guys kind of seeing each other 221 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: for the first time. In many cases because they had 222 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: been fighting trench warfare, fighting at night for so long, 223 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 1: a lot of them had never seen the enemy really, 224 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: and they probably and in in some documented cases, did 225 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: realizations about each other that, uh, you know, the Germans 226 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,079 Speaker 1: weren't barbarians, the British weren't these stubborn clouds or something, 227 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:11,839 Speaker 1: you know, these um stereotypes, ye, stereotypes that they had 228 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: about the opposing side, and that had really been indoctrinated 229 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,839 Speaker 1: in them too. Still, though, in a lot of the 230 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: British letters and diaries that describe the truth, you'll find 231 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: the British distinguishing between the men that they were fraternizing with. 232 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: They were Saxons and Bavarians, they were not Prussians. That 233 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: seemed a very important distinguished for them to make and 234 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: I thought it was it was really strange that the 235 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: German troops themselves even would sometimes disassociate themselves from the Prussians. 236 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: In one case, there was a member of the Dublin 237 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: Fisiliers who was killed during the Truth by a stray bullet, 238 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: and that sounds like the kind of thing that would 239 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: shut down a truce immediately. But the Saxon troops sent 240 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: over an apology and it said quote, it must have 241 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: been one of those and Prussians exclamation point and followed 242 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: up the apology with two barrels of beer. That was 243 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: just so surprising to me that a truce could continue, 244 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: and that you would differentiate among your your ranks like that. Yeah, 245 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: and the one bullet wouldn't immediately start fighting again, that 246 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: the guy's buddies would just kind of get over it 247 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: or something. But um, you can imagine how in some 248 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: cases incidents like that would definitely bring the truth to 249 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: an end. And the truces did only last hours in 250 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: certain sectors, with some troops refusing to participate at all 251 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: and others that stretched as long as January tent. While 252 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: the truces were usually arranged by bold or brave bands 253 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: of soldiers, with officers having nothing else to do but 254 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: go along with it after their men began pouring into 255 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 1: no man's land. Sometimes the officers made the arrangements themselves. 256 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: Captain Robert Hamilton's of the first battillion Royal Warkshire Regiment, 257 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: stationed near Saint Yvan Belgium, met with the German officer 258 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: half way through no man's land. They shook hands and 259 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: arranged a forty eight hour truce. In his journal he 260 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: talked about doubling midnight centuries just for good measure, but 261 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 1: also notes quote, I am told the general and staff 262 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 1: are furious but powerless to stop it. I think you 263 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: would have been on the midnight century. You're suspicious of 264 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: this whole thing. But of course high ranking officers on 265 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: both sides were totally aghast at what was happening. They 266 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: thought is simply postponing the conclusion of a war that 267 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: had already gone on longer than expected, and for instance, 268 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: the British general Sir Horace Smith Dorian threatened disciplinary action 269 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: against any officers who fraternized with the enemy, even though 270 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: there aren't records of punishments actually being doled out. But 271 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: by the end of January UM, with the war escalating. 272 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: Of course, the death penalty was announced for what would 273 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: be considered high treason, so it's not Christmas anymore, it 274 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: is um treason against your country. On the German's side, 275 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: officers were threatened, uh, we're officers threatened soldiers with a 276 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: transfer to the Russian front, which does sound like it 277 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: would make you give up on your button collection pretty quickly. 278 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: Not that some truce participants didn't skirt authority for as 279 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: long as they could get away with it, though. British 280 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: General Sir Henry Rawlinson wrote in his diary quote a 281 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: German shouted out to our men, quote, lookout, we have 282 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: a general coming, so we have to fire at you, 283 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: but will aim high. You do the same for us. 284 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: I find that pretty pretty remarkable that again the trust 285 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: here is the trust and the willingness to just play war, 286 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: not just like we are openly and defiance of we're 287 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: having this truce, but we're going to just pretend like 288 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: we're fighting. We won't really try to hurt you. Um. 289 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: There's another example of that from Lieutenant Michael Holroyd, who 290 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: was a British machine gun officer in the First Battalian 291 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 1: Hampshire Regiment, and he told his parents that around New 292 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: Year's when the truce was still going on, the Germans 293 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: threw up a red light and cried out, put your 294 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,879 Speaker 1: heads down before shelling them. After it ended, a white 295 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: light came up and they yelled, all right, Hampshires, our 296 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,919 Speaker 1: officers are gone now, so putting putting on a show 297 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 1: for the guys in charge. And contrary to popular belief, 298 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:29,439 Speaker 1: the press also celebrated the truce. News reached England by 299 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: the New Year, and the Illustrated London News showed a 300 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: single Saxon soldier delivering a candle a tree to the British. 301 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: It was captioned the light of Peace and the trenches 302 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: on Christmas Eve? So what was going on here and 303 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: what did it mean? I mean, did the truce mean anything? 304 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: Coming as it did at the beginning of a very long, 305 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,400 Speaker 1: very terrible war. I mean, we talked about the chemical 306 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: warfare pretty recently in an episode. We know how bad 307 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 1: it is, and there were many cases of Christmas armistice us, 308 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: but it wasn't everywhere. We should emphasize that point. Some 309 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,399 Speaker 1: soldiers on the front were shocked to hear of what 310 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: happened because they spent their night fighting just like they 311 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: normally did. For instance, Captain jail Jack of the First 312 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: Cameroonians recorded shelling and sniping mixed with a little German caroling, 313 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,919 Speaker 1: which the British did not respond to, and even the 314 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: truce that was didn't continue beyond nineteen fourteen. By nineteen sixteen, 315 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: Sergeant p Hair of the eleventh Royal feust Laers wrote 316 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: to his mother, quote, there is very little here to 317 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: remind us of Christmas, just a handful of us remembering 318 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: that it is December. We are not dispirited, nor do 319 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: we feel downcast at the fact that we should be 320 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 1: spending such a great day like this. It's not a truce, 321 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: but just some sort of strange understanding between us and 322 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 1: the jerry's on the other side that Christmas Day should 323 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: be like this. Perhaps next Christmas the war will be over. 324 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: He was killed two months later, but so sad. But 325 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: even in nineteen fourteen, it's unlikely that many of the 326 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: participants really thought that any kind of international peace would 327 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: come from the truth. Troops on both sides didn't want 328 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,479 Speaker 1: to lose just for the sake of you know, just 329 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,199 Speaker 1: because you were making friends with a guy on the 330 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: other side getting his address, trading for his cool looking 331 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 1: hat didn't mean that you wanted your country to give 332 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: up or something. Bruce Barn's father, who was a famous 333 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: cartoonist and a machine gun officer with the Captain Hamilton's 334 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: who we mentioned earlier, the guy who walked out to 335 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: meet his German counterpart, he saw it as quote, an 336 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: interval between the rounds in a friendly boxing match, and 337 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: I have to imagine that for a lot of guys 338 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: it would be like that something to to get away, 339 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: as we mentioned earlier, from that day to day probably 340 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: really boring and sometimes really scary existence. Yeah, it's funny 341 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: to bring up that comparison to sports though, because that 342 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: whole exchange of gear thing did make me think a 343 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: lot of like international soccer matches that you watch when 344 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:05,400 Speaker 1: afterwards they'll exchange jerseys and the whole playing fighting instead 345 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: of fighting. Your soccer perspective coming in here, yep um. 346 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: But clearly the perception of war was something so sporting 347 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: as a boxing match would change later some historians would 348 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: see it as kind of a bridge between the pre 349 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:21,400 Speaker 1: war and the post war world, contributing to the PBS 350 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,400 Speaker 1: series on the Great war. Paul Fusil describes it as 351 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: the quote last gesture of the nineteenth century idea that 352 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: human beings are getting better the longer the human race 353 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: goes on. Nobody could believe that after the First World War, 354 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: and certainly not after the second, and to go along 355 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: with that idea almost I mean, some people consider it 356 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: the last holdout of like a Victorian Christmas, and and 357 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: that makes sense or Dickens Christmas, I mean kind of 358 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,360 Speaker 1: the same thing. But that makes sense if you think 359 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 1: that the origin of a Victorian Christmas, which is from 360 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: Britain is of course German because of Prince Albert. As 361 00:20:57,600 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: we've talked about all that before too, so it makes 362 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: that these two countries in particular would have such similar 363 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: Christmas traditions and and um end up celebrating them in 364 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: this early stage of the war together. But I was 365 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: really surprised. I know we've had a lot of quotes 366 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: in this episode because there are so many letters and 367 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,479 Speaker 1: diaries written by soldiers, but we do have a quote 368 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: from our old friend Arthur Conan Doyle, who is really 369 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: the new Queen Victoria up in every episode. I really 370 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: like what how he described the truth. Though it's quite poignant. 371 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,880 Speaker 1: He wrote, it was quote one human episode amid all 372 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: the atrocities which have stained the memory of the war. Um, 373 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: and clearly it has been really well remembered and celebrated 374 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 1: because it is so unique. It is this one human episode. 375 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: I mean, if it had ended the war or something, 376 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: it would clearly be in a whole different league of history. 377 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: But it's so unusual that a lot of people have 378 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:00,400 Speaker 1: remembered it and have marked it. In nineteen nine nine 379 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: for Existence, members of the Association for Military Remembrance reenact 380 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: the Truth at APRA and in November two thousand five, 381 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: the last known Christmas Truce veteran died in Scotland at 382 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: a wopping one hundred and nine years old. His name 383 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: was Alfred Anderson. He was a Black Watch soldier and 384 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: he was eighteen and nineteen fourteen. Later in the war, 385 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,159 Speaker 1: he had served as a batman to the brother of 386 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: the late Queen Mother and consequently had received a visit 387 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,159 Speaker 1: from Prince Charles and numerous telegrams from the Queen. I 388 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: feel like we should explain batman really quickly too, because 389 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: because the batman UM. I found out about this from 390 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: watching Downton Abbey. UM it's like the personal assistant almost 391 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 1: of high ranking officers. So the job would be anything 392 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,679 Speaker 1: from like getting your messages, making sure you had your supplies, 393 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 1: to offering some kind of personal protection. And it was 394 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: a really prestigious position to have. You might get to 395 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: go to better places and move up faster in the army. UM. 396 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: So that was I was also kind of surprised that 397 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 1: this fellow, Alfred Anderson UM, died in two thousand five. 398 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,480 Speaker 1: I believe that the last World War One survivor died 399 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: just this year, so not too not too far apart, 400 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: not too far for the last Christmas Truth survivor UM. 401 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,880 Speaker 1: But one final comment here on Bruce Bearn's father, who 402 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: he mentioned earlier. I looked at some of his cartoons 403 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 1: and I kind of thought they were a neat way 404 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: to take a different look at World War One, one 405 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:39,120 Speaker 1: that is personal, one that's sometimes humorous instead of remote 406 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: and upsetting and mechanical. You know, it's it's clearly depicting 407 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: the soldiers not just as cannon fodder. There are people, 408 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: and they do funny things, and they have funny reactions. 409 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: There were funny interactions with people. But I also liked 410 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,680 Speaker 1: Bearn's father's reflection on the truth, and they certainly suggest 411 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:00,919 Speaker 1: that he may have seen it as more than just 412 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: a lull in a friendly boxing match. As we mentioned earlier, 413 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: he wrote quote, there was a kind of invisible and 414 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 1: tangible feeling extending across the frozen swamp between the two 415 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,120 Speaker 1: lines which said, this is Christmas Eve for both of us, 416 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: something in common. Well, that was a great choice for 417 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,000 Speaker 1: a Christmas episode, I think, Well, I'm glad that you 418 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: liked it, and I really enjoyed listening to it. Made 419 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: me break out my family. Carol's book kind of put 420 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: me in a in a Christmas mood, but a reflective 421 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 1: one too, And I know that there are a lot 422 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: of other Christmas themed episodes that people want to hear. 423 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: I think people request sat Nick every single year people do. 424 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: We get a lot of requests for sat Ni. So 425 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: maybe that will be next year's episode. Maybe, But in 426 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: the meantime, if you have any more requests Christmas related 427 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: or not, please email us for a history podcast at 428 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com. You can also hit us 429 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,439 Speaker 1: up on Facebook or on Twitter at mist in History. 430 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 1: And of course, have a very merry Christmas and a 431 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year, Festivus Festivals, Saturnalia, 432 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,880 Speaker 1: of course christ Tied. If you listen into our old 433 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: episodes you will know both of those references. Whatever holiday 434 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: you celebrate, I hope you have a happy and peaceful season. 435 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,480 Speaker 1: You can also learn more about Christmas as well as 436 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: the Christmas Truths. We do have an article on that. 437 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 1: I found it unfortunately after I was done researching this episode. 438 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:32,640 Speaker 1: Because I'm rarely expecting we have uncovered history articles anymore. 439 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: We usually don't. We usually don't, but we do have 440 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,479 Speaker 1: one for this It's called what was the Christmas Troops? 441 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: And we have How Christmas Works, which I always like 442 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: to recommend. You can check it out by searching for 443 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:47,320 Speaker 1: Christmas on our home page at www dot how stuff 444 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:56,120 Speaker 1: works dot com. Thank you so much for joining us 445 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 1: for this Saturday classic. Since this is out of the archive, 446 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: if you heard an email address or a Facebook U 447 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: R L or something similar during the course of the show, 448 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,679 Speaker 1: that may be obsolete now. So here is our current 449 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: contact information. We are at History Podcast at how Stuff 450 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 1: Works dot com, and then we're at Missed in the History. 451 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 1: All over social media that is our name on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, 452 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 1: and Instagram. Thanks again for listening. For more on this 453 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:35,720 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.