1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: If you're a fan of true crime documentaries, you know 7 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: a lot of stories follow a similar pattern. A killer 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: is caught, convicted, and carted off to prison to serve 9 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: a life sentence. Rarely do we hear stories about what 10 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: happens after someone goes to jail. But there's one man 11 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: who's famous for what he accomplished behind bars. His work, 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: which was all done while he lived in solitary confinement, 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: cemented him as one of history's most prolific self taught science, 14 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: and it earned him the nickname the Birdman of Alcatraz. 15 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: His real name was Robert Stroud. He was born in Seattle, Washington, 16 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety, but he dropped out of school and 17 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: ran away to Alaska when he was just thirteen years old. 18 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: And well, he did not walk the Strait and Narrow. 19 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen oh nine, eighteen year old Robert killed a 20 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: man in a bar fight. He pled guilty demandslaughter and 21 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: was sentenced to twelve years in prison. He spent three 22 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: years at McNeil Island before being transferred to Levenworth, a 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: facility notorious for its poor living conditions and cruel treatment 24 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: of inmates. Robert hated Levenworth. He was known amongst the 25 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: staff as a problem, and he definitely was. In nineteen sixteen, 26 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: when he was twenty six years old, Robert stabb then 27 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: killed a prison guard. As you might imagine, actions like 28 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: this were generally frowned upon, and in Robert's case, they 29 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: landed him on death row. But in a strange twist, 30 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: then President Woodrow Wilson commuted Robert's sentence to life, which 31 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: I'm sure seemed wonderful to Robert's at first. But the 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: problem was there was a huge catch. Robert would spend 33 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: the rest of his days in solitary confinement. He was 34 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: only allowed to leave a cell once a day for 35 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: exercise in a private prison yard. It was during one 36 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: of these exercise breaks that Robert found a bird's nest. 37 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: Inside were three injured baby canaries. For whatever reason, maybe 38 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: sympathy maybe boredom, Robert smuggled the baby birds back to 39 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: his cell. He gave them water and food from his 40 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: own meager rations. Now these canaries didn't stay secret for long. 41 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: The sound of their chirping filled the hall where Robert lived. 42 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: But the warden thought maybe these feathered friends could be 43 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: good company for the inmate, so he allowed Robert to 44 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: keep them. With nothing to do except sit in his 45 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: cell and care for his birds, Robert became really interested 46 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: in ornithology, which is a fancy word for bird science. 47 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: He asked the warden for some ornithology textbooks, and the warden, 48 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: who noticed that Robert's behavior had become much better since 49 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: he got these pets, happily obliged. Now, even though Robert 50 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: only had a great school education, he read the books 51 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: front to back and learned everything he possibly could about birds, 52 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: biology and behavior. Over the next few years, he bred 53 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: his canaries, going from three birds to over three hundred. 54 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: Solitary confinement all of a sudden, wasn't so solitary anymore. 55 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: As you might imagine, These many canaries posed a logistical problem. 56 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: Robert's cell was cramped with homemade bird cages. Not to 57 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: mention the smell which permeated the entire hallway. Still, the 58 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: warden continued to allow it. But then roberts encountered a problem. 59 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: One of his birds fell ill. Using his textbooks, he 60 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: diagnosed his pet with a bacterial infection known as avian 61 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: hemorrhagic septocemia. It was a contagious disease, and before long 62 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: it started spreading to his other birds. Avian hemorrhagic septocemia 63 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: had no known cure, but Robert, who'd been living in 64 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: solitary confinement for years with no friends except his canaries, 65 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: wasn't going to sit by and let his beloved birds die. 66 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: He asked the warden for laboratory e quips and various chemicals, 67 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: and again the warden said yes. Robert turned his cell 68 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: into a science lab, and after much trial and error 69 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: and many canary funerals, he did it. He created a cure. 70 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: Robert later published his findings and wrote two full length 71 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: books on ornithology, and in the process he cemented himself 72 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: as one of the world's foremost ornithological experts, all from 73 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: inside his prison cell. Obviously, Robert Stroud wasn't perfect. He 74 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 1: was later caught using that same lab equipment to distill alcohol. 75 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: The warden, who had placed so much trust in him, 76 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: felt betrayed. As a punishment, Robert was transferred to Alcatraz, 77 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: which is where he got his nickname. But despite being 78 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: called the Birdman of Alcatraz, he wasn't actually allowed to 79 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: bring any of his canaries with him. Robert Stroud passed 80 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: away in nineteen sixty three. He spent a total of 81 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: fifty four years incarcerated, and forty two of those were 82 00:04:55,839 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: spent in solitary confinement. The Birdman of Alcatraz left behind 83 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: a complicated legacy, but still he's a testament to what 84 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: you can accomplish when you have determination, a dream, and 85 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: a whole lot of free time on your hands. Everyone 86 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: wants to leave their mark on the world, something that 87 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: stays behind long after you're gone. Most of us have 88 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: seen cave paintings, animals being hunted, and little handprints left 89 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: by people who are deep in the ground. But there 90 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: are other examples that really get to the hearts of 91 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: how weird and funny humanity is and how we have 92 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: fundamentally always been the same. The tombs of ancient Egyptian 93 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: kings are littered with thousands of pieces of ancient graffiti 94 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: from ye old tourists, including one inscription from a disgruntled 95 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: Roman that read, I visited and I did not like 96 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: anything except the sarcophagus. In moments of stress, bored or 97 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: maybe both people get fidgety and they tend to doodle. 98 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: In war zones, there are significantly fewer notebook margins available, 99 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: but docks, chunks of destroyed buildings, and bar countertops are 100 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: still open for one or two little pieces of scribbling. 101 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: For soldiers in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World 102 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: War II, there was a shocking amount of time between pushes, 103 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: so they started to play a game. There's some debate 104 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: over how and where it started. Some think that it 105 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: was a shipyard in Massachusetts that was churning out ships 106 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: for the war effort. According to that story, there was 107 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: an inspector in the yard who had the check that 108 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: the rivets were functioning properly, often climbing down into tight 109 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: spaces and leaving check marks as he went. One day, 110 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: the inspector realized that someone was tampering with his check marks. 111 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: Workers knew that if inspectors had to come back a 112 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: second time, their pay would be increased. After thinking for 113 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,119 Speaker 1: a while, he devised a new system, something a little 114 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: more personal and permanent. The inspector began marking his completed 115 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: checks with a spray can, leaving his own name be Soon, 116 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: Kilroy was Here was stamped on hundreds of pieces of machinery. 117 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: Soldiers across the Atlantic and Pacific were getting introduced to Kilroy, and, 118 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: without knowing the original meaning, decided to make it their 119 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: own inside joke. Kilroy was here, complete with the little 120 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: doodle that began appearing anywhere and everywhere. This is only 121 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: one version of Kilroy's origins. Other accounts, though, point to 122 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: a man named Francis J. Kilroy Junior from Florida who 123 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: was very sick. According to the story, he wrote, Kilroy 124 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: will be here next week on the wall of his barracks. 125 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: But what's more interesting is that other countries had their 126 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: own versions of Kilroy. Australian soldiers had fo during World 127 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: War One, also a big nose cartoon peeking over a wall. 128 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: Mister Chad appeared in England with his own nose coming 129 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: from the Greek symbol for omega. Wherever he really came from. 130 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: Kilroy became an integral part of World War Two, A 131 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: meme that spread from soldier to soldier and country to country. 132 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: In moments of lonely isolation, a little joke from home 133 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: could go a long way. It's hard to believe such 134 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: an innocent, little drawing would draw the attention of Hitler 135 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: or Stalin. When I say Kilroy was everywhere, I mean it. 136 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: The ruins of cities, the insides and outsides of tanks, 137 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: painted on airplanes, and the ordinance fired. Yes, that's right. 138 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: Some manufacturers with a sense of humors started slapping Kilroy 139 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: on Air Force missiles that were being launched against the Nazis. Now, 140 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: the rest of the story might be more fiction than fact, 141 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: but I think you'll agree that it's too good a 142 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: story not to pass up. Over the course of the war, 143 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: Kilroy became a sign of hope for Allied forces, especially 144 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: after they started making breakthroughs further into Axis territory. The 145 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: more Kilroys were there, the more Americans were there. For 146 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: the Nazis, However, Kilroy became something more sinister. Apparently, Hitler 147 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: and several other high ranking Nazis wondered if Kilroy was 148 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: some kind of an American spy A lah James Bond. 149 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: His signature seemed to be everywhere, discovered right before or 150 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: right after a massive Allied attack, it seemed reasonable to 151 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: assume he was a super soldier or a master spy 152 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: who had infiltrated Axis territory. According to one story, which 153 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: may or may not be exaggerated, Hitler even ordered a 154 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: contingent of soldiers to track down the American, but shockingly, 155 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: no one ever found Kilroy. Stalin shared their paranoia too. Apparently, 156 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 1: at the Potsdam Conference in Germany, American forces had to 157 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 1: use the bathroom and, in the time honored tradition, doodled 158 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: on the wall of the stall. When the Great Man 159 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: himself had to use the head, he was unamused to 160 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,559 Speaker 1: discover Kilroy had already made it their first. Allegedly, he 161 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: told his officials to find whoever it was responsible and 162 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 1: do away with them. Kilroy is still everywhere if you 163 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: know where to look. Stories place him at the Arc 164 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: de Triomphan Paris, on Mount Everest, at the Great Wall 165 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: of China, and even on the Moon. Now those are 166 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,559 Speaker 1: all unconfirmed tall tales, of course, but there's one place 167 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: I know you'll find him if you look. See if 168 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: you visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. 169 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 1: You'll find monuments to those that served in the Atlantic 170 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: and Pacific, and in two different spots you can see 171 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: a little bald head peering over a wall, reminding everyone 172 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: that Kilroy was there. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 173 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 174 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 175 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 176 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 177 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 178 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 179 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: about it over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until 180 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.