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 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: Let me paint a picture for you. It was nineteen 7 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: forty four in German occupied France, east of Paris, in 8 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: the country's more mountainous region. A woman furiously pedaled her 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: bicycle up a rocky hill. She'd been traveling for hours 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: to complete a special mission. She was hungry and exhausted, 11 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: and her legs felt like lead. But then she came 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: upon a Nazi checkpoint. They were scattered throughout for so 13 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: she knew this moment was inevitable. Despite the butterflies in 14 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: her stomach and the knowledge that if she was caught 15 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: she would surely be killed, she rolled to a stop 16 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,279 Speaker 1: beside two German officers. They looked her over. She forced 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: her breathing to steady, then flashed them a friendly smile. 18 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: In her experience, this was the best way to put 19 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: German soldiers at ease. To convince them that she was 20 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: a local villager, a young housewife, a supporter of the 21 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: Nazi occupation. Of course, this was all a careful ruse, 22 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: but it worked. The men grinned back without even looking 23 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: at her passport. They waved her through the checkpoint. She 24 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: thanked them and rode away at a leisurely pace. However, 25 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: the minute she was out of their sight, she began 26 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: peddling harder. She forced her way through the mountains, barely 27 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: stopping to rest, to eat, or even to use the 28 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: bathroom for thirty six hours. By the time she finally 29 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: reached her destination, she had traveled nearly one hundred and 30 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: twenty five miles on her bicycle. She made it to 31 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: the French city of Chateauroux, where she could access a 32 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: private radio transmission. She sent a message to her contact 33 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: in London with a set of new codes so that 34 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: they could re establish a safe line of communication. This 35 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: was crucial to an upcoming military operation, one that was 36 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: called the Invasion of Normandy, better known as D Day. 37 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: You see, this woman was a spy for the British government, and, 38 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: unbeknownst to those two German soldiers who had led her 39 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,519 Speaker 1: through their checkpoint. She was also one of the Nazis' 40 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: most wanted people. The year before, in nineteen thirty four, 41 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: the Gestapo had put a five million franc bounty on 42 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: her head. The problem was no one in the German 43 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: army actually knew who she was or what she looked like. 44 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: They just knew that she was impossible to catch, which 45 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: is why they called her the White Mouse. As for 46 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: the woman's friends, well, they just called her Nancy. Her 47 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: full name was Nancy Wake. She was born in New 48 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: Zealand in nineteen twelve and raised in Australia. She moved 49 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: to Paris as a young adult, where she met and 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 1: married a wealthy businesiness man. The two often traveled throughout Europe, 51 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: which is how during the nineteen thirties Nancy watched the 52 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: rise of the Nazis' first hand. She promised herself that 53 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: if she ever got the chance, she would do whatever 54 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: she could to fight back. When the Nazi army invaded 55 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: France in nineteen forty, she got that chance. She volunteered 56 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: as a member of the French Resistance. Her wealth and 57 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: status gave her the ability to cross international borders with ease, 58 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: so she primarily worked as a transporter helping vulnerable people 59 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: get out of Nazi occupied France. She actually bought an 60 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: ambulance and used it to help refugees get across the 61 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: Spanish border. She continued doing this until nineteen forty three, 62 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: when the German Army caught wind of what she was 63 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: up to. The Gestapo put her on their most wanted 64 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: list and offered a huge reward in exchange for her capture. 65 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: This put Nancy in a really tough spot. Her husband 66 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: was a high profile businessman. He couldn't just up and 67 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: leave the country without arousing suspicion. That meant that either 68 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: she had to stay and risk capture, or leave her 69 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: husband and flee to safety, and she chose the second option. 70 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: Nancy traveled to England, where she was trained by the 71 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: British Special Operations Executive. In nineteen forty four, she parachuted 72 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: back into France to help Allied forces prepare for the 73 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: upcoming D Day invasion. She organized ammunition drops, set up 74 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: supply lines, and biked hundreds of miles to make sure 75 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: Allied communications were secure. When France was liberated in late 76 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, Nancy went back to Paris in the 77 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: hopes of finding her husband, but all she found was 78 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: bad news. He had been captured, interrogated, and killed by 79 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: the Gestapo over a year earlier. He was heartbreaking, as 80 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: was the case for most people, The war changed Nancy's 81 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: life forever. She fought for freedom and lost her marriage 82 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: and became a new person. Nancy received military honors from France, 83 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: Great Britain, and the United States. She also eventually remarried 84 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: and moved back to Australia, where she lived for over 85 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: forty years. After her second husband's death in the late 86 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,480 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties, she returned to England. She died in London 87 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: in twenty eleven, just one month shy of her ninety 88 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: ninth birthday. According to her wishes, Nancy was not buried 89 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: in one place. Instead, her ashes were scattered throughout France. 90 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: To me, it's a poetic ending to a truly incredible 91 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: story in death, as she had been in life. Nancy 92 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: Wake the White Mouse could never be pinned down. In 93 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, US President Woodrow Wilson was sitting in his 94 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: office in the White House, holding his head in his hands. 95 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: He was in a difficult position, after all, as World 96 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: War One raged across Europe, he had two contradictory goals 97 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: to support the Allied war effort and to simultaneously keep 98 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: America out of conflict. This geopolitical dance was exhausting, and 99 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: it wasn't the only problem on Wilson's mind. Just months earlier, 100 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: his wife Ellen had passed away from a kidney disorder. 101 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: The loss was crushing. Ellen was his closest confidant, the 102 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: mother of his two children, and the first Lady of 103 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: the United States. Ever since she died, Wilson had been 104 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: depressed and lonely. He couldn't focus, He couldn't bring himself 105 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: to care about anything. But that was all about to 106 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: change that day. The doors of the White House elevator 107 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: opened to reveal a tall woman with a mess of dark, 108 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,799 Speaker 1: curly hair. She was wearing walking clothes and mud stained boots. 109 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,119 Speaker 1: Right away, she struck Wilson as a unique kind of woman, 110 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: one who wasn't afraid to get her shoes dirty. She 111 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: introduced herself as Edith Bowling, and she certainly was unique. 112 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: At forty two years old, she was a widow with 113 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: no children. She'd been born into a prominent Virginia family, 114 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: so she was wealthy and well educated. When her husband 115 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: passed away seven years earlier. He left her a jewelry 116 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: store in Washington, which she ran by herself. The circumstances 117 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 1: of her life made her fiercely independent, quick witted, and adventurous. 118 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: She was also friends with one of Wilson's cousins who 119 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,559 Speaker 1: happened to work as a hostess at the White House, 120 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: and that's how Edith wound up inside. The President was smitten. 121 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: He and Edith were married that December, and just like that, 122 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: the United States had a new First Lady. Edith was 123 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: known to be smart, fashionable, and gracious, but she tried 124 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: to stay out of politics. She was afraid of being 125 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: seen as a quote unquote too authoritative person. It wasn't 126 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: until nineteen seventeen, when the US officially entered World War One, 127 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: that she stepped into a more leadership kind of role. 128 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: She worked to support the war effort and fostered trust 129 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: with the public. For example, during World War One, the 130 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: US Food Administration had to ration certain items like flour 131 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: and meat. In an attempt to set a positive example 132 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: for the American people, Edith had the White House follow 133 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: these same rationing rules as the company flock went on. 134 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: Though Edith did much more than choose the presidential menu. 135 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: She had a gift for puzzles and languages, and she 136 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 1: actually helped decode some secret messages during the war. On 137 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: top of this, in nineteen eighteen, she accompanied her husband 138 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: to Europe to visit American troops. This made her the 139 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: first first lady to travel to Europe on political business. 140 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: In June of nineteen nineteen, she went again to attend 141 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended 142 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: World War One. Back in Washington, with a newly international 143 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: peace established, things were going well for the first couple. 144 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: But then in October of nineteen nineteen, Woodrow Wilson's life 145 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: changed once again. He suffered a major stroke that left 146 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: him partially paralyzed and completely incapacitated. But here's the thing. 147 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: Throughout history, US presidents have gone to great lengths to 148 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: hide their health problems. Wilson was no different. He hid 149 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: the severity of a stroke from almost everyone, including the 150 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: American people, the US Congress, and members of his own cabinet. 151 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: The war had just ended, and Wilson didn't want to 152 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: introduce any sense of panic or instability back into politics. 153 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: The only people who knew how sick Wilson was, were 154 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: his doctor and his wife, and suddenly Edith found herself 155 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: in a very unique position. She was the president steward 156 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: between October of nineteen nineteen and January of nineteen twenty one. 157 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: Every bit of correspondence with Wilson went through Edith first, 158 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: and every decision the president made was filtered through and 159 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: finalized by her. Now, Like I said, Edith was always 160 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: afraid of being seen as too authoritative. She insisted that 161 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: she never made decisions without her husband's input, but many 162 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: historians believe that she was far too modest. Edith is 163 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: considered by some to have been America's first unofficial female president, 164 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: a decision maker who worked behind the scenes when the 165 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: real president no longer could. After his term ended, Woodrow 166 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,199 Speaker 1: and Edith Wilson retired to a townhouse in Washington. D. C. 167 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: Wilson died three years later, but Edith lived on for 168 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:02,559 Speaker 1: another four decades. The Wilson House is a National Historic 169 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: Landmark and is open to the public for tours. Inside 170 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: you'll find multiple portraits of Edith Wilson looking fashionable, gracious, 171 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: and authoritative, which, despite her own reservations, is certainly not 172 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 1: a bad thing. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour 173 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 174 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 175 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 176 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 177 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 178 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 179 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 180 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: stay curious.