1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracey V. Wilson. It's Christmas. U huh. 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,959 Speaker 1: So Happy Christmas to all who celebrate. If you don't 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: happy winter or holiday, you do, enjoy. Honkah begins tonight 6 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: as we publish this, So if you're into that, you're 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: doing hanikh. I hope it's a great one. Yeah uh. 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: But today we're going to talk about Christmas decor specifically 9 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:41,279 Speaker 1: through history, including trees, glass ornaments, and Christmas lights. And 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 1: that comes with just a little heads up because there's 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: some sad stuff in this one. So if that's something 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: you just don't want to hear at the holidays, I 13 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: get it. Just skip the last segment. That's where it 14 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: all is and you can come back to that later 15 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: if you want to hear it. We will also remind 16 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: you when we get to that segment, so if you 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: get caught up hearing about other things, you know when 18 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: to like peace out, sure and you can just have 19 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: the more fun parts. Yeah. So the Christmas song Oh Tannenbaum, 20 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: sung in the United States usually as old Christmas Tree 21 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: was written in Leipzig, Germany in eighteen twenty four by 22 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: Ernst On Shoots, but Christmas trees had already been around 23 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: for at least two hundred years at that point, and 24 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: they are believed to have originated in Germany. Trees were 25 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,559 Speaker 1: used as part of various religious practices long before that point, 26 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: but in terms of a tree being specifically used as 27 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: part of Christmas decor and tradition, Germany probably gets the credit. 28 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: We say probably because in terms of documentation there's not 29 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: a lot, and there are plenty of myths and legends 30 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: about it. One is that in the eighth century, Saint 31 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: Boniface came upon some pagans using an oak tree as 32 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: part of a human sacrifice ritual, and Boniface cut down 33 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: the tree to stop the proceedings. There are some versions 34 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: of the story where he burned their tree, and then 35 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: a fir tree grew from the stump of the ashes 36 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: and was interpreted as a representation of Christ and his truth. Obviously, 37 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: this story is unsubstantiated, but in terms of evergreen specifically, 38 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: we do know that they popped up sometime in the 39 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: Middle Ages in Christian German households and they were meant 40 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: to represent the garden of Eden. These early trees were 41 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: decorated with apples and were part of the Catholic feast 42 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: day of Adam and Eve, which fell on December twenty fourth. 43 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 1: So if you've ever been like, why the tree, that's why. 44 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: In this context these trees were called paradise trees, and 45 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: that practice became so popular in the fourteen hundreds that 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: there was actually a pretty real danger of people overcutting. 47 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: Branches from pine trees were vanishing in degrees and amounts 48 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: that were damaging to the trees as people went out 49 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: to just their own. So in the Alsace region laws 50 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: were implemented to prevent that you were not allowed to 51 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: cut your own branch whenever you wanted to, and only 52 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: one tree was allowed per home. Martin Luther is sometimes 53 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: credited with the invention of Christmas trees in the sixteenth century, 54 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: in a story that's pretty poetic. It involves him looking 55 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: up at the trees while walking through a forest in 56 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: winter and marveling at the beauty of the moonlight reflecting 57 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: off of the icicles and frost on the branches of 58 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: the firs, and then wanting to replicate that effect at 59 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: home that does not really hold water. Though, because we 60 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: know about those earlier trees and their uses, he may 61 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: have initiated the practice of adding lights to the tree 62 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: by placing candles on the boughs. And we will be 63 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: coming back to those candles feelings about candles. In sixteen 64 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: oh five, so about fifty years after Martin Luther's death, 65 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: we have the first written record of Christmas trees in 66 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: use in the homes of Strasbourg, decorated with apples, paper roses, 67 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: gold foil candies and wafers. The earliest recorded sales of 68 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: cut trees intended specifically for Christmas tree use dates back 69 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: to the seventeenth century in Strasburg. By the end of 70 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: the eighteenth century, the practice of decorating a Christmas tree 71 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: was completely established in Germany, as was described by Samuel 72 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: Taylor Coleridge in a letter to his wife Sarah in 73 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: seventeen ninety nine while visiting the German Duchy of Mecklenburg Streuditz. Quote. Then, 74 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: on the evening before Christmas Day, one of the parlors 75 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: is lighted up by the children, into which the parents 76 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: must not go. A great u bow is fastened on 77 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: the table at a little distance from the wall. A 78 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: multitude of little tapers are fastened in the bow, but 79 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: not so as to burn it, till they are nearly 80 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: burnt out and colored. Et cetera. Hangs and flutters from 81 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: the twigs. Under this bow. The children lay out in 82 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,559 Speaker 1: great neatness the presence they mean for their parents, still 83 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: concealing in their pockets what they intend for each other. 84 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: So as that mentions, and as we alluded to a 85 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: moment ago, in some cases people would not do a 86 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: whole tree, but they would just do like a single bow, 87 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: or a couple of bows, tied and hung or displayed 88 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: on a table. We know that Christmas trees were in 89 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: use in England in the seventeen nineties or early eighteen hundreds, 90 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: and possibly earlier, and that is because George the Third's wife, Charlotte, 91 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: who was born in Mecklenburg Streilitz, brought the tradition with 92 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,799 Speaker 1: her to England when she became queen. She actually arrived 93 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: in England in seventeen sixty one, so it's very likely 94 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: there were Christmas trees in the royal residences before one 95 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: appears in written record. She incorporated the Christmas tree into 96 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: celebrations shared with the rest of the royal family and 97 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 1: its visitors, and this popularized the practice to a degree 98 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: with the aristocracy. Then at the end of the century, 99 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: it's written that she had a u tree put up 100 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: in the Queen's lodge at Windsor for the holidays, with 101 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: full decorations. This was intended to be a centerpiece for 102 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: a party she was planning for the children of the 103 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: royals and the nobility, and the kids got to pluck 104 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: sweets from the branches to eat and after this, which 105 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: was not a public event but still a very big spectacle. 106 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: Most nobles with children are said to have adopted the 107 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: Christmas tree as part of their home celebrations, and a 108 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: lot of municipalities started making a practice of putting up 109 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: large public trees for the children of the community to enjoy. 110 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: We've talked on the show before about how Christmas trees 111 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: became hugely popular during Queen Victoria's reign. As we noted earlier, 112 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: they did exist well before that, but an engraving of 113 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: her and the royal family with a Christmas tree was 114 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: published in the eighteen forties and that made the practice 115 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: of putting up the tree vogue. That exact engraving was 116 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: republished in the United States with tiny little alterations to 117 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: make it look less obviously like royals. That became a 118 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: standard for most households that celebrate Christmas because of that 119 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: huge surge in popularity. The use of Christmas trees by 120 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: Victoria's court certainly built upon the trend that Queen Charlotte 121 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: had started, but Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, also from Germany, 122 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: also contributed to the expansion of the Christmas trees use. 123 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: In eighteen forty he had Christmas trees imported from Cobourg 124 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: for the royal residences. Because Victoria and Albert were just 125 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: ceaselessly fascinating to the press, their Christmas trees were covered 126 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: extensively every year. One detailed example appeared in the Morning 127 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: Post of London on December twenty eighth, eighteen forty eight, 128 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: and it reads, in part quote, a Christmas tree is 129 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: annual prepared by Her Majesty's command for the Royal children. 130 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: The tree employed for this festive purpose is a young 131 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: fur about eight feet high, and has six tiers of branches. 132 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: On each tier or branch are arranged a dozen wax 133 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: tapers pendant from the branches are elegant trays, basket, bonbonnier, 134 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: and other receptacles for sweetmeats of the most varied kind 135 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: and of all forms, colors and degrees of beauty. Fancy cakes, 136 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: gilt gingerbread, and eggs filled with sweetmeats are also suspended 137 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: by variously colored ribands from the branches. The tree, which 138 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: stands upon a table covered with white damask, is supported 139 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: at the root by piles of sweets of a larger kind, 140 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: and by toys and dolls of all descriptions suited to 141 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: the youthful fancy, and to the several ages of the 142 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: scions of royalty, for whose gratification they are displayed. The 143 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: name of each recipient is affixed to the doll, bonbon 144 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,239 Speaker 1: or other present intended for it, so that no differences 145 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: of opinion in the choice of dainties may arise to 146 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: disturb the equanimity of the illustrious juveniles. On the summit 147 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 1: of the tree stands the small figure of an angel 148 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: with outstretched wings, holding in each hand a wreath. That 149 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: article goes on to mention that there are similar trees 150 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: throughout the various living quarters of the castle. That write 151 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: up also denotes the timeline of the Christmas tree's use 152 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: and who is responsible for each quote. These trees are 153 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: objects of much interest to all visitors at the castle, 154 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: from Christmas Eve, when they are first set up, until 155 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: twelve night, when they are finally removed. They are not 156 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 1: accessible to the curiosity of the public, but Her Majesty's 157 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: visitors accompany the Queen from room to room to inspect 158 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: them when they are illuminated. Her Majesty's tree is furnished 159 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: by His Royal Highness, Prince Albert, whilst that of the 160 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: Prince is furnished according to the taste of her magic. 161 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: The other trees are jointly provided by Her Majesty and 162 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: the Prince, who plan and arrange the gifts of the table. 163 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: So there was a shorter window for the trees than 164 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: most homes might have today. There was a degree to 165 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: which the trees themselves were sort of presents, at least 166 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: within the royal family. Trees were also given by royals 167 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: to various charity causes. A rite up from early eighteen 168 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: forty eight described the Duke of Cambridge visiting the German 169 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: hospital of Dalston and giving gifts to the patients there, 170 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: and then completing the visit by lighting up a German 171 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: Christmas tree. Coming up, we will talk about the Christmas 172 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,959 Speaker 1: tree tradition making its way to North America, but first 173 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: we will hear from our sponsors. Just as movement from 174 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: Germany to England and other European countries spread the Christmas 175 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: tree tradition, movement to North America by Germans and other 176 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: Europeans brought the practice of tree traditions with them. The 177 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 1: first mention of a Christmas tree in the US is 178 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 1: actually pretty early. It's in the late seventeen hundreds, and 179 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: their popularity quickly spread from there. The White House first 180 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: had a Christmas tree in eighteen fifty six, during the 181 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: administration of President Franklin Pierce. Jumping ahead a bit, in 182 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three, the first national Christmas tree was lit 183 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: on the White House lawn. The Christmas Eve event, which 184 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: was segregated and left the Black choir in attendance to 185 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,559 Speaker 1: sing late at night after the White carollers were done, 186 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: was the idea of Herbert Hoover's assistant, Frederick Piker, and 187 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: there was a very specific goal for these festivities. At 188 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: the time, Hoover was the Secretary of Commerce and Fiker 189 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 1: was well connected to the world of electricity, having formally 190 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: worked for General Electric during World War One. The Society 191 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: for Electrical Development had formed and they were looking for 192 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: ways to promote the safety and capability of electricity. So 193 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,839 Speaker 1: what better way than to show off an enormous Christmas 194 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 1: tree covered in electric lights. The White House had been 195 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: using electric lights on the indoor Christmas trees for several years, 196 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: but this was to be a large scale public tree 197 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: and ceremony. Fiker described his idea in a letter later quote, 198 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: the Society for Electrical Development was interested to have as 199 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: many people use electric lights at Christmas time as possible, 200 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: So I thought of this idea of having the national 201 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: Christmas Tree at Washington, which would stimulate other people to 202 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: have outdoor Christmas trees. In order to get this started, 203 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: we had to get the President of the United States 204 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: to light the tree. If you get the President of 205 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 1: the United States two years in succession to do a thing, 206 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: he will always do it. The effort paid off for 207 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: Fiker and cementing his reputation in Washington, and he was 208 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: eventually made Director of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 209 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: I love that whole If you get a president to 210 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: do something twice. It's a tradition. Tell that to FDR 211 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: and moving the date of Thanksgiving, which I I guess 212 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: he did try to keep doing forever until Congress was 213 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:19,319 Speaker 1: like stop that. Right. One of the most famous public 214 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: tree traditions in the US, and that's the giant Tree 215 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: at Rockefeller Center, began in nineteen thirty one, and that was, 216 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: of course, right in the middle of the Great Depression. 217 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: Rockefeller Center was not finished yet, and the construction workers 218 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: who were employed to build it were also the ones 219 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: tasked with erecting the twenty foot tall tree. This is 220 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: actually a little detail that gets told slightly differently because 221 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: some accounts will say that they paid for the tree, 222 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: but I think it's a little more likely that they 223 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: had to put it up. The construction work at Rockefeller 224 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: was really important. It was keeping a lot of people 225 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: afloat during the recession, and that tree came to symbolize 226 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: that sustaining nature of this one big construction project. To 227 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:06,199 Speaker 1: a degree, that symbolism was aided by the fact that 228 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 1: holiday Czechs were distributed at the base of the tree 229 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty one, and the whole thing brought a 230 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: lot of good publicity and resulting goodwill for the Rockefeller Project. 231 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty four, the fake tree made it splash 232 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: thanks to inventor Cy Spiegel. Size life story is fantastic 233 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: in its own right. He was born in New York 234 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty four, and during World War II he 235 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: served in the military. Initially, he was assigned to aircraft 236 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: mechanics school, which he was not really enthusiastic about, as 237 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: he told to New York Times journalist Lori Gwin Shapiro quote, 238 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: how would I fight Hitler with a wrench? He managed 239 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: to finagle his way into the army's pilot training and 240 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: participated in several bombing raids during the war. He was 241 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: flying on a bombing raid in Berlin that went awry 242 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: when his B seventeen got shot by German fire eagle, 243 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: who was Jewish, did not want to go down in 244 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: Germany and he was in rough shape, but he managed 245 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: to make an emergency landing and Allied territory. He had 246 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,960 Speaker 1: instructed the men aboard to jettison any extra weight so 247 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: they could make it there. There's more to this story. 248 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: It's really just to set up what an eventful life 249 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: this man had and how unlikely it was that he 250 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: would even survive the war, let alone go on to 251 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: revolutionize Christmas. Yeah, he was in a lot of scrapes. 252 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: He has a great life story. There are several New 253 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: York Times articles about him because he's fascinating and survived 254 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: a long time and told a lot of great stories. 255 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: But after his military service, Spiegel started working as a 256 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: machinist for a company that manufactured machines that made brushes, 257 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: and at one point higher ups in the company thought 258 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: of the idea to use the brush making machines to 259 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: manufacture artificial Christmas trees, which the company did, but those 260 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 1: trees were not very appealing and sales were really slow 261 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: to non existent. When people got fake trees, they were 262 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: usually getting those foil ones that we think of as 263 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: being very like mid century modern. But Syot sent to 264 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: the facility where they were making these brush trees with 265 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: a mandate that he had to shut it down. But 266 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: when he got there, he realized there was actually still 267 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: a lot of potential in the idea of an artificial tree, 268 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: and he told his bosses that he really thought they 269 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: could make money if they created fake pines, and his 270 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: bosses trusted his instinct. So they formed a new division 271 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 1: called American Tree and Wreath and they put him in 272 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: charge of it. Spiegel tweaked the process they had been using, 273 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: and he used real trees as models for the designs 274 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: that the companies produced. Once his division was able to 275 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: produce fake trees that looked more or less like real ones, 276 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: business picked up, and it did so quickly. In the 277 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies, sy realized just how big the market for 278 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: artificial trees could be, and he started his own company, 279 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: which eventually made him a very wealthy man. Spiegel died 280 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,920 Speaker 1: recently in early twenty twenty four, at the age of 281 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,320 Speaker 1: ninety nine, and he had lived long enough to see 282 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: his work completely change the holiday landscape. It's estimated that 283 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 1: ten million artificial trees are purchased in the US every year. 284 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: As Christmas trees were growing in popularity, so were their decorations. 285 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: Of course, while there were a variety of items that 286 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 1: were used to decorate them in their early days, it 287 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: wasn't until the sixteenth century that glass bobbles purpose made 288 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: to be Christmas tree decorations made their first appearance. Those 289 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,400 Speaker 1: glass blown ornaments were the work of Hans Griner, who 290 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 1: lived in the town of Laosia in the sixteenth century. 291 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: Griner was born in fifteen fifty and his partner Christuph 292 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: Mueller opened to glass works in fifteen ninety seven. They 293 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:59,920 Speaker 1: produced a variety of items like beads and drinking vessels. 294 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: Griner didn't only make glass ornaments, he also made ornaments 295 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: out of ten The Grinder glass Works also produced glass 296 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 1: beads on strings. Glass bead garlands continued to be popular 297 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: through the Victorian era, well after Grinder's death in sixteen 298 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: oh nine. One reason for the bead garlands to stay 299 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: popular was that, unlike tensil, which was originally made of silver, 300 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: the glass beads would not tarnish, and they could be 301 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: used for years while still looking very shiny. The explosion 302 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: of interest in Christmas trees that happened in the mid 303 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 1: nineteenth century meant that there was also a huge uptick 304 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: in the desire for Christmas ornaments. The Griner family had 305 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: stayed in the glass business and several generations after Hans. 306 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: In eighteen forty seven, another Hans Griner, one of his descendants, 307 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 1: started making glass ornaments in new shapes and designs. So 308 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 1: prior to the nineteenth century, most glass ornaments were orbs 309 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,880 Speaker 1: or kind of elongated sept They might have a range 310 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: of sparkly finishes, but the shape stayed fairly consistent. But 311 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: over time there started to be more elaborate shapes, and 312 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: ornaments started to be designed to look like various objects, 313 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: like fruit or animals. If you've ever seen a bird 314 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 1: ornament that can be clipped onto a tree branch, that 315 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: harkens back to some of those early forays beyond round 316 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: shapes and into representative ornament designs. Unlike earlier glass ornaments, 317 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: which were handblown into spheres, the new designs required a 318 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: new approach. Hand blowing was still used, but it was 319 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: combined with molds, with the glass being carefully blown into 320 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: the molds to shape to them into the inside of 321 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: the mold. Once they were shaped and cooled, the inside 322 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: of the glass was coated with a silver finish. Several 323 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: different materials were used for the silver coating over the years, 324 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: from mercury to lead to a process developed by scientists 325 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: Baron Justus von Leibig that combined silver, nitrate, ammonia and sugars, 326 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: which was a lot safer than the other methods. These 327 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: new ornament styles had great timing. They came into being 328 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: just as Victoria and Albert were making Christmas trees ultra popular, 329 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: and that meant that the Grinder family just kept making 330 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 1: glass ornaments. Frank Winfield Woolworth founded his first two stores 331 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine in Utica, New York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 332 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: And when he visited Germany in the eighteen eighties, he 333 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,199 Speaker 1: saw the Grinder ornaments and he loved them, and he 334 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: thought that his customers would love them too, and he 335 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: was correct. He started importing them for sale in his stores, 336 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: and he made a lot of money through ornament sales. 337 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: One figure I saw was more than twenty five million dollars, 338 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: which you know, we're talking about the eighteen eighties, so 339 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: a lot. His success got other merchants interested, and soon 340 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: ornament import deals were being cut with other store chains 341 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: to meet the demand. The number of glass works in 342 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: Laosha continued to grow. If you're wondering why that one 343 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: town became the center of glasswork ornaments, the Financial Times 344 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: noted in twenty fourteen that it had all the ingredients 345 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: to be the best place for that kind of work. 346 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,400 Speaker 1: Its elevation is great. It has sand and limestone, and 347 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:24,359 Speaker 1: because it's in a forest, there's wood around to fuel 348 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: the fires that would be needed for glass blowing. But 349 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 1: mass production also began in the United States, so there 350 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,120 Speaker 1: were a lot of ornaments available at a wide variety 351 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: of price points. Yeah, Laosha continued to be the main 352 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: place they came from for a long time. Uh okay, 353 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: it is time to talk about candles and lights. But 354 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: before we do that, we're going to take a little 355 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: sponsor break. All right, heads up, we promised we would 356 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,159 Speaker 1: let you know when the sad stuff is coming, and 357 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,360 Speaker 1: it's now. This section has some depressing things. So if 358 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: you don't want that, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and we'll 359 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: see you when you're ready for it. So we're gonna 360 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 1: start by talking about tree candles. And this comes with 361 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: a slight confession. This is a thing that has always 362 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:23,479 Speaker 1: fascinated and terrified me for a long time. Anytime I 363 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: saw an image of a Christmas tree with actual lit 364 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: candles on its branches, it seemed so dangerous to me 365 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: that I believe that that was the use of artistic 366 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 1: license and could not possibly have been an actual way 367 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: people decorated. Like when I read older children's books. As 368 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: a kid, I was like, I guess they didn't want 369 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: to draw light bulbs like I don't. I just could 370 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: not conceive that you would have so much open flame 371 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: around a tree that is presumably dead progressively becoming drier 372 00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: and drier. Yes, but they won one hundred percent did 373 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: and some people still do put lit candles on trees. 374 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 1: So these little candles were normally held in place with 375 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: little clip on candle holders, and the candles themselves were 376 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: either made of beeswax, which smelled very lovely, or tallow. 377 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: Tallow candles were less expensive, and because they're made of 378 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: animal fat, they were also less pleasant smelling. Unless you 379 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: wanted a meaty smelling tree. These candles were incredibly dangerous. 380 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 1: There are so many newspaper mentions of fires caused by 381 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: Christmas tree candles. Some of them are relatively benign, like 382 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 1: this one from January ninth, eighteen ninety two in the 383 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: Jersey City News. Quote, A Christmas tree candle set fire 384 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: to some curtains in the house of William Hoffman Bergenline Avenue, 385 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 1: Union Hill yesterday. The flames spread and before they were extinguished, 386 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:58,400 Speaker 1: the damage was five hundred dollars. That was a lot 387 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety two, but it does not sound like 388 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:05,719 Speaker 1: anyone died. Another non tragic one. From the Courier Journal 389 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:09,679 Speaker 1: of Louisville, Kentucky, on January fifth, nineteen oh nine, read quote, 390 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: candles on a Christmas tree at the home of T. H. 391 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,919 Speaker 1: Furta at two eight one for Montgomery Street set it 392 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:19,120 Speaker 1: a fire, causing an alarm to be turned on from 393 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: box one thirty six at six o'clock last night. Members 394 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: of the family threw the blazing tree into the yard 395 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,400 Speaker 1: and when firemen arrived, they found that their services were 396 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 1: not needed. Quick thinking, I presume there was snow on 397 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: the ground and it just sputtered out. Uh. Not all incidents, though, 398 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: had such fortunate outcomes. In nineteen twenty four, which surprised 399 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,200 Speaker 1: me with how late it was, a particularly tragic fire 400 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: in Hobart, Oklahoma, made national news on Christmas Eve. The 401 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: Baba Switch School, which was seven miles outside of any 402 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: major town, had a Christmas party that involved a program 403 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: of entertainment was to culminate in Santa Claus giving out 404 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: gifts to the kids. But as Santa was starting his 405 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,639 Speaker 1: segment of the evening, one of the candles on the 406 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: tree high at the top burned down and it caught 407 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: the branch where it was clipped on fire. One of 408 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: the organizers tried to climb the tree to put out 409 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: the fire, but then the tree fell with from his 410 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: weight and the wrapped presence below it, and some of 411 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:29,160 Speaker 1: the attendees close caught fire. A stampede started as people panicked. 412 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: More than twenty people were injured and several dozen dyed, 413 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: many of them children. These fires were not outliers at all. 414 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: Christmas tree candle fires were so common that on December 415 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:47,760 Speaker 1: twenty eighth, nineteen twenty one, the Alton Evening Telegraph of Alton, 416 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: Illinois reported on a story about there not being any 417 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: fires caused by tree candles thus far that year. It 418 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: opens with quote, Alton is close to a record this time. 419 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,119 Speaker 1: It is a record, which means something. Up to noon today, 420 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,679 Speaker 1: no calls had been made to the fire department to 421 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:11,479 Speaker 1: extinguish a blaze resulting from Christmas tree candles. The article 422 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: quotes the local fire chief, whose name was Feldwitch, is saying, quote, 423 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:17,920 Speaker 1: it is true that the Christmas season is not over, 424 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: and that trees probably will be kept up and lighted 425 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: for a few days more, But In the past, most 426 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 1: fires have been on Christmas Day or the day following. 427 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 1: The chances for such fires are, of course, far less 428 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: now than at the opening of the Christmas season. The 429 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,880 Speaker 1: article cites the adoption of electric lights over candles as 430 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: the likely reason for the lack of fires, But electric 431 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: lights also scared people. An item in the Daily Plainsman 432 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 1: of her On, South Dakota on December twelfth, nineteen twenty nine, 433 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: read quote A few years ago the caution was watch 434 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: the Christmas tree candles. Fires cost many thousands of dollars 435 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: at this time of the year, but now when a 436 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: few dollars will buy a set of electric candles that 437 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: is all off, it would be well to see that 438 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: great care is used in setting up the electric Christmas 439 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: tree strings. However, faulty connections might cause short circuits, and 440 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 1: what chance would a dry Christmas tree have. But electric 441 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: tree lights were invented long before that nineteen twenty nine 442 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: caution item was printed, and this one ties to Thomas 443 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 1: Edison and a man who started out as his boss 444 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,640 Speaker 1: but then became his assistant. Bat man was Edward Hibbert Johnson, 445 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,160 Speaker 1: who was working for Automatic Telegraph Company in eighteen seventy 446 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: one when he hired twenty four year old Thomas Edison 447 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 1: as a contract consultant for the company. Edison's drive impressed Johnson, 448 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: and when the inventor cut ties with automatic telegraph to 449 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: go his own way, Johnson went with him, working as 450 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 1: sort of a promoter and sometimes investing his own money 451 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: into Edison's business ventures. I feel like we should have 452 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: an aside to say, yes, we know Thomas Edison is 453 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: incredibly complicated and problematic, and that's outside the scope of 454 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,400 Speaker 1: this particular episode. I just didn't want anybody to be like, wow, 455 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 1: they talked about Edison and didn't mention what a jerky 456 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: was at all. We know this isn't really germane to 457 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:18,200 Speaker 1: Christmas lights, because we're going to give this to Johnson. 458 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: After Edison's invention of the light bulb and it's patent 459 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty, Johnson quickly started thinking about how that 460 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: technology could be used to put an end to the 461 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:32,440 Speaker 1: all too familiar news stories about homes burning due to 462 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: Christmas tree candles. Working with Edison, Johnson had become really 463 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: adept at showing off ideas to get people interested in them, 464 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 1: and so in the winter of eighteen eighty two, he 465 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: invited a member of the press to his home to 466 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,280 Speaker 1: see something he had been working on. When journalist William 467 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: Augustus Crawfitt arrived, he saw quite a spectacle, which was 468 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 1: the first electrically illuminated Christmas tree. Crowfett wrote to the scene, quote, 469 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 1: There at the rear of the beautiful parlors was a 470 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: large Christmas tree presenting a most picturesque and uncanny aspect 471 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: that was brilliantly lighted with many colored globes, about as 472 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: large as an English walnut, and was turning some six 473 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 1: times a minute on a little pine box. There were 474 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: eighty lights, all encased in these dainty glass eggs, and 475 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 1: about equally divided between white, red, and blue. As the 476 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: tree turned, the colors alternated, all the lamps going out 477 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: and being re lit at every revolution. The result was 478 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,800 Speaker 1: a continuous twinkling of dancing colors, red, white, and blue 479 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: all evening. That was just the beginning, though. Johnson built 480 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: on that idea, and he continued to invite press to 481 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: his home at Christmas in subsequent years. Here's how the 482 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: New York Times described the Johnson Christmas Tree of eighteen 483 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: eighty four quote a pretty as well as novel Christmas 484 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: tree was shown to a few friends by mister E. H. Johnson, 485 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 1: president of the Edison Company for electric lighting, last evening 486 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: in his residence number one thirty nine East thirty sixth Street. 487 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: The tree was lighted by electricity, and children never beheld 488 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: a brighter tree or one more highly colored than the 489 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 1: children of mister Johnson when the current was turned on 490 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 1: and the tree began to revolve. Mister Johnson has been 491 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: experimenting with house lighting by electricity for some time past, 492 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,360 Speaker 1: and he determined that his children should have a novel 493 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: Christmas tree. So that New York Times article goes on 494 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: to describe how the tree was six feet tall and 495 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: had one hundred and twenty lights, and how the tinsel 496 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 1: and other ornaments quote appeared to their best advantage thanks 497 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: to those new lights. It also described the Edison motor 498 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: that was enabling the tree to rotate, and this eighteen 499 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: eighty four version of the electrically lit tree also featured 500 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: lights that shifted color, and that was an invention that 501 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 1: Johnson had just patented. As much as people marveled at 502 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: Johnson's electric decoration, it wasn't as though those news ride 503 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 1: ups caused an instant run on electric Christmas lights. Even 504 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 1: if people wanted them, there were still some obstacles. For 505 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: one thing, they were expensive. Early strings, which only had 506 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: sixteen lights, cost the equivalent of several hundred dollars in 507 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 1: today's money, way out of the price range of most 508 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: people at the end of the nineteenth century. And for another, 509 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: most houses didn't have electricity at that point. If they 510 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: wanted lights like the ones Johnson had been showcasing, they'd 511 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 1: have to invest in running wiring. Of course, those problems 512 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:38,440 Speaker 1: would eventually be overcome. By the nineteeneen string lights had 513 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: dropped significantly in price to less than one sixth of 514 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: what they had cost in the eighteen eighties. Despite the 515 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: concerns some had about the dangers of electric light strings, 516 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 1: once electric string lights became affordable, they also became very popular, 517 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 1: and they quickly replaced candles in most homes. That is 518 00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: not to say there have not been fires caused by 519 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 1: electric lights. There absolutely have been, and there have been fatalities, 520 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: but the numbers of holiday decor fires have lowered considerably 521 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: thanks to electric lights, and as safety science and regulations 522 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:16,000 Speaker 1: have been implemented, that danger has continued to shrink. According 523 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,479 Speaker 1: to Smithsonian Online. In twenty sixteen, it was estimated that 524 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty million sets of lights were being 525 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 1: sold annually in the US, and holiday lights accounted for 526 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 1: six percent of the energy use in the United States 527 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 1: during the month of December. In the US, demand for 528 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: Christmas decorations has steadily risen since the end of World 529 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: War Two, going to a mid twentieth century boom and 530 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: home ownership and the ever growing mass production both in 531 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: North America and abroad. US residents spend six billion dollars 532 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: on Christmas decorations every year. Christmas dec I will tell 533 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: you my ridiculous thing that I recently did. Okay, we 534 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 1: talk on Friday. In the meantime, I have a story 535 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: from our listener, Susan that is two stories in one 536 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 1: great one. Hearkens back to our discussion of ghosts at Halloween. 537 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: I also like to think ghosts are very Christmas y 538 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: because we have a lot of Christmas ghost stories. Yeah, 539 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:25,400 Speaker 1: so it seemed like a good one to use. Susan writes, Hi, Tracy, 540 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: and Holly. I have a story about a fake ghost 541 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: that I've been meaning to share with you. I attended 542 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: a Catholic school. From kindergarten through eighth grade. There was 543 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:35,640 Speaker 1: a tradition of having a sleepover for all of the 544 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: girls in the summer before we entered sixth grade. The 545 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: sleepover was held at the school, parts of which date 546 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 1: back to eighteen thirty five. One of the big events 547 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 1: associated with the annual sleepover was the sighting of the 548 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 1: headless Nun. The story about the headless Nun was that 549 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,640 Speaker 1: she was vain and wanted to wear makeup. As a 550 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 1: result of for vanity, she cut off her own head. 551 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: I'm sure I'm forgetting some details. This was thirty six 552 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 1: years ago. I'm not kidding when I tell you that 553 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: it was a dark and stormy night. I can remember 554 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 1: as we walked through the old, creaky hallway hand in hand. 555 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 1: This was a hallway that was normally off limits to us. 556 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,640 Speaker 1: We could see a door up ahead with a strange 557 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: greenish light coming out of the room. As soon as 558 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 1: each girl passed the door, they screamed. When it was 559 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: my chance, I steeled myself to look in. There it 560 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 1: was a mannequin in nun's clothing, minus the head. I 561 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: believe the moral of the story was to convince us 562 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: not to want to wear makeup, lest we end up 563 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 1: like this poor soul and cut off our own head. 564 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,680 Speaker 1: Even as an adult, I can still be gullible, but 565 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: at eleven I rolled my eyes. I don't know if 566 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: this tradition continues. I hope you find this story as 567 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,400 Speaker 1: amusing as I do. I do. She's the Louise Belcher 568 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,760 Speaker 1: of her of her group, where she's like, what it's mannequin? 569 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 1: I love it for pet tax. Here's the other great story. Uh, 570 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: I am attaching a picture of marshmallow. I teach at 571 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: a middle school sidebar. Thank you for being an educator. 572 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,239 Speaker 1: Last week, our head secretary greeted me as as I 573 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: came into school with you have to go to Laura's room. 574 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:04,719 Speaker 1: She has a dog she found on the side of 575 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: the road. No need to tell me more. I get 576 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:09,720 Speaker 1: down there and see a great Pyrenees on the floor 577 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 1: in the lap of a sixth grade girl. He was 578 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,040 Speaker 1: showing us all his belly. He was such a sweetheart. 579 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,600 Speaker 1: He had a GPS tracker that kept going off. My 580 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 1: friend Laura was at her computer trying to figure out 581 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 1: how to track the owner through the tracker. She asked 582 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 1: me if she was crazy for rescuing the dog from 583 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: the side of the road. I said, absolutely not. The 584 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 1: road she takes to school is a country road with 585 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:34,520 Speaker 1: a forty five mile per hour speed limit. Fast forward 586 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:36,840 Speaker 1: an hour. The owner calls our school and says, I 587 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:39,279 Speaker 1: own a nursery by the river. Do you happen to 588 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 1: have my dog? When he came up to school to 589 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:44,400 Speaker 1: claim Marshmallow, he brought a lovely plant for the office. 590 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:47,520 Speaker 1: I was told that Marshmellow kept looking over his shoulder 591 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,799 Speaker 1: as if he didn't want to leave the kids. I 592 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,640 Speaker 1: was thinking how Marshmallow's story would be a nice pet tax, 593 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: and then I remembered I wanted to also share my 594 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 1: fake ghost story with you. Thank you for your hard 595 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:59,319 Speaker 1: work on the podcast. I enjoy learning about aspects of 596 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: history that I'm normally wouldn't come across. I appreciate you 597 00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: broadening my horizon. Susan, I love this story so much. Marshmallows, 598 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 1: she sent a picture, is very cute. I love a 599 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: big fluffy pooch and he's great. And I love that 600 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 1: you found his owner and that you got some you know, 601 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,400 Speaker 1: beautiful flora out of the deal. So thank you for 602 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: rescuing dogs. Everybody that picks up an animal on the 603 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: side of the road. You're a hero and thank you 604 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:29,319 Speaker 1: for sharing this very funny story of a less than 605 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: scary non Manicut. If you would like to share a 606 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:38,000 Speaker 1: story with us, or tell us about Christmas decor in 607 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:40,759 Speaker 1: your household, or anything else, you can do that at 608 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:45,000 Speaker 1: History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. You can also subscribe 609 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you 610 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History 611 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 1: Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from 612 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,760 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 613 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:05,320 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.