1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the show Ridiculous Historians. We return to 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: you with a classic episode that's been on our mind 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: as we recorded an exploration of the World's Fairs. We 4 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: mentioned this briefly and we'd love to share it with 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: you in full. Over in Saint Louis, Missouri, during the 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: nineteen oh four World's Fair, people also held the Summer Olympics, 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: and got to be honest with you, it was ridiculous. 8 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, ridiculously offensive and terrible. 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 3: And I'm so glad though that we hit upon this 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 3: classic episode right around our current conversations about some of 11 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 3: the worst examples of things that happened at World's Fairs. 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 2: So strap in. 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 3: There's going to be some stuff that's going to make 14 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 3: you cringe a little bit in this episode, but it's all, 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 3: you know, it's all in the service of a ridiculous history. 16 00:00:53,479 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Let's begin today's 17 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: show with a contextual fact. According to what we know 18 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: from historical records, the very first Olympic Games in antiquity 19 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: can be traced back to seven seventy six BCE. 20 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 2: Ben Noel, You've blown my mind. 21 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: It's weird when we think about just how ancient that 22 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: practice was. Now, the games did not occur every year 23 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: continually from that point. 24 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 4: Yeah, there was a lull, about a fifteen hundred year lull, 25 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 4: as it turns out, and then it was kind of 26 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 4: resuscitated by a guy by the name of Pierre Baron 27 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 4: de Coubertin. Yes, and Casey Pegram joins us, hello, is 28 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 4: that correct? 29 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, Pierre de coup Dartin. 30 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: And that's been Casey on the case from our super producer, 31 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram. WHOA you cool with those double sound cure 32 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: You flipped the script there, my man, I love it. 33 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 4: But no, Pierre who was originally known by Pierre de Fredier, Casey. 34 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: Pierre de Fleidy feity flighty. 35 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: That's that's why he's here. 36 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 2: He's here for a lot of reasons. 37 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: He's here for amazing reasons. So tell us about this guy. 38 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 4: Now that we've jacked up the flow entirely with valuable 39 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 4: pronunciation information from mister Casey Pegrim. Yeah, this guy was 40 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 4: an educator from France who totally revived the Olympic Games 41 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 4: in eighteen ninety six in Greece. Indeed, Ben, as it 42 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 4: would be appropriate to do, I guess to carry on 43 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 4: that torch that. Yeah, I was in Athens in eighteen 44 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 4: ninety six, and by most accounts I've read that one 45 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 4: went okay. And then they had one in Paris which 46 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 4: was apparently a ship show. And then they had one 47 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 4: that is the subject of today's episode in Old Saint Louis, Missouri. 48 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: Yes, massurra, Missouri, Missouri got uh ride in or chime 49 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: in on ridiculous historians local Missouri residents to let us 50 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: know how you prefer to pronounce. 51 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 2: It, shred us. We welcome it. 52 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: I'm having so much fun with that. So it's true. 53 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: Nol America's first Olympic Games, the first Olympic Games in 54 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: the US were held in nineteen oh four in Saint 55 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: Louis or Saint Louis, and they were tied to that 56 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: year's World Fair, which happened in the same city, and 57 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: there was even Okay, So before we get too deep 58 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: into this, folks, things were already starting off on a bizarre, awkward, 59 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: and terrible foot when the nineteen oh four Olympics moved 60 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: to Missouri because they were originally supposed to be in 61 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: the US, but supposed to be in a different city. 62 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 4: Yeah, in the city of Chicago, which I'm very much 63 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 4: looking forward to traveling to next weekend to see the 64 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 4: band My Bloody Valentine. That's all I'm going to say. Yeah, 65 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 4: I'm looking forward to Chicago's a beautiful city. But unfortunately 66 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 4: Saint Louis made some problems for Chicago because Saint Louis 67 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 4: was already set to host this World's Fair, which had 68 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 4: a really interesting name that was not the World's Fair. 69 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 4: It was called the Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exhibition. And they 70 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 4: were none too happy. The organizers of that little shindig 71 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 4: none too happy that the Olympics were going to give 72 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 4: them a run for their money during the same period 73 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 4: in the summer in Chicago. 74 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 2: So they threatened, according to this. 75 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 4: Article by Nate Demeyo of Memory Palace Fame on Slate, 76 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 4: to out Olympics the Olympics, in other words, making it 77 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 4: such a big dog and pony show that the Olympics, 78 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 4: which was not as widely known at the time its 79 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 4: being only the third year, would probably suffer significantly. So 80 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 4: Kubertan was like, Okay, I guess you better play ball 81 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 4: with Saint Louis. Yeah. 82 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: They said specifically that they were going to make the 83 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: official Olympic events in Chicago look terrible, look pitiful in comparison. 84 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: And at this time the Baron was still trying ardently, 85 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: because remember this isn't too far past eighteen ninety six, 86 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: still trying ardently to resurrect the modern Olympics and give 87 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: it the credibility it deserved. He wanted to avoid any controversy, 88 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: and he said he would, you know, for the greater 89 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: good of the Olympics, back down and award the location 90 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: to Saint Louis. But the problem was, first off, most 91 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: people in Europe at that time probably had not heard 92 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: of Saint Louis at all. 93 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, he was described as a second tier city, which 94 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 4: I think is insulting. Saint Louis is beautiful, but New 95 00:05:58,240 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 4: York it is not. 96 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,359 Speaker 1: I mean, I went to Saint Louis recently on some 97 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: unrelated adventures, and I got to say, it's amazing city, 98 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: amazing music, amazing barbecue if you like barbecue. But at 99 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: this time I got that arch right. But at this time, 100 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,839 Speaker 1: the location there, in what they did describe as a 101 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: second tier city, was an incredible barrier to athletes, especially 102 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: European athletes. We have to remember this was before an 103 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: interstate system, so travel to the American Midwest was a 104 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 1: daunting task and almost all of the top European athletes 105 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: didn't make it, and ultimately fewer than half of the 106 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: Olympic events that year had even a single entrant who 107 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: was not from America. 108 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 4: And I want to say I read somewhere I'm sorry 109 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 4: for being vague about this, folks, but that America actually 110 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 4: scooped up some European athletes and made them part of 111 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 4: the American team, or folks that had recently immigrated to 112 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 4: America but did not receive citizenship yet, and they were 113 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 4: the ones who won many of the medals. And there 114 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 4: are countries that are to this day disputing those wins 115 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 4: because they basically kind of sniped some of their people 116 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 4: and they weren't officially citizens of the United States. So 117 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 4: very wild West kind of Olympics here, and for more 118 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 4: reasons than one. 119 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, sort of shooting of shooting from the hip right, 120 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: going winging it a little bit more than is appropriate. 121 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: Did we mention the mastermind behind this nol, James Edward Sullivan. 122 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 2: No, we have not, but he's a huge part of 123 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:38,239 Speaker 2: the story. 124 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: Okay, So James Edward Sullivan, American sports official. He was 125 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: born in eighteen sixty two. I lived until September nineteen fourteen. 126 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: He was the chief organizer of these nineteen oh four 127 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: Summer Olympics, and a lot of the terrible, terrible mistakes 128 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: that occurred fall upon his shoulders. In this situation. He's 129 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: the one who is putting out the threats. He's the 130 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: one who was pushing the baron to move this, and 131 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: he is one of the reasons that so many disastrous 132 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: things occurred with the actual events. 133 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 2: He was the organizer of the World's Fair. Correct. 134 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: Great question, and it's important that we clarify that point. 135 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: So James Edward Sullivan is the primary organizer of the 136 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: nineteen oh four Summer Olympics, but the organizer of the 137 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which we've also seen both ways as 138 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: either Louisiana Purchase Exhibition or Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The organizer 139 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,839 Speaker 1: of that stuff, whatever you want to call it, was 140 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: a guy named David R. Francis. And the problem with 141 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: this was that the Saint Louis organizers treated the Olympic 142 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: Games sort of as a side show to the World's Fair. 143 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 4: So the World's Fair is a big deal and very 144 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 4: well established at this point, and. 145 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: There were other more popular, let's call them cultural exhibits. 146 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: We're going to be remiss if we don't mention some 147 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: of the stuff that happened in those exhibits. 148 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 2: Yeah. 149 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, those were overshadowing the actual Olympic Games and events. 150 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: And I believe in the nineteen oh four Games the 151 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: total number of athletes was only six hundred and fifty one, 152 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,680 Speaker 1: six hundred and forty five men and six women, and. 153 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 4: Yet for some reason it went on for like one 154 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 4: hundred and seventy five days, which I thought was bizarre. 155 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 4: Let's backtrack just a little bit too, back to the 156 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:39,839 Speaker 4: World's Fair. So you were talking about, let's talk about 157 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,719 Speaker 4: some of the things that made the World's Fair kind 158 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 4: of cool. You had, you know, the kind of things 159 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 4: you'd think about being at a fair, And on this 160 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 4: particular one, they had Abe Lincoln's log cabin from when 161 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:51,839 Speaker 4: he was a boy. Okay, guess you wouldn't see that as 162 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 4: most fairs. But they also had waffle cones and you know, 163 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 4: new fangled contraptions and inventions, and I think this is 164 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 4: where like peanut butter was debut Oh. 165 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you mentioned that. Okay, yes, quick interjection. 166 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: There's a fantastic article but from serious Heats by a 167 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: guy named Robert Moss. The nineteen oh four World's Fair 168 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: a turning point for American food. There were a lot 169 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: of amazing food things that happened here. Allegedly, the first 170 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 1: hot dog ever was made in the nineteen or sold 171 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: in the nineteen oh four World's Fair, when a vendor 172 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: named Anton Futwanger was giving out sausages to people, but 173 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: they were too hot for people to hold, and so 174 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: he had his brother in law bake buns to hold 175 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: the meat, creating the world's first hot dog. It's important 176 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: to us through this episode, fellow ridiculous historians, to try 177 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: to find some pluses. Yeah, but so please go on 178 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 1: about the World's Fair. I have this list of amazing 179 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: food stuff too. 180 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 4: We can keep going with that if you like. I'm 181 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 4: just trying to, you know, put a silver lining on 182 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 4: this story. I don't know, Yeah, peanut, butter's not enough 183 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 4: facil lying for where we're going. We might have told 184 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 4: us go ahead and get there. One one last little 185 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 4: thing about kober Ten, who, by the way, was the 186 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 4: guy who re established the established the International Olympic Committee. 187 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 2: That was his deal, so had the bear. 188 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 4: The Baron, So our third year of this event, after 189 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 4: fifteen hundred year lull, the stakes are high. He's kind 190 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 4: of strong armed into going to Saint Louis and was 191 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 4: so peeved at the whole thing that he actually didn't 192 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 4: even show up. He is quoted in saying that he 193 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 4: had sort of a predisposition to assuming that the quality 194 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 4: of the Olympiad would match the quality of the city. Yeah, 195 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 4: so kind of turning his nose up at Saint Louis here. 196 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: Let's give him another quote too. That'll get us to 197 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: I think the meat of this episode. Also, these are 198 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: the early days of the hamburger. I'm just gonna whenever 199 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,600 Speaker 1: we get too into too much disturbing stuff, how about 200 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: we throw in a fun food. 201 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 2: Fetch sure that sounds good? Okay. 202 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: So, in addition to his objections to the overall mediocrity 203 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,599 Speaker 1: or potential for posed by the nineteen oh four Olympics, 204 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: the Baron also took disapproving note of a spectacle, very 205 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: problematic spectacle called anthropology. Days before we tell you what 206 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: those are, before we explore that, let's just go with 207 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: this quote, he says, referencing these as for that outrage 208 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: of charade, it will of course lose its appeal when 209 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: black men, red men, and yellow men learn to run, 210 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: jump and throw and leave the white men behind them. 211 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: Think of all the problems with that. 212 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 4: Yes, but at the same time oddly forward thinking compared 213 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 4: to the story we're about to tell you, So. 214 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,680 Speaker 2: Why don't we just launch write in it's sort of twofold. 215 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 4: It's interesting because even Ben and I off air were 216 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 4: a little confused about who was actually hosting these anthropology days. 217 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 4: As it turns out it was kind of a partnership 218 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 4: between the Olympics and the World's Fair. So I'm a 219 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,439 Speaker 4: little confused about how this guy, James Sullivan, who kind 220 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 4: of was the chief organizer of the Numberlympics, wasn't like 221 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 4: given the thumbs up from the Baron himself. But that 222 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 4: we haven't quite run across that particular minutia yet. But 223 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 4: here's the story. James Sullivan he believed one hundred percent 224 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 4: in the utter superiority of white men and wanted very 225 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 4: much to put on a display or a charade, as 226 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 4: the Baron referred to it, to demonstrate this fact. So 227 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 4: there was this thing that was a very strange phenomenon 228 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 4: at the beginning of the twentieth century called human zoos, 229 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 4: which were sort of like traveling carnivals, or it would 230 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 4: be like the equivalent of a freak show or a 231 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 4: side show, where indigenous people from places like the Philippines 232 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 4: or Africa would be displayed in kind of mocked up 233 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 4: versions of their traditional homes, but they would be you know, 234 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 4: there's images in this really great article from Timeline called 235 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 4: scientists staged a racist Olympics in nineteen oh four to 236 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 4: prove white superiority that shows people just gathered around these 237 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 4: picket fences and looking at children, men, women, all kind 238 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 4: of doing what they would be doing in their villages 239 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 4: for example. Right, So Sullivan wanted to take this a 240 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 4: step further, and the World's Fair itself had a mocked 241 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 4: up Filipino village because at the time, the Philippines was 242 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 4: a newly established territory of the United States, so it 243 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,239 Speaker 4: was they wanted to show their dominance. 244 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, he wanted to legitimize it too, legitimize this belief, 245 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: which was already at that time not considered controversial. That's 246 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: when he contacted a doctor W. J. McGee, who was 247 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: president of the American Anthropological Association and head of the 248 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: Department of Anthropology at the Saint Louis World's Fair. McGee 249 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: thought because indigenous people lived in harmony with nature, they 250 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: were endowed with special strength and abilities that quote, white 251 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: people simply didn't have hikes. And so he was compelled, 252 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: perhaps for some different motivations by Sullivan's concept, and they 253 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: began organizing these anthropology Days, which they sometimes referred to 254 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: apparently and formally as special Olympics. 255 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, not the way we think of that term today. 256 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 4: And you know, McGee did have a scientific background and 257 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 4: thought that he was conducting research, but he had this 258 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 4: preconceived notion that we mentioned earlier that indigenous people had 259 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 4: certain advantages, typically had to do with strength or endurance 260 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 4: or things like that, and he wanted to build this 261 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 4: hierarchical diagram of genealogy of the human species, of which 262 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 4: he thought these indigenous people were at the bottom, because 263 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,040 Speaker 4: his main concern was in intellect. 264 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: And he clearly subscribed to the concept of eugenics and 265 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: selective breeding, which was alarmingly popular or accepted in the 266 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: US at that time. So they stacked the odds against 267 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: these people. They took several people from these exhibitions, like 268 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: what you mentioned earlier in nol the exhibition featuring people 269 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: from the Philippines, and they said, well, you'll compete in 270 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: a special version of Olympic events on August twelfth and 271 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: thirteenth of that year of nineteen oh four. And all 272 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: their competitions that they put these people in were European 273 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: style competitions shot put, high jump, long jump, running the mile, 274 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: other stuff. But they didn't teach the participants. They didn't 275 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: tell them a damn thing about what they were supposed 276 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: to be doing. 277 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 4: Yeah, And I mean, even I a lifelong citizen of 278 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 4: these United States, I don't know the rules of of 279 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 4: the high jump or the right form or how to 280 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 4: do it properly, or you know, I don't. 281 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 2: I really don't. 282 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 4: And then that sounds, you know, like it would be 283 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 4: so apparent or intuitive, and it's just not. 284 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: There are very specific regulations too, for any professional sporting event. 285 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: So from what I understand, correct me if this is 286 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,360 Speaker 1: if this is off, from what I understand, they didn't 287 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: tell them any there's obviously a language barrier. They didn't 288 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,360 Speaker 1: tell them anything at most for instance, in the one 289 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,879 Speaker 1: hundred yard dash or whatever, the participants just sort of 290 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: got the idea that they were supposed to run, but 291 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,679 Speaker 1: in many cases they just saw gun fired and were like, 292 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: what dext yeah, or. 293 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 4: They were just more fascinated with the weapon itself and 294 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 4: the loud noise that it made than what it signified, 295 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 4: which just seems just so ridiculous and shortsighted to me 296 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 4: that they would just assume that these folks would would 297 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 4: have the cultural knowledge of how these games work. 298 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:54,439 Speaker 2: That's just bonkers to me. 299 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 1: They also had tennis, which is weird because tennis is 300 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: something like, look, even if you're skeptical with our explanation 301 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: here and you think, well, sure, you can just relatively 302 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: easily explain to someone the basics of something like a 303 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: high jump or one hundred yard dash. Tennis, I think 304 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: we can all agree has very specific equipment, rules and strategies. 305 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: This Anthropology Day's exhibition, in this event, whatever you want 306 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 1: to call it, was a huge failure. There's very little notice, 307 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: so there were not many people even in the crowd 308 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: to watch, and Sullivan thought at least that the games 309 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: were somewhat successful for his ulterior motive, because he said, Aha, 310 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: this proves that these this is a terrible word. But 311 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: to him, this proves that these quote unquote savages can't 312 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 1: play tennis. 313 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 4: Oh cool, good, good job. That's super helpful data there. 314 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 4: All of these presuppositions that these guys made were based 315 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 4: on the kind of inherent, just thoughtless racism that we 316 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 4: take for granted today that most learned people would hopefully 317 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 4: not be party too. For example, they assumed that anyone 318 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 4: from a nation in Africa, for example, where spears were 319 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 4: thrown as a means of hunting and protection and what 320 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 4: have you, would automatically be good at throwing a javelin. 321 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 2: You know, yeah, you know what it makes me think of. 322 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 4: It makes me think of There's an episode of Curb 323 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 4: Your Enthusiasm where one of Larry's friends has adopted a 324 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 4: Chinese baby, and Larry immediately asked them, so, is he like, 325 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 4: automatically good at using chopsticks? 326 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 2: Yeah? 327 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: I mean, those are horrific things to think. And of 328 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: course Larry David, we can safely say, is lampooning that 329 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 1: and mocking it and does not himself believe it. 330 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:41,959 Speaker 4: But there is another angle here because of the thing 331 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 4: you mentioned earlier where it's like, because these folks were 332 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 4: closer to nature and did these things as part of 333 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 4: their everyday life, it's not just a nurture thing. There's 334 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 4: also a nature thing here. Where they assumed that because 335 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 4: they had done these things in their day to day 336 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,159 Speaker 4: they'd be able to immediately one to one translate them 337 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 4: to some kind of silly game, and that didn't happen. 338 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 4: For example, the folks who tried the javelin that were 339 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 4: from these nations that use spears were terrible at it. 340 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think also there's an important point we 341 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,719 Speaker 1: have to make about these people. So according to that 342 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: timeline article that we cited earlier by showshoe Parks, these 343 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: people were already put in horrific conditions. So more than 344 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:27,360 Speaker 1: twenty million people attended the nineteen oh four World's Fair. Right, 345 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:31,439 Speaker 1: they saw electricity, they heard the first telephone. They also 346 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: went to see three thousand people who were placed in 347 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: these exhibitions, people from the African continent, the Asian continent, 348 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: and parts of the Americas. But the way these people 349 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: were forced to live was incredibly was like incredibly dangerous. 350 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: Regardless of the weather, they would be forced to wear 351 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: traditional clothing. I'm doing air quotes here, even if it 352 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,439 Speaker 1: didn't suit the climate. And then, like people were supposed 353 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: to who were forced to live in that Philippine village 354 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,479 Speaker 1: would be made to perform traditional rituals that were only 355 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: supposed to happen seasonally, over and over again to shock 356 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: or entertain an audience. There were appalling sanitary conditions, and 357 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: a lot of these people felt that they had nowhere 358 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: else to go. They were stuck in this alien environment. 359 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: And imagine being pulled out of that. So your life 360 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: is already not at its best. And then this Sullivan 361 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: guy comes with some other people, grabs you, gibbers at 362 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 1: you in English, hands you a javelin, and clearly thinks 363 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: that he is going to prove that not only he, 364 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 1: but anyone who looks like him is inherently better than you. 365 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 4: I'm also confused that because he talks about how he 366 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 4: had these ideas that they would be superior physically. 367 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 2: So what was he what was he trying to? What 368 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 2: was he getting out? 369 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: I think it was McGee who thought he could prove 370 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:57,919 Speaker 1: specific physical advantages, and it was Sullivan who thought he 371 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: could prove that what he saw as white people was 372 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 1: inherently superior. 373 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 4: So I guess the reason and so confusing to me 374 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 4: is because the logic behind literally all of this is 375 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,680 Speaker 4: utterly convoluted and bizarre. 376 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, and a lot of that convolution and bizarre nature 377 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 1: comes from the fact that it's based on things that 378 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: are completely wrong. 379 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 4: It's true. And here's an interesting fact too. Nate Demeyo's 380 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,879 Speaker 4: article enslate. He points out that these folks, though living 381 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 4: in what he refers to as quasi captivity, were paid 382 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 4: probably not much, and obviously they were living in horrible circumstances. 383 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 4: But some of them even had like managers or agents. 384 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 2: You know. It was almost like being a I don't. 385 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 4: Know, Santa Claus impersonator or something. But the problem is 386 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 4: a lot of these folks that were in these human 387 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 4: zoos were never fully able to assimilate into American culture, right, 388 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 4: and they were kind of held back by here, we're 389 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:02,360 Speaker 4: giving you an opportunity to not really live but just barely. 390 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:02,680 Speaker 2: Right. 391 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, And for McGee, the body of data that he 392 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,119 Speaker 1: wanted to collect from this to prove his wack a 393 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 1: do notion of racial hierarchies and certain inherent advantages or disadvantages, 394 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: he didn't get it. We don't know if that body 395 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: of data ever existed. 396 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 4: They did give it another go, though there was a 397 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 4: second attempt at this unconnected to the Olympic Games, where 398 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 4: they did try to teach them the sports. You think 399 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 4: that would have been front of mine the first time, 400 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 4: but they just seem to have missed that entirely. Yeah, 401 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 4: how that one go? Did that any better results? 402 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: No? 403 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: No? 404 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: No? 405 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:39,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. 406 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 1: It turns out if something if you base something on 407 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: a terrible idea and nonsense the first time you try it, 408 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 1: it'll still be a terrible idea, nonsense the second time. 409 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: While we're at this point, I just want to mention 410 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 1: another another fun food fact. I'm still right okay. So 411 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:07,679 Speaker 1: apparently at the nineteo four World's Fair, when it was hot, 412 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: there were very few people interested in this hot tea 413 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: offered by a guy named Richard Blechton who was the 414 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: tea commissioner in the India pavilion. And this guy got 415 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: so desperate that he decided to pour his tea over ice, 416 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: and supposedly, according to legend, he invented iced tea. 417 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 2: Well then the drink. 418 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, not the rapper, not the lyrics, only iced tea 419 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 4: invented iced tea? 420 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 2: Yeah? Where do we go from here, Ben. 421 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: I guess well we should also say that, you know, 422 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: I think we did mention. I hope he established that 423 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: the concept of human zoos was not unique at all. Right, 424 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier it wasn't unique at all to the 425 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: World's Fair. It existed in other parts of the world, 426 00:24:54,680 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: in Europe as well. It is better for history, of course, 427 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: that this proved to be a failure. There were some 428 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: other first that occurred during the Olympics, so in some 429 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: ways it wasn't a complete disaster. It was the first 430 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: time boxing, freestyle wrestling, the kathlon, and dumbbells made their 431 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: debut in the modern Olympics, right, and luckily James Sullivan 432 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,359 Speaker 1: would go down in history as the fool he was, 433 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,160 Speaker 1: which I consider a positive aspect absolutely how so, because 434 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 1: he was clearly and categorically proven wrong espousing a belief 435 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 1: that was both offensive and incredibly common at the time. 436 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,240 Speaker 1: So I consider that a win for our species overall. 437 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, Well, in the spirit of staying ridiculous, because while 438 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:48,440 Speaker 4: this racial Shenanigan's is absolutely ridiculous, it's also pretty depressing 439 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 4: and quite dark when you think about it. 440 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 2: The idea of human zoos. 441 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 4: It reminds me of that the episode we did about 442 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 4: the real human skull that was found in the diorama 443 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 4: at a museum and the idea of grave robbing these 444 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 4: indigenous people and taking them back to Europe and taxidermizing 445 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 4: them culture. Oh, we haven't even mentioned the fact that 446 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 4: a lot of this attitude was entirely based on the 447 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 4: idea of imperialism of the United States. It was a 448 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 4: stat you know, we had we had gotten this territory 449 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 4: of the Philippines, we had this Filipino reservation, right, and 450 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,440 Speaker 4: it was this idea of showing our cultural dominance. 451 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: I would say it's I would say it's ultimately descended 452 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: from the European ideals that the Americans just they didn't 453 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:31,439 Speaker 1: invent it. 454 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 4: No, no, no, for sure, but this is a really clear 455 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 4: example of, you know, trying to put that on full display. 456 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 4: So let's let's let's end with one funny story. 457 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 1: I advanced to end with food facts. 458 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:45,959 Speaker 2: Okay, that's fine. So the next to last thing. 459 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: Two folks don't leave completely depressed. 460 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 4: It was kind of depressing too, but in a much 461 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,160 Speaker 4: more lighthearted, funny way. So the marathon at the Olympics 462 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 4: themselves was just utterly disastrous. Uh. 463 00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 2: The winner a guy named Thomas Hicks. 464 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,160 Speaker 4: He finished in absurdly long three hours and twenty eight minutes, 465 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 4: and that is because the conditions were just abhorrent. It 466 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 4: was ninety degrees they it was on a road that 467 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,919 Speaker 4: was covered with dust, and I think according to history 468 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,159 Speaker 4: dot com, eighteen of the thirty two folks that were 469 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 4: racing had to pull out because of sheer exhaustion. Somebody 470 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,919 Speaker 4: got a stomach hemorrhage and nearly died. 471 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 1: William Garcia of California collapsed and had to be hospitalized 472 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: because dust had coated his esophagus and ripped his stomach lining. 473 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 2: Oh my god. Yeah, I'm glad we're ending with the 474 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 2: food facts. 475 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 4: So yeah, Thomas Hicks, he won with that ridiculously slow time, 476 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 4: but only because his assistance kept feeding him doses of 477 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 4: eggs and strychnine, egg whites and strych nine and brandy 478 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 4: to keep him on his feet. 479 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, for the at the ten mile mark, they had 480 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: to start taking care of him. He had begged them 481 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: for a drink and they refused. They spun his mouth 482 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: out instead. Strychnine in small doses was common as a 483 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 1: stimulant at the time, and I know, weird it sounds, 484 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,919 Speaker 1: but there were no rules about performance enhancing drugs. But 485 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: he was the ultimate winner. But did you hear about 486 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,719 Speaker 1: Fred Laws. He's my favorite guy of Fred Laws. Okay, 487 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: so this guy Fred Laws LRZ. He leads the starters 488 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: from the time they fired the gun, but by the 489 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:32,359 Speaker 1: first mile, Thomas Hicks hedges ahead, and Lores at the 490 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: nine mile mark started getting these crazy stomach cramps, and 491 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: so he decided to hitch a ride in an accompanying 492 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 1: car and he waved at his fellow competitors as he ran, 493 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: and then he rode in the car for eleven miles 494 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,160 Speaker 1: and then one of Hicks's handlers, one of the strych 495 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 1: nine egg white guys, saw Lawyers and ordered him off 496 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: the course, but Lare said eh, and keV running and 497 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: finished with the time of under three hours, and the 498 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: crowd went nuts, and they were like yay an American one. 499 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 1: And then someone I think President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter placed 500 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: a wreath on Lours's head and was about to put 501 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: the actual metal around his neck when somebody finally busted him. 502 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: The cheers turned to booze, and we don't know if 503 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,920 Speaker 1: Laws was sincere when he said this, but he smiled 504 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: and said, I never intended to accept the honor. I 505 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: finished only for the sake of a joke. And it's like, really, 506 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: that's how you let it get that close to a 507 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:33,959 Speaker 1: gold medal. I don't know, man, I don't really buy it. 508 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 2: It's a good story though, But Hicks. 509 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: Does become the winner, right yep, because he didn't hop 510 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: in a car for eleven miles. 511 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 2: That's right, he hopped on his feet. 512 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 4: Well, I'm picturing him vomiting constantly, clutching his guts, screaming 513 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 4: for water, Yeah, screaming for water, having his little toadies 514 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 4: pouring some disgusting mixture down his throat. 515 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 2: You know. 516 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 4: That's how you typically picture a marathon runner, right, right, 517 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 4: that's the glory day's picture. So, as we said, there 518 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,239 Speaker 4: were a lot of food facts that we're pointing to 519 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 4: when we entered more difficult parts of this story. I 520 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 4: want to give a little bit of a gray lining 521 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 4: here because some of those stories, while inspiring, pretty easy 522 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 4: to debunk. If you were writing an email now about 523 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 4: iced tea again to drink, the truth is that it 524 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 4: had been around for decades beforehand. Yeah, I guess if 525 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 4: you're the one that got the booth at the World's Fair, 526 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 4: you might get the credit in history. But thankfully we've 527 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 4: got sites like Serious Eats that do a great job 528 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 4: of debunking that stuff. What did they say about the 529 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 4: actual origins of ice tea? 530 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: Man? 531 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 2: Oh? 532 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, the actual origins of iced tea, which are interesting 533 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: on their own, occur at least by eighteen sixty eight, 534 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: probably way before eighteen sixty eight's like three decades before 535 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: the World Fair. A widely circulated newspaper piece notes that 536 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:01,680 Speaker 1: ice tea with lemon juice is said to be a 537 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:05,360 Speaker 1: popular and healthy drink, and has instructions for making it, 538 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: and it's also numerous cookbooks. So I think a lot 539 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: of the marketing of World's Fair stuff is just that marketing, 540 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: and we have to be careful because marketing, you know, 541 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: is a glitzy version of the truth. 542 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 4: Do you think it wasn't really Abe Lincoln's boyhood cabin 543 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 4: that was there? Just some sort of replica? 544 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 2: I don't know. 545 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: It also reminds me, you know, all those old medieval counterfeitters, 546 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,240 Speaker 1: like a Canterbury Tale, who would run around. 547 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,120 Speaker 2: With fake reliquaries or partner's tale. 548 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, like the partner, But we do believe it is 549 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: important for us to acknowledge these things and realize that 550 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh four at the World's Fair, people believe 551 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: they were on the cusp of scientific innovation. You know 552 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:53,320 Speaker 1: that they were on the bleeding edge of technology, and 553 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: in some ways they were, but their own preconceptions, their 554 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: own prejudices, their own pre existing notions, limited the scope 555 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: of their vision. And hopefully that's something that we can 556 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: learn from in the modern day. Like I'm stretching to 557 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 1: make it a little bit of a parable. 558 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 4: Now, you're doing a good job, Ben, You like it, 559 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 4: I do. It's a good way to frame it. Yeah, 560 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 4: but there you have it. To quote Robert Lamb of 561 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 4: stuff to blow your mind our sister podcast. 562 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 2: So yeah, I think we leave it there, right. 563 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 1: Ben, I agreed. We hope that you have enjoyed this episode. 564 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: We would like to thank you for listening. We've been 565 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: doing more and more sports related stuff recently. 566 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 4: Have you noticed that, which is weird because I don't 567 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 4: think either one of us are into sports, and it's 568 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 4: possible that that shows in the episode. 569 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 2: But we come to it with honest hearts. 570 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: Honest hearts honest hearts and as fans of history if 571 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: nothing else. So thank you for checking out the show 572 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: and taking the strange journey with us. Thank you to 573 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 1: our super producer, Casey Pegram, and thank you to Eve's Jeffcoat, 574 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: who was our research assistant for this episode. 575 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 4: If you want to reach us online, you can check 576 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 4: us out on social media at Ridiculous History at Instagram 577 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 4: and Twitter and Facebook, or you can join our Facebook community, 578 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 4: the Ridiculous Historians. There's always all kinds of fun conversation 579 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 4: and memory going on there. If you don't want to 580 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 4: do any of that, you can write us an email 581 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 4: at Ridiculous at HowStuffWorks dot com and I think we 582 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 4: did not yet. 583 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 2: Thank our pal Alex Williams. 584 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,720 Speaker 1: Who composed this to Thanks Alex. 585 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 586 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.