1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, Eve's here. Today's episode contains not just one, 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: but two nuggets of history. Consider it a double feature. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: Enjoy the show. Hi everyone, Welcome to this day in 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: History class, where we uncover the remnants of history every day. 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,159 Speaker 1: The day was March eighth, in the wee hours of 6 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: the morning. At around midnight, a car rolled up to 7 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: the side entrance of the Isabella Stewart Gartner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. 8 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: Two men disguised as police officers pushed the museum buzzer 9 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: said they had received a call for a disturbance and 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: asked to be let in. The guard agreed to let 11 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: them in the employee entrance and stepped away from his post. 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: The men then handcuffed that security guard and a second 13 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: one and tied them up in the museum's basement, and 14 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: by the time they left the museum, the thieves had 15 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: stolen thirteen insanely expensive works of art and a bronze 16 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: Eagle finial. It was the most valuable recorded art theft ever. 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: Here's how they got away with such a massive heist. 18 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: That morning, Bostonians were still out after partying on St. 19 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: Patrick's Day, but when one of the men pushed the 20 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: buzzer at am and said they were policemen. A museum 21 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: guard named Richard Abbot saw their uniforms and decided to 22 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: let them in against protocol. They pretended to arrest Abboth, 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: cuffing him, and when another security guard showed up to 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: the scene, they cuffed him too. At that point, the 25 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: impersonators admitted that it was no arrest but a robbery. 26 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: The thieves took the guards to the basement of the museum, 27 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,279 Speaker 1: then handcuffed them two pipes and duct tape their heads, 28 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: hands and feet. Because those two guards were the only 29 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: people on watch at the museum, it basically became a 30 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: free for all, well at least after they disarmed the 31 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: video cameras in the building. As Isabella Stewart Gartner's collection 32 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: contained thousands of paintings, rare books, sculptures, textiles, and other 33 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: costly imprecious pieces of art, the thieves had hit the jackpot. 34 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: The thieves went up to the Dutch room on the 35 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: second floor, where they removed a sixteen twenty nine self 36 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: portrait of Dutch painter Rembrandts off the wall, but in 37 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: a comedic turn, they couldn't get the wooden panel out 38 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: of his heavy frame, so they left it unceremoniously on 39 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: the floor. However, that didn't stop them from going to 40 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: town on other masterpieces. They cut Rembrandt's Christ in the 41 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: Storm on the Sea of Galilee out of its frame, 42 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: and did the same with Rembrandt's double portrait called A 43 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: Lady and Gentleman in Black. They also took the Concert, 44 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: an oil painting by Vermere. They also plugged a bronze 45 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: Chinese beaker called a Goo from a table in the 46 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: Dutch Room, along with a couple of other items, and 47 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: dipped off to a room called the Short Gallery on 48 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: the same floor. In that gallery they stole off with 49 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: five day God drawings and oddly enough, a bronze eagle 50 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: finial that was on top of a Napoleonic flag they 51 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 1: failed to make away with. Then they moved on to 52 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: the Blue Room on the ground floor, where they took 53 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: Shay Tortoni, an oil portrait by French impressionist Manet. After 54 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: making two trips to their car with the art, the 55 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: thieves escaped at two forty five in the morning, just 56 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: an hour and twenty one minutes after they began their heist. 57 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: Museum directors Private investigators and the FBI have looked into 58 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: the theft. Suspects were ruled out, including the guards and 59 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: a museum director who died in and in fact, the 60 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: FBI said agents knew who the thieves were but couldn't 61 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: release their names and they were dead anyway. Tons of 62 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: people have claimed they've seen the paintings, but none of 63 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: the artworks have been recovered. Unfortunately, most stolen artwork is 64 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: not returned. The statute of limitations on the theft expired 65 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: in so the thieves couldn't be charged anyway. Considering how 66 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: that thieves treated the artwork immaturishly when they stole them 67 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: from the museum, there's a good chance the works met 68 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: a devastating fate, but many people are holding out hope 69 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: that they'll make their way back to the collection. The 70 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: works that were stolen are valued at about five hundred 71 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: million dollars total. Today they are empty frames where they 72 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: used to hang, and the museum is offering ten million 73 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: dollars to anyone who can point them to all thirteen 74 00:04:54,880 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: artworks in good condition. I'm Eves Jeff Coke, and fully 75 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 76 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: did yesterday. As a little bonus information about this heist. 77 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: Federal investigators have thought that mafia members were involved in 78 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: the museum stuff, and rumors have floated around that the 79 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: Irish Republican Army had something to do with it. The 80 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: late crime boss Whitey Bulger has even been a target 81 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: of suspicion regarding this stuft, but the museum denies this theory. Look, 82 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: I know it's really hard to give up a Vermere 83 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 1: that's worth millions of dollars, But if you have any 84 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: information about any of the items that were stolen this day, 85 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: or if you have just any other cool facts about 86 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: the museum heist, then feel free to let us know 87 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at t d i HC podcast. 88 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening today and we'll see you again tomorrow 89 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: with more tidbits from history. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and 90 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: you're listening to This Day in History Class, a podcast 91 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: where we build the time machine and all you have 92 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: to do is hop in the day was March eighth, 93 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person 94 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: to go on a space walk. A spacewalk is when 95 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: an astronaut leaves their spacecraft attached to a tether. It's 96 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: also called an e v A, which stands for extra 97 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: vehicular activity. Alexei Leonov served as a fighter pilot in 98 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties. By nineteen sixty, he had been chosen 99 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: as one of the first twenty cosmonauts for the Soviet 100 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: space program and was training to take his first space flight. 101 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: The Soviet Union launched the first person into space when 102 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: Yuri Gagarin made an orbital flight in his Boss Dog 103 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: one spacecraft in nighteen sixty one. The Soviet Voshad program 104 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: launched its first mission on October twelfth, nineteen sixty four. 105 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: Vos Haad one was the first to carry more than 106 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: one crew person into space. It was also the first 107 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: mission to carry an engineer and a physician into space. 108 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: Vose had two launched just months later on March eighteenth, 109 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: n It carried two people, commander A. Pavil Billyayev and 110 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: pilot Alexei Leonov. It was Leonov's first space flight and 111 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: bill Yayev's first and only space flight. The Voshad three 112 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: k D spacecraft had an extendable airlock that allowed Leonov 113 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: to go out into space without having to evacuate the 114 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: main cabin air About an hour and a half after launch, 115 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: Billyayev opened the outer airlock and Leonov walked out into space, 116 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: attached to a tether. His spacewalk lasted for about twelve minutes. 117 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: A camera mounted on the airlock recorded the spacewalk. It 118 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: was reported that Leonov's body temperature jumped about three point 119 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: two degrees fahrenheit or one point eight degrees celsius in 120 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: twenty minutes, and he was close to having a heat stroke. 121 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: His space suit was full of sweat. Though the spacewalk 122 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: went relatively smoothly, Leonov had difficulty re entering the capsule. 123 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: The pressure difference between the air and his space suit 124 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: and the vacuumum space expanded and stiffened his space suit. 125 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: That made it too big and hard to fit back 126 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: into the airlock, so Leonov opened a valve to release 127 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 1: oxygen and depressurized his suit. He was then able to 128 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: fit back into the spacecraft, but he did start to 129 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: feel some of the effects of decompression sickness, namely the 130 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: sensation of pins and needles. The crew hit another snag 131 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: when ejecting the inflatable airlock, which sent the spacecraft into 132 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: a spin. Oxygen levels also began to climb, which came 133 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: with the risk of explosion. On top of this, the 134 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: automatic guidance system for entry malfunctioned. They had to turn 135 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: off the automatic landing program and instead conduct re entry 136 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: and landing manually. They ended up off course and the 137 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: orbital module did not separate from the landing module. They 138 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: landed in snow in a forest in Siberia. The flight 139 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: had lasted for twenty six hours. After two days in 140 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: the freezing forest, the cosmonauts were able to ski to 141 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: a pick up location, and they eventually made it to 142 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: their launch site at Viconor. Nearly three months after leonoff spacewalk, 143 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: U s astronaut Ed White took the second space walk 144 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,680 Speaker 1: ever when he stepped outside of Gemini four. I'm eaves 145 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more about history 146 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you know you already 147 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: spend too much time on social media, spend some of 148 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: that time with us at t D I H Seed 149 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:57,319 Speaker 1: Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or if you are 150 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: so in kind, you can send us a message at 151 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: this day at I heart media dot com. Thanks again, 152 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: for listening. We'll see you same place tomorrow. Yeah. For 153 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 154 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.