1 00:00:01,340 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,530 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello and happy Friday. I'm Tracy V. Wilson. 3 00:00:14,670 --> 00:00:17,790 Speaker 1: And I'm Holly Frey. This week was our latest installment 4 00:00:18,090 --> 00:00:22,050 Speaker 1: of Unearthed. It sure was. It was a weird one 5 00:00:22,090 --> 00:00:24,330 Speaker 1: to work on. I feel like I've said this half 6 00:00:24,390 --> 00:00:28,230 Speaker 1: of the Unearthed installments lately. This one was weird because 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: I started working on it And then we went to 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:37,540 Speaker 1: Germany and the Czech Republic. Yeah, we did. And then 9 00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:41,339 Speaker 1: I returned a week later and got back to work 10 00:00:41,420 --> 00:00:44,070 Speaker 1: on it. I didn't review what I had written before 11 00:00:44,090 --> 00:00:46,610 Speaker 1: we left. And so when I got done with all 12 00:00:46,630 --> 00:00:50,710 Speaker 1: of it and went to read through all of it 13 00:00:50,729 --> 00:00:53,309 Speaker 1: to make sure I didn't make mistakes, I was like, 14 00:00:53,390 --> 00:00:57,740 Speaker 1: I have no recollection of these things from before we 15 00:00:58,310 --> 00:01:02,270 Speaker 1: went to another country. That's the trick for me, even 16 00:01:02,310 --> 00:01:04,150 Speaker 1: over the course of a couple days. Like, I always 17 00:01:04,170 --> 00:01:07,729 Speaker 1: want to write a little bit ahead. Yeah. But then 18 00:01:07,790 --> 00:01:11,550 Speaker 1: I'm often like, I don't remember this. No. This is 19 00:01:11,610 --> 00:01:13,990 Speaker 1: one of the reasons why, if I'm able to, which 20 00:01:14,069 --> 00:01:18,510 Speaker 1: is often not possible, if I can have an episode 21 00:01:19,290 --> 00:01:23,149 Speaker 1: drafted on Friday, and then I can come back to 22 00:01:23,230 --> 00:01:27,300 Speaker 1: it on Monday, I can... catch things I would not 23 00:01:27,340 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: have caught otherwise, because I've forgotten what I meant to say. Right. 24 00:01:31,380 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: Reading it with fresher eyes. But often that just, that's 25 00:01:34,580 --> 00:01:39,130 Speaker 1: often not how it works at all. A weird pattern 26 00:01:39,190 --> 00:01:46,070 Speaker 1: emerged in these episodes. It is super, super normal to 27 00:01:46,110 --> 00:01:50,870 Speaker 1: have outlets pick up a story months or even years later. Like, 28 00:01:50,950 --> 00:01:53,510 Speaker 1: sometimes we'll get an email from somebody saying, hey, this 29 00:01:53,570 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: is a really cool thing from Unearthed. And it is 30 00:01:56,620 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: a website that has written about something that the actual thing, 31 00:02:01,380 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: the paper, was two or three years ago. Sometimes two 32 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,660 Speaker 1: or three years ago, and we talked about it two 33 00:02:07,700 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: or three years ago. I'm not faulting this hypothetical person, 34 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: just saying, like, a lot of times, like, that's normal. 35 00:02:14,780 --> 00:02:18,179 Speaker 1: What happened that was weird this time was I kept 36 00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: finding news releases from the institutions that, you know, their 37 00:02:24,740 --> 00:02:28,100 Speaker 1: faculty or their staff or their institute or whatever did 38 00:02:28,139 --> 00:02:33,739 Speaker 1: this work. New news releases coming out as though the 39 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,010 Speaker 1: paper was newly published. And it's, that's something that we 40 00:02:38,130 --> 00:02:43,750 Speaker 1: already talked about previously. So I kept being like, wait, 41 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:48,210 Speaker 1: didn't we already talk about how Utsi's microbiome has cold 42 00:02:48,250 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: weather microbes in it? Didn't we already talk about being 43 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:56,540 Speaker 1: able to find dates for French cave art because it 44 00:02:56,580 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: turned out there was carbon in some of the pigment. 45 00:03:00,340 --> 00:03:04,290 Speaker 1: Didn't we already talk about people taking wolves to an 46 00:03:04,470 --> 00:03:07,889 Speaker 1: island and raising them there, and we don't really know why? 47 00:03:07,910 --> 00:03:11,710 Speaker 1: It was odd, and it was one of those things 48 00:03:11,750 --> 00:03:13,430 Speaker 1: where the first time it happened, I was like, oh, 49 00:03:13,450 --> 00:03:15,690 Speaker 1: this is just a weird fluke. But I started to 50 00:03:15,730 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: kind of question... My mental acuity, because I was like, 51 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: didn't we already talk about this? No, this press release 52 00:03:23,460 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: is brand new. And then I would follow the link 53 00:03:25,580 --> 00:03:29,100 Speaker 1: to the paper, and the paper would be from sometimes 54 00:03:29,220 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: last year, sometimes not even like earlier this year. It 55 00:03:32,100 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: was very strange. I just had a terrifying thought. What 56 00:03:35,700 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: is your terrifying thought? Is this the result of PR 57 00:03:39,420 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: being handed over to AI modules? Oh, I hope not. 58 00:03:43,540 --> 00:03:46,060 Speaker 1: Where they're just scraping everything that's been going on for... 59 00:03:46,550 --> 00:03:50,410 Speaker 1: I hope not. I hope not, too. Please, no. My 60 00:03:50,490 --> 00:03:54,870 Speaker 1: thought was more, still not a great thought, but less 61 00:03:55,490 --> 00:04:00,970 Speaker 1: scary than, is AI doing this? Was, is it that 62 00:04:01,350 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: there's economic urgency to try to get more eyes onto things? 63 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: Are people feeling like they need to get more funding 64 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: and they didn't get enough attention last time, so they're 65 00:04:12,220 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: going to try again? Which speaks more to... The state 66 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: of scientific funding that we are living through right now 67 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:29,500 Speaker 1: versus offloading press releases to AI, hypothetically. I hope not. 68 00:04:29,540 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: That's just where my doomy brain went. Yeah. I thought 69 00:04:32,779 --> 00:04:35,420 Speaker 1: you were going to make a joke about whether it 70 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,940 Speaker 1: was because they shut down the... whichever particle collider it was. Oh, no. 71 00:04:41,540 --> 00:04:43,900 Speaker 1: Thought you were going to make a goof about it. No. 72 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,140 Speaker 1: I remember you said you had some things that you 73 00:04:46,180 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: had thoughts about. Oh, I had so many. One, the 74 00:04:50,430 --> 00:04:54,690 Speaker 1: Hannibal crossing the Alps thing with elephants was interesting to 75 00:04:54,730 --> 00:04:56,570 Speaker 1: me because I remembered, I don't know if you were 76 00:04:56,610 --> 00:04:58,789 Speaker 1: awake for this part, on the bus when we were 77 00:04:58,830 --> 00:05:02,290 Speaker 1: in the Alps recently. Oh, yeah. And our guide Peter 78 00:05:02,330 --> 00:05:05,289 Speaker 1: was saying that, you know, a lot of the routes 79 00:05:05,350 --> 00:05:09,430 Speaker 1: that are now roads, were pathways, they were thousands of 80 00:05:09,470 --> 00:05:12,909 Speaker 1: years old. And I'm like, I wonder if any of these, 81 00:05:13,330 --> 00:05:15,810 Speaker 1: not those that we were specifically on, but like, if 82 00:05:15,910 --> 00:05:17,790 Speaker 1: any of that would have been a factor in that 83 00:05:17,830 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: whole elephant decision thing of like, well, this is a 84 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,460 Speaker 1: route that's established. I don't want to crash through random 85 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,900 Speaker 1: stuff with my elephants. Just a thought. And I didn't 86 00:05:26,940 --> 00:05:31,360 Speaker 1: look deeper into those kinds of questions at all. One 87 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:36,730 Speaker 1: of the other things that I think is fascinating is 88 00:05:37,180 --> 00:05:39,260 Speaker 1: I don't have any big insights on it, but every 89 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: time it comes up, it's like my brain, which has 90 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: read a lot of things and has encountered many things 91 00:05:45,620 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: in the world, still has that moment of just awe 92 00:05:48,490 --> 00:05:54,789 Speaker 1: where I go, wow. Which is how scientists are able 93 00:05:54,970 --> 00:06:01,430 Speaker 1: to date water vessels by studying the planks and figuring 94 00:06:01,610 --> 00:06:05,290 Speaker 1: out What year those trees were cut down. Yeah. This 95 00:06:05,370 --> 00:06:08,770 Speaker 1: is the stuff that just makes my brain lock up. Like, 96 00:06:08,810 --> 00:06:12,330 Speaker 1: I can't even fathom. Yeah, yeah. How you get to 97 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: that point of expertise. Yeah. I'm sure glad of it, 98 00:06:15,470 --> 00:06:17,710 Speaker 1: and I'm certainly in awe of it. But every time 99 00:06:17,750 --> 00:06:22,030 Speaker 1: it comes up, I'm still just like, how? Yeah. There's 100 00:06:22,110 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: a whole field that is basically the study of tree 101 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: rings and what we can learn from them. It's pretty cool. Sorcery. 102 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,700 Speaker 1: The field is sorcery. I know it's science. I understand. 103 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,330 Speaker 1: I just don't understand the science. Also, the phrase blood 104 00:06:37,370 --> 00:06:40,670 Speaker 1: mortar should be a band name if it's not already. Okay. 105 00:06:40,870 --> 00:06:54,990 Speaker 1: Somebody get on it. Yeah. It's terrific. Okay. Okay. Peter DeHoke. 106 00:06:55,589 --> 00:06:57,890 Speaker 1: I was waiting for that one, yeah. Maybe he didn't 107 00:06:57,910 --> 00:06:59,670 Speaker 1: want that guy in his painting. Why are you putting 108 00:06:59,690 --> 00:07:05,730 Speaker 1: it there? My understanding is he was not the one 109 00:07:05,750 --> 00:07:08,810 Speaker 1: that took it out of the painting, that it happened later. 110 00:07:10,050 --> 00:07:16,130 Speaker 1: I could be misunderstanding, though. That's a different thing. Yeah. 111 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,220 Speaker 1: There have been a number of times on Earth where 112 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: there has been a painting that was in a museum. 113 00:07:23,530 --> 00:07:27,210 Speaker 1: somebody found some element of the painting scandalous and they 114 00:07:27,250 --> 00:07:30,290 Speaker 1: painted over it. And now conservators have gone back and 115 00:07:30,330 --> 00:07:32,230 Speaker 1: they have removed that and they have restored it to 116 00:07:32,310 --> 00:07:36,020 Speaker 1: its original thing. This, at least as I understand it, 117 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: I could be misunderstanding something, but, like, as I understand it, like, 118 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,900 Speaker 1: this was not that, that it had been scrubbed out 119 00:07:42,980 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: and they used this other one as a model to 120 00:07:45,220 --> 00:07:48,380 Speaker 1: basically restore it to its original appearance. Ah, well, in 121 00:07:48,430 --> 00:07:51,550 Speaker 1: that case, hooray. But I did not understand that to 122 00:07:51,590 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: be the case, so I was like... Yeah, I don't 123 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,860 Speaker 1: think he was the one who removed it. Here is 124 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: my other thing, and I think I've talked about this before. Man, 125 00:08:02,110 --> 00:08:04,850 Speaker 1: we did a whole season on Criminilia on Art Heist, 126 00:08:04,910 --> 00:08:08,250 Speaker 1: and let me tell you, museums and galleries do not 127 00:08:08,270 --> 00:08:11,750 Speaker 1: have their security game together. Correct. More of them are 128 00:08:11,790 --> 00:08:14,670 Speaker 1: better than used to be, but there are so many 129 00:08:15,030 --> 00:08:17,870 Speaker 1: instances where it's like, a guy just walked in and 130 00:08:17,890 --> 00:08:19,390 Speaker 1: took a thing off the wall, and then he got 131 00:08:19,430 --> 00:08:22,690 Speaker 1: on his bike and vanished, and it's like, what? Yeah. Yeah. 132 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: There have been a couple of times that when I've 133 00:08:25,580 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: been compiling all the stuff for Unearthed, I have compiled 134 00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:35,870 Speaker 1: a series of heists. And I'm like, number one, it's upsetting. Like, 135 00:08:35,990 --> 00:08:39,469 Speaker 1: somebody's just walking away with this art. Number two, it 136 00:08:39,510 --> 00:08:42,929 Speaker 1: was the same thing over and over. Like, and then 137 00:08:42,970 --> 00:08:45,970 Speaker 1: this art got stolen, and then this art got stolen, 138 00:08:46,030 --> 00:08:48,219 Speaker 1: and then this art got stolen. There's, like, not a 139 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,130 Speaker 1: resolution to any of it. Yeah. So the one that 140 00:08:51,150 --> 00:08:53,170 Speaker 1: we talked about this time that was like, and then 141 00:08:53,530 --> 00:08:58,190 Speaker 1: the landlord found it. And I'm very curious about exactly 142 00:08:58,390 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: how the artwork got to the, like, was the person 143 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: who was renting that apartment the person who took it? Right, 144 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,570 Speaker 1: that was my first thought, is like... Did somebody give 145 00:09:10,620 --> 00:09:15,569 Speaker 1: it to them as a gift? Did the person, like, just... 146 00:09:15,809 --> 00:09:18,309 Speaker 1: Somebody stole it from the gallery, did that person then 147 00:09:18,370 --> 00:09:20,650 Speaker 1: sell it, and then it winds up in a thrift 148 00:09:20,690 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: shop later, and somebody buys the thing and hangs it 149 00:09:23,179 --> 00:09:27,020 Speaker 1: on their... Who knows? Right. I can imagine a million scenarios. Well, 150 00:09:27,100 --> 00:09:29,540 Speaker 1: and especially in that case, because it is a print, 151 00:09:29,780 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: so it's not like an original canvas... And just in 152 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: case people don't know, artists will often make their own 153 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,070 Speaker 1: prints of things, and those are very valuable in and 154 00:09:39,090 --> 00:09:42,230 Speaker 1: of themselves, but not the same thing. But to, like, 155 00:09:42,590 --> 00:09:46,290 Speaker 1: somebody that maybe isn't that versed in art, they just think, like, 156 00:09:46,330 --> 00:09:50,069 Speaker 1: it's a mass-produced print. Yeah. They may think they're just 157 00:09:50,070 --> 00:09:54,060 Speaker 1: buying something that, you know, is completely just a reproduction 158 00:09:54,059 --> 00:09:57,100 Speaker 1: copy that's licensed or legal in some way. I wouldn't 159 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: even think twice about it. Why not? Nah. Tooth jewelry. Yes. Because, 160 00:10:04,179 --> 00:10:07,100 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of people, I mean, still make 161 00:10:07,179 --> 00:10:13,380 Speaker 1: tooth jewelry. I have a friend whose mom... used all 162 00:10:13,420 --> 00:10:18,079 Speaker 1: their baby teeth to make jewelry. Like little rings, earrings, bracelets, etc. 163 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:19,939 Speaker 1: I have a couple friends whose parents have done that. 164 00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:23,470 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's more out of phase now. 165 00:10:23,570 --> 00:10:26,550 Speaker 1: Like the parents of people my age, I'm in my mid-50s, 166 00:10:26,590 --> 00:10:29,710 Speaker 1: like might have done it. But I also wonder if 167 00:10:29,770 --> 00:10:32,670 Speaker 1: like someday someone will be like, we found this ring. 168 00:10:32,730 --> 00:10:34,830 Speaker 1: It's got three baby teeth in it, but it's from 169 00:10:34,950 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: three different babies. What's going on? They're siblings. They're just siblings. 170 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:41,150 Speaker 1: It's You know what I mean? This is the thing 171 00:10:41,210 --> 00:10:43,730 Speaker 1: people were doing. Yeah. We talk about the tooth jewelry 172 00:10:43,750 --> 00:10:45,690 Speaker 1: and on the one hand, it's like, ooh, scary. And 173 00:10:45,730 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: on the other, I'm like, this could probably have the 174 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:52,300 Speaker 1: most benign, fairly boring explanation to it. Yeah. I also 175 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,710 Speaker 1: don't know how many other people other than me get 176 00:10:54,830 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: kind of creeped out by the teeth thing sometimes. Might 177 00:10:58,900 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 1: just be me. I'm only laughing because I think about 178 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: when we recorded the Bell Witch episode years ago, and 179 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: I just said, one of the theories is that she's 180 00:11:07,140 --> 00:11:11,210 Speaker 1: looking for her tooth, and you were like, whoa! I 181 00:11:11,250 --> 00:11:14,830 Speaker 1: was thinking about that, too. And there was, at the time, 182 00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: there was somebody who got so upset at how freaked 183 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,200 Speaker 1: out that I was on it. They were like, I 184 00:11:21,220 --> 00:11:23,860 Speaker 1: wish they wouldn't do Halloween episodes at all because they're 185 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: clearly uncomfortable with what they're talking about. And I was like, 186 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: just the teeth creeped me out. Also, like, I love 187 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,410 Speaker 1: the Halloween episodes. Yeah, they're a lot of fun. I've 188 00:11:34,429 --> 00:11:38,209 Speaker 1: been into all the murder stories lately, so, you know. Yeah, 189 00:11:38,230 --> 00:11:42,670 Speaker 1: I think those were all my notes. Art, security, tooth jewelry. Right. 190 00:11:44,230 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: And painting. And paintings. Yeah. That also, though, made me 191 00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: think when we were just now talking and you illuminated 192 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:54,720 Speaker 1: what I had missed in the initial discussion, not to 193 00:11:54,820 --> 00:11:59,220 Speaker 1: once again reference the Vatican, but I will. The Vatican museums, 194 00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:03,260 Speaker 1: do you remember how many of their pieces of statuary 195 00:12:03,340 --> 00:12:06,870 Speaker 1: have fig leaves that were added on to sculptures? Oh, yeah. 196 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:08,730 Speaker 1: Because there was a phase where it was like, no, 197 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:12,250 Speaker 1: don't show that. Yeah. You can't show human genitalia. And 198 00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:16,370 Speaker 1: it's like, I understand that there are times when people 199 00:12:16,410 --> 00:12:20,250 Speaker 1: become more squinky about such things than others. But I 200 00:12:20,270 --> 00:12:24,369 Speaker 1: get real irate about people altering an artist. Yeah. You 201 00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:26,430 Speaker 1: don't have to like it, but that doesn't give you 202 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:32,540 Speaker 1: the right to mess with it. Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Art. 203 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: Preserve art. It's important. It's important. Well, whatever's happening on 204 00:12:37,740 --> 00:12:41,089 Speaker 1: your weekend, if it involves getting to go see some art, 205 00:12:41,650 --> 00:12:46,170 Speaker 1: I hope it's so good. Maybe get a little snack afterward. 206 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,780 Speaker 1: Nice cup of coffee or tea. I love to have 207 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,500 Speaker 1: a little snack in the museum cafe when there is one. 208 00:12:54,100 --> 00:12:56,959 Speaker 1: So good. Whatever you've got going on, I hope it 209 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:01,699 Speaker 1: goes as well as possible. We will be back with 210 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,370 Speaker 1: a brand new episode on Monday. And we'll have a 211 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:13,590 Speaker 1: Saturday Classic tomorrow. Stuff You Missed in History Class is 212 00:13:13,630 --> 00:13:18,020 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 213 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:21,490 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 214 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:22,310 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.