1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: When the stock market crashed in nineteen twenty nine, a 7 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: country that was in the midst of the Roaring twenties, 8 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: a time of excess and excitement, ground to a halt. 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: In Chicago, a booming downtown full of bustling business people 10 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: transformed almost overnight into long lines of citizens, endlessly waiting. 11 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: People waited for work, waited for money, and most importantly, 12 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: waited for food. In November nineteen thirty, a soup kitchen 13 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: sprang up on State Street to feed the hundreds of 14 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: thousands of job bless Chicagoans. It had no name, just 15 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,839 Speaker 1: a huge marquee out front that read free soup, coffee 16 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: and doughnuts for the unemployed. Every morning, the State Street 17 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: Soup Kitchen served up three hundred and fifty loaves of bread, 18 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: one hundred dozen rolls, and thirty pounds of coffee, lunch, 19 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: and dinner was hundreds of gallons of fresh made soup. 20 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: No one was required to prove their financial need, and 21 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: no hungry soul was ever denied a second helping. It 22 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: was a mystery. The whole world was broken, and yet 23 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: somehow this unnamed soup kitchen, not affiliated with any major 24 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: companies or charities, had the means to feed over two 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: thousand people each day. Nearly a week later, Chicago's soup 26 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: kitchen mystery was finally sold. The newspapers reported that the 27 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: Windy City's big hearted benefactor was none other than the 28 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: notorious mobster Al Capone. Despite his reputation as a murderous grifter, 29 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: helping the common man wasn't always out of character for 30 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: Public Enemy Number one. He'd been giving handouts to orphans 31 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: and widows as the country crashed into the Great Depression. 32 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: Even before the economy crashed. He thought of himself as 33 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: kind of a capitalist philanthropist. He was a businessman, he said, 34 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: who simply gave the people of Chicago what they wanted, 35 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: never mind that what they wanted was alcohol made illegal 36 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 1: under prohibition. Capone acted like he funded the soup kitchen 37 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 1: out of the goodness of his own heart, and while 38 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: there may be some truth to this, the reality was 39 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: more complicated. Just like when he sold alcohol to beer 40 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: craving Midwestern nurse during Prohibition, Capone rarely did anything without 41 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: something being in it for him. Shortly before the stock 42 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: market crashed, Capone had been accused of perpetrating a gangman 43 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: shooting the press dubbed the Saint Valentine's Day massacre. On 44 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: February fourteenth of nineteen twenty nine, seven members of the 45 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: North Side Gang, one of al Capone's biggest rivals, were 46 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: found to death execution style in a Chicago garage, and 47 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: while he was never found guilty of orchestrating the hit, 48 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: most people believed that Capone was behind the attack. Shocked 49 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 1: by the brutality of the massacre, public opinion turned against 50 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: al Capone. By opening the Soup Kitchen in nineteen thirty, 51 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: Capone thought that he could get the public, if not 52 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: the police, back on his side, and not surprisingly, it worked. 53 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: Al Capone achieved nearly full hero status for his generosity, 54 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: even if the bounty of food and funds he offered 55 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly his. You see, as part of his racket, 56 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: al Capone bribed and bullied supplies out of businesses under 57 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: his protection. In one case, a grocery store claimed that 58 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: he sent a shipment of ducks to another charity to 59 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: be put into Christmas baskets for the poor. Somehow, the 60 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: ducks mysteriously ended up in al Capone's kitchen. Despite its 61 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: dubious food sources, the soup kitchen continued operating until April 62 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: of nineteen thirty one, when it abruptly closed its doors. 63 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: Just a few months later, al Capone was found guilty 64 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: of federal tax evasion, which put him in prison and 65 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: put an end to his control over Chicago's vice. Whether 66 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: people believe that he was a good hearted Robin Hood 67 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: or the Napoleon of crime, Capone's kitchen did some real 68 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: good in a city down on its luck. Still, because 69 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: of its association with Capone, eating at the kitchen was 70 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: sometimes a trip into the city's cd underbelly. For example, 71 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving dinner of nineteen thirty, nearly five thousand Chicagoans celebrated 72 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: with a hot meal of beef stew and cranberry sauce 73 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: at Capone's kitchen. The reason why it was beef stew 74 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: and not traditional turkey well. Earlier that week, someone had 75 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 1: stolen one thousand turkeys from a grocery shipment, and al 76 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: Capone was a cheater, a gambler, and a murderer. But 77 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: by serving turkey, he would have reinforced that reputation, and 78 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 1: he wanted to make clear to the world that he 79 00:04:52,720 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 1: was no Thanksgiving thief. Hear ye, hear ye. This tavern 80 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: dust possess beds of uncomfortable quality. The location is poor, 81 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: the breakfast inadequate, and the stabling fees unconscionable. This humble 82 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: writer suggests that ye seek accommodations elsewhere. That's the type 83 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: of review that you might have found on Yelp or 84 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: trip Advisor, if either service had existed in seventeen eighty nine. Unfortunately, 85 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: there was no Internet and no review aggregate sites available 86 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: during America's earliest days, but that didn't stop one dissatisfied 87 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: tourist from recording his opinions. Just a few months after 88 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: the constitution was ratified, a former Revolutionary war officer embarked 89 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: on a unique journey. He wanted to get to know 90 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: the nation he had helped create, and thought there was 91 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: no better way to do that than by seeing America 92 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: from the road. While most well off tourist vacation in 93 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: places like Saratoga and Niagara Falls, he would be stepping 94 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: off the beaten track to the more distant rural communities 95 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: that comprise New England and the American South. During the journey, 96 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: he took detailed notes remarking on everything from the quality 97 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,039 Speaker 1: of the roads he traveled to the people he met. 98 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: But his most brutal commentary was reserved for the inns 99 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: and taverns where he spent the night. The officer's private 100 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: journals contain one scathing review after another. He wrote that 101 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: Jacob's tavern in Thompson was and I quote not a 102 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: good house, often intolerable, bad road, while mister Allen's inn 103 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: was and I quote a very indifferent house without stabling. Meanwhile, 104 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,119 Speaker 1: Buck Tavern and Delaware garnered some rare, if not faint, 105 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:46,919 Speaker 1: praise when he called it a better house than the 106 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: appearances indicate. Now, these negative reviews make up the bulk 107 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: of the officer's diary from the period, and that might 108 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: tempt you to write him off as a fussy traveler. 109 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: Some tourists just can't be pleased after all. But more 110 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: likely he put so much emphasis on accommodations because he 111 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: knew how important they would become as the country grew. 112 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: Inns and taverns have been an important form of the 113 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: infrastructure going back to the days of the Roman Empire. 114 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: Travelers couldn't get very far without a place to rest 115 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: and feed their horses, so before the advent of railroads, 116 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: these businesses were truly critical for long distance travel. Along 117 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: with safe roads, they made a territory a nation. At 118 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: the same time, inns served a secondary function as public 119 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: gathering places. They were the spots that locals would head 120 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: to for a drink and a meal at the end 121 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: of the day, the places where people would swap stories 122 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: and discuss which politicians they supported. Initially, most inns were 123 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: simply public houses or pubs, or you could book a 124 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: room for the night. Now technically licensed taverns in early 125 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: America were supposed to offer a minimum of three beds 126 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: and stables for six horses, but as the officer discovered 127 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: in his travels, many towns didn't have a single business 128 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: that met those standards. But after his visit things started 129 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: to change. Local mayors were so embarrassed to have him 130 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: receive poor lodgings in their community. They immediately enacted plans 131 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: to erect more substantial hotels. And that's without him ever 132 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: bothering to publish his opinions. Truth be told, he didn't 133 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: have to because their guest wasn't just any revolutionary war officer. 134 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: He was none other than President George Washington, who had 135 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: just been elected to his first term in office. His 136 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: tours from seventeen eighty nine to seventeen ninety one were 137 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: away for him to see the country that he'd be 138 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: leading and to meet the people that he would serve 139 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: as president. And thanks to those tours, America is now 140 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: full of hotels that once hosted the first president. Many 141 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: of them proudly advertised the fact, even if Washington himself 142 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: didn't have glowing things to say about them. The good 143 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: news is you can always check for yourself. Washington's private 144 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: journals are all online now, as accessible as any Yelp review, 145 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: So the next time you're planning some travel, consider checking 146 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: them out for some recommendations. After all, who would you 147 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,719 Speaker 1: trust more some anonymous wanna be travel blogger or America's 148 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: first President. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of 149 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities, subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 150 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 151 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 152 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 153 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 154 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 155 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 156 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: stay curious.