WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Snow Globes

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, and

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<v Speaker 1>there's Chuck and Jerry's here sitting in for Dave. So

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<v Speaker 1>this is short Stuff, the Happy Holiday's edition. That's right,

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<v Speaker 1>Happy Holidays. This is good. This would fit nicely in

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<v Speaker 1>our holiday episode. But I like the idea of but

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<v Speaker 1>shorty as well. Yeah, and we've got to we can't

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<v Speaker 1>just be like, oh, we'll just talk about pickles a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of days before Christmas. You don't like pickles of

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<v Speaker 1>any sort, do you know? It's the vinegar thing. I

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<v Speaker 1>love cucumbers. You can ruin a good cucumber by soaking

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<v Speaker 1>it in vinegar. Yeah, I love them. I know I'm

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<v Speaker 1>a weirdo. People love pickles. Yeah, I'm crazy for him.

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<v Speaker 1>And also everybody you can save your emails were very

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<v Speaker 1>well aware of the irony that we I use pickles

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<v Speaker 1>as an example of something we're not talking about, and

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<v Speaker 1>then we started talking about pickles. Is that a thing

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<v Speaker 1>we do? It just happened at the very beast we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about snow gloves though, right, yeah, absolutely, Um, snow

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<v Speaker 1>gloves are really really interesting as far as like the

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<v Speaker 1>backstory goes, Like I had no idea. I thought it

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<v Speaker 1>would probably be kind of cool, but it actually kind

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<v Speaker 1>of knocked my socks off, So hopefully it'll knock everybody

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<v Speaker 1>else's socks off just in time for them to be

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<v Speaker 1>put up alongside the fireplace. Wow, look at you. What

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<v Speaker 1>a great rejoinder, thanks to they use that right. Yeah, okay, alright,

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<v Speaker 1>so we're gonna go back in time. Let's hop in

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<v Speaker 1>the old way back machine. It's been a while. Dust

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<v Speaker 1>that thing off, and let's go back to a time

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<v Speaker 1>and place where people worked by candle light. And candle

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<v Speaker 1>light only gives off so much light. Uh. You can

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<v Speaker 1>try different kinds of wax in the candle. Some of

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<v Speaker 1>might burn a little bit brighter. I think the bees

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<v Speaker 1>wax candle is the brightest. But if you are performing surgery,

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<v Speaker 1>let's say, or if you're a cobbler and you're doing

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<v Speaker 1>some fine detail work or a tailor or something like that,

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<v Speaker 1>then you might need more light. Uh. And I'm looking around,

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<v Speaker 1>it's pretty dark around us. And so someone had the

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<v Speaker 1>bright idea of putting a glass globe filled with water

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<v Speaker 1>in front of a candle, and it created a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a more intense flashlight effect. Yeah, basically it creates

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<v Speaker 1>a spotlight and like a good sized one. I saw

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<v Speaker 1>it's about hand size, which is that's all you need

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<v Speaker 1>when you're sewing shoe soles, you know. So this, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>this trick um was what was trying to be recreated

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<v Speaker 1>when the guy who is credited with inventing snow globes

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<v Speaker 1>um stumbled upon them. He was a man named Erwin Persey.

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<v Speaker 1>He was an Austrian and his business was surgical instruments.

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<v Speaker 1>He made them, and there was a local surgeon and

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<v Speaker 1>I believe Vienna, who said, hey, these new bulbs from

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<v Speaker 1>Mr Edison are pretty great, but I need to make

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<v Speaker 1>them brighter. Can you do anything about that? And so

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<v Speaker 1>first thing you tried was that old shoemaker's trick and

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<v Speaker 1>he found it kind of works, but not necessarily. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>if I put something in there with him, uh, it

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<v Speaker 1>will it will work. Um. He tried to think some

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<v Speaker 1>glitter first and that probably would have worked pretty well,

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<v Speaker 1>but it sunk too fast. So then he turned to semolina,

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<v Speaker 1>which is um partially milled wheat that that it comes

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<v Speaker 1>into form of like kind of tiny white particles. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>you probably have like semolina bread or something like that. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>They put it in baby formula back then. But when

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<v Speaker 1>he put the semolina in the water, it didn't dissolve,

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<v Speaker 1>and it stayed intact, and it sort of was suspended

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<v Speaker 1>a little better than that glitter and was white and

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<v Speaker 1>eventually would trickle down to the bottom, and Petsy went,

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<v Speaker 1>my goodness, it looks like a little snow inside this globe.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it might be onto something here. Yeah. So

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<v Speaker 1>um persy uh is credited pretty much universally as the

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<v Speaker 1>inventor of the snow globe. What's interesting about it is

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<v Speaker 1>he most certainly wasn't, in fact, just some thing like

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<v Speaker 1>twenty year or so years before he Um invented his

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<v Speaker 1>snow globe, there was one that had been displayed at

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<v Speaker 1>the Paris Exposition of eighteen seventy eight. Yeah, in the

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<v Speaker 1>form of a paper weight. Uh, and it had a

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<v Speaker 1>dude with an umbrella. When he shook that thing up, Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>it would look like he was walking through a snowstorm. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>This is not the kind of thing they have in

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<v Speaker 1>a museum somewhere, but they do have a description h

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<v Speaker 1>and a report on the exposition, So it definitely happened.

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<v Speaker 1>First that I don't think anyone ever accused Prettsy of

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<v Speaker 1>stealing it. I think it's one of those things that

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<v Speaker 1>was discovered just sort of individually by different people. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and if he was aware of it, he wasn't inspired

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<v Speaker 1>by it. Um. What's interesting is it goes even further

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<v Speaker 1>back than that, all the way back to the sixteenth century.

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<v Speaker 1>UM there was apparently a German alchemist named Leonard Furnace

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<v Speaker 1>thur Nicer. Yeah, I'm going with that who made um

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<v Speaker 1>basically snow globe, but rather than um snow, he filled

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<v Speaker 1>it with birds, so the birds would just fly around.

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<v Speaker 1>This is seventy two before. Right. Again, I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>Pertsy was aware of Leonard Thurnasir and his alchemy work.

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<v Speaker 1>He just kind of stumbled upon it. But because of that,

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<v Speaker 1>because of the Paris Exposition, because in America, a guy

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<v Speaker 1>named Joseph Garaga was given a patent for something kind

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<v Speaker 1>of like the snow globe. It's a little muddy. The French,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe, make a claim certainly for the inventors of

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<v Speaker 1>the snow globe, but everybody says it was really Pertsy

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<v Speaker 1>who took this idea and ran with it. And he

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<v Speaker 1>definitely ran with it. All right, it's a good spot

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<v Speaker 1>for a break. We're gonna go back and tell the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of his story right after this. Alright, so uh,

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<v Speaker 1>Prettsy has invented this snow globe files for a pattern,

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<v Speaker 1>A nine for a quote glass globe with snow effect

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<v Speaker 1>end quote called the snake Google. Snay is German for

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<v Speaker 1>snow and Google is like a globe or a ball

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<v Speaker 1>or an orb. I've seen it. It's like a cannon

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<v Speaker 1>ball or a sphere, but it's snow globe. Um. It

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<v Speaker 1>took about five years only before there was a business

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<v Speaker 1>being run in Vienna name firm Pertsy, and then they

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<v Speaker 1>later changed the name to the original Vienna schna Google

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<v Speaker 1>manufactor the original Vienna snow Globe Factory. And they are

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<v Speaker 1>still making those snow globes. And it's still the family

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<v Speaker 1>making those snow globes. Yeah. Um Erwin Pertsey, the third

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<v Speaker 1>who now runs the show in has since the eighties.

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<v Speaker 1>So cool. Yeah, it is really cool and they're really

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<v Speaker 1>high end snow globes too. I think several American presidents

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<v Speaker 1>of UM commissioned snow globes from They take custom orders.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you have a really cool snow globe idea

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<v Speaker 1>and a chunk of change, the persis will make you

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<v Speaker 1>whatever you want. Um, I this I'm not friends with them.

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<v Speaker 1>I just have heard this before, so I wonder if

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<v Speaker 1>Erwin the third was in the eighties, was like nine,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to be a uh like in a band,

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<v Speaker 1>like craft work and they said, you realize you live

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<v Speaker 1>in a castle. Would you like to see the balance sheet?

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<v Speaker 1>And maybe I'll stay in the family business. So the

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<v Speaker 1>first forty years Chuck Um, they weren't really associated with

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas that came later on. Instead, they were typically religious

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<v Speaker 1>theme stuff. One of their blockbusters sellers was the um

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<v Speaker 1>Maria Zell Basilica, which is a church in Austria. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not in Vienna. I think it's more towards the East

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<v Speaker 1>um and it's a pretty big, imposing Baroque cathedral. And

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<v Speaker 1>one of the reasons why they focused so much on

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<v Speaker 1>this is because it was a um It was sold

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<v Speaker 1>as a religious offering to pilgrims who would come to

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<v Speaker 1>this church like they yeah, a religious souvenir. They set

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<v Speaker 1>up a stall and they would say souvenirs novelties six

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<v Speaker 1>and people would buy the snowblop and they would leave

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<v Speaker 1>it as an offering. Yeah, they set up thing between

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<v Speaker 1>you and the exit, and it thus began the exit

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<v Speaker 1>through the gift shop, exit the church through the gift shop.

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<v Speaker 1>But yeah, they took off really in a big way.

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<v Speaker 1>Um Orson Wells used one very famously in Citizen Kane

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<v Speaker 1>at the end when that snow globe breaks. Um, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>curious now if they made the St. Eligia's hospital one.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, for the end of saying elsewhere, man, that's

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<v Speaker 1>a great question. I got to look that up. But

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<v Speaker 1>Irwin two took over after World War Two and said,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what, we're doing great with these religious globes,

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<v Speaker 1>but uh, snow means Christmas. Christmas means snow. Why don't

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<v Speaker 1>we start putting Santa claus Is in there and Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>trees and snowmen. And they did, and then it became

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<v Speaker 1>really heavily associated with Christmas. And they are pumping out

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<v Speaker 1>with about thirty employees, about two d thousands of these

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<v Speaker 1>still every year. And they're they're all like made by hand,

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<v Speaker 1>their hand painted. Um. Again, they're like really well made. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>Early on, though, um, they became like an American phenomenon,

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<v Speaker 1>like America said, these are ours, snow gloves are American

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<v Speaker 1>from now on. By about the mid twentieth century, I

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<v Speaker 1>believe UM and they actually became like a like a

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<v Speaker 1>go to souvenir in the post war boom where people

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<v Speaker 1>started traveling round UM, where they started making you know,

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<v Speaker 1>better highways and all that, and Americans just started driving around.

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<v Speaker 1>And one of the reasons why that was UM able

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<v Speaker 1>to happen was thanks to innovations in plastic. Yeah, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, plastic changed everything for good and bad. And

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<v Speaker 1>they found out, you know, they're always looking for the

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<v Speaker 1>perfect UM particulate. I guess to act as the snow

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<v Speaker 1>because what you don't want is to shake this thing up.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you've ever seen it had a cheap snow

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<v Speaker 1>globe and had plenty of those growing up, trust me, Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>if you shake that thing up and the snows on

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<v Speaker 1>the ground in fifteen seconds, you're really not getting that

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<v Speaker 1>sense of awe and wonder that you're looking for. You

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to stay uh floating around. And over the years,

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<v Speaker 1>they experimented with different types of matter to use in there,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think there's is a there's is a trade secret, right,

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<v Speaker 1>That's the impression I have, Yes, that they're not letting

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<v Speaker 1>anyone know, but it's some sort of wax or and

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<v Speaker 1>or plastic. Okay, and apparently there's are so well made

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<v Speaker 1>that there's snowfalls can last two minutes after you shake

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<v Speaker 1>it up two minutes. By halfway through that you'd be like, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>enough already, I don't need to be delighted any longer.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, I'm gonna get one of these. This has

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<v Speaker 1>inspired me. I'm gonna get a genuine Irwin Austrian snow globe. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>Irwin was the first name. I guess we're pretty tight. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess, so you're on a first name basis. You

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<v Speaker 1>call him Pertsy, I'll call him Ernie. The third um

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<v Speaker 1>so Chuck. I think we've reached the end of this

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<v Speaker 1>holiday centric short stuff Don't you do well? Jingle bells

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<v Speaker 1>out of here? Stuff you Should Know is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit

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