1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke'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 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: George was born in England on July fourth of seventeen ninety, 7 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: fourteen years after America had first declared independence from Great Britain. 8 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: George had five other siblings, two younger and three older, 9 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: and his father was an upstanding member of the community, 10 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: serving as the local Justice of the Peace. George started 11 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: his professional life as a cadet with the East India 12 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: Company in eighteen oh six, and after graduating from the 13 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: Royal Military College in Marlow, he was sent to India itself, 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: but we're not exactly sure why. We do know that 15 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: he was made a second lieutenant with the Bengal Army 16 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: and that he was quite gifted in astronomy and mathematics. 17 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: But around eighteen fourteen, George's work begins to come into 18 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: focus more. That year, while on Secundament in Java, off 19 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: the coast of Indonesia, he was given the job of 20 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: surveying the entire island. This led to more survey work 21 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: in India as he mapped a four hundred mile line 22 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: between Calcutta and Banaras. Eventually, George's dedication and work ethic 23 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: was noticed by a man named William Lambton, who had 24 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: been heading up a project called the Great Trigonometrical Survey 25 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: or the GTS. The GTS was a plan to map 26 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: the entirety of India with a kind of detail and 27 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: precision that had never been done before, the kind of 28 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: precision George had come to be known for. Lambton had 29 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: started the survey in eighteen oh two in Madras, but 30 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: it really kicked into gear once he brought George on 31 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: board as his chief assistant. You see, George was assessed 32 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: with accuracy. He didn't just survey the land. He took 33 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: matters into his own hands to verify all the readings 34 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: were as true as possible. He modified the equipment, he 35 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: tweaked the calculations, and he made every effort to reduce 36 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,519 Speaker 1: errors brought on by weather and changes in the landscape. Then, 37 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: in eighteen twenty three, Colonel William Lambton died, leaving George 38 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: in charge of the GTS project going forward. He made 39 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: it his mission to survey a meridian arc or longitudal 40 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: line that his predecessor had been working on. Unfortunately, George 41 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: fell seriously ill, suffering from a fever and rheumatism, which 42 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: partially paralyzed him and prevented him from continuing his work. 43 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: He returned to England in eighteen twenty five and rested 44 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: for the next five years, during which time he pestered 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: the East India Company for more advanced equipment. He returned 46 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: to the project in eighteen thirty, at which point he 47 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: was made Surveyor General of India. He then appointed a 48 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: second in command named Andrews Scott Waugh, an officer in 49 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: the British Army. Wild led the survey team over the 50 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: next eleven years to complete the map of the meridian 51 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: arc from Cape Comorin in the south tip of India 52 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: all the way to the Himalayas, a distance of about 53 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: fifteen hundred miles. George didn't do much field work during 54 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: this time as the Surveyor General, his days were spent 55 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: behind a desk. He wound up resigning from his position 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: one year later in November of eighteen forty two, but 57 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: George continued on writing about his work in India and 58 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: earning awards from the Royal Astronomical Society. He passed away 59 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: at his home in eighteen sixty six, when he was 60 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: seventy six years old. Now, George had done a lot 61 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: during his time, but his legacy would not be the 62 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: Meridian arc that he had helped map, nor would it 63 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: be his awards from the various societies of which he 64 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: was a member. Instead, his greatest honor came one year 65 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: before his death, in eighteen sixty five. You see, a 66 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: decade earlier, his successor, Andrew Waw had noted a mountain 67 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: in the Himalayas. His heights had been calculated previously by 68 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: an Indian mathematician named Radhanat Sikdar. In eighteen fifty two. 69 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: Wow took this information and wrote a letter to the 70 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: Royal Geographical Society back in England, claiming that this was 71 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: in fact the tallest mountain in the world. It had 72 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: originally been named Peak B, but Wow had a better 73 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: name in mind, one that would honor the man who 74 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: had given him the job of a lifetime mapping India. 75 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: Back in eighteen thirty. The name for the peak was 76 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: debated for years, with different academic and scholarly groups vying 77 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: for the right to christen the mountain with an appropriate moniker, 78 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 1: but in the end Wow won out, so in eighteen 79 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: sixty five, Peak B was given the name it would 80 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: be known by forever onward. It was named after George 81 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: George Everest, although his last name got butchered over time, 82 00:04:49,920 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: which is why we know it today as Mount Everest. 83 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: He was as enigmatic as he was brilliant. He is 84 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: remembered as a first rate oddity, an eccentric genius whose 85 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: contributions to electromagnetism shaped how we understand the world today. 86 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: From an early age, he showed a remarkable aptitude for 87 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: mathematics and a deep curiosity about the natural world. He 88 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: was not an ordinary child by any means, often spending 89 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: hours engrossed in books and scientific experiments. Considered a loner, 90 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: he preferred the company of his thoughts and ideas over 91 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: that of his peers. As he grew older, his passions 92 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: for mathematics intensified. He delved into the works of great 93 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: thinkers like James Clerk Maxwell, whose theories on electromagnetism captivated 94 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: his imagination. Inspired by Maxwell's ideas, he embarked on a 95 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: journey to revolutionize the field of electromagnetism and solve the 96 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: complex problems that plague scientists of his time. It could 97 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,480 Speaker 1: be said that his mind was a whirlwind of ideas 98 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: and innovations. He invented many mathematical techniques that are still 99 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: widely used to date, such as an operational calculus and 100 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: a step function that allowed scientists and engineers to tackle 101 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: complex electromagnetic problems with greater ease and precision. It's like 102 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: having a super toolkit for solving complex equations in mathematics. 103 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: If you're wondering who we're talking about, no, it's not 104 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: Tony Stark. Although our historical superhero was a trailblazer, paving 105 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: the way for future breakthroughs in the field, but our 106 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: inventor's brilliance came with a price. He was a prickly character, 107 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: known for his cantankerous nature and his disdain for the conventional. 108 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: He had little patience for social norms and niceties, often 109 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: alienating those around him. Despite his graphic sterior, however, he 110 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: remained deeply dedicated to his work He spent countless hours 111 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: immersed in his studies, rarely leaving his house and sometimes 112 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: forgetting to eat or sleep. Legend has it that he 113 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: would work late into the night, with his room illuminated 114 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: only by flickering candlelights as he pushed on toward morning. 115 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: His desk was piled high with books written by some 116 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: of the world's most prestigious experts in their given fields. 117 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: Papers with wildly scribbled notes and equations littered his desk. 118 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: I guess you could say that he was a true 119 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: embodiment of the saying mad scientist. But mad or not, 120 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: his contributions to electromagnetism were monumental. He developed a new 121 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: form of vector notation, which simplified the mathematical description of 122 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: electromagnetic fields. He also proposed the existence of a layer 123 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: in the Earth's atmosphere known as the ionosphere, which plays 124 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: a crucial role in the long distance communication used by radios. 125 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: And speaking of communications, his work was groundbreaking when it 126 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: came to the telephone. If you're still guessing who our 127 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: inventor is, no, it's not Alexander Grahambell or even Thomas Edison. 128 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: For about nine years he worked on electric charges, velocity 129 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: and elements of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. So if 130 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: you were thinking of that great inventor, sorry, and although 131 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: I half mentioned radio waves, no it is not Marconi either. No, 132 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: our little known inventor's work was met with both admiration 133 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: and skepticism from the scientific community. Some hailed him as 134 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: a visionary, while others dismissed him as an eccentric with 135 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: unconventional ideas. But our visionary soldiered on, undeterred by the 136 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: opinions of others. He knew his ideas were groundbreaking and 137 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: would eventually be recognized for their true worth. We've all 138 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: heard of the genius of Nikola Tesla and Isaac Newton, 139 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: oddly given our inventors breakthroughs, though his name doesn't appear 140 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: among them. In fact, our inventor never stepped inside a college. 141 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: You see, he grew up poor and couldn't afford a 142 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: higher education. He was self taught as a mathematician and 143 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:56,199 Speaker 1: also as a physicist and electrical engineer. His achievements rivaled 144 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: those who studied at Harvard, Oxford or other prestigious universees. 145 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: The man I have been describing to you, the enigmatic 146 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: genius who defied societal norms and transformed our understanding of electromagnetism. 147 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: Is British born Oliver Heavyside, one of the world's most 148 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: prolific and lesser known inventors whose works will go on 149 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: to infinity and beyond. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 150 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 151 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 152 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 153 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make 154 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,839 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 155 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 156 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: about it over at the Worldolore dot com. And until 157 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.