1 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: No no no no no no no no no no 2 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: no no no bat bombs. Welcome to the show, Ridiculous Historians. 3 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: What the heck are we talking about? Well, we're about 4 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: to tell you hello, my name is Ben, my name 5 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: is not Ben. You know we did that before with 6 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: knife Man. Yes, it's just a great it's it's a 7 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: great musical device that goes into anything with two syllables. 8 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: Oh and I'm also into our super producer, Casey Pegram. 9 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: We were off air today just about to jump into 10 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: the studio and Casey, I don't know. Have you ever 11 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: heard of bat bombs? I have not No, I have 12 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: no idea what this episodes about. Unless it's guano. That's 13 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: the only bat bomb I can think of. Hey, that 14 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: was good, No, and and and funny enough. I think 15 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: guano is actually quite flammable and could be potentially used 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: in explosives. And guando is also quite valuable. Right. We 17 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: did an episode for a different show on a cannibal cave. 18 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: You can you can find a c taka uh. We 19 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: did an episode and cannibal cave that was discovered because 20 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: of some unscrupulous guando minors. Bats have actually played a 21 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: surprisingly influential role in US history at various times. And 22 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: also that's one of those creatures that are up close. 23 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: A lot of bats that I've run into are pretty gross, 24 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: but they're still just from a biological perspective, amazing. They 25 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: are amazing. And there is a YouTube video or Instagram 26 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: video or one of those videos, um where someone's like 27 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: handling a bat and it's a particularly cute bat. So 28 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: they have the potential to be both terrifying and adorable. 29 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: Is it a fruit bat? It must have been. So 30 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: there's there's so many different types of bat, and today 31 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: we are talking about a type of plan that the 32 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: US made with bats. This is okay, So we have 33 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: to go in two different directions here, right, and maybe 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: tie them together as we continue. First, it's no secret 35 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: to any fan of history or to anyone who's perused 36 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: the Adventures of the U S Military that the US military, 37 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: like many other militaries, has kind of a spaghetti at 38 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: the wall approach to developing new stuff, and most of 39 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: the time it doesn't work out. You know, you know, 40 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: this reminds me of been It's sort of like the 41 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: Hollywood studio system, where you might just have some intern 42 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: in an office just pitched some crazy idea that an 43 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 1: executive happens to the area's like, you know what, that's 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: just crazy enough to work. That's a good point. This 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: reminds me of a clip that we cannot for legal 46 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: reasons play in full for you, but we can tell 47 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: you what it is and go check it out on YouTube. 48 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 1: After this show, uh, John mulaney has a great bit 49 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: about how Back to the Future became a film. Did 50 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: you ever see that? Noll? I don't think I did. 51 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: Oh man, Okay, well, we can't stop the show. I 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: wish I could just play this for you now google it, 53 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: I'll send you the link. It is. It is exactly 54 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: what you're talking about, and that is a very good 55 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: comparison to the approach that the military has taken at times. Uh. Today, 56 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: our story starts well, it really gets running toward the 57 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: end of World War Two thanks to a guy named 58 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: doctor Little Atoms or lttle Atoms. I'm gonna go with 59 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: little gotta be little l y T l E. I 60 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: think if that's why I'm giving him space to be 61 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: lightle atoms to just in case, because I don't know, like, 62 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: would you want be walked around called little Brown you 63 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: would be into absolutely. I support that wholeheartedly. So Dr 64 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: Adams doesn't begin life as a mad scientist for Uncle Sam. 65 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: He starts life uh in Irwin, Pennsylvania, and for a 66 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: long time he works as a dentist. Before that, presumably 67 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: as a baby. Yes, yeah, no, he began life as 68 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: a middle aged dentist. Common medical condition is that like? 69 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: Is that like Benjamin Button? Sort of? Yeah, Benjamin Button 70 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: is is loosely based on the adventures of the dentist 71 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: Dr Adams. Now the Adventures of Little Adams. That sounds 72 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: like a fun, rollicking good time. That sounds like a 73 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: real wrong, doesn't it. So here's what happened in real life, 74 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 1: Dr Adams. And you might not see this unless you 75 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: watch the director's cut of Benjamin Button. Dr Adams is 76 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: driving home from a vacation at Carl's Bad Caverns in 77 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: New Mexico, and while he's driving home, he is haunted 78 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 1: by this vision that he saw this amazing spectacle. He 79 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: watched bats leaving the caves of Karl's Bad Caverns. And 80 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: we've seen those clips of bats leaving right right right, 81 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: little round twilighter, So like a hive mind operating on 82 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: some kind of crazy psychic connection, and he watched millions 83 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: of these bats fly out, and as he was driving, 84 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: he was thinking, Wow, that was such an amazing thing. 85 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 1: There were so many bats. I had no idea the 86 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: sheer magnitude of nature and all its glory. And he 87 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: probably were speculating a little here, but he probably goes, 88 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: all right, well, it's a long drive from New Mexico 89 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: to Pennsylvania. I'm gonna turn on my car radio. I'm 90 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: gonna get the news. Here's some tunes. And that's when 91 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: he hears the terrible news. He's listening on December seven one, 92 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: that's when he hears the terrible news that Japan has 93 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: just attacked Pearl Harbor. Yeah, and much like you and 94 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: I remember likely where we were when the attacks on 95 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: September eleven took place, everyone in this country likely does 96 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: very similar experience to Pearl Harbor. When people first heard 97 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 1: that news, it was a like a slap in the face. 98 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: It was a real um emotional response that people had 99 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: to this event. And that was the case for Dr Adams, 100 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: and he kind of oddly combined that emotional response with 101 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: the vision of swarming bats that he had just seen. 102 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: Kind of in a Bruce Wayne esque way when he 103 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: discovers the cave right below Wayne Manner. That's a little 104 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: bit of a spoiler for anybody who is never heard 105 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: words or seen comics. It's true, So we have to 106 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: imagine how insane this drive must have been. It's not 107 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: a short drive home. So is it any wonder that 108 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: he was left alone with his thoughts and just kept 109 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: combining and recombining his recent experiences. Either way, it doesn't 110 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: take him long to take action. He combines this vision, 111 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: as you said, if these bats and this desire for 112 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: revenge into a coherent plan in less than a month later, 113 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: mid January January two, he sends his plan to the 114 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: White House. What what does he say? What's the what's 115 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: the pitch? Yeah, he thinks it would be a swell 116 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: idea to strap tiny bombs two bats, um, release them 117 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: and in the hopes that they will roost in the 118 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: eaves and in various locations of Japanese cities, at which 119 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: point they would be detonated, causing chaos across the land. 120 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: Um but real quick. This was not the first such 121 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: idea that Dr Adams had. He actually came up with 122 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty nine, an idea for UM a plane 123 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: that could do mail pickups mid air. UM. And so 124 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: he was kind of had a history of being something 125 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: of a tinkerer, even though his trade was in the 126 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: dental profession. Yes, that's a really good point. This is 127 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: not a once in a lifetime innovation or bright idea 128 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: for him. He has several ideas that would seem at 129 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: the very least unorthodox right to mainstream humanity. Yeah. Big. 130 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: Bringing it back to Batman, this mid air pickup idea 131 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: was very similar to Operations sky Hook in Uh, the 132 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: I believe Batman begins movie. Is that right? It is 133 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: in the Dark Night, Dark Night, that's right when they 134 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: sort of extract Bruce Wayne from a Japanese high rise 135 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: with this hook and they pull him out um with 136 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: this wire. And he came up with this idea while 137 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: serving in the Navy during World War One. And it 138 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: consisted of these two kind of vertical walls that made 139 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,599 Speaker 1: a V shape at the narrow end of which awaited 140 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 1: cable was trailing. This is underneath the airplane and as 141 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: it passed, it would engage in an object to be 142 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: picked up and then lifted and extracted. So very similar 143 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: to skyhook. Actually, he also I believe, depleted a lot 144 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: of his own fortune and personal savings pursuing this until 145 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: he met Richard DuPont of the DuPont And Uh, it 146 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: was it wasn't that it wasn't it designed to like 147 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: never land. Yeah, exactly because he figured there was. This 148 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: wasn't like a completely unique idea. But the notion was 149 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: that a lot of time, uh and effort was wasted 150 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: when the planes were landing and they had to refuel. 151 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: So this system, in theory, would allow it to refuel 152 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: in the air, pick up fuel reserves from the ground 153 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: or even from a passing train. They could coordinate and 154 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: specifically uh for long distance mail pickups and freight and 155 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: things like that. Um, I don't know. I know it 156 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: was patented, but it certainly never hit in the way 157 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: that he hoped it would. But fast forward to World 158 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: War Two. Let's go back to the pitch. How was 159 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: he able to get an audience with the White House 160 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 1: in the first place because he was not exactly like, 161 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,719 Speaker 1: he didn't work for them. He was just kind of 162 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: a regular joe who was a tinkerer on the side. 163 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: And this whole you know, mid flight refueling mail pickup 164 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: scheme never really gained too much momentum, so he didn't 165 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: really have reputation. But being someone the government should like 166 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: turn to during times of war, would you say it 167 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: never got off the ground? I would say that man. Oh, 168 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: but you said at first, oh, sorry, sorry, no joke 169 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: left untold. He did manage to shout above the din 170 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,559 Speaker 1: the cacophony of people with unsolicited suggestions, plans, and schemes. 171 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: We have to imagine, of course, how many people would 172 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: be writing directly to the White House saying, here's what 173 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: we do, and it may be worth our time in 174 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 1: another episode to look at some of the most unorthodox 175 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: World War two revenge schemes. But Adams had an edge. 176 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: He had a very important friend. That's right. This is 177 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 1: somewhat a story about nepotism. You see at happened to 178 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: know a woman by the name of Eleanor Roosevelt. He 179 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: had flown her to check out his airmail scheme previously, right, 180 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 1: and because they had this previous relationship his story and 181 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: speculate that's the way he was able to get his 182 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: voice heard and his idea, his pitch right, the one 183 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: that you established earlier, know about dropping these bats in 184 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: Japanese cities. It made more sense than it might sound 185 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: at first blush, because of Japanese architecture, right, yeah, tell 186 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: us more about that. But it's not something I had 187 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: quite considered, because I was wondering, how were they to 188 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: get into all of these little nooks and crannies, if 189 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 1: you know, it seems like it would take time for 190 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: them to work their way into the eaves of homes 191 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 1: as we know it. But I believe the architecture in 192 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,479 Speaker 1: Japan was a little more open and possibly more accessible 193 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,320 Speaker 1: to these small creatures. And they were quite small. They 194 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: were quite small. Yes, So this pitch hinged on some 195 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,319 Speaker 1: stereotypes about Japan at the time, one of those concerning 196 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 1: the architecture. In the mind of many Americans, policymakers and 197 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: civilians alike, Japan was a country composed of crowded cities 198 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: filled with houses and factories made of paper and wood, 199 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: and that's their vision of traditional Japanese architecture. So the 200 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: argument there might be that flying bats with small incendiary 201 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: devices into a city where most things are built of 202 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: stone or concrete, Uh, that won't do much. Right. It 203 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: takes an enormous amount of heat to damage that stuff, 204 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: but paper and wood could catch fire with a relatively 205 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: small amount of flame. But also wouldn't it have something 206 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: to do with how easy and quickly it might have 207 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: been for the bats to work their way into these structures. 208 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: They weren't like sealed air tight quite in the way 209 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,719 Speaker 1: we would think of a traditional American home, right, Well, 210 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 1: they thought that would fly into those like picture a 211 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 1: traditional Japanese tile roof. They thought they would fly into 212 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: the eaves of those roofs, and that this would this 213 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: would get them close enough to the paper walls and 214 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: wouldn't make sense. So we have a quote from him, 215 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: think of thousands of fires breaking out simultaneously over a 216 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: circle of forty miles in diameter. For every bomb dropped, 217 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: Japan could have been devastated, yet with small loss of life, 218 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: which doesn't really make sense because when cities catch on fire, 219 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: a lot of people die. So I guess he was 220 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: he was talking about American lives. Yeah, that's probably, that's 221 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:50,079 Speaker 1: that's Unfortunately, it sounds very accurate because I mean, obviously 222 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: the bats were on suicide missions here, so that's you know, 223 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: I don't imagine Peter would approve this plan today. Yeah, Yeah, 224 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: let's let's take a second maybe and talk about the bats. 225 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: What do you say, Let's do it alright, So once 226 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: the project gets the green light, and again please listen 227 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 1: to that, John Mulaney, back to the future bit, it's 228 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,920 Speaker 1: worth it won't ruin it for you. Once the project 229 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: gets the green lights, somehow, Dr Adams gathers a team 230 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: of naturalists from the Hancock Foundation University California, and they 231 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: start investigating likely sites where they could gather large quantities 232 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: of bats. As we know, bats are mostly found in caves, 233 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: but a ton of them roost in addicts, barns, houses, bridges, 234 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: anywhere they can get it and fitted right, it's funny. 235 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: Casey and I actually attempted to capture a mass exodus 236 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: of bats like this on video. In Austin, there's this 237 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: bridge that's referred to as the Bat Bridge where every night, 238 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: at a certain time, all of these bats that nest 239 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: under this bridge or they kind of just hang out 240 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: there during the day go out to feed at night 241 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: because they're nocturnal animals. But we waited there for awful 242 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: long time and then they never emerged. So I cannot 243 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: offer a firsthand account of this, but I have been 244 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: told that it does happen. Yes, it's true. I don't 245 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: know if I have revealed this to you guys, but 246 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: years and years ago, one of my childhood homes actually 247 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: did have a bat infestation in the attic, and I 248 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: happen to live in a room that adjoined the attic, 249 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: and I was surprised to find that, at least here 250 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: in Georgia, you cannot kill the bats. You have to 251 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: essentially wait for them to leave or compel them to 252 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: leave what area, whatever area they're roosting legally. Yeah really yeah? 253 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: And you then find whatever hidy holes or ingress e 254 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: great points they're using and block those, with the hope 255 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: being that vampire rules, they'll find a new place to 256 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: sleep before dawn. Terrifying. I didn't know that, So that 257 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: you can't treat them like you would like any other 258 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: household infestation. No, no, no, no no, because they're so 259 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: good for the ecosystem as well. Had no idea about that. 260 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: So they go atoms, not the bats that I used 261 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: to live with. They go around scouring these areas to 262 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: find the best possible large quantity of bats suitable for 263 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: this project. According to Adams, they visit a thousand caves 264 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: and three thousand mines, and Adams says speed was so 265 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: imperative that we generally drove all day and night. When 266 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: we weren't exploring caves, we slept in cars, taking turns 267 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: of driving one car in our search team cover three 268 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty thousand miles. And then they started cataloging 269 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: the types of bats they found, and they were looking 270 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: for the ideal combination of bat size, which would dictate 271 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:49,359 Speaker 1: the amount of explosive the bat could carry versus bat quantity. 272 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: How many bats of that type could they find, because 273 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: you know, if you found like twelve bats that were 274 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: large enough to carry eight pounds of dynamite, you know, 275 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: good for those bats, but that's not really gonna do 276 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: anything to a Japanese city on a large scale the 277 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: way they were hoping. That's very true. And and just 278 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,679 Speaker 1: just a little detail here. These were Mexican free tailed 279 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 1: bats they decided on because of their size and uh, 280 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: their availability. Um. And so in March of this is 281 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: backtracking just a little bit, um, the US Air Force 282 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: decided they wanted to investigate this. There was a letter 283 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 1: that was drafted to formally, you know, announced the pursuing 284 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:28,919 Speaker 1: of this like a memo, and it was called Test 285 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,959 Speaker 1: of Method to Scatter Incendiaries UM. It was also referred 286 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: to as Project X ray Way cool name uses Mexican 287 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 1: free tailed bats. The other bats they tried were things 288 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 1: like the mastif. The mastive bat is huge as a 289 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,919 Speaker 1: twenty inch wingspan, it can carry uh one pound of dynamite. 290 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: But the problem was they couldn't find enough of these bats. 291 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: And then they found another bat, the mullard or common 292 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: palid bat, that could carry three ounces. But naturalists said, 293 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,920 Speaker 1: there's no way these guys will survive the strange process 294 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: we're going to subject them to. And when they found 295 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,479 Speaker 1: the free tailed bat, the main reason they went with 296 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: it is because it could travel with a one ounce 297 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,959 Speaker 1: bomb over a relatively short distance, even though it only 298 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: weighed a third of an ounce. And they found twenty 299 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: to thirty million of them in a cave Inny Cave 300 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: near Bendera, Texas. And it was so large. This kind 301 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,479 Speaker 1: of ties into the adventure that Noel, You and Casey 302 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,400 Speaker 1: had in Austin. It was so large that when these 303 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,639 Speaker 1: bats left the cave, it took five hours for them 304 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: to all leave out of the cave, flying in a 305 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: dense stream fifteen feet in diameter and so closely packed 306 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: that they could barely flap their wings. Yeah, I cannot imagine. Um. 307 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously these must be very powerful creatures in 308 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: terms of their ability to like like ants. They always 309 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: say they can carry ten times their body weight or whatever. 310 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,479 Speaker 1: This must be a similar case. Although they had to 311 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 1: take the weight into consideration when they figured out which 312 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: bats to use and what amount of incendiaries would pack 313 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: the most punch. And I'm guessing that it was all considered, 314 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: like you said, it wouldn't take a whole lot. They weren't. 315 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: They weren't gonna level a building with these bats. They 316 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,479 Speaker 1: were going to start a little flame that was then 317 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: going to catch it on fire, and they were going 318 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: to do them all at once. But Ben, did you 319 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: catch anywhere in your research how they were planning to 320 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,439 Speaker 1: detonate these um bat bombs like all at once or 321 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: was it on a timer? It was on a timer. 322 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,120 Speaker 1: That makes the most sense. That's probably that's the best 323 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:28,439 Speaker 1: way to do it. You know that that is the 324 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: best way to do it. So, um, they finally settled 325 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,479 Speaker 1: on these Mexican freetail bats um and there was a 326 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: lot of consideration for various stages of this process. Right, 327 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: like the questions we were just asking, how to transport them, 328 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: how to deploy them, um, etcetera. What were some of 329 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: the things that they sort of figured out during this process? Then? Sure, sure, 330 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,640 Speaker 1: So this project when it gets a cool name, the 331 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: Army says, wait, we want projects with cool names. So 332 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: the project is transferred to the army and they start 333 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: capturing these thousands, thousands of Mexican freetail bats of caverns 334 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,679 Speaker 1: all around the southwest United States. They wanted to figure 335 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,880 Speaker 1: out how to get these things from the location where 336 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: they are, you know, attached to these bombs, these incendiary devices, 337 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: and then transport them without blowing anything up, and then 338 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,120 Speaker 1: deploying them so that they don't blow up until they're 339 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,160 Speaker 1: supposed to the first thing they had to figure out 340 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: was how to keep the bats calm, and that is 341 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: when they decided to induce hibernation in the bats. This 342 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: is um, this is something that might surprise some people. 343 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: Bats actually do hibernate, which makes it a little bit 344 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 1: less inhumane, you know what I mean? Uh, Bats hibernate 345 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: from late fall until springs, so October November to March 346 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: and April. And I'm just realizing this now. No bats 347 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: are listening to this podcast right now. It's probably better 348 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: that way because this could be triggering until summer spring. Yes, 349 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: so we know that they will hibernate typically in the 350 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,159 Speaker 1: same environments in which they roost, but they roost in 351 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,199 Speaker 1: caves and mines and attics and stuff like that. So 352 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: how do you strap uh an explosive device to them 353 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: or incendiary device and then convince them to hibernate on 354 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: a plane. What they ultimately decided to do was to 355 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: stick the bats in ice cube trays. Again, these are 356 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: very small the only way about the way less announced, 357 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 1: but surely not the kind of ice cube trays you 358 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: and I are used to. I mean, that's that's way 359 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: too small. One little compartment and an ice cube traying 360 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: that would go in our freezer. All my ice cube 361 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: trays as specifically designed to fit that. It's pretty unfair 362 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: to the bats. But would the would the the explosives 363 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: be strapped to them already at this point or would 364 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: they have to like put them on after they woke 365 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: them up. This whole thing seems like a logistical nightmare, 366 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: And then it seems like stuff that they didn't consider 367 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: up front when they said, hey, this guy is onto something. Well, 368 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: it seems like a lot of bats probably died in 369 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: the in the process of figuring out the best way 370 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: to do this well, and ultimately these were suicide bats anyway, 371 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: so they were all destined for death. Right. They also 372 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:19,399 Speaker 1: had to figure out how to release these bats in 373 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 1: mid air. So they thought, we'll have a cardboard container 374 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 1: that automatically opens and releases the bats. And they were 375 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to do this. They spent 376 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: a lot of time working out the perfect order of operations, 377 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,359 Speaker 1: and then they took it to real testing. They took 378 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: it off the drawing board into the world, and they 379 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: found out that there was a lot of stuff they 380 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 1: needed to work on, a lot of kinks. UM. There's 381 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,879 Speaker 1: an article in The Atlantic called Old Weird Tech The 382 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,479 Speaker 1: Bat Bombs of World War Two by Alexis C. Magical UM, 383 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: and in this article she talks about some of the 384 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: unfortunate mishaps that occurred when they really started doing real 385 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: world testing UM. One of which involved a general's car 386 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 1: that was exploded basically burned UM and also an airplane 387 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: hangar that sustained some pretty serious damage. They did pass 388 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: this off to the Marine Corps and the testing continued. Yeah, 389 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: so when they passed it to the Marine Corps in 390 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: December of nineteen forty three, the operation was moved to 391 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: the Marine Corps Air Station Nel Centro, California. The definitive 392 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:39,159 Speaker 1: test was carried out after several experiments on what they 393 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: called a Japanese village was a mock up of a 394 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: Japanese city built by the Chemical Warfare Service at their 395 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: doug Way Proving Grounds test site in Utah, and this 396 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: test produced uh not terrible results. So the chief of 397 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 1: incendiary testing it, doug Way, wrote, a reasonable number of 398 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: instructive fires can be started in spite of the extremely 399 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: small size of the units. Those are the bats. The 400 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,200 Speaker 1: main advantage of the units would seem to be their 401 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 1: placement within the enemy structures without the knowledge of the 402 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: householder or fire watchers, thus allowing the fire to establish 403 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,320 Speaker 1: itself before being discovered. So what they're saying is when 404 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: they get into these atticts and these eves, it is 405 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: highly unlikely that somebody will notice this very very tiny, tiny, 406 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: tiny furry creature um and they probably won't notice the 407 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: fire until it's too late. My question though, is, we 408 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,439 Speaker 1: know the way bats behave, wouldn't they all go to 409 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,879 Speaker 1: one place, like what what was causing what was leading 410 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: them to go to disperse? To disperse? Because it doesn't 411 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:44,720 Speaker 1: seem like that's what bats typically do. It seems like 412 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: they kind of like have that hive mind quality to it. 413 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: I was joking when I said they have, you know, 414 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,639 Speaker 1: psychic connections or whatever. Sometimes when you see flocks of 415 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: birds or bats or any kind of creatures like that 416 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: migrating or moving in these tight patterns together, I just 417 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 1: don't know, it seems very rand. They would not Obviously, 418 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,040 Speaker 1: they wouldn't have been able to control where they went. 419 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: They would just hope that they went enough different places 420 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: that this would actually caused them significant damage over a 421 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: large area. Yeah, it's it's a good question. Maybe there's 422 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 1: an argument that the bats would be so disoriented just 423 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 1: waking up from hybridation that they're just seeking a shelter. 424 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,119 Speaker 1: You know. For now, it looks like the answer to 425 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: that is still unclear in the modern day. Oh, we 426 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,440 Speaker 1: do have to mention also, people called this the Adam's 427 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 1: plan in common conversation. When you know, when they weren't 428 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: referring to it officially is Project X Ray. But one 429 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 1: of the things that they thought would be another great 430 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,680 Speaker 1: advantage was that the use of bats would be demoralizing, 431 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 1: so there was some psi op here as well. All 432 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: in all, there's a total of thirty demonstrations of this technology, 433 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: this plan, and two million dollars spent over over the 434 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: period of development, with full scale bomber bat test planned 435 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:08,920 Speaker 1: for August nineteen forty four. However, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, 436 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,119 Speaker 1: who at the time was Chief of Naval Operations, learned 437 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,639 Speaker 1: that the bats would not be ready for combat until 438 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: mid nineteen rights he abruptly canceled the operation, and needless 439 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 1: to say, Dr Adams was disappointed. There's also a little 440 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: bit of interesting historical speculation here too, because there was 441 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: another even more secret, perhaps even more ambitious and insane 442 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 1: project that Uncle Sam was pouring a ton of resources into, 443 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: yeah and likely needed every last penny, And that was 444 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 1: the atomic bomb, which ultimately and tragically was used to 445 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: end that conflict and then never again. The most powerful 446 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 1: explosive device ever created at that time. It's different from 447 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:02,159 Speaker 1: several thousand paths, right, So Dr Adams obviously this was 448 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,479 Speaker 1: a real bummer for a Pennsylvanian dentist. Yeah, and he 449 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 1: was understandably disappointed because this would have been his second 450 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,439 Speaker 1: big idea that seemed to be going somewhere and then 451 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,440 Speaker 1: ultimately didn't quite hit in the way that he wanted it. 452 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 1: To write, Ben, Oh, yeah, because of air pickup. But 453 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: this was these two ideas were not his only two ideas. Yeah, 454 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: it's some other stuff, right, and progressively, I would say, 455 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: you know, the bat bomb, between the bat bomb and 456 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 1: the air pickup bat bomb was way more on the 457 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,439 Speaker 1: surface crackpot, even though it did have some function to it. 458 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: But these these last ones that we're gonna talk about 459 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: are a little bit more on the cookie side. But 460 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: you have clearly a forward thinking man and clearly has 461 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,160 Speaker 1: a thing about aviation and the power of flights. So 462 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 1: he had this he he later has this plan to 463 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: use bombers to distribute seeds across the prairie land in 464 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: in hopes of revolutionize seeing agriculture. Right, That's that's pretty ambitious. 465 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,800 Speaker 1: It's also way less destructive. It's kind of the same 466 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 1: thing as bombing places with bats, that's true. Uh. And 467 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,159 Speaker 1: then he had another idea, non aviation related. This is 468 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: my favorite one where he thought it would be a 469 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: good idea. People would flock to a fried chicken vending machine. 470 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,439 Speaker 1: I absolutely would, But how would you keep it fresh? 471 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: It has to be like fried on demand. You would 472 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: have to hit the button to make your request, and 473 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: then it would have to be able to automatically fried. 474 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: So it would be sort of like those coke machines 475 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,400 Speaker 1: where it picks up the bottle with like a little thing, 476 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: sit up and then drops it, only it would be 477 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: like a hole. You get to watch your chicken being fried, 478 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: and you have to order it one piece at a time. 479 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: I want to know more about the logistics of this, well, 480 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 1: I want to tell you that someone has made this 481 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:55,200 Speaker 1: dream of reality. What yes, Dr Adams, if you're listening 482 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: from the Eternal Hibernation of Death, Uh, this is something 483 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: that hopefully will warm your heart. There is a vending 484 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:06,959 Speaker 1: machine that serves fried chicken in Japan. I don't know 485 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: how he would feel about it, but it is in Japan. 486 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously, of course, all cool vending machines in Japan, 487 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: and we know they love fried chicken too, yes, especially 488 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: around Christmas. Japanese convenience chaining Lawson Incorporated is testing this 489 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 1: machine now, or they were as of December, So this 490 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: is breaking news. This comes to us through technobob and 491 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: this is in chinagaua ward in Tokyo. The machine has 492 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: technology that allows it to fried chicken in a little 493 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: bit over a minute, but somehow they prepare the chicken 494 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: and keep it warm until someone orders it to me. 495 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: That's where it breaks down, because fried chicken, it's like 496 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 1: French fries. It's like most fried food. You gotta eat 497 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: it when it's fresh. Yeah, that's true. That's why nobody 498 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: wants gas station fried chicken sitting out of that like 499 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 1: hot lamp from god knows how long. No, no, it's 500 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 1: gotta be fresh and crispy and juicy and delicious. So 501 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: we want to hear from you, fellow ridiculous historians out 502 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: there in Japan, especially if you're in this area of Tokyo, 503 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: because this trial only operated from I guess mid December 504 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: to December two thousand and eighteen. So right now, the 505 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: good folks at Lawson Incorporated, we can only imagine, are 506 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: studying the results of their fried chicken experiment. And you 507 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: know what, I hope it works out. I am a 508 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:34,240 Speaker 1: big fan of vending machines, and I would give it 509 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: a shot. Even though if you look at the photo, 510 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 1: there is one photo of this fried chicken from a 511 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: vending machine. They look more like chicken nuggets than you know, 512 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:45,360 Speaker 1: like a two piece or three piece. I don't know 513 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: about you, ma'am, but I like my chicken bone in. Yeah, 514 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: I'm a fan of boneless fried chicken um. But you 515 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: know that you can't quite be a freshly fried um 516 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: bone and bird, that's true. I wonder if we should 517 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: do the history of vending machine machines as an episode. 518 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: Wouldn't that be cool? I would love to hear about that. 519 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: I have a feeling it started like on the boardwalks 520 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: and the carny times, you know, things like that. This 521 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: is just speculation on my part, but I think that's 522 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: a great idea. Ben. I don't wonder where it would start, 523 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 1: because there were some places, and we may have talked 524 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: about this in previous episode Old, but I know there 525 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 1: were some places in England centuries and centuries ago where 526 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 1: it was like a manual vending machine. You would walk 527 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: up to a wall and then you would knock or 528 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: slide a penny or something across and then someone would 529 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: just hand you, I think a small cup of gin. Nice. 530 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 1: According to dr Internet, the first vending machine came out 531 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: in the eighteen eighties in London and it was for 532 00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: purchasing postcards. It was invented by Percival Everett. But you know, 533 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: there's a long and story history of vending machines as 534 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: they evolved over time. Um, how we came from bat 535 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: bombs to vending machines. I guess we're just talking about 536 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: forward thinking, innovative types, you know, yes, yes, then let's 537 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: let's definitely do a history of vending machine episodes. Let's 538 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: definitely do it. Let us know about your favorite vending machine. 539 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: Let us know about your favorite seemingly crackpot military scheme, 540 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:12,360 Speaker 1: because oh buddy, this is only scratching the surface. Uh. 541 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: The U. S Military and other militaries have attempted to 542 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: use dolphins for wartime efforts, cats for spying, I think 543 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: rats as well for something. We did an episode on this. 544 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 1: We did an episode here on this about the skinner 545 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 1: boxes and sideshow kind of carnival show. Yeah, there was 546 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: like a whole farm where they took these animals that 547 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 1: they had trained for military purposes and like made money 548 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 1: with the chicken that would peck them, yeah or whatever? 549 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: How time flies really does? We've been doing this for 550 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 1: like over a year now, have we. I don't think 551 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,239 Speaker 1: we ever acknowledged the year anniversary, but it has come 552 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: and gone. Making a show like this is sort of 553 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 1: like in all those classic cartoons where Elmer Fudd or 554 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,120 Speaker 1: Wiley Coyote or you know, Daffy Duck or it is 555 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: funny when they walk off the cliff and they just 556 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: keep walking until they look down. I just don't look down. 557 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: I call it critical mass. Critical mass. You know, you 558 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 1: do something you just kind of like have this trajectory 559 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: and you just never look back. And as long as 560 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:15,800 Speaker 1: you don't look back, you kind of forget what's going 561 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 1: on and how time passes. Now we're going into philosophy 562 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: as well, but well said, and we hope that you 563 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 1: enjoy this episode. We do want to hear these answers. 564 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: I will look at pictures of your favorite vending machines, 565 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: were the most unusual vending machines? Uh, until the stars 566 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:38,400 Speaker 1: collapse and the universe meets its end. In the meantime, 567 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for tuning in. Thanks to our 568 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: super producer Casey Pegram. Yeah, thanks to Alex Williams who 569 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,560 Speaker 1: composed our theme. Thanks to our research associate Gabe, and 570 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 1: we're gonna try a new thing. Hey, if you want 571 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: to check out me and Ben's individual exploits since our 572 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: our show um Instagram account is not the most fascinating 573 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: in the world, you can check me out at Embryonic 574 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: Insider on Instagram and you can find me at Ben 575 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:07,720 Speaker 1: Bolan on Instagram. Yes, in a burst of creativity, folks. Uh, 576 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:11,839 Speaker 1: the newest thing that I have up is maybe the 577 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: Saturn five wago replica that I built this weekend, which 578 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,600 Speaker 1: is huge, very impressive. It's weird. You can find us 579 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: on our respective instagrams. You can find us on Twitter. 580 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,200 Speaker 1: You can also find us on Facebook. Perhaps most importantly, 581 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 1: you can find your fellow Ridiculous historians on our Facebook 582 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: community page Ridiculous Historians. And please tune into our next 583 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:38,319 Speaker 1: episode where we talk about the ridiculous origins of state name, 584 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 1: specifically Idaho. We'll see it am