WEBVTT - 9 Incredible Stories Imported from Remote Islands

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<v Speaker 1>Guess what mango? All right? So I want to tell

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<v Speaker 1>you about this game I've been reading about. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>game called Bob. Have you ever heard of this? It's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a variation on rugby and it is pure chaos.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got to look this up. So it's played in Kirkwall, Scotland,

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<v Speaker 1>once on Christmas and once on New Year's and the

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<v Speaker 1>fields it's basically like any street in this tiny island town.

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<v Speaker 1>So how's that work? All right? So they take the

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<v Speaker 1>town's three hundred men and they split those three men

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<v Speaker 1>up into two teams. And it's done by heritage, so

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<v Speaker 1>either you're an uppie or a duney, and all based

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<v Speaker 1>on which clan you came from. I know you're following

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<v Speaker 1>along with this really well. And it's based on whether

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<v Speaker 1>your family came from up the road or down the

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<v Speaker 1>road from the town's cathedral. And the entire goal of

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<v Speaker 1>the game is for one team to bounce the ball

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<v Speaker 1>off the corner of a house on one tip of

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<v Speaker 1>the island, while the other team's goal is to throw

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<v Speaker 1>the ball in the bay on the other side of

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<v Speaker 1>the island, and whoever accomplishes their goal first wins. It's

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<v Speaker 1>that simple, And so the game is played in alleys

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<v Speaker 1>and streets and people get jammed up against buildings and walls,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course there are a ton of injuries from this.

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<v Speaker 1>So do they stop when someone gets hurt. No, no,

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<v Speaker 1>So their medics roving the you know, just to treat

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<v Speaker 1>the injuries if they see any, but you just keep playing.

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<v Speaker 1>People will line up on the streets to watch. But

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<v Speaker 1>basically there's just this giant scrum of three people and

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<v Speaker 1>it won't move for like twenty minutes or something, and

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<v Speaker 1>then suddenly the ball will slip out and then they'll

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<v Speaker 1>be chaos and somebody will run for a bit and

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<v Speaker 1>then another scrum and the game can take like half

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<v Speaker 1>a day before a single team will score. That's insane.

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<v Speaker 1>But basically there's a ton of pride on the line

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<v Speaker 1>and the losers have to hear about it, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>for the rest of the year if they lose, and

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<v Speaker 1>especially if they lose both of the matches. But you know,

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<v Speaker 1>on the plus side, I'm guessing there's a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>drinking and celebrating after the fact. It is rugby after all, right, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it is Scotland after all, And that's just

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<v Speaker 1>the first of nine little known stories we've collected from

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<v Speaker 1>remote islands. So let's dive in. Y Hey, their podcast listeners,

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as

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<v Speaker 1>always I'm joined by my good friend Manes Ticketer and

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<v Speaker 1>sitting behind that soundproof glass showing off his Gilligan Island

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<v Speaker 1>coloring book. Have you seen this thing, Mango? Yeah, it's crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>The skipper always gives gill Against such a hard time,

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<v Speaker 1>even in coloring book form. In the coloring books, it's

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<v Speaker 1>pretty crazy. Well, anyway, that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. So, Mango,

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<v Speaker 1>I know today's theme is a little bit strange. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>So I was reading this interesting article in Wired this

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<v Speaker 1>week about how Charles Darwin thought that there was something

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<v Speaker 1>special about islands and how you know, because of their

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<v Speaker 1>isolation and their unique conditions, that the bio diversity on

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<v Speaker 1>islands is different from the mainland, right right, So you

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<v Speaker 1>find speech these and variations on animals you might not

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<v Speaker 1>find in other places, like the walking saucage insects we

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<v Speaker 1>talked about on a previous episode if you remember that. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, tree lobsters, yeah, got those. But as I

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<v Speaker 1>was reading that article, I started wondering, like, are there

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<v Speaker 1>some fun strange stories that are also unique to remote islands?

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, things about being isolated that could lead

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<v Speaker 1>to funny anecdotes we hadn't heard before. So that's kind

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<v Speaker 1>of the angle on Today's nine Things, and I like that.

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<v Speaker 1>So I decided to kick it off with the Game

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<v Speaker 1>of Bob, which I think we can safely assume doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>get played anywhere in the else But I'm curious, what

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<v Speaker 1>do what do you have next? So? Have you ever

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<v Speaker 1>heard of Harold Hackett from Prince Edward Island? I think

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<v Speaker 1>you know the answer to that. I have not heard

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<v Speaker 1>of Harold Hacket. You know what's funny though, is like,

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<v Speaker 1>the only resident I can think of from Prince Edward Island.

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<v Speaker 1>You know who I'm gonna say is Anna Green Game. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>well she's probably a little more famous than Harold, but

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<v Speaker 1>it is close, I think. So harold story is great

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<v Speaker 1>because he was fishing on a little boat off the

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<v Speaker 1>island and he was bored. So he took this empty

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<v Speaker 1>pepsi bottle and used some electrical tape and he put

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<v Speaker 1>a message in that bottle, and the message was just

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<v Speaker 1>his name and address. But then three months later, he

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<v Speaker 1>got a note from a new pen pal and he

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<v Speaker 1>got him totally excited. And since then he's put out

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<v Speaker 1>over eight thousand messages and bottles and received over responses.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, eight thousand is impressive, but actually that response

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<v Speaker 1>rate is what's unbelievable. Yeah, it's but what's crazier is

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<v Speaker 1>the depth of the friendships that's arisen from this. So,

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<v Speaker 1>like he always writes people back, but he's actually been

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<v Speaker 1>invited to travel around the world with some of these people,

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<v Speaker 1>and he gets like hundreds of Christmas cards every year.

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<v Speaker 1>They come from like South America and Africa. Couples have

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<v Speaker 1>driven up in motor homes from like South Carolina to

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<v Speaker 1>meet him. It's incredible. And he's just this like regular

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<v Speaker 1>tatted up Canadian dude who likes to fish. I'm curious though, like,

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<v Speaker 1>has he embraced this internet celebrity. No, he doesn't like

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<v Speaker 1>to travel, and uh, the only thing he loves to

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<v Speaker 1>do is like toss messages and bottles overboard and and

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<v Speaker 1>he just likes the letter but exclusively in Cranberry juice

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<v Speaker 1>bottles for someone like Yeah, so, so if you see

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<v Speaker 1>a bottle coming your way, don't get it unless it's

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<v Speaker 1>a cranberry juice bottle. But he's not on the net.

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<v Speaker 1>Actually he refuses to get a computer. So all does

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<v Speaker 1>he drink this cranberry juice? Do we know that or

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<v Speaker 1>where this all comes from? That's amazing. All right, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I've actually also got a fact related to Princess. I

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<v Speaker 1>know you were talking about Prince Edward Island, but I'm

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<v Speaker 1>talking about a different prince. So did you know there's

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<v Speaker 1>a cargo cult on the island of Tanna and Vanawattu

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<v Speaker 1>that worships Prince Philip, like Prince Charles's dad, Philip the

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<v Speaker 1>One and Only. And it isn't that old of a

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<v Speaker 1>religion either. This Prince Philip movement only started in the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixties and it's based on this prophecy that the

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<v Speaker 1>pale skin son of an ancient mountain god would travel

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<v Speaker 1>the seas and marry a rich and powerful woman, and

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<v Speaker 1>that he'd eventually returned to the mountain. And for some reason,

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<v Speaker 1>when they saw Prince Philip's portrait, they just felt the power.

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<v Speaker 1>He's just so powerful, you know, especially for someone with

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<v Speaker 1>really very little power power. But when he visited vanawa

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<v Speaker 1>To in nineteen seventy four, it only strengthened their faith.

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<v Speaker 1>As one chief said at the time, when he saw

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<v Speaker 1>Prince Philip approaching on a yacht, quote, I saw him

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<v Speaker 1>on deck in his white uniform, and I knew then

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<v Speaker 1>that he was the true Messiah. So does Philip even

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<v Speaker 1>know about this cult? Oh, he definitely does. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>they sent a nollnal to Buckingham Palace. That's an apparently

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<v Speaker 1>it's a very traditional club that you'd use for pig hunting.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you should know this thing. And in return,

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<v Speaker 1>he sent a picture of himself holding the gift, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the way through Messiah might hold his nonals. They actually

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<v Speaker 1>credit him for helping a black man become president in

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<v Speaker 1>the US. Basically, they think he's responsible for Obama. That's amazing. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>So I'd love to go to Vanuatu and see these

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<v Speaker 1>altars to Prince Philip. But you know one place I

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<v Speaker 1>would never travel to is Snake Island, right because it's

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<v Speaker 1>called Snake Island. Yeah, and snakes are definitely not my thing.

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<v Speaker 1>But it isn't just me who avoids going there. The

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<v Speaker 1>Brazilian abe is actually placed a quarantine on the place

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<v Speaker 1>and you can't go unless you get a special permit.

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<v Speaker 1>And apparently there's some dispute about how snaky Snake Island

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<v Speaker 1>is like. Some people claim there are three to five

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<v Speaker 1>snakes every square meter. Some biologists actually think it's more

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<v Speaker 1>like one snake per square meter. But regardless of that,

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<v Speaker 1>what is definitely true is that the snakes there are

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<v Speaker 1>incredibly dangerous. There are golden lance head pit vipers, which

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<v Speaker 1>are actually responsible for more human deaths than any snake

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<v Speaker 1>in North or South America. And as one biologist told Smithsonian,

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<v Speaker 1>on the island, you're never more than three ft from death.

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<v Speaker 1>That is crazy. So there are somewhere in the neighborhood

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<v Speaker 1>of one to five snakes per square meter, and they're

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<v Speaker 1>called golden lance head pit vipers. I don't know how,

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<v Speaker 1>I've never heard of this place, but that is terrifying.

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<v Speaker 1>So do people ever go there? I mean they do

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<v Speaker 1>go there that they're actually used to be people stationed

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<v Speaker 1>there for a while. There used to be a lighthousekeeper there,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was deemed too unsafe for him and his family,

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<v Speaker 1>so and his family I have his family there. So

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<v Speaker 1>so anyway, that whole lighthouse thing has been automated since

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen twenties. I believe, but there are scientists who

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<v Speaker 1>go there, and you know, the lencet is actually thrived

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<v Speaker 1>there because you know, there are no predators, at least

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<v Speaker 1>no predators on the ground, but there also isn't much

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<v Speaker 1>to eat, so the snake's got really good at climbing

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<v Speaker 1>trees and also killing these migratory birds. Yeah, so like

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<v Speaker 1>over the years, the venom just became stronger and stronger

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<v Speaker 1>and stronger to kill the birds faster. But this actually

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<v Speaker 1>ends up being useful for science. Apparently the venom has

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<v Speaker 1>all these promising properties that could actually lead to anti

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<v Speaker 1>cancer drugs. And actually all of this kind of reminds

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<v Speaker 1>me of barbarian days. Have you read that book. It's

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<v Speaker 1>like a surfing memoir, so it's really great, but but

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<v Speaker 1>the guy in it is is just reckless, and he's

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<v Speaker 1>reckless about chasing waves and surfing and going to like

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<v Speaker 1>the most remote places. And there's the story where he's

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<v Speaker 1>on this island I want to say it's in the

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<v Speaker 1>Pacific somewhere where they're all these like really venomous sea snakes.

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<v Speaker 1>They're like deadly poisonous, and he and his friend just

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<v Speaker 1>keep surfing in this area like without any regard for it,

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<v Speaker 1>and then on land the snake's actually come, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>so slow and dumb and awkward that you could just

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<v Speaker 1>pick them up and throw them back into the sea,

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<v Speaker 1>which is just terrifying to me. It is totally terrifying.

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<v Speaker 1>And now I can't wait. After we've tried to make

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<v Speaker 1>up for saying bad things about cats and having to

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<v Speaker 1>do a separate cat episode, now we're gonna hear from

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<v Speaker 1>all the snake lovers. We're gonna have to do an

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<v Speaker 1>episode about how much we love snakes. Anyway, I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 1>go in a very different direction from Snake Island. There

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<v Speaker 1>was actually this pretty amazing discovery that took place recently

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<v Speaker 1>on the Danger Islands, which are these islands that are

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<v Speaker 1>located off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's really hard to get to because of all the

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<v Speaker 1>thick sea ice that's there. But recently scientists found this

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<v Speaker 1>super colony of a daily penguins and and it's great

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<v Speaker 1>because people were worried that these penguins were dying off,

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<v Speaker 1>but it turns out that over seven hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 1>thousand of these birds have just been quietly thriving. Man

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<v Speaker 1>and that's amazing. I really like that and definitely like

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<v Speaker 1>it better than any story about snakes. But so here's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a cute story I found. It's from um On, Shetland,

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<v Speaker 1>which isn't super remote, but it is the northernmost inhabited

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<v Speaker 1>place in the UK. Apparently it's two d twelve miles

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<v Speaker 1>from the Scottish mainland. And perhaps my favorite thing there

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<v Speaker 1>is this little bus stop called Bobby's Bus Shelter. So basically,

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, this six year old named Bobby McAuley and

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<v Speaker 1>two of his pals would catch the bus in this

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<v Speaker 1>little rusting shelter. It was like covered, but you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it was ramshackle, and between all the wind and heavy rain,

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<v Speaker 1>it eventually had to get taken down. And so little

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<v Speaker 1>Bobby decided to write to the local newspaper and asked

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<v Speaker 1>the town for a new bus shelter, and the paper

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<v Speaker 1>actually took up his cause like they've petitioned the city council,

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<v Speaker 1>and eventually Bobby and his school friends got their shelter.

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<v Speaker 1>But then it's almost like out of a fairy tale,

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<v Speaker 1>because like these mysterious items started getting donated. First, some

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<v Speaker 1>proper chairs and a sofa showed up, and then carpeting,

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<v Speaker 1>and then a microwave and the telephone and curtains and

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<v Speaker 1>and eventually everyone in the town gone back. And and

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<v Speaker 1>there's actually a special team that maintains it now and

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<v Speaker 1>it gets like these themed decorations every once in a while.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's been turned into like this art exhibit or

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<v Speaker 1>like a celebration of space travel and tall ships and

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<v Speaker 1>underwater life. It was even done up hansibly for the

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<v Speaker 1>Queen's Jubilee. I mean, it's amazing if you think about.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all thanks to this little bobby. That's right, So

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<v Speaker 1>what do you have next? All right, let me see

0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:24.520
<v Speaker 1>what I want to talk about next. So this one's

0:11:24.559 --> 0:11:26.240
<v Speaker 1>actually a little bit crazy. But had you heard about

0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:28.640
<v Speaker 1>someone trying to cut the ear off of one of

0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:32.000
<v Speaker 1>those Easter Island heads like they tried to ven go it.

0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:34.120
<v Speaker 1>They totally tried to ven go And this was back

0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:36.560
<v Speaker 1>in two thousand and eight. There was a finished tourist

0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:38.520
<v Speaker 1>there and he was found on a beach just trying

0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:40.920
<v Speaker 1>to hack this ear off of one of the statues.

0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:43.720
<v Speaker 1>And so some islander saw him fleeing the scene with

0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:46.760
<v Speaker 1>a piece of the ear with him. That's so stupid,

0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.640
<v Speaker 1>like it does remind me though of something I've read about,

0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.640
<v Speaker 1>like early Plymouth rock that they weren't very protective of

0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.000
<v Speaker 1>the rocks, so people would actually chisel bits off of

0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:57.520
<v Speaker 1>it to take it home. But well, what happened to

0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.760
<v Speaker 1>this guy? I guess he was identified by a tattoos,

0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.280
<v Speaker 1>I think. But the guy issued a public apology and

0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.800
<v Speaker 1>he was fine seventeen thousand dollars, which really is pretty

0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:10.679
<v Speaker 1>light considering this guy gone to prison for years. That's crazy. Also,

0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:12.599
<v Speaker 1>I mean, he did give us a fun game to

0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:14.600
<v Speaker 1>play the next time we're on Easter Island, like which

0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:17.640
<v Speaker 1>one of these heads isn't like the others? You know,

0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:19.559
<v Speaker 1>we've got two more island facts to cover before we

0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:35.080
<v Speaker 1>pick a winner, so let's take a quick break. Welcome

0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:37.360
<v Speaker 1>back to Part time Genius. All right, Mango, what's your

0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:40.480
<v Speaker 1>last island fact? So I had a really hard time

0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.720
<v Speaker 1>picking this. I was thinking about like Rikers Island fact

0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.640
<v Speaker 1>I read about like how Salvador Dolly did a painting

0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.920
<v Speaker 1>for the prisoners there, or you know about those grandmothers

0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:55.120
<v Speaker 1>in Korea who are total badasses, And yeah, I love

0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.360
<v Speaker 1>that story about how like they said all their daughters

0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:01.120
<v Speaker 1>and granddaughters to college it's an amazing me. But you know,

0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.320
<v Speaker 1>the thing is, I always go back to animal facts.

0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:09.600
<v Speaker 1>And did you know there's a Japanese island called Yakushima

0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:13.200
<v Speaker 1>where the monkeys ride the deer around for transportation. This

0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:15.600
<v Speaker 1>is also one of those animal facts that isn't true?

0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:19.880
<v Speaker 1>Is this right? No? So I looked it up and

0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:21.559
<v Speaker 1>I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was

0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:23.480
<v Speaker 1>like maybe like a tourist that caught this one off

0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:27.000
<v Speaker 1>photo and and that just stormed the internet. Remember, But um,

0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:30.320
<v Speaker 1>but it's actually true. They're like scientists who study this,

0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:34.040
<v Speaker 1>and it's not crazy distances that they're riding them around for.

0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.280
<v Speaker 1>It's like they'll just hop on them to go like

0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:39.199
<v Speaker 1>from a nearby place to another nearby place. But apparently

0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.480
<v Speaker 1>it is a symbiotic relationship, like the deer eat the

0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:44.760
<v Speaker 1>seeds and fruit that the monkeys will drop, and the

0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:46.920
<v Speaker 1>monkeys pay for the rides by grooming the ticks and

0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.040
<v Speaker 1>lights off the deer. It's it's kind of a win win.

0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:52.600
<v Speaker 1>And you know, apparently this sort of monkey dear relation

0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:56.040
<v Speaker 1>only happens on this one island. That's a pretty good fact, Mango,

0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:58.280
<v Speaker 1>And actually a lot of days I would say it

0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:00.679
<v Speaker 1>maybe the best fact, but actually I've got one that

0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:02.960
<v Speaker 1>I've been saving. So in the Canary Islands, in this

0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:06.640
<v Speaker 1>area called Lagomero, the people that have developed a language

0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:11.840
<v Speaker 1>made entirely of whistling. It's called Silbo Gomero. So I'm

0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:14.520
<v Speaker 1>a little skeptical of like a whistling language is just

0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:17.400
<v Speaker 1>like signals to one another or um, you know about

0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:19.560
<v Speaker 1>like warning and danger calls and stuff like that. Now

0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:22.560
<v Speaker 1>this is actually a full fledged language. You should actually

0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.119
<v Speaker 1>look this up because it's pretty fascinating. It's it's basically

0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:28.240
<v Speaker 1>the Spanish language whistled, so the structure and the words

0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.760
<v Speaker 1>they're all derived from Spanish. But linguists have actually identified

0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.800
<v Speaker 1>the consonants and the vowel sounds with it, so you know,

0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.720
<v Speaker 1>you can actually write it out as Spanish. That's pretty remarkable.

0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:39.960
<v Speaker 1>And and so do do kids on this island speaking?

0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.760
<v Speaker 1>Or is it a dying language? Actually it's a little

0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:44.920
<v Speaker 1>bit of both. You know. UNESCO has added it to

0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:48.000
<v Speaker 1>its list of the Masterpieces of Humanity. And in the

0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:51.280
<v Speaker 1>fifties people realized that silbo was dying out. But now

0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:54.120
<v Speaker 1>it's actually being taught in schools. And oddly though, it

0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:57.720
<v Speaker 1>isn't the only whistling language, their versions of Turkish and

0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.280
<v Speaker 1>Greek and I think French that that are all Frans

0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:03.640
<v Speaker 1>pose through this whistling as well. Well, that's pretty amazing.

0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.800
<v Speaker 1>And and between that and your rugby fact, I think

0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:09.280
<v Speaker 1>you have to take home today's trophy, which is kind

0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.080
<v Speaker 1>of a streak for you. Yeah, I think I've won

0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.320
<v Speaker 1>a few in a row here, you know. It's also impressive.

0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:16.080
<v Speaker 1>I think Tristan has finished most of the coloring book over.

0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:21.080
<v Speaker 1>It's really uh well, thank you guys for listening today.

0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:23.600
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure we forgot some great facts about islands. We'd

0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:25.600
<v Speaker 1>love to hear those from you. Please email us at

0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:27.600
<v Speaker 1>part Time Genius at how stuff works dot com or

0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:31.000
<v Speaker 1>hit us up fact hot Line one eight four four

0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.960
<v Speaker 1>pt Genius. You can always reach us on Facebook or Twitter.

0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.120
<v Speaker 1>We'll be back with a full length episode tomorrow