1 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: Friends, neighbors, farmers, city dwellers, rural and urban residents alike. 2 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: Have you ever had an infestation of pest, say, roaches 3 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: or rats or bats and so on? Hi, I'm ben 4 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: uh no, But I did once have a pet squirrel 5 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: named Mr Muffintops. Was this? Was it an animal that 6 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: lived nearby or an animal in a cage? Yes? Both? Okay, 7 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: I made that up. I just wanted to say Mr Muffintops. 8 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: But and I would honestly be terrified to have a 9 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: squirrel for a pet. I'm very skittish around creatures that 10 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: have unpredictable movements and bad eyes, which squirrels definitely do. 11 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: I've had in my various stages of life, I've lived 12 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: in places that were infested with bats, possums, and of 13 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: course squirrels, which are wily creatures. I have a friend 14 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: here in Atlanta, where this podcast is based who raised 15 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: the squirrel in his apartment, and the squirrel was very friendly, 16 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: very nice. But eventually, you know, being wild animals, when 17 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: they reach adulthood, it's time to say goodbye. Right. It 18 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: was a rescue squirrel, by the way, he didn't steal it. 19 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: But how could I mention infestations without talking about one 20 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: of the number one infestations in my heart and yours. 21 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: Null super producer Casey Pegram. It's just an infestation of 22 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: joy and kindness and goodwill towards humanity. Yes, yes, and 23 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: even even squirrels, I would imagine, Casey, did you ever 24 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: have an infestation in your house or your neighborhood growing up? Yeah? 25 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: Actually my parents house, we had bats in the attic 26 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: and my room was upstairs, and so I was the 27 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: only one kind of in close proximity to said bats, 28 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: like throughout the day, and I would just hear these 29 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: like kind of faint chirping sounds, and uh I, you know. 30 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: I reported this to my parents over and over tried 31 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: to get them to believe me, and they were just like, no, 32 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: it's just like a fan that's squeaky up there, you know. 33 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: And so one day my mom goes into the attic 34 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: and what does she see but a bat like feet 35 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: in front of her face, and she screams and freaks out, 36 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: and then they believe me about the bats after that point. 37 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: But I had actually gone as far as to like 38 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: take some of my audio recording gear and put it 39 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: up to the vent and like record them and then 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,399 Speaker 1: boosted and post and you know, amplify the signal enhanced 41 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: and uh, it sounded like bats to me, but it 42 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: required a little more proof. Really, I think you ended 43 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: up in the wrong field. You should have become You 44 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: should have been like a like a ghostbuster for past 45 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: your guantom monitor. Yeah, exactly, Casey. On the case, I 46 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: had the same I'm bonding with you here, Casey, because 47 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: I had the same situation I was in. I lived 48 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: in a bonus room in our house and we had 49 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: we had this unfinished thing that was pretty much an addict, 50 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: but had a creepy door to it, and I remember 51 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: vividly those weird chirping noises. But once you see them 52 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: in your house, it's surprising. The point of this relatively 53 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: circuitous introduction is to say that there is one thing 54 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: that unifies a lot of home owners across the world, 55 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: and that is that we like our outside animals to 56 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: stay outside, and we often, in the course of human civilization, 57 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: come into conflict with animals. And this is this something 58 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: historically happens all the time. You know, there are stories 59 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: of locusts in ancient text. There are stories of other 60 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: things of off the top of the dome. Here frogs, 61 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: there we go. You know the plagues, the biblical ones. 62 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: The locusts would eat, would decimate fields of grain and 63 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: other crops um. And that's the thing. We like animals 64 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: when they're cute and cuddly and they keep a healthy 65 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: distance from us, and they stay in their animal lanes. 66 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: But as soon as they start eating our lunch, it 67 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: will not stand. Just this animal aggression will not stand, 68 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: my friends, and we often band together as humans to 69 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 1: cooperatively combat the threats posed by wild animals. Today's story 70 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: takes us all the way back to nineteen eighteen. As 71 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: American soldiers were battling German forces in France, there was 72 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: an entire I really knew war going on in California 73 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: and it and it used child soldiers of all places. Yeah, 74 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: this is this is how a fantastic article on Atlas 75 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: Obscura sets up this tail um and little spoiler alert 76 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: here in nineteen eighteen, California drafted children into a war 77 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: on squirrels, is the title of this article by the 78 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: fantastic Dave Gilson. I had never heard of this bend 79 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,799 Speaker 1: the squirrel war. We know about war as real wars 80 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 1: that were started by all kinds of arbitrary things, like 81 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: there's the stray dog war, there was the one about 82 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: the camel, there was the one about like a bucket. 83 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: This is not a real war, but it involves some 84 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: anti German propaganda a little down the line. That's why 85 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: the setup works so well. But here's the thing. In California, 86 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: they were in the midst of a ground squirrel epidemic. 87 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: These little buggers were consuming about thirty million dollars worth 88 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,719 Speaker 1: of crops, which if you enter that into the old 89 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: inflation calculator, it's approaching five hundred million dollars of of 90 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: food stuffs. Yeah. Absolutely, I personally think squirrels are cute. 91 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: I know they're not for everybody, but I've also never 92 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: been in a situation where they are literally eating eating 93 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: the food supply on which I would depend. So these 94 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: squirrels were not loved. They were not lovable. They were 95 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: seen as, uh a source of pestilence, you know, and 96 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: they were thought to be a vector for the plague. 97 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: So California addressed the problem. And we've got a great 98 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 1: quote from State Horticulture Commissioner George h. Heck, which is 99 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: a cool name. Uh So old man heck says, we 100 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: have enemies here at home, more destructive perhaps than some 101 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: of the animates. Our boys are fighting in the trenches. 102 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: He said. This is part of an impassioned call up 103 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: for what he called school soldiers to sell for Gonnize, 104 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: you know, within your classroom, your friends, or your overall school, 105 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: to eradicate these ground squirrels in California as part of 106 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: a seven day event they called Squirrel Week. You know, 107 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: because a week is seven days long, is that like 108 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: Shark Week? It is a little more aggrowth than Shark Week. 109 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: But but deep cut nice reference. Can we mention that 110 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: on air? Back to the old the old parent company, Yeah, 111 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: back several parent companies ago, Shark Week was was a 112 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: regular occurrence around the office. People still love Shark Week. 113 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: That's still a thing, right, Yeah, Shark Week is great. 114 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: It's it's good stuff to watch. I think what got 115 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: us is um way back in the day when when 116 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: we worked with Discovery, every podcast was told to come 117 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: up with something related to Shark Week. And I don't 118 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: know if I ever mentioned this to you, but this 119 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: was when Scott, Benjamin and I were still doing car 120 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: stuff and we see guys car stuff and and sharks. 121 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: How do we make this work? But we did twice. 122 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: You can check about they're not They're not the best episodes, 123 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: but I'm sure there are a lot of fun And 124 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: I enjoy that entire catalog and I miss it dearly, 125 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: just just like everyone else. It's true. But you know what, 126 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: forget move over Shark Week. It's time for Squirrel Week. 127 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: And what Squirrel Week was was a promotion that the 128 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: government pumped a pretty penny into to dissemmin print and 129 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: disseminate um pamphlets, posters, and all of all kinds of literature, 130 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: because that's what you spent money on in those days. Um, 131 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe some broadcast pieces, what do you think, Yeah, 132 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: public speeches. California set aside forty large from their emergency 133 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:44,719 Speaker 1: wartime funds to create this Squirrel Week campaign. And it 134 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: was a pr blitz. As you said, Noll, Around thirty 135 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: four thousand posters popped up around the state, half a 136 00:08:53,920 --> 00:09:00,200 Speaker 1: million leaflets, and the pamphlet which you can see. The 137 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: pamphlet is not subtle. You can see victors of this 138 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: uh and in the article and then in archival reports 139 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: from papers of the time, it says it's a nice 140 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: old timey propaganda cartoon kind of approach. And it says 141 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: in the top left, kill the squirrels, and it shows 142 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: a mother or a teacher instructing children to scatter poison barley. 143 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: And then it uh, it shows squirrels in the bottom 144 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: Mr and Mrs Squirrel uh dining on dining like kings 145 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: right yeah, literally, and they've all got a little speech 146 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: bubbles next to them. Um. And it's like the caption 147 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: for this particular comic is our star boarders as though 148 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: they're at some sort of bed and breakfast, like we're 149 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 1: giving them free you know, free room and board. Um. 150 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,959 Speaker 1: And one of the Mrs Squirrel, I'm sorry, Mr Squirrel 151 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: is saying, uh, WAITI today I'll have my favorite dish, 152 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: whole wheat cakes. And then Mrs Squirrel replies, and you 153 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: may save me some nice young body sprouts and she's 154 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: holding up glasses like opera glasses, opera glasses. And in 155 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: the back, behind the hapless waiter who has a tag 156 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: describing him as a farmer, there is a side that 157 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: says Hotel California board bill for Squirrels. In nineteen seventeen, 158 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: thirty million dollars so that's the amount of damage uh, 159 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: this ground squirrel infestation was doing to the agriculture of California. 160 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: Here's my favorite little detail. I actually noticed this until 161 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: just now. On the bottom outside of the circle that's 162 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 1: sort of the you know the cartoon panel that's UM 163 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: framing the squirrel scene, are two squirrels wearing those Kaiser 164 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: Wilhelm kind of spiked helmets. And that's the little touch 165 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: of anti German propaganda. And we'll hear more about that 166 00:10:51,920 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: in some of these other UM pamphlets. Right. So, what 167 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: they wanted to do in this World Week campaign was 168 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: to inspire patriotism in kids who knew that their relatives 169 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: or maybe even one of their parents was active in 170 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: the war effort. They wanted these kids to feel like 171 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: they were doing their part by sprinkling rodent side outside 172 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: of these various squirrel burrows. The pamphlet even included a 173 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: recipe for stryct nine laced grain, as well as suggestions 174 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: for other squirrel killing methods shooting, drowning, the use of 175 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: poisonous gas. This is heavy, heavy stuff for children, but 176 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: they knew that money talks, right. The heart may want 177 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: what it wants, but the pocketbook does too, So just 178 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: in case doing one's patriotic duty was not inspiration enough, 179 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: they also sweetened the pot with rewards for the kids 180 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: who killed the most squirrels. Yeah, it was a tiered 181 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: rewards system. Fifty bucks for the winner at each elementary school. 182 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: That what The organization behind this must have been pretty decent, right, 183 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 1: So fifty bucks for the grand prize, and then you 184 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: got your runners up making thirty and twenty, and then 185 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: you want to you want a handy dandy inflation calculatron, 186 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: those bad boys. Sure, fifty bucks is around eight hundred 187 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: dollars today, I know especially. Can you imagine you're an 188 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: elementary school. You get eight hundred dollars, What are you 189 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: even gonna do with that? Buy more ammunition for your 190 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: red rider BB gun? I imagine. I don't know, man, 191 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: they might get in like this feedback loop and just 192 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: buy more strict nine two poison the wheat. How many 193 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 1: full blown psychopaths do you think this program created? Ben 194 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,079 Speaker 1: probably about three hundred and seventeen with that in the 195 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: inflation calculator. So if you got the runner up position 196 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: and you've got thirty dollars, that was still five hundred 197 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: dollars back then, and then if you got twenty bucks, 198 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,839 Speaker 1: that was still three hundred thirty something dollars. So this 199 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:07,440 Speaker 1: is this is good cash for psychopaths, potential budding psychopaths, 200 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: aspiring psychopaths, right totally. So the thing that's that's really 201 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: interesting is this was all happening during World War One, 202 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,079 Speaker 1: and there was always a need for propaganda, and they 203 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: were certainly able to sneak these messages into this material 204 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: for for Squirrel Week and start making the squirrels like 205 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: stand ins for the greater enemy at large. And the 206 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:35,199 Speaker 1: language even really started to shift to some slogans like this, Uh, 207 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: he preys on our crops and countless hordes. He fills 208 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: the ranks of the killed in true military fashion. You 209 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: know why why hesitate? We can get them? How poison them, 210 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 1: gas them, drown them, shoot him, trap them? Submarine um, 211 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 1: Why do you submarine a squirrel? It feels like just 212 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,559 Speaker 1: a different way of saying drowned them. They also had 213 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: neat little catchphrases. Right in one text it says millions 214 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: of food must be saved slay the mother squirrel during 215 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: breeding season. Much to me, remember a squirrel in time 216 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: saves killing nine. But that see, there's a loophole with that. 217 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 1: And I don't want to be too cold, but if 218 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: we are addressing the reward system in play, then you 219 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: would want to kill nine squirrels. You wouldn't want to 220 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: kill them early, you know what I mean. They're not 221 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: They didn't think that all the way through, but they 222 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: had a lot of money on the line, and with 223 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: this creeping propaganda, with the squirrels being painted increasingly as 224 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: German soldiers, if we're being honest, we see the cause 225 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: move beyond the boundaries of California. The US Food Administrator 226 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: at the time, a guy named Herbert Hoover, who would 227 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: later go on to be president, heartily approved of this 228 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: effort because he said they were saving vast quantities of 229 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: food which might otherwise be used for support of our 230 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: armies abroad. So we're we're not just fighting pest in California, 231 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: We're helping the war effort in Europe. Yeah, for sure. 232 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: I mean it's just empowering. And again, this is kids. 233 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: This is directed at kids. This is a school like 234 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: box top program essentially, but instead of box tops, you're 235 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: bringing in squirrel tales or literally entire dead squirrel carcasses. 236 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: There's an image from the Internet archive that's posted on 237 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: this aboutice Obscure article where it is a barbed wire 238 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 1: fence hung with dozens of dead squirrels. I mean, it 239 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: is very macab. There's even instructions published for how to 240 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 1: hook up a tube to the exhaust pipe of a 241 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: car and fill squirrel burrows with carbon monoxide to literally 242 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: gas them out. And kids loved this exactly, just gleeful murder. 243 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: Kids loved this. They also, they loved it so much 244 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: that some kids were in patient. They don't want to 245 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: wait for all the tallies, so they started sending squirrel 246 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: carcasses directly to Commissioner heck, even before squirrel Weeks started. 247 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: So his office literally began to wreak, and he made 248 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: a special request that children no longer send him any 249 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: more tales directly, and he told all the county commissioners 250 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: working form like okay, count the tails, keep the tally, 251 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: but then please get rid of them, bury them or something. 252 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: Stop sending squirrel tales to my office. My wife won't 253 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: touch me, she says, I wreak of death and rodents. 254 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: I added that last part. There's a little bit of 255 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: poetic license, but it was a smashing success because I 256 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: think they tallied somewhere, you know, official number. The official 257 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: number was upwards of a hundred thousand squirrels dead were recorded, 258 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: but they you know, it's assumed that that it would 259 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: have exceeded that number by quite a lot, just just 260 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: with the the atitude of rampant squirrel murder that was, 261 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: you know, pervasive in all of California around this time, 262 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: and that attitude continued into the future even once the 263 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: program expired. That's right. We don't know how long it 264 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: lasted after Squirrel Week. We do know, however, thanks to 265 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: a report called California Ground Squirrels of bulletin dealing with 266 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: life history, habits and Control of the ground Squirrels in California, 267 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: that this machine could not switch on and off. This 268 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: cultural impetus that they had created continued on and for 269 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: an a quote indefinite period of time. Afterwards, these kids 270 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: kept killing squirrels. We do have one example just to 271 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 1: give us a snapshot of the level of squirrel genocide 272 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: occurring here in Lassin County. Later in the year, there 273 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:54,160 Speaker 1: was another anti squirrel campaign one girl when female student 274 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: brought in three thousand seven hundred and eighty tales and 275 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,359 Speaker 1: one boy brought in three thousand, seven hundred and Evan d. 276 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 1: So now we have to ask ourselves, were these kids 277 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: very very talented squirrel assassins or were there just that 278 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:13,679 Speaker 1: many squirrels? Were the hills, you know, alive with the 279 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:18,200 Speaker 1: chitters of squirrels? The hills have eyes, my friend, tiny beady, 280 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: fidgety squirrel eyes and tails. Did we talk about the 281 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 1: difference between a bushy tailed tree squirrel and a little 282 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: bit more of a skinny tailed, chipmunk looking ground squirrel. 283 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: We have not. That's a that's a good call. Let's 284 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: get into that. So ground squirrels technically are known as 285 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: otto sperm of Phyllis beechy. Yeah. I was having a 286 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 1: hard time with that second part two because it's got 287 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: the double e and then the y and then they 288 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: the plot twist. It's a big plot twist. Why But 289 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 1: I think maybe any intrepid, ridiculous historians out there that 290 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,400 Speaker 1: are what do you call that squirrel squirrel of files? 291 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 1: You know, it's a good question or I don't know 292 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: whether we have in this langu which is specific word 293 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: for squirrels, but I do have news we can make 294 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:06,880 Speaker 1: one up. The language is flexible enough. Let's see, Um, 295 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: we could say squirrel oologists, which is which is tough? 296 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,920 Speaker 1: That's no? I mean well it is now. English is 297 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 1: a malleable language for sure. Squirrel squirrel, that's hard. Sculologists, 298 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: how about? Okay, so squirrels are part of the secura 299 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: day family, so maybe they could call themselves scuriologists. That 300 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:30,679 Speaker 1: sounds a little bit more legitimate. Although wait, now that 301 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:34,400 Speaker 1: I think about it, when I've seen this question before somewhere, 302 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: I think rodentologist is actually a word. Squirrel oologists might 303 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: not be, but rodentologists, I'll I'll bet some scratch on that. 304 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: Surely that must be a thing. All right, So rodentologist 305 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: is probably the closest will get until ridiculous historians we 306 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,479 Speaker 1: hear from you, because as as you said, Noel, English 307 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: is malleable. It is a living language. And you know 308 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: this might be interesting. Hey, Casey, what's the what's the 309 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: French word for squirrel? I'm just curious to see whether 310 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: that would be easier. It's not easy. In fact, it's 311 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: it's a weird one. The French word for squirrel is 312 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,160 Speaker 1: rolls off the tongue, right, Oh man, casey on the case, 313 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: I think we might have to stick with squirrel guys 314 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: or roadentologists. Squirrel weekended on May four. Children continued hunting 315 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: and killing squirrels to combat this campaign, and the state 316 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: considered this a great success. According to reports, the crop 317 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: yields bounced back in areas where squirrels had been eradicated, 318 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: so there was a clear correlation. But here we are 319 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: a little more than a century later, and ground squirrels 320 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,360 Speaker 1: are still considered insidious pest, you know what I mean? Yeah, 321 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 1: certainly inside that we're used to around here in Georgia's 322 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: But for me, it's more the tree squirrels that I'm 323 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: used to seeing, and whenever I go somewhere else and 324 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: I see a different type of pervasive rodent like say, 325 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: chipmunks or whatever, that weirds me out. Because I I 326 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,919 Speaker 1: totally did not remark upon like squirrels are like pigeons 327 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: in New York City or something like that. Around here, 328 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: it's just a very common occurrence and they don't really 329 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: threaten me. But have you ever seen like a rogue 330 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,639 Speaker 1: squirrel that I'll like, It looks a little slack jawn 331 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,199 Speaker 1: and like mat like shamble too close to you, like 332 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: it's got the rabies or something that's no fun. Yeah, 333 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of people here hate squirrels, and Casey, 334 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,919 Speaker 1: you were mentioning off air that some of your friends 335 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: from different parts of the world find squirrels a little 336 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,439 Speaker 1: bit what spooky. Yeah, I guess um. I mean it's 337 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: hard to imagine as an American who has been seeing 338 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 1: them their whole life. But yeah, if you're not used 339 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: to it, apparently they can be quite upsetting. I'll tell you. 340 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: You know, as I was looking through the differences of 341 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: ground squirrels and tree squirrels, I feel like I ran 342 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: into squirrels before, ground square rolls before once long ago, 343 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: and it creaked me out because I saw them crawling 344 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,119 Speaker 1: on the ground, you know, like belly on the ground, 345 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 1: and I thought they had had their I thought they 346 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: had their backs broken or something, until I realized they 347 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,199 Speaker 1: were just that's just their method of locomotion. This was 348 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: in Arizona, so those may not have been ground squirrels. 349 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: Oh no, right in and let let us know what 350 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: those weird little rodents were. We see the prejudice against 351 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: ground squirrels continuing today. There was a University of California 352 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: web page about damage caused by ground squirrels, and it 353 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: featured an image of a squirrel wearing a helmet and 354 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 1: aiming at the ground with a bazooka. So there is 355 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: still a problem, and it is true, as strange as 356 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: it may sound, California did indeed recruit child soldiers to 357 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,959 Speaker 1: wage war on ground squirrels, but they weren't the first 358 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: or the last to launch a tactical st like this 359 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 1: against these these bests UM in eighteen seven, according to 360 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: the same author as the Atlas obscured a piece in 361 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,640 Speaker 1: an interview he did with The Washington Post. The Washington 362 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: Post in fact, published a report citing that thirty u 363 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 1: s States um have offered quote unquote bounties for troublesome animals, 364 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 1: including like panthers, the sinister ground squirrel, of course, pocket gophers, woodchucks, 365 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,440 Speaker 1: English sparrows, and wolves. So this was definitely a thing 366 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: that there was a precedent for. And Pennsylvania paid out 367 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: around ninety thousand dollars in bounties for uh chicken hawks. 368 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 1: And this is really interesting because the Post wrote quote 369 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: it appears that Pennsylvania expended ninety thousand dollars in destroying 370 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: birds worth three million, eight hundred and fifty seven thousand, 371 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:54,959 Speaker 1: two hundred and thirty dollars for the sake of saving 372 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,920 Speaker 1: one thousand, eight hundred seventy five dollars to the poultry interest. 373 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: What they mean by that is that these very same 374 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 1: birds were actually killing thousands of mice each hawk one 375 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 1: thousand mice in a year's time, and they then these 376 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,920 Speaker 1: were very injurious to crops. So the math wasn't quite 377 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: working out there right, because it's I think at the time, 378 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:19,359 Speaker 1: it was easy to forget how complex and interlinked every 379 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: organism in an ecosystem is. It's sort of tough to 380 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: figure out who the real culprit maybe, and it's even 381 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: more difficult to figure out what the long term ramifications 382 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: of an eradication campaign will be in the future. However, today, 383 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: if you are a school child listening to this and 384 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:43,199 Speaker 1: you are anxious to join in a murderous campaign against 385 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: one type of animal or another, uh, we have some 386 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: tough news for you. Nowadays, these sorts of expeditions are 387 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: left to professional exterminators, and as a matter of fact, 388 00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:01,120 Speaker 1: in many states, common pest maybe p acted under law. 389 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:04,880 Speaker 1: So to bring it all back around to the example 390 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: we had from super producer Casey Pegrum. Casey, I imagine 391 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: your family was not allowed to kill the bats. Is 392 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 1: that correct? That is correct? Although maybe I shouldn't tell 393 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: this part of the story, but said bad in the 394 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: attic caught my mom off guard and she kind of 395 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 1: swung at it and happened to kill the poor thing. 396 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: So I believe the rest were safely loaded out of 397 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: the attic. We had pest control person come over and 398 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: I think they were able to shepherd them out without 399 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: costing any more bad lives. Casey on the Case, Casey 400 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:45,399 Speaker 1: on the Case. And this concludes today's episode, but not 401 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,640 Speaker 1: our show. Tune in for our next episode when we 402 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: explore a surprising opinion about Confederate memorials. Is that giving 403 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: away too much? No? Nope, nope, Okay, there we go, 404 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:00,520 Speaker 1: So thanks so much for tuning in. We would love 405 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: to hear your infestation stories. We would like to hear 406 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,400 Speaker 1: about the common pest in your neck of the Global 407 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,400 Speaker 1: Woods that seem normal to you but amazing too outsiders. 408 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: For instance, this is true, you guys, a lot of 409 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,439 Speaker 1: people in Australia hate kangaroos. Did you know that? I 410 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,520 Speaker 1: think they're so cool. Well, they're probably just tired of 411 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: them because they're they're just hopping out of the woodwork 412 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:26,679 Speaker 1: there and in Australia, or maybe not right in, let 413 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,719 Speaker 1: us let us know, are they really as prevalent as 414 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:32,920 Speaker 1: we've been led to believe from Crocodile Dundee Films? Right right? 415 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: Shall we travel down to Australia to encounter Kangaroo's first 416 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: hand and you can write to us directly. But wait, 417 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: dramatic sound queue please, Casey, we have a new email 418 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: address right to us at Ridiculous at I Heart podcast 419 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 1: network dot com. You can also find us on social 420 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,480 Speaker 1: media right now, yeah, be sure. Can We've got a 421 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 1: pretty popping Facebook group called the Ridiculous Historians where all 422 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: kinds of fun things are happening every day, and that 423 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: is at the Ridiculous Historians on Facebook. You can also 424 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: find us on Instagram, um, you know if you like, 425 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: or you can find us personally where I am at 426 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: Embryonic Insider and I am in a burst of creativity 427 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,400 Speaker 1: at Ben Boland. Thanks as always the super producer, Casey Pegram, 428 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 1: thanks to Alex Williams who composed our track, and thanks 429 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: to you Ben Boland for being the bunniest Bolandiest pal 430 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: I could ever hope for. We'll see you next time.