1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to this Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: a show that can't get enough of that sweet smell 4 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: of history. I'm Gabe Bluzier, and in this episode we're 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: talking about one of the most enduring and expensive smells 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: of the last hundred years, the one and only Chanel 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: number five. The day was May five, one, the iconic 8 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: perfume Chanel number five was sold for the first time 9 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: at Coco Chanelle's boutique in Paris. The new scent was 10 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: very different from others on the market at the time. 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: Instead of smelling like just one floral note, Chanel number 12 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: five was much more complex. It had notes of jasmine, rose, sandalwood, 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: and vanilla, among many others. The result was an unusually 14 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: abstract scent that didn't relate to just one thing. Instead 15 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: of smelling like a specific flower, it smelled clean or fresh, 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: even a little like soap. The impressionistic nature of the 17 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: fragrance was reflected in its name number five. As a 18 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: seemingly random digit, it didn't have a clear connotation in 19 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: most people's minds, but for Coco Chanel, the number represented everything. 20 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: Five was said to be her lucky number, and she 21 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: deferred to it in life wherever possible. It was no coincidence, then, 22 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: that the fragrance she chose to release was the fifth 23 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: sample presented to her. It was also no coincidence that 24 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: the fragrance debuted along with her new fashion collection, on 25 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: the fifth day of the fifth month of the year. 26 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: Gabrielle Chanelle was born on August nineteen, eighteen eighty three, 27 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: and the Salmuer Commune in western France. She was the 28 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: second of three daughters born to Albert and Jan Chanelle, 29 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: a clothing peddler and a laundry woman, respectively. Jen passed 30 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: away just before Chanelle's twelfth birthday, at which point her 31 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: father sent her and her two sisters to live at 32 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: a convent run orphanage in central France. The nuns there 33 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: taught Chanelle how to sew, and it's been suggested that 34 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 1: their black and white habits inspired the color contrast that 35 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: later became the designer's trademark. Chanelle left the orphanage at 36 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: age eighteen and put her sewing skills to use in 37 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: a local tailor's shop. She also took up singing and 38 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: began performing with her aunt and working class bars and restaurants. 39 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,839 Speaker 1: It was during this time that Gabrielle Chanelle reportedly got 40 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: her nickname Coco. There are a few versions of the story, 41 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: but the most well known is that the name came 42 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: from two songs that Chanelle frequently performed, Coco Rico and 43 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: Who's Seen Coco? At the Trocadero. Supposedly, the crowd would 44 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: demand encores from the singer by shouting Coco Coco until 45 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: she reappeared on stage. It's worth noting, though, that Chanelle 46 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: herself claimed the nickname was a term of endearment used 47 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: by her father, not by drunken crowds. At any rate, 48 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: the nickname lasted longer than her singing career. By Chanelle 49 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: had left the stage behind and become a licensed milliner, 50 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: or maker of women's hats. Her hat shop, called Chanelle Maud, 51 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: was located at twenty one Rue Cambonne, in the heart 52 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: of Paris. The venture was paid for by Chanelle's lover, 53 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: Etienne Bulson, a wealthy textile tycoon who had invited her 54 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: to live in Paris with him as his mistress. In 55 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: the decade that followed, Chanelle grew her business into a 56 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: series of successful boutiques. Gradually, she established herself as a 57 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: celebrated fashion designer, famous not only for her inventive clothing designs, 58 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: but for her exploits as a larger than life socialite. 59 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: She drove around in a blue Rolls Royce and made 60 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: no effort to hide her many public romances. In the 61 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: early nineteen twenties, Chanelle decided to jump on board a 62 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: new trend among fashion houses by designing a signature perfume 63 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: to compliment her clothing line. To make it happen, Chanelle 64 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: commissioned a prominent perfumer named Ernest Beau. She challenged him 65 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: to think outside the box to create a fragrance that 66 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: would quote smell like a woman, not like a rose. 67 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: Bou worked on the challenge for several months, eventually creating 68 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:50,559 Speaker 1: ten distinct samples to present to Chanelle. Naturally, she picked 69 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: number five. However, Chanelle may have been drawn to the 70 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: scent for another reason besides its number. The sample she 71 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: chose was actually the world's first perfume to feature a 72 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: significant dose of alde hydes, synthetic chemicals that make a 73 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: sent more intense and long lasting. Perfumers hadn't made much 74 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: use of alde hydes, preferring to play it safe with 75 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: natural ingredients, but the fragrance that would become Chanelle number 76 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: five had an uncommonly high dose of the chemicals. As 77 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: the story goes, their inclusion may not have been intentional. 78 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: Either Beau or his assistant are believed to have accidentally 79 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: added the strong dose to one of Chanelle's samples, as 80 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: luck would have it, the fifth one. There's been a 81 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: lot of speculation about why Chanelle would be attracted to 82 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: the smell of alde hides, but the most widely accepted 83 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 1: theory is that they reminded her of soap and by extension, 84 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: of her mother, a laundress. Chanelle never explicitly made that 85 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: connection herself, but she did later describe the fragrance as quote, 86 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: what I was waiting for a woman's perfume with the 87 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: scent of a woman. Before launching Chanelle number five on 88 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: May the five, the designer did some impromptu market research 89 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: for the perfume. She invited some high society friends to 90 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: a popular restaurant on the Riviera and then sprayed the 91 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: perfume all around the table. According to legend, every woman 92 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: who passed by that afternoon stopped to ask what the 93 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: fragrance was and where they could buy it. The answer, 94 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: of course, was exclusively at her boutique on Rue Cambon. 95 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: Chanel Number five shook up the fragrance industry like no 96 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: scent before it. Even the bottle the perfume came in 97 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: was groundbreaking, simpler and less ornate than those used by competitors. 98 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: The fragrance quickly became a best seller, and it's remained 99 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: one for about a century. Today it's one of the 100 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: most recognizable perfumes in the world, both in the air 101 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,280 Speaker 1: and in its famous bottle. It seems like Chanelle was 102 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: right and five really was her lucky number. I'm Gabe 103 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: Louisier and hopefully you now know a little more about 104 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you enjoyed the show, 105 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t 106 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: d i HC Show. You can also rate and review 107 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: the show on Apple Podcasts, or you can send your 108 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: feedback directly to me by writing to This Day at 109 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: I heart media dot com. Thanks, as always the channel 110 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: or Mays for producing the show, and thanks to you 111 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for 112 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: another day in History Class.