1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Cabinet of curiosities. The human spirit is 5 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: rarely satisfied. There's always another goal, another milestone to reach. 6 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: Scientists with their eyes to the sky don't see a 7 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: final victory. They see an endless horizon of possibilities. In 8 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies and eighties, the United States and the 9 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: Soviet Union were in competition, sending small craft and rovers 10 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: towards Mars to learn everything they could about a potentially 11 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: brand new world. But our fascination with the right planet 12 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: didn't start there. Since the late nineteenth century, when it 13 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: was discovered that there were trenches on Mars, possibly man made, 14 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: we've wondered whether we're truly alone in the universe. Perhaps not. H. G. 15 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: Wells famously wrote about a Martian invasion in his eight 16 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,479 Speaker 1: nine classic War of the Worlds, and our obsession with 17 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 1: what could be up there hasn't debated. Nikola Tesla once 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: claimed that Martians were even communicating with him via signals 19 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: they sent to Earth. Dr Hugh Mansfield. Robinson also thought 20 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: Martians were communicating with him. In the nineteen twenties, Robinson 21 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: had surrounded himself with as much literature as he could 22 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: find about mars Wells story was his favorite, but science 23 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: fiction soon turned to science fact when Robinson began receiving transmissions, 24 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: though unlike Tesla, he wasn't getting them over the air 25 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: to some kind of receiver. Robinson was the receiver. He 26 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: had claimed to have made telepathic contact with the Martian race, 27 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,279 Speaker 1: specifically their princess Umaruru. She him all about her people, 28 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: how their lives were not unlike those of humans on Earth. 29 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: They drove cars and lived in houses. They weren't planning 30 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: on a takeover of our planets either, They simply wished 31 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: to exist peacefully on their own. Martian males were said 32 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: to be eight feet tall, while the women came in 33 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: at about a foot or two shorter. They had big 34 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: ears and a lot of hair on their heads. Physical 35 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: attributes vary depending on the class of Martian, the wealthier 36 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: ones being much better looking than those in the lower casts. 37 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: But Robinson's mental conversations could only go one way. Umaru 38 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 1: U could beam her words at him, but not hear 39 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: his in return. That's when Robinson came up with a 40 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: way for him to talk to her. He called it 41 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: a psycho motor meter, a device of his own making 42 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: that facilitated two way communication between Earth and Mars. Robinson 43 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: allegedly even traveled to Mars using astral projection, helped along 44 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: on his journey by the Martian Princess. His stories about 45 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: his communication with Mars did not go unnoticed, nor were 46 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: they widely accepted. A scientist studying psychic phenomena and paranormal 47 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: medium both met with Robinson and asked him to walk 48 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: them through what he'd learned from Mars. He showed the 49 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: men the Martian alphabet that he had transcribed, which looked 50 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: something like a child might draw. He also sang a 51 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: song that umaru U had taught him. It was comprised 52 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: of bizarre shrieks and klucks, but it was only a 53 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: small taste of a culture he desperately wanted to learn 54 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: more about. Robinson's ultimate goal was to get a message 55 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: to all of Mars, not just to the princess. Using 56 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: modern technology of the time, he planned on beaming a 57 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: message over radio waves to the whole Martian population. In 58 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: ninety six, Mars's orbit had placed it relatively close to Earth, 59 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: the perfect time for Robinson to put his plan in motion. 60 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: With the help of a telegraph operator, he transmitted the 61 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: message love to Mars from Earth O pesti nipitiya secomba. 62 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: Those last three words didn't make any sense to anyone 63 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: else in the room other than Robinson. Presumably they were 64 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: part of the Martian language he had picked up in 65 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: his talks with the princess. For two years, nothing happened. 66 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: The Martians sent back no response, but Robinson continued to 67 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: beam telegraphs towards the stars. His next message read comga 68 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: mar or God is love in Martian. When he failed 69 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: to get a reply the second time, he blamed Earth's 70 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:36,119 Speaker 1: primitive technology. So he returned to communicating via telepathy, which 71 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: inspired him to start his own school, devoted to teaching 72 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,119 Speaker 1: students how to converse using the power of the mind. 73 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: The College of Telepathy opened to no fanfare. His reputation 74 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,840 Speaker 1: in the community had plummeted, which resulted in only two 75 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: students registering to attend his new school, one of which 76 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: was a dog named Nell. Robinson grew more reclusive as 77 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 1: the years went on, especially after aiming to have spoken 78 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: to the spirit of Cleopatra, who is now also living 79 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: on Mars. His legacy has been mostly forgotten today, but 80 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: it's worth remembering the man who believed when no one 81 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: else would, that there might be life on another planet. 82 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: One we're only now just getting to know, and now 83 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: that technology has advanced, we might not need to beam 84 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: a message to whatever might be living on Mars. We 85 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 1: could just send it along with the next rover, or 86 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:42,799 Speaker 1: eventually even take it there ourselves. Some people just seem 87 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: to have a cloud that follows them wherever they go. 88 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: No matter how hard they try, bad news isn't far behind. 89 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: Roy Sullivan knew all about trying to get out from 90 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,720 Speaker 1: under a cloud. Born in Virginia in nineteen twelve, Roy had, 91 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: depending on how you look at it, either an extremely 92 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: lucky life or maybe the luckiest of all. He was 93 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: one of eleven children, fourth in line, and didn't care 94 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: much for school, but he loved the outdoors. When he 95 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: was twenty four, he got a job as a ranger 96 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: and Shannandoah National Park, which had only been established one 97 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: year prior. His job of monitoring activity in the park 98 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: was uneventful for the first several years until he had 99 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: been stationed in a fire tower looking out over an 100 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: area of the park known as Miller's Head when he 101 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: found himself in the middle of a thunderstorm. As the 102 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: rain pounded against the tower and the thunder rattled its frame, 103 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: lightning struck. There was no lightning rod attached to the tower, 104 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: but that didn't stop the bolts from hitting it over 105 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: six times, causing a fire to spread. Roy ran and 106 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: as he retreated from the flames, another bolt struck, this 107 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: time in his leg. A strip of flesh roughly half 108 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: an inch wide, ran the length of his leg all 109 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: the way down to his big toe, which lost its 110 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: nail in the blast. As it has often been said, 111 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: lightning never strikes in the same place twice. That's not 112 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: entirely true, though, While rare, lightning has definitely been known 113 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: to hit an area more than once, and nobody knew 114 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: more about that than Roy Sullivan. He'd serve as a 115 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: park ranger for another twenty seven years before his luck 116 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: would be tested again, this time in July of nineteen 117 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: sixty nine. However, he wasn't high up in a fire 118 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: tower like he'd been back in nineteen forty two. He 119 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: was much lower to the ground driving in his truck. Normally, 120 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: a vehicle absorbs the blast from a lightning strike and 121 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: protects the driver from being zapped, but Roy had been 122 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: driving with his window down when the lightning hit a 123 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: tree before bouncing into his truck through the open window. 124 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: Roy was knocked out and his hair was set on 125 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: fire while the car rolled to the edge of a 126 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: cliff and then stopped a close call in more ways 127 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: than one. A year later, Roy wasn't even in the 128 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: park when he was struck by lightning for a third time. 129 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: He was in his front yard. A blast arct off 130 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,559 Speaker 1: a nearby transformer and burned his shoulder. In nineteen seventy two, 131 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: he was in a ranger station when another storm resulted 132 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: in a lightning strike that set his hair on fire 133 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: once again. He tried putting it out in the bathroom sink, 134 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: but couldn't fit his head under the tap. Instead, he 135 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: wrapped his sine scalp in a wet towel and waited 136 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: for the storm to pass before getting help. Roy started 137 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: to think that something was after him, that he was 138 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: being targeted by some unknown entity that was out to 139 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: get him. From that point forward, he never drove during 140 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: a storm, especially with the window open. He'd pulled off 141 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: to the side and wait for it to finish before 142 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:49,319 Speaker 1: continuing on. He avoided crowds, worried he might attract a 143 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: bolt of lightning no matter where he went, and he 144 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 1: never left home without a full container of water to 145 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: put out hair fires. But for all his precautions, he 146 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: couldn't escape fate. In August of nineteen seventy three, he 147 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: noticed a storm moving in over the park. He got 148 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: into his truck to drive away, terrified of the dark 149 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: cloud he swore was following him. He waited. After several minutes, 150 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,839 Speaker 1: it's seen the cloud had passed. When he got out 151 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: to check, though, it was like someone was playing a 152 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: lifelong practical joke on him. Lightning hit his left side 153 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: and blew his shoe right off before jumping to his 154 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: right leg. He managed to make it to his truck 155 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: for his emergency water, which he used to put out 156 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: the fire atop his head. Again, things were quiet again 157 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: for a few years until nineteen seventy six when Roy 158 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: hurt his ankle, but that didn't keep him out of 159 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: the park. During a routine patrol, Roy watched the cloud 160 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 1: follow him as he retreated for safety. He didn't make 161 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: it in time, though, lightning struck him and set what 162 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: was left of his hair on fire. Then, in nineteen 163 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: seventy seven, Roy broke the Guinness World Record. He was 164 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: fishing in the middle of a pond when a final 165 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: strike hit him on top of his head and burn 166 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: him all the way down to his chest and stomach. 167 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: But it wasn't the only thing threatening his life that day. 168 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: A bear had wandered over to take fish that Roy 169 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: had caught. Still conscious, after the strike, Roy grabbed a 170 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: large tree branch off the ground and smacked the bear 171 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: with it, sending it back into the woods without its meal. 172 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: Roy Sullivan sounds like some kind of superhero, a man 173 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: capable of surviving seven lightning strikes and stopping a bear attack. 174 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: But like many heroes, roy superpower came at a high cost. 175 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: Those who knew him eventually stopped spending time with him, 176 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: afraid that they too might be caught by a stray 177 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: bolt from above. The rest of his life was pretty lonely, 178 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: and he passed away. And while death and lightning share 179 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 1: some common traits, both usually come out of nowhere and 180 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: happened when we least expect it. There is one major 181 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: difference that Roy must have been thankful for. Death at 182 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,079 Speaker 1: least is the sort of lightning that only strikes once. 183 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 184 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 185 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 186 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership 187 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 188 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 189 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 190 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,559 Speaker 1: World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious, 191 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: Ye