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 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: to the cabinet of curiosities. As the old saying goes, 5 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: give a man of fish and he'll eat for a day. 6 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime. 7 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: Education to that enlightened fisherman was as important as life itself. 8 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: To some, it's the reason they were put on this 9 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: earth in the first place. A good teacher can move 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: us forward, make us better, make life a little more fulfilling. 11 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: But a good teacher can do more than that. A 12 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: good teacher can teach the unteachable and fulfill not only 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: their lives, but the lives of those around them. Samuel 14 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: Bissett was just to teacher. He was born in Perthshire, Scotland, 15 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: in the early seventeen hundreds and originally sought work as 16 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: a shoemaker before trying his luck in London at a different, 17 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: more lucrative career. He was reading a story about an 18 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: attraction at a local fair when he was struck with 19 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: an idea, an idea that might have sounded absurd to 20 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: anyone else. Beset read of a horse that could perform 21 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: odd tricks. The novelty, combined with his own stubborn refusal 22 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: to settle down into one line of work, set him 23 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: on a path towards becoming an animal trainer. He started 24 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: by training a horse and a dog for his first act, 25 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: then moved up from there. He trained one monkey to 26 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: dance on a type rope while another held a lit 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: candle and turned a barrel organ. Not content with his 28 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: small zoo of performing animals, Samuel went bigger, well technically smaller, 29 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: but with the plan to put on a grand musical 30 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: performance with cats. Not those cats with the costumes and wigs, 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: I mean actual cats. He purchased three kittens and worked 32 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: with them for months, teaching them how to hit dulcimer 33 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: strings with their paws so as to create music. The 34 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: Cat's Opera he called it, ran for almost a week 35 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: and made Bissett rich, which only encouraged him to add 36 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: more animals to his routine. He taught a rabbit how 37 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: to play military marches on a drum with its hind legs. 38 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: Small birds such as sparrows and canaries, could spell anyone's name. 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: In the audience, and even though he already had a 40 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: dog in his lineup, he taught a turtle how to 41 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: play fetch. But while Bissett had proven successful in training 42 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: animals with un characteristic talents to entertain crowds, none of 43 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: his acts proved as financially successful as his cat's opera. 44 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: He thought perhaps he had exhausted his opportunities in London, 45 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: and decided to take a show on the road, moving 46 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: his human family and his furry family to Ireland for 47 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: a new start. It was there where he encountered a 48 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: seemingly unbeat herble challenge. According to some local folks, the 49 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,679 Speaker 1: only animal that was too stubborn to train was a 50 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: pit It couldn't be done, they said. Samuel, of course, 51 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: believed that he could prove them wrong. He accepted the 52 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: challenge and purchased a black suckling pig for three shillings. 53 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,959 Speaker 1: He immediately taught it to lay down under the stool 54 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: where he worked, but unfortunately that's about as much as 55 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: the pig would learn. At first, Samuel nearly gave it 56 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: away until he looked at the problem from a different angle. 57 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: He worked closely with the pig over the next sixteen months, 58 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 1: turning what was originally considered an obstinate and unreasonable animal 59 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: into something akin to a loyal golden retriever. The Learned Pig, 60 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: as it had come to be known, could do all 61 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: sorts of amazing tricks to enthrall their audiences. It could 62 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: sell time down to the second, It had an impeccable 63 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 1: talent for picking up married folks from unmarried folks, and 64 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: knew how to spell out a person's name and in 65 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: some cases read a woman's mind. It could also kneel 66 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: out of respect, the way you or I might do 67 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: before the Queen, but not everyone loves Samuel and his 68 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: Learned Pig. One night, a man wielding a sword broke 69 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: into his hotel room with the intent to kill the pig. 70 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: To him, the animal was an affront to God and 71 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: everything decent. The man swung the sword around the room, 72 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: destroying everything in his path, before plunging the blade into 73 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: the unsuspecting trainer. Samuel begged the man to leave and 74 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: showed him the permit he had obtained from the chief 75 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: Magistrate for his pig to perform. The attacker accepted the proof, 76 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: but threatened to drag Samuel to jail if he ever 77 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: showed his face in that town again. What it mattered, 78 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: though the injury he sustained became infected, and not long 79 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: after Samuel Bissett passed away. The pig, however, lived on. 80 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: Not only did it continue to perform under a new owner, 81 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: but it inspired similar acts all throughout the nineteenth century. 82 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: The image of an educated pig even became a common 83 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: way for cartoonists to illustrate the greed of the rich 84 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: and the debaucherous nature of celebrities and politicians. In a way, 85 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: the learned pig became something all of us today might recognize, 86 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: one of the first and longest lasting memes in history. 87 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: It's been said that beauty is fleeting. This is often 88 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: interpreted as meaning our good looks won't last as we age. 89 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: What once was beautiful will eventually with her. But there's 90 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: another meaning, a deeper one, that something is beautiful not 91 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: because it lasts, but because it's temporary. We have it 92 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: only for a short time, and therefore should cherish it 93 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: because one day it will all be gone. People, animals, 94 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: flowers all have limited time on this planet and are 95 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: therefore beautiful. Maybe that's what Anna Ivanovna the Empress of 96 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: Russia had in mind when she ordered the construction of 97 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: a new palace in St. Petersburg. Her forces had just 98 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: defeated the Ottomans in a war that spanned four years, 99 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: and Empress Anna wanted to do something big to celebrate. 100 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: A party would not last long enough and a statue 101 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: would be too small. She needed a true monument to 102 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: her success built in order to honor their victory and 103 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: the scores of soldiers lost on the battlefield. She hired 104 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: renowned architect Peter Europkin to design the impromptu castle. Europkin 105 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,280 Speaker 1: had been responsible for redesigning St. Petersburg after the death 106 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: of Peter the Great, as well as palaces for chancellors 107 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: and princes all over the country. If you were building 108 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: a grand structure in Russia, Peter Europkin was the man 109 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: with the plan. The palace was designed to be over 110 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: sixty five ft tall and one hundred sixty four feet wide. 111 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: The giant bricks the builders used, though, weren't held together 112 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: with mortar. Instead. George Croft, who was overseeing the construction, 113 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: put his scientific background to the test and instructed workers 114 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: to use plain water as a binding agent, an odd 115 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: choice for something as massive as a palace, but a 116 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: wise decision in the end. When completed, the palace featured 117 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: a lush garden with trees and wildlife such as birds. 118 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: An elephant was brought in to entertain guests. Sculptures of 119 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: all kinds adorn the walls, as well as artillery similar 120 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: to that use during the war. Elaborate furniture pieces filled 121 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,559 Speaker 1: each room, and a tall wooden fence was erected around 122 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: the perimeter of the building to keep commoners out. Naturally, 123 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: once completed, the palace became a setting for ceremonies and 124 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: amusing performances, including a mock wedding between two jesters. You see. 125 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: Years earlier, Empress Anna had taken offense at the marriage 126 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: between a prince and a Catholic woman. After his new 127 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: wife passed away, the prince was forced to become a 128 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: jester for the empress. As the party began, Empress Anna 129 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: chose one of her poor servants to become the prince's 130 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: new bride, someone she knew the prince would find unattractive. 131 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: The reluctant couple rode atop that offense, both of them 132 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: dressed as clowns, while a menagerie of creatures and circus 133 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: performers trailed behind them. After the wedding, they were stripped 134 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,679 Speaker 1: of their clothing and tossed into a freezing honeymoon suite, 135 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: with nothing to keep them warm but their own body 136 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: heat and a sheepskin coat the servants had bartered with 137 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: one of the guards. Books about the palace were published 138 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: almost a hundred years later, with films hitting screens a 139 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: century after that. The unique and charming castle had captured 140 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: the imaginations of everyone who heard about it. If only 141 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: Empressona had lived long enough to enjoy it more. She 142 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: passed away one year after construction was completed, leaving behind 143 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: her glorious creation for all to enjoy until the following summer. 144 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: That is, you see, there was one problem with the structure, 145 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: something the architect or the builders couldn't have fixed. Regardless 146 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: of the level of their engineering that went into its construction. 147 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: It couldn't handle the heat. By the following fall, Empress 148 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: Ana's palace had disappeared entirely. It had melted. You see, 149 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: the palace was never intended to exist beyond Russia's famous winter. 150 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: The sculptures, the furniture, the trees, the birds, and even 151 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 1: that elephant all had been carved out of ice. I 152 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,479 Speaker 1: hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 153 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 154 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 155 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how 156 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 157 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 158 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the World 159 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,199 Speaker 1: of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.