1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Ed was an actor, a 5 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: pretty famous one at that. He was born in eighteen 6 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: thirty three in Maryland to a family of actors. His father, 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: as well as his two brothers, had all performed Shakespeare 8 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: on stage four adoring crowds, and Ed had made a 9 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: bit of a name for himself. He had gotten his 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,840 Speaker 1: start in a performance of Richard the Third alongside his father, 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: who favored a more outspoken acting style to Ed's quiet contemplation. 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: Regardless of how they performed, though, one thing was certain, 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: the family knew how to entertain. People came from all 14 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: the over to watch them and recite some of the 15 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: most famous lines ever written for the stage. Then, three 16 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: years after their first performance together, Ed's father passed away. 17 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: Ed chose to remain with the show for an international tour, 18 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: and it was on this tour where he gained wide 19 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: acclaim for his talents. People in the United States and 20 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: Europe knew his name, and it became synonymous with star. 21 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,199 Speaker 1: But his homeland was changing. A conflict that had begun 22 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: in the South had migrated north and embroiled a country 23 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: in a war unlike any other, Fathers were pitted against sons. 24 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: Mothers stopped speaking to their daughters. Blood was shed, and 25 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: fields and streams from Georgia to New York. As the 26 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: Union fought to end the scourge of slavery infecting the 27 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: Southern States, it was time for Ed to come home. 28 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: He boarded a ship bound for the US and rejoined 29 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: his family, who had changed considerably in his absence. He 30 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: and his brothers had found themselves on opposing sides, with 31 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: Ed supporting the Union and his brothers in favor of 32 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,639 Speaker 1: the South. In fact, none of them appeared on stage 33 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: together until eighteen sixty four, when they participated in a 34 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: charity to raise funds for a statue of William Shakespeare 35 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: for Central Park in New York City. Coincidentally, eighteen sixty 36 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: four was also the year Ed became a hero. He 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: had been standing on a train platform in Jersey City, 38 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: New Jersey, when he caught sight of a boy just 39 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: shy of adulthood beside him. A crowd had gathered to 40 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: board the car and pushed him forward. Before he'd had 41 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: a chance to get out of the way, the train 42 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: began to move, spinning him off his feet at the 43 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: edge of the platform. He nearly fell onto the tracks, 44 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: but there was ed ready. With lightning quick reflexes. He 45 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him back up next 46 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: to him. The young man recognized his savior and thanked 47 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: him profusely for what he'd done. Ed was only too 48 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: happy to help, but had no idea who he'd actually saved. 49 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: He wouldn't find out until months later, just before the 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: country would enter a period of mourning for President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, 51 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: as we all know, was shot during a performance at 52 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth, an actor. Booth had 53 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: a brother too, In fact, both of them also actors. 54 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: He'd fallen out with one, however, a Unionist named ed 55 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: Edwin Thomas Booth. Edwin hadn't known his brother was going 56 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: to assassinate the president. To perform such an act was 57 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: unthinkable even to many of the very few people who 58 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: hated the man and what he stood for. But Edwin 59 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: tried not to dwell on the dishonor his brother brought 60 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: to his family's name. Instead, he saw solace in one 61 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: simple fact. He'd done some good. You see, the young 62 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: man that Edwin had saved on the train platform that 63 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: day wasn't some random boy. In a letter he received 64 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: just before the President's death, the truth had become clear. 65 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: The boy had told his story or to a Colonel 66 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: Adam Badeaux serving under General Ulysses S. Grant. The colonel 67 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: then penned a letter of gratitude for rescuing his newest recruits, 68 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: a young soldier named Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son. 69 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: Both brothers had managed to change the nation, one for 70 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: the worse, one for the better. We'll never know what 71 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: might have happened if Edwin hadn't been there to prevent 72 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: Robert Todd Lincoln from falling. But we do know one thing. 73 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: Despite a lifetime on the stage, it was certainly the 74 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: greatest performance of his life. The nature versus nurture debate 75 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: has raged on for generations. How much of our lives, 76 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: our personalities, and our futures are determined by our genetics, 77 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: and how much is determined by our environment. For two 78 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: Ohio men, the answer was clear. Jim Lewis was born 79 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty and adopted three weeks after he entered 80 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: the world. His parents raised him in Lima, Ohio alongside 81 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: their dog Toy, where he grew up to love math 82 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: and carpentry, but couldn't spell to save his life. As 83 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: he got older, he fell in love with a woman 84 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: named Linda. The two married and built a life together, 85 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: along with their son, James Allen Lewis. But of course 86 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: people change over time, and for Jim and Linda those 87 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: changes had been too great to reconcile. They divorced, but 88 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,559 Speaker 1: Jim eventually found love again, this time with a woman 89 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: named Betty, who he later married. Our second man is 90 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: Jim Springer. He was born in nineteen forty and adopted 91 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: three weeks after he entered the world. His adoptive parents 92 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: raised him in Pequa, Ohio, alongside their dog Toy, where 93 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,479 Speaker 1: he grew up to love math and carpentry, but couldn't 94 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: spell to save his life. As he got older, he 95 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: fell in love with a woman named Inda. The two 96 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: married and built a life together, along with their son, 97 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: James Allan Springer. But of course people change over time, 98 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: and for Jim and Linda those changes had been too 99 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: great to reconcile. They divorced, but eventually Jim found love again, 100 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: this time with a woman named Betty, who he later married. 101 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: And No, there's nothing wrong with your audio. Last Night 102 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: Checked podcast can't get stuck in a loop like a 103 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: vinyl record. Jim Lewis and Jim Springer didn't know each other, 104 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: they didn't grow up together, but they lived incredibly similar lives. 105 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: That's why scientists at the University of Minnesota were so 106 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: interested in studying them. You see, Jim and Jim, we're 107 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: twins who had been separated at birth. They'd never known 108 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: their mother, and the adoption agency had told each set 109 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: of adoptive parents that their new baby boy had a 110 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: twin who had died in childbirth. As far as they 111 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: knew there, Jim was the only Jim. It was during 112 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: a trip to complete the adoption paperwork when Jim Lewis's 113 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: mother overheard the clerk mentioned how the other child had 114 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: also been named Jim. She encouraged her son to seek 115 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: out the truth as he got older, and one day, 116 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy nine, he did just that. He contacted 117 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: the court for his adoption records, and once he had them, 118 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: he was able to track down the other Jim. After 119 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: a short game of phone tag, Jim Lewis got a 120 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: call and he knew right away who it was. As 121 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: it turned out, the two men had grown up fewer 122 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: than fifty miles from one another. They were both chained, 123 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: smoking Chevy drivers who vacationed at the same spot in 124 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: Florida every year. The similarities were astounding for two men 125 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: who shared DNA but nothing else. What's even more shocking 126 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: is how many times this phenomenon has occurred over the years. 127 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: Jack Youth and Oscar Store grew up in two very 128 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: different households, Jack being raised Jewish and Oscar as part 129 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: of the Nazi uprising in Germany. When they met, they 130 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: were wearing I Dentical sweaters and found out they shared 131 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: receding hairlines, the same boisterous sneeze, and they always flushed 132 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: the toilet before using it. Daphne Goodship and Barbara Herbert 133 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: were also separated at birth and met each other later 134 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: in life. Both worked in government like their coffee cold, 135 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: got married at the same time, and gave birth to 136 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: two boys and one girl. We might never have an 137 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: answer to the nature versus nurtured debate, as both are 138 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: extremely important to how a person becomes who they are. However, 139 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: what we do know is the bond between family members, 140 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: especially siblings, is something too strong to ignore. I hope 141 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 142 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 143 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 144 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how 145 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 146 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 147 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the World 148 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.