1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: Imagine that you're strolling along a beach searching for shells. 7 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: You wade through ankle deep water, keeping your eyes peeled 8 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: for anything bright, round, or shiny, and then suddenly your 9 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: foot brushes against something that feels like a large shell. 10 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: You reach your hand into the water and pull out 11 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: a glass bottle. But it's not mere trash. The bottle's 12 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: top is sealed and there's a letter inside. Discover a 13 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: message in a bottle. A find such as this would 14 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: be a thrill, a rare chance to hear from someone 15 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: all the way across the ocean. The letter's writer would 16 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: be a complete mystery to you, except for what they 17 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: choose to include in their message. And it makes you wonder, 18 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: what if you sent a message of your own, what 19 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: would you want the reader to know about you and 20 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: the world you come from? In the winter of nineteen 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: seventy six, a man named Carl began working on such 22 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: a message. But it wasn't a letter written in a bottle. 23 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: It was a record. Carl had a unique opportunity to 24 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: produce something for what could potentially be the biggest audience 25 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: the music world had ever known. Now, Carl was a scientist. 26 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: He didn't have a background in music, but it was 27 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies, an era known for musical innovation and experimentation. Plus, 28 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: Carl did have a background in math, and he was 29 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: fascinated with patterns found in music. However, he also knew 30 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: that a great record is more than just a series 31 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: of logical patterns, so he needed help from people who 32 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: knew more about music than he did. Carl reached out 33 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: to some friends and told them about the opportunity. He 34 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: explained how music serves as a universal language and told 35 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: them that he wanted this project to express human emotion 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: on a deeper level than any album had before. Carl's 37 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: friends found this fascinating they were eager to help him out, 38 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: but the project did come with one catch. They had 39 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: a few months to get it done, otherwise they would 40 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: miss their chance to release it. They had to work fast. 41 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: Oh and one more thing to know about the record 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: is that it was actually more of a mixtape, or, 43 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: if you're from the younger generation, a playlist. Carl and 44 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: his team weren't producing original tracks. They were compiling famous ones. 45 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: To some this might not sound like the best way 46 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: to make money, but Carl wasn't out to make a buck. 47 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: He was out to make history. His teammates were on 48 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: board with this too. Among others, Carlin listed two ethnomusicologists. 49 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: They use their knowledge of world music to teach Carl 50 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: how the mathematical rules of music can be broken. With 51 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: this core principle in mind, the team collected tracks. In all, 52 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: they gathered over ninety minutes of content. It included symphonies 53 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: by Beethoven and Bach, Chuck Berry's Johnny be Good Greetings 54 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: in fifty five languages, the Sound of a Mother kissing 55 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: her baby, and Whale Song. But perhaps one of the 56 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: most iconic tracks on the album is a recording of 57 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: Carl's wife's brain waves that was taken just a couple 58 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: of days after the pair got engaged. Many have referred 59 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: to this track as the sound of Love. Even with 60 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: all of this, though the team completed the project by 61 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: their deadline. They even had a little time to spare, 62 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: so they came up with another idea. Once all the 63 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: tracks were in place, the team thought about the vast 64 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: audience that could reach and considered ways to ensure that 65 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: it caught the listener's attention. And there was another catch too. 66 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: They were only creating one copy of this album, so 67 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: to honor its rarity, the team had the record plated 68 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: with gold, thus it became known as the Golden Record. 69 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: As a final touch, the Golden Record was coded in 70 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: a type of uranium that would take over eight billion 71 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: years to decay. In the summer of nineteen seventy seven, 72 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: it was time to release the Golden Record. There's one 73 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: final thing to know about it. Though it wasn't for 74 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: sale and the target audience wasn't even human. Carl and 75 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 1: his teammates produced the album for extraterrestrial listeners. You see. 76 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: Carl's full name was Carl Sagan, and he was a 77 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: world famous astronomer. As NASA prepared to launch the Voyager spacecraft, 78 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: Carl had been tasked with finding a way to mark 79 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: the ship's launch date and location in case aliens came 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: across the vessel in deep space. In the past, Carl 81 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: had designed plaques for this very same reason, but this 82 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: time he wanted to make something that would help alien 83 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: life understand the deep emotional complexity of human beings. The 84 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: project evolved to include all kinds of earthly wonders. The 85 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: record was plated in gold to show that it was 86 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: a special gift, and coded in long lasting uranium so 87 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: that other intelligent beings could determine how long it had 88 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: been in space. In twenty twelve, the Voyager became the 89 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: first spacecraft to cross into interstellar space. Only time will 90 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: tell whether another life form will find it and be 91 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: inspired by the curious creatures known as human beings. In 92 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: the year five twenty five BCE, thousands of Egyptian soldiers 93 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: stood at attention outside the city of Pelusium, the last 94 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: stronghold between their empire and the rugged wilderness of the 95 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: Sinai Peninsula. They tensed ready for battle as the Persian 96 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: army came into view. This was an old dance to 97 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: these soldiers. They had been there many times before, standing 98 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: on the battlefield waiting for their enemy, and nearly every 99 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 1: time before they had fended off the invaders. They were 100 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:59,119 Speaker 1: confident that this time would be no different. At least 101 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,119 Speaker 1: they were on That was until they heard the sound 102 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: that would signal the end of the ancient Egyptian Empire, 103 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: the plaintive innocent miao of a cat. The ancient Battle 104 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: of Pelusium may have been one of the earliest examples 105 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: of an enemy using psychological warfare. Yet one of the 106 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: most surprising things about the battle, and in fact, the 107 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: entire downfall of Egypt, was that it was supposedly in 108 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: response to a petty insult several years before. The Persian 109 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: king Cambiasis the Second wanted to strengthen relations between his 110 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: kingdom and Egypt, and so he asked the pharaoh Amasus 111 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: to send a daughter to him to marry. Amasis was 112 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 1: reluctant to do so, so he sent another woman to Persia, 113 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: claiming that she was his daughter. When Cambisas discovered the deception, 114 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,039 Speaker 1: he declared war. As the Persians were preparing to invade, 115 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: Amasus died, leaving his inexperienced son saw Metek, the third 116 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: in charge of the empire. Never having fought a war before, 117 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: he prepared to meet the invaders at Pelusium, the city 118 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: that guarded the entry to the Nile Delta, although he'd 119 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:04,479 Speaker 1: only been pharaoh for six months. As his scout spotted 120 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: Cambiasis's troops heading toward the city, he felt completely confident 121 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: that his soldiers were ready to repel the Persian invaders, 122 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: and the poor young pharaoh didn't count on Cambiass's unorthodox tactics. 123 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: Cambisis believed in knowing his enemy and exploiting even the 124 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: smallest weaknesses. He was fascinated with ancient Egyptian culture, and 125 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: he knew that at this time, animals were revered by Egyptians. 126 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: Many were associated with certain gods and goddesses, and harming 127 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: animals was seen as an affront to their divine representative. 128 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: As a result, Egyptians were mainly pescatarians, eating mostly grains, vegetables, 129 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: and fish. One of the most sacred animals in Egyptian 130 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: culture was the cat. They were the special favorites of 131 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: the goddess Bastet, who was pictured with a woman's body 132 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: in a cat's head. Bastet was a goddess of the 133 00:07:55,240 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: domestic realm, associated with fertility, childbirth, motherhood, and the home, 134 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: but was also associated with metting out harsh justice for wrongdoers. 135 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: As a result, Egyptians venerated cats, even mummifying them. When 136 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: they died, mournful owners would shave their eyebrows to show 137 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: their grief. The punishment for killing a cat was harsh 138 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: as well. On earth, you were put to death, then 139 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: in the afterlife you had to face Bastet's wrath. Knowing 140 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: all this, Cambiasis unleashed a veritable army of sacred animals 141 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: against the Egyptians. He drove dogs, sheep, birds, dozens upon 142 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: dozens of cats, all in front of his soldiers, placing 143 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,599 Speaker 1: them at the center of the battlefield. He had his 144 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: soldiers paint the cat headed goddess Bastet on their shields 145 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: and faced them toward the Egyptian army, and the impact 146 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: was immediate. The Egyptians couldn't harm these sacred animals, especially 147 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: with their own goddess staring them down from their enemies shields. 148 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 1: They beat a hasty retreat, signaling surrender to the Persians. 149 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: The defeats at Pelusium marked the beginning of the end 150 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: for Egypt. The Persian army followed the retreating Egyptians, slaughtering 151 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: any who remained behind. They chased the Egyptians down the 152 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: Nile to the empire's capital at Memphis, and there they 153 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: laid siege to the city, ultimately capturing it and imprisoning pharosamitec. 154 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 1: Egypt passed from Persian hands to the Greeks, and eventually 155 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: to the Romans. Except for a handful of years here 156 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: and there. Ancient Egypt was never again under its own control. 157 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: Two thousand, six hundred years of empire, and it was 158 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: all lost in one single game of cat and mouse. 159 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 160 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 161 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 162 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 163 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 164 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 165 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at Theworldoflore 166 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.