1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to the short stuff. Chush, Chuck, Jerry Date, 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Let's go back in time. 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 2: Do you know who else is in the room with us? 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: Uh, Jerry Murphy. 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:16,119 Speaker 3: No? 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 2: Do you know who wrote this article? 7 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: No? Not you? Okay, Yeah, because I was gonna say 8 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: I didn't even know about some of this stuff. 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: Yeah. This, uh, maybe the densest three pages I've ever 10 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: seen written was written by our old colleague Kristin Conger. 11 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: Conger. That's right, seriously incredibly well written. 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 2: Congs did a great job, and Kristin is thankfully still 13 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: around in the podcasting biz. She has her great show, 14 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 2: Unladylike that she used to co host with Caroline, but 15 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 2: eventually Caroline left and Conger kept doing it by herself 16 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 2: and it's it's still great. Still around, she has a 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 2: ladylike book, and we I think the world of Conger, 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 2: so still support her. 19 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: Please, Way to go Conger, and way to go for 20 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: this article, because it really is incredibly well done, especially 21 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: for something she probably wrote in a day maybe a half. 22 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:15,839 Speaker 2: You know we used to crank these out, Yeah we did. 23 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: So. The whole story starts in nineteen ninety three, that's 24 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: where Conger put it, and I think that was the 25 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: right place, the right way to go out on the 26 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 1: Gulf of Mexico. There's a guy named Jerry Murphy who 27 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: was a fisherman there and he was trawling in the 28 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: Gulf of Mexico and when he brought the net up, 29 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: there was some debris in it. He just assumed were 30 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: rocks at first, but I guess he took a closer 31 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: look and we're like, those are silver coins that are 32 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: fused together because they've been underwater for so long. Hot damn, 33 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: that's right. 34 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 2: So he did what anyone would do. He got in 35 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 2: touch with an attorney. He said, can I keep this stuff? 36 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 2: And then he contacted history experts and said where did 37 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 2: the things come from? And then about a year after that, 38 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: they finally said, hey, dude, do you know what this is. 39 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: This is from the ruins of the El Cazador or 40 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 2: the Hunter, and this is a ship that disappeared in 41 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: seventeen eighty four after it set out from Veracruz, Mexico, 42 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: with nineteen tons of Spanish currency, which was silver reels 43 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: at the time. 44 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, they were newly minted, even there was apparently a 45 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: mint in Mexico, and they were headed to New Orleans, 46 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: and at the time you were like, well, why does 47 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: Spain care about New Orleans? Spain care about New Orleans 48 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: because that was the capital of the Louisiana colony owned 49 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: by Spain at the time. Sure you thought it was France. No, 50 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: there was a period where Spain owned Louisiana and there 51 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: was during this time. And the reason they sent nineteen 52 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: tons of silver coins to New Orleans was because New 53 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: Orleans currency had recently become devalued. There was a lot 54 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: of counter fitting going on. There was a lack of 55 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: hard currency around, so they were bringing this hard currency 56 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: to pay the soldiers, to pay government officials, and it 57 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: went down. I can't imagine being King Carlos the Second 58 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: and being like, are you kidding me? We lost nineteen 59 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: tons of silver coins forever? 60 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, And so King Carlos was like, I imagine face 61 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 2: palmed and said, oh God, is this Like, is Louisiana 62 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: even worth all this? You guys? 63 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: He said, I hate mondays he. 64 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 2: Did Ian Garfield, it was it's so far away. We 65 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 2: lost all this money we just wanted from the French 66 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 2: a couple of decades ago, Like, do we really want 67 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 2: to be in the Louisiana business anymore. And so well, 68 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 2: we should back up a little and just explain who 69 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 2: he was. He was a cousin to King Louis the 70 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 2: fifteenth of France. I said, twenty fifth, just a little 71 00:03:57,520 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: behind the scenes there, Josh corrected me. It was off 72 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 2: in. In seventeen sixty two, Louis seeded the Louisiana territory to 73 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 2: Carlos with a Treaty of Fontainebleau. And it wasn't because 74 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: they were family. It was basically he wanted to keep 75 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 2: Louisiana out of the hands of the Brits. 76 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: Right better in the hands of a cousin that's ruling 77 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: another country than in the Britz, who he has no 78 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: friends with, you know. So now Louisiana and New Orleans 79 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: is under Spanish rule. And it was actually a pretty 80 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: smart move because after the Seven Years War ended, King 81 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: Louis had to seed all of the Louisiana territory east 82 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,799 Speaker 1: of the Mississippi to the Britz as part of the treaty, 83 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: except New Orleans. And the reason New Orleans is such 84 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: a plump was because if you wanted to move goods 85 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: from one place to another, there were no railroads there 86 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: were no stage coaches. You did it on the river, 87 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: and the Mississippi in particular was a very, very valuable 88 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: river because it went from the top of the continent 89 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: to the bottom. And if when you got your stuff 90 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: down in New Orleans, you could prepare for a seagoing ship, 91 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: put your goods on that and now from the Gulf 92 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: of Mexico, you can take that stuff and sell it 93 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: anywhere in the world. 94 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 2: That's right. Another reason New Orleans is a plum is 95 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 2: because it's New Orleans. It's sure one of the great 96 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 2: American cities. Man, I love New Orleans. I love that city. 97 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 2: It's it's been too long. I need to get back there. 98 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 1: It is. It's a cool city. It's it's almost like 99 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,919 Speaker 1: it's got its own vibe, you know, like there's no 100 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,279 Speaker 1: other place like it. 101 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: No other place like it. And one of the friendliest. 102 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 2: Like if you're open to life and you go to 103 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 2: New Orleans, there's a fifty percent chance you're going to 104 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 2: end up in a stranger's home, like eating dinner with 105 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 2: them or something. 106 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: Those are high odds. 107 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 2: All right, speaking of high maybe we should take a 108 00:05:49,520 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 2: break and we'll be right back after this, all right, 109 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: So New Orleans is there. It's a very hot shipping port. 110 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 2: That's one of the pros for sure. One of the 111 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 2: downsides is is tons of mosquitoes, meaning a lot of 112 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 2: yellow fever, a lot of smallpox. But it was great 113 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 2: real estate, obviously, you know, with that port right there. 114 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 2: So around that time, because of this, France starts looking 115 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 2: back at New Orleans and Napoleon is in power by 116 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 2: this point seventeen ninety nine, and he was like, man, 117 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 2: I really want to get into the West, and New 118 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 2: Orleans is pretty great. Man. They got the mouth of 119 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 2: the Mississippi right there, and if I can control New 120 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 2: Orleans then that would be really great for my interests 121 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 2: on that side of the world. 122 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: Right, So he goes back to Spain and he's like, hey, 123 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: I would love the Louisiana territory back. What do you say, 124 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: I give your son in law the throne of Tuscany, right, 125 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: and you give me back the Louisiana territory. And so 126 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: Napoleon and the King of Spain came up with the 127 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: Treaty of San Ildefonso, which in English is the Treaty 128 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: of Saint PHONSI, and France suddenly had the Louisiana territory again. 129 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 2: That's right. But around the same time there was some 130 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 2: in French owned Hispaniola, which was Haitian, the Dominican Republic 131 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 2: is what we would call that today. They were like, 132 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 2: they were farming sugar and coffee and tropical produce. So 133 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 2: that was all great, you know, for the French and 134 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 2: for Napoleon getting New Orleans with me, and you could 135 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 2: trade that stuff much easier or much more easily, and 136 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 2: so he was like, this is all going to come together. However, 137 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 2: the enslaved people there had other ideas and they led 138 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 2: what is the only really successful slave revolt in history. 139 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, the Haitian Rebellion led by Dussaint Lovertire, which I 140 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: was like, yes, that's going to be an episode, so 141 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:19,119 Speaker 1: everyone put it on the list. 142 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 3: O good. 143 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: But this was in Haiti, which at the time was 144 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: Saint doming Do Minge, I don't remember how to say Dominge. Yeah, 145 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: And Saint Domingue was far and away the crown jewel 146 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: of France's economic holdings over in the West, right in 147 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: the West Indies. And so even if you had New 148 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: Orleans without the country that was producing all the stuff 149 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: that you were going to take to New Orleans and 150 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 1: then ship around the world. You're just basically your whole 151 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: Western economic empire that Napoleon was going to build is 152 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: just out the window. So he said, you know what, 153 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: I don't think we really need Louisiana anymore. The Brits 154 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:02,680 Speaker 1: are knocking at the door again. I'm gonna have to 155 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: fight them. I'm sick of those guys. I need some 156 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: quick money. Let me see who wants to buy the 157 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: Louisiana territory. And in walk Thomas Jefferson reading a Bible, 158 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: he edited himself. 159 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 2: That's right, and Napoleon was like, I turns out I 160 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 2: also hate Mondays, And Thomas Jefferson said, you know what, 161 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 2: I love Mondays and I love Louisiana and I love 162 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 2: New Orleans. So TJ comes in, It's like, I don't 163 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 2: want to fight with you guys, so why don't we 164 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 2: just see if we can work this out in a 165 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 2: friendly way. So he sent James Monroe down there to 166 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 2: the French government to buy just New Orleans at this 167 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 2: point for like three million bucks. He's like, that's as 168 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 2: high as I'll go. 169 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:47,839 Speaker 1: Not a penny more. I'm not going to pay a 170 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,119 Speaker 1: lot for this territory. 171 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 2: That's right. 172 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: So so Monroe goes and talks to Napoleon and is like, 173 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,719 Speaker 1: what do you think? And Napoleon goes, how about this. 174 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: Here's my counter offer. You have to buy all of 175 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: the Louisiana territory. And James Monroe dropped his tea cup. 176 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: Luckily there's somebody there at catch you before it shattered 177 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: on the floor. He said, for fifteen million dollars, and 178 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: James wonn Road did the mathro quick in his head 179 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: and he's like, that's less than four cents an acre, 180 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: and he said sold. 181 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,239 Speaker 2: He said sold. Yeah, so he signed over to Jefferson 182 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 2: and you know, of course we did a whole episode 183 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 2: on the Louisiana purchase. It was a good one, yeah, 184 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 2: the needy, gritty details, but that basically doubled the size 185 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 2: of the country. And then, you know, when I looked 186 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 2: at this article, and I might title it this too, 187 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 2: like how did a shipwreck double the size of the 188 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 2: United States? At the end of my first read through, 189 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 2: I was like, but wait, how did that happen? Again? 190 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,199 Speaker 2: I guess the idea is had that shipwreck never happened, 191 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 2: Spain would have been able to deliver their silver and 192 00:10:55,800 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 2: maybe would have stayed in the Louisiana business exactly. Okay, Yeah, 193 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 2: so I got it. 194 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: Yeah you did. And I feel like we did Conger's 195 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: article some justice. 196 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 2: I hope. So, like I said, it was a really 197 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 2: great article and Kristen's awesome. 198 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: Yep. It was kind of one of our drunk history 199 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: style short stuffs. 200 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 2: That's right, except we're not drinking because it's two fifteen. 201 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: Yeah on a Thursday. 202 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 3: Even that's right. 203 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: At any rate, I think short stuff's out, guys. 204 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 3: Stuff you should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 205 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:38,439 Speaker 3: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 206 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.