1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: I'm Sair Dowdy and I'm delaying a chocolate boarding and 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: today we're going to be talking about a very famous 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: children's book and the author of that book, and Tonto 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: Sante Superry and his most famous work. Of course, The 7 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: Little Prince starts off with a pretty funny, memorable scene 8 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: involving a boa and thwarted artistic talent. But from there 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: it quickly cuts to the main action of the story. 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: There's a pilot narrator and he's crash landed in the 11 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: Sahara Desert. He's all by himself, and he has an 12 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: engine to fix, and he only has one week's worth 13 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: of water. And we're going to pick up with a 14 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: little quote from that scene. The first night, then I 15 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: went to sleep on the sand, a thousand miles from 16 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: any human habitation. It was more isolated than a shipwrecked 17 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean. 18 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: That's you can imagine my amazement at sunrise when I 19 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: was awakened by an odd little voice. It said, if 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 1: you please draw me as sheep? What draw me as sheep. 21 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: That's the little Prince. Of course. Actually It'stublinos it playing 22 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: the little print, playing the part of the little Prince. 23 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: And luckily for our story, Um, the book, in addition 24 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: to being part extraterrestrial, because the Little Prince is not 25 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: from planet Earth, he's from an asteroid. Um, the book 26 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: is also part autobiographical. And Santa Zuperi really did crash 27 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: land In fact, he crashed landed quite a few times, 28 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: most famously in the Libyan desert. Um. But we're gonna 29 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about that adventure and a few 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: other things too. Yeah, his career is a male pilot 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: and his mysterious disappearance over the Mediterranean. Because for all 32 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: the simplicity and the gentleness of the Little Prince, its 33 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 1: author was actually a very reckless man. Yeah, and it 34 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: up with him eventually unfortunately. Um. But we'll start at 35 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: the beginning. He was of the minor nobility and born 36 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: kind of impoverished minor nobility. I mean, the perfect beginning 37 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: for a story like this. I'd say. His name was 38 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 1: Antoine Marie Rogier de Sante Zuberi, and he was born 39 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 1: June twenty nine, nineteen hundred, in lyon and um. As 40 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: a side note, this was a listener suggested topic. Somebody 41 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: named Mike brought it up to us, and he and 42 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: his email. He mentioned that he thought that Exuberi was 43 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: about the coolest name anybody could have, and Santa Zuberi 44 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: barely thought so himself. He called it unbolnom, which means 45 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: a lovely name, and he even tried to prevent other 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: female family members who shared the names, such as his 47 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: wife and his sister, from publishing under it, which they 48 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: did anyway. So sorry, So he at least has the 49 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: self esteem of nobility, if not the wallet's not the money. 50 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: He missed World War On service by literally one day 51 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: because he came with age one day after armistice, but 52 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: he still really yearned his whole life for a military career. Yeah, 53 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: but he failed his entrance exam. Heve not a very 54 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: good student. He failed his entrance exam to the Navy 55 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: school and instead entered a light cavalry regiment as a 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: civilian conscript. And it's interesting, but from there he ended 57 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: up flying. And it doesn't it doesn't seem like the 58 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: easiest path in any way. He really really wanted to fly. 59 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: He'd been flying in planes for about as long as 60 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: a person could fly in planes at this point. His 61 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: first ride was in nineteen twelve in a Bertode Robolowski 62 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: metal monoplane. I tried to find more information about that 63 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: plane and pronunciations as well, but um, I think it's 64 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: a pretty rare early plane. Indeed, but according to an 65 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: article in aviation history, the French weren't allowing civilian conscripts 66 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: without previous experience to train his pilots. So this is 67 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: where his position as minor and nobility comes in. Someone 68 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: had to pull some strings for him and actually managed 69 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: to get sane SUPERI flying lessons with an ex pilot 70 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 1: from the German Army who hadn't really even trained a 71 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: student before, so it was private, private flying lessons. Indeed, 72 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: this is all while he was in service too, so 73 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: that's you know, yeah, he he actually went over to 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: the civilian side of the airfield to take his private 75 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: pilot's lessons so he could get around this restriction. And 76 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: he does, you know, start to build up hours and 77 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: learn how to fly, and he became a military pilot. 78 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: He flew fighter planes, and he got transferred to Morocco 79 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: as an official flight trainee. And kept practicing. There he'd 80 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: fly solo over the desert to Casablanca, and I mean 81 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: that's sort of his first time on these long solo 82 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: flights where I mean that sort of defines who he is. 83 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: That if you, if you read many of his works 84 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: or look at his biography, much long stretches of solitude 85 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: flying over the desert. But by nine two he's earned 86 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: enough hours to get his pilot's license. And it seems 87 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: like up until this point it's been kind of unconventional, 88 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: but pretty auspicious too. You know, he certainly had luck 89 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: on his side. Seems like a good beginning for a 90 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: life spent in the air, but that doesn't last very long. 91 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 1: Within a year, he has his first big crash outside 92 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: Paris while flying a plane that he wasn't even rated 93 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: to fly. He was grounded temporarily after that, but then 94 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: something else happens. His fiance decides to make this a 95 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: more permanent arrangement and convinces him to quit flying, which 96 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: he does, although unfortunately the relationship doesn't last. It ends 97 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: pretty soon after that, but Sonic Superi ends up working 98 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: odd jobs. He works as a bookkeeper, a mechanic, a 99 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: traveling salesman for a truck manufacturer, does a bit of 100 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: writing too, but basically not flying for a time. He's 101 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: not flying, And just a note before we move on 102 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: from her. His fiance was actually Louise Laveck de Villema, 103 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: who was a future novelist still at this point, and 104 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: she wrote Madame Do, which is kind of awkward to 105 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: say out loud, that title imagine ellipses after Madame de Um, 106 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: but that was of course adapted into the film ear 107 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: Rings of Madame de also ellipsies say, which is a 108 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: really cool movie if if um, any of y'all are 109 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 1: looking for something new on your Netflix que, It's an interesting, 110 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: kind of disturbing movie, and I think it's cool. She 111 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: had a connection to Santa Zuberi. Yeah, but as we said, 112 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: that connection doesn't last. So by he is back up 113 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: in the air, this time as a commercial pilot, though 114 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: hoping to be one. Hoping to be one, but unfortunately 115 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: it was and no one really wants to fly at 116 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: this point. Yeah, it's kind of terrible. It's dangerous and cold. Yeah, 117 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: so air mill was a better business to be in. 118 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: So Santic Superi is hired by a former fighter pilot 119 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: to work for a company that's called Aero Pastel eventually 120 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: called eventually called Aero Pastel, even though he doesn't really 121 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: have that much experience. So he starts out as a 122 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: mechanic and starts working his way up the ladder. He 123 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: works his way up to piloting, and he starts pioneering 124 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: routes in Northwest Africa, South the South Atlantic, and South America. 125 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: In Africa he works as station chief, and then in 126 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: Patagonia he becomes operations director. So you know, so I mean, 127 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: working his way up. He's doing well for himself. And 128 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: it's interesting that even though some of those sound a 129 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: little more like desk jobs, and maybe they could have 130 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: been operations director. I don't know. He's still always in 131 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: the air. I mean he always takes time to fly 132 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: and and again. All those hours flying over the desert, 133 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: flying over the mountains, I mean things that really add 134 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: to his mystique and give him fodder for later books too. 135 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: I mean, all that time spent looking at things and thinking. Uh. 136 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 1: In fact, his first novel, which was published in nineteen 137 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: twenty nine and its English title as Southern Mail, was 138 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: about an airmail pilot, and his second book, published in 139 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty called night Flight was about just sort of 140 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: the glamorous but risky life of pilots, and he did 141 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: embrace those risks still too. I mean you'd think that 142 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: with this new responsibility, new amount of responsibility he has, 143 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: he might tone it down a little. Um, not the 144 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: same santic Zuberi who was flying planes he wasn't rated 145 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 1: to fly in. He's still reckless. According to again that 146 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: article in aviation history, mechanics really liked him. They liked 147 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: hanging out with him, reading his stuff, talking with him, 148 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: playing cards with him, but they preferred not to fly 149 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: with him. When you know, lots were drawn or whatever. 150 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: Who was going to go with santic Zuberi. Yeah, that 151 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: really says it all. But rather than getting better, I 152 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: guess getting less reckless, it only gets worse when he 153 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: leaves Ara Pastile eventually because the company goes bankrupt. Yeah, 154 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: he goes to work. I think Air France spies a 155 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: little bit of Ara pas Stile and he works as 156 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: a test pilot for Air France and then as sort 157 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: of a pr guy for the airline because he has 158 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: had successful publications and he's a well known pilot by 159 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: this point. Um, he even does the work as a reporter. 160 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: But it's in nineteen five that he embarks on his 161 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: next really bold enterprise, and it's an enterprise that helps 162 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: inspire his next major book, which is the nineteen thirty 163 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: nine National Book Award winner Wins, Sand and Stars, and 164 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: even later inspires that that scene we opened with in 165 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 1: The Little Prince, Um, it's not a good um, not 166 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: a good scene though, not one you'd really want to 167 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: live out in real life. No, it's rather scary. Actually. 168 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: He gets ahold of another monoplane, This one is a 169 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: Cadrone Simon, which Simon means sandstorm, and he attempts to 170 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:09,199 Speaker 1: set a record by flying from Paris to Saigon, and 171 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: the prize for this would be a hundred and fifty 172 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: thousand francs. Somehow, though, on this incredible journey, he ends up, 173 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: along with his navigator mechanic Andre Provo, crashed in Libya. 174 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: So Libya, I mean, come on, pretty yeah, pretty bad situation. 175 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: They don't have provisions or anything like that. Um, just 176 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 1: a little bit of wine, think yea or something like that. 177 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: Not much at all. Luckily, though, they're rescued by bad Wins. Yeah, 178 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 1: and only three years later he crashes yet another one 179 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: of these little planes in Guatemala. While he's trying to 180 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: fly the length of North and South America. He starts 181 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: somewhere in North America that is, is nowhere near the 182 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: length of the continent. But anyways, I mean, your record 183 00:10:57,720 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 1: is not going to hold if you if you crash 184 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 1: land anyway, so um, you know, those kind of experiences 185 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: just again fuel his his legend and his fame a 186 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: little bit. Even though that second crash, the one in Guatemala, badly, 187 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: badly injures him. I guess the first in Libya wasn't 188 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: quite as bad because they crashed into a sand dune. Um, 189 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,439 Speaker 1: but he was a little more battered on the second one. Yeah, 190 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: neither of them sound pleasant, but the second one actually 191 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: ended his flight career, for his commercial flight career. He 192 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: does rejoy the French Air Force briefly before the Nazis 193 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: occupy the country, but luckily St. Suberi escapes. But where 194 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: does he settle? New York City, of all places, And 195 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: this is a secret that's kept for him by the 196 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 1: War Department. He wanted actually at that point to join 197 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: the US Air Force, but he's rejected because of his age. 198 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,679 Speaker 1: He's getting up in years at this point forty years old, 199 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: not really a common age for a fighter pilot. Um, 200 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: but he has a comfy founding life in New York City. 201 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: I mean it. I'm amazed that that he doesn't end 202 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: his days there. But he and his wife Kensuelo lived 203 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 1: there from January nineteen forty one to April nineteen forty three, 204 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: and they worked on drumming up support for the war. 205 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:17,119 Speaker 1: He was really trying to get the United States involved 206 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: and um milling about with the Lindberghs, you know, having 207 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: a pretty glamorous life. And it's even possible that the 208 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: Lindbergh's son, who was a little blonde boy named Land, 209 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: was the inspiration for the Little Prince character. And um, 210 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: the Santa Zuperis were living too forty Central Park South Penthouse, 211 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: so comfy digs. He liked the penthouse because he's way 212 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: up in the air, and he likes New York too. 213 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: He apparently really enjoyed going to the Empire State Building 214 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 1: and tossing little scraps of paper off the top or 215 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: out the windows or something and watching them float down. Um, 216 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: he's having a good time. Sounds like a great life. 217 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 1: But even to had away from Manhattan. Sometimes he and 218 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,959 Speaker 1: his wife stayed as guests at the Bevan House in 219 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: Asharoke in Long Island, and that's where he wrote The 220 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: Little Prince. And he also painted and studied English. Um, 221 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,320 Speaker 1: which I physically hung out. I think that's kind of 222 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: a surprise to a lot of people. It was a 223 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: surprise to me that The Little Prince was written in 224 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 1: the United States. And I even found an interesting article. 225 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 1: And then he heard times about Antoine Slant Exubery literary 226 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: tours because in a way he is a New York writer, 227 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 1: because his famous, most famous work was written here and 228 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: or not here in the United States. Um. I think 229 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: that's so cool to have somebody like that. You can 230 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: go to New York and and see little spots he visited. 231 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: Not someone you associate with New York at all. No, 232 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: not at all. But after he finished the book, he 233 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 1: ends up leaving. And I know, you can't believe the Sarah. 234 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: He leaves this wonderful dream of a life he has 235 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: in New York, hanging out in his penthouse, throwing pieces 236 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 1: of paper off the entire State Building, and he rejoins 237 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: the French Free Air Force. He really wants to get 238 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: involved in the war and help out with the war effort. 239 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: Patriotic and he loves flying exactly. So he joins up 240 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: with the French Air Force in North Africa and he 241 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: starts a free French air the Free French Air Force. 242 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: We have the v SHE regime going on in France exactly, 243 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: and he starts flying reconnaissance missions for the Allies. At 244 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: this time, he's forty four years old, he's overweight, and 245 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: he's just really beaten up from the crashes that he's endured. Yeah, 246 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,479 Speaker 1: I mean, I think of all of the different crashes 247 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: and the toll that would take on a middle aged man. 248 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: I mean, he has trouble even getting into a plane 249 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: at this point, let alone spending hours all stiff and 250 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: buckled in in a in a cold cabin, and um, 251 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: it really took the full power of his fame and 252 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: influence to get him back in the cockpit. And I 253 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: mean he's had strings pulled for him for his entire career. 254 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: But I mean, I think this is the big one 255 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: here that gets this guy back in a plane. But 256 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: he he does, you know, and he does start flying again. 257 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: And on July thirty one, nineteen four, he takes off 258 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: from Corsica on this photo mapping mission. He's in a 259 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: lockeed P thirty eight lightning and he never comes back, 260 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: and that's kind of where our big mystery starts. He's 261 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: of course presumed dead, and for many years there were 262 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: a lot of theories about what exactly happened. I mean, 263 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: after after Amelia Earhart. This is probably one of the 264 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: big aviation mysteries of our time. Yeah, definitely, there were 265 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: several possibilities. Could have been suicide. He did go through 266 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: a lot of trouble to be in this dangerous situation, 267 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: and he was known to be depressed, so there's some 268 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: chances that maybe this was just an elaborate suicide attempt. 269 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: Some people think that it's also possible that he may 270 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: have mishandled the plane or perhaps miscalculated how much fuel 271 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: he had and just crashed. He could have also maybe 272 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: passed out some lack of oxygen unlikely scenarios unlikely since 273 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: oxygen was the one thing Sonic Supery was famously very 274 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: careful about. I think that's kind of funny to um 275 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: not in this situation, but that he was so careful 276 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: about oxygen and reckless about everything else. UM And then 277 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: of course there's the possibility that he was shot down. 278 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: So for years and years after his death, this is 279 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: sort of what we were left with, figuring out what 280 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: it could have been, and knowing that we probably would 281 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: never know. Then in new clues started trickling in, and 282 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: it started when fisherman off of Marseilles found a silver 283 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: bracelet with his name engraved on it in a scrap 284 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: of his flying suit, and divers started checking the area nearby, 285 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: you know, looking for for anything else, and they found 286 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: remains of a lackeyed P thirty eight lightning and there 287 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: was no body inside, nobody anywhere near. But the serial 288 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: number of the plane matched that of the plane Sonic 289 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: Xuberi was known to be flying. Yeah, but it was weird. 290 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: There was no evidence of bullet holes or bent propeller 291 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: or any other sign that it had been shot down. 292 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,480 Speaker 1: So a little bit of a discovery, little big discovery, 293 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: but still mystery. We didn't exactly know what happened. So 294 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: in two thousand five there was another interesting discovery. Two 295 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: divers decided that they had noticed this wreckage nearby the 296 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: Scent Exuberi crash site a few years earlier, and they 297 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: decided okay, let's get check that out. And after going 298 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 1: through a bunch of red tape getting permits and everything, 299 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: they finally do and they and they dive and and 300 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,679 Speaker 1: see what's down there, and interestingly, there is another plane 301 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: down there. Yet what they found down there was a 302 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: Damler Benz V twelve aircraft engine that, when reviewed by 303 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: experts in Munich, turned out to be part of a 304 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: measure Schmidt flight fighter lane flown by Prince Alexis von 305 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: Bentheim muhn Steinfurt. And this was a twenty two year 306 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: old German pilot shot down by Americans in ninety three 307 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: when he was on his first solo flight, Prince a 308 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: prince of all things, I mean, a young prince. So 309 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: one of the divers who helps lift out this engine, 310 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: named Leno von Gartzen, runs with this new clue and 311 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,480 Speaker 1: starts hitting the archives, working with the staff of a 312 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: magazine for Luftwaffa vets and find truest to find pilots 313 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: who flew with the Prince. Yeah, and he makes one thousand, 314 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: two hundred calls to these Luftwaffa vets and to their 315 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: families because of course the surviving wins they're in their 316 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 1: eighties and many have have died since then. Um. And 317 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: finally he contacts the former pilot, Horst Rippert, and Rippert 318 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: tells him, quote, you can stop searching. I've shot down 319 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: Sante Exuberi. This is amazing. I mean, this is an 320 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: amazing revelation. But there's no proof of that it actually happened, 321 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: since the German flight logs didn't make it through the war, 322 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: usually a losing side. Of course, this late in the 323 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,199 Speaker 1: war too, they're not keeping really great records, right. But 324 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: actually it's not that outrageous a tale, right, not really, 325 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: because I mean his story he said, I didn't see 326 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 1: the pilot. I never could have seen the pilot. But um, 327 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: he does have a story that that adds up pretty much. Um. 328 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: His fighter squadron had been alerted to a group of 329 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: reconnaissance planes in the area, and he found a Lackey 330 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: P thirty eight with with a French with French colors 331 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,160 Speaker 1: on it and shot it down. He didn't see the pilot, um, 332 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: but he did note and remember these strange evasive loops 333 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,400 Speaker 1: that the pilot made trying to get away from him. 334 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: And then a few days later he heard that Antoine 335 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: de Sant exuper he was missing, and he had this 336 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: horrible thinking suspicion that he might have killed him. Yeah, 337 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,679 Speaker 1: and he is the really sad part about that. He 338 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: also admits that Sonic Superi had been his hero, a 339 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: writer that he read in school and the person who 340 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 1: inspired him to fly in the first place in his 341 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 1: early twenties. When this happened. He even said, according to 342 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: Sonic Supery's great nephew and family spokesperson, that if he 343 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: had known what he was doing, he never would have 344 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: done it. So, I mean, a very sad and an 345 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 1: interesting story. And maybe, you know, I guess again, we're 346 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: never going to know for sure, but it's certainly, um, 347 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 1: certainly a fascinating conclusion for now to this mystery and 348 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 1: at least an interesting possibility out there well. And to 349 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: know that at the very least, this man who shot 350 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: down a P thirty eight in ninet is haunted and 351 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: has been for his entire life by the idea that 352 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: he might have killed his his hero. It's tragic, it 353 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: is so Sonic Supery. We now know he died at 354 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: age forty four, just as a little prince once described 355 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: seeing forty four sunsets in one day, and the book 356 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: went on to become by far his most famous. Yeah, 357 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: probably most of you have read it, whether as kids 358 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,720 Speaker 1: are in class or maybe to your own kids, or 359 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: at least looked at the pictures. I mean that, I 360 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: think that's always been my favorite part of The Little Prince, 361 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: the Bay of Bob's and the boas and the rose. 362 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 1: Of course. Um, today, this is kind of interesting. I 363 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: was just reading a New Yorker article about asteroid strikes 364 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,880 Speaker 1: potential asteroid strikes on Earth, and there is a private 365 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:42,439 Speaker 1: foundation that is dedicated to protecting the Earth from asteroid strikes, 366 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: and appropriately enough, it is named the B six twelve Foundation, 367 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: after the Little Prince's home asteroid where's he's cleaning out 368 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: as volcanoes every day? That's pretty cool. Just to end 369 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: it off here, there's a quote that we have from 370 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: Anne mar limp for on her friend Sonic SUPERI, and 371 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: she says, how is it possible that he kept his 372 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 1: mind on the gas consumption while pondering the mysteries of 373 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: the universe? How can he navigate by stars when they're 374 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: to him the frozen glitter of diamonds? And I think 375 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 1: I really like his appreciation of of solitude, And um, 376 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,159 Speaker 1: I don't know, just flying over the desert alone and 377 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: having all that time to to think and ponder, not 378 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: having radar and all these instruments and things. Um. One 379 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: of his biographers, Stacy Chef, even mentioned that it's kind 380 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: of difficult for any biographer of his to to look 381 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: at his life completely because it's quite possible that the 382 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: most important hours and moments were spent thousands of feet 383 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: above earth and nobody can really touch that, you know. Yeah, 384 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: it makes you wonder what he would have written he 385 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: had lived. Yeah, I think so. So. Yeah, I guess 386 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: that about wraps it up for Antointo sant Exubery. I'm 387 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,959 Speaker 1: kind interested in going out and looking at some of 388 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,199 Speaker 1: his other books. Now. I've only read the Little Prints, 389 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: and I'd be interested to read some of his more 390 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: memoir type writings, especially The wind Sandon Stars. Same here, Yeah, 391 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 1: that was one. I think it was. National Geographic rated 392 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: him very high or rated that book very high, like 393 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: three very least top ten for best adventure books. So 394 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: that sounds right up my alley for for some fun 395 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: springtime reading. And um, if you have any sent x 396 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:38,400 Speaker 1: SUPERI recommendation things you have read by him or any 397 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: other author. Biography recommendations. After all, this was a listeners suggestion. 398 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,639 Speaker 1: Feel free to to send us an email at History 399 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 1: Podcast at how stuff works dot com. We're also on 400 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: Twitter at Miston History, and we're on Facebook. And if 401 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: you would like to learn a little bit more about 402 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 1: men's history and flight, we have an article called it 403 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: was Man's First Attempt to Fly and you can look 404 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:05,959 Speaker 1: at up by visiting our homepage at www dot how 405 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 406 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 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