Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menkey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is
Speaker 1: full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display,
Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet
Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Author, educator and presidential advisor Booker T. Washington
Speaker 1: once said, those who are happiest are those who do
Speaker 1: the most for others, and Jean Eugene Robert lived up
Speaker 1: to that, doing a lot for others over the course
Speaker 1: of his relatively short life, but he would never know
Speaker 1: the influence he would have on the people he met,
Speaker 1: nor on those who came long after him. Born in
Speaker 1: blue As, France in December of eighteen o five, Jean
Speaker 1: Eugeene lost his mother at a very young age. His father,
Speaker 1: in turn, sent him off to boarding school. Is He
Speaker 1: the older man, had plans for his son. He wanted
Speaker 1: him to be more, more successful, more wealthy, and have
Speaker 1: more status among the social elites. He wanted him to
Speaker 1: become a lawyer. Jean Eugene obliged out of respect for
Speaker 1: his father and found work as a clerk for a
Speaker 1: local attorney. However, he quickly realized that law wasn't the
Speaker 1: right fit for him. Instead, Jean Eugene spent his hours
Speaker 1: working with gears and tools in his hands. He wanted
Speaker 1: to be more like his father, a watchmaker, but his
Speaker 1: father had retired by this time, so Jean Eugene became
Speaker 1: apprentice to his cousin instead, also in the watch trade,
Speaker 1: he had grander ambitions, though, John Eugene wanted to branch
Speaker 1: out from watches and work on bigger projects. He bought
Speaker 1: himself a set of expensive and educational books on clockmaking,
Speaker 1: a trade he would dedicate most of his life too.
Speaker 1: Jean Eugene would go on to invent a new kind
Speaker 1: of clock, known as a mystery clock or impossible clock.
Speaker 1: On first glance, those creations were marvels of modern mechanics.
Speaker 1: They appeared to have no inner workings. In fact, their
Speaker 1: hands weren't attached to anything that would rotate them too.
Speaker 1: Many who saw them then they were magic, which made sense,
Speaker 1: seeing as how Jean Eugene never got the books he
Speaker 1: had ordered in the first place. The shopkeeper hadn't wrapped
Speaker 1: up two volumes on hore logical engineering rather, Jean Eugene
Speaker 1: had accidentally taken home two books on scientific amusements, in
Speaker 1: other words, magic. The books demonstrated how tricks were accomplished,
Speaker 1: but didn't show him how to actually perform that. For help,
Speaker 1: Jehan Eugene sought help from a magician in town who
Speaker 1: performed at local gatherings. The watchmaker turned a magician learned
Speaker 1: sleight of hand, juggling and common routines like cups and balls.
Speaker 1: He practiced for hours a day, building his skill as
Speaker 1: a magician as well as his business making watches and clocks.
Speaker 1: Around eighteen thirty, he started touring around Europe and the
Speaker 1: United States, performing his magic for small gatherings at parties.
Speaker 1: It is on one particular trip when he met a
Speaker 1: young woman named Joseph Cecile Hudan. She was the daughter
Speaker 1: of a prominent watchmaker. In fact, her family had hailed
Speaker 1: from the same town in France as Jean Eugene. A
Speaker 1: happy coincidence, right, or had fates planned this little meeting
Speaker 1: all along? It didn't matter, though. The young couple immediately
Speaker 1: fell in love and were married in July of that year.
Speaker 1: Jean Eugene hyphenated his name to include hers now going
Speaker 1: by Jean Eugene Robert Huddon, and then the couple moved
Speaker 1: to Paris, where they started their new life together. He
Speaker 1: began working for his father in law, making watches and
Speaker 1: inventing different mechanical trinkets like toys and automatons. On one
Speaker 1: of his walks through the city, one day, Jean Eugene
Speaker 1: happened upon a small shop that sold magic supplies. Frequent
Speaker 1: visitors to the store included magicians of all kind, from
Speaker 1: seasoned pros to folks just starting out. He talked with
Speaker 1: them about their techniques and took their advice on how
Speaker 1: to improve his own. The future seemed bright for Jean
Speaker 1: Eugene until i Otober of eighteen forty three, when his
Speaker 1: Ailien wife passed away. She had been only thirty two
Speaker 1: at the time. Pushing through the pain, Jean Eugene continued
Speaker 1: to pursue his dream. He attended magic performances and rehearsed
Speaker 1: his own routine. He also used the money he was
Speaker 1: making from his watches and automatons to fund new tricks
Speaker 1: of his own invention. And if you'll pardon the pun,
Speaker 1: it seems that the time had come to bring his
Speaker 1: side hobby into the spotlight. With help from a private loan,
Speaker 1: Jean Eugene built himself a theater at the Palais Royal,
Speaker 1: a palatial former residence of cardinals and aristocrats. He brought
Speaker 1: his vision to life with new curtains, fresh paint, and
Speaker 1: other accouterments that gave off an air of sophistication to
Speaker 1: anyone who stepped inside. Jean Eugene gave his first performance
Speaker 1: on July three of eighteen forty five. It was a
Speaker 1: rousing failure. The theater was practically empty. Though he had
Speaker 1: practiced his tricks from months beforehand in front of the
Speaker 1: mirror and for party guests at small gatherings, he had
Speaker 1: never done them in a large the It her, even
Speaker 1: one that was half empty. His stage fright got the
Speaker 1: better of him. Not a single newspaper mentioned the event.
Speaker 1: He had bombed into anonymity. He didn't let it stop him, though.
Speaker 1: He kept performing, getting better with each new show, new
Speaker 1: illusions he thought would bring them in. John Eugene developed
Speaker 1: tricks of his own design to draw in the crowds.
Speaker 1: For example, he had a mind reading trick where his
Speaker 1: son would stand on stage blindfolded while Jean Eugene walked
Speaker 1: into the audience. People would hold up random objects for
Speaker 1: him to touch, and his son would describe them perfectly,
Speaker 1: even though he couldn't see them. Another of his illusions
Speaker 1: involved a bottle of ether, which he claimed could make
Speaker 1: anyone lighter than air if they simply took a whiff.
Speaker 1: With three stools arranged on stage, he had a son's
Speaker 1: stand on the center one. A cane was placed on
Speaker 1: each of the opposite stools, then tucked under his son's arms.
Speaker 1: His son would sniff the bottle of ether and pass out,
Speaker 1: standing up. John Eugene would then remove the middle stool,
Speaker 1: leaving him hanging by the two canes. Then he would
Speaker 1: take one cane away, and yet his son would never fall. Finally,
Speaker 1: Jean Eugeene would use his pinkie to pull the boy
Speaker 1: up by his legs until he was parallel with the floor,
Speaker 1: just hanging there in the air, and the crowds went wild.
Speaker 1: It was the start of a career that spanned almost
Speaker 1: a decade until his retirement at the age of forty eight.
Speaker 1: But he wouldn't stay out of the magic game for long.
Speaker 1: Napoleon the Third had a small problem brewing in French Algeria.
Speaker 1: The French army had taken over the region and was
Speaker 1: keeping the peace, but the local religious leaders were undermining
Speaker 1: their authority. Interestingly, they performed magic of their own to
Speaker 1: keep their tribes loyal and rebellious. Napoleon wanted John Eugene
Speaker 1: to come out of retirement to show the indigenous population
Speaker 1: that his magic was more powerful. The former watchmaker did
Speaker 1: as he was told, performing two shows a week and
Speaker 1: holding parties for the tribe's leaders. He demonstrated the tricks
Speaker 1: that made him famous in Paris. The tribes and their
Speaker 1: leaders were dumbfounded. He was even invited to give private
Speaker 1: performances as well. During a meeting with the head of
Speaker 1: one of the tribes, Jehan Eugene invited the man to
Speaker 1: shoot him. He caught the bullet with his teeth. It
Speaker 1: seemed as if his mission had been accomplished. There was
Speaker 1: no way the rebels were going to fight now. Jehan
Speaker 1: Eugene had saved the day. He spent his final years
Speaker 1: writing his memoirs on magic and clockmaking before dying of
Speaker 1: pneumonia in eighteen seventy one. He was just sixty five
Speaker 1: years old. His legacy lives on today. In his house
Speaker 1: in Bluas, which has since been converted into a museum
Speaker 1: dedicated to him and his work. And then there is
Speaker 1: his name, Jean Eugene Robert Who Done? You see? He
Speaker 1: was an inspiration to folks all over Europe and the
Speaker 1: America's even after his death. One such person was an
Speaker 1: up and coming magician named Eric Weiss, who, in eighteen ninety,
Speaker 1: at the age of sixteen, read Jean Eugene's book. He
Speaker 1: liked the name who Done, but he knew he couldn't
Speaker 1: use it outright. Instead, he added a letter to the end,
Speaker 1: which he incorrectly believed translated to like who Done. That's
Speaker 1: what he wanted, after all, to be like Robert Houdon.
Speaker 1: But in doing so he became a household name in
Speaker 1: his own right. We know him today as Harry Houdini.
Speaker 1: On April fourteenth of seventeen twenty one, the town of
Speaker 1: Port Tobacco Parish, Maryland, welcomed John into the world. John
Speaker 1: was born into a wealthy family of slave owners and politicians, and,
Speaker 1: like many of those in his era, his father, Samuel,
Speaker 1: had John educated privately at home until he came of age,
Speaker 1: and that education seems to have equipped him for a
Speaker 1: career in government. John entered the political arena at the
Speaker 1: age of twenty nine in seventeen fifty, where he held
Speaker 1: the position of sheriff for seven years until his election
Speaker 1: to the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly. Now
Speaker 1: from the beginning, John opposed Britain's heavy hand in colonial affairs.
Speaker 1: He chaired a committee dedicated to undermining the Stamp Act,
Speaker 1: which imposed attacks on American colonies and forced them to
Speaker 1: print written materials on English made paper. He also signed
Speaker 1: a resolution that kept goods from Britain out of the
Speaker 1: colony until the Towns and Acts were repealed. In seventeen
Speaker 1: sixty nine, he took a break from the General Assembly
Speaker 1: and moved back to Frederick County in western Maryland, and
Speaker 1: over the next five years he held a variety of
Speaker 1: much smaller public positions and led a quieter, more business
Speaker 1: focused life. After his earlier career, it must have felt
Speaker 1: like a needed break. Unfortunately, the rift between the colonies
Speaker 1: and the Crown had been growing wider and it seemed
Speaker 1: that war was on the horizon. So John jumped back
Speaker 1: into the fight for freedom, holding meetings in Frederick County
Speaker 1: and helping to pass new resolutions in opposition to England's
Speaker 1: onerous taxes. John also found himself to be a talented recruiter.
Speaker 1: While he had hoped England and the Colonies would eventually
Speaker 1: mend their fences, he prepared for the worst. He put
Speaker 1: out a call to patriots in his area to join him,
Speaker 1: and even gave them guns and other supplies, and then
Speaker 1: he sent them to George Washington to bolster the general's
Speaker 1: efforts against the British. Though he had lived a privileged
Speaker 1: life up until then, mostly funded by his family's plantation,
Speaker 1: John didn't see himself being of much use behind a
Speaker 1: desk in Congress. Instead, he stayed in Maryland to recruit
Speaker 1: more soldiers and raise additional funds. In fact, he even
Speaker 1: paid those enlisted out of his own pockets when necessary,
Speaker 1: and his assistance didn't go unnoticed by the people of Maryland.
Speaker 1: In seventeen seventy seven, John was elected to the States
Speaker 1: House of Delegates, where he served for five years. Two
Speaker 1: years into his term, he was sent to Philadelphia to
Speaker 1: represent the colony in the Second Continental Congress. Among his
Speaker 1: achievements there, John had a hand in ratifying the Articles
Speaker 1: of Confederation, which functioned as a precursor to the Constitution.
Speaker 1: According to the Articles, there was no executive branch of
Speaker 1: the United States government. Still, someone needed to make decisions,
Speaker 1: sign important documents, and moderate discussions among committees and congressional members.
Speaker 1: It wasn't as sition of true leadership, but it wasn't
Speaker 1: necessary one, and none had proved themselves more worthy of
Speaker 1: it than John Hanson. As a great organizer and financier
Speaker 1: of the Revolution, he was more than qualified to step
Speaker 1: up and represent this new country. He didn't much like
Speaker 1: the job, though, The work was so tedious to him
Speaker 1: that he almost quit after just one week. He was
Speaker 1: an older man by then and just wanted to spend
Speaker 1: his remaining years with his family, not stuck in an
Speaker 1: office in Philadelphia signing papers. On November five, John Hanson
Speaker 1: was elected President of Congress under the Articles of Confederation,
Speaker 1: a position he held until he stepped down a year later.
Speaker 1: Though he only remained in office for a short time,
Speaker 1: he still holds quite a lasting legacy to this day. First,
Speaker 1: it was John Hanson who proclaimed that Thanksgiving would be
Speaker 1: held on the last Thursday in November every year, a
Speaker 1: practice that is still observed today. And Secondly, he wasn't
Speaker 1: the only president of the Continental Congress. His role may
Speaker 1: have been poorly defined by the articles, but he was
Speaker 1: considered by many to be the first true president of
Speaker 1: the United States, and on November one, just a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks after taking office, he received a letter from
Speaker 1: an old friend. I congratulate your excellency, the senator wrote
Speaker 1: on your appointment to fill the most important seat in
Speaker 1: the United States. And the author of that note of
Speaker 1: congratulations for John's election to the office of presidents, our
Speaker 1: other first presidents of the United States, George Washington. I
Speaker 1: hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about
Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show
Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how
Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore,
Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and
Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over the world of
Speaker 1: Lore dot Come and until next time, stay curious. Yeah
Speaker 1: h