1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right 3 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. When you're fighting a certain 5 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: kind of enemy, it's not always about who has more 6 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: guns or more soldiers. The ability to understand the opposing 7 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: side and develop a solid strategy can lead to shorter 8 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: wars and less bloodshed. During and after World War Two, 9 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: when the United States needed help handling a foreign power 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: as quickly as possible, they called on one man. His 11 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: name was Edward Lansdale, and he was a United States 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: Air Force officer. His specialty was psychological warfare, getting into 13 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: the heads of his enemies and using their beliefs against them. 14 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,039 Speaker 1: For example, in Vietnam in the nineteen fifties, he helped 15 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: lead five hundred thousand Catholic refugees out of Communists led 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: North Vietnam by spreading religious propaganda. The pamphlets he helped 17 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: distribute claimed Christ has gone to the South and insinuated 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 1: a nuclear bomb would be dropped on Hannoi at any moment. 19 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: And the plan worked. The mass migration allowed South Vietnam 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: to take over as the majority half of the country. However, 21 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: Lansdale's efforts there were fairly tame compared to some of 22 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: his other attempts at military manipulation. Upon discovering the Vietnamese 23 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: people's belief in prophecy, he paid local fortune tellers and 24 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: astrologers to write predictions for an almanac he was publishing. 25 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: Once completed, he snuck it across enemy lines and let 26 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: it do its work. The book forecasted problems for the 27 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: people in the north, encouraging them to move to the south, 28 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: where it was safer. But perhaps his wildest idea came 29 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifties, while he was working to squash 30 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: communist uprising in the Philippines. Soldiers who didn't want to 31 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: be associated with the rich Manilan Filipinos embraced communism and 32 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: formed their own rebel militia called the Hucks, and their 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 1: numbers were growing. Lansdale was sent in to stop them. Unfortunately, 34 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: the Hucks had taken a prime position at the top 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: of a hill Loson and US forces were unable to 36 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: get to them without sustaining significant casualties. But Lansdale had 37 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: an idea. He knew what the rebels were afraid of, 38 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: and it wasn't guns or bombs. It was called an oswang, 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: a creature with a long tongue and sharp teeth that 40 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: drained its victims blood, kind of like a vampire. Lansdale 41 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: went to work spreading rumors about an oswang feeding nearby, 42 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: hoping to spook them, but rumors wouldn't be enough to 43 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: convince the Hucks to leave their position. He had his 44 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: troops weighed along unknown route for enemy patrols. As the 45 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: Hucks passed by, Lansdale's men snatched the last rebel in line, 46 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: a poor guy who had just fallen and behind enough 47 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: so as not to be heard as he was carried 48 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: off into the woods. Then he was strung upside down 49 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: and his neck was punctured, leaving two small holes. He 50 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: was then drained of his blood and tossed back onto 51 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: the road where he had been taken from. After that, 52 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: it was just a matter of waiting for him to 53 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: be discovered. The rebel soldiers returned looking for their fallen friend, 54 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: and there he was, pale, lifeless, and brandishing the telltale 55 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: signs of an oswang attack. The next day, the Hucks 56 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: left the hill for a safer position. Lansdale's ruse had 57 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: worked flawlessly, although he wasn't done just yet. One Oswang 58 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: attack would not end the whole rebellion, so he went 59 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: on to paint all Seen Eyes on the doors of 60 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: homes where it was thought that rebels might be hiding. 61 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: He even had low flying planes transmit messages to make 62 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: the Hucks think that there were spies everywhere, and not 63 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: long after, the Hucks surrendered, ending their rebellion and earning 64 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: Edward Lansdale a place in history as someone who didn't 65 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: um suck at winning wars, even if he had to 66 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: pretend to be a vampire to do it. They say 67 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: dogs in the workplace lead to less stress for employees. 68 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: This results in more productivity, pure sick days taken, and 69 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: a higher morale. But the idea of taking your pet 70 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: to work didn't originate with big companies like Google or Amazon. 71 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: In fact, as far back as the eighteen hundreds, canine 72 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: companions were a common sight at certain workplaces. One such 73 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: pooch was named Ony. He was a terrier and the 74 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: unofficial mascot of Albany, New York's post office. Back in 75 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: the late eighteen hundreds, Owny liked to hang around and 76 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: sleep in the mail bags while his owner worked, and 77 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: even after his owner quit the post office, Owney stayed 78 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: hind to keep watch over the letters and packages that 79 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 1: came through. The dog was very protective of the mail bags, 80 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: and when one moved, he would follow it to the 81 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: train that it was eventually loaded onto. Riding the rails 82 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: from Albany to another location, Ony stayed with the mail 83 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: and made sure only mail clerks ever handled the bags. 84 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: And since none of the trains he wrote on ever 85 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:24,919 Speaker 1: derailed or crashed, they started to view him as a 86 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: good luck charm. Over the years, only traveled all over 87 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: the United States protecting the mail. The New York Central 88 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: Railroad system was able to go just about anywhere from 89 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: the Albany station, taking only to places like Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, 90 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: and even farther out. And no matter where he went, 91 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: the little terrier from New York always had someone to 92 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: look out for him. Mail carriers from across the country 93 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: loved Oy like he was one of their own, and 94 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: in a way he was. He was kind of an 95 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: honorary postal employee, while the U. S. Postal Service unofficially 96 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: adopted him as a mascot for the whole organization. They 97 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: also treated him much like a parcel. Wherever he went, 98 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: they tagged him and then sent him along to the 99 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: next destination. The only difference was that he got to 100 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: eat and drink before the trip. At every stop along 101 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: the way, only would have another tag added to his collar, 102 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,239 Speaker 1: and as his trips grew longer that collar grew heavier 103 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: it would jingle as he walked, and when it got 104 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: to be too much for him to carry, the Postmaster 105 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: General had a coat made to display them instead. Over time, 106 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: even the coat became too cumbersome for him. He was 107 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: just a small little terrier after all. It's believed that 108 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: over time only had accumulated over one thousand medals and 109 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: tags during his time on the rails, which was a 110 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: lot for that tiny pooch to carry. He certainly earned 111 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: each one, though. On one trip, a mail pouch had 112 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: fallen off a delivery wagon and Onny jumped out to 113 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: stay behind and protect it. After all the deliveries had 114 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: been made, the clerks noticed the missing bag and the 115 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: missing dog. They retray used their routes until eventually they 116 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: found the bag and there was only laying on top 117 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: of it, waiting for them to return. But the dog's 118 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: greatest journey was still ahead. In Ony went international. He 119 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: wrote on trains and steamships, protecting the mail as it 120 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: traveled through Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and 121 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: he did this for an entire year. According to one report, 122 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: he even received passports and medals directly from the Emperor 123 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: of Japan, and when he finally returned to America on 124 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: December's feet was publicized by newspapers all over the country, 125 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: turning him into a pint size celebrity. But all that 126 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: travel would eventually take its toll on the beloved mascot. 127 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: After accumulating over one hundred forty three thousand miles through 128 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: his time at the postal Service, he'd had enough. It 129 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: had an help that his health was failing, and he'd 130 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: grown a bit aggressive in his old age. Two years 131 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: following that famous trip around the world only was put 132 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: down on he'd apparently attacked the postal clerk and a U. S. Marshal, 133 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: though it's believed that he had been mistreated prior to 134 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: that attack. Regardless, only left an indelible mark on both 135 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: the postal Service and the country as a whole. The 136 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: clerks who had been ordered to bury the dog refused 137 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: to do it, claiming he deserved better. Instead of being buried, 138 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: only was preserved, and his remains are on display to 139 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: this day at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, 140 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: d C. It's a fitting tribute for a dog who 141 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 1: managed to turn a famous stereotype on its head. Rather 142 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: than chasing the mailman, Owny became one. Now that's what 143 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: i'd call a good boy. I hope you've enjoyed today's 144 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 1: guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free 145 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by 146 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by 147 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I 148 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 149 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 150 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 151 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.