1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey guys, the show is currently on break 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: until the new year, but we've got plenty of classic 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: episodes to tide you over. Enjoy this trip through the 5 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: show's own history, and I'll see you back here on 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: January second with a batch of brand new episodes. See 7 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: you then. Welcome to This Day in History Class from 8 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com and from the desk of 9 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: Stuff You Missed in History Class. It's the show where 10 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: we explore the past one day at a time with 11 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: a quick look at what happened today in history. Hello, 12 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry. Welcome to the podcast. I am sitting 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: in for Tracy V. Wilson this week. It is December, 14 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: so if you celebrate Christmas, I hope you're having a 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: merry Christmas. But on this day in seventy eight, a 16 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: very important thing happened. Hallie's comment returned. That was important 17 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: because it had been predicted and it confirmed the work 18 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: that Edmund Halley had been doing. Edmund Halley, you will 19 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: also sometimes is here it pronounced Holly sometimes Haley, but 20 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: Haley is generally considered wrong, and whether Hallie or Holly 21 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: is correct is a matter of some debate. I'm going 22 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: with Halle and Edmund Halley first spotted the comment that 23 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: would later be named for him in Sight two. To 24 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: be clear, this was not the first time this comment 25 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: had been spotted. It was just the first time that 26 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: Edmund Halley saw it. Comments prior to Hallie's work in 27 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: astronomy were often associated with an assortment of misconceptions. Historically, 28 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: they had been thought to be omens sent by deities, 29 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: harbingers of some sort, or sometimes just unpredictable and unexplained 30 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: anomalies of the sky. In Sight four, Hallie paid a 31 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: visit to Isaac Newton to discuss issues of celestial motion, 32 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: and this meeting has become in and of itself something 33 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: of a famed moment in astronomy history, a pivotal discussion 34 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: that resulted in an expansion of human knowledge regarding how 35 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: the universe works. Newton, working on some of the ideas 36 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: that he and Hallie had discussed and sort of putting 37 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: together some of the things that he had already been 38 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: working on, eventually published his work Mathematical Principles of Natural 39 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: Philosophy that's also known commonly as Prince Shipia, which is 40 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: an abbreviation of its original Latin title, and how he 41 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: actually edited Prince Shipia and he paid for his printing. 42 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: He believed in it so much so he became intimately 43 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: acquainted with its contents, including Newton's calculations on elliptical orbits. 44 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 1: Edmund Halley began meticulously analyzing the orbits of twenty four 45 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: comet sightings that were on record. It was using those 46 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: calculations that Halley noticed that the orbits of the comets 47 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: that had been seen and reported in f one and 48 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: sixteen o seven appeared to be the same one that 49 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: he had seen in sixty two. With additional examination of 50 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: the data he had available, Edmund Halley determined that the 51 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: comment was on an orbit that took about seventy six 52 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: years to circle the Sun, with variables such as planetary 53 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: gravity shifting the time to be slightly longer or shorter, 54 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: and using that information, he then predicted that the comet 55 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: would once again fly by the Earth in late seventeen 56 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: fifty eight or early seventeen fifty nine. When Halle initially 57 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,959 Speaker 1: made this prediction, he seemed pretty confident about it, writing quote, 58 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: I can undertake confidently to predict the return of the 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 1: comment in seventeen fifty eight, though over the years his 60 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: language and discussing this whole matter became less assertive. He 61 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: started saying things like I may venture to foretell in 62 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: a preface to discussing his prediction, but throughout he was 63 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: constantly refining his astronomical tables, and eventually he felt fairly 64 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: certain once again of the time frame that he had 65 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: set for the comets predicted return. And there were other 66 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: astronomers working on this idea as well. Alexis Claude Cliaut, 67 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: for example, came to the conclusion that the comet would 68 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: return in seventeen fifty nine, in the spring, not seventeen 69 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: fifty eight. Edmund Halley died seventeen forty two, so he 70 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: did not live long enough to see if his prediction 71 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: was accurate, and he knew that would be the case, 72 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: and he famously wrote quote, if it should return according 73 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: to our predictions, impartial posterity will not refuse to acknowledge 74 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: that this was first discovered by an Englishman, and just 75 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: as Edmund Halley had predicted. On Christmas seventeen fifty eight, 76 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: the comment was seen in the night sky, and this 77 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: was lauded as a massive validation for the work of 78 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: both Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley. Shortly after the comets 79 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: Christmas Day reappearance, French astronomer Nicola Luis de la Chai, 80 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: who also worked on calculating comet orbits, gave the comment 81 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:46,359 Speaker 1: Hallie's name. Its official designation is actually one P slash Halle. 82 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: Since the eighteenth century, numerous sightings of astronomical events have 83 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: been determined to have been sightings of Halley's common The 84 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: oldest documented sighting that is believed to have possibly been 85 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: Halley's comment happened in four sixty six b C and 86 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: was visible from ancient Greece. The next time the comet 87 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: is expected to pass by Earth is the summer of 88 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,559 Speaker 1: I want to thank Eve's Jeff Cote for her work 89 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: on the research for this episode, and Casey Pegram and 90 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: Chandler Mains for they're always incredible and professional audio work. 91 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: If you would like to subscribe to the podcast, you 92 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: can do so. You can find This Day in History 93 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, on the I Heart Radio app, and 94 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: wherever else you get your podcasts. Stick around tomorrow because 95 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk a little bit about a fairly new 96 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: holiday tradition. Welcome back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening 97 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: to this Day in History Class, a show where we 98 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:58,280 Speaker 1: peel back a new layer of history every day. The 99 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: day was December eighteen thirty one. The Baptist War, also 100 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: known as the Christmas Rebellion, began in the British colony 101 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: of Jamaica, gathering the support of up to sixty thousand 102 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: enslaved people. It was one of the largest slave uprising 103 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 1: in the British West Indies and contributed to Britain's abolition 104 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: of slavery two years later. At the time of the uprising, 105 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: Jamaica was home to more enslaved people than free people. 106 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: Enslaved people were forced to labor on sugar plantations, and 107 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: harsh punishments were common. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. 108 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: Enslaved people led many resistance efforts. Buying and selling enslaved 109 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 1: people was banned in the British Empire in eighteen o seven, 110 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: but people could continue to own them. But by eighteen 111 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: thirty one, the abolition movement was well underway in the 112 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: United Kingdom and anti slavery resistance was taking place across 113 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: the British Empire. Jamaican planters voiced their opposition to emancipation 114 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: as the issue of slavery was being debated in British Parliament, 115 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: and many black people in Jamaica were taught reading, writing, 116 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: and religion by missionaries. That meant that they two were 117 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: keeping up with a slavery debate across the British Empire. 118 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: Enslaved Baptist preacher Samuel Sharp led many people to believe 119 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: that emancipation was coming soon, or that Britain had granted 120 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: their freedom and the masters were withholding it. And an 121 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: economic downturn that affected impoverished white people made some of 122 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: them allies with enslaved people who called for emancipation. Preachers 123 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 1: also used Christian theology to argue that they should have 124 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: only one master, and that was Jesus. On top of that, 125 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: many enslaved people believed that Baptist missionary Thomas Burchell would 126 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: return to Jamaica from his trip to England with the 127 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: paper declaring their freedom. When he came back empty handed, 128 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: their anger escalated. Samuel Sharp, who was afforded limited freedom 129 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: of movement as a leader, went about planning a strike. 130 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: He and other leaders of the resistance encourage others to 131 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: join the strike. Missionaries discouraged people from joining the effort 132 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: and refused their assistance, though some were later accused of 133 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: contributing to the cause regardless. On December one, enslaved black 134 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: labors went on a general strike. Many of the strikers 135 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: were Christian, particularly Baptists, led by Samuel Sharp, they advocated 136 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: for basic freedoms, better working conditions, and a living wage. 137 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: They refused to return to work until their demands were met, 138 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,839 Speaker 1: But when their demands were refused and words spread that 139 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: the British planned on using force, the strike turned into 140 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: an all out revolt. On December, rebellion erupted on the 141 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: Kensington estate near Montego Bay. They looted and burned plantations 142 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: across western Jamaica, and white people fled town. The uprising 143 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 1: only lasted until the first week of January, as the 144 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: British brutally suppressed it. Troops and militia were sent to 145 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: quell the uprising, and though the rebels put up a fight, 146 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:06,359 Speaker 1: they were overpowered by the colonial forces. Some scattered resistance continued, 147 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 1: but plantation owners and the Jamaican government retaliated after the 148 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: rebellion was over by killing many enslaved people and burning 149 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: churches where they worshiped. Around two hundred and seven of 150 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: the enslaved laborers and fourteen white people were killed during 151 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: the uprising. More than three hundred more enslaved people were 152 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: later executed for involvement in the revolt, including Samuel Sharp. 153 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 1: The Baptist War did not end slavery in Jamaica, it 154 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 1: did help convince more people that slavery was not politically 155 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: viable anymore, as it resulted in a lot of property 156 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: damage and loss of life. In eighteen thirty three, the 157 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: Parliament of the UK passed the Slavery Abolition Act, making 158 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: the purchase and ownership of enslaved people illegal throughout much 159 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 1: of the British Empire, leading to emancipation in Jamaica. I'm 160 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: each Chefcote and hopefully you know a little more about 161 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. You can keep up 162 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: with us on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 163 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: at t D I h C Podcast. You can also 164 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: email us at this Day at I heart media dot com. 165 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. I hope to see you here again tomorrow. Hello, 166 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: and welcome to This Day in History class. A journey 167 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination 168 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,359 Speaker 1: and the calendar. I'm Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, 169 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: we're traveling through another dimension to take a closer look 170 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: at the life of Twilight Zone creator and master of 171 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: the Twist Ending Mr Rod's Sterling. The day was December. 172 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:16,200 Speaker 1: Screenwriter and television producer Rod Sterling was born in Syracuse, 173 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: New York. Later in life, he was fond of saying 174 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: that he was quote a Christmas present that was delivered unwrapped. 175 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: Although best known for his role as the narrator and 176 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: on screen host of The Twilight Zone, Sterling had a 177 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: long and varied career in entertainment and was also a 178 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: noted academic lecturer. He wrote approximately two hundred and fifty 179 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: two scripts and won numerous awards in his lifetime, including 180 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: two Writers Guild of America Awards and a Golden Globe. 181 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: He also won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for 182 00:11:54,720 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: a Drama Series six times, which as of one is 183 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,560 Speaker 1: more than anyone else in history. Rodman Edwards Sterling grew 184 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 1: up in Binghamton, New York, a small city upstate. He 185 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: was the second of two sons born to working class parents, 186 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: Esther and Samuel Lawrence Sterling. His father was a grocer 187 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: and later became a butcher when the Great Depression put 188 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: his store out of business. Both parents encouraged Rod when 189 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: he took an interest in performing, and as a child 190 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: he would set up a stage in his basement and 191 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: then act out dialogue from pulp magazines and movies, whether 192 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: anyone was watching or not. In junior high Sterling joined 193 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 1: the debate team, and in high school he wrote and 194 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 1: edited for the school paper. It was during this time, 195 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: in the midst of World War Two, that he first 196 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: demonstrated the social conscience that would come to define his 197 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: later work. He frequently used his platform at the paper 198 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: to in courage his peers to support the war effort, 199 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: and he considered dropping out before graduation so that he 200 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: could enlist a few months sooner. In the end, sterling 201 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: Civics teacher talked him out of it, saying, quote, war 202 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: is a temporary thing. It ends. Education doesn't without your degree, 203 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: where will you be after the war? Sterling took the 204 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: advice to heart and finished high school. He attended graduation 205 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: and even gave a speech. Then the very next morning 206 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He was hoping 207 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: to join the fight against the Nazis in Europe, but 208 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: was sent to the Pacific Theater as a paratrooper instead. 209 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: Sterling served a four year tour and saw combat in 210 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: the Philippines on multiple occasions, eventually earning the Purple Heart 211 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: and the Bronze Star for his trouble. He was wounded 212 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: multiple times and was surrounded by death on a daily basis. 213 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: At one point, his regiment, nicknamed the Death Squad, had 214 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: a fifty percent casualty rate, with over four hundred of 215 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: their men killed in action. As you might imagine, Sterling 216 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: was deeply affected by his experiences in the field. He 217 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: was discharged from the army in ninety six, but continued 218 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: to be haunted by nightmares and flashbacks for the rest 219 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: of his life. He would later channel this trauma into 220 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: his writing. Many of his future scripts explored the theme 221 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: of war from the view of allies and enemies alike, 222 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: highlighting the unpredictability of death and the moral cost of 223 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: war on society. As the writer later explained, quote, I 224 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: was bitter about everything and at loose ends when I 225 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: got out of the service. I think I turned to 226 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: writing to get it off my chest. When Sterling had 227 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: recovered from his wounds, he enrolled old in the physical 228 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 1: education program at Antihoch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Before long, 229 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: he changed his major to drama in English Lit and 230 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in 231 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty. Over the next few years, Sterling began writing 232 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: for radio and TV, with his big break being a 233 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: TV movie called Patterns that he wrote for NBC. The film, 234 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: which followed the lives of ruthless New York industrialists, won 235 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: Sterling his first Emmy in nineteen For the rest of 236 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: the decade, he continued to go against the grain of 237 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: the conservative TV medium. At the time. Most programs ignored 238 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 1: serious issues in favor of domestic comedy or wild West action, 239 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: but Sterling tackled difficult topics head on. His TV dramas 240 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: such as Requiem for a Heavyweight and A Town Has 241 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: Turned to Dust brought attention into social issues like discrimination, lynching, 242 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 1: and union organizing. These productions earned acclaim for Sterling, but 243 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: brought him major heat from the network sensors as well. 244 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: So in nineteen fifty seven he decided to take a 245 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 1: different approach. He pitched CBS executives on a pilot episode 246 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: for a weekly sci fi fantasy anthology series called The 247 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: Twilight Zone. When the initial two episodes proved a hit 248 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: with the public, the network ordered a full season in 249 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine, followed eventually by four more. Sterling had 250 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: found the perfect work around for his problem. If the 251 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 1: networks and sponsors were uncomfortable seeing real world issues reflected 252 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: in their broadcasts, then he would simply filter the controversial 253 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: subjects through the lens of fantasy and science fiction. As 254 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: the writer later put it, quote, I found that it 255 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: was all right to have Martians saying things democrats and 256 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: Republicans could never say. Sterling won another three Emmys for 257 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,200 Speaker 1: his work on the series. In addition to his role 258 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: as narrator and host, he also wrote more than half 259 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: of the show's one hundred and fifty one episodes, a 260 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: nearly inhuman feat In the late nineteen sixties, Sterling turned 261 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,639 Speaker 1: his focus to the big screen, which he appreciated for 262 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 1: its lack of commercials and looser restrictions on run time 263 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: and content. His most famous movie screenplay was for the 264 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: original movie version of Planet of the Apes, a morality 265 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: tale with a sci fi twist. One of Sterling's specialties. 266 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: Around the same time, he also started teaching classes on 267 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 1: screenwriting at Ithaca College. In light of the social and 268 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: political climate of the nineteen sixties, it was Sterling's goal 269 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: to help instill a sense of moral responsive ability in 270 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 1: the next generation of TV writers. In seventy he returned 271 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:10,880 Speaker 1: to TV himself once again, writing and hosting an anthology series, 272 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: this one called Night Gallery. Not as beloved or as 273 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: successful as The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery still delivered thought 274 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: provoking genre stories, albeit with more of a focus on 275 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: horror and suspense than science fiction. The show concluded it's 276 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: three season run with its forty three episode in nineteen 277 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:37,400 Speaker 1: seventy three. Two years later, Rod Sterling suffered a series 278 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: of heart attacks, presumably brought on by a lifetime of 279 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: chain smoking. He passed away on June seventy five, at 280 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:51,760 Speaker 1: the age of fifty. Since it's Christmas, I thought we 281 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: could end the show not by talking about Rod Sterling's death, 282 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: but by looking at his own connection to the holiday. 283 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: You know, besides the fact that it's his birthday. He 284 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: was raised Jewish and was fiercely proud of his heritage. 285 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: According to his daughter Anne. However, Sterling's wife, Carol, was 286 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: a Unitarian, and her husband came to appreciate her more 287 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: open ended approach to belief. As an adult, Sterling celebrated 288 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: Christmas like many people do, as more of a secular, 289 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: quasi spiritual holiday than a strictly religious one. He wrote 290 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: a number of Christmas themed stories over the years, both 291 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: for radio and for television. Some of the better known 292 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,919 Speaker 1: are a black comedy called No Christmas This Year and 293 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: a modern interpretation of Dickens Christmas Carol titled A Carol 294 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: for Another Christmas. Still, his most famous holiday work has 295 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: to be The Night of the Meek, a Christmas episode 296 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 1: of The Twilight Zone from the show's second season. It 297 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: follows an alcoholic department store Santa played by actor and 298 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: comedian Art Carney, who wishes he could do more for 299 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 1: his local community. The down on his luck, Santa laments 300 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 1: the state of the world, saying quote, I live in 301 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: a dirty rooming house on a street filled with hungry 302 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: kids and shabby people, where the only thing that comes 303 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 1: down the chimney on Christmas Eve is more poverty. Despite 304 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,639 Speaker 1: the heavy subject matter, the episode does end on a happy, 305 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: hopeful note, something of a rarity in the Twilight Zone. 306 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 1: By writing a Christmas story rooted in social concerns of 307 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: the time, Sterling added a sense of poignancy and warmth 308 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: that's rarely seen in holiday themed TV shows. That's a 309 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: reflection of what I believe is Sterling's greatest achievement, pushing 310 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: the medium of television to be more than pleasant, disposable entertainment. 311 00:20:55,840 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: His stories challenged conventions and post hard question about how 312 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: we see ourselves and about what we owe to each other. 313 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: As an artist both shaped and troubled by the world 314 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 1: he lived in, Sterling expressed in earnest care for his 315 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: fellow man in nearly every word he wrote. That's a 316 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: good example to follow on Christmas, whether you live here 317 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: or in the Twilight Zone. I'm Gay Blusier and hopefully 318 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 319 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you enjoyed the show, consider following 320 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at t D I 321 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 1: HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 322 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: you can always send them my way at this day 323 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: at I heart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays 324 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thank you for listening. If 325 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: you celebrate Christmas. I hope you have a merry one, 326 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 1: but either way, I'll see you back here again tomorrow 327 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: for another day in history class. For more podcasts from 328 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 329 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.