1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. In sixty six a d. 5 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: The Eastern Mediterranean became the site of a major conflict 6 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: between the Jews and the Roman Empire. The Jewish people 7 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: had endured enough of the Roman successive taxation practices, and 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: so they revolted and the Romans retaliated. The fighting carried 9 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: on for four long years, with the conflict reaching its 10 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: climax in the city of Jerusalem. Jewish men, women and 11 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: children of fighting age took up arms against their oppressors, 12 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: hoping to defend them off, but the Roman armies were 13 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: too strong. They tore down the city walls and burned 14 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: the temple to the ground. In the end, Jerusalem fell 15 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: to the Romans. Survivors were taken into slavery and their 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:15,199 Speaker 1: culture was almost eradicated. Many centuries later, the Romans found 17 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: themselves at the center of another battle, this time against 18 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: Attila and his army of Huns. They fought in an 19 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: area of modern day eastern France. Attila's plan was to 20 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: invade Gaul, a Roman territory made up of several European 21 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: countries including modern day France, Belgium, Northern Italy and Luxembourg. However, 22 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: while both sides faced casualties in the thousands, in the 23 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: end it was Attila who was defeated and the Romans 24 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: retained control of their land. Then, in ten sixty six, 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: King Harold of England went up against Duke William the 26 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: second of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror. William 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: had brought with him armies from all over France and Belgium. 28 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: After King Harold had defeated, the Norwegian invader is moving 29 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: into his land, and though Harold put up a valiant effort, 30 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: Williams forces proved too strong to overpower. The English aristocracy 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: was destroyed. Its control of the Catholic Church fell to 32 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: the Normans, who transformed England forever. All three historical events 33 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:22,839 Speaker 1: have something in common. They involve war, death, and destruction. 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: Each event had a winner and a loser. Power was 35 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: gained and power was lost. And yet there's something else, 36 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: something otherworldly, that binds these seemingly disparate events together. Haley's comment, 37 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: even though the comet wasn't officially named until the seventeen hundreds. 38 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: It had been viewed as an omen of tragedy since 39 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: the beginning of time. Scholar and historian Titus Flavius Josephus 40 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: had seen the comet streak just before the fall of 41 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. He described it 42 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: as a star resembling a sword. Hailey's comment had also 43 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: been spotted in four fifty one, at the time of 44 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: Attila's defeat in Western Europe, and in the months leading 45 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: up to King Harold's defeat at the Battle of Hastings. 46 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: There it was again that long haired star, as it 47 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: was described at the time, a prophecy of William's impending conquest. 48 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: But perhaps the most noticeable coincidence tied to the comet 49 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: occurred in eighteen thirty five, when a young man named 50 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: Samuel Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri, only two weeks 51 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: prior Haley's comment had made its closest approach to Earth. 52 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: As we all know, Samuel Clemens went on to great 53 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: success under the pen name Mark Twain, writing as a 54 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: commentator and storyteller. He had a knack for pointing out 55 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: hypocrisy and in some ways he gave birth to modern 56 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: observational comedy through the numerous talks that he gave throughout 57 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: his career. In fact, his observational skills came in quite handy. 58 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: In nineteen o nine, he'd been working with noted by 59 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: bographer Albert Payne on his own life story when he 60 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: told him that he had come in with Haley's comment 61 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: and how it would be the greatest disappointment of his 62 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: life if he didn't go out with it as well. 63 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: One year later, on April nineteen, Haley's comments soared through 64 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: the night sky right on schedule, and Mark Twain died 65 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: of a heart attack the following day. They used to 66 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: be in every state fair and along every boardwalk in 67 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: the country. The hissing whistle of the calliope would fill 68 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: the air, scented with the rich aroma of buttered popcorn. 69 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: The familiar call of the barker would ring out, enticeing 70 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: curious patrons to the wonders within his tent. Carnivalgoers would 71 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: pay their fare and duck under the striped awning, coming 72 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: face to face with humanity's greatest wonders. Though they were 73 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: deemed freaks by everyone else, these men and women were 74 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: simply born with medical conditions that prevented them from living 75 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: within a so called civilized society. They had no other home. 76 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: They were kicked out of public schools, they were shunned 77 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: by their families. They couldn't find employment anywhere else. Instead, 78 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,359 Speaker 1: they found peace and understanding within the communities of the 79 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: traveling carnivals and circuses they worked for. They built relationships 80 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: with people who had also been ostracized by their peers, 81 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: and the public paid handsomely to gawk at their natural abilities, 82 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: anatomical anomalies that were often pitched as grotesque or inhuman, 83 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: and such claims couldn't have been further from the truth. 84 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: During the nineteen twenties and thirties, traveling side shows became 85 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: a primary form of entertainment. But just like the stage 86 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: actors and actresses of the day, these performers needed a break. 87 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 1: They were, after all, only human. During harsh winters, when 88 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: snow and wind made travel to the Midwest almost impossible, 89 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: sideshow acts had to find a warm place where they 90 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: could set up camp without being bothered by the local population. 91 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: Lucky for them, such a place existed. It was a 92 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: small town in western Florida, just off Route forty one 93 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: called Gibsonton, located near Ringling Brothers winter home. Gibsonton became 94 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: a haven for traveling side shows looking to wait out 95 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: the freezing temperatures in a more comfortable location. It started 96 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: out small, with only a handful of acts setting up 97 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: tents in a place where they could sleep, train, and 98 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: get away from the throngs of open mouth spectators. Soon, 99 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: other nomadic carnivals got worried about the sanctuary on the 100 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: Florida coast. Like the Gold Rush of the mid eighteen hundreds, 101 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: it wasn't long before Gibsonton blew up and the small 102 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: group of side show performers turned into an entire community, 103 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: and rather than push them away from the quiet town, 104 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: the local government welcome them with open arms. They changed 105 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: the zoning laws to allow them to keep tigers and 106 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: other exotic animals on their property. The Gibsonson Post office 107 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: was the only one in the country with counters specifically 108 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: designed for little people. Eateries had custom seats made for 109 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: patrons who were bigger and taller than usual, and jobs 110 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: were easy to come by. Once the carnival ride manufacturers 111 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: started opening up their factories there. Dubbed Freakville, USA, it 112 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: was a town built by and for the people who 113 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: lived there, the people who were told they weren't wanted 114 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: anywhere else. Unfortunately, as time marched on, so did sensibilities 115 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: surrounding what was considered entertainment. Eventually, freak shows fell out 116 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: of favor. Audiences found distraction and film and television instead, 117 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: and the general sentiment concerning sideshow acts became one of 118 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: disgusted morbid curiosity evolved into concern for the well being 119 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: of the performers. Despite the eventual loss of interest, though, 120 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: Freakville still stands today. In fact, there's a museum dedicated 121 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: to the side shows and carnivals of long ago. The 122 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: town boasts a population of over fifteen thousand, many of 123 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: whom are descendants of the original performers. What started as 124 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: a safe retreat for society's most vulnerable among us has 125 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: itself become an attraction for adventurous tourists. It goes to 126 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: show that no matter how our tastes change, or how 127 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: much we learn about the unknown, we will always crave 128 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: something new to challenge our perceptions and understandings of the world. 129 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: It's just that sometimes those challenges aren't new at all. 130 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: They've just been waiting for us to step right up 131 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: and take a look. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 132 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 133 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 134 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 135 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 136 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 137 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 138 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 139 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.