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 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. The old saying luck of 5 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: the Irish doesn't have one definitive origin. Some say it 6 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: comes from successful Irish miners who had found their pots 7 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: of gold while digging underground. Others claim its meaning was 8 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: ironic that the Irish had been treated so poorly abroad 9 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: during the Potato famine that emigrants were cursed with the 10 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: luck of the Irish. Regardless of where it came from, 11 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: the Irish are considered a lucky people, and non luckier 12 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: than Violet Jessup. Born in Argentina in seven to Irish immigrants, 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: Violet as the eldest of nine children. She took care 14 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: of her younger siblings to help her parents until she 15 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Doctors gave her months to live, 16 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: but Violet had a strength Unlike some of her siblings, 17 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: three of whom had already died young. She fought the 18 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: disease and one only to lose her father not long 19 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: after that. At sixteen years old, Violet moved to England 20 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,559 Speaker 1: with her mother, who took a job as a stewardess 21 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: aboard ships, while Violet stayed home to raise her younger sister. Unfortunately, 22 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: not long after they'd settled into their new home, their 23 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: mother grew very ill and it fell to Violet to 24 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: take over as the sole breadwinner for the family. With 25 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: few other opportunities available, she applied to be a stewardess 26 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: like her mother, and was hired in nineteen o eight 27 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: by the Royal Mail Line to work on a ship 28 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: called the Orinoco. Throughout her career as a stewardess, Violet 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: worked aboard numerous ocean liners, helping guests and even saving lives. 30 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: She had come from nothing only to find herself working 31 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: on some of the fanciest, most luxurious ships ever created. 32 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: But there was something odd about violent. It seemed wherever 33 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: she went, disaster followed. Sure. Some of her siblings died 34 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: of disease, and her father passed away when she was 35 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: a girl, but the tragedies didn't end there. After working 36 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: for the Royal Mail Line, she took a job with 37 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: the White Star Line. If that name sounds familiar, that's 38 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: because the White Star Line built three of the most 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: famous ships in history, the Olympic, the Britannic, and the Titanic. 40 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: All three would go on to be involved in devastating 41 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: accidents and to now reside at the bottom of the ocean, 42 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: but each one counted Violet Jessup as an employee and 43 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: a survivor. During her time as a stewardess on the Olympic, 44 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: that ship collided with the British warship the h M. 45 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: S Hawk. Although it didn't sink, the ship was sliced 46 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: below the water line and eventually had to have extensive 47 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: repairs done to become seaworthy again. Not long after, as 48 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: the Titanic sank, Violet was handed a baby to look after. 49 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: She escaped with the child in a lifeboat along with 50 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: other passengers. Amazingly, that baby was eventually returned to its 51 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: mother aboard the rescue ship, the Carpathia. Oh and just 52 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: a side story. Many years later, after Violet had retired, 53 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: In fact, she claimed to have received a telephone call 54 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: from a stranger who asked if Violet had saved a 55 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 1: baby the night the Titanic sank. When Violet answered yes, 56 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: the woman on the other end told her I was 57 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: that baby, and then hung up before Violet could reply. 58 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: A friend of her suggested that the call had been 59 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: a hoax, but Violet knew better. She hadn't told anyone 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: about the story before, so there was no way for 61 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: a random person to have known to call her with 62 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: such a joke. Finally, as a nurse on the Britannic, 63 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: she jumped out of a lifeboat moments before it was 64 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: sucked into the sinking ship's propellers and shredded to splinters. 65 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: Violet Jessip has been depict did in various movies, television shows, 66 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: and stage productions over the years, though not always by name, 67 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: often blended into other characters. Hers is a story that 68 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: has slipped past the history books, though she did earn 69 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: the nickname Miss Unsinkable. With all the fanfare surrounding the 70 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: Titanics Unsinkable Molly Brown, it's easy to lose sight of 71 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: an unsung hero of the White Star Line, such as Violet. Well. 72 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: You might call her an unsung hero, others might call 73 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: her cursed. In the end, I like to imagine that 74 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: the woman who beat tuberculosis, outlived her siblings and survived 75 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: multiple shipwrecks was a miracle of sorts, one of a 76 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: kind person who became the very definition of that household phrase, 77 00:04:46,160 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: the luck of the Irish war. What is it good for? Well, 78 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: if you're hoping to overthrow a government or unseat an 79 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: unfavorable leader, it can help. And if you're looking out 80 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: for the future of your country's imperial rule, it may 81 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: be your only course of action. That's what happened on 82 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: August eighteen ninety six in the island nation of Zanzibar. 83 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 1: For years, Zanzibar had been independent of its homeland Oman 84 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: and ruled by a long line of sultan's. The United 85 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: Kingdom had maintained a close relationship with the country for decades, 86 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: and as the years went on, that relationship grew much stronger, 87 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: some might say too strong. By eighteen ninety three, the 88 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: British had forced Zanzibar to abolish many of their inhumane 89 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: yet profitable industries, much to the consternation of its citizens. 90 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: The sultan himself had supported the British in their endeavors 91 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: and didn't see a problem with the changes, but his 92 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,559 Speaker 1: people had so In August twenty five, eighteen ninety six, 93 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: the Sultan was assassinated. The top suspect was the sultan's 94 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: own cousin, who had most likely poisoned the former ruler. 95 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: He took over the duties of the throne and moved 96 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: into the palace all before his cousin's funeral that very 97 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,679 Speaker 1: same day. Seriously, half an hour after the old sultan 98 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 1: had been buried, the new one was sitting on the throne. 99 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: Zanzibar leaders certainly wasted no time, except the new ruler 100 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: hit a roadblock with his grand plan. As it turned out, 101 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: he ignored a treaty signed ten years earlier that required 102 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: anyone seeking the crown to get permission from the British consul. 103 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: The murderous cousin had not obtained that permission. It didn't 104 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: matter that he declared himself the new leader publicly, or 105 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: that the palace guns had fired a salute marking the 106 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 1: occasion that afternoon. Without approval from the British, it was 107 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: nothing more than a pretender wearing another man's crown. British 108 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 1: General Lloyd Matthews urged the sultan to step down so 109 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: that a more UK friendly ruler could take his place. 110 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: The sultan, however, refused. He gathered thousands of troops in 111 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: the palace square, armed with machine guns, cannons, and a 112 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: gatling gun, and then waited to see what the British 113 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: would do with their own thousand man army. Matthews continued 114 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: to press for a surrender, but his threats of retaliation 115 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: didn't sway the Sultan. In fact, on the morning of 116 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: August he called Matthew's bluff. British warships opened fire from 117 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: the harbor, killing forces within the palace. A Zanzibar fleet 118 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: returned fire on the British ships, and within moments the 119 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: country officially became a war zone. As the fighting raged on, 120 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: fire broke out that consumed the palace and killed hundreds 121 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: of the sultan soldiers. Before the war was even over, 122 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: the new Sultan had fled the country to seek asylum 123 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: in Germany, leaving the British free to install their own 124 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: choice as the new ruler. And they managed to do 125 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: it without the single loss of a British life. And 126 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: you might be wondering, in a war that claimed the 127 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: lives of over five hundred Zanzibari men and women, how 128 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: is it possible that the British didn't lose a single 129 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: person on their side. The Sultan's army was well trained 130 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: and well armed. They put up a fight, but the 131 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: British had a few things going for them. First, they 132 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: were much more prepared for battle than the Sultan's forces. 133 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: Their weaponry was more advanced, and their army was much larger. Second, 134 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,599 Speaker 1: the palace wasn't made of concrete or stone. It was 135 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: made of wood, which provided almost no protection from the 136 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: incoming cannonballs or the inevitable fire that burned it all 137 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: down in the end. The most interesting detail about this 138 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: entire event is how it's recorded in the history books. 139 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: Even today, it's referred to as the Anglo Zanzibar War, 140 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: and I suppose it technically was given that two armies 141 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: traded gunfire over the fate of a country's leadership. It's 142 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: just that well, most wars last a lot longer. This one, 143 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: you see, was the shortest war in history, clocking in 144 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: and only forty five minutes. I hope you've enjoyed today's 145 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free 146 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by 147 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by 148 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 1: me Aaron Manky in partnership with how stuff works. I 149 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 150 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: book series, and television show and you can learn all 151 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: about it over at the world of Lore dot com. 152 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,679 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.