1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff You Should Know 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: from House Stuff Works dot Com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: that makes this Stuff you Should Know, right, Chuck, Yeah, yeah, 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: Jerry just I love it when like we get last 7 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: second instructions. Yeah, and they don't make any sense. Just 8 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: save it for the show, guys, right, or show that 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: picture on the podcast the audio podcast. Oh goodness, how 10 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,879 Speaker 1: are you sir? I'm fine by all rights Friday, but 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: it's actually Thursday, but it's almost Memorial Day. Yeah, and 12 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: we're not Are you coming in tomorrow at all? No, 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: I'm not comfortable saying either way. Well, it's all to 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:55,319 Speaker 1: be surprised. I don't want to get in trouble. Well 15 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: I'm not. I'm still scared of the man. I know 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: you're not. But you're all like, hey, look at me. 17 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: I'm forty. I make my own decisions, not forty, So Chuck. 18 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: You're George Carlin fan right, Yeah, the late George Carlin. 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: Just the late alright. We always had the bummer, don't you. 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: The late George Carlin could be like George Carlin. He's 21 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: the greatest stand up comedian ever, the very the worm 22 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: food George Carlin, Yeah, the dearly departed. Yes, I like him. 23 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: I have an obscure stand up bit that I'll bet 24 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: you haven't heard of that is the appropub of our 25 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: topic today. So George Carlin um had a bit about flamethrowers. 26 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: I never heard that one. He said that the very 27 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: presence of flamethrowers, and I'm paraphrasing, the very presence of 28 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: flamethrowers means that at some point sometime someone said to himself, 29 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: you know, there's a bunch of people over there that 30 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: I'd like to set on fire, but they're too far 31 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: away from me to get the job done. I wish 32 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: there was something that I could use to throw flames 33 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: on them, And as a result, we now have the flamethrower, 34 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: which is kind of crazy when you think about it 35 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: that way. It is pretty interesting, it is, And when 36 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: you start to really look into flamethrowers, you realize just 37 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 1: how horrific the acts that humans inflict on other humans 38 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,519 Speaker 1: can be. Yeah, it's pretty it's pretty awful stuff. Actually, Yeah, 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: when you, I mean, actually all kinds of modern weapon. Rhenno. 40 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: My brother in lawson the Marines, he told me about this. 41 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: I think it's called a flachette, some sort of bomb 42 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: that like explodes above people and sends thousands of like 43 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: razor blades shooting out what. I think it's mainly used 44 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: for clearing like jungle, but ya, jungle of enemy combatant exactly. 45 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: To some sick I thought that up, we're like, what 46 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: one step away from the alien weapons in District nine 47 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: where people just blow up in an almost cartoonish fashion. Yeah, 48 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 1: it's coming the atomizer or something they'll call it. Um. 49 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: What's what's odd is that that person, that first person 50 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: that George carlin Um envisions, actually lived a lot longer 51 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: ago than you would think. I was shocked. I was 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:17,920 Speaker 1: well century BC, fifth century b C. Man right, it 53 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: wasn't well, it was a flamethrower. It was very crude, vulgar, 54 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: if you will, flamethrower. It was a long tube sort 55 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: of like a blowgun, and they filled it with solid 56 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: stuff like hot coal and sulfur and went, yeah, ideally 57 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: you don't suck in. That would be bad. No. I 58 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: was thinking that too, like you have to suck in 59 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: the breath before you put the tube. Deer mouth or us, 60 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: you're in big trouble. Oh that's the case with any 61 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: blow blowgun, right, Sure, did you ever make those in 62 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: your kid? No? I never did. That was too busy 63 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: burning stuff. You could have done both apparently. So Yeah, 64 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: they would shoot I guess um hot coal or sulfur 65 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: out at their enemy combatant instead of a flame per se, 66 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: which I guess ultimately it would bounce off of their 67 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: arm and they'd be like, ah, that burns, and then 68 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: they just tussle and leg wrestling, right, and shake hands 69 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: afterwards and go eat a bore. That's that's how that 70 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: went to Life CENTRYBC with Josh. But leave it to 71 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: the Greeks, who were one of the brainiest, most um 72 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: thieving cultures of all time. They probably got this idea 73 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: from the Chemites. Frankly, but there's this stuff called um 74 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: Greek fire, right, And actually I can't say that the 75 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: Greeks came up with it. It's called Greek fire, but 76 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: the Byzantines that what we know is turks um. We're uh, 77 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: we're most notorious for using this stuff. Yeah, and that 78 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: they think they're not sure because it was a long 79 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: time ago. It was a mixture of liquid petrol and 80 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: sulfur and like stuff like quicklime petrol British for gas. Yeah, 81 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: and UM. They would pump it out actually from a 82 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 1: reservoir through little narrow tubes and like anything that goes 83 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 1: from a big reservoir type system to a small, thin one, 84 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: it would create pressure to shoot it out and then 85 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: some unlucky guy would be the lighter at the end 86 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: of it, and that would be like a real flamethrower, 87 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: like dozens of feet. Yeah, as we're gonna learn, anybody 88 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: whose job it was to deal with any aspect of 89 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: flame throwing UM was the unlucky guy. It's one of 90 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: the more dangerous weapons you can use, UM, but it 91 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: was very effective. Number one, since it's oil based, Uh, 92 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: it could this this Greek fire could be used in 93 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:37,919 Speaker 1: naval battles because it would still burn even when it 94 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: contacted the water. UM. And so the Byzantines mounted it 95 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: on their ships. These flamethrowers UM on their ships and 96 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: on the city walls around Constantinople and basically just repelled 97 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: people out of fear as much as you know, burning 98 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: them alive. Yeah, they were. Their enemies were really freaked out. 99 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 1: I imagine when they first saw like fire shooting at them. Yes, 100 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: freaked out and intrigue, especially in the case of the Chinese. 101 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: See what the Byzantines had was a single action pump. 102 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: You just did the foot pump with literally do you 103 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:16,479 Speaker 1: see that? Jerry them following your command, um. The the 104 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: Byzantines had a single action bellows pump to where when 105 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: you press down on the down stroke, it would push 106 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: the liquid out. Right. Yes, you get like a burst 107 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: of fire. And that's it right because on the upstroke 108 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: nothing was happening except with the bellows were filling back 109 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: up with air to press down compressed right. Um. The 110 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: Chinese said, hey, that's that's really funny because we have 111 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: a double action bellows to where you are compressing air 112 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: um on the up stroke and the downstroke. So instead 113 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 1: of your stupid little short bursts of Greek fire, we 114 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: have one long burst that just cuts you in half. 115 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: Lead to the Chinese get better the wheelbarrow, the kite, 116 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: the hang glider, the flamethrower, gun pouter, and actually gunpowder 117 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: um equaled the demise of flamethrowers for about a thousand years, right, Yeah, 118 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: as soon as gunpowder came along, they were like, yeah, 119 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: we're just chumps with fire. When we can actually shoot 120 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: a gun, that's that's the way of the future. And 121 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: it was. But so is the flamethrower as it turns out. Yeah, 122 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: because it lay dormant for about a thousand years. And 123 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: then in World War One, actually right before World War One, 124 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: the Germans, a very warlike state at the time, were, um, 125 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: they said, you know what, exactly can we and our 126 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: arsenal that is just totally scary and wildly destructive. Yes, 127 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: let's look back through the annals of of you know, 128 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: historic weaponry and find something. And they look through and 129 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: they said the flamethrower. Yeah. Richard Fielder is an engineer 130 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: in nineteen o one. They credit him with inventing it, 131 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: but he clearly was using old technology as the initial idea. 132 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: At least. It's a clever design, though, isn't it. Yeah, 133 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: because this from this original design. Um, there have been 134 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 1: you know, some polishing moments for the flamethrower over the years, 135 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: but from that, from that modern era that the design 136 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: has remained relatively the same. Right, It's like a three 137 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: tank design. Yeah, the flamin furfur because what it's called 138 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: nice the Germans. That's what the German uh, and it was, um, 139 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: well let's yeah, let's go ahead and explain how it 140 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: works with thanks, all right. And this is the handheld flamethrower, 141 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 1: which is the one that's I guess was most readily 142 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: used in combat. Yeah, and it's the one you see 143 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: like a guy's wearing these tanks on his back and 144 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: he's got the rifle. It's just right. So you got 145 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: two outer tanks and those are filled with the flammable 146 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: fuel oil based petrol if you will, like Greek fire 147 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: and um. Then there's a center, smaller tank which holds 148 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: a compressed gas like butane and uh it was. It 149 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 1: would feed the gas through a pressure right you later 150 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: connected to the tubes and you can take it from here. Well, 151 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: the this is why I think it's very clever. The 152 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: bututane served a dual purpose. One that was compressed, so 153 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: when you open the valve, it would push the liquid 154 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,199 Speaker 1: fuel out of the tanks into the tube and ultimately 155 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: in the reservoir and the gun. The pressure regulator, right, 156 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: that's what they would but switch on. There is another 157 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: tube that came directly out of the third tank that 158 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: held the compressed the gas like butuane, and this tube 159 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: went directly to the ignition valve right right, so it 160 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: served as the igniter later on. Right that it was 161 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: because it was the bututane that was actually burning when 162 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: you um. When you open the ignition valve, the bu 163 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: tane flows to the end. This is with air the 164 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: end of the rifle. UM and then there's like there's 165 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: two triggers. There's the fuel released trigger, right, and then 166 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: there's the ignition trigger. And the ignition trigger is basically 167 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 1: you're operating a battery that operates a spark plug, sends 168 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: a current, generates heat right nights the tane. Now you 169 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: have that little blue flame on the end. Yeah, that's 170 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: what you've seen in movies, like if you see them around. Yeah, exactly, 171 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,719 Speaker 1: you see the little like three inch flame coming out 172 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: in the end, right, that's actually beautane burning. The fuel 173 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: hasn't been released, the hell fire has not been opened 174 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: yet or released yet. That's when you squeeze what's the 175 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: fuel released trigger and then well, yeah, then that pulls 176 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: back a little valve plug because you obviously want it 177 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: plugged or else you're gonna have a big mess on 178 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: your hands. You'll be on fire very quickly. So when 179 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: you pull the fuel release trigger, it pulls the little 180 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: valve plug back and then all the fuel supply suddenly 181 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: rushes through to the tip of the gun where the 182 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 1: flame is and boom, there you go. Yeah and um. 183 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty two, the Army Chemical Warfare Service, I 184 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: think is what it was called. Um, they came up 185 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: with a little something called napalm, which is ultimately a 186 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,439 Speaker 1: g asoline or petrol in the case of Chuck and 187 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: our British friends, UM, a gasoline thickening agent. So with 188 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: a slightly thickened gas you have a longer range, It 189 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: carries further because it has more mass or girth or whatever. 190 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:20,439 Speaker 1: There's less there's less friction from the ground coming up right. 191 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 1: Um and uh. It also can be concentrated more easily. 192 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: Right right. So basically that was one of those real 193 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,199 Speaker 1: big polishing moments. It went from just gas which sprays, 194 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: to thick gas which sticks and burns. It evaporates much 195 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: less quickly, so it will burn forever and it's really 196 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: difficult to put out, and if you get covered in it, 197 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: you're entirely in trouble. Yes, you're out of luck. And 198 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: they would mount these on well p t boats. For one, 199 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:52,680 Speaker 1: have you ever seen the videos of those things, like 200 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: cruising down the river, shooting in napalm into the forest. Well, 201 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: I see there's a picture of it in the article. 202 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: I've never seen video of It's pretty wicked. Yeah, And 203 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: they called them, they called them zippo flamethrowers, right, because 204 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: the ignition um system failed so frequently. It's just like 205 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,080 Speaker 1: on a gas grill, they have to with a zippo 206 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: d And that's the other unlucky dude. I guess he'd 207 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: be like, don't get too close to it in his hand, right, 208 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: And so flamethrowers, it wasn't just some guy you know where. 209 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: It would be like a bunch of infantry guys and 210 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: then some guy on the end happened to grab the 211 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: flamethrower that morning when they went out, and it's just 212 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: you know, they were part of a tactical strategy. Yeah. 213 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: What would happened was rifleman would lay down cover fire. 214 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: Let's say you come to the mouth of a cave 215 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 1: and there's a bunch of enemy combatants in there, and 216 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: they're shooting you and they have snipers and you're in 217 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: big trouble. All your your rifleman lay down fire on 218 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: this case, so those guys can't move. Cover fire right 219 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: to allow your flamethrower man to get close. He was 220 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: highly susceptible at this point because of what he's wearing 221 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: on his back. Yes, all it takes is one good 222 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: shot to one of those tanks and that guy's gone, 223 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: or a bad shot, just a shot, yeah, if you 224 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: come in contact with it with the bullet. Yes, um. 225 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: But so the flamethrower guy gets close basically cooks everybody, 226 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: burns everyone to death in that cave, right, that's his job. 227 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: And then after that the munitions guys come in and 228 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: explode the cave so it can never be used again. 229 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: And that's sinora for cave dwellers. Yes. Uh, you know, 230 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: speaking of a quick death, I've always heard when I 231 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:35,719 Speaker 1: was a kid, you know that. You know, if you 232 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: were a flamethrower in war, your average lifespan is like 233 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: thirty seconds in combat. Well, I always heard that, and 234 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: I'd scoured the internets and I could not find anything 235 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,439 Speaker 1: to verify that, but um, that's what I always heard. 236 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: I thought that was an interesting tidbit. I did read 237 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 1: that most people who were flamethrower operators didn't survive. I 238 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: would imagine it's pretty dangerous thing to be toting around. Yeah, 239 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: and they also had assistant because the assistance would open 240 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: and close the valves on the pack form. That was 241 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: the whole job. It was always a two man team, 242 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: so both of them would usually not make it. I 243 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: would if I was the assistant, I would turn on 244 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: his little valve and then run for cover and then 245 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: run up and turn it off again. Right, And I'd 246 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: probably pretty unpopular with the flamethrower guy probably, And then 247 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: the flamethrower guy was well liked because if you can 248 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: take out an entire gun nest of people, then you 249 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: know everybody's going to applaud you and clap, and you know, 250 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: probably not get too close though, because you're going to 251 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: die eventually. Yeah, I'd rather be a sniper. I think 252 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: that'd be like I played Call of Duty. I got 253 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: a p S three now that I tell you that. No, 254 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: it was given to me by my step step step dad, 255 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: now father in law. You did tell me my stepfather 256 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: in law, And so I got just a couple of games. 257 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: I'm not like a huge gamer at all, Like I 258 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: think a nintendol, like the first Nintendo was the last 259 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: thing I actually owned. But um, I play Call of 260 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: Duty now. I like a shooter games too. It's pretty fun. 261 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: But you choose to be a sniper on that. Well, 262 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: now there are just certain levels where you can be 263 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: a sniper. Like you'll pick up a sniper gun if 264 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: you want. And I always usually kind of just hang 265 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: back and pick guys off, especially guys with flamethrowers. So 266 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: here we go again to liberal peace nicks like us 267 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: when it comes to like this war stuff, we just 268 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: get all giddy. Well it is this one. For some reason, 269 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: I was reading a passage about a flamethrower operator in 270 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 1: World War Two who you know, um received the Medal 271 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: of Honor for um invading a Japanese they think they're 272 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: called pillbox. It was a little gun nest and burning 273 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: them all and burning them all alive, and like the 274 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: the guy wrote um that there were some muffled screams 275 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: and then silence. It's like, you know, being burned alive. 276 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: It's pretty much everybody's worst death, I would think. So 277 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: it's up there. Well, we had worst way to die. 278 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: That's right up there, and I think if I remember correctly, 279 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: burning to death is consistently the number one, unlike informal polls. Right, 280 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: imagine is pretty painful and it happened a lot in 281 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: World War One to vietn M. Yeah, I imagined area. 282 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: This is a horrible weapon. But you can find uh, 283 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: civilian applications for can't you. Yeah. Well, before we move 284 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 1: on to that, we also need to say that they 285 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: were on tanks as well, so it wasn't just boats. 286 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: They used them on tanks, and uh, the design was 287 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: basically the same. You just had a lot more fuel 288 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: and you had like piston rotary pumps to get a 289 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: lot more length on your shot girth. And yeah, the 290 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: backpack mounted ones had a range of about fifty yards, right, 291 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: That's that's a long way though. Yeah, let's have a 292 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: football field. You don't have to get that close. Sure. Yeah, 293 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: I wonder if the first enemy that was like, he's 294 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: got a flamethrower, but we're way too far away. They 295 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: were within exactly. Uh yeah, civilian applications um, forced forced 296 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: fire fighters forest firefighters? Is that how you say it? 297 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: I don't know they actually use these when they do 298 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: like the prescribed burning, like sometimes they'll burn well not 299 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: just the firefighters, they do prescribe burns anyway. And then 300 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 1: sometimes the firefighters do that, they'll like burn a section 301 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: to cut it off right there. And that's what they 302 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: do it with flamethrowers, which actually kind of made me 303 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: want to go get a job with the forestry Service. 304 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:23,359 Speaker 1: She could burn things on purpose. Well, yeah, did you 305 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: hear about this car thing in South Africa? Theft deterrent 306 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,639 Speaker 1: system that burned you know? Yeah, I don't think it's 307 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 1: still around. This is like twelve years ago, and um, 308 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,120 Speaker 1: a South African man invented it was called the blaster 309 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: and basically it would shoot a man high fireball that's 310 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: what they called it. What at you if you tried 311 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 1: to break into the car for a mere ran which 312 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: is uh and this that was like six or fifty bucks, 313 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: and um, it would squirt liquefied gas from a bottle 314 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: in the trunk through two nozzles located on the front door. 315 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: And the rub is you couldn't turn one on and 316 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,200 Speaker 1: turn one off, so if a guy was breaking into 317 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: like the driver's side door, it would still shoot fire 318 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: out as a passenger side to whomever might be walking 319 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: by unluckily on that. So let's say, yeah, that's that's 320 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: an invention that wasn't fully thought through. I would think so. 321 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: But apparently he sold a bunch of him at the 322 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: time and he said it's non lethal, but it would 323 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: definitely blind a person, is what he said, and keep 324 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,120 Speaker 1: them from stealing your car. Yeah, because they can't see 325 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: cars any longer. That's terrible. Yeah, way to go South Africa. Um. Lastly, Chuck. 326 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: Fire breathers their form of They follow the basic principles 327 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: of flamethrowing by drinking kerostene. There you go. If you 328 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: want to learn about fire breathers, we have an article 329 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: on them. If you want to learn more about flame throwers. 330 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: And before you send us a listener mail, we are 331 00:18:54,840 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: aware of flamethrower exhaust systems. We've both seen Greece before. Um, 332 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 1: you can type any word you want to into the 333 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: handy search bar how stuff works dot Com. It'll yield 334 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: something interesting. I guarantee you that. Uh So, Chuck listening 335 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: not quite okay, Well, we got to do our quick plugs. 336 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: We're gonna do a little quicker this time though, because 337 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,640 Speaker 1: we take like ten minutes to do our New York 338 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: plugs and everything New York. We're gonna be at the 339 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,120 Speaker 1: Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on June seven from five thirty 340 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: to seven thirty. We're having a happy hour for stuf 341 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: of you should know fans. Come with your elbows prepared 342 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: to be rubbed. Stay Wednesday, June ninth for a trivia 343 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: night to be determined not t b D my friend. 344 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: We have a location at a time and is at 345 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 1: the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York, and show up 346 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: at about six thirty and trivia will start at seven. 347 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: And this one is eighteen and older eighteen to get 348 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: in twenty one to drink and uh. If you're showing 349 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: up alone, that's fine to just join up with some 350 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:53,919 Speaker 1: people when you're there and form a team and make 351 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: some new friends. Come to one or both yes, uh. 352 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: And then lastly co ED and Kiva Man, Yeah, Coed 353 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,680 Speaker 1: Cooperative for Education who we went to Guatemala with. If 354 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: you like their bag, which is a pretty cool bag, 355 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: you can donate and easily five bucks with your little 356 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: cell phone there. Uh, text the words stuff STUF to 357 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 1: two zero to two two and um texting data rates 358 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: may apply and it's gonna be added a little five 359 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: dollar donations gonna added to your bill. Right when you 360 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,440 Speaker 1: text stuff, you'll get a reply text saying are you sure, 361 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:28,679 Speaker 1: and you just text back yes, and there you go. 362 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,679 Speaker 1: Five bucks to help out UM Guatemalan kids learn to 363 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: read and Kiva Kiva, Kiva, Kiva. We haven't thrown much 364 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: love to our Kiva team lately, but we should because 365 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: you know, as everyone knows, we hit the hundred thousand 366 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: dollar mark right, I like nothing in March, I believe 367 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: March nineteenth, UM and since then, our moderators on our 368 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: Kiva team, Glenn and Sonja Um threw down the gauntlet 369 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: pretty much immediately and said, let's get to a quarter 370 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,239 Speaker 1: of a million dollars. Yeah, man, that'd I'm awesome. We 371 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 1: are on track right now, by Glenn and Sonya's estimate, 372 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: uh to hit the two thousand dollar mark around August. Well, actually, 373 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: we want to hit a quarter of a million dollars 374 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: around August. Is that the deal? Yeah, so we need 375 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: to step it up a little bit. If you want 376 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: to join the stuff you should know Kiva dot org team, 377 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 1: you can go to www dot kiva dot org slash 378 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: team Slash Stuff you should know and sign up and 379 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: get a warm feeling in your heart when you donate. 380 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: And remember this is micro lending, so the money actually 381 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: comes back to it's repaid. Yeah, and if if you 382 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: have a cold heart, you can actually even pull your 383 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 1: money back out and get it back if you want. 384 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 1: But it's more fun to read loan it totally. It 385 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: really is, all right, So there you have it. Alright, 386 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: So listener, mail my friend I'm gonna call this I 387 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: love this dude. And his name is Guy and not 388 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,679 Speaker 1: as in hey guy, his real name is Guy. I 389 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: got Guy from San Francisco, says, guys, just listen to 390 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: the Art Theft podcast. And by the way, we do 391 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: know about the Paris heist that just went down. Pretty cool, uh, 392 00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: very intriguing for future monetarians. And of neither here nor there. However, 393 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: I have a little bit a little habit that I 394 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: thought I might like to share that loosely pertains I 395 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 1: have never stolen art knowingly. However, I do frequently and 396 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: I'm subjected to I travel frequently, and I'm subjected to 397 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: much distasteful art guilty of being a budget traveler. So 398 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: there's the rub. But to amuse myself, I like to 399 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: take the horrible art off the wall, take it out 400 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: of the glass and frame, and add the ever so 401 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 1: slightest detail. This guy is wonderful. He does this in 402 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 1: Adele's a chicken in the corner by the barn, a 403 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,640 Speaker 1: seagull flying over the crest of a wave, a beer 404 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: bottle and fishing pole by the babbling brook. I do 405 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: it in every hotel, motel, hotel, hostel, bungalow, you name it. 406 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: I will stay there and I will change into the art. 407 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: They have art and hostels now, yeah, probably not. It 408 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: makes me chuckle to think that maybe one day someone 409 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 1: will be staring at an awful hotel painting and look 410 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: closely and notice one of the gallant cowboys has a 411 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,880 Speaker 1: tin of skull by his left boot heel. So if 412 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: you stay in cheap hotels, keep your eyes out people 413 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 1: you may have stayed where a guy from San Francisco 414 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: has stayed. Just don't turn on the black line. That's 415 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: all I have to say. That's awesome. That is awesome. Man. 416 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: I love to hear people doing cool stuff. Vandalism, Yeah, 417 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: but it's it's vandalism with like an eye towards it's fundalism. Well, 418 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,640 Speaker 1: If you're a starving artist who shows your work at 419 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: the Airport Hilton conference room, we want to hear from you. 420 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: Just send us an email to Stuff podcast at how 421 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 422 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: of other topics, is that how stuff works dot com. 423 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: Want more House stuff Works, check out our blogs on 424 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 1: the House of works dot com home page. Brought to 425 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: you by the re invented two thousand twelve Camri. It's ready, 426 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: are you