1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: Sleep can be elusive for a lot of us. It 7 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: might be a busy job keeping us up at nights, 8 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: or a new baby, or even a noisy neighbor. But 9 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: on those rare occasions when we can sleep for more 10 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: than a few hours, we wake up feeling fresh and 11 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: ready to tackle whatever's ahead of us. One man, though, 12 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: didn't believe in a good night's sleep. For him, forty 13 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: winks was about thirty nine too many. His name was 14 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: Albert Herpin, and while he was from Trenton, New Jersey, 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: he was born in France in eighteen sixty two. Very 16 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: little is known about his life up until the turn 17 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century, but that's when things began to 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: get interesting. In nineteen oh four, an article was published 19 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,919 Speaker 1: in The New York Times about mister Herpin. It listed 20 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: his occupation as hustler, or someone who tends to the 21 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: horses at an inn. But that's not what made him newsworthy. 22 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: The reason he was in the papers was because he 23 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: did not sleep. This wasn't a one off occurrence either, 24 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: like staying up all night to cram for a big 25 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: test the next day. Albert Herpin had not slept in 26 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: ten years now. According to the National Institute of Health, 27 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: we need sleep for a variety of reasons. These include 28 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: keeping our metabolism in check, fighting illness, and improving our 29 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: brain health. We're at risk of a number of diseases 30 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: and complications if we don't get enough sleep each night. 31 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,279 Speaker 1: But Herpin didn't care. In fact, he advocated against sleep. 32 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: Another article published in nineteen twelve in New York's The 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: Evening World newspaper stated how he quote believes a nap 34 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: of only five minutes duration would give him new life. Apparently, 35 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: he would sit in an armchair every night and read 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: the newspaper, never closing his eyes. To him he was resting, 37 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: but never sleeping. For anyone else, this would have severely 38 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: affected a person's health and well being. Experts say that 39 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: losing even an hour and a half of sleep each 40 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: night can impact our alertness, our moods our memory. We 41 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: can feel fatigued and become uncoordinated, but Herpin said that 42 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: he never felt any negative effects. Papers like The New 43 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: York Times claimed, I quote, he is in perfect health 44 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: and does not seem to suffer any discomfort from his 45 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: remarkable condition, But the reason for his chronic insomnia is troubling, 46 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: to say the least. A reporter for The Times Picayune 47 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: in New Orleans quoted him as saying that he hadn't 48 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: slept since his son was born. Four years later, his 49 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: wife died, and the shock of losing her left him 50 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: struck with anxiety. It had gotten so bad he couldn't sleep. 51 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: He still went through the motions of getting ready for bed, 52 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: crawling under the covers and laying his head down. He 53 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: just wouldn't close his eyes. Instead, he would rest fully 54 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: awake and then get up at five o'clock every morning 55 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: to start the day again. Herpin's condition was so strange 56 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: it piqued the curiosity of a facility in Vienna, which 57 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 1: offered him ten thousand dollars to study him. Pretty soon, 58 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: other institutions followed suit, but he rejected most of their offers. 59 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: He even received a few marriage proposals here and there, 60 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: but instead chose to remain unwed. And Yet, according to 61 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: some reports, Herpin did allow himself to be observed by 62 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: at least one group of doctors who watched him for 63 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: one week. Not once during those seven days did he 64 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: catch a nap or get a full night's sleep. He 65 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: remained awake and alert the whole time, confusing everyone looking on. Sadly, 66 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: none of the attention he received had panned out into 67 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: something lucrative. Later on in Herpin's life, he found himself 68 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: broke and living in a one room shed by himself. 69 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: He had no bed and would stay up every night 70 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: reading news papers to pass the time. During the day, 71 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: he'd perform random jobs around town, like street sweeping, but 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: it doesn't seem like his lack of sleep hurt him 73 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: that much. He died in nineteen forty seven at the 74 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 1: age of ninety four. So were the reports true. Was 75 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: this one man able to beat the odds and stay 76 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: awake for three decades? It's hard to say. One teen 77 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty four managed to stay awake for eleven 78 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 1: days straight to win his school science fair, and the 79 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: effort earned him a world record, which still hasn't been beaten. 80 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: But there's also the idea that Herpin suffered from something 81 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: called paradoxical insomnia, in which he only thought that he'd 82 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: been awake, when in fact he'd been asleep the whole time. 83 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: Whatever the case, Albert Herpin was a unique individual. He 84 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: ignored the experts and even his own body to chart 85 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: his own path. But whether he really did stay awake 86 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: for almost thirty years or not remains to be seen, 87 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 1: and trying to figure out the answer to that question, well, 88 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: that's enough to keep you up at night. It's one 89 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: of the most well known and watched sporting events in America. 90 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: Every February, two football teams go head to head to 91 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: determine who is the biggest and best team of the 92 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: year in a match known as the Super Bowl. Tickets 93 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 1: can go for thousands of dollars. The halftime show is 94 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: performed by some of the most popular musicians in the world, 95 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: and the biggest draw is, of course, the commercials. But 96 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty five, the Super Bowl drew a very 97 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: different kind of crowd, a crowd that had no idea 98 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: what it was walking into. It was December of that year, 99 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 1: and the Washington Redskins had become a pretty popular team. 100 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: Tickets were getting harder to come by, and the waiting 101 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: list for season tickets was impossibly long. But that didn't 102 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: stop one up and coming television station from making a 103 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: name for itself. It was known as Flagship International Sports Television, 104 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: and it sent out three thousand invitations to a special 105 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: brunch along with a pair of complimentary tickets to a 106 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: Redskins Bengals game. But there was more. In addition to 107 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: the meal and the game, attendees could also enter a 108 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: raffle to win a number of prizes. These included ten 109 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: Redskins season tickets and for one lucky winner, a trip 110 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: to New Orleans for Super Bowl twenty. Not everyone was 111 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,239 Speaker 1: able to make their way to the Washington Convention Center 112 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: for the game, but one hundred and sixty seven people 113 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: called the special number on the invitation to let the 114 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: organizers know that they were coming. Finally, on December fifteenth 115 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: of nineteen eighty five, the big day arrived. Guests had 116 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: been told to come to the Convention Center at nine am, 117 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: but a lot of people showed up much earlier, eager 118 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: to eat and secure their chance at winning a trip 119 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: to that year's Super Bowl. Oh and reporters had also 120 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: been invited to document the events for the local papers, 121 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: and so after their meals, groups of ten to twenty 122 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,839 Speaker 1: guests were whisked off to a special room, or the 123 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: MC A man named Louis McKinney spoke for a few 124 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: minutes before giving them their big prize, a pair of handcuffs. 125 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: McKinney would yell the word surprise, and an instant later 126 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: the auditorium would swarm with US Marshals, who took each 127 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: winner into custody. There had never been any tickets, nor 128 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: a raffle. Mister McKinney had actually been the chief of 129 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: Enforcement Operations for the US Marshals. All the people in 130 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: the lobby who had welcomed the winners into the convention 131 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,239 Speaker 1: center had either been local cops or US Marshals as well. 132 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: What everyone had actually won was a one way trip 133 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: to prison, courtesy of a secret plot known as Operation Flagship. 134 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: There was no Flagship International Sports Television or FIST, but 135 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: there was a Fugitive Investigative Strike Team, an elite group 136 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: of US Marshals operating under the same acronym. Their goal 137 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: was to track down and capture the worst of the 138 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: worst when it came to wanted fugitives, but doing so 139 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: on an individual basis was going to be expensive and 140 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: time consuming, so instead, Chief Deputy US Marshal Tobias Roche 141 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: and US Marshall Herbert Rutherford the Third developed a coordinated 142 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: effort to send invitations to the last known addresses of 143 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: about three thousand fugitives. The hope was that the recipients 144 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: would be blinded by the chance of going to the 145 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: Super Bowl and ignore all the red flags in front 146 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: of them. What red flags might those be? You're asking? Well, 147 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:26,679 Speaker 1: For one, the invitations had been signed by I Michael Dettna, 148 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: whose last name was the word wanted is spelled backwards. 149 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: There was also the business manager who handled calls from 150 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: the criminals saying that they were coming. His name was 151 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: Marcus Kran that's nark spelled backwards, and anyone put on 152 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: hold had to listen to one specially chosen piece of music, 153 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: the song I Fought the Law. And yet, despite all 154 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: the warning signs that this was a setup, over one 155 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: hundred wanted criminals showed up at the Washington Convention Center 156 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: to eat a free meal and watch a football game. Instead, 157 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: they were caught and cuffed and what's become known as 158 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: one of the biggest mass arrest events in US law 159 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: enforcement history. And this wasn't the only one either. Similar 160 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: schemes were also conducted in New York and Connecticut. In total, 161 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: over thirty three hundred wanted fugitives were caught by the 162 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:19,319 Speaker 1: Fugitive Investigative Strike Team during the nineteen eighties. Because sometimes 163 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: the swift hand of justice needs to become a fist 164 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: to take on crime. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 165 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 166 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 167 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 168 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 169 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 170 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 171 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: about it over at the Worldolore dot com. And until 172 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.