1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class, A production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio, Hello and Happy Friday. I am Holly Frye and 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson. We talked about Joseph Medill this week. 4 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: We did. Throughout my research, I just kept muttering to myself, 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: Joseph Medill is a pill because he was very bossy, 6 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: not someone you could really reason with if you had 7 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: made up his mind. Yeah, but also super interesting and 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: like one of those people we don't really talk about 9 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: in terms of like the people pulling the levers of 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: power in the United States. But he sure did have 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: a lot of influence. Yeah, he was not a name 12 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: that rung a bell to me at all. There is 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: a great story, apparently, when about his friendship with Abe Lincoln, 14 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: Uh huh, when Lincoln would come to the offices and visit, 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: and apparently Lincoln had gotten to the Tribune offices when 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: Medill was not in his office he was doing something, 17 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: and when he came back to his office, he found 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: mister Lincoln sitting reading the paper with his feet up 19 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: on the desk, his long legs extended, and according to 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: many staffers, they heard him yell, get your damn feet 21 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 1: off my desk, Gabe, which I just love somebody yelling 22 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: that at Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, it's pretty fascinating. I also really, 23 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: I mean, we don't know if it's true. We only 24 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: have Medill's account, but I really liked his account of 25 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: like Abe Lincoln being like, I'm doing what you wanted, 26 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: so maybe don't be a sucker and do what has 27 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: to be done here. Right. It sounds somewhat unlike Abe Lincoln. Yeah, 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: but also I love it, and it was enough that 29 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: it cowed Medill and he wanted to admit as much. 30 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: So I find that fascinating fascinating. He also didn't. I 31 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: didn't get into it because eventually I had to cut 32 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: some stuff for time. But like the Douglas Lincoln debates, 33 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, Madill followed that whole thing like he literally 34 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: was the one newspaper man that was printing it every 35 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: day that there was any news about it, like following 36 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: the whole thing around, just like followed it like the 37 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: grateful dead and reported every second of everything that was 38 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: going on, which is another way that he supported Lincoln 39 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: in the paper. Yeah, so this outline characterized him in 40 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: his newspaper journalism career. As having a bias, and I 41 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: was curious about whether whether like it was a bias 42 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: or whether it was more like an informed perspective. I 43 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: think he did have an informed perspective, however, because he 44 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: was using his paper contacts to communicate back and forth 45 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: with Abraham Lincoln about hone should be presented and maybe 46 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: you want to know about this before it hits this 47 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: other newspaper. Like, to me, that's the bias part, Right. 48 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: I am helping you every way I can. Yeah, there 49 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 1: is a journalistic integrity line that that crosses for sure. Yeah. 50 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: And to be fair, all of the rules of journalistic 51 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,800 Speaker 1: integrity that we think about today weren't all necessarily in 52 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 1: place yet at this point, right, But there's a reason 53 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: they got put in place, and some of it is 54 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: stuff like that. Yeah. Well, and today, like we have 55 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: been living through an approach to journalism that is purportedly 56 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: unbiased and taking a neutral stance on topics, but sometimes 57 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: there's not an actual a neutral stance on that issue, right, 58 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: And so having like just become deeply exasperated with reporting 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: that makes it seem like there are two equivalent sides 60 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: to issues that don't have equivalent sides In that way. 61 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: I'm like, right, I kind of would prefer, like, you know, 62 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: if the paper's position is slavery is bad and should 63 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: be abolished, that like the reporting points to that. Yeah, yeah, 64 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: say straightforwardly and you know, says it directly, because yeah, boy, 65 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: I have various frustrations with the worlds of journalism and reporting. 66 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: Oh point of I mean that was that was part 67 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: of why I found this interesting. The other thing too, 68 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 1: is that if you read his editorials, they are not 69 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: like I am conveying information to you. It is like, 70 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: here's the action you need to take. Okay, you know 71 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: what I mean? Yeah, yeah, definitely not like reporting so 72 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: much as shaping the way people perceive things. Yeah yeah, 73 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: I mean granted, like I'm on board with his anti 74 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: slavery agenda, less so with his anti union stuff. Lead 75 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: in the game, right, So that made me laugh a 76 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: little bit because he reminds me of my grandfather who 77 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: was a union type setter and eventually got promoted into management, 78 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: and he had been a union man. He raised my 79 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,559 Speaker 1: dad and my aunt we like, the union is why 80 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: we have what we have. And then when he moved 81 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: into management and actually had to deal with the union 82 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: from the other side, he got a little a little 83 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: more frustrated on that score, and so this reminded me 84 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: of that in terms of like how he had gone 85 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: from being a type setter and from having like a 86 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: pretty progressive perspective leading into the Civil War to being 87 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: a more anti union person having managed an entire city 88 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: and a whole city, yeah, being the mayor. Yeah, yeah, 89 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: his time as mayor is so fascinating. One of the 90 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: things that started happening even before he was elected was 91 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: that because he was writing these really like hopeful editorials 92 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: in the paper of like, hey, everybody, cheer up, keep 93 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: your heads up, We're all going to work together to rebuild. 94 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 1: And those got reprinted all over the world. People from 95 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: all over the world, like royal houses in Europe and 96 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: other places, started sending money directly to him. Oh wow. 97 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: And what he would do whenever he got it was 98 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: he would give the money to his wife, Kitty, and 99 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 1: she got to kind of manage the way that money 100 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: was distributed, so she would basically like handle the philanthropic 101 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: part of disbursement and be like, Hey, I've looked at 102 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: these four hospitals, this one is suffering the most. I'm 103 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: going to give them the biggest chunk. He kind of 104 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: did all of that, But there's not a lot of 105 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 1: documentation in how she did it, at least that I 106 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: could find easily, But I would be curious how she 107 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: made those decisions. Yeah, it's kind of interesting that he 108 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: just became well before he was mayor, like when he 109 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: was literally just writing his stuff in those that like 110 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: month in between the fire and the thing, people were 111 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: already just sending chunks of money to him, like thousands 112 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: at a time, and he would be like, Okay, so fascinating. 113 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: He also, I didn't get into it, but because I 114 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: feel like we talk about it so much, people will 115 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: think it is my special project. He was really instrumental 116 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 1: in getting the World's Columbian Exposition to Chicago in eighteen 117 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: ninety three, one of the things he worked on in 118 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: his later life, which is just an interesting, interesting thing 119 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: and it makes sense. He was very proud of what 120 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: he had accomplished in terms of rebuilding the city, even 121 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: if people started getting frustrated with the way he was 122 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: filling positions. Yeah, yeah, and they did. They did pass 123 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: a law about not using pine for new structures, Yeah, 124 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: which probably saved them a lot of trouble down the road. Yeah, 125 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: I mean certainly it did. The place that I used 126 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: to live has been having like an internal city dispute 127 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: involving people being upset that they felt like a business 128 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: was being unfairly penalized by the city over building codes. 129 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: And then when like the whole, the whole, like the 130 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: documentation of it was released and it was like, no, really, 131 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: they were building a bunch of stuff out of wood 132 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: in the densely constructed downtown without permits when wood cannot 133 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: be used for those structures downtown because of the flammability 134 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: and yea like this kind of reminded me about of 135 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: that with like how much of Chicago was made out 136 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,439 Speaker 1: of wood at the time and how much that contributed 137 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: to the fire. Yeah, there was early on, I think 138 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: even before he was elected, as people were discussing these 139 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: problems in Chicago, like, hey, this is a problem though, 140 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: because that's the most economical thing I can possibly get 141 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: a hold of. And the hart fastest a lot of 142 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: the time. Yeah, And we read a lot of his 143 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: inauguration speech, but we didn't read half of it. I mean, 144 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,560 Speaker 1: it was so long. But one of the things he 145 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: does is he does this breakdown because he clearly did 146 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: his research on it or talked to experts, because he 147 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: was like, here's how fast pine rots, and how often 148 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,559 Speaker 1: you will have to replace parts of pine even if 149 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't catch on fire. We are stupid to use this, 150 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: and it's actually more expensive if you amortize out the 151 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: replacements you have to make over a twenty year period 152 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: than if you just invest in a better building material 153 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: right out of the gate. And I was like, man, 154 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: he has very strong feelings about this, which were correct 155 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: and great, and I do like that. He basically was like, okay, people, 156 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: here's the real real. Here's how much money we owe people, 157 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: here's how much we have gotten. Here's the gap. Here's 158 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 1: how I'm gonna fill that gap. And he was really 159 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: quite direct. There was no hemming and hawing of like 160 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: I mean when I say he line item to that thing. 161 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: He literally was like, this is how much it costs 162 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: to run these four government offices. This is how like 163 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: just anybody that was a numbers nerd was probably losing 164 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: their minds with glee during this reach because it was 165 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: like a spreadsheet being read aloud. So yeah, problematic in 166 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: a number of ways. Like I said, some of his 167 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: very early writing about teaching. I immediately ran across some 168 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,319 Speaker 1: very slurry, not cool language, and I was like, well, 169 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: we're not going to quote this. I'll just say he 170 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: didn't love teaching, but also incredibly powerful and quite smart. Yeah, 171 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: if he didn't always use his smarts in the way 172 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: we might have liked. Sure. Also, don't adopt raccoons. Don't 173 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:09,199 Speaker 1: try to adopt raccoons. That was a good listener mail. 174 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: It made me wonder for a moment. I was like, 175 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: I wonder if this person is talking about the shelter 176 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 1: that I adopted my cats from, because they got a 177 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: brand new, beautiful facility not that long ago. And then 178 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: I was like, m no, you got to be buzzed in. 179 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: So if somebody was just standing in the lobby, they couldn't. 180 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: That couldn't be the same, right, right. Talked about Christmas 181 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: carols this week, We sure did talked about William Sands. 182 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: When we finally got to William Sands, we talked about 183 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: the introduction to his book of Christmas Carols that was 184 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: like forty percent of the length of the book, and 185 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: then within that introduction there was a sixty page gap 186 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: in which carols were not mentioned something that cracked me up. 187 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: A couple of things cracked me up about that. One 188 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: is that that introduction ends with him saying, quote, but 189 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: it is time to close this introduction, which has imperceptibly 190 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: almost extended to a link that the subject will not sanction. 191 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: And I was like, yes, William Sands, the subject will 192 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: not sanction it because a lot of this introduction is 193 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:30,560 Speaker 1: not actually about the subject. You're like, perceptible in point 194 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: of fact, Yeah, well, and I mean some of the 195 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: things that he was writing about are things that are 196 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: part of the context, that are tangentially related or you know, 197 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 1: they're part of the historical precursor of the Christmas caroling. 198 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:47,559 Speaker 1: But some of it just felt like wandering digression around Christmas, 199 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: and I was like, I need to get back to 200 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: the part that's relevant. I'm not going to be able 201 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: to really put my attention to all of this that's 202 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: not And so when I found the little margin note 203 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: that some lack some past person had made where they 204 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: put a little star and with the word Carrol's, I 205 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: thought that was very funny. And then pretty consistently for 206 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the rest of the book, the things 207 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: that I found useful and noteworthy and wanting to mention 208 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: in the episode were also things that this past person 209 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 1: with their pencil had written in the book. Maybe it's 210 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: a future person, maybe you time traveled, and you were like, 211 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: I'm really gonna need this help because this is a 212 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: really sucking wow. And that at the one day we 213 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: finally invent that time machine that we talk about on 214 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: the show from time to time. I feel like the 215 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 1: time machine that we one day build is going to 216 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: be like the JWST or the very large array where 217 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: we'll have to submit our proposals for usage just to 218 00:13:54,160 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: get on, like the wait list. Yeah yeah, well, and 219 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: a lot of the things that we've talked about using 220 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: a time machine for on the show have been not 221 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: the best use of the time machine. And I remember 222 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: many years ago somebody pointing it out, either in an 223 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: email or social media, I don't remember, but we had 224 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: talked about wanting to go back in time to prevent 225 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: people from trampling all over the crime scene. Uh huh, 226 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: And somebody was like, did you think about maybe go 227 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: back going back in time to prevent the murder from happening? No? No, 228 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:32,880 Speaker 1: it's like, well, yeah, now that you mention it, I 229 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: suppose that would be better than just stopping the crime 230 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: scene destruction. But no, that was not really what I 231 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: had been thinking about. I just want to go back 232 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 1: and tell the Lumier brothers I will hang onto this 233 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: forever who thought that film was not ever going to 234 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: be a money making thing. I literally still want to 235 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: go back and go Rogue one made a billion dollars 236 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: and then just vanish into thin air with a bee, 237 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 1: so many dollars. By total coincidence. While I was working 238 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: on this, an algorithm fed me a video. I did 239 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: not know the name of whose video this was. Maybe 240 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: I should go look it up, but they had. It 241 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: was an a cappella performance of a song about the 242 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: song God Rest you Mary Gentleman, and where in that 243 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: phrase the comma should go? And I found it so funny. 244 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: I'm just I'm gonna have to look at my phone 245 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: because I feel that, you know, people, people would appreciate this. 246 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: Ramsey's the Pigeon is the name of the account, and 247 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: I have no idea of anything about this account other 248 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: than that there is a song that's God Rest You 249 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: Marry Gentleman. That is a song about where in the 250 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: song title the comma should go and how the position 251 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: of that comma changes the titles meaning. And I found 252 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: it so funny, which is always great when a random 253 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: thing on the Internet is so funny. Yes, yes, I 254 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: would like more of that on the Internet. I remember 255 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: when it felt like most of the Internet was random 256 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: things that were so funny. Those were the days instead 257 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: of AI slop and hate speech. Those were the days. 258 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: My favorite recent one, since we're on this brief tangent 259 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: is a post from Happy Camper Tattoos on Instagram, Okay, 260 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: and it says girl dinner and it's a praying mantis 261 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: holding her mate's head, and it's very cute and it's 262 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: done in like the old school kind of slightly cartoony 263 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: tetes style, and I thought it was the most brilliant 264 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: thing I'd ever seen, and it made me laugh literally 265 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: so hard. I was crying, and I sent it to 266 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: everybody I knew. Christmas, Carol. Yeah, as is often the 267 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: case with anything we talk about, do you know what 268 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: this episode made me think of? Sorrow Wars, bobs Burgers. 269 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: You're close, Okay, there's a great They always have great 270 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 1: Christmas episodes, some of which make me cry and cry, 271 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: but one is very funny, where the b plot is 272 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:19,159 Speaker 1: Linda and the kids and their handyman Teddy, walking around 273 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,479 Speaker 1: this very rich neighborhood Christmas caroling in the hopes that 274 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: someone will give them hot coco. And there's one house 275 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: that's known as the Murder House, and then it turns 276 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: out that really the guy that lives there is just 277 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: bad at decorating, and he comes out and sings in 278 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,679 Speaker 1: a beautiful voice Adeste Fidelis, and then they're all friends. 279 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: But it's so lovely, and that's all I can think 280 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 1: of the whole time. This episode made me think about 281 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: being raised as a kid and being raised Methodist as 282 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 1: a kid, and I don't know how the Methodist Church, well, 283 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: the Methodist Church had a schism, so I super don't 284 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 1: know what's going on with Methodist Church leadership now except 285 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: the general sides of the schism. But when I was 286 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,160 Speaker 1: a kid, we were United Methodists. We went to United 287 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 1: Methodist Church, and at that time, the United Methodist Church 288 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: moved the preachers around every few years, so you would 289 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:18,120 Speaker 1: get a new preacher periodically, and the types of services 290 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: that would happen for Christmas could change a lot when 291 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: there was a different preacher. Like a different preacher could 292 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: come to the church and sort of have a different 293 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: idea of what would be good to do for Christmas. 294 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: And so there were years that we had either on 295 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 1: Christmas Eve or sometime during Advent, we would have like 296 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: a service of lessons and carols. And there were a 297 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: lot of Christmas carols that were sung as part of 298 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: church services during Advent. And sometimes there would be like 299 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: a Christmas Eve specific service that might or might not 300 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: specifically be lessons in carols, but there would often be 301 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,120 Speaker 1: Christmas carols sung. And I don't know, it just sort 302 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: of made me think about the many different iterations of 303 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: Christmas observances that there were at church when I was 304 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 1: a kid. Yeah, and how also sometimes the youth group 305 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: would go caroling. I don't think, I don't remember if 306 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,199 Speaker 1: I actually did that very much, but that was like 307 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: a group activity that would happen, would be going caroling 308 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: house to house, which we did not like. That was 309 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,719 Speaker 1: not something that happened near where I lived, because we 310 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: lived out in the country on a busy highway. But 311 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,679 Speaker 1: you know, the church was located in a town, and 312 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: say there would be caroling through the neighborhoods around the 313 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: church often a neighborhoods that a lot of members of 314 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,680 Speaker 1: the church lived in. Yeah, I don't know that I've 315 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 1: ever gone caroling. If I did, it was probably part 316 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: of like some theater program saying oh sure, sure, yeah, 317 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: I don't recall ever caroling just for funsies. Yeah, I 318 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 1: think I remember one time going caroling at a nursing home. 319 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, like room to room at the nursing home. Somehow, 320 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: what you just said reminded me of the year that 321 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 1: the summer theater that I did in the summers when 322 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: I was a kid, that we did Scrooge, which was 323 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: funny because it was July in the summer. Yeah, it was, 324 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 1: And we did restage that one at Christmas time, if 325 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: I recall correctly. And then my high school tried to 326 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: do Scrooge and it went not great. The theater program 327 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,679 Speaker 1: was kind of floundering at my high school by the 328 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 1: time I got there. And the thing that I remember 329 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: from the high school production of Scrooge was that one 330 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: of the early scenes, like the early crowd scenes around 331 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: the town, the town being London, there was a bottle 332 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:10,679 Speaker 1: that either someone dropped or it got put down on 333 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: the stage. A bottle was on the stage that was 334 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: not supposed to be there. That was like a prop, 335 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: And rather than anyone having the presence of mind to 336 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,640 Speaker 1: create a reason to strike this prop from the stage, 337 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: everyone just danced around it through the production numbers. I 338 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: find this now hilarious. But boy was our theater teacher 339 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: not pleased with us for doing that. Well, anyway, I 340 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: have good news theater teacher. Now it's only thought of 341 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 1: with love. Well, she is no longer among the living, 342 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: so hopefully she did not carry any resentments about our 343 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:02,479 Speaker 1: poor performance of Scrooge in the year in nineteen ninety 344 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: three to the beyond with her anyway. So the Carol's 345 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: episode came out on Christmas Eve. Now it is Boxing Day, 346 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: the day that's behind the scenes is coming out. Whatever 347 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 1: is going on with this season of the year, whatever 348 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: it is that you are celebrating or not celebrating, I 349 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: hope that it is just all going as well as possible. 350 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: It has been a rough year, yeah, and I know 351 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: a lot of folks need a break, And so if 352 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: you need a break, I hope you're able to get 353 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: one before the new year turns over. It will be 354 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: a whole new year by the time our next behind 355 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: the scenes comes out. So happy New Year, a little 356 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: in advance to everyone. Yeah, I hope everybody has the 357 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,639 Speaker 1: means and the ability to eat something delicious feast and 358 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,200 Speaker 1: remember to take care of other people that need the meats. Yeah, 359 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 1: and figures across for twenty twenty six. Is that the 360 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: year that's coming? It sure is. I almost said twenty 361 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: twenty seven. I almost blipped us right by that. Biz, 362 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,400 Speaker 1: that'd be funny. We'll be back with a Saturday classic tomorrow. 363 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: We will have something brand new on Monday. Stuff you 364 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,919 Speaker 1: Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For 365 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 366 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.