1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: The man we all know today, the one who slides 7 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: down our chimneys every December twenty fifth and leaves presence 8 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: under our trees, is something of a historical Frankenstein, sorry, 9 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: Frankenstein's monster. In fourth century Greece, for example, there was 10 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: a Christian bishop named Saint Nicholas, who often gave gifts 11 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: to the poor. After his death, people in the Middle 12 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: Ages would give presents to children during December as a 13 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: way to honor him. Over time, other cultures started to 14 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: develop their own similar figures. England had Father Christmas, the 15 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: Dutch had Center Claus, and the Germans had Wodin, a 16 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: bearded figure most commonly known as the God Odin. But 17 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: in America, as well as many other places around the world, 18 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: we have Santa Claus. His fluffy white beard and big 19 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: red suit are iconic, but many people don't know that 20 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,839 Speaker 1: at one time, Santa Claus really existed and he came 21 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: from Missouri. It was April fourth of eighteen eighty eight, 22 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: and William and Henrietta Clause of Sailine County, Missouri, were 23 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: a static. They'd just given birth to a bouncing baby boy. 24 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: But when it came time to fill out his birth certificate, 25 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: they could only think of one name that would fit 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: their surname, Santa. That's right, Santa Claus had just entered 27 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: the world. Now. Of course, someone named after a figure 28 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: of joy and goodwill should have inspired the same in 29 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: people he met growing up, but kids can often be cruel. 30 00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: Clause was picked on a lot as a child because 31 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: of his name, no doubt, earning his tormentors a spot 32 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: on the Naughty List. But he didn't grow up to 33 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: run a workshop full of elves or steer a sleigh 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: driven by eight magical reindeer. Clause grew up to be 35 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: a family man and a ditch digger. You see, life 36 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,239 Speaker 1: got expensive with seven kids and a wife at home, 37 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: so he worked several jobs to get by. Among them, 38 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: he worked part time as a minister as well as 39 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: a laborer along the Missouri River, but in nineteen twenty nine, 40 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: everything changed. One day, he'd been working on the river 41 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: when he suffered an accident and broke his leg. He 42 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: was rushed to the hospital, where his name caused quite 43 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: a stir because honestly, it isn't every day that Santa 44 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: Claus ends up in the er. Right. Newspapers got wind 45 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: of the story and published articles about Clause, who was 46 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,079 Speaker 1: in dire need of a pick me up. After all, 47 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: the sole breadwinner for his large family was now out 48 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: of work. And so the children who heard about the 49 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: accident did what they did best when it came to 50 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: Santa Claus. They wrote him letters. Soon, thousands of letters 51 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: from all over started to pour in. The recuperating Clause 52 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: finally embraced his identity and started answering the letters. And 53 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: it became more than a hobby too, This was a calling. 54 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: He grew out his beard and worked for months writing 55 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: back to every single child. That meant responding to at 56 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: least six thousand letters each year. And remember, Santa Claus 57 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: was poor. He didn't have much money to spend on 58 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: things like paper and postage. For those items, he relied 59 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: on donations from his town's Chamber of Commerce. Everyday Americans 60 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: looking to help, and even movie star May West. She 61 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: sent him two hundred and fifty dollars to spend on stamps. 62 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: But not everything was rosy cheeked for dear old mister Clause. 63 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: While his name may have encouraged young children to believe 64 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: in Christmas magic, it also caused him problems in his 65 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: daily life. Banks often turned him away because they didn't 66 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: believe that his identity was real. Some people thought that 67 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: he was mentally ill, and even the post Office wouldn't 68 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: deliver the occasional package to him because they didn't believe 69 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: Santa Claus really existed. But he did did, and he 70 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: continued to answer letters from children for the next thirty 71 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: years using his real name. After his wife died in 72 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, he remarried four years later, and the 73 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: new Missus Claus filled her role perfectly. She assisted Santo 74 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: with his letters as he slowly became ill. On April 75 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: first of nineteen fifty seven, Clause passed away, three days 76 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: shy of his sixty ninth birthday. The world may have 77 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: lost Santa Claus the Man, but thanks to his dedication 78 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: to thousands of children who wrote to him, the spirit 79 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: of Christmas that he embodied still lives on today. Many 80 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: jobs can seem thankless. The restaurant cook making your food, 81 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: or the mechanic fixing your car are all people that 82 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: we interact with all the time, but we rarely show 83 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: gratitude for the services they provide, and the same goes 84 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: for teachers, farmers, and even stay at home spouses. But 85 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 1: perhaps one of the most unfairly thankless jobs in any 86 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 1: industry is that of the lighthouse keeper. Lighthouses signal to 87 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: ships using bright lights and loud horns that there are 88 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: shallows in rocky shores nearby, and they don't just warn 89 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: captains of dangers ahead either. They also help ships navigate 90 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: in and out of harbors safely. But they wouldn't be 91 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: able to do any of that without help from the 92 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: people responsible for their care and maintenance, the lighthouse keepers. 93 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: A lighthouse keeper does more than just light the lamp. 94 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: They have to fill the lamp with kerosene each day, 95 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: trim the wicks to prevent smoking, clean the lens and 96 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: windows so the light shines brightly, perform basic repairs, and 97 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: even act as tour guides for visitors. A lighthouse keeper's 98 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: job is so important. It goes on twenty four to seven, 99 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: with no sick time and no days off, and because 100 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: they have to live in the lighthouses at all times, 101 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: it can get pretty lonely, especially around Christmas. Edward Snow 102 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: so as Well. Born in nineteen oh two, Snow grew 103 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: up in Winthrop, Massachusetts, near the shores of Boston Harbor. 104 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: He came from a nautical family. His grandfather was a 105 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: sea captain for much of his life, and his mother 106 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: accompanied him on many voyages. Even Snow got in on 107 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: the act. After graduating high school. He spent nine years 108 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: on various ships and oil tankers, learning all that he 109 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: could about life on the high seas. He wrote forty 110 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: books about his travels, one of which became a common 111 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: sight in many East Coast homes. It was titled The 112 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: Lighthouses of New England. But after seeing the world for 113 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: all that time, Snow decided to settle down. He enrolled 114 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: at Harvard at the age of twenty seven and accelerated 115 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: through his courses, graduating after only three years. One month 116 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: after earning his diploma, he married Anna Merle Hague, a 117 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: woman that he met during a trip to Montana. Together 118 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: they moved back to Massachusetts and built a life there. 119 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: Snow took up teaching at Winthrop High School, and it 120 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: was there that he met a young man named Bill Winkop. 121 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: Bill was a student whose father did something nice for 122 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,679 Speaker 1: the lighthouse keepers and their families every Christmas. He flew 123 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: overhead and dropped presents from above. He was dubbed the 124 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: Flying Santa. Snow was only too happy to help, especially 125 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: as Bill's father included more lighthouses each year. Even Bill 126 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: himself had to pitch in. He was the youngest licensed 127 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: pilots in the state at only sixteen years old. So 128 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: mister Winkepaw would fly his plane north while Edward and 129 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: Bill Junior would fly along the southern New England coast 130 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,239 Speaker 1: dropping presents down to lighthouse keepers below. After several years, however, 131 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: the Winkapaus could no longer perform their yearly task. Who 132 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: would step up and become Flying Santa Now? Why Edward Snow. 133 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: Of course, Snow couldn't fly his own plane, though, so 134 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: he and his family would charter a plane loaded up 135 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: with dolls and toys and copies of his books, and 136 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: do the whole route themselves. He even put on a 137 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: red Santa suit and fake beard for those occasions. After 138 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: his daughter was born, she he went with them. Every 139 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: flight was an experience she described as bumpy, rough and scary. 140 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: Snow didn't take any money or donations to finance these trips. 141 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: Everything was paid for out of his own pocket, and 142 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: when the plane had to refuel he would come out 143 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: and meet with the lighthouse keepers and their families. It 144 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: was in their smiles and gratitude that he saw how 145 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: important his yearly pilgrimage was to them, especially to the children. 146 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: Snow died in nineteen eighty two and only missed a 147 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: single Christmas flight in the forty five years that he 148 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: delivered presents. His one off year was nineteen forty two, 149 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: wild World War two was happening, so you know, a 150 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: very valid excuse. Today, his legacy lives on thanks to 151 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: the friends of Flying Santa, who fly helicopters to lighthouses 152 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 1: all over New England. They continue the tradition started by 153 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: the Winkipause and Edward Snow, delivering joy and Christmas cheer 154 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: to the men and women who keep the harbors lit 155 00:08:55,880 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: all year round. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour 156 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 157 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 158 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 159 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 160 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 161 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,960 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 162 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 163 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: stay curious.