1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: Ah, there's nothing like slipping between cool, fresh sheets on 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: a soft bed. You sink in and you feel the 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: stress slip away. Right, But what were our beds like 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: one hundred, five hundred, or even a thousand or more 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: years ago? I'm Patty Steele. The real kind of skeevy 6 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: meaning of hit the hay. Next on the backstory. We're 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: back with the backstory. Pretty much every living thing needs sleep, right, 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: But how we do it and where has drastically changed 9 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: over the centuries. Some of us are on the picky side. 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: We want a certain temperature, soft sheets, a mattress that's 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: soft but supportive, fluffy pillows. Maybe you want one that 12 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: can be elevated or stays cool on a hot night. Now, 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: toss those modern day expectations out the door and let's 14 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: head back ten thousand years When hunter gatherer societies were nomadic. 15 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: They had to bed down wherever they happened to be. 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: But guess what they wanted the same things you and 17 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: I want a little shut eye in a soft spot 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: where we could stay warm, dry, and most importantly for 19 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: them safe. Now, for them, that amounted to a bowl 20 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: shaped pit in the ground that they filled with leaves 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: and grass for a mattress and for blankets again, leaves 22 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: and grasses in warmer weather, some of which actually worked 23 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: as an insect repellent, and animal skins if it was cold. 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: The pit was bowl shaped so they could curl up 25 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: in a little ball to preserve body heat, and periodically 26 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: they'd burn the whole thing, most likely after the bedding 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: tried out and finally loaded up with bugs, which is 28 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: a lovely thought. Now let's move into ancient Egypt around 29 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 1: four thousand years ago. We can thank them for getting 30 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: the bright idea to elevate beds off the ground. Those 31 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: table like platforms were made of wood or bronze, and 32 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: they kept us off the cold ground and when it 33 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: was hot, allowed air to circulate. It also made it 34 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: tougher for animals like rats and mice, as well as 35 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: bugs or snakes to crawl over our faces while we 36 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: were tucked in. On the other hand, the Egyptians had 37 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: a weird substitute for our nice comfy pillows. They used 38 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: what were called headrests. These were things to prop the 39 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: head up. They had like a flat base with a 40 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: concaved raised section to fit around your neck. These headrests 41 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: are seen in artwork, and they were found in Egyptian tombs. 42 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: They were made of marble, ivory, stone, ceramic, wood, and 43 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: even glass. Doesn't sound very comfortable. Why did they do that? Well, 44 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: it propped your head up to allow cool air to 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: circulate around your neck and also to prevent those bugs 46 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: and other critters from crawling into your mouth, nose, eyes, 47 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: and ears while you slept. Sounds cozy, huh. They also 48 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: believed raising the head up would keep it protected bad spirits. Now, 49 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: by two or three thousand years ago, folks in ancient 50 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: Rome had an even better idea. Moneyed types slept on 51 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: raised beds made of metal, but it had a flexible 52 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: woven metal support system and feather or straw stuffed mattresses. 53 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: Less wealthy folks had similar beds made from wood with 54 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: wool strings holding up the mattress, and most people used 55 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: wool blankets for covers by that time. Now, by the 56 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: Middle Ages, beds, at least for the rich, became really 57 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: lavish and were such a status symbol. Owners would Greek 58 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: guests and business associates while in bed, even eating meals. There. 59 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: These heavily carved pieces of furniture with down stuffed mattresses 60 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: were so treasured they were handed down through generations and 61 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: sometimes represented as much as a third of the value 62 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: of the entire home. These beds were fitted with linen sheets, 63 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: wool blankets, and velvet drapes all around. They frequently had 64 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: pull out trundle beds underneath for kids or servants, and 65 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: were sometimes so big six or more people could comfortably 66 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: sleep together. Weren't big on privacy in those days, I guess. 67 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: In fact, travelers would often be welcomed into homes not 68 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: a lot of hotels back then, and they would even 69 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: share the family bed. Traveling co workers and even strangers 70 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: meeting on the road would often share a bed at 71 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: an inn. Sleeping communally was totally a thing for these guys. Now, 72 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: if you were poor in those days, you'd sleep on 73 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: a hay stuffed bag on the floor or on a 74 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: small platform and get this before turning in for the night, 75 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: you would have to beat the mattress to get rid 76 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: of all the nesting bugs and mice, and that is 77 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: the origin of the term hit. The hay gives it 78 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: a whole new meaning as a sidebar. During the Renaissance, 79 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: most beds were fairly short. Why well, yeah, the people 80 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: were not only shorter then, but they regularly up kind 81 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: of propped up, leaning back against a mound of pillows. 82 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 1: They believed it protected you from breathing the crumby air 83 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: that hovered over your body at night. They called it 84 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: noxious air. It wasn't until the seventeen hundreds the cotton 85 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: replaced the bug filled hay or down as mattress stuffing. 86 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: And that's also when servants and kids stop sleeping on 87 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: the floor nearby the parents' bed, so that is when 88 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: the bedroom began to get a little more private. By 89 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: the late eighteen hundreds we saw the arrival of metal 90 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: bed springs to support the mattress. Now, on the upside, 91 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,479 Speaker 1: they gave the bed more support and more comfort, but 92 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,280 Speaker 1: on the downside they made the bed crazy squeaky every 93 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: time you tossed and turned or got a little frisky. 94 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: The twentieth century and on into our moment in time 95 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: has seen the arrival of water beds, which kind of 96 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: faded out, and we have bedding invented by NASA memory foam, 97 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: which was created by research looking to cushion astronauts during flights. 98 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 1: We also have air filled mattresses mattresses that can track 99 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: your sleep, and soon mattresses that can detect illness. We 100 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: spend one third of our lives sleeping, so our beds 101 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: have been a huge presence in our lives for thousands 102 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: of years. Historians say Winston Churchill ran a lot of 103 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: World War Two sitting in bed with a glass of 104 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: whiskey and a big cigar, surrounded by papers, dispatches and visitors. 105 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: Our beds are our place for sleep and sex, but 106 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: we also talk, think, pray, or meditate, recover from illness, 107 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: and even eat some meals in bed, nothing like breakfast 108 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: in bed. Women have given birth in beds, and we 109 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: generally end our lives in bed. It is our refuge. 110 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: I'm Patty's d bill. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, 111 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group and Steel Trap Productions. 112 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We 113 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to 114 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions 115 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: on Instagram at real Patty Steele and on Facebook at 116 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. 117 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: The pieces of history you didn't know, you needed to know.