1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 4 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 6 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Crime does not pay. 7 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 2: It's a saying that almost everyone knows. We teach it 8 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 2: to our children to remind them not to take shortcuts, 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: because in the end, your actions have consequences, and your 10 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 2: choices will catch up with you. Stealing something is still 11 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 2: stealing something. Of course, this sort of moralizing has not 12 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 2: prevented crime from happening. Thievery is a profession as old 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: as the very concept of ownership. And since we no 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 2: longer hang thieves for taking things, and most petty theft 15 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 2: happens too fast to notify police, merchants have found themselves 16 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 2: in need of alternate ways to deter criminals. United States banks, 17 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 2: for example, are armed with a dummy wad of cash 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 2: that conceals a trap for potential robbers. Inside this innocuous 19 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 2: looking wad of tens and twenty dollars bills, there is 20 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: a small explosive triggered by radio to detonate when brought 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: out of the doors of the bank. This explosion releases 22 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 2: tear gas and sometimes a colored paint that marks the 23 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 2: bank robber and more importantly, the stolen money. Any cash 24 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 2: marked in this way would be unusable to the criminal 25 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 2: in question. This bank robber deterrent is known as an 26 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 2: intelligent banknote neutralization system or IBNS. The first prototype was 27 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 2: developed in nineteen eighty two, using colored smoke rather than paint. 28 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 2: After a decade in development, the modern system was fully 29 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 2: finalized and her remains in common use to this day. 30 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 2: But this was not the only crime deterrent that took 31 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 2: on in the nineteen eighties. On the other side of 32 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: the globe, the country of Japan was facing an interesting crisis. 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 2: They were running low on eggs. This wasn't because people 34 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: were stealing eggs at increased rates. It was because people 35 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 2: were refusing to pay at toll booths. 36 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: Yes, you heard that right. You see, at this time, 37 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: Japan was facing a small epidemic of people who wouldn't 38 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: pay tolls on public highways. They would just drive past 39 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: the attendance and keep going down the highway to avoid 40 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: any payment. Toll workers responded to this behavior by throwing 41 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: raw eggs at the vehicles that did it. This was 42 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: an imperfect system, of course, more useful in letting out 43 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: the frustration of a toll worker than inflicting any real 44 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: consequences on the drivers. But this practice gave someone the 45 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: bright idea of replacing the eggs with something more permanent, 46 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: because egg can be washed off fairly easily, after all. 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: Sometime in the early nineteen eighties, someone developed a suitable 48 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: egg replacement, a plastic sphere about the size and shape 49 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: of a baseball, filled with bright orange paint. Toll workers, 50 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: who presumably had plenty of practice with eggs, could use 51 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: them to tag a fleeing vehicle, providing a more useful 52 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: mark for policemen to find the perpetrator. These plastic paintballs 53 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: eventually became known as bohan yokara buru or anti crime 54 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: color balls. In the years following their invention, they would 55 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: expand from toll booths to banks and even convenience stores. 56 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: Even today, when you step into a convenience store in Japan, 57 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: you're likely to see a small pile of these orange 58 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: balls waiting by the cash register. Of course, they're rarely used. 59 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: In fact, studies have shown that even in cases of 60 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: store robbery, the owners rarely turned to the paintballs for assistance. 61 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: Their benefit, it is said, is more psychological than physical. 62 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: If someone enters a store and sees these innocuous plastic oranges, 63 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: they will think twice about shoplifting. It's impossible to say 64 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: how many potential crimes were deterred with the mere threats 65 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: of getting painted, but one thing is for sure, anti 66 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: crime color balls make a much stronger statement than raw egg. 67 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 1: Cody Klausen was starting to get scared. It was the 68 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: summer of two thousand and one, and the thirteen year 69 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: old boy scout had been hiking for hours. He began 70 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: the day excited to be venturing into Yellowstone National Park, 71 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: one of the most beautiful natural areas in the country. 72 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: As part of his scout training, he had spent hours 73 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: navigating with a map, hiking through brush, and orienting himself 74 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: with the stars. He even had the badges to prove it, 75 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: so he felt comfortable as he set out for a 76 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: short walk down the trails. That morning, he had wandered 77 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: for a bit, hoping to see some wildlife, and then 78 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: he would be home in time for lunch. But he 79 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. For some reason, 80 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: the trails didn't seem to match the trail that he 81 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: thought he was following. Nothing looked familiar no matter how 82 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: many times he doubled. A few hours passed his scheduled return, 83 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: Cody was shivering as he struggled through the brush. He 84 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: figured if he picked a direction and headed towards where 85 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: he thought the trailhead was, he would stumble upon a 86 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: marker or another hiker soon enough. But as the hours 87 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: racked up and no savior materialized, he began to really worry. 88 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: Cody was woefully unprepared for his long hike. He was 89 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: wearing sandals, shorts, and a thin T shirt, which was 90 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: doing nothing to cut the cold. As the sun dipped 91 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: below the horizon, any snacks or water that he'd brought 92 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: with him were long gone by then. He needed to 93 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: find his way back soon or he would really be 94 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 1: in trouble. A rumble sounded from overhead, and Cody looked 95 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: up to see his problems had just gotten worse. It 96 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: was starting to rain as he continued walking, soaked to 97 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: the skin, the rain turned colder in the night, air, 98 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: freezing into sleet that stuck to his skin. Cody looked 99 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: for cover and managed to find a cave nearby. He 100 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: spent a long night shivering in the cold, wondering how 101 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: on earth he would fight his way home. When Cody 102 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: woke up, it was to the sound of helicopter blades 103 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: beating the air above the forest. Still cold and groggy, 104 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: he struggled to his feet with just one thought on 105 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: his mind, rescue. But when he emerged from the cave, 106 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: he saw that there was a problem. The trees were 107 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: so thick the helicopter, flying back and forth overhead couldn't 108 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: see him through the canopy. He had to think fast 109 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: before it moved on to the next area. That's when 110 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: he remembered his belt and its shiny metal buckle. Cody 111 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: whipped the belt off and used it to catch the sunshine. 112 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: He reflected a beam of light back at the helicopter, 113 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: hoping the pilot would see him, and miraculously it worked. 114 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,119 Speaker 1: The pilot set the chopper down in a clearing close 115 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: to the caves. Cody ran to the pilot as he 116 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: stepped out of the chopper, but froze when the man 117 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: pulled his helmet off, his desperate joy turned to star 118 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 1: struck wonder because the man standing in front of him 119 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: wasn't just any pilot. It was the one who had 120 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: made the kessel run in less than twelve parsecs Han 121 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: Solo himself, Actor Harrison Ford. Harrison had been flying since 122 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties and often volunteered with the Teton County 123 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: Search and Rescue Team. He'd been flying nearby when the 124 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 1: call came over the radio asking pilots to look for 125 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: lost Cody Clawson. He'd heeded the call and quickly found 126 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: the missing scout. Surprisingly, this wasn't even Harrison's first rescue 127 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: mission in the area. Just a year before, he had 128 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: rescued another lost hiker, Sarah George, who thanked him by 129 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: promptly vomiting inside his helicopter. Harrison flew the starstruck Cody 130 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: to a nearby search and rescue place after eighteen hours 131 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: in the wilderness, he thankfully wasn't worse for wear. Before 132 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: flying off, Cody reported that the actor knelt down to 133 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: tell him one last thing that after all he had 134 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: been through, he certainly deserved a merit badge. Now I'm 135 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: no scout master. In fact, I might just be a 136 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: half witted, scruffy looking nerve herder. But if Han Solo 137 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: says you've earned a badge, he probably has a point. 138 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 139 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 140 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 141 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 142 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 143 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 144 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 145 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.