1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Oftentimes a vast amount 5 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 1: of wealth can draw a lot of attention. Money and 6 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: fame go together like peanut butter and jelly, or Little 7 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: Blue Boxes and Tiffany's. But some people are content to 8 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: just make the money. They don't want the notoriety that 9 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: comes with having more than everyone else. Unfortunately, and maybe ironically, 10 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: even the rich don't always get what they want. Joseph 11 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: Richardson was one of the richest men in New York 12 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: City in the late eighteen hundreds. He was born in England, 13 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: but came to the United States to establish himself as 14 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: a car attractor. Over the span of his career, he 15 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: was responsible for the Bridgeport Waterworks and large sections of 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: railroads like the Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific, and Iron Mountain. 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: He loved land, and he snatched up as much of 18 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: it as he could, accumulating a net worth of twenty 19 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: million dollars before he died. And yet, despite his vast 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: holdings within New York City. He hated it, not the money, 21 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: but the city itself. It was loud and ostentatious and 22 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: disruptive to his quiet nature. Joseph lived far outside of 23 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: New York with his wife, Emma, also a landowner, and 24 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: together they were quite the power couple of their time, 25 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: though they did their best to stay out of the limelight. 26 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: Joseph was known to have said that he'd rather throw 27 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: away ten thousand dollars than see his name in the newspapers, 28 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: if only he'd spent the money to prevent what eventually 29 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: happened next In two rival developers Patrick McQuaid and Himan 30 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: Sarner had plans for an apartment building on the Upper 31 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: east Side at Lexington Avenue and eight two Street. The 32 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: area was booming, with new apartments and shops going up 33 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: all the time. McQuaid and Sarner had already snatched up 34 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: all the nearby land they needed for their building, all 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: except one and its owner, Emma Richardson, Joseph's wife. The 36 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: developers thought it was an easy get, considering they had 37 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: already bought all the other plots around it. Joseph, however, 38 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: saw that he and his wife were in the enviable 39 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: position of having something the two men wanted no needed 40 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: to complete their plans, but Joseph was a reasonable man 41 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: and he was more than willing to let it go 42 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: for a price. McQuaid and Sarner offered him a thousand 43 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: dollars for it. Joseph, thinking the price was too low, 44 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: countered with a slightly higher offer of five thousand dollars. 45 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: The men laughed at the absurd number and refused, but 46 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: they continued with their plans to build the apartment building, 47 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: albeit a slightly smaller lot than they hoped for, and Joseph, 48 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: irritated by their refusal to take him up on his offer, 49 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: decided that he was going to have the last laugh. 50 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: He'd put up a building of his own, one so 51 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: tall it would block the light to the rival apartments 52 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: next door. Not only that, but the reclusive developer was 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: so determined to make it work that he planned to 54 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: live in one of the rooms, right in the middle 55 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: of that noisy city he hated so much. Joseph broke 56 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: ground shortly thereafter, and his apartment was finished months before 57 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: his rivals. But there was just one problem. It was 58 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,519 Speaker 1: hard to live in the plot that the two other 59 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: developers had wanted to buy from him, was only one 60 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: and two ft long by five ft wide. It was 61 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: a strip of land so small that it was thought 62 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: to be unusable, but Joseph Richardson wouldn't let that stop him. 63 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: The newspapers called it the spite House, and spiteful it was, 64 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: although one might have thought it was meant to punish 65 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: the tenants living inside rather than the developers of the 66 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: other building. The narrow front doors led to an interior 67 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: hallway measuring just over eight feet long by ten ft deep. 68 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: Each floor housed only one room, accessible by a hallway 69 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: fourteen feet long and almost four ft wide. The rooms 70 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: weren't much better either, coming in at eighteen feet long 71 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: by almost ten feet wide. However, despite the building's narrow construction, 72 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: Joseph managed to fit a lot inside it. The dining 73 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: room on the first floor boasted a table and a 74 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: sofa with a sideboard and a mantle as well. He 75 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: moved his family in and they lived happily there for 76 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: many years. His wife was quoted in the paper as 77 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: calling her new home as comfortable as any she had 78 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: ever lived in. Upon Joseph's death fifteen years later, the 79 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: house passed through various owners until the new Lexington Avenue 80 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: subway line began construction around nineteen eleven. By then, the 81 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: house was more a curiosity than a viable home. The 82 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,799 Speaker 1: money it would have taken to reinforce it to withstand 83 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: the underground work being done wasn't worth spending, so in 84 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, a real estate developer bought the spite house, 85 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 1: only to tear a down. A more modern apartment building 86 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: now stands in its place, built the year Joseph Richardson's 87 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: pet project was demolished, and the man who did everything 88 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: he could to keep his name out of the press 89 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: isn't known for his business acumen or his work developing 90 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: the country's railroad system. The only thing he's remembered for 91 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: now is that skinny house and his stubborn will. Most 92 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: people don't usually set out to be a hero. They 93 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: tend to be pushed into a situation where their will 94 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: and determination are put to the test. Prove yourself during 95 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: a time of war, and medals and ticker tape parades 96 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: aren't far behind. That's just the way things often work. Simon, however, 97 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: didn't choose to go to war. He was drafted, but 98 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: his reluctance didn't stop him from helping his fellow troops, 99 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: and his word following World War Two cemented him as 100 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,839 Speaker 1: a hero of the British military for years to come. 101 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 1: Several years after the war had ended, the British Navy 102 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: got word of a communist uprising happening in China. They 103 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: sent the HMS Amethyst, an armed frigate, to keep an 104 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: eye on things in case they got ugly. The ship 105 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: docked at a port in Hong Kong where one of 106 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: the younger men, a boy really seventeen year old George Hickenbottom, 107 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: stumbled upon someone fending for himself. His name was Simon, 108 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: and he was sick and hungry and in need of 109 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: medical attention. George snuck him on board the ship and 110 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,839 Speaker 1: then helped him get back on his feet. As Simon recovered, 111 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: he started getting to know the crew. When he was 112 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: well enough to stand, they allowed him to remain on 113 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: the ship and even gave him a job. He was 114 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: put in charge of pest control, a task that he 115 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: handled with gusto. After all, the alternative was ending up 116 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: back on the Hong Kong streets alone and hungry. Captain 117 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: Ian Griffiths took quite a liking to Simon, as had 118 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,799 Speaker 1: the rest of the crew, and he became their moral 119 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: support when times got tough. They shared their food with 120 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: him and allowed him to sleep where he liked. Later, 121 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: when Griffiths was promoted and replaced Folks on board the ship, 122 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: worried that Simon might have to go, but the new 123 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: commander was just as friendly toward him. Soon after, the 124 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: crew was given new orders to travel to Nanjing and 125 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: replace the ship that had been on duty there. But 126 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: during their journey, the Amethyst was attacked. A field gun 127 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: battery operated by the People's Liberation Army had opened fire 128 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: on the ship. The new commander took one of the 129 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: first hits while he was in his cabin and died 130 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: shortly after. Simon happened to be with him at the time. 131 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: He'd been badly burned and had sustained shrapnel injuries as well, 132 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: but he somehow managed to crawl across the deck while 133 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: the shelling continued, escaping to the medical bay with a 134 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: small group of other crew members, where they waited out 135 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: the sounds of explosions outside. Death was almost a certainty, 136 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: but the crew took care of Simon's wounds as best 137 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: they could for ten days the ship took fire. While 138 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: the crew struggled to stay alive and afloat, they packed 139 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: the holes below the water line with hammocks and betting. Meanwhile, 140 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: Simon fought to recover. He distracted himself and the other 141 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: crew by doing what he did best, catching rats. After 142 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: the Amethyst was able to get away, over a week 143 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: after the shelling had begun, news of Simon's efforts made 144 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: its way to England. The public was enamored with this 145 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: unexpected hero, one who had never asked to be part 146 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: of something so dangerous. But he handled it all with grace, 147 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: not once succumbing to fear or panic. People sent him 148 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: letters from all over, so many, in fact, that the 149 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: Navy had to hire someone just to answer his mail 150 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: for him. He even received awards for his bravery, including 151 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: the Dicken Metal. For those who don't know, the Dicken 152 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: Medal is the highest award given to animals in the 153 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: British military. You see, Simon, who had hunted rats and 154 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: kept up the morale aboard the HMS Amethyst, wasn't a man. 155 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: No man would have been able to nap inside the 156 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 1: captain's hat or go wherever he pleased on board a 157 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: military ship. That's because Simon was a cat. I hope 158 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 159 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 160 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 161 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,679 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how 162 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 163 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 164 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the World 165 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.