1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry, and I'm Tracy d Wilson. Oh, Tracy. 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: I've had Doris Duke on my list for a topic forever. 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: I know, I've mentioned her to you a million times, 6 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: and she is very very interesting. Um, but I was 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: starting to do some pre limb reading about her, wondering 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: if it was finally time. And then there's a point 9 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: in her story where it intersects with Duke Humoku, and 10 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 1: then I just kind of took a side street and 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: started reading more about him. And this, you know who 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: is a famous Hawaiian swimmer, as we will all learn, 13 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, a surfer, and his story really 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: got more interesting to me than the often very salacious 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: story of Doris Duke's biography, which has its own complications 16 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: which reach right into the modern era. She might still 17 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: get an episode at some point, but I don't know. 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: But as I researched Duke Kahanamoku, I kept realizing that 19 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,279 Speaker 1: it was also going to be hard, really really really 20 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: quite difficult to cut enough things to keep his story 21 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: down to a normal episode length, because his life is 22 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: full of entertaining stories. Um, even after you sort out 23 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: the entertaining stories that kind of grew from him being 24 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: a legendary figure that are not really verifiable, even if 25 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: you cut down to the ones where there's a lot 26 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: of substantiation and documentation, is still too much for one episode. Um. 27 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: And his life also intersected not just with wealthy heiresses, 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: but also just a whole lot of topics that we 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: have covered on the show before, as well as a 30 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: whole lot of other important historical moments. So this one 31 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: has turned into a two parter on Duke Kahanamoku and I. 32 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: I apologize in advance because I can't imagine hearing all 33 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: of this and not wanting to immediately go to Oahu. 34 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: So I'm sorry that I will put that that craving 35 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: into people's night, unless you already are in Hawaii, in 36 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: which case, UH feel my jealousy. UM, I'm glad you 37 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: picked this one up because you and I were talking earlier. UM. 38 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: I have had Duke who on my list also, and 39 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: I would sort of start something and then get pulled 40 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: into some other directions. So finally he is here, Finally 41 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: he gets his time. He is also a good one. 42 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: I think we can spoiler alert this. There are certainly 43 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: twists and turns to his story, but he does not 44 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: ever turn into a monster, which is just refreshing a 45 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: nice yes. Yes, so. Dukehanamoku was born on August and Honolulu, Hawaii, 46 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: on the island of Huaihu. His father was also named Duke, 47 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: and his mother was Julia Paunia Lono Kahikini Powa. His 48 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: paternal grandparents are often noted as having been related to 49 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: King Kamami at the first, but this is actually not 50 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: the case strictly speaking. Part of the confusion here is 51 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: that family is not strictly conferred through bloodline and Hawaiian culture, 52 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: and there is a link between the Kahanamoku family and 53 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: the royal family. And if you're wondering how the name 54 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 1: Duke as a proper name became part of a Hawaiian family, 55 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: it is related to that link. So the story goes 56 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: that when Duke Sr. Was born, his parents, who worked 57 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: in the home of Princess Berniceawai Packy Bishop, asked for 58 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: the princess to give input on their child's name. It 59 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: was their connection through their work that gave them an 60 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: association as what one biographer kind of very poetically called 61 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: adjunct members of the royal family. Princess Bernice had an 62 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: affinity for England and for English culture. She had been 63 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: educated in England, and because Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred 64 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: Ernest Albert Duke of Edinburgh, was visiting Hawaii around the 65 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: time of the Elder Duke's birth, she suggested that they 66 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: name him Duke to honor that visitor, So the baby 67 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: was named Duke Lapu Kanamoku. He grew up and started 68 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: his own family and passed his name down to his son, 69 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 1: who was the subject of today's episode. There is also 70 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: an additional link to Kamama through Duke's mother's family, which 71 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: is that one of their relatives was a regent to 72 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: the Kamail line. And Duke was not the first child 73 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: born to his parents. They had had a daughter before him, 74 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: who died in infancy. They would go on to have 75 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: nine children that survived to adulthood, including Duke and another 76 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: two who did not. Duke sr. When Duke was born, 77 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: worked for the United Carriage Company as a driver and 78 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: a clerk, and when Duke was three, he and his 79 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: mother actually moved to Land near Waikiki to be closer 80 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: to her family, while his father was in Chicago working 81 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: as part of the Hawaii exhibit at the World's Fair. 82 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: So to be clear, this was not a wealthy family, 83 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: not at all, but because of the ample fishing that 84 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: was available to them, which the whole family participated in, 85 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,559 Speaker 1: including their extended family who all lived nearby, they stayed 86 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: really well fed. The kids would also dive for coins 87 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: in the harbor after tourists tossed them overboard from ships, 88 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: and dou Cad of course been born in Hawaii when 89 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: it was still an independent nation, but that would all 90 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: change when he was still very young. If you listen 91 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: to our older episode on the Last Monarch of Hawaii, 92 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: Queen Liliukolani, you know that the monarchy of Hawaii was 93 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: overthrown by US business interests in and the events in 94 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: the years following that overthrow led to Hawaii being annexed 95 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: by the US, which happened with a joint resolution that 96 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: passed on July. There is, of course, a whole lot 97 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: to that story, but mentioned it here just to primarily 98 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: contextualize the life of Duke Kahanamoku because as he grew 99 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: up he became very much a public figure as a 100 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: representative of the US and Hawaii on the global stage. So, 101 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: according to the family story, Duke learned to swim at 102 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: the age of four, being taught and what his sister 103 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: Bernice described as the old fashioned method, and that meant 104 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: that he got tossed over the side of an outrigger 105 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: canoe and then had to save himself by figuring out 106 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: how to stay afloat and how to move through the water, 107 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: which he did. Yeah, they joke about this all the 108 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: time in our family. Was a joke about learning to 109 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: swim when I was a kid to that. I don't 110 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: know that anyone in my family actually did, but it 111 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: was a throw him in and let him learn kind of. Yeah, 112 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: it's still pretty common. There are lots of people who 113 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: still do that with their kids, I hope, with plenty 114 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: of supervision, and I imagine in a family as close 115 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: as Dukes like they were watching him. But it does 116 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: sound a little bit terrifying to toss a tiny child 117 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: over the side of a boat in the middle of 118 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: the Pacific Ocean. They were in the middle, obviously, but 119 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: still um so. As a kid, Duke attended first Waikiki 120 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: School and then starting in fourth grade Queen Kahumanu Elementary School. 121 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: He was not really what you would categorize as an 122 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: excellent student, although he was also not a troublemaker. He 123 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: was just kind of quiet and he seemed to be 124 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: daydreaming a lot of the time. He was also pretty 125 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: quiet at home and really just seemed more than anything 126 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: to want to be outside as much as possible. When 127 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: he was fourteen, Duke went to the Kamama School for 128 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: Boys with the intent that he would learn a trade. 129 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: That school comes with tons of baggage that would be 130 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: its own episode if we chose to do it um. 131 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: It was organized with the same idea that schools in 132 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: the continental US, like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which 133 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: we've talked about on the show before, worked on. So 134 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: as we mentioned Carlisle, which is associated with the famed 135 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: athlete Jim Worp, there are also some strong parallels between 136 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 1: Thorpe's experience at school and kahanamokus Coma as school for 137 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: boys was a boarding school want to Americanize the students, 138 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: so Hawaiian language was banned and there were lessons and 139 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: things like tailoring and carpentry. It was really an industrial school, 140 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: and there was also a significant focus on sports, and 141 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: Duke excelled in sports of all kinds and at school 142 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:33,959 Speaker 1: he ran track as well as playing football that's American football, soccer, baseball, 143 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: and basketball. In nineteen o eight, his performance as a 144 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: halfback on the school soccer team helped them win a 145 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: championship when they beat a private school team from Oahu College. 146 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: But Duke did not stay at the school very long 147 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:51,199 Speaker 1: after that. He transferred to William McKinley High School, although 148 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,679 Speaker 1: the reason for that change is unknown. That school incidentally 149 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: had been Honolulu High School until just before Duke started attending. 150 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: Its name was changed just kind of part of of 151 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: Hawaii's transition into being part of the US. But he 152 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,239 Speaker 1: did not stay enrolled there either. He dropped out before graduation. 153 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: After leaving school behind Kahanamok, who split his time between 154 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: taking odd jobs to help support his family and also 155 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 1: spending time on the water. Sometimes these two things overlapped. 156 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,679 Speaker 1: He would take tourists out in a canoe or out 157 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: on his surfboard. After Hawaii's annexation, the tourist industry really boomed, 158 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: so he had plenty of work. Yeah, there's like a 159 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: whole group of people who started at this roughly around 160 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: this point. It was going on before, but really just 161 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: like locals who were like, Okay, here's what we will do, uh, 162 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,199 Speaker 1: and that's how they were making money. And Duke had 163 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 1: started out surfing just on flattened kerosene cans, according to 164 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: his account, but eventually he started using the carpentery skills 165 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: that he had learned at school to start making himself longboards. 166 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: The style of surfing that he was do was very relaxed, right. 167 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: His boards did not even have fins to steer, which 168 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: is pretty common at the time, and he and his 169 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: friends who had similar boards would just kind of you 170 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: get out, catch a wave and stand and opposed while 171 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: they rode the wave out. This was not serious business 172 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 1: for him. It was not even considered like a sport. 173 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: It was just something you did. He described surfing as 174 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: the thing you did when there were waves, and if 175 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: there weren't waves, if he would just swim or play 176 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: some other sport. So coming up, we're going to talk 177 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: about Duke facing racism as Hawaii became more and more 178 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: populated by white newcomers. First, though, we will have a 179 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: quick sponsor break, So before the break, we talked about 180 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,319 Speaker 1: how there was a lot more tourism going on in Hawaii, 181 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, the Duke and his friends were 182 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: largely making money just by teaching those people how to 183 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: surf or canoe. But Duke Kahanamoku and his fellow Native 184 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: Hawaiian surfers and swimmers experienced a unique instance of racism 185 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: when the Outrigger Canoe Club was established on the beach 186 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 1: at Waikiki between two popular hotels that had started to 187 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: be a kind of a central area for the tourist trade. 188 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: And the club claimed that it was about preserving surfing 189 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: and canoeing culture, but it was actually founded by a 190 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: white man, Alexander hume Ford, who had recently moved to Hawaii, 191 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,839 Speaker 1: and it limited its membership to whites only, excluding the 192 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: Native Hawaiians who had developed surfing and all of that 193 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: water sport culture in the first place. So as if 194 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:43,080 Speaker 1: that were not enough, there's a whole added layer of 195 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:48,080 Speaker 1: travesty here to some degree, as white business interests started 196 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 1: claiming Hawaii's land, much of which had really not been 197 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 1: owned in the sense that we were talking about owning 198 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: property today. The ocean was a respite from all of 199 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: that for the locals because no one owned the water, 200 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: so swimming and surfing had remained to at least some 201 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: degree outside of that whole conflict until it was also appropriated. Additionally, 202 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: and to add another horrifying aspect forward in promoting surfing 203 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: in various publications, even used photos of Duke and wrote 204 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: as though he were Duke he used. Then he used 205 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: the name Duke Power and wrote about surfing from the 206 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,719 Speaker 1: quote native perspective, which he was not. Yeah. That has 207 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: caused some confusion over the years where people are like, no, 208 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: I think do wrote those articles? And people are like, 209 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: if you read this sentence structure, this is not how 210 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 1: that man spoke. It is super stilted and weird. Um 211 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: is clearly someone trying to sound like a native Hawaiian 212 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: or what they perceive a native Hawaiian would write like 213 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 1: it's pretty gross. Uh. In response to being excluded from 214 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: Ford's club, though, Duke and two of his friends, William 215 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,040 Speaker 1: Catrell who went by Newt and Kenneth Winter, started of 216 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: their own club. There was not a clubhouse here. Uh. 217 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: The Mowana Hotel let them have a little space in 218 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: their locker room for changing, but really they just tended 219 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: to meet under a tree on the beach. The dues 220 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: were a dollar a year, and the club met just 221 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,719 Speaker 1: about every day. It was named Hui Nalu, who he 222 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 1: means to get together and nalu means surf. Hui Nalu 223 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: excluded no one, and as a consequence, even though it 224 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: was started as what Duke and his friends called a 225 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: poor man's club, it actually had a really wide ranging 226 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: mix of members. So men and women, wealthy people, poor people, 227 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: Hawaiian people, white people, people from all walks of life 228 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: joined and swam and surf together, and they had parties 229 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: on the beach at night. And they also it was 230 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 1: kind of part of their club's mandate to rescue swimmers 231 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: when they needed help. Duke also set up rules of 232 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: surf etiquette that were all intended to keep everyone safe, 233 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: many of which still exists today. Uh and he and 234 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: the other adult members kind of looked out for the 235 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: younger members and just taught them how to handle waves. 236 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: It was really kind of this nice community. Swimming was 237 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,679 Speaker 1: where Duke really gained attention on a wider stage, although 238 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: if you'd asked him, what he really wanted to compete 239 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:14,079 Speaker 1: in was rowing and sculling specifically, but the barrier to 240 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 1: entry there had really been money. He couldn't afford a 241 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: skull of his own. He had always effortlessly been a 242 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: really strong swimmer, and at the age of twenty one, 243 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: he decided to enter a swimming contest that was being 244 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: held in Honolulu Harbor. This was actually at the urging 245 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 1: of Hawaii's Assistant District Attorney, William Rawlins, who was helping 246 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: to establish Hawaii's Amateur Athletic Union. He had timed Duke 247 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: Kahanamoko swimming and he thought he should start competing, and 248 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: so he also helped get Hui Nalu registered with the 249 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: a a U so that its members could enter official competitions, 250 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: and so Whoi Nalu members signed up for the a 251 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: a U sponsored contest. Uh Duke competed in the two 252 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: twenty yard race that opened up the competition, and he 253 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: won that race. His six man three yard relay team 254 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: also won. But most famously, Duke competed in the hundred 255 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: yard freestyle race and he won pretty easily. Duke would 256 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: always say throughout his life and other people would say 257 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: of him, that he didn't swim as hard as he 258 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: could necessarily in competition. He just swam hard enough to 259 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: beat the people in the water with him, but he 260 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: easily outpaced his main competition in this race on August twelfth, 261 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven. His time was fifty five point four seconds. 262 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: The world record at the time was a minute flat. 263 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: He also broke the US record in the fifty yards swam, 264 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: even though he had been slow hitting the water. He 265 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: came in at twenty four point two seconds, and that 266 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: beat the existing record by one point six seconds. All 267 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: of this garnered a great deal of attention. When Duke 268 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: was asked by reporters in the days that followed what 269 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: it felt like to be the fastest swimmer alive, he said, 270 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: I don't notice anything different. But though he was being 271 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: lauded as the world speedy at swimmer, there were doubts 272 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: about those times. William Rawlins reported the times from the 273 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: competition to the head offices of the Amateur Athletic Union, 274 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: and then officials there thought that the reporting had to 275 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 1: be erroneous, or that there was some other explanation for 276 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: Duke's extraordinary time in the one yard. They just found 277 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: it too hard to believe that this unknown swimmer had 278 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: beaten the world record by four point six seconds. Officials 279 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 1: at the Honolulu event were chastised for what was assumed 280 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: to be poor timing protocols. There were comments made by 281 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: a U officials that the course must have been improperly measured. Additionally, 282 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: officials who had never been to Hawaii presumed that the 283 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: tides must have helped Khanamoku to his record breaking time 284 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: in some way. The times submitted by William Rawlins were 285 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: not accepted as official and it seems that all of 286 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: y He was pretty insulted by this snub. There was 287 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: a huge effort to raise money to send Duke to 288 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: compete in the National Swimming Championship. Hawaii just kind of 289 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: wanted to prove no He's legit. Uh. That was something 290 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: he and his family could never have afforded to do 291 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: on their own, which is why the fundraising. And just 292 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: as Dukes Surf Club had accepted anyone and everyone, it 293 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,159 Speaker 1: seemed that anyone and everyone did what they could to 294 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 1: help Duke get to the Nationals and all of the 295 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 1: steps that had to happen along the way. Money was 296 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: also raised to send another member of the Hui Nalu team, 297 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: Vincent Genevise, who went by the nickname Zen. The thinking 298 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,119 Speaker 1: was that Zen, who was a very solid swimmer in 299 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: his own right, would compete, but he was essentially intended 300 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: as an escort, someone who could handle all of the 301 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 1: various administrative needs that might come up regarding Duke's participation 302 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:55,120 Speaker 1: in the competition. Duke and Zen, along with tour manager 303 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 1: Lou Henderson and trainer Edward Dude Miller, left for California 304 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: on February eighth, nineteen twelve on the s S Honolulin. 305 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,080 Speaker 1: They traveled by boat to San Francisco and then by 306 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: training to Chicago, then onto Pittsburgh for the first of 307 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: many races that would determine whether or not he would 308 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: make the Olympic team. For a young man from Hawaii 309 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: who had only brought minimal clothes and swim trunks, the 310 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: winter cold was really a surprise and a challenge. He 311 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: needed a coat and that was purchased for him by 312 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: members of the A a U in Chicago. Yeah, apparently 313 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: they caught him like stuffing cardboard and his clothes to 314 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: try to insulate himself, and they were like, let's just 315 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: go to a store. Yeah, we can fix this. Um 316 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: cold weather obviously a very new experience. But even more 317 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: challenging was swimming in an indoor freshwater pool, which was 318 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: something Duke had never done in his life. So, with 319 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 1: very little time to prepare, he found himself competing in 320 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: a two twenty yard race. He did not do well 321 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: at all. He found his legs cramping and his lungs 322 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 1: kind of gas being for air, and because of this, 323 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 1: the press was really quick to write stories about how 324 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: the guy from Hawaii that everyone had been talking about 325 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: was just not all that he was cracked up to be. 326 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: But once he loosened up, Duke easily won the fifty 327 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: and one yards sprint races. Duke was introduced to University 328 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: of Pennsylvania swim coach George Kissler, who agreed to train 329 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,679 Speaker 1: him for free. And up until this point, all of 330 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,639 Speaker 1: Duke's swimming success was the result of his natural talent 331 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:32,919 Speaker 1: and instinct, probably also just getting to do it all 332 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 1: the time. Because he lived in Hawaii, he had not 333 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: had any formal training, so Kissler taught him how to start, breathe, 334 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: and turn properly in an actual pool setting. Yeah, when 335 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: you think about like somebody who has always done a 336 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,520 Speaker 1: hundred as a straightaway and now you go, oh no, 337 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: you gotta hit the wall and bounce back to for 338 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,640 Speaker 1: the second half would be terrifying. Um. But here's the thing. 339 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: He got a lot stronger as a consequence of this training. 340 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 1: In one trial, Duke swam in a two meter freestyle 341 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: and he won, and he broke the world record doing it. 342 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 1: This was a surprise because he had actually been kind 343 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: of slow at the start. He hit the water several 344 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: seconds late because he still needed some work on jumping 345 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: into the water from the deck. Throughout his time in 346 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,119 Speaker 1: the US for trials and then in Europe for the Games, 347 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,479 Speaker 1: Dukehanamoku got a lot of attention from the press, and 348 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: some of it was just unveiled fascination at a brown 349 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: man in this sport, but some of it was because 350 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: Duke was really unconventional. He would ask if he could 351 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: get in the water before races started and just kind 352 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: of leisurely float around there while his opponents were like 353 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: on the pool deck being nervous. He would play his ukulele. 354 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: At pool side, he would find a place to curl 355 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: up and sleep. The number of naps under things we're 356 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 1: going to talk about this episode delights me a lot. 357 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: He seemed just completely unflappable, even though he very much 358 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: felt like he had to live up to the hopes 359 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: and expectations of all of the people who had helped 360 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: him along the way. He also generated some confusion for 361 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: reporters who couldn't figure out if his first name was 362 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: actually a title, so he kind of had to forever 363 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: tell press like, no, I'm not actually a duke. They 364 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: would call him the Duke and he'd be like, no, no. 365 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: Although that was one of his nicknames and his teammates used, 366 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: he was also often asked how to pronounce his name, 367 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: and he would say the bee was silent as in geranium, 368 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: just to play with them. And although he faced racism 369 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,719 Speaker 1: in a variety of ways, from having his athleticism written 370 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: off as the result of his Hawaiian jeans to being 371 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: refused service and restaurants to being assumed to be Native 372 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: American or Mexican, Duke didn't publicly ever talk about his 373 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: feelings regarding any of these incidents. He just maintained a 374 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: demeanor of real gentleness and calm and grace, and also 375 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,399 Speaker 1: kept winning. He was officially announced as a member of 376 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: the US Olympic team on June eleventh, nineteen twelve. This 377 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: was particularly significant because he was the first Hawaiian US 378 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:12,120 Speaker 1: Olympic athlete, and June eleventh is also a Hawaiian holiday, 379 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: a day celebrating the unification of the islands under the 380 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: holiday's namesake. Throughout all of his travels, Duke wrote letters 381 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: home to his family all the time, and a lot 382 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: of these letters were published in Hawaiian papers. In their entirety, 383 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: some of those are so sweet because they're mostly to 384 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,199 Speaker 1: his dad, who he called Daddy the whole time, and 385 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: it's like, Daddy, these freshwater pools are weird, Like it's 386 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,919 Speaker 1: just it's really really sweet, and he's very honest and 387 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: open and frank about his feelings. Um, it's they're just 388 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: they're very very charming. And coming up, we're going to 389 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: talk about Duke's performance at the nineteen twelve Olympic Games. 390 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,199 Speaker 1: Right after we have a word from the sponsors who 391 00:22:50,280 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: keeps stuff you missed in history class going. At the 392 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Duke competed in the 393 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: one hundred meter freestyle and won the gold medal. Keep 394 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: in mind that is a little bit different than the 395 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,880 Speaker 1: one hundred yard which he had been racing. We aren't 396 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,640 Speaker 1: switching because there in Europe at this point. He also 397 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: competed with his team in the freestyle relay and earned 398 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,880 Speaker 1: a silver medal doing so. Incidentally, previous podcast subject Pierre 399 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,440 Speaker 1: to Kuberta was still presiding over the Olympics of the 400 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,640 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve Games. He actually presided over several Olympics while 401 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: while Duke was competing. The setup for the swimming competitions 402 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: at the Games in Sweden was actually perfect for Duke 403 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 1: Kahanamoku after all of that concern over learning to swim 404 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: indoors and jump into the water from the deck and 405 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,560 Speaker 1: make turns at the end of the lane. The Stockholm 406 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: races were held outdoors on a course that was one 407 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: hundred meters long. There had been a moment when it 408 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,439 Speaker 1: looked like Hanamoku and his teammates, who were competing in 409 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 1: the hundred meter might have been disqualified. There had been 410 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 1: confusion over the schedule on the part of the U 411 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,679 Speaker 1: s a AU organizers, and the swimmers had actually missed 412 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: the semifinals. As the Olympic Jury deliberated over how to 413 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: handle the US swimmers. Australian swimmer Cecil Healy, who was 414 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 1: one of the few swimmers who could compete at Kahanamoku's level, 415 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,919 Speaker 1: made the case that it would really be unsportsmanlike to 416 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: not allow them to compete over a scheduling mix up, 417 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 1: so a new semifinal heat was added to the roster, 418 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 1: and then Duke easily moved on to the finals. But 419 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,679 Speaker 1: Duke was once again nowhere to be found as the 420 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 1: finals approached, until his teammate Turk McDermott found him asleep 421 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: under the bleachers. Duke barely made it to the start 422 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: before the race began and took home the gold, having 423 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,919 Speaker 1: been sound asleep just moments before. At the closing ceremonies, 424 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,679 Speaker 1: Duke was celebrated loudly by the crowd, but he was 425 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: edged out in crowd enthusiasm by previous podcast subject Jim Thorpe, 426 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: who had taken the gold in the decathlon and pentathlon. 427 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: Don't think we mentioned Duke at all in the in 428 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 1: the podcast on Jim Thorpe because we were really focused 429 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: on the track sports, not the other sports. YEP. After 430 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 1: Duke's Olympic success, his father was interviewed for the papers, 431 00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: and it's easy to see where the famed swimmer and 432 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: surfer got his really humble and relaxed attitude. His father said, quote, 433 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: he's the same young boy today that he was last week. 434 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: He's still our young power. He's a pretty good boy, 435 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 1: so sweet. After the Olympics, Duke was invited to give 436 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: swimming exhibitions all over the place, and he extended his 437 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:38,439 Speaker 1: stay in Europe to accept some of those invitations before 438 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: returning to the US. When he got to the Atlantic 439 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,119 Speaker 1: Coast to the US, two of his surfboards had been 440 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: shipped to meet him by his brother, who knew that 441 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: Duke was missing surfing as much as home. At this point, 442 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: he had been away from Hawaii for months and it 443 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: was his first trip away. Duke actually had to get 444 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 1: a permit to surf off the boardwalk in Atlantic City, 445 00:25:57,640 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: which he did, and that allowed him to surf for 446 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: two hours each day. Duke was probably not the first 447 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: person to serve in Atlantic City, but he certainly elicited 448 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 1: a level of enthusiasm for it from spectators that had 449 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: not happened there before. Not long after Duke got home 450 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 1: to Hawaii, News broke of the whole deal with Jim 451 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: Thorpe's amateur status, which we talked about in that three parter, 452 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 1: and that news really put Kahanamoku in a strange position. 453 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: The people of Hawaii had raised money to reward him 454 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,639 Speaker 1: when he returned home, to help set him up with 455 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: a house, among other things. But if he took that 456 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:40,359 Speaker 1: he would then be considered a paid professional athlete. He 457 00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: would be ineligible for future Olympic competition, and so as 458 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: a workaround, a committee was formed to set up a 459 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: house near Kahanamoku's family in the name of a trust company, 460 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: but I mean in practice it was still Duke Kahanamoku's house. 461 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: This did enable him to maintain his amateur status, though 462 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: he still needed to make a living, so he took 463 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: a job in public works as a draftsman. This position 464 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: was definitely and intentionally more flexible than your average office job, 465 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: so he still had the time he needed to train. 466 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: And Kahanamoku still hung out with all his kuinalou pals 467 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: on the beach, picking up tourist girls under the guys 468 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,680 Speaker 1: of teaching them to swim or surf. This got him 469 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: into some hot water. His name came up and at 470 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,399 Speaker 1: least one divorce suit claiming that the wife had had 471 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,640 Speaker 1: an affair with the now famous swimmer. Duke, for his part, 472 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 1: seemed entirely unconcerned by such potential scandals and many other 473 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 1: whispers of various romantic associations, and he just always maintained 474 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,680 Speaker 1: that he was just a swim instructor. By nine fourteen, 475 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,360 Speaker 1: he was sharing surfing with even more of the world. 476 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,919 Speaker 1: You'll often see claims that no one outside of Hawaii 477 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: knew about surfing until Duke Kahanamoku brought it to the 478 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: shores beyond Hawaii. That's not entirely true, though. A friend 479 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: of Duke's named George Freed, for example, had left Hawaii 480 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: to try to make surfing a thing on the shores 481 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 1: of the continental US and seven I was after writer 482 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,400 Speaker 1: Jack London had written about him, and there was some interest, 483 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: but not the response that would come when Kahanamoku surved 484 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: in front of spectators. Freath did gain acclaim for rescuing 485 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 1: seven fishermen off the coast of Venice Beach in eight 486 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: when they were caught in a storm swell, though, but Duke, 487 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: as an Olympic champion on tour, got a lot more 488 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 1: attention than surfers who had taken their pastime to new 489 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:37,639 Speaker 1: shores before him. Whether he was competing or giving swim 490 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: exhibitions to show people how to use his kick technique, 491 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: which came to be known as the Kahanamoku kick. He 492 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 1: would also naturally and in his very relaxed way, look 493 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: for opportunities to entertain himself, and when he could serve, 494 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: he served. The towering, handsome six ft one Hawaiian riding 495 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: waves blissfully got a lot of notice. Everyone wanted to 496 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: emulate that natural cool that he exuded, and surfing was 497 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 1: part of that emulation. As a lot of the races 498 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: that he participated in or along the California coast, the 499 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 1: pastime very quickly caught on there. Incidentally, the Kahanamoku kick 500 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: was unique in its speed. Was a natural method of 501 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: swimming on Duke's part. Like we said earlier, he didn't 502 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: have formal lessons growing up, and he had just kind 503 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: of fallen into this rhythm through his own practice. His 504 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: arms moved the way most swimmers did. They cycled overhead 505 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: and into the water. But while his long arms were 506 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: taking that cycle at a pretty leisurely pace, his size 507 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: thirteen feet were moving up and down really quickly. They 508 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: did that six times for each arm stroke, and that 509 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 1: was what gave him this incredible speed. That footwork had 510 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: actually come from steering his heavy homemade surfboards as he 511 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,440 Speaker 1: paddled out to catch waves. Nowadays this is generally just 512 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 1: called a flutter kick, and at the time the scissor kick, 513 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: where the legs are separated really widely and then brought 514 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: together more forcefully for propulsion, that was more of the standard. Yeah, 515 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 1: it's just talked about like I just had to get 516 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: my surfboards out, so that's how I started kicking people. 517 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: There has been speculation about whether swim fins were inspired 518 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: by his feet, but that is completely unsubstantiated. In December 519 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: of nineteen fourteen, the first official Surfing exhibition was hosted 520 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: at Freshwater Beach in Sydney, Australia. Duke was the main attraction, 521 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:34,520 Speaker 1: and Duke also left his pine surfboard that he had 522 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 1: made while he was there in Australia at Freshwater Beach. 523 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: It weighs eighty pounds, so it's quite substantial. If you've 524 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: done any surfing yourself, you've probably had a board much 525 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 1: lighter than that. It was eight and a half feet 526 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: long and two feet wide and it remains there as 527 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: part of the collection. Of the Freshwater Surf Club. Duke 528 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: had at this point become an icon of water sport culture, 529 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: and for almost twenty years until the nineteen thirties, he 530 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: was sharing his love of swimming and surfing all around 531 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: the world, and this spread interests in the sports around 532 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 1: but it also was a significant part of the growing 533 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: tourism draw for the Hawaiian Islands. And that's where we'll 534 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: end today's episode. Next time we will pick right back 535 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,280 Speaker 1: up with Duke being an ambassador of water sports and 536 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: Hawaiian culture. We'll do a little gear shift for listener mail. 537 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: We'll talk about is a Door Duncan, but only a 538 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: little um. This is from our listener, Eric right. Thank 539 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,480 Speaker 1: you for your great podcast on Isadora Duncan. Since I 540 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: had only dipped into her autobiography and had grabbed bits 541 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: and pieces of her life from many other sources, including 542 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: to film biographies, she'd always come off as a rather 543 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: eccentric figure, certainly and a bit shallow not uh. You 544 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 1: certainly aided me in clarifying her life. Thanks for also 545 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: shining a new light on Paris Singer, who usually comes 546 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: off as a bit of a cad and there was 547 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: that aspect to him. With a father like Isaac Singer, 548 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: it was probably unavoidable. But he was also a remarkably 549 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 1: generous man. If a cause took his fancy. Quite a 550 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,560 Speaker 1: few of the singers could be subjects of podcasts. Uh. 551 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: And then Eric mentions, uh win I retta singer who 552 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 1: was swirled with scandal. Um. I'm really really happy that 553 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: he mentioned Paris Singer. We didn't talk about him a 554 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: ton in Isadora's episode. But he he also is a 555 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: very interesting uh and in some ways conflicted figure, because 556 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: he really was a plus at being a total jerk, 557 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: but he was also a plus at not Uh. And 558 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: he seemed to that pendulum was on the swing, which 559 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 1: is always fascinating to me. Someone else rode into um 560 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: to ask about and I'm sorry I didn't pull that 561 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: one up, um, but I it just now came to 562 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: me to ask how long that scarf had been in 563 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: her unfortunate death. Uh. It was long. But part of 564 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,160 Speaker 1: the other problem was that the axle in the car 565 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: that she was in when she died was also the 566 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 1: back axle. The rear axle was much closer up to 567 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: the seating area than you might think on say an 568 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:11,120 Speaker 1: American car, or even a foreign made modern car. So 569 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: that's that's part of what that was as well. Um, 570 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 1: just in case you were wondering and doing some geometry 571 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,800 Speaker 1: math of how that tragedy could have occurred. Uh, now 572 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: that I've landed us in a really bummer place, but 573 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: if you would like to write to us, you can 574 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 1: absolutely do that. Our address is History Podcast at i 575 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: heeart radio dot com. You can also find us on 576 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: social media as missed in History And if you'd like 577 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,080 Speaker 1: to subscribe and haven't gotten to that yet, I promise 578 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: you it's so easy. You can do that on the 579 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: I heart radio app, at Apple podcasts, or anywhere you 580 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:47,440 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History 581 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 1: Class is a production of I heart Radio. For more 582 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart radio app, 583 00:33:53,400 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.