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 --> 00:00:11,440
Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales right

3
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,640
Speaker 1: there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome

4
00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:29,160
Speaker 1: to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Paul like to help people.

5
00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,440
Speaker 1: Born in two in New York City, He'd hoped to

6
00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,120
Speaker 1: become a doctor, but the times were changing, and so

7
00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,720
Speaker 1: was his trajectory. For one, the Great Depression wiped out

8
00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,840
Speaker 1: any money his family had saved up for tuition. Then,

9
00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,159
Speaker 1: when he was thirteen, Paul was diagnosed with polio. He

10
00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,600
Speaker 1: spent a lot of time in bed recovering, and while

11
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,279
Speaker 1: he rested, he had his nose buried in magazines and

12
00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,280
Speaker 1: comic books. One of those books had an advertisement on

13
00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,440
Speaker 1: the back for a ventriloquism kit. Since his parents had

14
00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,600
Speaker 1: no money for him to buy one, Paul asked his

15
00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,320
Speaker 1: art chuer if he could receive extra credit from making

16
00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,480
Speaker 1: a dummy himself once he'd returned to school. His teacher agreed,

17
00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,080
Speaker 1: and Paul discovered a new passion. He finished his dummy

18
00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,880
Speaker 1: and started writing down jokes that he found in his magazines.

19
00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,880
Speaker 1: Then he took the routine he put together and entered

20
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,720
Speaker 1: an amateur radio competition, which he won. Ventriloquism shows aren't

21
00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,600
Speaker 1: the hottest tickets today, but back in nineteen thirty eight,

22
00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,320
Speaker 1: a talented performer with a funny act could get their

23
00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,440
Speaker 1: own radio show, and in the nineteen fifties they might

24
00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,479
Speaker 1: even end up with their own television program. Paul hit

25
00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,840
Speaker 1: it big in the nineteen fifties with TV shows for

26
00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,760
Speaker 1: both kids and adults. He was so popular he was

27
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,039
Speaker 1: invited to compete on a televised dance show against Ricardo

28
00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,679
Speaker 1: Montablan Cohn from the second Star Trek movie. Amazingly, Paul won,

29
00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,280
Speaker 1: and at the cast party after the taping, he met

30
00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,240
Speaker 1: Dr Henry Heimlich. If that name sounds familiar, it's probably

31
00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,960
Speaker 1: because the man behind it invented the technique for saving

32
00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,320
Speaker 1: someone from choking to death, the Heimlich maneuver. Interesting side note,

33
00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,400
Speaker 1: as a small boy, I called it the Heimlich remover,

34
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,200
Speaker 1: which is sort of a functional mistake right Anyway, Dr

35
00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,320
Speaker 1: Heimlich rekindled Paul's love of medicine and told him that

36
00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,119
Speaker 1: if he ever wanted to observe an actual heart surgery,

37
00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,239
Speaker 1: all he had to do was ask. So Paul took

38
00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,120
Speaker 1: him up on the offer. One morning, while watching another

39
00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,320
Speaker 1: doctor perform open heart surgery. The patient went into cardiac

40
00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,600
Speaker 1: arrest and died. Paul got an idea and ran out

41
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,280
Speaker 1: of the operating theater to tell his friend Dr Heimlich,

42
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,000
Speaker 1: what if there was a device with its own power

43
00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,640
Speaker 1: supply that could keep the heart pumping during surgery. Dr

44
00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,880
Speaker 1: Heimlich encouraged Paul to put his dummy making skills to

45
00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,720
Speaker 1: use by building a prototype. He worked for months improving

46
00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,400
Speaker 1: his design with advice from Dr Heimlich, until he had

47
00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,080
Speaker 1: a working model. I'mlick then suggested Paul get his artificial

48
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,880
Speaker 1: heart patented, which he did immediately. Sometime later, Paul got

49
00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,040
Speaker 1: word that the FDA had begun adopting his artificial heart

50
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,160
Speaker 1: for human use. His breakthrough netted him an appearance on

51
00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,440
Speaker 1: MERV Griffin's television show alongside Dr Christian Barnard, the first

52
00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,600
Speaker 1: cardiac surgeon to perform a heart transplant on a living

53
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,120
Speaker 1: human being. He told Paul a story of how he'd

54
00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:12,720
Speaker 1: been performing open heart surgery on a close friend who

55
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,400
Speaker 1: had passed away on the table. If he'd had Paul's

56
00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,880
Speaker 1: device at the time, the friend might have pulled through.

57
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,639
Speaker 1: It was an emotional moment for both Dr Barnard and Paul,

58
00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,000
Speaker 1: who realized that his work would change the medical profession forever.

59
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,920
Speaker 1: Paul was a man who had begun his career as

60
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,240
Speaker 1: an entertainer, bringing joy to people's lives through his ventriloquist dummies,

61
00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,920
Speaker 1: but through his artificial hearts, he had found a way

62
00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,560
Speaker 1: to help people the way he always wanted to. In

63
00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,600
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine, he enrolled in pre med at Columbia

64
00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,040
Speaker 1: University before graduating as a Doctor of Acupuncture from the

65
00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,880
Speaker 1: Acupuncture Research College of Los Angeles in nineteen seventy four.

66
00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 1: Most folks today don't know Paul for his medical work,

67
00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,280
Speaker 1: but they sure do recognize the sound of his voice.

68
00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,080
Speaker 1: Of course, he was the voice behind Jerry Mahoney and

69
00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,960
Speaker 1: Knucklehead Smith, his ventriloque dummies, but he also was known

70
00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,560
Speaker 1: for voice acting and countless animated cartoons in movies. Among

71
00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,280
Speaker 1: his dozens of roles, he played Dick Dastard Lee on

72
00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:12,160
Speaker 1: Wacky Racers and Gargamel on The Smurfs. But perhaps he

73
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,840
Speaker 1: is best remembered as the voice of the energetic Tigger

74
00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,600
Speaker 1: in Disney's original Winnie the Pooh films. Born in New

75
00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,279
Speaker 1: York City as Paul Wilchinsky, Paul Winchell was one of

76
00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:26,000
Speaker 1: the most beloved and recognized voices in entertainment, and he

77
00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,919
Speaker 1: devoted his mind to pursuing the greater good for the

78
00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,480
Speaker 1: benefits of humanity. He was no dummy, just a guy

79
00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:48,600
Speaker 1: with a lot of hearts. When the chips are down

80
00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,560
Speaker 1: in a bad situation, your first thought might be to panic.

81
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,800
Speaker 1: Running away sounds like a great option, but it's not

82
00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,040
Speaker 1: always possible. Sometimes you just have to stay and fight.

83
00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,440
Speaker 1: As Robert Frost put in his poem A Servant to Servants,

84
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:08,080
Speaker 1: the best way out is always through. Alvin hailed from Tennessee.

85
00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,520
Speaker 1: From a young age, he managed to see his way

86
00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,520
Speaker 1: through some tough times. His parents owned farm and his

87
00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:17,719
Speaker 1: father was a blacksmith. Alvin had ten other brothers and sisters,

88
00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,080
Speaker 1: but life was rough for such a large family in

89
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,520
Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen, everyone had to pitch in around the farm,

90
00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,560
Speaker 1: and when their father died, Alvin got a job as

91
00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,719
Speaker 1: a logger and construction worker to help support the family.

92
00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,479
Speaker 1: He also had a chip on his shoulder. There wasn't

93
00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,080
Speaker 1: a bar in Tennessee. He couldn't fight his way out

94
00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,960
Speaker 1: of but after a brush with religion, he swore he

95
00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,200
Speaker 1: changed his ways. Then he was drafted into World War

96
00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,440
Speaker 1: One in nineteen eighteen, and he didn't let his internal

97
00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,400
Speaker 1: peace stop him from fighting for his country. Alvin got

98
00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,479
Speaker 1: his start as an infantry privates in France before heading

99
00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,200
Speaker 1: into German held territory with the Army's eighty second Airborne Division.

100
00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,520
Speaker 1: Sixteen other soldiers joined Alvin on a special mission on

101
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,960
Speaker 1: October tenth of nineteen eighteen. They'd been tasked with capturing

102
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,200
Speaker 1: German soldiers in Chattel Channer Ree, France, as part of

103
00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,720
Speaker 1: the Muzargone Offensive. It was the largest offensive in World

104
00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,560
Speaker 1: War One and in all of US military history. Alvin

105
00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,640
Speaker 1: had an important role to play. He just didn't know

106
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,240
Speaker 1: it yet. He was one of four officers and thirteen

107
00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,599
Speaker 1: privates under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early. Their goal

108
00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,039
Speaker 1: was to cross into enemy territory and take out the

109
00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,680
Speaker 1: German machine guns. The men snuck in and accomplished their mission,

110
00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,719
Speaker 1: capturing a large group of enemy soldiers. However, while Early

111
00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,919
Speaker 1: and his team were corralling their prisoners, they were ambushed.

112
00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,720
Speaker 1: The Germans had come out of nowhere. They fired from

113
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,320
Speaker 1: the hills above. No one on the ground could see

114
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,960
Speaker 1: where they were positioned, though six American soldiers were killed

115
00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,880
Speaker 1: in the gunfire and three more were injured. Among the

116
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,880
Speaker 1: casualties was Sergeant Early. Seven other men ran for cover

117
00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,640
Speaker 1: and took their German prisoners with them. Alvin, however, knew

118
00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,960
Speaker 1: that they'd never get out alive if he didn't take

119
00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,400
Speaker 1: immediate action. He got on his stomach and aimed his

120
00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,920
Speaker 1: rifle at the one German soldiers standing above who were

121
00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,800
Speaker 1: firing down at him. He knew he had very little

122
00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,440
Speaker 1: AMMO left, so every shot needed to count. One by one,

123
00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,360
Speaker 1: he picked off the gunmen. Those who couldn't see him

124
00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,240
Speaker 1: would peek out, exposing their position. In an instant, Alvin's

125
00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,440
Speaker 1: bullet would fire, and down went another one. A smaller

126
00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,520
Speaker 1: group of Germans separated from the larger pack and charged

127
00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:31,000
Speaker 1: at him with their bayonets pointed forward. Alvin dropped his

128
00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,960
Speaker 1: rifle and reached for his pistol. He started by taking

129
00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:35,760
Speaker 1: out the enemies at the back of the group to

130
00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,200
Speaker 1: make those in front think they still had rear cover,

131
00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,360
Speaker 1: and with each shot, York kept telling them that they

132
00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:46,119
Speaker 1: could surrender at any time. The German soldiers wouldn't stop firing, though,

133
00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,760
Speaker 1: but their commander couldn't stand seeing his men getting killed.

134
00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,640
Speaker 1: So easily, so he told them to stop firing, and

135
00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:54,760
Speaker 1: he told Alvin that he would surrender if he stopped

136
00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,679
Speaker 1: shooting his men. Alvin agreed. The commander blew a whistle,

137
00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,760
Speaker 1: and the remaining Germans and from their hiding spots, throwing

138
00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:06,000
Speaker 1: down their guns and emma all except one. One of

139
00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,880
Speaker 1: the commander's men hadn't gotten the message and tossed a

140
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,360
Speaker 1: grenade at Alvin. It detonated in mid air. Alvin wasn't hurt,

141
00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,480
Speaker 1: It just ticked him off. He killed the offending German,

142
00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,920
Speaker 1: which sent the message to the others that he wasn't

143
00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,600
Speaker 1: messing around. Alvin and his men marched the captured soldiers

144
00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,239
Speaker 1: through enemy territory straight toward the front lines. More machine

145
00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,040
Speaker 1: gun men fired at them until Alvin ordered the commander

146
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,839
Speaker 1: to blow his whistle again at gunpoints lest he wanted

147
00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,160
Speaker 1: to lose his head. The German agreed, and more enemy

148
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,680
Speaker 1: soldiers dropped their weapons and joined the parade. By the

149
00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,079
Speaker 1: time York and his men made it across German lines,

150
00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,400
Speaker 1: they were in charge of over one thirty enemy soldiers,

151
00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:49,720
Speaker 1: which they delivered to military police for holding. Sergeant Alvin

152
00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,679
Speaker 1: York earned a Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.

153
00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,079
Speaker 1: That day, he saved the lives of seven fellow soldiers,

154
00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:59,840
Speaker 1: killed twenty five Germans, and captured one thirty two more,

155
00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:05,439
Speaker 1: almost singlehandedly. He was a real life Captain America, except well,

156
00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:12,040
Speaker 1: you know, a sergeant. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided

157
00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,480
Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on

158
00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,520
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting

159
00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:23,280
Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me

160
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,120
Speaker 1: Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make

161
00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,679
Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast,

162
00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,760
Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all

163
00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,320
Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com.

164
00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,839
Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious. Yeah,