1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: We all know what Egypt looks like on a map. 7 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: It's a squarish country cut out of northeast Africa, easily 8 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: distinguishable on a map by the Nile River delta at 9 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: the north end. But if you direct your attention to 10 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: the southern border, you may see something a little odd. 11 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: On some maps, there's a strange bump on the bottom 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,279 Speaker 1: of the Egyptian border, indicated by a dotted line that 13 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: crosses into the territory of Sudan. This territory is called Bertuwill, 14 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: which means tall water well in Arabic, and it exists 15 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: in a fascinating legal gray area. Beertu Will is the 16 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,479 Speaker 1: only habitable land on planet Earth not claimed by one 17 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,040 Speaker 1: country or another. Egypt claims it's Sudanese territory, and Sudan 18 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: claims that it's part of Egypt. With neither country claiming 19 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,199 Speaker 1: proper ownership, it's left to become a true no man's land. 20 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: It has no capital and no major cities. According to 21 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 1: most sources, the population consists mostly of nomads and miners 22 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: who pass through the land. That's people who dig in 23 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: the earth, not little kids. Just to clear that up. So, 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: how does something like this happen? What causes a territory 25 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: with no ruler to appear in the middle of North Africa? Well, unsurprisingly, 26 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: birtu Will exists because of borders drawn in the early 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: twentieth century by the British Empire. The original border between 28 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: Egypt and Sudan was drawn during the British occupation of 29 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: Egypt in eighteen ninety nine without consideration for the actual 30 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: geography and the cultural borders of the region. Three years later, 31 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh two, the British administrators of Egypt amended 32 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: this oversight, creating the squiggly border that ceded some land 33 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: to Sudan and created two new territories in the process, 34 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: the Halaid Triangle and beer to Will. After Sudan declared 35 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: independence in nineteen fifty six, the debate over the border began. 36 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: Both Egypt and Sudan wanted control over the Halaid Triangle 37 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: because it touched the Red Sea and was thus more 38 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: valuable as a piece of land. Beer to Will, meanwhile, 39 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: was mostly desert habitable and larger in area than London 40 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: or New York City, but without any specific geographical advantage. 41 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: This is the limbo that Beer to Will has existed 42 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: in ever since. It is perhaps not a surprise that 43 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: the liminal space has attracted attention from all sorts of interests. 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: It's not easy to get to, but self styled adventurers 45 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: are eager to visit any land with no designated government. 46 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: In twenty fourteen, for example, a man from Virginia named 47 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: Jeremiah Heaton took the pilgrimage in order to plant a 48 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: flag there and declare the Kingdom of North Sudan, with 49 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: himself as its king. This was allegedly in order to 50 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: give his daughter a birthday present the official title of princess. However, 51 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: sincere his reason, it was ultimately a cynical move, prompting 52 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: eager press coverage and a crowdfunding campaign for his so 53 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: called country. He even claimed to have sold the film 54 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: rights to his story. In an interview, he described his 55 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: country not as a whim but as a dary new 56 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: idea in the world of geopolitics and technology. He said 57 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: that many companies had approached him about using the land 58 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: for unregulated product development, but such claims have yet to manifest. 59 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: Surprise surprise, and of course, micro nation enthusiasts love claiming 60 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: the land for themselves, even when the land itself already 61 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: has its own occupants. You see, the Internet might mislead 62 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: you if you were to do a Google search for 63 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: beer to Will, it's described as unclaimed land, but that 64 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: land is very very much claimed. In twenty nineteen, the 65 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: first official tour group entered the area, but in order 66 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: to do so, they had to gain approval and protection 67 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: from the land's inhabitants, the Abata people. They consider the 68 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: land to be their homeland, and according to members of 69 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: the twenty nineteen tour, they are quite protective of it, 70 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: no matter what maps drawn by the British might say, 71 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: or indeed what a man from Virginia might say. The 72 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: world is a far different place now than it was 73 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: in twenty fourteen. Places like Beer to Will make people 74 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: in extremely regulated countries salivate with the possibility of freedom 75 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 1: and adventure, but much like the frontiers that our ancestors 76 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: once trampled across. It's dangerous to assume that a place 77 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: is up for the taking just because of a long, 78 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: out of date treaty. If you try to become king 79 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: of the hill without understanding the hill itself, you either 80 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: start a war or gain a reputation for being ignorant. 81 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: Neither reason, though, is worth building a whole career around, 82 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: no matter how nicely that crown might fit on your head. 83 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,919 Speaker 1: By the early twentieth century, women's rights had experienced significant 84 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: ups and downs throughout Europe, where the Middle Ages and 85 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: the Latter Enlightenment had seen women taking positions of leadership 86 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: and owning property. The late seventeen hundreds and early eighteen 87 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: hundreds saw many setbacks, with women being given the same 88 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: legal status as children, which is to say, they had 89 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: to defer to their husbands in all matters. Well. In 90 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: nineteen oh three, in Great Britain, the women of the 91 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: Pankhurst family had enough of these infringements on their rights. 92 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 1: The family consisted of mother Emmeline and her daughters Cristabelle 93 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: and Sylvia. Their father, Richard, was a wealthy lawyer who 94 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: passed away in eighteen ninety eight, and Christabel wanted to 95 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: follow in his footsteps in practiced law, but she was 96 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: only allowed to take the courses. The law prohibited her 97 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: from actually becoming an attorneying while was angered when she 98 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:03,720 Speaker 1: found out that women were barred from labor meetings at 99 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: the local meeting hall, which ironically was named after her 100 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: late husband, who had been a supporter of women's rights. 101 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: The women took matters into their own hands, forming their 102 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: own political group, naming it the Women's Social and Political 103 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: Union or WSPU for short. It was one of the 104 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: earliest groups calling for women's suffrage, and from the beginning 105 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: their motto was literally deeds not words, meaning they were 106 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: done asking nicely for their rights. In nineteen ten, hundreds 107 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: of their members stormed Parliament after they refused to grant 108 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: women the right to vote. The police completely turned on them, 109 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: beating them and even sexually assaulting some of them, but 110 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: this didn't stop the women. In fact, it only emboldened them. 111 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: They began a militant campaign across England, smashing windows and 112 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,040 Speaker 1: setting buildings on fire. They took every opportunity to accost 113 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: politicians in the streets and insult them demanding the right 114 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: to vote. The police kept up the pressure, arresting as 115 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: many as they could and imprisoning them in small, crowded 116 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,160 Speaker 1: cells so that they were as uncomfortable as possible, and 117 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: in turn, these suffragettes, as they were known, went on 118 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: hunger strikes, refusing to eat while in prison. Their jailers 119 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: tried to force feed them, but this often led to injury. 120 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: A law was actually passed allowing the release of the 121 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: prisoners so that they could go eat again, but then 122 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: making it so that they could be re arrested once 123 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: they were healthy. Things reached ahead in nineteen thirteen at 124 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: the Epsom Derby, a horse race that remains a significant 125 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: English tradition to this day. The King himself doesn't race 126 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: in the Derby, but he has a horse ridden on 127 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: his behalf by a jockey. Well during the race in 128 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: nineteen thirteen, WSPU member Emily Davidson ducked under the railing 129 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: on the side of the racetrack and jumped toward the 130 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: King's horse. It hit her full on, fracturing her skull 131 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: and sending the jockey and horse tumbling to the ground. 132 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: Emily died shortly after. It's unlikely that she was actually 133 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: trying to throw herself in front of the horse. It 134 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: seems that she wanted to quickly plant a WSPU flag 135 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: on it, but this was not a great plan. The 136 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: horse was moving pretty darn fast. Her death caused even 137 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: more strife. The WSPU held a parade in her honor, 138 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: but the government and even the Queen herself denounced Emily. 139 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: Queen Mary actually called her a horrid woman. Now, she 140 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: wasn't necessarily opposed to women's rights, but she was as 141 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: privileged a woman as there could possibly be, and she 142 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: didn't understand why the average woman would be willing to 143 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: die for a cause. World War One began the following year, 144 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen fourteen, and changed everything. Suddenly, all the men 145 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,959 Speaker 1: were fighting and dying in Europe, and the women were 146 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: the ones left to work jobs that had previously been 147 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: denied to them. By the end of the war in 148 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: nineteen eighteen, attitudes had changed significantly, and women finally won 149 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: the right to votes in Britain. Germany joined them the 150 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: same year, and the US passed the Nineteenth Amendment granting 151 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: women the right to vote in nineteen twenty. Today, the 152 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: WSPU and Emily Davidson had become a curious anecdote in history. 153 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 1: Some historians say that they actually damaged the cause by 154 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: making suffragettes look bad in the press, while others argue 155 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: that many social movements require a radical component to make 156 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: the moderates look more reasonable. Essentially, radical groups like the 157 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: WSPU make the establishment wake up and realize people are 158 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 1: willing to die for the cause in question. They can 159 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: either give in to the more moderate groups asking nicely 160 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: for their rights, or they can ignore them and drive 161 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: them into the arms of the radicals. Looking back, perhaps 162 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: it's worth keeping in open mind about the tactics of 163 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: the WSPU. Their methods may seem curious to us today, 164 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,959 Speaker 1: but without them women may not have ever gained equal 165 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 1: status in the Western world. I hope you enjoyed today's 166 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show is 167 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, 168 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: researched and written by the Grim and Mild team, and 169 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 1: produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and 170 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: the people who make it over at Grim and Slash Curiosities. 171 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of 172 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: Curiosity's hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well 173 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an 174 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the 175 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: same stories, but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. 176 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: Learn more and sign up over at patreon dot com. 177 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: Slash Grimandmild, and until next time, stay curious.