1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is the production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Let's hear it for the man, the myth, 4 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: the legend, our super producer Max, the Librarian Williams. 5 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, you're the librarian sorts. He's the keeper of the 6 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 2: ridiculous archives. Yeah, library of ridiculousness. These are things that exist. 7 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: And I guess, yeah, I guess we do have archives 8 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: now because we've. 9 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 3: Been we've been doing this show proseby too, your nol. 10 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 2: I'm ben, what is an archive if not just a 11 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 2: repository of information, no matter how stupid? 12 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: Right, Yes, I love I love that idea. Man, what 13 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: about the library of the worst books or the library 14 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: of unnecessary things? And sit I also like that you're 15 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: pointing out that a library is more than just a 16 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: room with a bunch of books in it. 17 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 3: Oh big time. 18 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I mean I remember growing up, like 19 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 2: one of the places that I first was exposed to 20 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 2: kind of more artsy films was the library. You know, 21 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 2: they usually would have like some criterion collection, things that 22 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 2: you could take out from the library. 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 3: Or even like anime graphic novels and stuff. 24 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 2: I mean, like, I was always a big fan of 25 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 2: the local library because it actually also had some kind 26 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: of stuff that would probably if your parents knew about it, 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: be considered a little naughty. 28 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 3: Hey. 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, and also, you know, as you guys know, I 30 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: live very close to a library here in our fair 31 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: metropolis of Atlanta. I like to hang out there. It's 32 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: one of the few places in the US culturally where 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: you can hang out indoors without having to spend money. 34 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: And you know, some people love that, some people hate that. 35 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: I think we all agree that libraries are important. And 36 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: here in the United States there is a big deal library, 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: the Library of Congress. That's what today's episode is about 38 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: because to the earlier point, man, there's a lot more 39 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: than books in there, and we're going to talk about 40 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: some of the most ridiculous things. 41 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 2: I also just want to make clear I was not 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 2: checking out like adult material from the library. I'm just 43 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 2: talking about you know, there's some steamy scenes in some 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 2: of those Stephen King novels. 45 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: Exactly, mind reader, that's the thing. Yeah. The first time 46 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: I read Stephen King's it, I was probably too young. 47 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: I was a little little latchkey kids is volunteering at 48 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,679 Speaker 1: the library, and folks are so excited when they see 49 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: children reading that sometimes they don't ask what the kids 50 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: are reading. That being said, I am absolutely against banning books. 51 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 3: I think we've made that clear on both of our shows. 52 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 2: But the thing about today's episode is, do you think 53 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: you think about a thing called the Library of Congress. 54 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 2: It sounds like just the most you know, the highest 55 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 2: form of library in the United States of these America. 56 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 2: I must only hold the most you know, high minded 57 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 2: of wisdom, containing you know. 58 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 3: Tomes right then right, well, yeah. 59 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 2: Nothing frivolous or tawdry a. 60 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: So, yes, that that is perfect. That is the perfect setup. 61 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: So let's go to Jeff Summers, writing for grunge dot 62 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: com as an introduction. Here he says it is possibly 63 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: the largest library in the world. Now there are contenders 64 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: for that title, and the library itself holds more than 65 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty two million what they call assets 66 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: in four hundred and fifty different languages. As we'll see, 67 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: one of the oldest things in the Library of Congress 68 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: is not in English. It's in it's Kinea form. 69 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:16,559 Speaker 3: Like they go deep. 70 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 2: And one thing that's important to remember is for the 71 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: most part. This stuff is stuff. This is physical media. 72 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 2: Think of like the Library of Alexander, the idea of 73 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 2: like a repository of the world's not necessarily always knowledge, 74 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 2: but just its history. You know, because sometimes in artifact, 75 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 2: even if it's not some sort of genius take, you know, 76 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: it is in and of itself a piece of history. 77 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 2: We're going to talk about some of those pieces that, 78 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: while on the surface might seem a little silly, are 79 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 2: actually really really important. 80 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 3: But first of all, let's just talk a little bit 81 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 3: about the. 82 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 2: History of the Library of Congress, often shorthandified as the Luck. 83 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, the loc right. So it's very old, at 84 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: least for this states. It was created more than two 85 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: centuries ago, in eighteen hundred. Like the Library of Alexandria, 86 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: this place is burned down more than once. We can 87 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: go directly to the Library of Congress official website and 88 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: they point out that from the very early days of 89 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: the conspiracy that led to the creation of this country, 90 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: folks understood the importance and power of knowledge. Books and 91 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: libraries were essential to the aims and the values that 92 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: were set out. Since the US started using I guess 93 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: you could say, and you know, no secret Illiteracy was 94 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: much more common in the early days right around the world. 95 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: But the founding fathers all had some pretty pretty high end, 96 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: top notch. 97 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,039 Speaker 2: Educations they did, and this is they were they and 98 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 2: this is education that came largely from, you know, from 99 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 2: books to help kind of support that education. So they 100 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 2: also realized and understood that books were very important. So 101 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 2: in eighteen hundred, as part of an Act of Congress 102 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 2: that moved the national government from Philadelphia to Washington, John 103 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 2: Adams added in an Act of Congress that provided five 104 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 2: thousand dollars for books to be used by said Congress. 105 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 2: And this started what is now the Library of Congress. 106 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 2: There was a joint actually the first ever joint committee 107 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 2: in Congress, the Joint Congressional Committee, that would basically provide 108 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 2: staff and oversee the creation of this this library. 109 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 1: And for anyone yearning for the inflation calculator, you're going 110 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: to be surprised. Five thousand dollars in eighteen hundred was 111 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: only Yeah, if we it was only it would only 112 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: be worth about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Today 113 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: there's a lot of eighty two. Yeah, it's not too shabby. Yeah, 114 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: but I just budget. I'm just like the Library of 115 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: Congress is such a leviathan of knowledge, right, a repository, 116 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: as you said, I was shape. They started with a 117 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: little more seed money. 118 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 3: But nope. 119 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 2: Well, like any collection, you know, these things kind of 120 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 2: tend to build over time. So that's why I started 121 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 2: to see and we also saw it go through several iterations. 122 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 2: Thomas Jefferson went on to approve a legislative compromise that 123 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 2: essentially invented a brand new job, the Librarian of Congress, 124 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 2: and created this It required a presidential appointment to be 125 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 2: this librarian. 126 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, Library of Congress. 127 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: The final boss of library acts. There's only been fourteen 128 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: so far, and they all, like you said, no, they 129 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: all have to get appointed by the president. Jefferson names 130 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: the first two librarians, and each of them had also 131 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 1: served or served concurrently as clerk at the House of Representatives, and. 132 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 2: That makes sense. Yeah, you know again again this is 133 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 2: the zero shade on But it requires a little bit of, 134 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 2: you know, fastidious organizational skills. It might come with someone 135 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 2: like a clerk or a treasurer, parliamentarian press. 136 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 3: Very diplomatic. I appreciate that. 137 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, So Jefferson does this in eighteen o two, and 138 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: he returns to save the library during the War of 139 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: eighteen twelve. This is where we get to shout out 140 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: a returning guest, Jesslyn Shields, who writes for our alma 141 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: mater Houstuffworks dot Com. She describes how the original library 142 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: was in the US Capitol and it was burned down 143 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: by British troops. They went through yeah coats, yes, yes, 144 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: the redcoats. Very confusing for those colonists who are colorblinds. 145 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: But they they burned down the whole place. And three 146 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:14,479 Speaker 1: years later the Library of Congress purchased Thomas Jefferson's personal library. 147 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 3: Okay, okay, so that's pretty cool. 148 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 2: There were probably some redundant tomes in there from that 149 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 2: original collection, right, Yeah, I got a wonder. 150 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: Jefferson Bible the Weirdness Director's cut. 151 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 2: Ever, Oh boy, I don't think I know about the 152 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 2: Jefferson Bible. But like we're talking works of philosophy, like 153 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 2: the classics, right is that? Like we're talking like maybe 154 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 2: legal books, things like things like that. What would have 155 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 2: comprised the first run at creating the stock for the 156 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 2: Library of Congress. 157 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: So pre Jefferson, when the library, when the Library first 158 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: came in. They were collecting a lot of documents in general, 159 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: and you nailed it with the classics, but they're also 160 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: there's a reason the clerk is the librarian, right, they're 161 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: a also collecting a lot of documentation related to government affairs, 162 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,479 Speaker 1: and they get a bit more esoteric, one would imagine 163 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: when they get old Tommy Jay's collection the Jefferson Bible. 164 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: By the way, we just got to mention this. I 165 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:19,839 Speaker 1: can't believe we haven't done an episode on this. So 166 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: this guy, Thomas Jefferson, famously imperfect dude. He went through 167 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: the Christian Bible and he cut out all almost all 168 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: of the supernatural stuff, all the stuff he considered supernatural, Okay, 169 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 1: which is kind of missing the point a lot of that. Yeah, 170 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 1: that's like a pretty dull read. And really quickly. 171 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 2: This is a question that came up for me that 172 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 2: may have been coming up for some of you fair listeners. 173 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 2: The National Archives and the Library of Congress are two 174 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 2: different things. 175 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, good call. 176 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 2: Yes, the Library is actually part of the legislative branch 177 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 2: of the US government, and the Archives as an independent 178 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 2: agency that's part of the executive branch. And the reason 179 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 2: I bring that up is early days of the Library 180 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 2: of Congress. You mentioned a lot of documents and historical 181 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 2: records and things like that is now more under the 182 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 2: purview of the Archives. 183 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: I see, okay, And that's an important distinction. So we 184 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: need both of them. They are not redundant. The Library 185 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 1: of Congress surviving eighteen twelve. They buy Thomas Jefferson's collection 186 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: of books, and he had more than six thousand. He 187 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,439 Speaker 1: had like sixty five hundred different works, and they continued growing. 188 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: But their problems did not end there. In the early 189 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: days of the library, well the early decades, if we're 190 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 1: being honest, there was not enough space for all the 191 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: stuff they wanted. The fire was a clear and present 192 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: danger at all times. They didn't have a staff adequate 193 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: to the job, and they also eternally had funding problems. 194 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 1: This thing popularized literacy. It popularized literature to the general 195 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:18,679 Speaker 1: public of the US, but it's mainly for Congress in 196 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: those early days. It's mainly for when Congress members have 197 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: a question, when they need to refer to something. It's 198 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: like their version of the Internet. 199 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:30,439 Speaker 3: Basically. 200 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:31,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, So, I mean, like I said, it would have 201 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 2: been all kinds of probably legal journals, scholarly journals and 202 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 2: things like that of the time that would have been, 203 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 2: you know, an answer to a particular conundrum that might 204 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:45,080 Speaker 2: have popped up. Now it's a little more of a 205 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 2: historical kind of site, you know. It's it's an actual 206 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 2: physical location. So it is. It is a really interesting 207 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 2: counterpoint to the Internet in ad age, where so much information, 208 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 2: or at the very least physical versions of information, seem 209 00:12:59,000 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 2: very throwaway. 210 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,200 Speaker 3: I think it's important that something like that still exists. 211 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: Agreed one hundred percent. Okay, So we're all familiar with 212 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 1: the US Civil War. That happens. Things are bad for 213 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: a while, and the country gets through it. The economy 214 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: begins to expand, Uncle Sam as the federal government is 215 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:23,199 Speaker 1: growing like gangbusters. The city of Washington, DC is also growing. 216 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: This is where we introduce the Librarian of Congress from 217 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four to eighteen ninety seven, Ainsworth Rand Spofford, 218 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: real name Weird. So Spofford says, look, we're in a 219 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: very important time right now for the country. You folks 220 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: in Congress, you need to understand. The loc is a 221 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:53,200 Speaker 1: national institution. It is the National Library. And Spofford says, 222 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: we need a single place a one stop shop for 223 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: American publications, and it should also be for the people, 224 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 1: not just for Congress. And this guy plays a huge 225 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 1: role in centralizing copyright registrations at the Library of Congress. 226 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: And this happens in eighteen seventy, so midway through his career. 227 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: That's the reason you can submit a book or a 228 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: work to the Library of Congress today. And we have 229 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: a slight plot twist at the end. There's going to 230 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: be a lot of plot twists in this episode, I suspect, 231 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: but Noel, we've eaten our vegetables. You, Max and I 232 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: have given our fellow ridiculous historians the history of the library. 233 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: But that's not why we're here today, is. 234 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 3: No, it's not. 235 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 2: We're here to talk about all the weird things that 236 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 2: are contained there, and we sort of tease that up. 237 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 3: Tom. 238 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 2: So let's start with comic books, which is again one 239 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 2: of the things that I was so excited to be 240 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 2: able to discover at my own local library. Yeah, it's awesome. 241 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 2: The Library of Congress actually is the home of the 242 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 2: world's largest collection of comic books, numbering in the hundreds 243 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 2: of thousands, around one hundred and forty thousand items. The 244 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 2: Washington Post took a look at the collection and reported 245 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 2: that in twenty eighteen, a collector by the name of 246 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 2: Stephen A. Jeppy donated three thousand comics out of his 247 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 2: own personal collections, some of which were like really really 248 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 2: valuable and historically important comics like Action Comics number one, 249 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 2: which of course the first appearance of Superman, and some 250 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 2: of the original storyboards that Walt Disney Company did for 251 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 2: the Mickey for the first Mickey Mouse short ever. 252 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: Produced amazing stuff. Right, we can read a lot of 253 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: lists out there in the public sphere now about these 254 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: weird things. Again, we shouted out summers over Ack Runge 255 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: did great work with his hidden secrets of the Library 256 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: of Congress. You'll also see things that are not from 257 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 1: the States. As as we teased earlier. There's, for instance, 258 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: the vod Si Mueller World Map from fifteen o seven. 259 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: Not a book, definitely a map. This guy created the 260 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: first map of the globe as far as people knew, 261 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: at least Western cultures knew, and fifteen o seven and 262 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: this was this was new and stunning for its time 263 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 1: because it included what they were calling the New World, 264 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: the South and North American continents based on the voyages 265 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: of Amerigo Vespucci. And yes, America is named after this guy, 266 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: Amerigo Vespucci, who is a real bag of badgers and 267 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: probably worthy of his own episod. I don't even want 268 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 1: to tease it more than that. You shouldn't they just haven, Yeah, yeah, yeah, 269 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 1: just trust us, it'll be worth it. So the Library 270 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: of Congress owns the only surviving copy of this map's 271 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: original printing, and it was made from a woodcut on 272 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: twelve different sheets of paper. And on this map, Vould 273 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: simular calls the New World America because it's a latinized 274 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:36,239 Speaker 1: version of Vespucci's first name. Sometimes people refer to this 275 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: map as America's birth certificate. 276 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 3: That's pretty cool. 277 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, The Vold Semular World Map another thing that is 278 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 2: contained within the Library of Congress that might seem, you know, 279 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 2: like a small thing, but actually, when looked at in 280 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 2: the greater context of who it's kind of speaking about, 281 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 2: it's sort of a big thing. It is a recipe 282 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 2: from Rosa Parks, a figure seen as quite you know, 283 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 2: larger than life in the history of this country in 284 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,199 Speaker 2: terms of you know, her place and pushing civil rights forward. 285 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 2: It is the a recipe for peanut butter pancakes. And 286 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 2: this is really interesting on a couple of levels because 287 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 2: originally peanuts, you know, while plentiful, were kind of considered 288 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 2: to not be a food that was eaten by, you know, members. 289 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 3: Of the higher class. 290 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,360 Speaker 2: It was actually a food that was consumed largely by 291 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 2: African slave populations in the South. And it was also 292 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 2: in an effort to kind of help black farmers and 293 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 2: improve their kind of lot in life, was offered up 294 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 2: to them as a cash crop, you know, to give 295 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:42,560 Speaker 2: them something other than cotton to farm, given the you know, 296 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 2: fraught nature of that crop, cotton that is. And so 297 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 2: for Rosa Parks to have a recipe for this, it 298 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 2: was something that really connected to the black community, connected 299 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 2: to the struggle for civil rights, and also was just 300 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 2: like a really fun, delicious recipe. She wrote on the 301 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 2: back of a banking envelope, the equivalents of like, you know, 302 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 2: a note written on a cocktail napkin. I mean, it 303 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 2: really is just kind of a snapshot of Rosa Parks. 304 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 3: This is kind of day to day life. 305 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, And we know that people from the African continent 306 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: were the first folks to introduce peanuts to North America, 307 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: which is also you know, it's a strange thing. You 308 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 1: travel to other countries and people often think of peanut 309 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: butter as this weird, uniquely American thing. You don't see 310 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: it in a lot of grocery stores outside of this country. 311 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: And you're right, well, you put it so beautifully. Rosa 312 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: Parks is struggling financially at the time, and so she 313 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: uses scrap paper to write down this peanut butter pancake recipe, 314 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 1: and it is. It's just one of those amazing pieces 315 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: of history that could have easily been forgotten where it 316 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: not for places like the Library of Congress. Now there 317 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 1: is another place which is full of weird things. That place, 318 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: famously owned by Elia Musk is Twitter. And in twenty ten, 319 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 1: before Musk gets involved, Twitter makes a deal with the 320 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: Library of Congress. They say we're going to go all 321 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: the way back to the very first tweets in two 322 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: thousand and six, in each and every public tweet will 323 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: be in the Library of Congress. So if you tweeted 324 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: in the early days of Twitter, then you are in 325 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: the Library of Congress. Congratulations. Everybody knows your weird hot 326 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 1: takes on the people who are sitting next to you 327 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: on the plane, at least if you tweeted before twenty eighteen. 328 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: In twenty eighteen, the library finally says, Okay, we've got enough. 329 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,919 Speaker 1: We don't need all the tweets, we don't need everybody's 330 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: weird takes about stuff. We're gonna only archive the most 331 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: notable tweets. 332 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: But do you know, like when they're saying they're archiving 333 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 2: these tweets, is it is it all in like a 334 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 2: digital version or are they're not like printing out tweets, 335 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 2: signing them. 336 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: I hope they're printing them out, and I hope they're 337 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: putting them in. 338 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 3: Would cut for that would be incredible, That would be incredible. 339 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 2: But like you said, the essentially the volume of tweets, 340 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 2: you know, billions in fact, were not something that the 341 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:31,640 Speaker 2: library could keep a hold of, you know, keep keep 342 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 2: on top of them. So instead they decided just to 343 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 2: collect and archive some of the more, you know, notable 344 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 2: tweets from notable personalities. Or I guess one perhaps that 345 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 2: we're associated with certain cultural events or historical events, you know, 346 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:45,439 Speaker 2: like the Arab spring. 347 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 4: No. I think you're probably to something that Ben and 348 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 4: I have talked about earlier today. So we had our 349 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 4: bi weekly slight call, and that very end of it 350 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 4: was kind of like, yeah, if you have to reach 351 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 4: out to me, guys, reach out to me. Through it 352 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 4: sounded like he was about to go into the spiel 353 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 4: at the end of a show, like you can find 354 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 4: me on Twitter at blah blah blah. 355 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 3: So I've decided that our slate have. 356 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 4: To do all of our official communications now via Ben's 357 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 4: Twitter page. I love it, so all of our official 358 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:11,920 Speaker 4: iHeart thanks and this is on Twitter already. So now 359 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,919 Speaker 4: the Library of Congress will have to keep check of 360 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 4: all of our official business communications that we're doing via 361 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 4: Twitter now. 362 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: So Ben, oh, of course, yes, and and well well additionally, 363 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,680 Speaker 1: you know, I think it's important for us to once 364 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: again iterate that any and all complaints should go to 365 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: our official complaint department at John Strickland on Twitter or 366 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland at iHeartRadio dot com. Thank you for your service, Twister. 367 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 1: So you're right, though, Nolan, even though it might sound 368 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,719 Speaker 1: weird that they stop collecting tweets, because there's not a 369 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: physical form unless they're printing it out, unless they're putting 370 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 1: it on lithographs or woodcuts, but there is server space, 371 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 1: and that server space is finite. The library was unable, 372 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: by their own admission, to cope with the just the 373 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,639 Speaker 1: sheer massive tweets. People love having their small, short, weird 374 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: takes on stuff myself included. There are billions and billions 375 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,679 Speaker 1: of billions of tweets, and so the library said, you know, 376 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: they love organization, They said, we don't have a plan 377 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: in place to organize these and make it a publicly 378 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: accessible database. It's just an infinite mass of messy spaghetti. 379 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,719 Speaker 1: And all those tweets that they collected from two thousand 380 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: and six to twenty eighteen, they're all just sort of 381 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 1: thrown into servers. It's probably buried. So if you have 382 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: a weird hot take that you wish you hadn't said 383 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: in you know, eight or nine, a Reddit detective will 384 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: find it before the Library of Congress does. 385 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:59,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, So you're probably safe there for now. Yeah, exacly. 386 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 2: Moving on to things that are a little more tangible, 387 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 2: or at least back to things that a little more tangible, 388 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,120 Speaker 2: it's sort of in like a bit of an ick 389 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 2: factor way as well. This is maybe not so much, 390 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 2: but when before photographs were something that was accessible to everybody. 391 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 2: One thing that folks might do to remember somebody or 392 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 2: to you know, have a little keepsake was to send 393 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 2: or you know, hold on to a lock of someone's hair. 394 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 2: Also something that would be done after someone had passed away. 395 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 2: So the Library of Congress is actually a possession of 396 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 2: all kinds of locks of hair, like an alarming amount, 397 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,679 Speaker 2: you know, from famous. 398 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 3: And unknown individuals alike. 399 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, they have a problematic amount of hair for 400 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: a library. Yeah, we're talking about George Washington's hair is 401 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: in there. That Beethoven's got some hair in there. Melissy's 402 00:24:54,760 --> 00:25:00,400 Speaker 1: s grant Edna Saint Vincent Malay. James Madison apparently made 403 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: a really weird, intricate knot of his own hair and 404 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 1: he gave it to this girl he was dating. That's 405 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:11,640 Speaker 1: in there. There was another one to think about, anonymous hair. 406 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: Probably my favorite story here is the Library of Congress 407 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: possesses mystery hair that was sent to President James Garfield 408 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: and the only note was my compliments. Whomever this was, 409 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: the Garfield probably knew knew their identity because he kept 410 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: this hair in his diary and they got it, the 411 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: library got it after he died. And speaking of presidents. 412 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 1: As you might imagine, folks, there's a lot of presidential 413 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 1: stuff in the library. 414 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, let's go to their old pal, honest abe Lincoln, 415 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 2: specifically some personal effects that were carried on his person 416 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 2: when he was assassinated, things like a pair of glasses 417 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 2: that actually been This is another interesting view into the 418 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 2: life of a larger than life figure. A pair of 419 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 2: glasses that had been repaired with a little piece of string, 420 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 2: a pocket knife which may well have been used to 421 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 2: actually repair the glasses in the first place, a gold 422 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 2: watch fob, a handkerchief and cuff links with his monogram 423 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 2: on them, and also a leather wallet with newspaper clippings 424 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 2: following the events of the Civil War, and five bucks 425 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 2: in Confederate script. 426 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: Yeah what a flex? Right, what a flex? Abraham be 427 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: an extra. His personal belongings were given to his son, Robert, 428 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: and Robert later passed those on to his daughter. So 429 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: for those of us following along at home, that would 430 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 1: be Lincoln's granddaughter. And she eventually donates the items to 431 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: the loc and nineteen thirty seven. Weirdly enough, decades decades 432 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: pass no one opens the box. In nineteen seventy six, 433 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: someone finally gets to it because again, staffing has been 434 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,439 Speaker 1: a problem for a long time, and they say, oh, 435 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: this is Abe Lincoln's stuff, so I guess we should 436 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: keep it. Good thing we open the boxes before we 437 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: throw them out, all right. And here's one that excites 438 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: our research associate, mister Max Williams to no end. There 439 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:37,360 Speaker 1: is a glass flute in the Library of Congress. Bloodlinin 440 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:43,400 Speaker 1: was a flute maker in the early eighteen hundreds and 441 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: in eighteen oh six Claude Patten's the first glass flute. 442 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,239 Speaker 1: Flutes at the time were not made of glass. They 443 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: were made of wood or ivory. And the problem with 444 00:27:54,560 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 1: that is, like you guys, as musicians know, when humanity changes, 445 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: when the temperature changes, it can throw the instrument off 446 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 1: depending on its materials. So a glass flute doesn't have 447 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: those same problems. And it became It didn't become the norm, obviously, 448 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: but it did become a really popular novelty. And it 449 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: wasn't until after Claude died that metal flutes became the norm. 450 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you might remember there was a big hubbub 451 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 2: around the pop singer Lizzo playing this playing one round 452 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 2: glass flutes. I believe it was like the maybe the Grammys, 453 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 2: I think it was, but you know, she is actually 454 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 2: a very accomplished floutist. And there was three of these 455 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 2: flutes were owned by President James Madison and Lizzo actually 456 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 2: played it on stage in twenty twenty two, you know, 457 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 2: as part of a partnership I guess with the Library 458 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 2: of Congress. But I think there was some focus maybe 459 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 2: on the. 460 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 3: More extreme side of politics. 461 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 2: Say that kind of took issue with that and claimed 462 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 2: that it was in some way like sullying the legacy of. 463 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:10,600 Speaker 3: Sure, you know, okay, all right, all of that's yeah. Anyway, 464 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 3: I gotta. 465 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 4: Say there was two things that spurred on me writing 466 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 4: this brief. 467 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 3: One of them was this. 468 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 4: The other one I'm gonna hold on to and I'll 469 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 4: say it later on why kind thought of like, let's 470 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 4: do a dive into this and all. But yeah, people 471 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 4: were very upset when that happened, and I thought it 472 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 4: was awesome because it's a musical instrument, let's use it. 473 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: How is it a hot take to play a musical 474 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,080 Speaker 1: instrument for the purpose, like to use a thing for 475 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: the purpose it was designed. That's ridiculous anyway, you know what, 476 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: that's still not the weirdest one. One of the weirdest 477 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 1: things would be briece yourself, folks, in a big thank 478 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: you to all the teachers who play our show for classrooms. 479 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: You are the cool teachers. Just gonna give you a 480 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: heads up. This one is sexually frank. It is pornography. 481 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: Is in the Library of Congress. You might have heard 482 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: of something called the Delta Collection. We're going to give 483 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: you a heads up, folks. It is not about airplanes. 484 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 3: Nope, it's not. 485 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 2: If you ask about that, you're going to be exposed 486 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 2: to a cavalcade of historic pornography. Literary Hub writes about 487 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 2: the Delta Collection and refers to it as one time 488 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 2: being the largest collection of pornography and erotic material in 489 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 2: the world. It was established to be kind of a 490 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 2: holding space for obscene materials that were seized by federal agents, 491 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 2: and then to serve as a database so that law 492 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 2: enforcement could actually kind of catalog which types of literature 493 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 2: should be considered pornography. You know, the whole I know 494 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 2: when I see it kind of thing. But this is 495 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 2: an interest during an interesting time for this type of 496 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 2: material in the United States. It was actually kept quite 497 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 2: secret and very rarely discussed openly, but that you know, 498 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 2: has since changed since seeing people are obviously we're talking 499 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 2: about people are aware of this porn stash, the US 500 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 2: government's porn stash, let's call it. 501 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, And here's the weirdest thing about it. Okay, So 502 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: why do they have this? Are they just naughty people secretly? 503 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: Not really, at least most of them. This literature is 504 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: quite useful because for a long time it was secret 505 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: and they didn't talk about it in public because it 506 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: seems very morally problematic, right given the various moral panics 507 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 1: in US history. But it served as a catalog of obscenity. 508 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: We always remember those famous quotes. I think it was 509 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:45,040 Speaker 1: the court case about James Joyce's ulysses where they said, 510 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 1: I don't have a working definition of obscene, but I 511 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: know it when I see it. This catalog is a 512 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,200 Speaker 1: reference device that law enforcement and the courts could use 513 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: for researching and defining what they considered obscene. There was 514 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: one guy at the Library of Congress who was super 515 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: into this. We have to introduce you very briefly and 516 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: a safer work way, to a dude named Ralph Whittington. 517 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:19,840 Speaker 1: Ralph Whittington had a private collection of pornography that almost 518 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: surpasses the Delta collection of the Library of Congress. This 519 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: guy is super into historical depictions of naughty bits to 520 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: beast with two backs, the Australias, the Netherlands, the other 521 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: realm regions. Okay, and he actually sold his collection eventually 522 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,320 Speaker 1: to the Museum of Sex, which is in New York City, 523 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:46,720 Speaker 1: which is also a pretty cool place if you've ever 524 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: been you want to check out some of the history 525 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 1: of depictions of sex throughout pop culture and history, that 526 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 1: is the place to go. Moving on, we've got a 527 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: pretty robust collection of celebrity palm prints, because of course 528 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: we do. Why wouldn't we Yeah, yeah, I guess why 529 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't you know? 530 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 3: What you know? 531 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 2: It was the palm reading All of this stuff was 532 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 2: very popular in the twenties and thirties. There was one 533 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 2: of the most famous palmists in the world, a woman 534 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 2: by the name of Nellie Simmons Meyer. She read the 535 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 2: poems of some really notable figures throughout history, George Gershwin, 536 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 2: Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and a heap of other folks 537 00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 2: and would take these palm prints along with their autograph. 538 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 2: You know in the process. When she passed, she donated 539 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 2: a portion of her collection to the Library of Congress, 540 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 2: including the one of Amelia Earhart, which was one of 541 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 2: the most you know, popular attractions there. 542 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: And we still have the analysis from this studier of palms. 543 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 1: If you are wondering what Earhart's palm says about her, 544 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 1: apparently it reveals her passion for flying, as well as 545 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: a love of physical activity and a strong will, attention 546 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 1: to detail, pursuit of perfection, ambitious yet rational. It's very strange, right, 547 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 1: I know that you can submit add a number of 548 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,840 Speaker 1: things to the Library of Congress. I feel like we 549 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,840 Speaker 1: do have to give a shout out here. The oldest 550 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: written thing in the library is that canaform tablet, dating 551 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: from at least twenty forty BCE. But you can be 552 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,919 Speaker 1: a part of the Library of Congress too, folks. That's 553 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: the best news. That's the plot twist here, Noel or 554 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: pal Matt and I wrote a book for one of 555 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: our shows. Stuff they don't want you to know, And 556 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to do it, Matt. I'm going to send 557 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 1: it to the Library of Congress. 558 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 3: I think you should. 559 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:49,720 Speaker 1: They'll take it as a gift. 560 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,000 Speaker 3: I think, yeah, I think it's a grand idea. 561 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:54,360 Speaker 1: What else would you put in the Library of Congress. 562 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,440 Speaker 1: You can send music, there's a ton of music there historically. 563 00:34:57,560 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 3: Again, well, what's the whole. 564 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 2: Deal with copyright? You know, as it pertains the Library 565 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 2: of Congress. Isn't that one way of like copyrighting something, 566 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,439 Speaker 2: or like if you have a song or a song lyric, 567 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:10,319 Speaker 2: if you send it to the Library of Congress and 568 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,439 Speaker 2: it's recorded, then it's officially you know, you can prove 569 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 2: that you copyrighted it. 570 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 1: You can indeed register things with the Library of Congress. 571 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,359 Speaker 1: And if you, like us, love validation, then this might 572 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,920 Speaker 1: be this might be a fun adventure for you. We 573 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,560 Speaker 1: still haven't scratched the surface of all the other weird 574 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: stuff in the Library of Congress. But I think we're 575 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: all on the same page when we say we're grateful 576 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:39,360 Speaker 1: that this exists. 577 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:42,240 Speaker 2: Absolutely we are, and I'm also anyone else I'm grateful 578 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 2: that exists. 579 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 1: Ben, I think you're gonna say, peanut butter pancakes. 580 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:47,879 Speaker 3: Peanut butter pancakes are really good. 581 00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 2: Said, that's part of our that's basically, we're grateful for 582 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 2: all these individuals. 583 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 3: Alex Williams, who composed are. 584 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 1: Max william Our research associates, Doctor Z and Jeff. We 585 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:08,600 Speaker 1: also want to thank you's Jeff Coates. We're getting Jeff 586 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:12,720 Speaker 1: Rich here. We also, of course want to thank Christopher Hasiotis. 587 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,720 Speaker 1: We want to thank all the hardworking folks at the 588 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:20,320 Speaker 1: Library of Congress, with a special shout out to the 589 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: current librarian, Harla Hayden. 590 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 3: We'll see you next time, folks. 591 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 592 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:38,400 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.