1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: Have you ever heard the stories about mothers who perform 7 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: impossible feats to save their children, things like lifting cars 8 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: or boulders. Some people believe that in these instances, the 9 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: mind takes over everything in the body. Others believe that 10 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: certain physical aspects like the car's angle, made the feat possible. Well, 11 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: today's story revolves around a woman who accomplished incredible feats. However, 12 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,639 Speaker 1: in her scenario didn't attribute it to extreme motivation or 13 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: sheer luck. They perceived it as something much harder to define. 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: Sometime around eighteen forty nine, American colonizers arrived in a 15 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: large area called Apache Rhea. This region now makes up 16 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: parts of Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. They were there 17 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: to take the land from the native inhabitants. About seven 18 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: Apache tribes lived in that region. They were known for 19 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: their nomadic lifestyle and their strong battle skills. By the 20 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: time the colonizers arrived, the Apache people had been fighting 21 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: Mexican soldiers for years. One day, the colonizers quietly crept 22 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: in on an Apache settlement near New Mexico. They planned 23 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: to surprise attack the people, raid the settlement, and then 24 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: kill everyone living there, but they underestimated the tribe. When 25 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: the attackers descended upon the settlement, the Apache people came 26 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: out in full force. The attackers were stunned. Not only 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,279 Speaker 1: did the tribe seem to know that they were coming, 28 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: but for every Apache man there was a woman behind him, 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: ready to strike should he go down. The colonizers were 30 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: completely unprepared. They were beaten in a landslide, and those 31 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: who survived were scared away. The Apache tribe was left 32 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: mostly unscathed, especially because the women who didn't fight protected 33 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: the children. However, there was one child, a girl of 34 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: about twelve years old named Lozen, who didn't receive protection 35 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: because she was on the battlefield. After the attack, many 36 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: of the warriors, including the great grandson of Geronimo, praised 37 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: Lozen's skill in battle. From the day she was born, 38 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: Lozen was ready to fight the tribe she was born 39 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: into had a matriarchal culture, so the fact that she 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: was a girl never really stood in her way. In fact, 41 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: one of the tribe's deities, known as the White Painted Woman, 42 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: was believed to be a great healer and an example 43 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: of heroism and womanhood. When girls came of age, the 44 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: tribe carried out a four day ceremony during which the 45 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: girl's emulated White Painted Woman. The ceremony involved tests of 46 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: the girl's endurance. Afterward, the girls were considered women and 47 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: took on more responsibility for their families. Legend has it 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 1: that loezen ceremony was especially powerful as she went through 49 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: the rituals. White Painted Woman visited with her and gifted 50 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: her with unparalleled skills in battle. These abilities equip Lozen 51 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: for the endless fighting that she would endure throughout her lifetime. 52 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: After New Mexico became a US territory, the gold Rush 53 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: sent floods of miners through her tribe's region, so the 54 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: Apache people constantly fought to keep their land. Thanks to 55 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: her gift, Lozen was instrumental in these battles. She often 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: carried out a secret operation. She snuck behind enemy lines 57 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: rounded up their horses and stole them. The enemy never 58 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: saw her coming. This was how she got her name, 59 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: which means dexterous horse thief. But Lozen was capable of 60 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: so much more. Her brother, Chief Victorio described her as 61 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. 62 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: He also said that Lozen was a shield to her 63 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: People's brother wasn't the only one who admired her so much, 64 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: though she was also a close friend and ally to Geronimo. 65 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: Lozen's people were always at the center of her heart. 66 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: Throughout all the battles and raids that she fought in. 67 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: There were multiple times when she helped women and children 68 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: cross rivers safely and hide from the enemy. She even 69 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: once helped a woman deliver a baby amid their escape journey. 70 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: She always seemed to know which routes to take to 71 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: avoid being caught. Many wonder how Lozen always evaded enemy detection. 72 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: Her ability to do so infuriated her opponents and mesmerized 73 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: her tribe. But Lozen's tribe knew something that their enemies 74 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: did not. It all went back to that fateful day 75 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:41,839 Speaker 1: in Losen's life when she went through her coming of 76 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: age ceremony, when the White Painted Woman visited Lozen and 77 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: gifted her with skills in battle. They weren't just any skills, 78 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: they were supernatural powers, and this is why it was 79 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: said that Lozen could predict which direction enemies came from. 80 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: When preparing for battle, she would walk slowly in a 81 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: circle with both hands raised in the air. Eventually, the 82 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: veins in her arms would turn dark blue. When that happened, 83 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: Losn knew the direction she was facing was where the 84 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: enemy would come from. Regardless of whether you believe people 85 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: can actually have these kinds of powers, there's no denying 86 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: that Lozen had a cunning ability to predict attackers' movements. Today, 87 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: apache girls undergo the same coming of age ceremony. We 88 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 1: don't know if anyone has reportedly been visited by the 89 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: White Painted Lady again, but this tradition, alongside Lowsn's legacy, 90 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength 91 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: of womanhood. We tend to mythologize the concept of the 92 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: dream job that if you set out to be a dancer, 93 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: or a firefighter, or even a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 94 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: balloon designer for a living, there's a set path to 95 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: achieve that goal. In reality, most people's journeys have a 96 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: lot of zigs and zags before they figure out what 97 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: they want to do. Sometimes it's not so much a 98 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 1: dream or an achievement that sets you on the right path, 99 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: but a huge blunder, like how in the two hundreds BCE, 100 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: the course of Chinese history was changed forever when a 101 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: county sheriff named Lubang made a royal mistake. Bong didn't 102 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: start out wanting to change the world. He mostly just 103 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: wanted to hang out with his friends and shirk his duties. 104 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: He was born in two fifty six BCE, the son 105 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: of peasant farmers on the east coast of China. Most 106 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: kids in his position would have ended up working the 107 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: rice paddies like his parents, or else making a living 108 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 1: as a fisherman. Only by gaining an education could someone 109 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: from the rice fields rise above their station. Except Bang 110 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: wasn't particularly interested in learning or hard work. He ran 111 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: into trouble with the law very often, and was characterized 112 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: in his youth as a delinquent and a rascal. Still, 113 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: what Bong lacked in wealth, education or ambition, he more 114 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: than made up for in charm. You see He was 115 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,239 Speaker 1: a charismatic young man who made connections very easily. Although 116 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: he had very little money and reportedly lived off what 117 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: his working brother could give him, he was generous with 118 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: his coin, and this led to him befriending several mid 119 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: level bureaucrats working for the imperial government, and with his 120 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: new friend's help, Bong was able to secure a well 121 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: paid job as a local sheriff. Now, this cushy government 122 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: job might have been the end of his history of 123 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: falling upwards if it wasn't for an incident in the 124 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: early two hundreds BCE, when Bong was in his forties. 125 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: At that time, the Chin dynasty ruled China for decades. 126 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: The Chins had been building an immense mausoleum to house 127 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: their first Chin Emperor, who had just died in two 128 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: ten BCE. The planned mausoleum was the size of a city, 129 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,040 Speaker 1: several miles across and housing not only his tomb, but 130 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: also palaces, fake rivers made of flowing mercury, and thousands 131 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: of terracotta warriors to protect the emperor in the afterlife. 132 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: In the year two oh nine BCE, Sheriff Bang was 133 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: ordered to escort a group of prisoners to work on 134 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: that mausoleum. The Qin dynasty was known for harsh laws, 135 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: which punished many small offenses with hard labor, imprisonment, and 136 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: sometimes even death. This upset the people under Chin rule, 137 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: as they might find themselves laboring for the rest of 138 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: their lives over such a small offense. During transit, several 139 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 1: of the prisoners escaped Bang. Under Chin law, the official 140 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: who let the prisoners escape, was supposed to be executed. 141 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: Seeing no way out of his punishment, he decided to 142 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: double down and free all of the prisoners. He quickly 143 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: found himself the unlikely leader of a group of anti 144 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: Chin rebels. Many of the freed prisoners followed him to 145 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: a nearby mountain, where they occupied an abandoned fort. Now 146 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: an outlaw, Bang decided that he may as well go 147 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: all in. All across the empire, different groups had sprung 148 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: up to fight against the emperor from his stronghold in 149 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,560 Speaker 1: the mountains. He joined this network of resistance and became 150 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: a leading force in the fight against the Qin dynasty. 151 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: He played up his humble beginnings to attract sympathy from 152 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: disgruntled peasants, and with their support, began conquering Chin territory 153 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: state by state by two two BCE. Just seven years later, 154 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: the Qin dynasty had officially come to an end, and 155 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: Liu Bang, the Lazy Peasant's son and failed sheriff, was 156 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: the new Han Emperor of China. He only ruled for 157 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: seven years, but his impact lasted much longer. The Han 158 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: dynasty reigned for four hundred years, during which it expanded 159 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 1: the Chinese Empire further than it had ever stretched before. 160 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,479 Speaker 1: His focus on trade and expansion led to the legendary 161 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: Silk Road, which connected East Asia to the Middle East, 162 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: North Africa, and the Roman Empire starting in the one 163 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: hundreds BCE. Today, many scholars of Chinese history consider it 164 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: Lu Bang as influential to a in China as Julius 165 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 1: Caesar was to Rome. While they had very different origins, 166 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: they reached the same heights. As William Shakespeare said, some 167 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness 168 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: thrust upon them. And like Lou Bang, you never know 169 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: what might kickstart your next career change. I hope you've 170 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe 171 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the 172 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was 173 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. 174 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore which is 175 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show and you can 176 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the Worldolore dot com. 177 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.