1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class, A production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy P. Wilson. Okay, Tracy, 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: that episode on swill Milk was horrifying. Yeah, and you 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: know it. Listeners won't know unless we tell them. We 6 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: recorded that in the same session as we're about to 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: record this. They're spread out in the calendar. They're right 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: together in the studio. Yeah. So I had had mostly 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: finished researching that one, and it was so depressing I 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: actually didn't turn it in the normal time I would, 11 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: and I messaged you like, I cannot look at anymore 12 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: illustrations of abused cows tonight, Like I can. I can't 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: do it um. And so after that I needed a 14 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: palate cleanser. I could not bear the thought of another downer, 15 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: and I loved the idea of doing something fun with 16 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: animals to counter it. So in thinking of something both 17 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: comforting and fun, I thought about kiddies. Of course, uh 18 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: specifically historically interesting cats, and there are actually a lot 19 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: of them, but I really wanted to keep it fairly 20 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: upbeat in the ones I selected, So that is a 21 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: promise I can make you. You can rest assured that 22 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: all creatures, of course pass on, but none of the 23 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: cats in these stories meet in a bad end. Uh. 24 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: And if this one is fun, we can always do 25 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: more like this down the road. Right, Historical animal groupings 26 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: could be a whole new genre for us. I think 27 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: we've got way way way back in the archives, so 28 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: long ago that I'm pretty sure it's Candice's farewell episode 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: Historical Poaches. I think that's Sarah's first episode. There are 30 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: actually two historical war Dogs, um, and I think the 31 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: first one is Sarah's first episode where they do the 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: audios to Candice. Um. But yeah, So, but to set 33 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: the up and do kind of an introduction because I 34 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: wanted to include this, but um, it's not exactly meaty 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,239 Speaker 1: in terms of what we know. We're going to briefly 36 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: touch on a cat we don't really know much about. 37 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: But I thought it made a nice place to start. 38 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: So the first cat we're going to talk about, as 39 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: Holly said, is honestly pretty thin on information. This kind 40 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: of an introductory remark. It's pretty short. The name of 41 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: the cat is also the name of a poem, Pangerbun. 42 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: This poem was originally written in the ninth century by 43 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: an Irish monk, and the name translates to white Fuller. 44 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: The poem was found in a manuscript and a monastery 45 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: in Austria, and that is the only place that has 46 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: appeared this one copy of this poem. Yeah, I also 47 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: have seen that place being attributed to Germany. I didn't 48 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: go super deep. It could be a matter of shifting lines. 49 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: But the important thing here is that this is a 50 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: very popular piece of literature and it has been translated 51 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: many times, including a very very well known version by 52 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: Robin Flower. There's a version by W. H. Auden, and 53 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: then in two thousand and six it was translated by 54 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: Shamus Heaney and he actually wrote of the work quote 55 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 1: Pangerbond is a poem that Irish writers like to try 56 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: their hand at, not in order to outdo the previous versions, 57 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: but simply to get a more exact and intimate grip 58 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: on the canonical goods. The poem explores the writer's efforts 59 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: at putting words to paper and compares it to his 60 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: cat's endeavors at mouse catching. Ultimately, it becomes about simply 61 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: working through the effort to find the moments of success 62 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: and The likening of this monk's intellectual pursuit to the 63 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: cat's instinctual efforts offers a literary example of cats not 64 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: only as companions but also as philosophical mirrors to humans. 65 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: So it seems like a good prelude to an episode 66 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: about historical cats, as we can sider why we notate 67 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: cats of important history. This is what seemed like a 68 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: great place to start. And this poem is not especially long, 69 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: but I'm not gonna read the whole thing. Instead, I'll 70 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: just jump to the last three stanzas this is of 71 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 1: the heeny translation, so if you look it up just 72 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: in general, you might find something different. But these are 73 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: his with his unsheathed perfect nails, panger springs exults and 74 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: kills when the longed for difficult answers come, I too exult, 75 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: So it goes to each his own no vying, no vexation, taking, 76 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: pleasure taking pains, kindred spirits, veterans, day and night, soft, 77 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: per soft pad panger Bond has learned his trade day 78 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: and night. My own hard work solve the cruxes makes 79 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: a mark. So we don't know anything about panger Ban 80 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: other than I'll love of hunting mice. We do know 81 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: a bit more about the three other cats that were covering, 82 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: all of whom have made very different marks on history. Yes, 83 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: So to cover this first one, we actually have to 84 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: touch on just a little bit of history about England's 85 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: transition from being ruled by the House of York under 86 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: Richard the Third to being ruled by the Tutors, and 87 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: specifically the life of a courtier who comes up periodically 88 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: named Henry Wyatt. There's a portrait of Wyatt that was 89 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,679 Speaker 1: painted sometime in the eighteenth century by an unknown artist, 90 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: and it features Wyatt on the left side of the 91 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: composition and a cat on the right. The cat is 92 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,239 Speaker 1: a gray or silver tabby and it has its paw 93 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: upon a pigeon. The cat is gazing directly at Wyatt, 94 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: but Wyatt is not looking at the cat. His gaze 95 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: is fixed on something to the right of the frame, 96 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: and the scene is set in a prison. The cat 97 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 1: is actually pulling the pigeon through the bars on the window, 98 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: and that cat, which is featured in other portraits of 99 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,359 Speaker 1: Wyatt as well, becomes in some ways central to the 100 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: Wyatt family history. Henry why it was the son of 101 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 1: Richard Wyatt, a squire and Richard's wife, Margaret, who was 102 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: an heir of William Bailiff, and Henry was born in 103 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,359 Speaker 1: fourteen sixty. We don't know a lot about his early years, 104 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: but as a young man he aligned himself with the Tutors. 105 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: It appears before they took this ron. He is believed 106 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: by some to have participated in a revolt against King 107 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: Richard the Third in fourteen eighty three, and that revolt, 108 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: known as Buckingham's Revolt and named for Henry Stafford, second 109 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: Duke of Buckingham, was backed by the exiled Tutors, but 110 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: it was unsuccessful. Though it failed, the massive revolt, which 111 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: included a small fleet of ships from Brittany, did destabilize 112 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: Richard the Third's power. As for his involvement in the 113 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: attempted overthrow of the king, Henry Wyatt is said to 114 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: have been imprisoned by Richard the Third. The location for 115 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: this is usually given as the Tower of London, but 116 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: it's not entirely certain Richard the third. Historian Annette Carson 117 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: notes that, based on a letter written in April fifteen 118 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: eight by Henry Wyatt's son Thomas the Elder, he was 119 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: more likely imprisoned in Scotland. We're going to come back 120 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: to the specifics of this imprisonment. But after Richard the 121 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: Third was killed at the Battle of Bosworth and King 122 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: Henry the seventh took the throne, Henry Wyatt was freed 123 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: from whichever prison it was that he was in, and 124 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: from there his fortune grew. He became keeper of Norwich 125 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,679 Speaker 1: Castle in fourteen eighty five, then he was made Clerk 126 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: of the King's Jewels in fourteen eighty six. He then 127 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: was promoted to Master of the King's Jewels and Clerk 128 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: of the King's Mint, before gaining the title Keeper of 129 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: the Change, a Sayer of the Money in Coinage, and 130 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: Comptroller of the Mint. He acquired Allington Castle in four 131 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: and in fifteen o four he was made Privy Counselor 132 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: to the King and was granted arms by Henry the 133 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: seventh and the years that followed, and when Henry the 134 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: Eighth ascended to the throne, Wyatt served him as well 135 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: and became Treasurer of the King's Chamber. Wyatt is often 136 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: described as a man who was below by many, and 137 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: he lived with sounds other than that imprisonment problem, like 138 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: a pretty good life for a quarter of the time 139 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: up until his death in November seven. But all of 140 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: this was possible because he survived that period of imprisonments, 141 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: which is often described as brutal, and the hero of 142 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: that story is a cat. So we don't have any 143 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: contemporary accounts of Sir Henry Wyatt's time in prison. He 144 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: doesn't show up on any prison records, and thus there 145 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: are no notes regarding the nature of his treatment or 146 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: the conditions he may have faced there. It's also why 147 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: we're not sure exactly which prison it was. Well, we 148 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: do have our accounts that were recorded by his descendants, 149 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: so we have two caveat that these are all family 150 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: stories and they don't have primary sources to back them up. 151 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: You probably have family stories, and you know that some 152 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,559 Speaker 1: of them have shifted and embellished over time and maybe 153 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: aren't entirely true. However, this is a very good story. Uh. 154 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: In seventeen thirty one, Richard Wyatt, who was Henry's great 155 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: great great great grandson, created a document titled Passages taken 156 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,599 Speaker 1: out of a manuscript wrote by Thomas Scott of Eggerston 157 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:13,119 Speaker 1: in Godmersham, Esquire, concerning the family of Wyatt of Allington. 158 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: The Thomas Scott reference. There was the great great grandson 159 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: of Henry Wyatt, and he was recording what was told 160 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: to him by another family member, most likely his grandmother. 161 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: So you can see how easily this entire thing may 162 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: have been embellished, or ballooned, or just moved around a 163 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: little bit in various ways. The basics of the family story, though, 164 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 1: were that during his imprisonment, Henry was tortured, possibly by 165 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: Richard the Third himself. This torture went on in a 166 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: variety of ways, and more importantly to this story, he 167 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: was also starved until a cat saved him. The passage 168 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: from Richard Wyatt's a document that mentions this cat reads 169 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: as follows quote. He was imprisoned, often once in a 170 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: cold and narrow tower, where he had neither bed to 171 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: lie on, nor clothes sufficient to warm him, nor meat 172 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: for his mouth. He had starved. There had not God, 173 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: who sent a crow to feed his profits sent this 174 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: in his country's martyr, a cat both to feed and 175 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 1: warm him. It was his own relation, unto them, from 176 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: whom I had it. A cat came one day down 177 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: into the dungeon unto him, and as it were, offered 178 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: herself unto him he was glad of her, laid her 179 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: in his bosom to warm him, and by making much 180 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: of her one her love. After this she would come 181 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 1: every day into him diverse times, and when she could 182 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 1: get one, bring him a pigeon. He complained to his 183 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: keeper of his cold and short fare. The answer was 184 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: he durst not better it, But said Sir Henry, if 185 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: I can provide any will you promise to dress it 186 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,079 Speaker 1: for me? I'm a well enough, said he, You are 187 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: safe for that matter, and being urged again, promised him, 188 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: and kept his promise, dressed for him. From time to 189 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: time such pigeons as his acutor the cat provided for him. 190 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: Sir Henry Wyatt, and his prosperity for this would ever 191 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: make much of cats as other men of their spaniels 192 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,359 Speaker 1: or hounds. And perhaps you shall not find his picture anywhere, 193 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: but like Sir Christopher Hatton with his dog with a 194 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: cat beside him. Okay, So, in case that somewhat stilted 195 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: language makes it tricky to discern, Henry Wyatt made a 196 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: deal with his jailer that the jailer would dress and 197 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: cook any meat that Wyatt came up with. Something that 198 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: Whyatt did when he realized the cat was bringing him 199 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: provisions in the form of pigeons, and the jailer agreed, 200 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: kind of thinking such a request might be nonsense, but 201 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: apparently stuck to the agreement when Wyatt produced these pigeons, 202 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:54,719 Speaker 1: and so he ate pretty regularly thanks to this nameless cat. Incidentally, 203 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: the word acuatur which appears in the text as an 204 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 1: old spelling of the word a cater, which is an 205 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: obsolete version of the word caterer. So, Sir Henry Wyatt's salvation, 206 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: at least according to his family legend, was a caterer cat. 207 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: We do not know what happened to the caterer cat 208 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: who was said to have saved Wyatt. Presumably she stayed 209 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 1: behind when he was freed. Yes, since it seemed to 210 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: be you know, uh, maybe a wildcat that lived on 211 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: the grounds, I hope she lived out a good and 212 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: long life, eating all of the pigeons without having to 213 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: share them. Uh sorry, pigeons. Coming up, we will talk 214 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 1: about a wartime cat who is said to have had 215 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: extraordinary good luck. But first we are going to pause 216 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: for a sponsor break. Some cats appear in history with 217 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: several different names, really making the most of their nine 218 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: lives to take on various identities. Uh. That is the 219 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: case with this World War two cat, although there are 220 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: also some real questions about whether these really were all 221 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: the same cat. We'll talk about that at the end. 222 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: And this story starts aboard the German battleship Bismarck. The 223 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: Bismarck was one of the largest warships European manufacturers ever produced, 224 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: and it was made to withstand a lot. It was 225 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: designed for the German Navy with armor as its primary attribute, 226 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: and that was at the expense of speed and gunpower, 227 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: and when the Bismarck was first launched in February thirty nine, 228 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: it was apparent to British forces that it was formidable. 229 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: The Bismarck also had a sister ship, the Turpids, so 230 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: the two of them made for this really daunting addition 231 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: to the German fleet. When World War Two officially started 232 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: on September one, nineteen thirty nine, it was understood that 233 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: the Bismarck was a key part of the Nazi naval effort. Yeah, 234 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,080 Speaker 1: it didn't have its first mission though. For a while. 235 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 1: In May ninety one, the Bismarck was part of Operation Reineberg. 236 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: It was sent along with the heavy cruiser Prince Usion 237 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: into the North Atlantic to attack Allied convoys. The Bismarck 238 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: was there to engage with the heavier escort ships. On. 239 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 1: The Bismarck and Prince Usion engaged with the battle cruiser 240 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: HMS Hood and the battleship Prince of Wales in what 241 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: has come to be known as the Battle of the 242 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: Denmark Straight. The Hood was sunk and the Prince of 243 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: Wales got three shell hits on the Bismarck, but the 244 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 1: German ship managed to get away and limped towards occupied France. 245 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: The British Navy tracked the Bismarck and continued to attack 246 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: on the Bismarck sank in the North Atlantic. Of its 247 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: two thousand, two hundred man crew, you will see anywhere 248 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: from one fourteen to one eighteen listed as the number 249 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: of survivors. But's obviously the very short version of the 250 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: life of the Bismarck. But you'll notice we haven't mentioned 251 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: a feline yet, and that is because the cat in 252 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: question is said to have been found in the wreckage 253 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: the Bismark, floating on a piece of debris, was rescued 254 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: by the HMS Cossack, a Tribal class destroyer that had 255 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: been part of the group that was pursuing the Bismarck. 256 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: This rescue was referenced by a famous portrait of the cat, 257 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: which the crew called Oscar, sometimes with the German spelling 258 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: of os K a r. British artist Georgina shaw Baker 259 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: did this. It's a pastel portrait with Oscar sitting adrift 260 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: on a board, turning to look at the viewer. So, 261 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: according to the story, once aboard the Cossack, Oscar became 262 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: part of that crew and thus switched sides in the 263 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: war as well. For the next several months, he was 264 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: the mascot for the Cossack, which ran primarily as an 265 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 1: escort ship for convoys. Those are the very convoys that 266 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: the Bismarck and other German ships had been attacking. On October, 267 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: the Cossack was escorting an Allied convoy from Gibraltar to 268 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: Britain when it was torpedoed by a German U boat. 269 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: A section of the boat exploded and more than one 270 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: hundred crew members were killed. The rest of the crew 271 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: transferred to another ship, the HMS Legion, with the intention 272 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: that the still floating Cossack would be towed back to Gibraltar, 273 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: but conditions made that impossible, and the Cossack actually sank 274 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 1: three days after the torpedo strike on October, but while 275 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: Oscar had not transferred over to the Legion, history goes on, 276 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: he was rescued, once again clinging to floating debris and 277 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: then taking to Gibraltar with the rest of the surviving crew. 278 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: At this point his name changed to Unsinkable Sam for 279 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: obvious reasons, since Sam had a temperament that seemed to 280 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: be well suited to life at sea. At this point, 281 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: he was soon part of another crew, this time aboard 282 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: the h M s Arc Royal, which was an aircraft 283 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: carrier that had actually been involved in the destruction of 284 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: the Bismarck. The Ark Royal had a reputation for luck. 285 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: It had narrowly avoided torpedo strikes and number of times, 286 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: and it had actually even been falsely reported by the 287 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: Germans as a successful hit even when it was not. 288 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 1: But once again Sam found himself on a sinking ship. 289 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,199 Speaker 1: Less than three weeks after Unsinkable Sam went aboard the 290 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: Arc Royal, it took a torpedo hit that was on 291 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: November four one man died, but the rest of the 292 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: crew and unsinkable Sam survived. Sam was probably getting used 293 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 1: to hanging onto debris and awaiting rescue, and that method 294 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 1: worked once again. This time. He was described when he 295 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: was plucked from the water as quote angry but quite unharmed. Uh. 296 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: He was rescued by the HMS Legion. That was the 297 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: same ship that had taken the survivor, so the Cossack 298 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: aboard when it was hit. Whether it was because he 299 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,239 Speaker 1: was considered unlucky at this point or whether officials just 300 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: thought this poor cat had had enough. Sam was retired 301 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: from service at sea after the Ark Royal's demise. He 302 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: was given a new job, though he was a MOUs 303 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: er in the Governor of Gibraltar's office complex. He did 304 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: not stay there permanently, though. He eventually landed in Ireland, 305 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: where he became the mascot and companion at a home 306 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: for retired sailors in Belfast. Sam allegedly lived there until 307 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: he died of natural causes an old age in nineteen five, 308 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 1: And that would have meant all of those sinking and 309 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,640 Speaker 1: survival adventures had happened when he was really a very 310 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 1: young cat. Yeah, that Uh, he would have been. If 311 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: he was a newborn, then he would have been fourteen, 312 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 1: which is you know, old for a cat, not ancient, 313 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: but you know, mature. And uh, he was an adult 314 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 1: cat when they first found him, So that makes mid 315 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: least fifteen surely, and probably a little older. Uh, you 316 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 1: might be thinking, all of this seems really hard to 317 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 1: believe cat plucked out of the ocean thrice aboard a 318 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: piece of debris. And there have absolutely been questions about 319 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: Unsinkable Sam's story over the years. The Bismarck portion of 320 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: the story in particular is not well documented. None of 321 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: the survivor accounts ever mentioned a cat, but that also 322 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: would likely have been a trivial enough matter that it 323 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: might not have come up. Additionally, while there is no 324 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 1: official paperwork on record of the Bismarck having a cat 325 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: on board, there has certainly been speculation over the years 326 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: that one of the German sailors snuck him on, or 327 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: simply that he had managed to get aboard while the 328 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: ship was in doc There's also a problem with the 329 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: Bismarck segment of the story because photos that have been 330 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: used as images of Oscar slash Unsinkable Sam Uh some 331 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: of those images are clearly not the same cat. One 332 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: is a Tabby, but the photo is black and white, 333 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: so the colors aren't obvious. Baker's portrait is clearly a 334 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: black and white tuxedo cat, and all the other photos 335 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: of Oscar slash Unsinkable Sam are also black and white tuxedos. 336 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: It's a little unclear where that Tabby photo originated, so 337 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: it's impossible to know if something just got mixed up 338 00:19:55,880 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: somewhere along the line, or if two different cats story 339 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 1: Rea's got commingled into sailors stories over the years, or 340 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:08,400 Speaker 1: maybe if there's some other explanation. Oh, but the tuxedo 341 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,119 Speaker 1: cat images also come with some problems. Uh. There is 342 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: a particular photo that you will often see in articles 343 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: about Unsinkable Sam, and it is a black and white tuxedo. 344 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:21,199 Speaker 1: But that cat has a tag on his collar that 345 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 1: clearly reads HMS Amethyst nine. Now, the Amethyst did have 346 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: a tuxedo cat that was the ship's mascot in nine. That's, 347 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: of course, eight years after all of this Sam business. 348 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: That cat's name was Simon. Though if you do an 349 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: online search for Unsinkable Sam, you'll realize that it quickly 350 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: becomes tricky to figure out what pictures of a tuxedo 351 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: cat might be Sam and which might be Simon. There 352 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: are a lot of pictures of tuxedos with British sailors, 353 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: and they look a lot alike, although if you really 354 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,399 Speaker 1: really look closely at them, you might be able to 355 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: make out a subtle difference in the color demarcation in 356 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: their faces, but they are very similar. I even saw 357 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,720 Speaker 1: one picture that was attributed to Unsinkable Sam that looks 358 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: like it might be a longer haired cat than either 359 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: of them, and it might have slightly more black on 360 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,879 Speaker 1: its face than either of them had, So it becomes 361 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: very very tricky this Sam story. Uh, And that portrait 362 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: by Georgina Shawn Baker has slightly different facial markings than 363 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: either Sam or Simon. That could just be a matter 364 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 1: of artistic license. Though that artwork is in the collection 365 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,959 Speaker 1: of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, it's currently not 366 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: on display there, so there's no real hard evidence of 367 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: the seeming miracle cat that survived three different ship singings 368 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,919 Speaker 1: during wartime. That whole idea persists that because it's a 369 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:47,120 Speaker 1: good story. Who doesn't want to think that a little 370 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 1: kitty survived all of this mayhem and the horrors of 371 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: war and became much beloved by various crews no matter what, 372 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: uh what side of this business they were on. Our 373 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: last cat is one of those animals that is something 374 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: of a character, and he was quite lovingly documented by 375 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: the people who knew him. And I love his story. 376 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: And we're going to talk about the Museum feline after 377 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,199 Speaker 1: we first hear from the sponsors who keep stuff you 378 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:23,400 Speaker 1: missed in history class going. Our next historical cat will 379 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,919 Speaker 1: appeal to listeners who, like me, have a soft spot 380 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 1: for cantankerous animals. Uh, this is about Mike the cat, 381 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: who guarded the British Museum from dogs and other menaces 382 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: for two decades. The story of Mike the Cat starts 383 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: with another cat called black Jack. He was described as 384 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 1: black with quote a white shirt front and pause. So 385 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:52,679 Speaker 1: another tuxedo. I know some folks who love tuxedos the 386 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,159 Speaker 1: best of all cats, so it doesn't really surprise me. 387 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,640 Speaker 1: I think we know some of the same people who 388 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 1: suxedo is the best of all. So black Jack often 389 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,199 Speaker 1: visited the Department of Printed Books at the museum and 390 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,920 Speaker 1: was friendly with everyone. But then one day in n eight, 391 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,919 Speaker 1: he got shut into the reading room and tore up 392 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: the bindings of some of the books while sharpening his claws. Naturally, 393 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: he was no longer welcome. One of the staff had 394 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: been tasked with getting rid of him, but black Jack 395 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: was nowhere to be found. He had actually been rescued 396 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 1: by the staff was being fed elsewhere. Uh official reports 397 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,399 Speaker 1: that were that he had disappeared and was presumed to 398 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: have died, but black Jack, like a phoenix, rose from 399 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: the ashes. Black Jack reappeared not long after all of this. 400 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: Several weeks had gone by, carrying a kitten, which he 401 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: brought to a staff member of the museum, fittingly, the 402 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: keeper of Egyptian Antiquities, who, it's often referenced, normally cared 403 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: for mummified cats. Yes, you may be wondering. I wondered 404 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: too if black Jack wasn't a lady cat who vanned 405 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: to have kittens and then brought one back to a 406 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: place she knew was safe, But there is no real 407 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,199 Speaker 1: discussion on that point in the documentation. I found that 408 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,199 Speaker 1: kitten the black Jack brought back was named Mike, and 409 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,520 Speaker 1: Mike was welcomed and taken care of, and black Jack 410 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: also stuck around h and as Mike got older, he 411 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: started to stroll around the grounds of the British Museum 412 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: and he became pretty good friends with the gatekeepers. Mike 413 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: lived what sounds like a pretty fun life for a cat, 414 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: and he would catch pigeons and bring them home, although 415 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,640 Speaker 1: he did not seem interested in eating them. The housekeepers 416 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: would then rescue these dazed birds and nurse them back 417 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: to health and set them free again, and during visits 418 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: to the museum he was given scraps by the waitresses 419 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,919 Speaker 1: who worked in the cafe there. Life for Riley Um. 420 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: Mike eventually started spending more time at the museum gatehouse 421 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: than anywhere else, and over time that became his house. 422 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: But museum staff made sure he stayed fed. Uh just 423 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: at the gatehouse instead of his former abode. Talk about 424 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: the person who was really his caretaker and uh the 425 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,360 Speaker 1: gatekeepers themselves took care of him as well. An account 426 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: of Mike's life states quote the keeper of the mummied 427 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: cats took care to feed him during the lean years 428 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: of the war, and whoever went short, Mike did not. 429 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 1: He owed much to the three kind hearted gatekeepers who 430 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: cooked his food for him and treated him as a 431 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: man and brother. Mike apparently hated dogs. It was written 432 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: quote the dogs that laughed at policemen and gatekeepers fled 433 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: in terror before the attack of Mike, who, swelling himself 434 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 1: to twice his normal size, hurled himself on them. Whereas 435 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,439 Speaker 1: Blackjack seemed friendly with almost everyone, Mike was a little 436 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: pickier and he could interact with him. Apparently, he liked 437 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 1: the company of men over women, and was said to 438 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,399 Speaker 1: have ripped up many ladies gloves when they tried to 439 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:57,479 Speaker 1: pet him. Cantanker is cat as many cantanker as cats. 440 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 1: Mike lived a very long life, and as his age 441 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: crept up into the late teens, he started to have 442 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,479 Speaker 1: problems with his teeth, which many cants do, and so 443 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 1: the gatekeepers and the other staff always ensured that he 444 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: only had the softest pieces of fish or meat to eat. 445 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: Mike is unlike the other cats we've discussed today, because 446 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: his life was documented by the people at the museum, 447 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,600 Speaker 1: who loved him in spite of this less than cuddly disposition, 448 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,399 Speaker 1: as well as by the press. A tabby guarding the 449 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: British Museum was a great story for reporters. The Star 450 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 1: which was an evening paper in London, ran a piece 451 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: on July twenty one that read quote, in its day, 452 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: no cat has lived so public a life as Mike, 453 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: the big tabby that keeps watching ward at the gate 454 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: at the British Museum. The same article later proclaimed quote, 455 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: no scholar can be quite as wise as museum Mike looks. 456 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: And Mike really did have a look about him. Um. 457 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 1: There are a couple of photos of him which lay 458 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:04,119 Speaker 1: evidence his personality. In one which has labeled Mike in 459 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: a benevolent mood after a fish lunch sitting for his portrait, 460 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:10,679 Speaker 1: Mike is sitting upright and he looks even with a 461 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: full tummy and presumably quite sated, like a cat you 462 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: would just not want to mess with. And in another photo, 463 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,440 Speaker 1: Mike is shown standing on all fours with his mouth open. 464 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: He looks like he's yelling, and it was labeled by 465 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,439 Speaker 1: his caretaker Mike expressing his opinion of a dog he 466 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: had just run out of the courtyard of the museum. 467 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: Mike died on January fifteenth, nineteen nine, at the age 468 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,960 Speaker 1: of twenty. He was so well known and beloved that 469 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: even Time magazine ran an obituary for him to honor 470 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: museum Mike's memory. E. A. Wallace Budge, keeper of Egyptian 471 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 1: and Assyrian antiquities for the museum, and the person who 472 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: cared for Mike from his kitten hood and stayed his 473 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 1: favorite person throughout his life, wrote a pamphlet about this 474 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,360 Speaker 1: feline friend. That work opens with quote, the US little 475 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 1: pamphlet had been prepared at the request of many friends 476 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: of Mike, readers past and present in the British Museum, 477 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,199 Speaker 1: members of the staff, and admirers of Mike on the 478 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: continent and in America, And that pamphlet actually became well 479 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,399 Speaker 1: known in its own right, so much so that a 480 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: year after Mike's passing, on January, Time magazine proclaimed quote 481 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: copies of what English Cat Lover's Prize as the budget 482 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: monograph on Mike reached Manhattan last week, so it made 483 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: news what it was available here in the States. The 484 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,640 Speaker 1: brief write up about its availability to US readers compared 485 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: the Mike pamphlet to budgets other scholarly work, calling it 486 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: quote the acme of obital biography, fit to rank with 487 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: his monumental coptic history of Elijah, the Tish Bite, the 488 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: pamphlet also includes a poem about Mike by F. C. W. Highly, 489 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: assistant keeper in the Department of Printed Books. It's quite 490 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: a long poem, so we won't read the whole thing, 491 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: but we have to excerpts, which paint a vivid picture 492 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 1: of the tabby Mike. The first reads He'd sit and 493 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 1: sun himself sedately. No sphinx or segment looked more stately. 494 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: He cared not in the very least for human being, 495 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 1: bird or beast. He let the pigeons eat their phil 496 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: nor even one was known to kill, but scared them 497 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: if they strayed to nigh by the sole terror of 498 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 1: his eye. Highly also includes four lines in the poem 499 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:35,720 Speaker 1: about how Mike bid him once and that he probably 500 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 1: deserved it for bothering him. Uh. He also goes on 501 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: about how Mike really, really truly loved Sir Ernest Budge, 502 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: who seemed to have a magical effect on his surly feline, 503 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: and the final lines of the poem. I was reading 504 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: this poem, and I was like in tears because clearly, 505 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: like so many people love this cat. But then I 506 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: read the final lines and I started laughing so loud. 507 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 1: My husband ran upstairs to see if I was okay, 508 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: and they, oh, Mike, farewell, we all regret you, although 509 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: you would not let us pet you. Of cats, the wisest, oldest, 510 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: best cat. This beer motto requiescat. So. The British Museum 511 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: marked the fiftieth anniversary of Mike's death with another pamphlet, 512 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: which was a modernized and abridged one of the cartoon illustrations. 513 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 1: They titled it Mike the Cat, a Jubilee Reminiscence. Yeah. 514 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 1: Both of those pamphlets are available online. They are so 515 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: fun to read. And if you are a person who 516 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 1: is ever just you know, bend very attached to an animal. Uh. 517 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: It's it's so apparent in the language of the writing 518 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 1: that Budge did about Mike, how much he really loved 519 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: this cat who was a grouch. It's really quite incredibly charming. Um. 520 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: So those are our three upbeat historical cats for today. 521 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: To continue the animal love fest. Um I have a 522 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: listener mail about our listener Maggie, who was prompted to 523 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: write in after I told the story of Mr Burns 524 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: killing our room. Ba Uh, Maggie, rids Hi, Tracy and Holly. 525 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: Of course it's the fat cat on roomba story that 526 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: gets me to finally write in history. Now, let me 527 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,040 Speaker 1: tell you about my aspiring robot pilot. I have an 528 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:22,480 Speaker 1: ancient room BA two thousand eight model that plays the 529 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: same song and has the button on top. That's basically 530 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: what I described in my story. I also have a 531 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 1: semi free range pet rat who discovered she can turn 532 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 1: the room Ba on. While she likes to write it 533 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 1: as it backs off of its station with that cute 534 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,040 Speaker 1: backing up beep. She is completely startled every time the 535 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:44,040 Speaker 1: brushes kick in and runs appropriately for safety. Whenever I 536 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: hear the startup song unexpectedly, I rush over to turn 537 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 1: the room Ba off because I'm worried about the safety 538 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 1: of her tiny tail. She generally is unimpressed by my urgency. 539 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 1: Then one day I had my headphones on. Fria came 540 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: hurrying towards me and touched my feet with her tiny hands. 541 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: She looked stressed. I took off my headphones and heard 542 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: the rumba going wild in the living room. She had 543 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,800 Speaker 1: set loose the robot and I didn't do my part, 544 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: and now the world was chaos. Her tail was fine. 545 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: It's been about three months and she hasn't started the ruma. 546 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: Since I'm thinking of building her one of those electric 547 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 1: rat cars instead, and since she likes to push buttons, 548 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: we're working on language buttons. Our first word is snuggle. 549 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: She hasn't gotten a grasp on the button yet, but 550 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 1: she flattens out for pets anytime she hears the word. Now. 551 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: I hope you and all your family members human and 552 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: beast are doing well and continuing to have tiny adventures. Maggie. 553 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,400 Speaker 1: I love this story so much. Um. I also love 554 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:42,080 Speaker 1: any stories about when people are training their pets to 555 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: like make communication bridges with them. Um. Those are always 556 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: fascinating to me and I absolutely love, love, love, love 557 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: love them. Um. I also want to make sure I 558 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,680 Speaker 1: thank Reagan and Mary for writing to tell us that 559 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: my Mr Burns story made them laugh. Um. You know, 560 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 1: as I mentioned, Mr Burns left earlier this year, it's 561 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 1: something I have really struggled with to a ridiculous degree 562 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: by some people's standards, I'm sure. So it it makes 563 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: me happy that he who is a punchline cat, continues 564 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,880 Speaker 1: to make people laugh because he was a very ugly 565 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:17,480 Speaker 1: cat that I thought was beautiful, I mean, a fat, 566 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: dirty looking devon rex Mr Burns so that delighted me, 567 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: and I'm glad that is his legacy to make people giggle. Still, 568 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: if you would like to write to us about your 569 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 1: poorly behaved or delightful or angelic animals, those exist too. 570 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 1: You can do so at History Podcast at i heeart 571 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: radio dot com. You can also find us on social media, 572 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: and you can subscribe to the show on the i 573 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 1: heeart Radio app or anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 574 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,080 Speaker 1: Stuff you Missed in History Class is a production of 575 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,360 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 576 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:58,560 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 577 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:00,200 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite show. Us