1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, it's Eves checking in here to let you 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: know that you're going to be hearing two different events 3 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: in history in this episode, one from me and one 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: from Tracy V. Wilson. They're both good, if I do 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: say so myself. One with the show, Welcome to this 6 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com 7 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class. 8 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 1: It's the show where we explore the past one day 9 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: at a time with a quick look at what happened 10 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 11 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson and it's October nine. Jay Gavarro was 12 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: executed on this day in nineteen sixty seven. He was 13 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: born June fourteenth, and his name his full name was 14 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: Ernesto Gavara de la Serna. And before becoming a revolutionary, 15 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: he grew up in a middle class family. He had 16 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: a pretty typical middle class upbringing. He went to medical school. 17 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: He traveled a lot during his university years, and now 18 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: as he was traveling, he saw the tremendous poverty that 19 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: was just endemic many parts of South America. He came 20 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: to believe during all this travel and during his studies 21 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: that the only way that the common people could take 22 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: the power and wealth out of the hands of the 23 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: elite was through an armed uprising. He got his medical 24 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: degree in nineteen fifty three, and then in nineteen fifty 25 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: four he met Fidel Castro for the first time. That 26 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: meeting happened in Mexico. He joined up with Fidel Castro 27 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: and was instrumental in Castro's overthrow of the Cuban government 28 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty nine. After the revolution, Gavarro was made 29 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: the president of the National Bank of Cuba and also 30 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: served as the Minister of Industry. Aside from that, he 31 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: was sort of Fidel Castro's right hand man. Gavara was 32 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: deeply against US policy and against US influence in Central 33 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: and South America. This was at a time when the 34 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: United States was using the fear of communism to justify 35 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: ongoing intervention in multiple places in Central and South America. 36 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: The Nined States was trying to keep governments in power 37 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: that were friendly to US interests, or to put such 38 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: governments in power where they did not already exist. In 39 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty five, Guvara either left or was dismissed from 40 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: his work in Cuba. It's not a clear He did 41 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: write a farewell letter, though, in which he said, quote, 42 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: I have fulfilled the part of my duty that tied 43 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: me to the Cuban revolution, and I say goodbye to you, 44 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: to the comrades, to your people who are now mine. 45 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: Castro read this letter in a public speech on October 46 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: three nine. When Guivara left Cuba, he wanted to spread 47 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: revolution to other parts of the world, so he did 48 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,679 Speaker 1: things like go to the Congo to train guerrilla forces. 49 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: He did also secretly returned to Cuba for a time, 50 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: and then he went to Bolivia and he joined a 51 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: guerilla uprising against the Bolivian government. He arrived there in 52 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: the fall of nineteen sixty six. He got into Bolivia 53 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: with a forged Uruguayan power support. The reason he chose 54 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: Bolivia was that he thought that conditions were really right 55 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: for revolution in lots of Latin America, but he thought 56 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: that Bolivia was less of a priority to the United States, 57 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: so he might face less opposition from the United States there. 58 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: That didn't turn out to be true, though. By May 59 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty seven, U. S Intelligence had heard that 60 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: Gavara was alive and then had confirmed it the CIA 61 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: had thought that when he left Cuba earlier that he 62 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 1: had really been killed, because nothing was heard from him 63 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: for a time, at least from American authorities, and the 64 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: CIA was monitoring the situation was keeping President Lyndon Johnson 65 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: updated on what Shay Gavara was doing in Bolivia. By 66 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: the fall, Gavar's force was actively fighting against the Bolivian military, 67 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: although nearly a third of his men were killed in 68 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: one engagement on August thirty one of nineteen sixty seven. 69 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: About two weeks after that, the Bolivian government it started 70 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: dropping flyers that advertised a reward for Ja Gavar's capture. 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: Soon he was facing dwindling numbers of his fighting force, 72 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: and he and many of his fighting force were ill. 73 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: The Bolivian army captured him with support from the United 74 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: States military on October eight, and they executed him at 75 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: the age of thirty nine on the ninth. They decided 76 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: to execute him because they thought that a trial was 77 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: just going to spread his ideas and increase his popularity. 78 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: So they thought it was a strategic decision that an 79 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: execution would put a stop to what he was doing 80 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: into his reputation. But it had the opposite effect that 81 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: didn't work at all. After he was executed, they cut 82 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: off his hands, took photos, cut off some of his hair, 83 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: and buried him in an unmarked grave. There were some 84 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: questions among US intelligence at first about whether he really 85 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: had been killed, but a presidential advisor confirmed Gavara's death 86 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: to President Johnson on October in. His mains were located 87 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: and sent back to Cuba and reburied there, and Fidel 88 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: Castro was at that ceremony, although questions were raised later 89 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: about whether those remains really had been his. A picture 90 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: of Gavara in a beret has become iconic and very 91 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: widely reproduced, and that photo was taken in nineteen sixty 92 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: by Alberto Korda. Thanks to Eaves, Jeff Cote for her 93 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: research work on today's podcast, and Tutar Harrison for all 94 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: her audio work on this podcast. You can subscribe to 95 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, 96 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: and wherever else you get your podcast. Tune in tomorrow 97 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: for the death of an assassin. Welcome back, everyone, I'm 98 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: Eves and you're listening to This Day in History Class, 99 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: a show where we peel back a new layer of history. 100 00:05:53,320 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: Every day. The day was October nine, eighteen fifty five. 101 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: Joshua Stoddard received a patent for the steam powered calliope, 102 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: an instrument that produces musical notes when steam is sent 103 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: through large whistles. The steam calliope is loud and shrill, 104 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 1: and it was used mainly on riverboats and in circuses 105 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: and fairs where steam was readily available. The calliope is 106 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: sometimes called the steam piano or steam organ. Stoddard was 107 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: a beekeeper, following in line with the family business. Because 108 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: his family was well off Starddard had time to invent things. 109 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: One of those creations was the calliope. The original calliope 110 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: at fifteen whistles of different sizes attached in a row 111 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: to the top of a small steam boiler. Stoddard was 112 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: issued Patent number thirteen thousand, six sixty eight for his 113 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: so called Apparatus for producing music by steam or compressed air. 114 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: In his patent, Stoddard no it that his use of 115 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: a puppet valve now called a puppet valve to let 116 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: steam or air escape was an important feature of the instrument. 117 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: As i spoke to cylinder revolved it pressed on the 118 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: puppet valve stems, lifting them and letting steam into the whistles. 119 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: That meant it was the first patented completely mechanical calliope, 120 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: though Startard did later replace the cylinder with a keyboard 121 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: so the instrument could be played by hand. Those started 122 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: received the patent for the steam calliope. His design built 123 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: on existing instruments and concepts. In in in eighteen fifty one 124 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: issue of the Day in Journal and Advertiser, William Hoyte 125 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: of DuPont, Indiana claimed that he quote invented a plan 126 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: whereby music can be produced on steamboats of the softest 127 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: and most pathetic character by the agency of steam. He 128 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: described the instrument as having a horizontal pipe with seven 129 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: or more whistles in it that had different sizes and tones, 130 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: and he said it was operated by a set of keys, 131 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: but there was no evidence that he ever patented or 132 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: built that instrument. Stoddard envisioned the calliope as a replacement 133 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: for the caroline or church bills, but the instrument found 134 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: success in being mounted on parade wagons and circuses. There 135 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: would be a driver who controlled the wagon, a fireman 136 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: to stoke the boiler, and a musician to play the 137 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,239 Speaker 1: Calliope's keyboard. Calliope whistles are tuned to a chromatic scale, 138 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: but the instrument is known for its off pitch notes 139 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: because of how hard it is to tune accurately. Stoddard's 140 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: calliope made its first official debut in July of eight. 141 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 1: In its second appearance on Worcester Common on July four, 142 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: audiences enjoyed performances of Pop Goes, the Weasel, and Yankee Doodle. 143 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 1: Some models of calliopes could be heard for several miles. 144 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: Because calliopes were so loud, they were good at attracting attention, 145 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: so they were installed on riverboat in circuses and on 146 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: steam driven care sales. But it was so loud that 147 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,079 Speaker 1: some of Stoddard's family and the people in Worcester were 148 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: ashamed of the instrument. The city of Worcester even passed 149 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: an ordinance that banned playing the calliope within city limits. 150 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: The loudness of the instrument also was not great for 151 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 1: calliope players, as it could cause premature hearing loss. Stoddard 152 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: started the American Steam Music Company to make the calliope 153 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: for railroads and steamships. Stoddard created improved models of the calliope, 154 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,319 Speaker 1: and the instrument was installed on many boats. The number 155 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: of whistles on a calliope varied from around twenty to 156 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: thirty two, and people experimented with different uses for the calliope, 157 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: like using it to alert ships captains of changing weather conditions. 158 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: Though it wasn't long before started lost control of the company, 159 00:09:54,480 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: other companies manufactured callyopes for years, as many callyopes were automated, 160 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: it through the use of a cylinder or music role. 161 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,240 Speaker 1: By the early twentieth century, calliope players became less integral 162 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: to the operation of the instruments, but they still had 163 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: a keyboard allowing a person to play the calliope manually. 164 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: Around this time, compressed air began to replace the steam 165 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: used in callyopes, which was safer and more convenient. Calliopes 166 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: still exists today and some are still in working order, 167 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,439 Speaker 1: though most are no longer playable. Stoddard didn't make a 168 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: bunch of money off of the calliope, and after he 169 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,800 Speaker 1: lost his company, he returned to farming and beekeeping. I'm 170 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 1: Eve stef Code and hopefully you know a little more 171 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. Looking for a 172 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: content a little more sophisticated than cat memes in your feed. 173 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: Connect with us on social media at t the I 174 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: h C Podcast, and if you would like to write 175 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: me a letter, you can scan it, turn it into 176 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: a PDF, and send it to us via email at 177 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,560 Speaker 1: this day at i heart media dot com. Thank you 178 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:14,439 Speaker 1: again for listening and we'll see you tomorrow. For more 179 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 180 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.