1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:12,479 Speaker 2: Guess what Mango? 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: What's that? Will? All? Right? 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 2: So you know how New Orleans is famous for being 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 2: this kind of wild party town. I hope you've heard 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 2: this before, right, like sort of the Vegas of the 7 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 2: Gulf Coast. 8 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: I like that, the Vegas of the Gulf Coast. I 9 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: actually just went to New Orleans for the first time 10 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: this year, and I loved it, but I was kind 11 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: of thrown off by the fact that you can just 12 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:31,479 Speaker 1: drink on the streets there. It's kind of amazing. 13 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 2: Well, actually, what's weird about that is technically it's only 14 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 2: in the French Quarter that you're allowed to do that, 15 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 2: you know, as long as your drink is in a 16 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 2: glass or a metal container. But you know, if you 17 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: go into other areas that are pretty close by, it's 18 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 2: not a law that really gets enforced that often, as 19 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: I think you probably saw when you were there. And 20 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: this is a city where the official motto is let 21 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: the good times roll A pop quiz for you? Do 22 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 2: you know how to say that in French? Mango? 23 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: No? 24 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: I do not, okay me either. I think it's something 25 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: like lesse Les bon temp Roulet. Maybe I just butchered 26 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 2: it completely, Like I can't even imagine for all those 27 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,839 Speaker 2: who speak French, and for even for those who don't, 28 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: they just know that I butchered it. 29 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,199 Speaker 1: I feel like you were just saying, like the line 30 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: from that Lady Lady Palm song. 31 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, or maybe from the Little Mermaid, one of these. 32 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 2: I just stole the line. 33 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: But you know, it is kind of amazing that like 34 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: New Orleans, it's such a good times town. But I'm 35 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: curious that, like, are you just telling me that like 36 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: New Orleans likes to drink? Is that? Is that what 37 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: it is all about? Now? 38 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure the drinking is common knowledge at this point. 39 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: It was you know, the thing that caught my attention 40 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 2: when we were talking to Gabe about the research for 41 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 2: this week was that it's really more like what the 42 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 2: residents used to treat the hangover that comes after all 43 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: the drinking. And that's a big steamy bowl of yaka 44 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: Maine soup, as you know, also known as old Sober. 45 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 2: It's a soy sauce flavored broth with noodles, beef, chicken, shrimp, 46 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 2: hard boiled eggs, and chopped onions. It actually sounds that's 47 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 2: pretty good, isn't it. And the amazing thing that sets 48 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 2: this hangover cure apart from all the others is that 49 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: it actually works. So there were some researchers that looked 50 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 2: into this from the American Chemical Society, and what they's 51 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 2: found is that the traditional soup contains all the right 52 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: ingredients to help the body recover from a hangover. So 53 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 2: the hard boiled eggs have this compound that helps expel 54 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 2: toxic substances, the salty broth helps replenish sodium and potassium, 55 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 2: and the beef and shrimp helps slow down the absorption 56 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 2: of alcohol. So it's like a one stop shop for 57 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 2: this hangover cure. 58 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 1: So how did a dish called yakamane with all this 59 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: soy sauce flavor. How'd that ended up becoming a signature 60 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: dish here? Like it doesn't sound super southern, Yeah, that's true. 61 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 2: And actually, according to local legend, the dish came to 62 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 2: the Big Easy by way of local soldiers that had 63 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 2: been stationed in Korea. This was back during the nineteen fifties, 64 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 2: and so when the war was over, they brought this soup, 65 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 2: this yakamine soup back home with them and it's been 66 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 2: the city's surefire hangover cure ever since. 67 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: That's pretty neat. I've definitely heard before that New Orleans 68 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: is one of the most culturally diverse cities in America, 69 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: and it's kind of fun to see how it extends 70 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: into food as well. 71 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely true, and it's always been this huge 72 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 2: cultural melting pod, going all the way back to the 73 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 2: beginning of that highly unusual three hundred year old history 74 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 2: and all of those years mingling cultures. It's really turned 75 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 2: New Orleans into this super fun and very unique American city. 76 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 2: And that's why I thought we should focus on this today, 77 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 2: like this, all of these one of a kind customs 78 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 2: and traditions that make the city unlike any other out there. 79 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 2: So with three centuries of stories to pull from, there's 80 00:03:36,640 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 2: obviously a lot to talk about, So let's dive in. Hey, 81 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 2: their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will 82 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 2: Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend 83 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 2: mangesh Hot Ticketer. And then the other side of the 84 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: soundproof glass, dressed to impress as always, that is our 85 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 2: friend and producer lol Berlanti. Now he's picked up this 86 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 2: mantle from where Tristan left off, of course, and he's 87 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 2: wearing a shirt with a crawfish on it. He's really 88 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 2: stepping up his game to try to keep up with Tristan. 89 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 2: And for some reason, the crawfish has one claw in 90 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 2: the air and he's asking where you at? You know, 91 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 2: it's why apostrophe at. I'm not sure what that means, but. 92 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: That's what the shirt said, So I do think the 93 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: crawfish is probably self explanatory. But that phrase where we're 94 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: at is actually something I was reading about this week. 95 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: Apparently it's a pretty common greeting in New Orleans, kind 96 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: of a how are you doing? Of the region. But 97 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: one of the best things about the region has to 98 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: be the way that people talk. It's kind of this 99 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: hodgepodge of different languages and dialects, and you can go 100 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: into any given neighborhood and you're half a dozen different 101 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: accents and idioms depending on who you're talking to and 102 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: where you are in the city. And then there's the pronunciation, 103 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: like according to the official New Orleans website quote, we 104 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: say the street name Burgundy, not Burgundy, just because that's 105 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: the way it is. As for Calliope, say Calliope and 106 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: you'll pass for a local. So they're giving all this 107 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: advice on the site. And you know, this happens everywhere, 108 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: right Like in Chicago people call Gotha goth Ye Street, 109 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: and in New York Houston Street it is called Houston. 110 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: But you know what's interesting about New Orleans is how 111 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: so many little French idioms wound up kind of endearingly mistranslated. 112 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: For instance, in New Orleans, they don't say I gotta 113 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: go grocery shopping. They say I gotta make groceries, which 114 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 1: actually comes from the French expression for a grocery shopping. 115 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: It's fair la marche. I guess the verb fair can 116 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: I either mean to do or to make, and you 117 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't include that in your translation normally unless you're in 118 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: New Orleans. And another fun pull from the French language 119 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: is lanyap, which I guess basically means a little something extra. 120 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: So maybe you go out to eat and the waiter 121 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: brings you a free dessert, or maybe the hotel you're 122 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: staying at upgrades you to a riverfront view, and in 123 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: either case you were given a lannap, which is an 124 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: old New Orleans way to foster friendship. And maybe some 125 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: return business as well. 126 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 2: Actually, you know, since we're talking about the way French 127 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 2: has woven into the language and the culture of the city, 128 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 2: I do feel like we should talk a little bit 129 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 2: about how that influence got there in the very first place. So, 130 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: as you mentioned upfront that New Orleans has a three 131 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: hundred year history, and that's true. The city was founded 132 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 2: in seventeen eighteen by the French governor of Louisiana, a 133 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 2: guy named Jean Baptiste Bienville, and it was named for 134 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 2: the French head of state at the time, this was 135 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 2: Philippe de Orleans. But of course, and I'm sure I'm 136 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 2: saying all of these words wrong, but that's what it says. 137 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 2: But the reality is that the French settlers were far 138 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 2: from the first people to live there. So Native American 139 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 2: communities called the place home at least six hundred years 140 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 2: before being got there, and many of them are said 141 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 2: to have lived right where the French quarter sits today. 142 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's funny that that word I mentioned a minute ago, 143 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: which I probably also mispronounced land yapp It's technically considered 144 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: Louisiana French, but it's actually barred from the Spanish language, 145 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: which had taken it from Quetchua, which is spoken by 146 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: Native South Americans. So I feel like that's exactly the 147 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: kind of like dense cultural overlap that you find in 148 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: almost every aspect of New Orleans. They are all these 149 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: different ethnic groups that have called the city home over 150 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: its long history, and every one of them left its 151 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: mark in ways that you can still see today. That's right. 152 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 2: And they don't call it the most haunted city in 153 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 2: America for nothing, right, Yeah. 154 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: That's not exactly what I meant. But you know, after 155 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: reading up on New Orleans history this week, I could 156 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: definitely see how the city got such a spooky reputation. 157 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: It sounds like it was a pretty rough place to 158 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: live in during the colonial era. 159 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, Banvilla and his men certainly had their 160 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 2: work cut out for him, and France had claimed that 161 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 2: Louisiana territory in sixteen ninety nine, but then didn't do 162 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 2: that much with it for at least a decade or so. 163 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 2: So you had the War of the Spanish Secession, which 164 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: began just a couple of years after the French colony 165 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 2: was established, and the fighting kept most of the country's 166 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 2: resources tied up for I guess it was the next 167 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 2: thirteen years or so, and so by the time the 168 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 2: war finally ended, France's outposts in Louisiana were pretty much 169 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 2: empty by that point. 170 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: What was the mood like in France during all of this? 171 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: Were they so cash strapped after the war that they 172 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: couldn't fund their own colony? 173 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 2: I mean, they sort of were. Yeah, I mean, it 174 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 2: turns out that thirteen years of war can be quite 175 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 2: a drain on the old treasury. And you know, when 176 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 2: you also lose that thirteen year war, it's even worse. 177 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 2: That tends to drain the morale, of course, and that's 178 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 2: exactly the problem France was facing back in seventeen fourteen. 179 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,079 Speaker 2: And then, of course, to make matters worse, there was 180 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 2: this stretch of bad weather that led to food shortages 181 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,559 Speaker 2: and it sent many of the rural residents there scrambling 182 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 2: the cities in order to try to find work. And 183 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 2: as a result of this, Paris was flooded with desperate people, 184 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 2: so the country's capital city, it really became this kind 185 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 2: of den of crime and poverty at the time. 186 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: So it sounds like things are pretty dire in France. 187 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: The Louisiana colony is kind of a wash, So how 188 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: does the monarchy end up turning all of this around? 189 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 2: Right? So the French king looked at everything going on 190 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,079 Speaker 2: and he realized a couple of things. For one, the 191 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 2: colony in Louisiana could and should be making him more 192 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 2: money than it was. After all, Spain was rolling in 193 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 2: the dough thanks to its colonies in Mexico, so he thought, 194 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 2: why not France. But the biggest obstacle at that point 195 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 2: was that barely anyone was left in the Louisiana colony, 196 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 2: and very few people were lining up to live there, 197 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 2: no matter how much gold or how much land they 198 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 2: were promised. So second, he noticed that the prisons were 199 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 2: getting pretty full at the time, and this was thanks 200 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 2: to all the homeless citizens and petty criminals and some 201 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 2: prostitutes that had been just rounded up there in Paris. 202 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 2: And that's when the king hit upon what he hoped 203 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 2: would be the solution to both of his problems. He 204 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,719 Speaker 2: would just force the prisoners to go and settle the 205 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 2: land in Louisiana. 206 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, which is kind of taking a page from England, right, Like, 207 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: isn't that what they did in Australia? 208 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, but this was actually a good seventy years or 209 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 2: so before England had turned Australia into a prison colony, 210 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 2: so if anything, they were the ones copying the French. 211 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 2: So at any rate, this is ultimately how New Orleans 212 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 2: was founded. It was a punishment for prisoners. Yeah, and 213 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 2: so in January of seventeen nineteen, the king issued a 214 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 2: royal policy to the effect saying, we believe that we 215 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 2: can do nothing better for the good of our state 216 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 2: than to condemn convicts to the punishment of being transported 217 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 2: to our colonies. 218 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: Which is not exactly a ringing endorsement for Louisiana. 219 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 2: No, I think they've changed the motto at this point, 220 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,079 Speaker 2: and the word had gotten around about how grueling it 221 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 2: was to live in such an inhospitable region. It was 222 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 2: surrounded by these swamps and these marshes that we sometimes 223 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 2: think of with the region, and stories of the heat 224 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 2: and the stench and the threat of all this disease. 225 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 2: You know, it made it so like this trip was 226 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,719 Speaker 2: a death sentence, and it sort of was, since most 227 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 2: of the people sent there didn't live past the age 228 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 2: of forty. But it's not like these people had a 229 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 2: choice in the matter. So they were forced onto ships 230 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: and sent over a few hundred at a time, And 231 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 2: it wasn't until months later that someone realized they had 232 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 2: only been sending over male prisoners, which obviously wasn't the 233 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:23,959 Speaker 2: ideal way to establish a thriving colony. 234 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, but to be fair, like, no part of this 235 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,719 Speaker 1: sounds ideal. It isn't just not having women there. 236 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 2: It does not sound ideal in any way. But as 237 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 2: bad as things were, they only got worse from there. 238 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 2: So pretty soon France started sending shiploads of orphans and 239 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 2: female convicts to Louisiana, with many of them forced to 240 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 2: marry male convicts in these mass wedding ceremonies. 241 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: It sounds so weird, that's horrible. So how long did 242 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:50,319 Speaker 1: this forced immigration go on for? 243 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 2: Till seventeen twenty two, so about three years total. And meanwhile, 244 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 2: the Louisiana governor, that Binville guy that we talked about before, 245 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 2: is trying to keep this experiment from flying completely off 246 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 2: the rails. But he's obviously having a tough time keeping 247 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,199 Speaker 2: a city of convicts and check and he's not exactly 248 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 2: thrilled about the kind of settlers that France is sending him. 249 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 2: In fact, there's a good quote from his journals. That 250 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 2: really shows how frustrating it was even for those at 251 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 2: the top. So Bienvil writes, it is most disagreeable for 252 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 2: an officer in charge of a colony to have nothing 253 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 2: more for its defense than a bunch of deserters, contrabands, 254 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 2: salt dealers, and rogues who were always ready not only 255 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 2: to desert you, but also to turn against you. 256 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: Both. Like having people who are ready to desert you 257 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: and turn against you sounds pretty awful. But I'm guessing 258 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 1: most of those people stayed right. Well, yeah, they didn't 259 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: really have much of a choice. I mean, these were 260 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,319 Speaker 1: convicted criminals, they were broke, they were stranded in the 261 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: middle of a swamp and unknown country. It's hard to 262 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 1: even imagine, so leaving wasn't a real option. So most 263 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: people just tried to make the best of staying, and 264 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: being a stranger in a new world did have some advantages. 265 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: So for example, nobody knew their names there, which meant 266 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: settlers were free to reinvent themselves in whatever way they 267 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: wanted to, and some people made up complex family histories 268 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: for themselves or added flourishes to their names to make 269 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,679 Speaker 1: themselves seem maybe higher class. I guess, and there was 270 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: no way to prove or disprove any of this. So 271 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,719 Speaker 1: these false personas just stuck and kind of became the 272 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,679 Speaker 1: new reality for these people, which is kind of strangely 273 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:27,199 Speaker 1: fitting when you think about some of the things that 274 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 1: have gone on to characterize New Orleans. 275 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 2: Right. 276 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: Like, I was actually skimming a book this week. It's 277 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: called The Accidental City, Improving New Orleans, and there's one 278 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,320 Speaker 1: part where the author, who's a native, is talking about 279 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: what a fresh start this experience was for so many settlers, 280 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,079 Speaker 1: and this is what he writes, quote, we were a 281 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: city of impostors in a way. That's why Marty Graft 282 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: fits so well with our identity. We could always put 283 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: on new masks. 284 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 2: That's pretty interesting. I actually hadn't really made that connection before. 285 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 2: All Right, well, we're just scratching the surface of New 286 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 2: Orleans long storied history, so I feel like we should 287 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,719 Speaker 2: take a quick break and then we'll jump right back in. 288 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 2: You're listening to part Time Genius, and we're talking about 289 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 2: the chain of events that turned a French penal colony 290 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 2: into one of the most amazing cities in America. All Right, Mengo, 291 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 2: So what's the next piece of New Orleans history you 292 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 2: want to touch on. 293 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: So we've talked a lot so far about the French 294 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: influence on the city, but there's one part of the 295 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: city they really can't claim credit for, and strangely enough, 296 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: it's the French Quarter. So despite what the name suggests, 297 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: most of the buildings in the famous neighborhood were actually 298 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: influenced by Spanish architecture, not French. 299 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 2: So you're saying that the French Quarter didn't exist when 300 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,120 Speaker 2: Bienville founded the city. 301 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: It did, but it wasn't called that at the time, 302 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: and it also looked a whole lot different. So as 303 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: the city took shape under French rule, it gradually organized 304 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: around the highest patch of dry land in the area, 305 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: which was still only about ten to fifteen feet above 306 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: sea level. But what I'd kind of forgotten was the 307 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: sway that Spain had over New Orleans. So following the 308 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: Revolutionary War, France actually gave the Louisiana territory to Spain, 309 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: mostly as a way to keep England from taking control 310 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: of it. I mean, it's kind of a long story, 311 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: but you can look up the Treaty of Fountain Blue 312 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: if you're interested. But you know, Spain took possession of 313 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: New Orleans in seventeen sixty two, and they held onto 314 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: it for just under fifty years, and then in eighteen 315 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: oh one a different treaty placed Louisiana back under French 316 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: rule until two years later when Napoleon sold the whole 317 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: thing to the US as part of the Louisiana Purchase. 318 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 2: All Right, so you're saying New Orleans has changed hands 319 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 2: a lot over the years, and it definitely tracks with 320 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 2: the cultural mishmash, and you know that you kind of 321 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 2: think about when you think of the characterization of the city. 322 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 2: But what it does in do Mango is explain how 323 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 2: the French quarter got so Spanish Like? Could we get 324 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 2: to that part? 325 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: Basically, nearly all of the original French colonial buildings in 326 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: New Orleans were destroyed during Spain's rule in the late 327 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: seventeen hundreds. They weren't knocked down on purpose, though. Basically 328 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 1: there were these two massive fires that laid waste to 329 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 1: the city. And the first fire took place in seventeen 330 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: eighty eight, and it actually might not have been that 331 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: bad except that it happened to occur on Good Friday, 332 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: and because of that, the city's priests wouldn't allow the 333 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: church bells to be rung as fire alarms, which made 334 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: it nearly impossible to organize, like, you know, help during 335 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: all the chaos. So the fire burned unchecked, and within 336 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: five hours it had consumed eighty percent of the city. 337 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: Good Lord, and you're saying the same thing happened just 338 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: a few years later. Yeah, I mean, it didn't happen 339 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: during Good Friday this time. But after six years of rebuilding, 340 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: they had another fire and it was extinguished a little 341 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: bit faster, but it still took out I guess two 342 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: hundred buildings. I don't know. It's still a terrible thing, 343 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: but not as bad as the first one. 344 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's tough luck for Spain there. And it sounds 345 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 2: like their entire rain in Louisiana was just fires and reconstruction. 346 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 2: It was like burn, build and repeat. 347 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: But you know, span left a deep impression on New 348 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: Orleans in the little time it took over. So after 349 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: that second fire, the Spanish government started handing out loans 350 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,640 Speaker 1: for his citizens to rebuild their houses. But the only 351 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: catch was in order to get the money, you had 352 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: to agree to build according to the government's newly developed guidelines. 353 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: And so this was really smart. The idea was to 354 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,200 Speaker 1: make the city a little more fireproof, including the switch 355 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: to brick and plaster town homes instead of those wooden cottages. 356 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: And as you probably guessed, this is when the French 357 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 1: Quarter started to look a little more Spanish, you know, 358 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,719 Speaker 1: even if the streets were still named for French royalty 359 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: and nobility. And the transformation proved to be a real 360 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 1: turning point in New Orleans history. And that's something this 361 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,320 Speaker 1: author Lyle Sason touches on in his book Fabulous New Orleans. 362 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 1: As he puts it, quote, the city that fell before 363 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:45,959 Speaker 1: the flames was a congested French community of wooden houses, 364 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: badly arranged and irregular. A stately Spanish city rose in 365 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: its stead. Large fan shaped windows looked down into courtyards 366 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: which held banana trees and oleanders, and balconies railed with 367 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: delicately wrought iron overhung the street. 368 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 2: You know, it's interesting because I actually never really noticed 369 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 2: how non French the French Quarter is, But when you 370 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 2: break it all down, it's like, yeah, of course these 371 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 2: are all Spanish architectural features, I guess. 372 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. And that Spanish style wasn't only limited to where 373 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: people lived. It also influenced how the city's dead were 374 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,920 Speaker 1: laid to rest. So when settlers first came to the region, 375 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: they had a tough time getting their dead to stay put. 376 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: Because the water table in the area is so high, 377 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:29,120 Speaker 1: all the burial plots had to be dug shallow, otherwise 378 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: the grave would fill with water and the coffin would 379 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: just pop out of the ground. And they tried everything 380 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: to keep the coffins in place right, like they would 381 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 1: bore these holes into the lids to make them less buoyant. 382 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: It was a huge problem. They didn't like, tried weighing 383 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: down the lids with heavy stones. But you know, if 384 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,639 Speaker 1: a rainstorm was bad enough in the area, which if 385 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: you know the area, they have terrible rainstorms, the coffins 386 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: would still float right out of the graves. So all 387 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: of that changed during the Spanish period when the city's 388 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 1: current system of these burial chambers was introduced. So you know, 389 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,400 Speaker 1: New Orleans starts stacking their vaults and using these more 390 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: ornate tombs and crypts for I guess the wealthier families. 391 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 1: But when taken all together, the new cemeteries kind of 392 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: looked more like miniature cities, and they were complete with 393 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: these like houselike tombs and almost like avenues or streets 394 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: for pathways. And while it might seem a little macabre 395 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 1: to have so many reminders of death and plain view 396 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: like that, these so called cities of the dead were 397 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: so much better than you know, stepping outside in a 398 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: storm and having to walk over your your late grandfather's 399 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: coffin or whatever it was floating down the street, so. 400 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 2: Morbid. So these fire codes and graveyards, you know, they 401 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 2: definitely improved under Spanish rain, but I mean, from everything 402 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 2: I've read, the space and sanitation issues were still pretty 403 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 2: major concerns, because you know, you got to keep in mind, 404 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 2: like the entire city was still pretty much confined to 405 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 2: the French Quarter at that point, and everything beyond that 406 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 2: was seen as uninhabitable, like swamp and marshlands, and so 407 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 2: to make the land usable, the city would need to 408 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 2: build these levees and canals and pumps to drain the 409 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 2: water and the soil beneath all of that. And so 410 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 2: that really took more than a century to get this 411 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 2: system up and running properly. So in the meantime, all 412 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 2: the residents of New Orleans just had to squeeze together 413 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 2: on this only patch of upraised terrain that they had, yeah, 414 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 2: which is all surrounded by a horrible swamp. Yeah, and 415 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,439 Speaker 2: that later proved a problem in itself. So the city's 416 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 2: poor sanitation and lack of running water proved to be 417 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 2: this perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, who quickly developed a 418 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,680 Speaker 2: taste for human blood. And so it wasn't long after 419 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 2: that horrific yellow fever epidemic broke out and the city 420 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 2: claiming the lives of more than forty one thousand residents. 421 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,640 Speaker 2: And this happened between eighteen seventeen and nineteen oh five. 422 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 2: So yeah, not a lot of love lost between those 423 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 2: living in New Orleans and the local wetlands in those days. 424 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,440 Speaker 2: And in fact, I came across this amazing quote that 425 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 2: one observer made about the region. This was back in 426 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 2: eighteen fifteen, and I sort of think it captures the 427 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 2: spirit of what most residents would have thought of the 428 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 2: place during its first two centuries or so. So he says, 429 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 2: the boiling Fountain of Death is one of the most dismal, 430 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:11,960 Speaker 2: low and harrid places on which the light of sun 431 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 2: ever shone, and yet they're under it lies the influence 432 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 2: of a tropical heat belching up its poison and malaria. 433 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 2: The dregs of the seven vials of wrath covered with 434 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 2: a yellow, greenish scum. How bad is that? 435 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: Yeah? It makes me think spring Break, New Orleans exactly. 436 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 1: It does make you wonder, like, how did the Native 437 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: Americans mag live there so long if the conditions were 438 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 1: as bad as everyone makes it out to be. 439 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. But if you 440 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 2: stop and think about it, their lifestyle was a little 441 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 2: more flexible than that of the European colonists, so when 442 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:47,880 Speaker 2: the floods came, a tribe could simply move to higher 443 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 2: ground or maybe build a couple dams to keep the 444 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 2: village dry. And things got a little bit more complicated, though, 445 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 2: like when you start trying to establish a permanent city 446 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 2: for tens of thousands of former prisoners. So life in 447 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 2: the swamp was exceptionally hard for settlers, but that's largely 448 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,360 Speaker 2: because they were asking more of the region than anyone 449 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 2: before them had, so the civilization they wanted it It 450 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 2: did come together, little by little, but it took a 451 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 2: lot of time and a lot of trial and error 452 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 2: just to get there. 453 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,920 Speaker 1: All right, Well, now we have the history, but I 454 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: feel like we should cover some more of the only 455 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: in New Orleans things, So why don't we do that? 456 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:33,199 Speaker 1: For first to quick break and. 457 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:41,680 Speaker 2: Welcome back to part time genius. All right, Mago, So 458 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 2: before the break we talked about why New Orleans is 459 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,879 Speaker 2: a terrible place to be a grave digger. So I 460 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,160 Speaker 2: didn't know that before. It's water table is so high 461 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:54,359 Speaker 2: that above ground and tournament is really the only safe option. 462 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 2: And you know, as you might guess, that kind of 463 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 2: concern extends beyond the cemetery, so forends, you'd be hard 464 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,720 Speaker 2: pressed to find an underground basement in New Orleans for 465 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 2: very much the same reason, like it would flood anytime 466 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 2: it rained. But again, just like with the above ground tombs, 467 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 2: residents solve the dilemma by getting pretty creative. So in 468 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 2: the early twentieth century, these new raised basement houses started 469 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,239 Speaker 2: appearing throughout the city. So these homes consisted of these 470 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 2: low ceiling basements built at ground level and a higher 471 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 2: ceiling living space on top of those. So if you've 472 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 2: ever seen a house in New Orleans with an unusually 473 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 2: long staircase leading up to the front door, that's probably 474 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 2: what's going on there, like these stairs go straight to 475 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 2: the second floor because the first floor is actually just 476 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:41,119 Speaker 2: the basement. 477 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: You know, it's neat to see all the different workarounds 478 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: residents have come up with over the years, like that 479 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: first floor basement setup. That works great for a private home, 480 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 1: but it's a little less practical for a shop in 481 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,800 Speaker 1: the city, right, So customers need to be able to 482 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: pop in easily without having to climb a steep set 483 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: of stairs or navigate through the storre's basements. And that's 484 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: why if you look look up some of the older 485 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,440 Speaker 1: row homes in New Orleans, the ground floor is taken 486 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,720 Speaker 1: up by a retail space and the basement is actually. 487 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,439 Speaker 2: In the ceiling. Wait, isn't that just an attic? 488 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it sounds like it the way I 489 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,360 Speaker 1: put it, but actually that's not the case. So it's 490 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: actually more like a crawl space between the first floor 491 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,880 Speaker 1: and the second story. So you'd open a trap door 492 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 1: in the floor, and rather than climbing up into the 493 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: ceiling like you would in an attic, you'd actually like 494 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: sneak down into the space between the store and your 495 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 1: first floor of a home. And it's a pretty clever 496 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: way to sneak some extra storage space into a rowhouse 497 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: without having to go all the way up to an attic. 498 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess that's true. So if you ask me, 499 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 2: the real historical must have for your New Orleans home 500 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 2: is a floor level mirror. So apparently a lot of 501 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 2: the plantation homes in and around the city at the 502 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 2: time featured these long mirrors, and they were mounted flush 503 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 2: with the floor, and that was so that women could 504 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 2: check the links of their dresses to make sure that 505 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 2: their ankles weren't showing. Because mego, if you know this, like, 506 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 2: the ankle is the gateway to all impure thoughts and deeds, 507 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 2: I think, So. 508 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: It does seem strange that people actually freaked out about 509 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: seeing an ankle in public, considering that, like the summers 510 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: in New Orleans are so hot, it is. 511 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 2: Tough to imagine like how unbearable that would be. And 512 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 2: in addition to ankle coverings, folks in the region had 513 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 2: another way to prevent scandals. They would use this architectural 514 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 2: quirk called the Romeo catcher. So if you've ever spent 515 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 2: time in the French Quarter or seen pictures of it, 516 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 2: you're likely familiar with the second and third floor balconies. 517 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,360 Speaker 2: They're called galleries when you're in New Orleans, and these 518 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,360 Speaker 2: things line the historic streets when you go visit there, 519 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,120 Speaker 2: and along these balconies you'll also see lots of ornate 520 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,920 Speaker 2: rod and cast iron railings, as well as some metal 521 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 2: support columns connecting the balconies to the streets below. Now, 522 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 2: on some of these buildings, if you're near the top 523 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 2: of the columns, you'll see what looks like a ring 524 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 2: of spikes or barbed wire going all the way around 525 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 2: the post. And on somehouses, the spikes might look like 526 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,040 Speaker 2: nails sticking out in all directions, while other houses might 527 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 2: have spikes that look like coat hooks or thorns or 528 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 2: something like that. But you know, in either case, the 529 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 2: purpose of the spikes was the same. It was to 530 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 2: deter these would be Romeos from climbing up to Juliette's 531 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 2: balcony late at night. 532 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: And I'm guessing those still come in pretty handy during 533 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: Mardi Gras, right, Like, if someone has too much to drink, 534 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: they'd probably think twice about climbing that balcony once they 535 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 1: see those spikes. 536 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. And that's actually where this story takes a 537 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 2: little bit of a dark turn, which seems like what 538 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:33,240 Speaker 2: we've been doing a lot of in this episode. But 539 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 2: because the Romeo catchers weren't really meant to catch the 540 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 2: late night boyfriends on the way up, the hope was 541 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,680 Speaker 2: that the side of the spikes would scare the boy off, 542 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:46,719 Speaker 2: but realistically, if he wanted to get around the spikes 543 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,159 Speaker 2: badly enough, it wouldn't be too much of a problem 544 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 2: as long as he was sober. The true danger of 545 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,360 Speaker 2: these spikes was on the way back down, because even 546 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,880 Speaker 2: if a suitor did make it up to the balcony, 547 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,040 Speaker 2: there was still a strong chance that the girl his 548 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 2: father would hear the commotion come charging in with a 549 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,199 Speaker 2: loaded shotgun. And at that point the boy would usually 550 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 2: make for a break for the railing and trying to 551 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,680 Speaker 2: scramble down. And this was happening so quickly, and in 552 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 2: his panic, the Romeo might forget about all the spikes, 553 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,920 Speaker 2: waiting to snag whichever parts it might be able to. 554 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:21,639 Speaker 1: And you're saying these Romeo spikes are still there today though. 555 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I mean they're all over the French Quarter 556 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 2: and a lot of people never notice them though, So 557 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 2: they're like these little remnants of the city's history. Sort 558 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 2: of hidden in plain sight. It's something worth looking for 559 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 2: when you're there. And it's funny. Before the show, I 560 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 2: was thinking about the crowds on Bourbon Street and thinking 561 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 2: it's not a city for everyone. But the more we 562 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 2: talk about it, it's really more the opposite, Like there's 563 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 2: so many things going on in New Orleans, both culturally historically, 564 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 2: that there really is something for everybody. Like you can 565 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 2: look and do basically any aspect of the city and 566 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 2: come away with some colorful bit of history that ties 567 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 2: together these five different cultures, from. 568 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: Food to music to whenever. There's actually so much I 569 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: feel like we should do a follow up episode that's 570 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 1: all joyful instead of just disaster stuff. But you know, 571 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: it's true. It isn't the case with all American cities. 572 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: Like that level of historical scope and kind of the 573 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,679 Speaker 1: variety that is in New Orleans is something we almost 574 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,359 Speaker 1: exclusively attribute to like cities in Europe where like the 575 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: old and newer kind of intermingled and you can see 576 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: the different phases of civilization all at once. You know, 577 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: New Orleans is kind of an exception in that way 578 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 1: in America. It's an American city that's been shaped by 579 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: so many different hands over the years, and it's impossible 580 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: to pin down if it's strictly Southern or French or 581 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: Spanish or Haitian or Creole. It's like all of that 582 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: all at once. 583 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I appreciate how innately weird. The result of 584 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 2: that mashup is, like you read about those efforts to 585 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 2: keep Portland weird or keep Austin weird, But you're never 586 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 2: really going to need a public campaign like that in 587 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 2: New Orleans, Like there's no other option. The city can't 588 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 2: help but be itself. 589 00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I think that's a good place to leave 590 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,200 Speaker 1: things right now. But since we've been talking about the 591 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 1: Crescent City, it's only fitting that we end by offering 592 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: a little lan yaff of our own. So why don't 593 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: we do the fact off? 594 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 2: All right? I'll start us off. So New Orleans is 595 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 2: the birthplace of a few unexpected inventions, I think you'd say, 596 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,760 Speaker 2: and this includes the game of craps, the modern version 597 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 2: of poker, and randomly enough, dental floss. But one thing 598 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 2: that New Orleans can't actually claim credit for is the 599 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 2: Marti Gras Festival. And that's because, believe it or not, 600 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 2: the oldest Fat Tuesday celebration in America dates back to 601 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 2: seventeen oh three, and it took place not in New 602 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 2: Orleans but in my own Mobile, Alabama. I guess I 603 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 2: really can't say my own. I'm from Birmingham, you know, 604 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 2: it's in Alabama. So the Gulf coast of Alabama saw 605 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 2: its share of French explorers and the seventeen hundreds, just 606 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 2: like Louisiana did, and the more free spirited among them 607 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,800 Speaker 2: started holding marti gross celebrations just they had back home. 608 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: So I've got another bit of fun. Uh New Orleans 609 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: lingo for you, and the words are neutral ground, and 610 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 1: that's the term the locals use for that grassy strip 611 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: of brown do you find between two roads. We normally 612 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: refer to them as medians, but in New Orleans they're 613 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: called neutral ground. And the term apparently dates back to 614 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: the mid eighteen hundreds when there were these cultural and 615 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: political tensions and it was kind of an all time 616 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: high in the city. At that point. Things got so 617 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: bad that New Orleans was actually split into separate municipalities. 618 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: Like the French speaking Creoles and the supporters were on 619 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: one side, the Anglo English speaking populations were on the other, 620 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,720 Speaker 1: but the dividing line for these groups was Canal Street, 621 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,760 Speaker 1: which had a wide, grassy median running right down the middle, 622 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 1: and residents kind of half jokingly started calling the median 623 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: neutral ground, and before long the nickname was applied to 624 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:50,520 Speaker 1: all the medians in the city. 625 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 2: All right, Well, speaking of ways to keep the peace 626 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 2: in New Orleans, I have to tell you about the 627 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 2: peacemaker sandwich, which is basically the precursor to the city's 628 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,040 Speaker 2: famous boy. So according to newspaper reports from the late 629 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 2: nineteenth century, the peacemaker, also known as the oyster loaf, 630 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 2: was pretty much a French loaf stuffed with these hot 631 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 2: fried oysters. But this wasn't a lunchtime staple like the 632 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:17,280 Speaker 2: Poe boy would eventually be, and instead, the peacemaker was 633 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 2: a sandwich for a very specific occasion. So as the 634 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 2: name suggests, peacemakers were usually purchased by husbands as a 635 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 2: way to preemptively smooth things over with their wives after 636 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 2: coming home late from a bar or wherever else. And 637 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 2: this was common and a pretty well known practice in 638 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 2: New Orleans that was actually reported about in a San 639 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 2: Francisco newspaper way back in eighteen ninety three. But the 640 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 2: description of how the whole exchange plays out is too 641 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 2: good not to share, So I'm just going to read 642 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 2: out this excerpt that I pulled from it. When the 643 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 2: sandwich has been wrapped in paper, the buyer flees as 644 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 2: a bird to his home. The little difficulty with the 645 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 2: keyhole overcome, he steps into the awful presence undismayed. There 646 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 2: she stands, grim as but without an apologetic word. The 647 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 2: airing one climbs slowly up the stair and holds forth 648 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 2: the peacemaker. She takes it, puts down the lamp, and 649 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:15,080 Speaker 2: removes the cover. The deliciously flavored theme ascends like sweet 650 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 2: incense until it reaches her rigid nockles, and then her 651 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:23,000 Speaker 2: features relax into something like a smile. When her lord 652 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 2: is banging his shoes and depositing his hat carefully in 653 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 2: the wash basin, she sits on one side of the bed, 654 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,320 Speaker 2: eating the spoils of domestic war. 655 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: That is ridiculous. 656 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 2: It's very ridiculous. 657 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 1: I can't imagine working in my house. But here's another 658 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: food related fact. There's a legendary restaurant in New Orleans 659 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: called Dookie Chase's Restaurant, and the long running executive chef 660 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 1: there actually served as the inspiration for the Tiana character 661 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 1: in The Princess and the Frog. So when the production 662 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 1: team for that movie came to New Orleans on a 663 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,040 Speaker 1: research trip, they met with the chef at a restaurant 664 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: and knew right away that she'd be the basis for 665 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: the main character. Now, the chef's name is not Tiana, 666 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,680 Speaker 1: it's Lea Chase, and after reading about her this week, 667 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,360 Speaker 1: she's kind of my new hero. She and her husband's 668 00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:11,080 Speaker 1: restaurant served as a crucial gathering place during the civil 669 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,480 Speaker 1: rights movement in the sixties. In fact, Mlka and the 670 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: Freedom writers frequently met there to discuss strategies in her 671 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: upstairs meeting rooms. And we don't have time to go 672 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: through her whole life, but it's a really lovely story 673 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 1: about a woman who came from nothing and became this 674 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 1: source of hope and pride for a community. She passed 675 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: away in June of this year, but right up until 676 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: the end, she was still hard at work in the 677 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: kitchen of Doukie Chase, doing what she loved most. 678 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 2: You know, I don't feel like I can top the 679 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 2: sweetness of that fact, So I think I'm going to 680 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 2: go the strange path instead. All right, So, during the 681 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,880 Speaker 2: nineteen seventies, three of the first nine Super Bowls were 682 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,920 Speaker 2: played at Tulane University in the stadium there it was 683 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 2: in New Orleans, and each of those games was attended 684 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:57,080 Speaker 2: by two ancient Egyptian mummies who had lived around nine 685 00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 2: hundred BC. 686 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: So that is not where I expected that sentence. But 687 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: how did two ancient Egyptian mummies go to the Super Bowl? 688 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,960 Speaker 2: That's pretty easy, Maga. They took the sarcopha bus. I 689 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:09,160 Speaker 2: don't know if you've ever heard this one. 690 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: I feel like that's a terrible joke you stole from 691 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:13,879 Speaker 1: your song. 692 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:15,359 Speaker 2: No, I totally stole that joke. 693 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: Quick. 694 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 2: But here's the real fact. Two ancient Egyptian mummies were 695 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 2: donated to Tulane University in eighteen fifty and so for 696 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 2: the next one hundred years they were passed from one 697 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:28,799 Speaker 2: museum exhibit to another until they ultimately made it back 698 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:31,520 Speaker 2: to the school's math department. I don't know why, but 699 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:34,720 Speaker 2: that's where they ended up. Then, in the nineteen fifties, 700 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 2: the mummies were put in a storage room beneath the 701 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 2: bleachers of Tulane Stadium, and that's where they stayed until 702 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 2: the mid seventies, when the stadium was torn down. So, 703 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:48,240 Speaker 2: according to an article in the Tulane University magazine Quote, 704 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:51,280 Speaker 2: the Mummies attended every two lane home game from nineteen 705 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:55,080 Speaker 2: fifty five until the last wave appearance in Tulane Stadium 706 00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:59,000 Speaker 2: in nineteen seventy four. They were presented all three Super 707 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,040 Speaker 2: Bowls and does of New Orleans Saints games waged on 708 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 2: two lane turf, and they never once complained about their 709 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 2: lousy seats. 710 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,120 Speaker 1: You know, I like that football loving mummies story, but 711 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,799 Speaker 1: I really love the peacemaker sandwich story, which I think 712 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:15,320 Speaker 1: earns you the victory of this STrenD. 713 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:17,800 Speaker 2: Oh well, thanks for that, and from Gabe, Lil Mango 714 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:19,839 Speaker 2: and me, thanks so much for listening. We'll be back 715 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 2: soon with another episode. Part Time Genius is a production 716 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,799 Speaker 2: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 717 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,600 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.