1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: It's a common fear, one so pervasive that it changed 7 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: the funeral industry hundreds of years ago. It's called tafa phobia, 8 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: otherwise known as the fear of being buried alive. Back 9 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: in the fourteenth century, accidentally burying someone who was still 10 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: living happened more often than you think. John Dunce Scotus, 11 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: a philosopher, was once believed to have been interred prematurely 12 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: in third Tino Wait. When the vault his body was 13 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: residing in was open. He was found laying dead on 14 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 1: the floor beside his sarcophagus, with his hands all cut up. 15 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: He had tried to fight his way out. It was 16 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: this fear that eventually led to the invention of the 17 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: safety coffin, which involved some kind of mechanism to alert 18 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: the living up above that the person below them had 19 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: been prematurely buried, They often used a bell tied to 20 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: a string that ran underground to the coffin, where it 21 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: could be pulled. S C. Dunbar didn't have a bell 22 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 1: or a string, but she certainly let everyone know what 23 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: had happened to her. She was born in Barnwell County, 24 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: South Carolina in the late eighteen hundreds. She seemingly lived 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: there all her life, becoming a beloved member of her 26 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: community in nineteen fifteen, though her fame would extend far 27 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: beyond the borders of Barnwell County. S c. Was roughly 28 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: thirty when it happened. She had suffered from an epileptic 29 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: seizure that sent her falling to the floor. A local 30 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: doctor by the name of D. K. Briggs was called 31 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: to attend to her, and when he got there, it 32 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: was clear that it was too late. Sie was no 33 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: longer breathing. After checking her pulse and other vital signs, 34 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: Dr Briggs declared her dead. Her family stepped in to 35 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: handle the final arrangements. They dressed her in nice clothing, 36 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: made a wooden coffin for her to be buried in, 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: and prepared everything for her funeral. Three ministers were asked 38 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: to officiate the service that day after her death. The 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: only person who hadn't been part of the planning was 40 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: her sister, who lived in Allendale, about twenty five miles 41 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: south of where SI lived. She had apparently not been 42 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: told about her sister's sudden passing until well after it 43 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: had happened, and caught a last minute train home, but 44 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: it was scheduled to arrive just before the funeral started. Friends, family, 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: and mourners all gathered together at eleven o'clock the next 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: day to pay their final respects to Si. Each minister 47 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: gave their remarks, and at the end of the service, 48 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: the coffin was opened so everyone in attendants could say 49 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: goodbye one last time. The only person not there s sister. 50 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: Her train hadn't arrived yet. Not wanting to wait any 51 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: longer to put Si to rest, the other family members 52 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: pushed forward with the burial. They carted her coffin up 53 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: the hill to the cemetery, where a final prayer was said. 54 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: Si was then lowered into her grave. Tearful mourners looked 55 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: out into the distance, hoping to see her sister arriving. 56 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: Before the coffin was covered and she was gone for good. 57 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: But there was no sign. Finally, from a short distance away, 58 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:30,519 Speaker 1: the sister's voice was heard calling she had finally arrived. 59 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: Workers had already dumped several feet of dirt on top 60 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: of the coffin, but the ministers asked them to dig 61 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: s c out so her sister could say goodbye. They 62 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: did as they were instructed, unearthing SI's casket and raising 63 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: it back out of the ground. Everyone stood around the 64 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: casket as the lid was unfastened and removed, and without warning, 65 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: Si Dunbar, who had been pronounced dead by a doctor 66 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: only a day before, sat straight up and greeted her 67 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: sister with a smile. According to the reports, her recovery 68 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: caused all hell to break loose. The ministers fell into 69 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: the grave. One of them suffered from three broken ribs, 70 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: but not from the fall. The other two men had 71 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: stepped on him trying to get out of the grave. 72 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: Everyone else ran away, including SI's sister. Meanwhile, Sie herself 73 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: didn't understand what the commotion was about, only that all 74 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: of her loved ones were fleeing in terror. Not realizing 75 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: that she was the reason for their fear, she ran 76 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: after them, chasing them down the hill, which I'm sure 77 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: only added to their fright. See lived another forty seven 78 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: years following her premature burial, finally passing away for real 79 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: this time in nineteen sixty two at the age of seventy, 80 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: and she got the last lap as well, outliving the 81 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: doctor who had declared her dead the first time back 82 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifteen, and from what I've heard, his funeral 83 00:04:53,120 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: wasn't nearly as exciting. Before the dot com bubble burst 84 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: in two thousand, the nineties saw explosive growth across the 85 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: realm of consumer technology. We saw the proliferation of the 86 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: MP three. Steve Jobs returned to Apple and steered it 87 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: back towards success, and the cell phone was gaining steam 88 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: as a permanent fixture in our hands. And before we 89 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: had text messages, snapchats, Facebook, and even a o LL 90 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: instant messenger, there was email. An electronic letter could be 91 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: sent anywhere in the world from any computer connected to 92 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: the Internet. Email changed the way we communicated literally and 93 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: changed how we wrote, how we spoke, and the words 94 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: we use on a daily basis. But in one company 95 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: wanted to change the way people sent and received email, 96 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: and they did it in a fun and whimsical way 97 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: not seen since it started when Indiana native James Robert 98 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: Davis launched his own syndication company, Pause, Inc. Back in 99 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: nineteen one. Now the time, Pause Inc. Was responsible for 100 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: managing a popular media entity, and in the mid nineteen nineties, 101 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 1: the company built a whole new website around its most 102 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: popular property. This website arrived during an era when several 103 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: platforms offered comprehensive all in one services. They provided email, news, chat, forums, 104 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: and more. America Online was perhaps the most popular, but 105 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: there was also Prodigy, Apple's e World, and compy Sir, 106 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: just to name a few. In the late nineties, however, 107 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: James's fledgling web service became an unexpected competitor to those 108 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 1: bigger Internet names. Those who navigated to its orange and 109 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: yellow themed website were greeted with ten unique menu options. 110 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: There was a gazette section filled with important news of 111 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: the day, as well as a booknook where users could 112 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: learn more about specific titles related to his intellectual property. 113 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: People could also find comic strips, games, puzzles, and even 114 00:06:57,320 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: a fan club where they could unlock top secret content 115 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: only for registered members. But perhaps the most important feature 116 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: of all was its email service. Users had the option 117 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: to send and receive email from James's website for free, 118 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: breaking them off the bonds imposed on them by their 119 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: Internet service providers. The name of this breakthrough email service Gmail, 120 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: except this wasn't the Gmail you're probably thinking of. That 121 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: Gmail had been developed under the code name Harribou and 122 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: kept secret for several years until it was finally revealed 123 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: to the public on April Fool's Day of all Days 124 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: in two thousand four by internet search giant Google. James's Gmail, 125 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: on the other hand, started its life at the turn 126 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: of the century and continued on for several more years. 127 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: It was not the product of a giant tech conglomerate, 128 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: but in fact part of the official website of everyone's 129 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: favorite Orange Monday hating lasagna eating Tabbycat Garfield. Users who 130 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: signed up for Garfield Mail, or Gmail, as it was 131 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: referred to on the Garfield website were given address at 132 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: Cat's Rule dot Garfield dot com. You could log in 133 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: and email all your fellow fans from your very own 134 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 1: Garfield email accounts. Jim Davis's Fat Orange Tabby is still 135 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: popular today, just as he always has been, but that 136 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: old website is long gone, and with it the original Gmail, 137 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: but I'll hope is not lost. Several years ago, it 138 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: was revealed that Garfield's email service might still be alive. 139 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: A technology blog contacted a known address at Cat's Rule 140 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: dot Garfield dot com and did not receive a bounce 141 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: back confirmation in return, which meant that their email went through. 142 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: So it's possible that somewhere out there someone still has 143 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: and uses their Garfield email address for everyone else. Though 144 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 1: their days of eating digital lasagna are over, they can 145 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: still enjoy Garfield comic strips, watching his cartoons, movies, and 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: even a few avant garde alternatives, including one version of 147 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: a comic where Garfield never existed and his owner, John R. 148 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: Buckle simply talks to himself. Garfield the character shows no 149 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: signs of going away anytime soon, but his ill fated 150 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: email service of the nineteen nineties and early two thousand's 151 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: that has sadly ended up in the junk folder. I 152 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 153 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 154 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:30,079 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 155 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how 156 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: Stuff Works, I make another award winning show called Lore, 157 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show and 158 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the World 159 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,839 Speaker 1: of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.