1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you so much 3 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Shout out to our super producers Casey Pegram, 4 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: our producers Andrew Howard and Max Williams, and a very 5 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: special shout out to my Ride or Die, the one 6 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: and only Noel Brown. Noel, You're back to me. Was 7 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: I gone? You were gone? Yeah? You went on adventures? 8 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: Remember that's right? And who who? Who replaced me? Whilst 9 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: I was away, we had Matt Frederick come in to 10 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: talk about the surprisingly weird story of Europeans being obsessed 11 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: with pointy shoes. The Quister showed up? What other than 12 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: that it was? It was a great time. The Quister 13 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: showed up. He did at the very and Matt thought 14 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: I was joking when I kept saying, stopped saying his name? 15 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: Did did did? Did? Did you guys win? We did? 16 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: We did? Matt carried the day. Oh my god, that's 17 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: so okay. I was worried there for not that I 18 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: doubted you for a second, but it's like, you know, 19 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 1: this is my first absentee Quister appearance. We got a 20 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: lot writing on the ongoing Quister competition folks. So yeah, 21 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: I think Matt made us proud. He sent his regards 22 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: as though we don't already hang out four times, it's true, 23 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: it's true. And then I guess you had what did 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: Jeff Eves? Yes, Eaves, Jeff cow that's on an episode 25 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: that's gonna come out later this week. You know we're 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: big fans of Eaves and her work. We also are 27 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: going to have her this Thursday, as you're hearing this, 28 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: We're gonna have her join us for a deep dive 29 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: into the strange and troubling history of turpentine. No spoiler. Okay, well, 30 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: but what are you talking about today, Ben, I'm kidding. 31 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: I know what we're talking about. We're talking about a 32 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: race from New York to Paris, and it took place 33 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: at night and was apparently quite perilous. Yes, yes, and 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: some people will end up Paris less. That's terrible because 35 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: they weren't able to make it. Yeah, this is this 36 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: is something that I've always been fascinated by. We covered 37 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: it years ago on Car Stuff. The idea of the 38 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: thing is quite ambitious, if not audacious. You might have 39 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: noticed distute listeners that Noel just said New York to Paris, 40 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: and you're thinking, hey, I have a passing knowledge of geography. 41 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: There's some oceans in the way. Yep, I was thinking 42 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: the same thing, and my my knowledge of geography is 43 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: barely passing the same too. So the New York to 44 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: Paris auto race was sponsored by the New York Times 45 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: and French paper Leab Maltin. The prize was a The 46 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: prize is weird, man. What you get if you win 47 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: the race is a four hundred pound trophy and the 48 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 1: satisfaction that you have proven it can be done. Wow. Yeah, 49 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: I mean that's not that's sort of like getting a 50 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: homework assignment as a prize. You gotta build a special 51 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: cabinet for that thing, right or does it live somewhere else? 52 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: Does it live in some sort of hall of fame. 53 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: I don't know how trophies work, Yeah, I mean I 54 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: guess it's uh, it's powerful as a symbol. But that's 55 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: a really good point you make. Where do you put 56 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: a four hundred pound trophy? So, I mean, we have 57 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: okay houses, but we don't have houses prepped for fourteen 58 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: hundred pound trophies. But anyway, this this race is actually 59 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: coming in the wake of another race that happened the 60 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: year before in nineteen o seven, what was called the 61 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: Peking to Paris Auto race, was the first of its kind. 62 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: Because we have to remember automotive technology is still relatively new, 63 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: so this is almost like drone racing was a few 64 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: years ago. But this is across continents totally, and let's 65 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: not forget I mean, you know, auto racing has come 66 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: a long way today. NASCAR is you know, billions and 67 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: billions of dollars worth of industry. But a car racing though, 68 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: in general, has a really interesting history because so much 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: of it was done before, like the safeguards were really 70 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: in place, so the technology was even really up to speed, 71 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,479 Speaker 1: pun totally intended in terms of, like, you know, ensuring 72 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: people's safety. We had like what is it the Laman 73 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 1: race where people were literally getting hit by you know, 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: exploding car shrapnel on the sidelines. Yeah, twenty four hours 75 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: of Laman, an endurance race that continues in the modern day, 76 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: although like many things, it was postponed recently due to 77 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: the pandemic. So that first test, that first race seven 78 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: really was kind of a proof of concept, and the 79 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: purpose of the nineteen o eight race was at least 80 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: in part a PR move. They wanted to persuade people 81 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: that cars were reliable, that they weren't just fragile new gadgets, right, 82 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: they were rugged and they could, you know, go on adventures. Um, 83 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: so if that's exactly right, man. It was essentially a 84 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: very elaborate and arduous PR stunt. Since cars were so new, 85 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: the infrastructure for roadways and interstates and the like, we're 86 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: not really in place yet, and this would kind of 87 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: hopefully serve as a means of convincing the powers that 88 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: be then this this is here to stay, this new 89 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: fangled automobile. And well, as we'll learn in today's episode, 90 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: these folks were not driving on the cow in the 91 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: roads you would drive on in the modern day. They 92 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: definitely went through some stuff. So, yeah, you're right, this 93 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: is PR. This is trying to stimulate interest and investment 94 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: in cars and everything that cars need to go. The 95 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: New York to Paris Auto Race was supposed to be 96 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: the greatest of the great races, and our our kickoff 97 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 1: starts on February twelve, morning of February twelve, nineteen o eight, 98 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: in Times Square, New York City. There's seventeen people in total. 99 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: This includes drivers, mechanics and journalists, and they all kind 100 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: of clown car themselves into six cars from four different countries. 101 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 1: Three of them are for France, one each is from Germany, Italy, 102 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: and the United States. And these car manufacturers or models 103 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: don't feel like most of these have stood the test 104 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: of time. Been correct me if I'm wrong, But I 105 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: have not heard of a De Dion Bouton or a 106 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: moto Block or a cesare nod In or a Zoost 107 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: from Italy. I love that great name for a car, 108 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: or a pro Tost. I am not. The Thomas Flyer 109 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: somewhat rings a bell, but I feel like that was 110 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: one that got phased out to Ben What do you think, Yeah, 111 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: so the Thomas Flyer Company. You're right, a lot several 112 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: of these are not around anymore. Thomas Motor Company is 113 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: also no longer around. They only made They had a 114 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: pretty short time span. They made bikes and motorcycles and 115 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: autos just from nineteen hundred to nineteen nineteen. And this 116 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: happens a lot with industries. You know, when something first 117 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: emerges into the public sphere, you'll see a ton of competitors, 118 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: and then later they kind of like narrowed down right. 119 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: I always think about that when I read old soda 120 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: ads and there's so many unfamiliar things. They will trying 121 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: everything totally in the old days of soda. I did 122 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: look up Dead Dion Bhutan Gosh. I wish super was 123 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: here with our French but it is a defunct company 124 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: and it's really interesting. The most popular vehicle they ever 125 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: made was something called the De Dion Bouton tricycle, and 126 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: it was essentially it looks in profile like a motorcycle, 127 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: like I'm like a small motorbike, but then you realize 128 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: it's got two wheels on the back. And between eight 129 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: and nineteen o one they apparently sold over fifteen thousand 130 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: of these, so they were pretty well known at the time. 131 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: So let's talk a little bit about these teams and 132 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: well we can group them by country. So first the Americans, 133 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: there are Thomas guys, right, that's right. The Thomas car 134 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: was built by the Thomas Motor Company and it was 135 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: a model thirty five seven model has a four cylinder 136 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: sixty horsepower engine and it can reach a whopping peak 137 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 1: speed of sixty miles per hour, which is, you know, 138 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: no one should ever have to drive faster than sixty 139 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: miles per hour. Slow down, speed demons, you crazy Atlanta 140 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:59,840 Speaker 1: drivers passing on the right anyway, Sorry, I was triggered. Um. 141 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: It was like again, like this bespoke fully loaded for 142 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 1: the time, which included built in spaces to hold two shovels, 143 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:15,839 Speaker 1: two picks, two lanterns, and eight searchlights, and also some 144 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: extra gas cans which would give it a capacity of 145 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty five gallons. I would be important 146 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: on a long haul race like this. And there's more, right, 147 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: but yeah, five hundred feet of rope as well as 148 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: a rifle and revolvers. It also had this top you 149 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: could attach to it, kind of like what you would 150 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: see on covered wagons. It could wrap over the entire 151 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:42,239 Speaker 1: car and turn it into turn into a tent. Basically 152 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: you could camp in it. The driver of this vehicle 153 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: was going to be twenty four year old Montague Roberts. 154 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: He had some qualifications. He had just won the twenty 155 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: four hour Endurance Derby at Brighton Beach in the same 156 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: car just a year ago. And along with him came 157 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: Joey George Schuster, who is a mechanic from Thomas and 158 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: then another mechanic named George Miller and a reporter from 159 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: the Times. Each of the cars had a similar sort 160 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: of team with them, like a driver, mechanics journalist. Next 161 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: we have the French team consisting of g. Bossier de 162 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,959 Speaker 1: san Chaffin. I think that's right. He was driving the 163 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: French de Dion and he was actually someone who comes 164 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: from a background in motor boat racing. He once participated 165 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:35,839 Speaker 1: in a race from Marseilles to Algiers that involved every 166 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 1: single boat in the race sinking into the Mediterranean. His 167 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: captain in that race was a guy by the name 168 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: of Hans Hendrick Hansen, who is referred to in a 169 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: fabulous article from Weirder Story and as a swashbuckling Norwegian um. 170 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: And he, you know, seemed to have a pretty big 171 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 1: opinion of himself and told some stories that could have 172 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: perhaps involved a little bit of creative license. Let's say, 173 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: claimed to have sailed a Viking ship by himself to 174 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: the North Pole. I don't think we have anything to 175 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: confirm this, but he told a good tale. And he 176 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: said that he and his companions will be able to 177 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: reach Paris quote or our bodies will be found inside 178 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: the car high stakes. Yeah very much so. Charles Goodar 179 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: was driving the Motto Block the other vehicle and the 180 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: French team, and he was actually a competitor. And that 181 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,560 Speaker 1: other crazy race you mentioned men the Peeking to Paris race, 182 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: and he participated in that race without ever having driven 183 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: a car before. It's a brave new world, truly a 184 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: new frontier. And he apparently set an endurance record by 185 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: driving all by himself for twenty four hours NonStop. Very unsafe. Yeah, 186 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: don't do it, that's that's dangerous. Wait until they are 187 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: more autonomous cars on the market. So let's look at 188 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 1: the Italians. If this is a film, when we're panning 189 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: over to the Italians, we will see Emilio's ser Tory, 190 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: who the driver for the just and along with him 191 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: we'll see this is weird. We'll see a twenty one 192 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: year old lad, a journalist and poet named Antonio Scarfoglio. 193 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: And Tonio is interesting because he almost didn't get in 194 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: the race. He was in a fight with his dad 195 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: about it. His dad was a well to do newspaper 196 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,719 Speaker 1: editor in Naples, and he eventually said, look, pop, I'm 197 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: going to steal a boat and I'm gonna go across 198 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: the Atlantic on my own. If if you don't agree 199 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: to let me go in this race, and so his 200 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: dad ponied up and as we imagine, probably paid his 201 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: passage to get to New York. And then we've got 202 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: to finish out the teams. We've got the Germans. They 203 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: were driving the Protasts and they were German. One of 204 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: them was a German aristocrat, Hans Kopin, and he was 205 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: in it. This is almost like anime, you know, they're 206 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: weird motivations. So Coping doesn't really care about the trophy. 207 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: He thinks that if he does well in this race, 208 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: he can get promoted from lieutenant to captain, which is weird. 209 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: We don't know how promotions the German Army work, but 210 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,319 Speaker 1: your performance in an auto race is not a huge 211 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: factor in your promotion in the U. S. Army. One 212 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: would not think that would be the case in the 213 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: German Army either, but you know, he seemed to think 214 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: it might. Who knows, But you're right then. I love 215 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: this rag tag gang of weird miscreants with backstories and 216 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: crazy claims about piloting Viking ships and such. This is great. 217 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: I gotta say that the German car, the Protos, sounds 218 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: more Italian and the Italian car. The zowis sounds more German. 219 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,199 Speaker 1: I was thinking the same thing, isn't it funny? I 220 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: don't know what the deal is with that? But okay, 221 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: so we know we set out from the start that 222 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: this is a perilous journey, and that ends up not 223 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: be in behalf of it. A quarter of a million 224 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: people lined up on Broadway in New York's Times Square 225 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:52,719 Speaker 1: all the way up to Harlem, which, if you know, 226 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: if you have a passing knowledge of New York geography, 227 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: which I barely do, you know, that's quite a way. 228 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: That's quite a line of people. The race was supposed 229 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: to start at eleven am of the mayor at the time, 230 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: George B. McClellan Jr. Who was the son of a 231 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: Civil War general Union general, to be clear, was supposed 232 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: to shoot off the starting pistol, but he was late, 233 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: which apparently was his way, that was his vibe. He 234 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: was one of those people who moves to their own clock. 235 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: But they've got stuff to do. This is a big deal. 236 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: So about fifteen minutes later, a railroad financier with a 237 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: weird name, Colgate Hoyt, says, you know enough of this, 238 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: and he snatches the gun, the golden gun by the 239 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: way from the table, shoots it into the air and boom, 240 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: They're off. The cars are moving forward. Our Italian poet 241 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: Scarfoglio says between the thick hedges of extended hands amidst 242 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: the roar as of a falling torret, and he's loving it. 243 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: He blows a kiss to the crowd because he has 244 00:14:54,040 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: no idea how weird this stuff is about to get. Like. 245 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: The beginning of their journey, I would say is much 246 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: less hazardous than the later legs of the journey. Their 247 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: route is supposed to take them across the US. They 248 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: are going to go in areas with very few paved roads, 249 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: and then they're going to head north through Canada. They're 250 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: going to take a left at Alaska and then they 251 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:31,400 Speaker 1: have to cross the Bearing Straight. And the organizers of 252 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: the race, we're making what I think is a really 253 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: risky bet, dude. They said, okay, because we're starting the 254 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: race in the middle of winter, hopefully the straight will 255 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: be frozen like solid enough to drive a bunch of 256 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: cars across. Right. Yikes. I gotta say that the idea 257 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: of taking a left at Alaska I find hilarious that 258 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: reminds me of that bugs Bunny thing where he's always like, gosh, 259 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: that made that left turn at Albuquerque. You know, yeah, 260 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: it's maybe that's where it comes from. So, as reported 261 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: by the Smithsonian mag in a fantastic article on the race, 262 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: assuming they successfully crossed the Bearing straight, they're going to 263 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: go through Siberia. No one at all ever at this 264 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:20,640 Speaker 1: point in history has taken a car through Siberia. And then, 265 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: presuming everyone survives, they go to the final stretch, they'll 266 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: hip Moscow St. Petersburg, then Berlin, and then Paris. So overall, 267 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 1: this is twenty two thousand miles. And this is again 268 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: at a time where anyone in the world, the average person, 269 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: if you asked them what was more reliable a car 270 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: or a horse, it would on beyond team horse totally. 271 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: I mean, I think every pretty much knows this. But 272 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: the you know, cars in their early days were referred 273 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: to as horseless carriages because they were kind of seen 274 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: as a novelty almost you know, yep, exactly, and winter 275 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: was a punishing time to have this sort of race. 276 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 1: Uh you know, these vehicles, we have one that had 277 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: the removable, attachable top, but the vehicles for the most 278 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: part had open tops, they didn't have wind shields, they 279 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 1: didn't have heaters. There was gonna be a level of 280 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: attrition here. August Palens, who was driving the French Cesaire Nardine, 281 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: didn't talk about too much. Here's why we didn't talk 282 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:24,680 Speaker 1: about it too much. He got about nineties six miles 283 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: into this mile race and he had mechanical problems and 284 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 1: broken differential, so that put him out of the running. 285 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: And then the leaders of the race become the De Dion, 286 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: the Zeus and the Tootmas Flyer go Us and the 287 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: other two were in the rear, the Protos and the 288 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: motor Block. That's right. So they get to Hudson, New 289 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: York and have to literally plow through feet deep snow 290 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,160 Speaker 1: in a line. And the thing is, some of these 291 00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: cars were all they all had varying levels of like, uh, 292 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: let's just call it accessories, right, Like we know that 293 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,480 Speaker 1: the Thomas Flyer, I believe was equipped with tons of 294 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: rope and you know, lanterns and extra gas, but it 295 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: didn't have a heater or a windshield. And to check 296 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: how deep the snow was they had to use the 297 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 1: most rudimentary tool of them all still holds up today, 298 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: the stick, the noble stick, needs to check the depth 299 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:28,639 Speaker 1: of the snow to see how far they could go 300 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: without getting stuck. Yeah, and then things continue to get worse. 301 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,639 Speaker 1: So it would be more appropriate, perhaps to describe the 302 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,439 Speaker 1: road out of Auburn as a trail. In fact, the 303 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 1: New York Times described it as the worst road in 304 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: the United States, and they were not fooling around when 305 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: they said that three cars ended up getting stuck at 306 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: a place with the unfortunate name of Dismal Hollow in 307 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: the Montezuma Swamp. Eventually, you know, the guys who were stuck, 308 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: they said, and this is going to happen a couple 309 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: of times in the race. The guys who were stuck said, 310 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: all right, we're just going to camp for the night. 311 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: We'll figure this out in the morning. But luckily the 312 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 1: Italians had hired this American guide and he was able 313 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: to get help from the locals. He came through with 314 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 1: six horses to pull the cars out right. And I, 315 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: like you said, Ben, this isn't the only time this happens. 316 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: And to me, this is an absolute pr nightmare because 317 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,880 Speaker 1: it's showing that cars are inferior to horses. In my opinion. Yeah, 318 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,680 Speaker 1: that horses are winning the race kind of exactly. But 319 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, though, the problems were 320 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: not with the cars themselves but with the terrain, and 321 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: they weren't suited for the cars. Again, part of the 322 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,160 Speaker 1: point of this race was to encourage investment in better 323 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,639 Speaker 1: infrastructure and roadways. Yeah, totally, you know it might have 324 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: been Would it have been smarter to have a less 325 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: ambitious race during a less punishing time of the year, maybe, 326 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: But that's not the look they were going for. So 327 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: the teams settle into a routine, because this is a 328 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: very long race. They get up at five, they drive 329 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: all day. They call it a night at eight pm, 330 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: at least the drivers do, but the mechanics stay up 331 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: until at least midnight working to keep these things running. 332 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: They drained the radiators every night to keep them from freezing. 333 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: They work to repair cracks in the chassis, and then 334 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: they would always hit up hardware stores because they have 335 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:27,880 Speaker 1: to buy gas and there aren't a ton of gas 336 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: stations around, so they get gas like by the bucket 337 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: from hardware stores. And then they form like this um 338 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: cold war esque agreement where they say, okay, we're gonna 339 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: alternate who gets to be in the lead every five 340 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,439 Speaker 1: hours because we're still very far away from Paris. So 341 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: we're just gonna have a gentleman's agreement. Yeah, these are 342 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 1: these competitors were nothing if not gentlemen, right right, And 343 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: one guy is literally in aristocrat. So this is an 344 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: important issue because they're being judged on hours total hours spent, 345 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: and they had convinced themselves that something as small as 346 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,120 Speaker 1: one or two hours could make a difference in this 347 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,479 Speaker 1: race that was going to go for six months. So 348 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 1: they were also concerned there were trust issues there. They 349 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: were concerned that, you know, one unscrupulous team might pretend 350 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: to go to sleep when everybody else did, and it 351 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: might take off in the middle of the night to 352 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: get a lead. So one of the Europeans is starting 353 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: to get a little big for their bridges and they 354 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,880 Speaker 1: they say to the other other racers, they say, if 355 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: you want to go into a city ahead, you ask me. 356 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: That's what he says, specifically to the American team, and 357 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 1: Roberts replies, all right, from now on, you will know 358 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: this is a race, which is like, in other words, 359 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 1: all bets are off. Screw you, buddy, exactly and they 360 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,400 Speaker 1: were surprise, folks. The relationship does not get better as 361 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: the continues. Nope, they they head into the Midwest. At 362 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: this point, the Italians have gone so far as to 363 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,920 Speaker 1: accuse the Americans of cheating by using railroad tracks and 364 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: somehow the aid of a trolley car. How does that 365 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 1: even work? Yeah, the idea would be, you know, if 366 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: you think about it, the idea here is is fairly plausible. 367 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: Railroad tracks are the best infrastructure at the time for transport. 368 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: So they're they're thinking, these Americans are gonna put their 369 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: car on a trolley car in a train car, and 370 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,199 Speaker 1: then they're gonna zip along the train tracks. They'll be 371 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,959 Speaker 1: much faster because you know, the rails are better than 372 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: the roads. At this point, and then some of the 373 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 1: foreign competitors looked down their nose at the rural American locals. Scarfoglio, 374 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 1: our poet, says, I do not like the Americans as 375 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,959 Speaker 1: a whole, just as I do not like the cheesemonger 376 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: whom a prize in a lottery or a sudden rise 377 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: in the price of potatoes has made well thing. There's 378 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: still too much of the herdsman about them. Snoot e 379 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: so then into Indiana. The Moto Block and the Protos 380 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 1: teams were getting super cranky because they had to pay 381 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: a bunch of money to get help, you know, from 382 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 1: these guides or whatever who would use horses to help, 383 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,160 Speaker 1: you know, haul them through this tough terrain. They were 384 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 1: angry specifically though, at the American team who were getting 385 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: tons of free help from Indiana people. Indiana. It's I 386 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: think it's what you call it. Never understood that. What's 387 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: that movie about anyway? Basketball? I guess um, I do 388 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: like Geene Hackman though, but they are the European team. 389 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: The Moto Block and the Protos teams sent a urgent 390 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 1: plea for assistance to the head of the Chicago Automobile Club, 391 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: which the Chicago Tribune graciously printed under the headline Foreigners 392 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: pathetic appeal. There's a lot, that's the thing. There is 393 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,160 Speaker 1: a lot of nationalism lait on here. And I think 394 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,720 Speaker 1: this plays, you know, this plays into the tarantino esque 395 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: aspect of this because I can I can totally see 396 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: that guy having a lot of fun with some stereotypes 397 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: of yesteryear. So the note says, it's so weird, such 398 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: a snarky thing to do, But the note says, uh, 399 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 1: we're discouraged. The peasants demand three dollars per mile for 400 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,719 Speaker 1: helping us. They charged five dollars each to permit us 401 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,439 Speaker 1: to sleep on the ground. Peasants along the way of 402 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: filled up road dug by leading cars so as to 403 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: help the Thomas car. Would it be possible to influence 404 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: public opinion to aid us? And the Tribune clearly not 405 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,239 Speaker 1: just said no, but they went an extra mile. So 406 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,880 Speaker 1: by March eight, the Thomas flyers in the lead in Julesburg, Colorado, 407 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: and they've picked up a new passenger, Hans Hendrake Hansen. 408 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 1: You had just mentioned earlier Noll, that swashbuckling Norwegian. He 409 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: had quit the st Chaffe team after their car, the Didayon, 410 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:06,440 Speaker 1: got stuck in a snow drift. And you know he's 411 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: supposed to be like the Viking do the expert on 412 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: all things Arctic. He is not able to extricate the vehicle, 413 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: and so he starts arguing with the team leader, and 414 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: they agree to settle the matter in the most mature 415 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: way possible with a duel, And so they go off 416 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: to find their guns. While they're off looking for their guns, 417 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: uh St Schaffrey says, you know what, I'm just gonna 418 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: fire you instead, and Hansen says, you know what, I 419 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: could go on foot over the Siberian Route and still 420 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,680 Speaker 1: beat your car. So I'm with the American stuff. Love 421 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: it so much snark, so much petty squabbling. But again 422 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 1: the stakes are pretty high, you know. It's the pack 423 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,679 Speaker 1: has really thinned out, and everyone's kind of like, you know, 424 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: in it to win it. So now we need to 425 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: account for the Zeost, which is the Italian team with 426 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: a German sounding car name, got it. They are in 427 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: Omaha at this point, and the Deadillon is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 428 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 1: and the Motto block is in Maple Park, Illinois, while 429 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 1: the Protost is uh bringing up the rear in Geneva, Illinois. Yeah. 430 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: So the Thomas Flyer is approaching frenzied crowds in Cheyenne, Wyoming, 431 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: and it's you know, and just picture the scene U 432 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,640 Speaker 1: s A, U s A something like that is going down. 433 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: Roberts knows that his time in the race is nearing 434 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: the end. He wanted to sail to Paris in May 435 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: and race in the Grand Prix, which was you know, 436 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: more established race. So e Lynn Matthewson, who is the 437 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,920 Speaker 1: son of Like, the general agent for Thomas Cars in 438 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: the Midwest region. They pick him to drive the Thomas 439 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: Flyer from Wyoming to Utah, and from there a professional 440 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: driver named Harold Brinker is going to take the wheel. 441 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 1: Brinker is famous because he survived a crash the year 442 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 1: earlier that had killed another driver. So George Schuster is 443 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: still along for the ride. He's going to drive through 444 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: Alaska in Siberia, and then Roberts is supposed to return 445 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: when the car nearest Europe, which is later going to 446 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,199 Speaker 1: be a sticking point for both of those guys. By 447 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: the time the Americans leave Wyoming, things are looking pretty good. 448 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 1: They are ahead by two entire states. The Italians are 449 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 1: starting across Nebraska, the French are in Iowa awaiting parts 450 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: for their car, and the German team Lieutenant Copen in 451 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,880 Speaker 1: the Protoce and Charles Goddard in the Moto Block. Those 452 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: two groups are just now entering Iowa and the Moto 453 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 1: block is having mechanical difficulties and Goddard won't talk about it. Instead, 454 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,439 Speaker 1: he breaks the rules. He ships his car to San 455 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: Francisco by railroad. That's what he tries to do, but 456 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: a journalist, the photographer, catches him in the act, so 457 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,919 Speaker 1: he gives up and he gets a message from the 458 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:07,639 Speaker 1: owners of the car. It says, simply quit race, sell car, 459 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,320 Speaker 1: come home. So the modal block is finished. Now we've 460 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: gone from six to four cars. Okay, then stuff and 461 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: things booms it there we go. Yes, there are a 462 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 1: lot of blow by blows of the race we can 463 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: give you, but we're we wanted to stick to some 464 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: of the real pivotal moments. On Wednesday, April eight, Thomas 465 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: Flyer reaches Alaska. The entire population of a town called 466 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,120 Speaker 1: Valdez is out to see that this arrival, because very 467 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: few of them have ever seen a car in real life. 468 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: Schuster immediately starts trying to figure out how they're gonna 469 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: cross Alaska in a car. So he takes a slay, 470 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: a literal slay, out and explores the area. He comes 471 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: back and he says, Okay, here's what we have to do. 472 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: We have to take our car apart and we have 473 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: to put it piece by piece on dog sleds as 474 00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: the only way we're getting across Alaska. So we're not 475 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,920 Speaker 1: atually driving across Alaska. No no, they're literally now and 476 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 1: like these improvised car sled situations. Uh, glad to have 477 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: been a thing to behold. There's so much ingenuity in 478 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: this race. I gotta say, you know, I appreciate that 479 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: because it really is a situation that no car, modern 480 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: cars even would be able to navigate, let alone these 481 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: like super early much less resilient cars. I would I 482 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: would say, yeah, this is a really good point. So 483 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: the committee for the race over in Paris they hear 484 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: about this, and they go, all right, maybe we were 485 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: being a little cartoonish what we say. You could drive 486 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: across the Burying Strait. You guys, do this turn around, 487 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: go back to Seattle, and we're gonna have you sailed 488 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: to Vlad of the Stock and drive to Paris from there. 489 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: This is still you know, it's still a race. So 490 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: the Americans are sailing first, and while they're at sea, 491 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: their competitors arrive in Seattle, and then they also set 492 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: sale for Russia. But the Americans lose time because there's 493 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: still you know, an international travel system and they have 494 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: to figure out how to get their visas in order. Yeah, 495 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:14,400 Speaker 1: you think they would have thought about that in advance, right, 496 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: you would yeah, or that the like you know, organizers 497 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,040 Speaker 1: of the race would have helped secure all of that 498 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 1: stuff for them, you know what I mean. It just 499 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: seems like oops, forgot about international travel. How I need, like, 500 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: you know, certain crucial documents and all that. But um, 501 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: the Italian and French teams at this point, we're making 502 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: their way across Japan, and that is when the race committee, 503 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: in their infinite wisdom, made another decision that would affect 504 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 1: the fate of these four teams, and this was to 505 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: recognize the time that the flyer car lost when it 506 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,280 Speaker 1: was making that detour through Alaska. The American team was 507 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: given an allowance of fifteen days, which I guess is 508 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: like a credit right back on their score a fifteen days, yeah, 509 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:00,719 Speaker 1: because they were kind of getting pun for being the 510 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: honors student. So they since they were the first to 511 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: arrive in Alaska, they were the first to prove it 512 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: was a dumb idea, and so across everyone else benefited 513 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: from it, right which everyone else benefited. They just had 514 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: to go to Seattle at this point. So it's weird though, 515 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 1: adding this fifteen days. It's kind of controversial because it 516 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: means that the zoost and the di Dione can beat 517 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 1: the flyer into Paris, they can get there two weeks earlier, 518 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: and because of that fifteen day allowance, they would still lose. 519 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: And the Protos on the other side of the spectrum 520 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: are going to be penalized fifteen days for resorting to 521 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 1: using the train from Ogden to Seattle. They didn't disqualify 522 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: the Germans entirely because they said it looks like he 523 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,840 Speaker 1: was just genuinely, honestly confused about the rules, like I 524 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: wasn't trying to cheat. I think the the racing committee 525 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 1: seemed genuinely and honestly confused. I think there was a 526 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: lot of genuine and honest confusion to be had all around, 527 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: and this eventually turns into genuine and honest blackmail that 528 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: ultimately costs the French team the race. Once the Americans 529 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: caught up to the others in Vladivostok, that's where the 530 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: last French driver, that aristocrat I believe we were talking about, right, 531 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: sent San Chaffre or was that they all sound like 532 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 1: aristocrats to me? He apparently had this sounds like a 533 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: pretty aristocratic thing to do. Bought up all the gas, 534 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: all of it in the area, and was like offering 535 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: it two teams in exchange for taking him on. That's 536 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:43,959 Speaker 1: so crazy, yeah, he and he's he's honest about this. 537 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: He says, there is no petrol, there are no means 538 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 1: of getting any What there was is in my possession. 539 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: Offer it to the car which we agreed to take 540 00:32:53,200 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: me on board. Exactly, Yeah, devious. Yeah. So the Italian ends, 541 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: uh where like, man, you suck, you are a psychopath. Uh, 542 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: leave us alone, and they stormed out San Chaffray. He 543 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: tried his best to wield his you know, supervillain like 544 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: cunning against the Americans. He said that he could get 545 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: a seat on the German car easily, but the flyer 546 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 1: was sort of in a position to beat the Protos 547 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: into Paris, and he would prefer to be on the 548 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,080 Speaker 1: first car to arrive. This guy holy cow. And he 549 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: said to the Americans it would not look well for 550 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: a Frenchman to ride on a gentleman machine. Okay, okay. 551 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: So he was like, you know, these are the reasons 552 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: that I don't want to go with the Germans. I 553 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 1: want to go with you. You're the winners. Please take 554 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:52,480 Speaker 1: de bait of my gas blackmail? Yes, yeah, gas blackmail. Oh, 555 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 1: how to win friends and influenced people. So Schuster privately 556 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: or mechanic told his US team, Look, I'd rather stay 557 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: in vladivol Stock for the rest of my life and 558 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:10,719 Speaker 1: accept this weird French dude's bribe. So Sunsfre transfers the 559 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,359 Speaker 1: rights to his gas to the Italian team, but they 560 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,200 Speaker 1: still don't let him join their squad. So as sponsor 561 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,080 Speaker 1: st Chaffey's sponsor pulls him from the race, he has out. 562 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: And that means that the racers who are still around 563 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: are pushing across the thawing tundra of Siberia and Manchuria 564 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: and into the wild expanse of Russia. The Germans are leading, 565 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: the Americans are in second, and the Italians are lagging 566 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:40,719 Speaker 1: thousands of miles in the rear knoll. We have a 567 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: plot twist of our own for the rest of the story, 568 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: don't we boy? Do we ever hold onto your hats, folks, 569 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,879 Speaker 1: We're about to enter the stunning world of three D audio. 570 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,279 Speaker 1: It's so crazy, we're doing it. We're doing it. Headphones recommended. 571 00:34:54,680 --> 00:35:03,760 Speaker 1: So here's the rest of the race. Oh heay, nol. 572 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: We've talked about this. This, This is the part that 573 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: we were very excited about backstage, backstage, back in the 574 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: green room. Yes, and by the craft services table, prey 575 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 1: with our mountains and are this is crazy? We are 576 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: back in the office for the first time, I know 577 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,359 Speaker 1: and an MP. We're back in the office, bopped our 578 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: way from our homes. Are our separate homes into the 579 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 1: office in the course of a single episode through the 580 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,920 Speaker 1: magic of podcast. Yes, and we are with uh your 581 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: daughter eating is her our ride died? Matt Frederick is 582 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,239 Speaker 1: very patiently uh, sitting with us outside and we're not 583 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:45,920 Speaker 1: just This part of the episode is so is so weird. 584 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,840 Speaker 1: It's the it's the climax of our race. We decided 585 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:52,840 Speaker 1: we're not just going to record in regulars out so 586 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: at this point, ridiculous historians, we asked that you put 587 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: on your three D headphones. We're just kidding. That's not 588 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 1: a thing. But this part, the stunning conclusion to the 589 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,280 Speaker 1: perilous New York to Paris auto race of is presented 590 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:14,600 Speaker 1: to you in three D w W. That's the howth 591 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: three the audio works. I'm behind you now and I'm 592 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 1: in front of you. Well, I like that one there. 593 00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: So here's what happened, Here's why we wanted to really 594 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:30,920 Speaker 1: put you in the moment here. So the Siberia portion 595 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:35,880 Speaker 1: of the race is really testing the limits of these drivers. 596 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 1: This is a long race, as we said, it's the 597 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: early nineteen hundreds. Driving in like just the US can 598 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:45,759 Speaker 1: be tough in rural areas, It's true, Ben, And I'm 599 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,400 Speaker 1: sure I'm sure our past selves or future selves who 600 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 1: have done the part of the episode leading up to this, 601 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,880 Speaker 1: have mentioned at least once the Great American North American 602 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,839 Speaker 1: Road Rally that you and I participated in way back when. 603 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's right, that's right. Good job, future or 604 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:04,080 Speaker 1: past us. Indeed, and from that experience, I think, and 605 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:06,719 Speaker 1: just for I was driving around in Atlanta, we all 606 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 1: know that that road conditions, very mileage may vary. Um. 607 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,160 Speaker 1: And in this particular stretch of the race, the fifty 608 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:19,880 Speaker 1: from Vlada Vostok near Lorenzov on the coast, um, there 609 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 1: were absolute hardships. Is how it's described in the Weird 610 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: Historian article that we've been referencing. Um. There it was 611 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:35,560 Speaker 1: very slow going. Uh. There were lots of descents, steep climbs, um, 612 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,960 Speaker 1: you know, amidst these cliffs. Uh. And then when the 613 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 1: ground started to level off, you get into this like 614 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,840 Speaker 1: swampy terrain that can really it's like the part of 615 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 1: Mario Kart where we can go like into the grass. 616 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 1: It slows you down a little bit, only on a 617 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:52,719 Speaker 1: much larger scale, and like with real steaks, not just 618 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:56,239 Speaker 1: you know, glory and and winning that that coveted those 619 00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:59,879 Speaker 1: coveted stars. We are big Mario Kart fans, by the way, 620 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:04,239 Speaker 1: and there have been friendships made and lost in in 621 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:07,840 Speaker 1: Mario Kart games of plenty. But I love that comparison 622 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: toll because this this is true. The Sunday Times in 623 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:15,200 Speaker 1: April nineteen nineteen o eight actually said when they were 624 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:19,080 Speaker 1: talking about Vladivostok, they said everything has been thought of 625 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: there except for roads. So it's weird that that's where 626 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 1: they would end up racing. At one point, it took 627 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:30,800 Speaker 1: the Thomas car four days to Mario Kart its way 628 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:36,760 Speaker 1: through just what sixty miles? Mud, Yeah, I'll tell you roads, 629 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:41,359 Speaker 1: Ben and flat Avasta they don't need roads, and they 630 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,319 Speaker 1: have something resembling roads. But it's true, um not to 631 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:49,720 Speaker 1: mention there were some kind of more diplomatic challenges based 632 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:54,560 Speaker 1: around differences in culture. Right as the cars zig zagged 633 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:59,520 Speaker 1: across Asia and into Europe. On June there was an 634 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: article in the Times that talked about some events that 635 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 1: began in on day one d thirty four. In Siberia, 636 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 1: for example, there was an incident where a dozen men 637 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: and women blasted through this gate. What are you doing 638 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,360 Speaker 1: breaking through our gates? We are angry. You are invading 639 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,640 Speaker 1: our culture. That is an accurate translation. The crew thinks 640 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,359 Speaker 1: they're under attack, and so they're preparing for battle. They're like, 641 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: this is it, this is it? Okay, gig pumped, get pumped. 642 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 1: Who's the man? Who's the man's man? That's what they 643 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 1: were saying. It's all of us. It's all of us 644 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,600 Speaker 1: that were saying. There were women to let's not forget yes, yes, yes, 645 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:42,840 Speaker 1: But they quickly discovered this was just how the Russians 646 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 1: in this area were saying hello to them, because you know, 647 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 1: where they're Russian, they don't need roads that That is 648 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:50,439 Speaker 1: a very late pun, but it works on a couple 649 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,279 Speaker 1: of totally fine. It was a good follow um, it's 650 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:57,200 Speaker 1: it's yeah, it's interesting right because it's sort of like 651 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: you know, when UK soccer fan ends really like you, 652 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:03,759 Speaker 1: they head butt you in the face, you know, Is 653 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: that what they told you why they told you they 654 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:08,720 Speaker 1: did that. Well, I mean I thought I was popular. 655 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 1: I did my best, But it's true. These things matter, 656 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,640 Speaker 1: and there there is a language to these types of 657 00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 1: behaviors that can absolutely be lost in translation. Yeah, like 658 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:23,000 Speaker 1: just personal space, Like if you're from the US and 659 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:25,400 Speaker 1: you travel to a place that's a different idea of 660 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 1: personal space, it gets real weird. Like people you don't 661 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,719 Speaker 1: know are you know, it's like that thing where if 662 00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 1: you've ever been in a public restroom and they're like 663 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,959 Speaker 1: four stand up urinals and then someone comes right next 664 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: to you, even though it's empty, somebody like that, Yeah, exactly, 665 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: Like it's weird how it smells like lilas and here 666 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:51,520 Speaker 1: are you gonna use that urinal cake? Or that just 667 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:55,840 Speaker 1: flick everyone? So, oh my god, we have a creepy 668 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:59,959 Speaker 1: bathroom at our office. But you're you're absolutely right. They're 669 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:04,560 Speaker 1: they were, Um, there was a cultural discrepancene, so they 670 00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:08,759 Speaker 1: were much relieved. But an attack did occur later, not 671 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 1: by humans but by mosquitoes. Because um, some people might 672 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: not know this, but you know, we think of Siberia 673 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,560 Speaker 1: is like this frozen waste land, but at the wrong 674 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:22,360 Speaker 1: time of year, it's mosquito town. What's that sound like? 675 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:32,880 Speaker 1: I'm glad you asked. Sorry, this was and they just 676 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 1: kept coming. Yeah, and they kept slapping, and they just 677 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 1: keep starting themselves, eyes, their ears, noses, their mouths. We 678 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,200 Speaker 1: can't recreate the volume, the sheer volume of mosquitoes that 679 00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:46,439 Speaker 1: existed in three and the audio, although maybe our super 680 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:49,720 Speaker 1: producer Max Williams can do so in post to some degree. 681 00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:53,880 Speaker 1: Big Mosquito Van, he's got like this just collection of 682 00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:57,520 Speaker 1: mosquitoes sounds yeah, they're like under glass. Okay, it sounds 683 00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: for sure. But he also has some beautiful missus that's 684 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:04,360 Speaker 1: a card from this South, such a class. Full disclosure, 685 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: we did a previous take of that mosquito attempt and 686 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 1: instead of clapping, I actually slapped myself in the face. 687 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:11,719 Speaker 1: It was a much more effective flesh on flesh sound. 688 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:13,840 Speaker 1: But now my face hurts. It was it was method. 689 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,000 Speaker 1: It was method, and I respect the method. So okay, 690 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 1: so right now things are reaching ahead, and the Protos 691 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:24,719 Speaker 1: team had maintained a lead right now in the race, 692 00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: but they were having their own problems. They were I then, 693 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,200 Speaker 1: I think Protos absolutely probably accurate, but I like to 694 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:38,400 Speaker 1: think of them as pisi being pronounced protost like Grecian 695 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,120 Speaker 1: just so yeah, like a like a Greek guy, a 696 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 1: great Grecian guy. This this issue took place near the 697 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 1: town of marinsk Uh. The German team, by the way, 698 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,360 Speaker 1: whenever we're dealing with these road race situations, and I 699 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:53,759 Speaker 1: can't speak from experience as can you. It's not like 700 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:55,920 Speaker 1: this at all, but I always picture it being a 701 00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:58,960 Speaker 1: lot like Wacky Racers, that kind of barbarrack cartoon where 702 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: there's high jinks and you know, various cartoon characters vying 703 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,680 Speaker 1: for being the wackiest races or like Twisted Metal and 704 00:43:05,719 --> 00:43:09,640 Speaker 1: now there are some really weird car car chases in 705 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,880 Speaker 1: car races, but this one, this one is interesting because 706 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:19,320 Speaker 1: these people have been through hell and back and the Germans, 707 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:22,200 Speaker 1: you know, we're talking about how infrastructure wasn't like it 708 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 1: is today. But the German team there, they run into 709 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:29,759 Speaker 1: a stream that is somehow still called the stream. It's 710 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,520 Speaker 1: two hundred feet wide and six ft deep. Their car 711 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:36,359 Speaker 1: can't go through it. So there that that town you're mentioning, uh, 712 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:40,880 Speaker 1: marinsk Uh. I don't know how this worked, but the 713 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:43,960 Speaker 1: people in this village sounds super cool. They do what 714 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:46,160 Speaker 1: do you do? A stream, do you ford it is that? 715 00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:48,279 Speaker 1: That's not what you do. That's what Oregon Trail told me. 716 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,920 Speaker 1: That aw some good people. How many how many times 717 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:58,920 Speaker 1: did you do you think you got? Was it malaria? No? No, dysentery. Dysentery, 718 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:01,680 Speaker 1: that's the big d. Yeah, it was a malaria. Although 719 00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 1: I would have been appropriate with the mosquitoes. I bet 720 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:06,719 Speaker 1: that might have been a problem in this racist I did. 721 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,680 Speaker 1: I don't know if anybody else did this. No, but 722 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:12,279 Speaker 1: I'm interested to hear from our ridiculous historians. Did you? 723 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:16,000 Speaker 1: Was I the only person who, when playing Oregon Trail 724 00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 1: would put the names of people that I didn't like 725 00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:20,359 Speaker 1: in my crew and then play it on like the 726 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 1: hardest mode. Uh that sounds like a kind of almost 727 00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:26,920 Speaker 1: like a hex you know, like, yeah, I actually got 728 00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:31,200 Speaker 1: an Oregon Trail card game. It's pretty cool. It's not bad. 729 00:44:31,239 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 1: And then you have a little tombstones that you write 730 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:36,399 Speaker 1: the names of your characters on. Oh okay, that took 731 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 1: a turn. That took a so you're you're right. Um, 732 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:44,520 Speaker 1: this is something like four dying stream or river. It's 733 00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:47,000 Speaker 1: a real thing you have to do. You can't do 734 00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:49,080 Speaker 1: it in a car because then the car would no 735 00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:52,520 Speaker 1: longer function after going through six ft of water. Oh dude, 736 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:54,439 Speaker 1: I mean even modern cars. Do you ever you ever 737 00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:57,319 Speaker 1: like driven in like horrible torrential rain and you go 738 00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:01,439 Speaker 1: through like a massive, you know, puddle, It can jack 739 00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:03,920 Speaker 1: up your car, like it starts to sputter, things happen. 740 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:06,799 Speaker 1: God forbid, you don't have one of those plastic undercarriage 741 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:09,480 Speaker 1: pieces that sort of protects but that that you know, 742 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:11,799 Speaker 1: even like I said, modern cars, that stuff is not 743 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:14,400 Speaker 1: good for your car, And this would have been a 744 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:17,680 Speaker 1: way more extreme version of that. So they totally do 745 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:21,400 Speaker 1: this really cool thing. The entire village apparently had nothing 746 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:25,080 Speaker 1: going on, and so they agreed to get together with 747 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: the German crew and they start throwing logs, throwing talking 748 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,400 Speaker 1: to hey, you gotta make sounds like that when you 749 00:45:32,440 --> 00:45:36,080 Speaker 1: throw logs timber, tim burn. Then hey, you okay, you 750 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:41,000 Speaker 1: gotta oh wit somebody with I don't know what, I 751 00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:45,600 Speaker 1: am certain they did so this. They put these logs 752 00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:47,680 Speaker 1: under the car to keep it afloat. They have a 753 00:45:47,719 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 1: team of horses tow it across and it takes ten hours. 754 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:55,200 Speaker 1: So we you know, we mentioned that other group took 755 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:58,399 Speaker 1: several days to do sixty miles. It's just a ten 756 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,920 Speaker 1: hours for a big stream. A big stream, I mean, 757 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:05,040 Speaker 1: I would say this definitely qualifies as a fording, wouldn't you, Yes, 758 00:46:06,239 --> 00:46:08,360 Speaker 1: because that's what fording is. I mean, it's not just waiting, 759 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:11,080 Speaker 1: otherwise they'd be called waiting. It requires some act of 760 00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:15,560 Speaker 1: ingenuity to get your stuff across that stream. And that's 761 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:19,680 Speaker 1: why Henry Ford named his company Ford Automobiles. Huge misconception, 762 00:46:19,719 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 1: has nothing to do with his last name. Always wondered 763 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:26,719 Speaker 1: that he wanted to make amphibbi boats. That's true. That is, 764 00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:29,960 Speaker 1: he did make it a car. Yeah, ridiculous history where 765 00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:33,120 Speaker 1: you're not where it's it's unclear where the truth and 766 00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:36,600 Speaker 1: the ridiculousness begins or vice versa. So that's a feat 767 00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:40,719 Speaker 1: of strength and ingenuity and and and expert forwarding. Uh So. 768 00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:46,080 Speaker 1: A little later, the Protos came upon a particularly muddy 769 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,320 Speaker 1: road that caused the car to sink into the swamps 770 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:52,600 Speaker 1: of sadness like a tray. Us horse is really really 771 00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:55,360 Speaker 1: a bummer and it's just sinking in there there in tears. 772 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,760 Speaker 1: They're looking at their car and say, why please don't 773 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:01,880 Speaker 1: leave me to the car, because at this point that 774 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 1: was all they have left yes, cart cart, Yes, we did. 775 00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:12,960 Speaker 1: Um and they got some help, didn't they, in the 776 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:17,319 Speaker 1: form of the thing that the car engine power is 777 00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:21,040 Speaker 1: named after. That's right. Yeah, the first they used four 778 00:47:21,080 --> 00:47:23,560 Speaker 1: horses to get across this stream. They had to have 779 00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 1: six horses. Are attacks car tax this thing out of 780 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:30,800 Speaker 1: that mud? Total ten horses coming to the aid of 781 00:47:30,840 --> 00:47:36,759 Speaker 1: these uh, these these wacky racers horsepower. That's okay, yeah, okay, 782 00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:39,719 Speaker 1: I'm picking up kind of I kind of went in 783 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,880 Speaker 1: reverse order there, but yeah, it's true. Uh, and that 784 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:47,680 Speaker 1: how they were on hand. We'll definitely never know. Well, 785 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,799 Speaker 1: there's not any way for us to find out. Yeah, 786 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:54,240 Speaker 1: sure we will. It will be a mystery loss to time. 787 00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:57,279 Speaker 1: What is a horse? No one really knows. That's a 788 00:47:57,320 --> 00:47:59,960 Speaker 1: true fact. So now look these people are happy at 789 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:05,320 Speaker 1: terrible day. And remember we said earlier Roberts flew the coop. 790 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:09,160 Speaker 1: So Schuster has been the soul driver and he is 791 00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:12,880 Speaker 1: at the end of his rope. He is the strain 792 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:15,600 Speaker 1: of driving that long. You know, driving for a long 793 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:19,640 Speaker 1: distance can wear on new road. Hypnosis is the real thing. Uh. 794 00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:23,040 Speaker 1: He also wasn't eating well, it wasn't getting much rest. 795 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:28,280 Speaker 1: He was doing something that I think we've all encountered. Actually, Matt, 796 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:31,600 Speaker 1: you and I have all encountered this different types in 797 00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:37,959 Speaker 1: our jobs. You're just gonna sleep whenever possible. That's like you. 798 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:39,719 Speaker 1: You can do that for a time, but it's it's 799 00:48:39,760 --> 00:48:47,279 Speaker 1: not Um, it's not sustainable. And so eventually Schuster let 800 00:48:47,440 --> 00:48:51,960 Speaker 1: someone else drive and the car, and now the team 801 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:55,720 Speaker 1: is doing much much better because this guy can finally 802 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:58,680 Speaker 1: take a break, kick out in the back and have 803 00:48:58,760 --> 00:49:14,680 Speaker 1: a snooze festum car tax sleep fart sleep. I'm looking 804 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:19,840 Speaker 1: over that is like, so Matt is um, Matt is 805 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:21,960 Speaker 1: our expert on three D audio, and so I keep 806 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:24,719 Speaker 1: looking over what we're doing for approval, to see if 807 00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:27,520 Speaker 1: it's approval, to see if he's just like, yeah, I 808 00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:29,279 Speaker 1: don't know. We don't know what was gonna happen. We 809 00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: get out of the boy. We're really classing up three 810 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,719 Speaker 1: D audio. Here's what we're doing. Yeah, we're giving you 811 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:39,880 Speaker 1: cinematic farts. Thank you, Matt, thank you. Yeah. Do we 812 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:44,640 Speaker 1: get like, is there a red carpet red farted whatever? 813 00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:49,440 Speaker 1: We're moving on. So, now that now the Thomas team 814 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:53,680 Speaker 1: is in a in much better positions in per Russia, 815 00:49:54,239 --> 00:49:57,600 Speaker 1: Schuster gets a telegram from the Thomas Factory in Buffalo, 816 00:49:57,719 --> 00:50:00,239 Speaker 1: New York. And they say, do you want else? The 817 00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,239 Speaker 1: sad and Montague Roberts to help you when you get 818 00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:05,120 Speaker 1: on the good Birds of Europe. And Schuster was so 819 00:50:05,160 --> 00:50:07,520 Speaker 1: mad that he could have and I love this phrase 820 00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:11,640 Speaker 1: eating nails. Have you ever heard that? Eating nails? So mad? 821 00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:13,640 Speaker 1: I could eat some nails. Let's see, let's think of 822 00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:18,720 Speaker 1: an analog. I'm so mad I could spit. There's one. Yeah, 823 00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:21,640 Speaker 1: I'm so mad at you sleepart. I don't think that's 824 00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:25,880 Speaker 1: the thing, sleepart so I mean, but using it in 825 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:28,279 Speaker 1: such a way I sleepfarty seems like a very pleasant thing. 826 00:50:28,320 --> 00:50:30,120 Speaker 1: I wouldn't. I would only do that if I out 827 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:35,759 Speaker 1: of an abundance of comfort in safety. Uh I. I 828 00:50:35,840 --> 00:50:38,799 Speaker 1: love hearing those, um those idioms that people just seem 829 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,439 Speaker 1: to have made up on this bottle. Wow, I'm sure 830 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,680 Speaker 1: that that's has to be a common one me. I guess. 831 00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:45,880 Speaker 1: So it seems like, I mean, it's first on me. 832 00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:48,840 Speaker 1: And you certainly would have to be pretty mad, like 833 00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:52,719 Speaker 1: I like like like crazy man like sleep deprived, insane? 834 00:50:52,719 --> 00:50:57,359 Speaker 1: Oh mad, you know, And so he immediately replies, this 835 00:50:57,400 --> 00:51:00,080 Speaker 1: is like when you are texting someone in a disagree it, 836 00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:03,880 Speaker 1: and they they start, you know, like just flame texting you, 837 00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 1: and you're thinking, okay, wow, they have they have way 838 00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:11,080 Speaker 1: more time to dedication. I've had a few girlfriends that 839 00:51:11,120 --> 00:51:14,640 Speaker 1: were very good at that. It's really hard when someone's 840 00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:17,280 Speaker 1: just blasting he it's really hard not to try to retort, 841 00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:19,080 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Well, also it's hard just 842 00:51:19,120 --> 00:51:21,880 Speaker 1: to keep the pace of the conversation because you know, 843 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:25,239 Speaker 1: the fight is never about the fight. Now, it's never 844 00:51:25,280 --> 00:51:28,520 Speaker 1: about the fight. It's a it's a sport, is what 845 00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:31,239 Speaker 1: it is. So what does Schuster say when he when 846 00:51:31,239 --> 00:51:35,000 Speaker 1: he shoots back, Uh, he he just says, July nine 847 00:51:35,239 --> 00:51:43,480 Speaker 1: arrived today, expect to reach Paris on July Shuster shooster out. Yeah. 848 00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:46,479 Speaker 1: And the implication here was that he was good enough 849 00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:53,360 Speaker 1: to drive the flyer through these very arduous, boggy terrains 850 00:51:53,360 --> 00:51:57,439 Speaker 1: of Siberia, but not through the capitals of Europe. Yes see, 851 00:51:57,440 --> 00:51:59,120 Speaker 1: that's the thing, like, if you think about it from 852 00:51:59,239 --> 00:52:05,320 Speaker 1: his perspective, he has been through terrible, terrible times. He's 853 00:52:05,360 --> 00:52:09,120 Speaker 1: really struggled, and he's he's a great driver, and he's saying, Okay, wow, 854 00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 1: I'm good enough to do the actual work would you 855 00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:17,000 Speaker 1: want someone else to get the credit? Severely eat some nails. 856 00:52:17,640 --> 00:52:21,280 Speaker 1: I get it exactly exactly. But here we are now again, 857 00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:27,960 Speaker 1: coming to you in three No no no no no, no, 858 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:30,279 Speaker 1: no no. That's a car. That's so. I thought it 859 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:33,840 Speaker 1: was maybe one of those like, let's do that, do 860 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:36,759 Speaker 1: do do do? Do Do? Do do dop breaking new his 861 00:52:36,800 --> 00:52:40,560 Speaker 1: bullets in the Chairman's across the finish line first, but 862 00:52:40,719 --> 00:52:49,640 Speaker 1: the American team wins the race. Why why do people 863 00:52:49,680 --> 00:52:53,600 Speaker 1: do as a sound effect for it sounds like a 864 00:52:53,920 --> 00:52:56,000 Speaker 1: coff in this crowd. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I'm 865 00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,520 Speaker 1: doing it more like a wheeze, like she's probably that's 866 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:02,560 Speaker 1: way better I was doing. There was one guy, there 867 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:08,040 Speaker 1: was one guy. Okay, yeah, but that's yeah, that's all. 868 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:10,120 Speaker 1: That's all she wrote. The Germans did cross the finish 869 00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:14,480 Speaker 1: line first, but due to a technicality, the Americans reigned supreme. Yes, 870 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:17,919 Speaker 1: that's right now. So is July, five and a half 871 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:22,080 Speaker 1: months after the beginning of the race, twenty one, thirty 872 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:24,920 Speaker 1: three miles from the start way over in Times Square, 873 00:53:25,840 --> 00:53:31,200 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Copen arrives in Paris, slowly gliding down the streets, 874 00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:36,840 Speaker 1: and a delegation of editors from the martin uh Mr Casey, 875 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:39,440 Speaker 1: he would know how pronounced the French. They greet him 876 00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:42,480 Speaker 1: with this is funny. They greet him and serve him 877 00:53:42,560 --> 00:53:46,000 Speaker 1: a cold buffet as a reception, and they have apparently 878 00:53:46,400 --> 00:53:53,200 Speaker 1: tepid enthusiasm because this was France, and the whole time 879 00:53:53,239 --> 00:53:57,360 Speaker 1: this race is happening, people can accumulate penalties and allowances. 880 00:53:57,400 --> 00:54:00,400 Speaker 1: So this means the American team still has a month 881 00:54:00,760 --> 00:54:05,680 Speaker 1: to finish and to win. And that's why four days later, 882 00:54:05,760 --> 00:54:09,640 Speaker 1: when Schuster and the Americans cruise into Paris, they get 883 00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:16,239 Speaker 1: this ecstatic crowd and are what are they shouting? The 884 00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:24,480 Speaker 1: same guy on his deathbed, he goes because vin car 885 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:31,200 Speaker 1: American and I don't eggs on stage left? Is this 886 00:54:31,280 --> 00:54:34,560 Speaker 1: stage left? This one stage left? I guess this would 887 00:54:34,560 --> 00:54:38,200 Speaker 1: be stage facing. Okay, by the way, everybody, this thing. 888 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:42,480 Speaker 1: It looks like it's like a weird head with only ears, 889 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:45,239 Speaker 1: and it's there must be something you've seen in a 890 00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:48,480 Speaker 1: sci fi film, because it's got these weird frames around it, 891 00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:51,400 Speaker 1: like there's like like the ears or like a living 892 00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:55,360 Speaker 1: piece of tissue that's somehow been cyber dies. You know, 893 00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:59,279 Speaker 1: it's connected with like some kind of metal piece exactly. 894 00:54:59,320 --> 00:55:01,560 Speaker 1: It reminds me those experiments where you could grow your 895 00:55:01,600 --> 00:55:04,640 Speaker 1: cartilage on a mouse. That's exactly right. And I gotta 896 00:55:04,680 --> 00:55:09,000 Speaker 1: say these are quite fetching ears. It's also if you'll notice, uh, 897 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:13,000 Speaker 1: these have the attached ear lobes, which is a recessive 898 00:55:13,080 --> 00:55:17,360 Speaker 1: genetic trait. Wow, I never thought about that. I totally 899 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:20,560 Speaker 1: doesn't matter, but to these, to these folks in Paris. 900 00:55:20,640 --> 00:55:24,239 Speaker 1: But so, like we said, Schuster, they find he and 901 00:55:24,280 --> 00:55:27,880 Speaker 1: the crew finally make it and that cat. Uh, the 902 00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:32,319 Speaker 1: Italians are running late, but they got really close to 903 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:35,080 Speaker 1: not winning. They almost didn't make it to the finish 904 00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:39,600 Speaker 1: line because get this, they got pulled over. Probably probably 905 00:55:39,600 --> 00:55:43,480 Speaker 1: a bit of a whip sound like that. They're more 906 00:55:43,520 --> 00:55:48,920 Speaker 1: like we read kind of effect. And maybe maybe they 907 00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:52,920 Speaker 1: didn't have sirens either. Maybe it's just like, hey, hey, 908 00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:56,200 Speaker 1: I think for some reason, I'm picturing our listeners at 909 00:55:56,200 --> 00:56:00,319 Speaker 1: home right now just screaming at their iPhones up with 910 00:56:00,360 --> 00:56:03,000 Speaker 1: the sound effects. We get at you, guys, we get at. 911 00:56:05,760 --> 00:56:08,560 Speaker 1: But yeah, they are pulled over mid race. Not a 912 00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:13,880 Speaker 1: good look. Uh. The officer approaches and uh what was 913 00:56:13,880 --> 00:56:16,040 Speaker 1: it for speeding? What even was said? They had no 914 00:56:16,239 --> 00:56:20,560 Speaker 1: working headlight and this is in Paris, like they are 915 00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:23,640 Speaker 1: so close to the finish line. Uh. They said, you've 916 00:56:23,640 --> 00:56:26,479 Speaker 1: got no working headlights, so according to the local law, 917 00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:30,600 Speaker 1: you cannot drive in the city at night. And of course, 918 00:56:30,640 --> 00:56:35,200 Speaker 1: since it's Paris, passling cyclists saw the scene and offered 919 00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:40,000 Speaker 1: to load his bicycle into the car to use as 920 00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:43,160 Speaker 1: a headlight because the bike had a functioning headlight, and 921 00:56:43,280 --> 00:56:48,200 Speaker 1: the officer, in a burst of magnanimity, magnanimity just he 922 00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:52,080 Speaker 1: was being nice, essentially let him go. Yeah, And so 923 00:56:52,480 --> 00:56:56,680 Speaker 1: six pm, the Thomas car has completed the race. Uh. 924 00:56:56,800 --> 00:56:59,839 Speaker 1: Even though the Protos arrived four days earlier, they had 925 00:56:59,880 --> 00:57:04,400 Speaker 1: the fifteen day penalty, and that gave the Americans the victory. 926 00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:09,040 Speaker 1: And Schuster, who has apparently done eating nails, insists that 927 00:57:09,160 --> 00:57:13,160 Speaker 1: Monty Roberts be there for the flyers returned to Times 928 00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:16,959 Speaker 1: Square where it all began in August nineteen o eight. 929 00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:20,120 Speaker 1: That's exactly right. And of course there was, you know, 930 00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:24,520 Speaker 1: a ticker tape parade, one would assume, raucous parties. And 931 00:57:24,560 --> 00:57:28,200 Speaker 1: after all of that, uh, subside and he just went 932 00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:31,760 Speaker 1: back to his job at the factory um where he 933 00:57:32,040 --> 00:57:35,840 Speaker 1: was guaranteed long term employment as long as the company 934 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:44,320 Speaker 1: remained afloat. That is just the most lackluster, anticlimactic the prize. Yeah, 935 00:57:44,360 --> 00:57:46,120 Speaker 1: I guess it is. It's kind of it's almost like 936 00:57:46,440 --> 00:57:48,880 Speaker 1: you think about the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 937 00:57:48,920 --> 00:57:52,360 Speaker 1: with Charlie inheriting the factory as being you know, kind 938 00:57:52,360 --> 00:57:55,280 Speaker 1: of somehow amazing. But it's also like, bro, you gotta 939 00:57:55,360 --> 00:57:58,800 Speaker 1: run a factory now, Yeah, you're not equipped for this. 940 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:01,760 Speaker 1: He's a kid, he's a little kid. What does he 941 00:58:01,880 --> 00:58:04,880 Speaker 1: know about manufacturing? Well, you know, it's uh, there are 942 00:58:04,920 --> 00:58:08,600 Speaker 1: people would say that being a a CEO for certain 943 00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:12,479 Speaker 1: companies doesn't really mean you do all that. I didn't 944 00:58:12,520 --> 00:58:14,120 Speaker 1: say he was the CEO. He said he was dam 945 00:58:14,200 --> 00:58:16,600 Speaker 1: giving it to you. Yeah, so maybe he's just the 946 00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:20,040 Speaker 1: ownership class now he doesn't really do anything. I suppose 947 00:58:20,040 --> 00:58:22,760 Speaker 1: the lumps probably have all that lockdown. Yeah, I mean 948 00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:26,800 Speaker 1: they've got a strong union. Honestly. Like also with the 949 00:58:26,920 --> 00:58:29,920 Speaker 1: UPA lupas, how much time do they spend making candy 950 00:58:30,120 --> 00:58:33,800 Speaker 1: versus working on choreography, yeah, or versus teaching lessons to 951 00:58:33,840 --> 00:58:36,520 Speaker 1: horrible children? Yeah, But the thing is they're not really 952 00:58:36,560 --> 00:58:42,520 Speaker 1: teaching the lessons because the children are. It feels like 953 00:58:42,560 --> 00:58:45,800 Speaker 1: the children have lifelong injuries. At this point, they're not 954 00:58:45,880 --> 00:58:49,400 Speaker 1: going to recover the very least irreparable PTSD. I thought 955 00:58:49,400 --> 00:58:52,040 Speaker 1: they did Goosta dirty. I'm gonna say he did not 956 00:58:52,200 --> 00:58:54,520 Speaker 1: deserve what happened to him when he got sucked up 957 00:58:54,520 --> 00:58:57,280 Speaker 1: in the tubes. Yeah, just because he likes chocolate, he said. 958 00:58:57,280 --> 00:59:02,720 Speaker 1: It can be thinking August's Augustus. Uh, but it's also 959 00:59:02,840 --> 00:59:04,680 Speaker 1: kind of body shaming in a lot of ways, you know. 960 00:59:04,720 --> 00:59:06,680 Speaker 1: And I mean not to be like two PC about it, 961 00:59:06,720 --> 00:59:10,120 Speaker 1: but uh, one thing I will say, I watched it, Sorr. 962 00:59:10,120 --> 00:59:11,680 Speaker 1: We're gonna go from the standard it's worth it. I 963 00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:15,400 Speaker 1: recently watched the comparison video of the nineteen seventies Willy 964 00:59:15,440 --> 00:59:20,760 Speaker 1: Wonka and the awful borderline watchable, Uh Tim Burton one know, 965 00:59:21,360 --> 00:59:24,680 Speaker 1: so I just yes, well, you know it's it's they're 966 00:59:24,680 --> 00:59:27,440 Speaker 1: two very different movies, they are. But the one thing 967 00:59:27,520 --> 00:59:31,920 Speaker 1: that the comparison YouTube YouTubers um mentioned is that the 968 00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:35,960 Speaker 1: chocolate in the seventies one it looks like liquid diarrhea. 969 00:59:36,080 --> 00:59:39,840 Speaker 1: It really doesn't. That's why I think, you know, Augustus 970 00:59:40,040 --> 00:59:43,440 Speaker 1: was done dirty because he was he was being adventurous 971 00:59:44,000 --> 00:59:47,040 Speaker 1: and he wasn't hurting any I guess he was contaminating 972 00:59:47,080 --> 00:59:50,080 Speaker 1: the Chocolate River. Anyway, Before we get to the very 973 00:59:50,800 --> 00:59:53,680 Speaker 1: end the wrap up of this, I've got to tell you, folks, 974 00:59:54,080 --> 00:59:56,560 Speaker 1: if you were a fan of Willy Wonka, there is 975 00:59:56,600 --> 01:00:01,360 Speaker 1: an amazing theory that snow Piercer is a sequel to 976 01:00:01,520 --> 01:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Willy Wonka to the nineteen seventies one. I know it 977 01:00:04,280 --> 01:00:06,919 Speaker 1: sounds crazy. Check out the YouTube video after you listen 978 01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:09,360 Speaker 1: to this. It is a little bit long, but it 979 01:00:09,480 --> 01:00:10,960 Speaker 1: is compelling. Have you seen this? Do you know what 980 01:00:11,000 --> 01:00:12,640 Speaker 1: I'm talking about? Have you heard about? No? I haven't, 981 01:00:12,680 --> 01:00:14,840 Speaker 1: but I love I love the concept and I'm already 982 01:00:14,880 --> 01:00:18,000 Speaker 1: thinking of scenarios how this could be the case. But 983 01:00:18,480 --> 01:00:22,000 Speaker 1: like most good things, the Thomas Company did come to 984 01:00:22,120 --> 01:00:25,919 Speaker 1: it and a doubt right collapse, and all of its 985 01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:29,600 Speaker 1: remaining models and parts, et cetera were auctioned off. Lot 986 01:00:29,720 --> 01:00:34,880 Speaker 1: number eighteen twenty nine was listed as the famous New 987 01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:39,080 Speaker 1: York to Paris racer. And that is why even today, 988 01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:42,520 Speaker 1: should you travel to Reno, Nevada, you can check out 989 01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:47,000 Speaker 1: the Thomas flyer at the National Automobile Museum. We've got 990 01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:50,960 Speaker 1: some listeners in Reno, one of whom is offered to 991 01:00:51,520 --> 01:00:54,000 Speaker 1: grisly offered to teach me golf. I don't know how 992 01:00:54,040 --> 01:00:56,479 Speaker 1: it works, so and we taught golf. I think either 993 01:00:56,520 --> 01:01:00,320 Speaker 1: got it or yans it's like, it's like it's a 994 01:01:00,360 --> 01:01:02,880 Speaker 1: gulf is a vibe more than a sport, and completely 995 01:01:02,920 --> 01:01:05,760 Speaker 1: agree it's also a flex. Ben. Can you remind listeners 996 01:01:05,760 --> 01:01:08,880 Speaker 1: about where to check out that car stuff episode that 997 01:01:09,360 --> 01:01:12,960 Speaker 1: was adjacent to this topic? Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely you 998 01:01:13,000 --> 01:01:16,600 Speaker 1: can just uh really, it's as simple as searching car 999 01:01:16,640 --> 01:01:20,680 Speaker 1: stuff for the New York to Paris auto race. And 1000 01:01:20,720 --> 01:01:24,120 Speaker 1: it should, it should pop right up. It's ah, this 1001 01:01:24,200 --> 01:01:27,280 Speaker 1: is terrible. We've gone too far to turn back. Now 1002 01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:31,240 Speaker 1: it's a wild ride. So this is the end of 1003 01:01:31,280 --> 01:01:35,080 Speaker 1: our three D segment. We hope you enjoyed a little 1004 01:01:35,080 --> 01:01:38,240 Speaker 1: bit of audio theater you mind. We also hope you 1005 01:01:38,520 --> 01:01:41,480 Speaker 1: appreciate the roads you have now indeed of the mind, 1006 01:01:41,560 --> 01:01:45,840 Speaker 1: of the brain of all all those things. Huge thanks 1007 01:01:45,880 --> 01:01:48,600 Speaker 1: to Max Williams for putting up with having to do 1008 01:01:48,680 --> 01:01:52,400 Speaker 1: post production on this, and even Huger No equally huge 1009 01:01:52,440 --> 01:01:57,200 Speaker 1: thanks to Matt Frederick for teaching us the ways and 1010 01:01:57,200 --> 01:02:00,440 Speaker 1: and and for touching these weird creepy flea sheet ear 1011 01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:02,760 Speaker 1: things and not making us do it so huge hooch 1012 01:02:02,840 --> 01:02:06,560 Speaker 1: thinks as well to our producer crew, uh Casey Pegraham, 1013 01:02:06,760 --> 01:02:10,840 Speaker 1: Andrew Howard, Alex Williams, who can pose that slap a 1014 01:02:10,960 --> 01:02:13,560 Speaker 1: track uh not in three D audio. But Alex is 1015 01:02:13,600 --> 01:02:16,120 Speaker 1: also a bit of a three D audio offician nod 1016 01:02:16,960 --> 01:02:20,120 Speaker 1: don't if I do say so yourself. Yeah, he's no 1017 01:02:20,240 --> 01:02:22,880 Speaker 1: Dodo when it comes to the three D O uh 1018 01:02:23,080 --> 01:02:25,520 Speaker 1: three D audio the mic here is called the three 1019 01:02:25,600 --> 01:02:28,040 Speaker 1: D I. Oh that's where it was Yeah, made by 1020 01:02:28,120 --> 01:02:31,840 Speaker 1: d O. Yes, its rocks for a long long time. Um, 1021 01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:33,439 Speaker 1: but now it's time for him to pass the torch 1022 01:02:33,520 --> 01:02:35,760 Speaker 1: and for us to pass the torch to you. Ridiculous 1023 01:02:35,840 --> 01:02:38,360 Speaker 1: Historians where you can check us out on the Internet 1024 01:02:38,360 --> 01:02:40,520 Speaker 1: where we are ridiculous history on every place you could 1025 01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:43,960 Speaker 1: possibly imagine. Our favorite place, of course on the Internet 1026 01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:46,440 Speaker 1: is Ridiculous Historians Facebook group where you can get into 1027 01:02:46,440 --> 01:02:49,400 Speaker 1: the conversation with us. Join us there, we pop in, 1028 01:02:49,840 --> 01:02:53,160 Speaker 1: we pop out. Definitely some great folks in that group. Um. 1029 01:02:53,200 --> 01:02:55,840 Speaker 1: You can also find us individually as human people on 1030 01:02:55,920 --> 01:02:58,480 Speaker 1: the Internet in our own rights. I am on Instagram 1031 01:02:58,520 --> 01:03:01,600 Speaker 1: exclusively at how now Noel Brown, and you can find 1032 01:03:01,600 --> 01:03:05,200 Speaker 1: me on Twitter at Ben bullin hs W or on 1033 01:03:05,280 --> 01:03:08,440 Speaker 1: Instagram at Ben Bulling bo w l i A, this 1034 01:03:08,480 --> 01:03:10,080 Speaker 1: is weird. I got close to the other side and 1035 01:03:10,200 --> 01:03:12,480 Speaker 1: it's like we're in kissing distance and I was there 1036 01:03:12,520 --> 01:03:14,919 Speaker 1: too and it was good. It's weird, but you should 1037 01:03:14,960 --> 01:03:17,680 Speaker 1: definitely check up in such profiles because he does some 1038 01:03:17,800 --> 01:03:21,360 Speaker 1: really funny goal stuff the Internet. Thank you as this year, 1039 01:03:21,480 --> 01:03:24,720 Speaker 1: Okay for everybody, it's definitely as the community or Okay, 1040 01:03:25,400 --> 01:03:33,640 Speaker 1: we'll see you next tide box. For more podcasts for 1041 01:03:33,720 --> 01:03:36,520 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 1042 01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:38,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.