1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 2: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 7 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: What makes ghost stories so frightening is how powerless we 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: feel in the face of something that we can't explain. 9 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: We know how to deal with human conflict, but the 10 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: supernatural is a whole different story. After all, you can't 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: exactly arrest a ghost or sue a demon, at least 12 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: you can't in movies. In real life, it seems that 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: things are different, And in two thousand and nine, one 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: family didn't just try to their demons. They took them 15 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 1: to court. That year, a family living near the Holy 16 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: City of Medina in Saudi Arabia came to the head 17 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: of their local tribunal with a strange claim they wanted 18 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: the courts helped to settle a dispute with a genie. Now, 19 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: for Westerners, the word genie conjures up images of little 20 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: men living in oil lamps, granting wishes with magical powers. 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: The role these chaotic figures play in literature, religion, and 22 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: popular imagination is much more diverse than that. Though genies 23 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: were originally spirits worshiped by pre Islamic Arab people called Gin, 24 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: they appeared in folk tales, poems, and traditions from Eastern 25 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: Asia to North Africa. When Islams spread across the region 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: and the six hundreds, it adopted genies into its belief system. 27 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: They're even mentioned several times in the Quran. According to tradition, 28 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: gin or genies are spirits made of air that can 29 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: shape shift into shapes like dogs, snakes, or even human beings. 30 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: They're not good or evil, but ei genie is as 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: morally complex as a person, free to make their own decisions, 32 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,519 Speaker 1: live a noble life, or cause mischief. Interestingly, many early 33 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: Arab poets credited their verses to genies, who they said 34 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: inspired them, much like ancient Greek muses. Some even claimed 35 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: to fall in love with them. For the most part, 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: though genies are seen as dangerous spirits. They might grant 37 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: you knowledge or talent, but they may just dis easily 38 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: bring you misfortune. In some especially dire cases, a genie 39 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: might stalk you, haunt you, or even possess your body, 40 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: which brings us back to our family living near Medina. 41 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: As strange things kept happening to them, the stories they 42 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: heard of malicious genies began to ring true. The family, 43 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: which wished to remain anonymous, had lived in the same 44 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: house for around fifteen years. Beginning in two thousand and seven, 45 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: they started to notice strange things happening inside their home. 46 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: At first, it was just odd, unexpected noises in the night, 47 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: noises made when there was nobody there, or sounds that 48 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: no human could have made. The family ignored it. It 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: was the house shifting, they said, or their imaginations, nothing 50 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: to worry about. Displeased that being ignored, whatever was making 51 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: the noise decided to escalate. One night, the family awoke 52 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: to hard thumps against the wall, which scared the children. 53 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: Whatever was attacking them had started throwing rocks at the 54 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,399 Speaker 1: side of the house. Although frightened by the inexplicable attacks, 55 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: the family refused to leave their home of fifteen years, 56 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: so the genie decided to send them a message that 57 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: they couldn't ignore. Months into this strange activity, members of 58 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: the family began getting calls from strange numbers on their 59 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: cell phones. Someone or something was leaving threatening voicemails, and 60 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: the rock throwing picked up too, so that stones came 61 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: flying at the family members themselves whenever they wanted to 62 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: leave the house at night. The being that was attacking 63 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: the house didn't just want to disturb them, It wanted 64 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: to hurt them. Every member of the family had some 65 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: kind of experience with this unseen dangerous entity. As they 66 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: put the incident side by side, though, they came to 67 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: the same conclusion, a malicious genie must be the one 68 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: targeting the family. In many schools of thought in Islam, 69 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: genies are considered real intelligent beings beholden to these same 70 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 1: divine laws as humans. Looking for a solution, the family 71 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: figured that if genies must follow the same heavenly rules, 72 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 1: maybe they would follow the same earthly ones as well. 73 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: The family moved out of their house, went to their 74 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: local courts and petitioned to open a case. They were 75 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: going to sue the genie. Now it's not clear whether 76 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: or not the case made it through the Saudi court system, 77 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: but what we do know is that court officers opened 78 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: an investigation, and since every member of the family filed 79 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: the case instead of it just being a complaint by 80 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: one person. The court swore to fully examine the matter. 81 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: They'd find out what was going on inside the house 82 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: and whether the court could even make rulings on the 83 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: behavior of a genie. Hopefully, threatening legal action got the 84 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: family what it wanted. If not, then they most likely 85 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: went to trial, and for some lucky lawyer, all those 86 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: years of playing devil's advocate finally paid off. Deep down, 87 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: everyone wonders if they have what it takes to be 88 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 1: a hero. You can't really know for sure until your 89 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: metal is tested by fire. But when that moment of 90 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: crisis arrives, there is no hiding from it. You either 91 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: run freeze up, or you seize your destiny and act. 92 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: During World War II, for example, British civilians got more 93 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: than their share of opportunities to prove their heroism. In 94 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: the early years of the war, Germany tested the nation 95 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: with the Blitz, a mass aerial bombing campaign targeting London 96 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: and major industrial centers around the United Kingdom. Their main 97 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: objective was to interrupt the production of tanks, planes, and 98 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: other weapons, but it also led to the destruction of 99 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,559 Speaker 1: some two million homes and forty three thousand, five hundred 100 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: civilian deaths. Despite the constant threat of attack, people went 101 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: about their lives as normally as possible, while contributing to 102 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: the war efforts in whatever ways they could. They literally 103 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: kept calm and carried on by walking to work past 104 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: the leveled houses of their neighborhoods, thus proving the stiff 105 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 1: upper lip that they were famous for. But underneath, everyone 106 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: waited in anticipation for the next attack, not knowing if 107 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: their home would be next. When the bombs fell, many 108 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: everyday citizens flew into action, putting out fires and dragging 109 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: their neighbors to safety. Still, one British civilian stands out 110 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: for saving her family not once, but twice during the war. 111 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: The first instance came in April of nineteen forty one, 112 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: during an attack on London. An incendiary bomb came crashing 113 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: through the roof of a London house. Rather than being 114 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: designed to explode, these bombs contained highly flammable materials that 115 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: would ignite upon impact, producing fires hot enough to melt steel. 116 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: But rather than fleeing, a young civilian named Juliana, who 117 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: lived in the house, raced straight for the bomb. She 118 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: didn't have any training with explosives or materials on hand 119 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: to help fight the fire that was starting to ignite. 120 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: But despite the obvious danger, she didn't run away. She 121 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: simply squatted over the bomb and urinated on it. And 122 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: I'm realizing right now that it might help you to 123 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: picture this scene more accurately to note that Juliana was 124 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: a dog, a great Dane to be precise, and by 125 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: peeing on that Nazi incendiary bomb, she saved her owners 126 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: from almost certain death that night. Soon after, she was 127 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: honored for her bravery with a Blue Cross medal. This 128 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: award has been used in the UK since World War 129 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: One to recognize animals for their bravery and selflessness. Initially, 130 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: it was most often given to horses who carried their 131 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: officers into battle compared to those warriors, though Juliana was 132 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: just a civilian, but she proved herself to be a 133 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: hero all the same. A few years later, she did 134 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: it again. In November of nineteen forty four, a fire 135 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: broke out in her owner's shoe shop. This time, Juliana 136 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: barked to wake her owners up, giving them time to 137 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: put out the flames. For this incident, she received her 138 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: second Blue Cross medal, but Sadly, Juliana died soon after 139 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: the war under nefarious circumstances. We don't know who was 140 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: responsible or what motivated them, but someone slipped poison through 141 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: her master's mail slot one night. Juliana ingested it and 142 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: passed away soon after. It's a tragic end for our hero, 143 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: but her story lives on. It came to lights in 144 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: twenty thirteen when one of the medals was sold at 145 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: an auction in Bristol, along with a watercolor portrait of 146 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: Juliana herself. They went for eleven hundred pounds, many times 147 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: above the asking price, and the impressed auctioneer concluded the 148 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: sale by praising Juliana's accomplishments, commenting that she was a 149 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 1: great Dane with a great bladder. But she's more than 150 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: just a dog who peed on a bomb. In a way, 151 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: she represents all the British citizens who rode out the blitz. 152 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: They may not have been soldiers, but they stepped up 153 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: when their country needed them. They fought the war with 154 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: every tool at their disposal, by collecting scrap metal, working 155 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,439 Speaker 1: in factories and forming bucket brigades when their neighborhoods caught fire, 156 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: and in the same way Juliana fought the Nazis with 157 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: everything she had loyalty, courage, and one powerful stream. I 158 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,680 Speaker 1: hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 159 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 160 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 161 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how 162 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 163 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 164 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the Worldolore 165 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.