1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Menkey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. In sixteen fifty, English theologian Thomas Fuller coined 7 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: the phrase it's always darkest before the dawn. It means 8 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: things often seem hopeless or their bleakest, just before they 9 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: turn around for the better. Ulysses Has Grant, for example, 10 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: quit the army in eighteen fifty four when he was 11 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: only thirty two years old. He went off to Missouri 12 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,319 Speaker 1: to become a farmer and a leather trader, but he 13 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: couldn't cut it. His family suffered, he'd drink heavily and 14 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: almost lost everything. Then in eighteen sixty one, America became 15 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: embroiled in a bloody civil war, and Grant, with few 16 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: other opportunities, decided to rejoin the military, and he proved 17 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: himself to be a strong leader, winning battles against the 18 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: South and working his way up until he was promoted 19 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: to lead the entire Union army. Eventually, he was even 20 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: elected President of the United States, a far cry from 21 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: the failure he almost became. History is full of stories 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: like this, with people in dire circumstances on the brink 23 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: of disaster until the tide's turn in their favor, and 24 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: this happened quite literally in fifteen sixty eight. That year, 25 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: the Dutch and King Philip the Second of Spain began 26 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: a major conflict with each other that would become known 27 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: as the Eighty Years War. The Dutch were vying for independence, 28 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: and by the time the war was over, they had 29 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: lost at least a hundred thousand soldiers plus an unknown 30 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: number of civilian casualties. One of the more important battles 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: heard in fifteen seventy three in the South Holland city 32 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: of Leiden. Spain's forces were considerable, numbering amount fifteen thousand 33 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: compared to the Dutchess eleven thousand. However, despite their numbers, 34 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: Spain wasn't prepared for what they encountered upon entering Leiden. 35 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: The Spanish, under the command of Francisco da Valdez, began 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: their invasion in October of fifteen seventy three. They got 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: off to a rough start almost immediately, though they couldn't 38 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: dig trenches due to the loose soil, and the city 39 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: had established formidable defenses in advance of their arrival. Backing 40 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: the Dutch rebels were the Scottish, the English, and the French, 41 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: who all worked together and put up an admirable fight 42 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: for over six months. And then in April of fifteen 43 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: seventy four, the rebels tried to give the city a 44 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: break by sending an army to the Netherlands to distract Valdez. 45 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: The Spanish officer stopped the siege for a bit to 46 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: attend to this splintered faction, but another general took care 47 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: of things and wiped them out first. The Spanish restarted 48 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: this age the following month, and things looked grim for 49 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: the Dutch. Supplies were running out, the rebels had lost 50 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: ground and their casualties were growing. William of Orange, the 51 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: leader of the Dutch revolt, sent a carrier pigeon to 52 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: the city, begging them to hold on for just another 53 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: few months until he could bring them reinforcements. And William 54 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: had more than troops. He had a plan. He would 55 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: break the dikes that had long protected the city from 56 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: flooding by the North Sea, and with the dike's gone, 57 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: the north Sea would wash over the land, allowing the 58 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: Dutch fleet to rush in and relieve Leiden. Two ships 59 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: were stockpiled with supplies and food for Lydens citizens ready 60 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: to go. The dikes were breached and the rebel fleet, well, 61 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: it didn't go anywhere. The water wasn't high enough to 62 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: let them travel as far as they needed to, about 63 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: fifteen miles. The ships could only go small distances before 64 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: encountering an enemy vessel or a dike that needed to 65 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: be cut down. At one point, things got so dire 66 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: in enlightened that the townsfolk hungry and desk Britt called 67 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: for a surrender. The reinforcements that they had been promised 68 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: hadn't arrived yet, and their outlook was bleak. Thousands had 69 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: starved to death already, but the mayor employed everyone to 70 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: wait for help to arrive. He even suggested that they 71 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: eat his arm to stay alive. The people of Leightden 72 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: did hold on, knowing that they'd be killed by the 73 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: Spanish if they all gave up. Finally, on October one, 74 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: storms brought heavy rains and powerful winds to the area, 75 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: the dikes were overrun and Lighten was flooded. The Spanish 76 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: men on the ground abandoned their posts and fled as 77 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: the waters rose, while those on ships retreated before the 78 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: Dutch fleet showed up. On October three, rebel ships finally arrived, 79 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: sailing into the streets and feeding the weakened people of 80 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: Leightden with herring and white bread. William of Orange's plan 81 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: had actually worked, although it had taken longer than expected, 82 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: and all they had needed was a little help from 83 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: Mother Nature. These days, I'm betting that just about everyone 84 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: is familiar with the idea of steampunk. Stories like Mortal 85 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: Engines bring these worlds to life, built up clockwork machines 86 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: operating with cogs and cranks, churning out smoke like factory billows. 87 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 1: It looks pretty cool, as impractical and impossible as it is, 88 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 1: although it's not totally impossible. In fact, there was a 89 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: short time in Europe when the reality of these mechanics 90 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: was full steam ahead, even becoming the livelihood of many inventors, 91 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: and one such man was James Cox, and like many 92 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: of his contemporaries, he was a man of many talents. 93 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: He was a jeweler and a goldsmith, which is where 94 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: he found a capital to foray into the wonderful world 95 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: of automata. Using his other skill sets, James became known 96 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: for creating clockwork curios encrusted with jewels and gold. He 97 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: referred to them as sing songs, since they well sang 98 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: songs in addition to all their other abilities. Not unlike 99 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: a wind up toy. Today, all you had to do 100 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: was turn the crank or twist the knob and watch 101 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: as the creation came to life, running its cycle until 102 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: it was ready to be started again. And while the 103 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: British public was more or less interested in these creations, 104 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: it was new lands in the Far East that James 105 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: targeted for his primary market. Even the Chinese emperor at 106 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 1: the time was a satisfied customer of james Cox, purchasing 107 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: a large mechanical chariot that he kept at his court. 108 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: James made so much money from his sales to the 109 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: Far East that he was instrumental in reducing the British 110 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: trade deficit, alongside another chief export of the time, t Unfortunately, 111 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: only one of these items would stand the test of 112 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: time as the Eastern market saturated. Though James fell on 113 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: hard times and decided to open up his own curiosity 114 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: museum in the Great Room met Spring Gardens in London. 115 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: And honestly, I feel like that was a move I 116 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: can get behind. Curiosities need to be shared right there 117 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: in his museum. Tickets to see his clockwork oddities carried 118 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: an exorbitant price, but one the public was willing to pay. 119 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: The exhibit became such a hit that had appeared in 120 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: numerous novels and plays of the time, and became a 121 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: favorite of patrons like British writer Samuel Johnson. And by 122 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: this time James had constructed his most famous work, the 123 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: Peacock Clock, featuring three life size peacocks that could dance 124 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: and preen as if they were alive. Only these peacocks 125 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: were made of gold, silver and gems. Staying with the 126 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: general theme, he also worked with John Joseph Merlin to 127 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: create a silver swan that could lift its wings, swim 128 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: and catch a fish in its beak. Both pieces ended 129 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: up on display at the Hermitage Museum in Russia, purchased 130 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: by Catherine the Great. At its zenith, the London Curio 131 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: Museum may have even displayed the severed head of Oliver Cromwell. 132 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: Although I'm happy to report that it wasn't modified with 133 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: any steampunk functions. It did not sing or wink either, 134 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: at least not that we know of. Unfortunately, in a 135 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: volatile national economy, James soon found his fortune turned to dust, 136 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: declaring bankruptcy as his plea for royal patronage fell on 137 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: deaf ears. Many of the pieces were sold by lottery, 138 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: and James was left more or less right back where 139 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: he had started. Richer in experience and knowledge, for sure, 140 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: but not in funds. A few years later he declared 141 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: bankruptcy yet again. You see, while James Cox had a 142 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: brilliant mind for mechanics and musical whimsies, he could not 143 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: maintain a sustainable income in a marketplace that was, believe 144 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: it or not, already flooded with mechanical birds that sang 145 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: and dance. James remained in business as a retailer following 146 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: his second bankruptcy until his death in eighteen hundred. Like 147 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,439 Speaker 1: many artists of his day, he died with very little 148 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,080 Speaker 1: money to his name, only to have his work grow 149 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: in value long after his death, and the handiwork of 150 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: James Cox is still changing hands for large sums of 151 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: cash today. Back in two thousand twelve, for instance, a 152 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: large musical clock that had previously been owned by the 153 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: Egyptian king Farouk sold for nearly six hundred thousand dollars. 154 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: Who knows what James might have spent that sort of 155 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: money on back in his day, but I'm willing to 156 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: bet that whatever it was, it would have danced, saying 157 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: and maybe even flapped its wings. I hope you've enjoyed 158 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for 159 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show 160 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created 161 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. 162 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is 163 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can 164 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the World of Lore 165 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious one