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 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: Where there's no risk, there's no reward. Crack open any 7 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: history book and you'll find the stories of people who 8 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: were willing to gamble everything to achieve their dreams. One 9 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: of those people was Jean Beret. He was born in 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: rural France in seventeen forty and was fated to become 11 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: a farmer, just like his dad. But Jean didn't want 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: to grow plants. He wanted to study them. He dreamed 13 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: of becoming a botanist, and although the cards were stacked 14 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: against him, Jean had enough bravery and determination to break 15 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: away from the farm and find work as a botanist 16 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: assistant in Paris. He worked alongside Philibet Commerson, a more 17 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: established botanist who collected in catalog new plant species. Commerson 18 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: was so famous that in seventeen sixty seven he was 19 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: hand selected by King Louis the fifteenth for an exciting expedition. 20 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: Two government funded naval ships were about to take off 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,040 Speaker 1: for a trip around the globe. The King appointed Commerson 22 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: as the head botanist on a ship called the Etoal, 23 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: and Commerson asked Jean Beret to come along as his 24 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: botanical assistant slash cabin boy. At twenty seven years old, 25 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: Jean wasn't exactly a boy, but he also wasn't in 26 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: any position to turn down such a big offer. He 27 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: happily accepted, and that same year he and Commerson boarded 28 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: the Yetoale and took off on the adventure of a lifetime. 29 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: Only the conditions on the ship were harsher than anything 30 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: Jean might have imagined. With over one hundred men on board, 31 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: the quarters were cramped and dirty food and water were scarce. 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: It would take months to get from one destination to 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: the next, which meant months of floating in the wide 34 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 1: open sea. At one point, when rations were dangerously low, 35 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: the crew was reduced to eating rats. Likely due to 36 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: this horrible living situation, Commerson became ill. He developed an 37 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: ulcer on his leg that wouldn't heel, and while Jean 38 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: had dreamed of doing glamorous international botanical research. He wound 39 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: up caring for his sick employer for the majority of 40 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: the voyage. Still, there were good moments. When the Aetoale 41 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: reached Brazil, for example, Jean ventured inland by himself to 42 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: survey the plants. There, he made one of the most 43 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: famous discoveries of the entire expedition, a previously unknown, at 44 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: least unknown to Europeans, vining flower known as the Boganvilia. 45 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: The ship also made stops in Madagascar and Papa and 46 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: New Guinea, among others. Jean cataloged and took samples of 47 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: hundreds of different plant species, and then about a year 48 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: into the journey, the ship landed on Tahiti, and that's 49 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: where everything fell apart for Jean. When the crew stepped 50 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: off the ship, they were approached by local Tahitians. Right away, 51 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: a group of men surrounded Jean. They took note of 52 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: his shorter than average stature and his beardless chin. According 53 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: to one retelling, a Tahitian man called Jean Mahu, which 54 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: was a word for a person who lives as a 55 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: different gender than the one they were assigned at birth. 56 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: The label didn't come with any judgment. Trans people were 57 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: respected in Tahiti, but it did create a huge problem 58 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: for Jean. You see, Jean wasn't trans, but she wasn't 59 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: a cis man either. Her real name was Jean, and 60 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: she'd spent her entire year long trip aboard the Atoal 61 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: living in disguise. There was only one person who knew 62 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: her real identity, Philibet Commerson, who was both her employer 63 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: and her lover. Ever since Jean had broken away from 64 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: the farm in rural France, she had been living and 65 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: working with Commerson. They'd made great botanical discoveries together, and 66 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: they'd also had a son who they agreed to put 67 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: up for adoption, most likely to keep their relationship a secret. 68 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: So as you'd imagine, when Commerson accepted the position as 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: head botanist on the Attoal, Jane's company was never in question. 70 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: But because eighteenth century French law specifically forbade women from 71 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: stepping foot on naval ships, she could only go if 72 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: she masqueraded as a man, and the disguise had worked 73 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: well sort of. The fact that Jean never changed clothes 74 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: around any of the other men had aroused suspicion, and 75 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: the callouts in Tahiti was the nail in her coffin. 76 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: In response to the discovery, the crew agreed to take 77 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: Jean and Commerson only as far as Mauritius, an East 78 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: African island nation where there was a French settlement. When 79 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: the Aetoal took off again without them, they were basically stranded. 80 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 1: They made the best of a horrible situation, though, continuing 81 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: their botanical work for about five years, and then Commerson 82 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: died suddenly, leaving Jane all alone. Always one to rise 83 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: up in the face adversity, Jean opened a tavern so 84 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: that she would be able to support herself. Less than 85 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: a year later, she met a French army officer who 86 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: was visiting the island. She married him, although whether the 87 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: nuptials were motivated by love or the promise of a 88 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: trip back to France, we can't be sure. Nevertheless, Jean 89 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: eventually made it back home to Paris. And here's the 90 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: real kicker. She had always been motivated by two things, 91 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: studying botany and staying with Philibert Commerson. She had never 92 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: really meant to make history, but she did, and not 93 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: for anything to do with flowering vines. You see, it 94 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: turns out that That final trip back to France made 95 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 1: Jean Beret the first woman in recorded history to have 96 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: ever circumnavigated the globe. And I guess you could say 97 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: that her risks certainly paid off. Can I say something 98 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: obvious to you? Books are special. They can alter a 99 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: person's viewpoint, shift their mood, and even change their life. 100 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: A good book is hard to put down. A great 101 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: book is one that never leaves you, even after you've 102 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,679 Speaker 1: closed the cover. But one book has been keeping people 103 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: up at night for the last thirty years. And it's 104 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: not that it's scary or suspenseful. It's because of an 105 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 1: Owl on The Trail of the Golden Owl was written 106 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,799 Speaker 1: by French author Regis Hauser in nineteen ninety three. Although 107 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: the idea had come to him about a decade and 108 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: a half earlier, it had been a serious project, requiring 109 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 1: upwards of four hundred and fifty hours to complete. But 110 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: this wasn't just any novel or nonfiction work. By the 111 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: time he was done, Hauser had crafted eleven elaborate clues 112 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: you see. What he had devised was a treasure hunt. 113 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: Artist Michelle Becker provided eleven paintings for the book, each 114 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,119 Speaker 1: one just as beautiful and detailed as the clues they accompanied. Together, 115 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: they would guide one resourceful sleuth to the location of 116 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: the final prize, a ten inch tall bronze statue of 117 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: an owl. Now normally such a meager reward wouldn't be 118 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: enough to entice amateur treasure hunters to devote years to 119 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: its discovery, but this owl was different. It was only 120 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: a placeholder. Once it was found, it could be exchanged 121 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: by the winner for the real owl, an identical version 122 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: cast in silver and gold, with diamonds, rubies, and other 123 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: gems all over its head and body. And that owl 124 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: is worth about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars today. 125 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: Both statues had been designed by Becker, with the jewel 126 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: encrusted versions stored safely in Paris. The bronze bird was 127 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: buried by Hauser somewhere in France. He published his book 128 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: of clues under the pseudonym Max Valentine and waited for 129 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: readers to begin their search. The idea was to have 130 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: the hunt last only a few months, but the clues 131 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: proved to be more difficult to solve than expected. Despite 132 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: the book's popularity and the obsessive nature of the hunters, 133 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: no one has been able to find the golden owl 134 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: that Houser buried, and this includes a high power lawyer 135 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: at a French law firm and groups of dedicated treasure 136 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: seekers who pick apart the clues for some greater meaning. 137 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: These associations have developed their own language of sorts when 138 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: discussing the clues. For example, Limega is the term for 139 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: mega astus, a superstructure on the puzzle, and la fleche 140 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: d'Apollon refers to Apollo's arrow, a component of clue number six. 141 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: But a few sections have been solved already. For example, 142 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: the clue titled Opening was successfully decoded and revealed the 143 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: city in which the hunt was meant to begin, Bruges 144 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: in Belgium. Only a few clues have been successfully solved, though, 145 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: with others either answered in part or still entirely obscured. Sadly, though, 146 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: in two thousand and nine, Hauser passed away and with 147 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: him went the secrets of the owl's location. Luckily, he 148 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 1: had written it down and passed it on to Becker, 149 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: thus keeping the game alive. In twenty twenty one, the 150 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: artist and co founder of the puzzle ventured to the 151 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: original burial site, where Hauser had planted the bronze owl 152 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: all those years ago. He brought with them a legal 153 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: bailiff as a witness to verify that the statue was 154 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: still there. It was only meant to have been buried 155 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:08,079 Speaker 1: under three feet of dirt, but Becker shoveled away, waiting 156 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,079 Speaker 1: for the clink of metal against metal. After three hours, 157 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: he finally heard it. He dropped to his knees and 158 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: began scraping away the soil with his fingers, feeling for 159 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: the telltale sign of the statue he'd crafted three decades earlier. 160 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: And it took some doing, but he eventually pried it 161 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: free from its grave. It was still wrapped in its 162 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: protective plastic. He tore it away, only to reveal an aged, 163 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: rusted owl statue, and so Becker got rid of it. 164 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: But don't worry, the hunt is still ongoing. He merely 165 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: replaced it with a brand new bronze owl statue, which 166 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: has remained in this same secret hiding place. It is 167 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 1: always occupied. The game is still afoot today, and the 168 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: men and women who have been searching for this Maltese 169 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 1: owl are no closer to finding it now than they 170 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: were thirty years ago. Only Michel Becker knows where it 171 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: is for sure, and sadly he isn't talking. I hope 172 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. 173 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about 174 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show 175 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how 176 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, 177 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and 178 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,079 Speaker 1: you can learn all about it over at the Worldoflore 179 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.