1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: I guess what mango? What's not will? So I was 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: flipping through the channels the other day and there was 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: this sitcom on TV and I started thinking about this 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: because there was snow on the ground, and I was 5 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: wondering how they make that fake snow for TV and movies, 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: because you think about all the things that could melt 7 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: the snow. They're like, there's these hot lights, they have 8 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: these long shoots, and they can't use real snow obviously. 9 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: So I looked it up and what do you find out? Well, 10 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: the good news a lot of it. It's edible mango. 11 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: You can eat all that snow. So in early movies 12 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: they use corn flakes that were painted white to make snow. 13 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: But then when sound came into film, you know, obviously 14 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: all the crunchy sounds would be too loud if they 15 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: were stepping on it, so they had to find a replacement. 16 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: And over the years, sets have used everything from firefighting 17 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: foam to instant potato flakes, to flour, even marble dust. 18 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: But the stuff that used today is actually mostly paper. 19 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: Believe it or not. That's pretty weird. I feel like 20 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: paper is the last thing I would have expected for 21 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:02,959 Speaker 1: like fake snow. In movies. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought 22 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: about that either. But you know, it's available in all 23 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: different grains and sizes depending on what kind of snow 24 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: you're looking for. But actually the process of making it 25 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. So the paper snow is packaged in 26 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: these huge bales and then it shot through a special 27 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: hose that lightly dampens the paper so that it will 28 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: stick to whatever it lands on, just like snow. And 29 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: according to Roland half Away of the Snow Business Hollywood, 30 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: very familiar with snow business Hollywood, Yeah, the technique can 31 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: cover up to thirty seven square meters per minute, plus 32 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: it never melts. So that's just the first of nine 33 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: facts we've got for you today about wintertime inventions. Let's 34 00:01:40,600 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. 35 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my 36 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: good friend Mangesh Ticketer and sitting behind the soundproof booth 37 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: wrapped up in his slanket Mango I know, which I 38 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: really thought was like an off brand snuggy, but Tristan 39 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 1: insists is the original blanket with sleeve. He is very 40 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: passionate about this. Yes, that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. So, 41 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: I know it's boring to talk about the weather, but 42 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: the weather definitely inspired this week's episode. I know, this 43 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: weekend was so miserable in New York City. It was 44 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: just like rainy and wet, and when you've got two 45 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: feral kids like I do, who are just like hard 46 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: to tame and even harder to keep indoors, it is 47 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,399 Speaker 1: truly miserable. But you know, anyway, all this winter weather 48 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: made us wondered, like, what are some great wintertime inventions 49 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: worth celebrating? Yeah? You actually, I love that old quote 50 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 1: that everyone always talks about the weather, but no one 51 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: does anything about it. And we definitely have a few 52 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: people on this list who did something about it, including 53 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,920 Speaker 1: my first fact, which is about earmuffs. So I don't 54 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: know if I knew this before and forgot it or 55 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: I just never heard this, but the inventor of the 56 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: earmuffs was a fifteen year old boy from main named 57 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: Chester Greenwood, and Chester had this horrible allergy to wool. 58 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: So before you could keep the story going, well when 59 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: are we talking about here? I think it was like 60 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: the late eighteen hundreds, so um, yeah, my my notes 61 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, and and of course it's surprising that 62 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: a kid invented them, but you know, basically, Chester wanted 63 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 1: to go skating with his friends at the pond, which 64 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: of course sounds so wholesome and so American, but you know, 65 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: he couldn't wear a hat because of this wool allergy 66 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: he had, and his ears got so cold that he 67 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: had to turn around and go home immediately. And apparently 68 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: this was a pretty common occurrence for little Chester, but 69 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: this time he was totally fed up. And when he 70 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: got home he asked his grandmom to help him assemble 71 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: this thing he'd been thinking about. It was like little 72 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: shields for his ears. And uh. Once he described what 73 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: he wanted, his grandmom got out her sewing materials and 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: she whipped up the world's first pair of ear muffs 75 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: and the device Chester later called it the Greenwood Champion 76 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: ear Protectors. Like that we should call him that. I 77 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: feel like it's a much better name than ear moths. 78 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: But the original muffs were made from beaver fur on 79 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: the outside and velvet on the ear side, and and 80 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: it had a band of wire connecting to two and 81 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: over the years, Chester improved on the design and he 82 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: patented it, and by the time he was twenty five, 83 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: he'd actually become the owner of an ear muff factory 84 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: that cranked out fifty thou pairs every year. Wow, it's 85 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: pretty remarkable. Yeah, I mean, you know, it gave toll 86 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: me the weirdest thing about this. Apparently, like Chester's legend 87 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: or the legend of his ears and their sensitivity grew 88 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: over the years into like something of a myth and 89 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: uh and even like the Wall Street Journal report on it, 90 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: and this is what they said, quote, Chester Greenwood's ears 91 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: were so sensitive that they turned chalky white, then beat red, 92 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: and deep blue in that order. When the mercury dead blue. 93 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: You know, it feels like a gob stopper or something. 94 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: But you know, it's total nonsense. According to his grandkids, 95 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: his ears were just cold, just big and cold. Yeah, 96 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: but that's much less dramatic. Well, here's a quick fact 97 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: that I liked. Did you know that the first makeshift 98 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: snow vehicles that were used in the northern US and 99 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: Canada were actually just pimped out Model T s. Apparently 100 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 1: this started as far back as the nineteen tens, when 101 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: people would remove the cars undercarriage and then what they 102 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: would do is they would mount a pair of skis 103 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: to the front and a set of tracks to the rear. 104 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: So these converted cars were referred to as snow flyers, 105 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: and they were a god sent to these rural residents, 106 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: especially when it came to mail delivery. That's really interesting. 107 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,840 Speaker 1: I like that people were almost like hacking forwards, like 108 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: it's ikea furniture or something, pretty soon after they were made, right, Yeah, 109 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: I mean I think it was just a year or 110 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:46,679 Speaker 1: two after the first model T came out that people 111 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: thought to put them on skis. But anyway, while I'm 112 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 1: talking about snow vehicles, I'm actually gonna throw out another fact. 113 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 1: The first snowmobile was invented by a fifteen year old, 114 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna match your fifteen year old fact with 115 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: one of my own. I feel like inventing a snowmobile 116 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: is like a little bit more impressive than getting your 117 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: grandmom to sow some ear must Yeah. Well, the story 118 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: is pretty fascinating. So apparently in ninety two there was 119 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: this kid from Quebec named Joseph Armand Bombardier, and he 120 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: built and tested the first full scale snowmobile. So Joe 121 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: Armand had been interested in playing with mechanical things since 122 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: he was a kid, and had been making his own 123 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: since he was thirteen. He built these toy tractors and 124 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: boats for his younger siblings. He made a steam powered 125 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: spinning wheel for his aunt, and even a miniature train 126 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: that he built with this old clock part. So yeah, 127 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,679 Speaker 1: the guy was pretty resourceful. But none of those prior 128 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: works could prepare Bombardier's family for what he sprang on 129 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: them on New Year's Eve. So, taking a queue from 130 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: the locals, he had started with the model T engine, 131 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: but rather than use the rest of the car, this 132 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: young inventor instead mounted the engine to two wooden sleds 133 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: that he hitched together. And if that doesn't sound dangerous enough, 134 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: he also added a handmade wouldn't propeller to the back 135 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 1: of the engine to help propel the rig through the snow. 136 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: I mean this guy, this is I love this story anyway. Actually, 137 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: it was that last part that ultimately led his dad 138 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 1: to order the contraption be dismantled. Although Bombardier's younger brother 139 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: was able to pilot the prototype snowmobile for more than 140 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: half a mile, watching his son's speed across the snow 141 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: that close to an open propeller, he said, made his 142 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: stomach turn. That is incredible. And of course, like as 143 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: a dad watching your kid like wander on this like 144 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: rickety contraption. What's also amazing to me is like the 145 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: fact that h Bombardier got his hands on an engine, 146 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: like a fifteen year old kid, just like ending up 147 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: with an engine and two slights and this stuff. Especially 148 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: at that time, you wouldn't think that it would be 149 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: that easy. But anyway, later on, when his dad wasn't 150 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: hovering over him, he perfected the invention, adding caterpillar treads 151 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: to the design. That's pretty amazing. So here's what I 152 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: didn't know. It's that Eddie Bauer invented the first puffy 153 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: down jacket in and he actually has a pattern on it. 154 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: The jacket was originally called the blizzard Proof Jacket and 155 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: later was rebranded as the Skyliner. I guess. But Bower's 156 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: coat was unusual because it used goose down to maximize 157 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: warmth and breath of ability. But the thing that's most 158 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: interesting about this whole story is that the coat was 159 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: actually created out of necessity. It was after Bauer had 160 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,679 Speaker 1: nearly died of hypothermia while on a winter fishing trip, 161 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: so you can imagine not only was Bauer the owner 162 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: of this sporting good store that was kind of famous, 163 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: but he also loved the outdoors. So this was January. 164 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: His friend asked him to go fishing, and he decided 165 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: to jump with the chance, and the day went super well. 166 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 1: They caught about a hundred pounds of steel head in 167 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: a matter of hours, which is I guess impressive. But 168 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: as Bauer was hiking back to his car, he was 169 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: soaked from the sweat and also just tired from this 170 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: bag of fish he was hauling, and he started to 171 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: fall asleep on his feet. Apparently the moisture in the 172 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: wool clothes that actually frozen in the cold and hypothermia 173 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: was setting in. But Bauer was an outdoorsman. He was 174 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: quick thinking he actually had a gun on him, so 175 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: he shot it twice in the air to signal to 176 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: his friend, and his friend came running him and saved him. 177 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,319 Speaker 1: But apparently after he almost died from hypothermia, he realized 178 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,199 Speaker 1: that people really needed a lightweight jacket that could be 179 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: worn comfortably, especially in cold weather while they were doing 180 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: things that were like strenuous or working or whatever. And 181 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 1: the very next year, he invented the down jacket. Wow. 182 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: I actually didn't realize that Eddie Bauer himself had invented 183 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: so many of these things. But well, here here's a 184 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: quick one, since we're talking about staying warm. I was 185 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: actually looking up facts about mitten's, so I actually looked 186 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: at facts about mints too, But the only thing I 187 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: found that was even remotely interesting was there's something called 188 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,599 Speaker 1: a beer mitten. Well, even though I was about to 189 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: share my fact, I have to ask, what what is 190 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: a beer mitten? I guess it's like a mitten and 191 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: a beer cuzy in one, so like you can keep 192 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: your hands warm and your beer cold. It's this Icelandic 193 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: convention and they're all these knitting patterns from them online. 194 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: But the weird thing is that it's super single purpose, 195 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: so you can't really do anything other than drink and 196 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: hold a beverage in your hand if you're wearing a 197 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: beer mitten. But I did cut you off. So you 198 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: said you were looking up mittens. Well, I'm glad you 199 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: found something, because I didn't find anything great. But but 200 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:12,559 Speaker 1: you know, one thing I did find was that mittens 201 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: are surprisingly old, like they've been around since prehistoric times. 202 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: But what's interesting is, according to a publication called Fashion Time, 203 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: is that the earliest gloves were found in King Tut's tomb, 204 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: and since he died around thirteen twenty three BC, that 205 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: actually makes the oldest known pair of gloves well over 206 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: thirty three years old. It's weird to think that gloves 207 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: are like three thousand years old and ear muffs are 208 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,319 Speaker 1: only like a hundred fifty years old. But speaking of muffs, 209 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: which is not a transition, I normally do you know 210 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: what hand muffs are? I don't want her hand muffs. 211 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: They are like those furry cylindrical things that rich people 212 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: where sometimes you see him in like old Hollywood movies 213 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: or in ski towns, and you know, people to stuff 214 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: their hands into them. But apparently hand muffs have been 215 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: at a symbol since the fourteen hundreds, and they've actually 216 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: been called different things in different places. In France they're 217 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: called man shawn. In England they were called snuffkins, which 218 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: like but the name we know about came from the 219 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: Flemish word move or muff, and according to the Encyclopedia 220 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: of Clothing and Fashion, this trend grew in popularity after 221 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: the Colonies started sending furs to Europe, so women in 222 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: England and France would actually warm their hands with the 223 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: furs of sables or martins, and sometimes they jazz up 224 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 1: their muffs with stylish accessories, so listen to this. They'd 225 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: actually add bijeweled animal skulls to hang from the chain, 226 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: which is so weird to me. Also, fashionable women in 227 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 1: the sixteenth century would tote their tiny dogs in them, 228 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: so they're kind of like the tiny dog purses you see. 229 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,199 Speaker 1: And weirdly, men also got in on this muff craze, 230 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: although of course they wanted to wear more manly furs 231 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: like otter and tiger, and people who were cash strapped 232 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: and just kind of aspiring fashionistas they had settled for 233 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: lesser animals like squirrel fur muffs. Knew there was so 234 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: to history there. Well, I feel like we've learned enough 235 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: about hand must for a while now, so why don't 236 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: we take a quick break and come back with two 237 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 1: more facts. Welcome back to part time Genius. We're talking 238 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: about winter inventions, all right, Mago, So what do you 239 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: want to end with here? So, in honor of my 240 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 1: cold which doesn't seem to go away ever, how about 241 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 1: we talk about Kleenex. So how long have you been sick? Now? 242 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: Is at thirty eight years? I think? So? I feel 243 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: like every time I started to get better, my kids 244 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: bring back like different germs to invade my system. But 245 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 1: back to clean X and stuff. It is fairly obvious 246 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: that handkerchiefs predate disposable tissues by several centuries, you know, 247 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: but the disposable option is actually older than you might guess. 248 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: It turns out the Japanese have been using disposable facial 249 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,439 Speaker 1: tissues since about the seventeenth century, and they use a 250 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: super in paper called washing. The Western world, though that 251 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: they were a little later to the game. They didn't 252 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: get into until the nineteen twenties. And and that's when 253 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: Kimberly Clark Corporation, which I'm sure you've heard of, they 254 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 1: released clean X to the market in n But this 255 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: is the weird part. Clean X actually wasn't intended for 256 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: blowing your nose at all. Instead, clean X tissues were 257 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: originally men as a way for women to remove cold 258 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,199 Speaker 1: cream and clean their faces, which is where the clean 259 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: and the name comes from. So even the early ads 260 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: from the period have like Hollywood makeup departments endorsing them, 261 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: and they show movie stars like um Helen Hayes or 262 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 1: Gean Harlow and how they supposedly used Kleenex to wipe 263 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: off the theater makeup, but the public sort of immediately 264 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: knew what to do with them, and within two years 265 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,839 Speaker 1: Kimberly Clark was getting all these letters from customers praising 266 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 1: clean X as the perfect disposable handkerchief. Apparently six of 267 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: customers used Cleanex for blowing their noses, which totally outnumbered 268 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: the number who were using them to wipe off the 269 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: cold cream, and Kimberly Clark took the hint by the 270 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: company had completely changed course and changed their marketing entirely, 271 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: and Cleanex sales had doubled as a result. So, well, 272 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: what fact do you want to end on? All? Right? Well, 273 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 1: since I started with a fact about artificial snow, I 274 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,199 Speaker 1: kind of want to end with one on how man 275 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: made snow got invented in the first place. But before 276 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: we talk about the snow, actually, let's talk about a 277 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: special kind of ice that's called rhyme. So when the 278 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: water vapor and a cloud or fog collects on the 279 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: surface of an object, it can sometimes freeze and form 280 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: this white ice frost, which is rhyme. So in the 281 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: nineties there was this low temperature lab in Canada that 282 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: was experimenting to see what kind of effect rhyme had 283 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: on the intakes of a jet engine. So to recreate 284 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: the icing effect in their lab, these researchers sprayed water 285 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: in front of the engine that they had suspended in 286 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,359 Speaker 1: their wind tunnel. But instead of creating rhyme, they accidentally 287 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: started making snow, and I mean a lot of snow. 288 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: And according to the team's report, they had to shut 289 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: down the engine multiple times just to shovel snow out 290 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: of the wind tunnel. It's been so much funny, funny, 291 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: and I mean it does feel like a loud way 292 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: to make snowe right, Like, like they must have refined 293 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: snowmakers over the years, I guess so, And those Canadian 294 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: scientists were just the first who accidentally makes snow. I mean, 295 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: now the process is way quieter. So anyway, after all 296 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: these facts, who do you think deserves today's trophy? You know, 297 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: I like the one about the ear muff dude Chester, 298 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: but I actually really love I feel like the one 299 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 1: that's gonna be most memorable to me is the corn 300 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: flake fact and the fact that people used to paint 301 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: all these corn flakes white to make snow in movies. 302 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: It's crazy. I think that's probably my favorite fact. So 303 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: I I think you deserve the trophy today. All right, well, 304 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: I will take and that's it for today's part time Genius. 305 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: If you've got some fun snow or ice or winter 306 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: facts to share, we'd love to hear those from you. 307 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 1: We also love to just hear topics from you guys, 308 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: if you ever have ideas for episodes, but from gave 309 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: Tristan Mango. Actually, I think Tristan fell asleep in his 310 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: slank at Mango, but anyway, thanks so much for listening.