1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menkey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Animals have long been revered in mythology. We've 7 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: depicted them as everything from God's to evil spirits, and 8 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: sometimes a little of both. So it wasn't unusual for 9 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: a team of researchers to discover that in three b C. 10 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: The Maya people indigenous to Central America, used jewel foul 11 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: extensively in their drawings and artwork. The ancient Maya had 12 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: one of most advanced civilizations in the world at the time, 13 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: and from the amount of artwork the researchers found, it 14 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: was clear that they had a deep love for one 15 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: bird in particular. In fact, researchers found it everywhere in 16 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: Maya archaeology and iconography, and even on ancient calendars. It 17 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: turns out that the Maya viewed this bird as a 18 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: vessel of the gods and had celebrated their featherly friend. Accordingly, 19 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: much of the Maya imagery portrayed the animal as a 20 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: godlike figure immensely important to their culture. The bird even 21 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: stood in place of God's during their religious ceremonies. Represented 22 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: as elite and gifted with power, it wasn't surprising that 23 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: one Mayan ruler included the bird as part of his 24 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: royal nickname. The Mayans worship these birds and help them 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: in such high regard that they buried them in temples 26 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: and even alongside human beings, perhaps as a way for 27 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: their beloved animals to offer companionship in the afterlife. Now, 28 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: although the Maya practiced a culture, they didn't domesticate a 29 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: lot of animals. So, in an effort to learn more 30 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: about the bird's life with the Mayan culture and traditions, 31 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: researchers examined the bird's bones, and this is where they 32 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: made an unexpected discovery. Yes, there was evidence to suggest 33 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: that the Maya sacrificed a few of them. No one 34 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: in the Maya culture was safe from the occasional sacrifice, 35 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: it seems, But it was what the Maya didn't do 36 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: that those researchers found so surprising. You see, none of 37 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: these birds had been eaten. Of course, the Maya weren't 38 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: the only people to worship birds, or even this particular bird. 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: In fact, the same bird played a variety of roles 40 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: in the folklore of different Native American tribes. Some legends 41 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: portrayed it as a wily, overly proud trickster. In other 42 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: ancient tales, it's seen as a shy and elusive creature. 43 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: In as Tech mythology, there's even a powerful sorcerer and 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: bird god, whose name translates loosely as either jade bird, 45 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: night bird, or sickness God, depending on the sources you read. 46 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: In ancient manuscripts, he's shown as mostly bird sporting the 47 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: animals prized green plumage, and in his animal form, it 48 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: said that the bird god could cleanse people of contamination, 49 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: absolve them of guilt, and even alter their fate. But 50 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: this deity had a dark side to him, for sure, 51 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: and not just because he was mostly seen at night. 52 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: In Aztec mythology, the people knew him as a formidable 53 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: god of disease and plague who ruled thirteen days of 54 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: the Aztec calendar, while in his mostly human states. Ancient 55 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: manuscripts and artwork that picked him, slightly bent over and 56 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: with black and white eyes, an image reserved only for 57 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: the evil gods, and this sacred Central American bird almost 58 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: became America's national icon, losing out to the bald Eagle, 59 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: much to the disappointment of Benjamin Franklin. Of course, this 60 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: bird is still celebrated today, and while we don't bury 61 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: them in temples, we certainly do with the Mayans. Never 62 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: did we eat them. After all, how else could we 63 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: possibly celebrate Thanksgiving without the turkey. The brothers were securely 64 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: tied to the table, and that's when the lights went out. Suddenly, 65 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: musical instruments appeared from nowhere, seemingly playing on their own. 66 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: Ghostly forms floated around the table, and unseen hands tugged 67 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,919 Speaker 1: at the clothing of the audience members. Gifted performers, Ira 68 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: and William Davenport were a sensation wherever they traveled. They 69 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: began their stage careers in eighteen fifty five, ten years 70 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: into the spiritualist movement, when Ira was sixteen and William 71 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: was fourteen. Once they told friends they'd managed to levitate 72 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: their sister around the family living room during a seance. 73 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: The boy's father managed them and by the end of 74 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: their first year, the Davenport Brothers were performing in New 75 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: York City, thrilling audiences with their complicated escapes from various 76 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: knots and ropes. Their signature act, though it was called 77 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: the Spirit Cabinet, About the size of a small closet, 78 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: the Spirit Cabinet allowed the Davenport Brothers to work away 79 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: from bright spotlights and peering eyes. Unlike other spiritualism acts 80 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: at the time, the Davenports often invited audience members onto 81 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: the stage to take part in the act. A spectator 82 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: was instructed to enter a third cabinet, and once inside, 83 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: the door was closed. The brothers were bound and locked 84 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: inside their own cabinets. Within moments, the doors of the 85 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: spectator's cabinet flew open and he was ejected, his coat 86 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: gone necktie around one leg, with a tambourine seated on 87 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: his head. A stage assistant to open the brothers cabinets, 88 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: reassuring the audience that the Davenports were still inside, securely bound, 89 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 1: just as they'd been moments before. Skeptics eager to debunk 90 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,039 Speaker 1: the Brothers as fraud were occasionally invited to tie the 91 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: brothers in, often drawing blood. The ropes didn't make a difference, though. 92 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: Once the cabinet doors were closed, the instruments played, filling 93 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: the room with spirit music, while disembodied hands appeared through 94 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: openings in the exterior walls. The Spirit Cabinet Act became 95 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: a sensation, prompting spiritualist to claim proof of spirit phenomena. 96 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: Critics weren't so sure, though, and called the brothers mere magicians. 97 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: The Davenports, though, never claimed to be either, saying it 98 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,600 Speaker 1: was up to the audience to decide. Years later, Ira 99 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: befriended another magician, a man you may have heard of 100 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: named Harry Houdini. After Irish death, Houdini wrote about the 101 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: Davenport brothers in his book Called a Magician Amongst the Spirits. 102 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: It seems Ira at once told Houdini that he and 103 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: his brother had never proclaimed their belief in spiritualism in public. 104 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, also was a 105 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: practicing spiritualist and had a different view. You see. Doyle 106 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: claimed that Ira confided in him privately as well, admitting 107 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: that he indeed was a practicing spiritualist. So which was it? 108 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: Had Ira Davenport told the two famous men two entirely 109 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: different things. Well. The answer came in nineteen ninety eight 110 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: when a skeptic investigator examined newspaper clippings, notes, and photos 111 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: from the Davenport Brothers scrap book, eventually concluding that Houdini 112 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: and Doyle were both right. Ira was a spiritualist, although 113 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: he and his brother used effects and trickery to accomplish 114 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,559 Speaker 1: the deeds others attributed to spirits. But that's not really 115 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: the point, is it. From Houdini to Copperfield to modern 116 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: street magic, we all like to be entertained by illusions, 117 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: sleight of hand, disappearing objects, or tricks that defy logic. 118 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: They sit on the edge of the believable and the absurd, 119 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: but still have this power to draw us in and 120 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: to fill us with delight. Whatever the motivation a performer 121 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: might have, the results are often io opinning and unforgettable. 122 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: It might not always be real, but it's certainly entertaining, 123 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: and sometimes that's enough, isn't it. I hope you've enjoyed 124 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for 125 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show 126 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: by visiting Curiosities Podcast dot com. The show was created 127 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: by me, Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. 128 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is 129 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show and you can 130 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the World of Lore 131 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,959 Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.