1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: Sometimes the greatest institutions can come from the most unlikely places. 7 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: The money sharing app Venmo wasn't created by a tech company, 8 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: but by two musicians looking for an easier way to 9 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: split costs for their band. Nintendo tried its hand at 10 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: playing cards, taxis, and even instant rice before landing on 11 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: video games, and in nineteen hundred, two French brothers created 12 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: one of the greatest honors in fine dining, all to 13 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: sell tires. In eighteen eighty eight, brothers Edward and Andre 14 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: Michelin launched a business together, the Michelin entire Company. They 15 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: helped to cash in on the new automobile industry that 16 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: was just starting to take over France, but by nineteen 17 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: hundred their sales had stalled. The issue wasn't their tires, though, 18 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: it was the cars, or rather the lack thereof because 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: cars were new and expensive. There were only three thousand 20 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: on the road in France at the time, so the 21 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: brothers knew that they had to expand their business, and 22 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: to do so they would need to get more French 23 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: people into cars and wearing out their tires. The brothers 24 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: began publishing a free travel guide to France, which included 25 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: instructions on car maintenance, maps, lists of mechanics and gas stations, 26 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: and most importantly, recommendations for where to eat. The guide 27 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: was immediately popular. There might have been only three thousand 28 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: cars in France, but they were able to distribute over 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: thirty five thousand copies of their first guide. They quickly 30 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: published guides to other countries as well, like Belgium and Germany. 31 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: But the part customer seemed to like the most was 32 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: the dining recommendations. When people were out on the road 33 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: in a new part of the country, they wanted to 34 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: know what was good to eat and where, so the 35 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 1: Michelin brothers decided to change the guide from a roadmap 36 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,239 Speaker 1: to a culinary compass. They hired a team of critics 37 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: and food lovers to act as anonymous inspectors and sent 38 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: them to restaurants across France. These secret judges started putting 39 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: together a list of some of the best restaurants in 40 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: the country, and the Michelin brothers decided that such great 41 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: food deserved an award. In nineteen twenty six, the Michelin 42 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 1: company began awarding stars to find dining restaurants. At first, 43 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: it was just one star. It simply meant a very 44 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: good restaurant in its category. Then in nineteen thirty one 45 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: they expanded their system. One star was still a very 46 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: good restaurant, two stars, though, meant that it was worth 47 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: a detour, and three stars that was the best of all. 48 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: Any place that got three stars was worth a special journey. 49 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: To earn the stars, the restaurants were tested rigorously. Michelin 50 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: would dispatch their anonymous inspectors multiple times, sending different people 51 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: at different times of the day and on different days 52 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: of the week. They were judging restaurants based on five 53 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: categories ingredient quality, technical mastery, chef personality, value for money, 54 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: and consistency and since then. The only time Michelin stopped 55 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: publishing guides was during World War II when Germany occupied France. However, 56 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: their older guides came in handy in a different way 57 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: during the war. When the Allies stormed the beaches at 58 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: Normandy in nineteen forty four, many soldiers carried a nineteen 59 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: thirty nine edition of the Michelin, the reason why it 60 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: had the most recent available road maps in France. Over 61 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: the years, Michelin expanded its Star system around the world, 62 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: beginning with England in nineteen seventy four. Today, Michelin publishes 63 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: guides in nearly thirty countries across the globe. In nineteen 64 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: ninety seven, recognizing the limited accessibility of some of the 65 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: Michelin Star restorans, they added a new category, bib Gormond. 66 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: A restaurant that earned a bib Gourmond designation meant that 67 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: it had exceptionally good food at a moderate price. Over 68 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: the decades, the pursuits of a Michelin Star became an 69 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: all consuming quest for the world's top chefs. Receiving a 70 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: star was also no guarantee of keeping one. Michelin inspected 71 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: all of its designated restaurants annually, and many have been 72 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,479 Speaker 1: downgraded or lost their stars entirely if they failed to 73 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: remain consistently excellent. As you'd imagine, some chefs have criticized 74 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: the Michelin system for this, complaining that by getting a star, 75 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: they were effectively locked into the menu items that earned it. 76 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: This meant that they could be punished for innovating by 77 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: losing their stars. Others have argued that Michelin had a 78 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: bias for fine dining restaurants with tasting menus and elaborate plating, 79 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: often overlooking the incredible food from restaurants who didn't fit 80 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: that mold. Regardless of these objections, a Michelin star today 81 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: is still usually an indicator of an amazing meal. They 82 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: help people identify some of the best restaurants in the 83 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: world and celebrate the chefs that make the dining experience unforgettable. 84 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: They become such a trusted and desired marker of quality 85 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: they're almost like the food world's version of a Nobel prize. 86 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: Not bad for a tire company. Everyone knows that chess 87 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: is an ancient game. The European version has been around 88 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: for many hundreds of years. Earlier forms originated in the 89 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: medieval Islamic world, before traveling west and becoming a crucial 90 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: part of chivalric culture. Knights would play chess with each 91 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: other to demonstrate their ability to think strategically and outmatch 92 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 1: their opponent. The appeal of chess is one that remains 93 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: constant into the present day. Its rules are complex but 94 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: contain no hidden information. Once you know how all the 95 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: pieces move, you've pretty much got everything you need to 96 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: be a chess master. There's no hand of cards to 97 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: hide behind, no fog of war, no power ups that 98 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: make an experienced player more physically powerful on the board. 99 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: Both players have the same pieces before them and the 100 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: same layouts on the board. Chess is all about starting 101 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: on equal footing and learning to anticipate how your opponent thinks. Now. 102 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: The oldest mention of the European version of chess comes 103 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: from a Spanish language book called The Book of Games. 104 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: It was published way back in twelve eighty three as 105 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: a synthesis of chess rules from Arabic sources, and it's 106 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: books like these that show us the long cultural lineage 107 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: of the game. But even they do not predate the 108 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: oldest chess pieces ever found. In eighteen thirty one, on 109 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: the coast of the Scottish Isle of Lewis, someone made 110 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: a discovery that altered our perception of the game forever. 111 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: It was a small trove of chess pieces which were 112 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: carved of ivory and may have been as old as 113 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: the year twelve hundred. These archaic figurines were exhibited for 114 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: a while in Edinburgh, though some would find their way 115 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: to the British Museum, where they would become the most 116 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: iconic symbols of medieval chess. There are seventy nine pieces 117 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: in all, eight kings, eight queens, sixteen bishops, fifteen knights, 118 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: thirteen rooks, and nineteen ponds. Compared to an average chess 119 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: set that holds thirty two pieces, that's quite a lot. 120 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: No one really knows if these constitute at least one 121 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: complete set or multiple incomplete sets that got mixed and 122 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: matched over the years. The ivory their carved from is 123 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: from walrus tusk and sperm whale teeth. At the time 124 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: of the discovery, some had the trace stains of red 125 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: mercury sulfide, implying that this was their original color before 126 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: wear and tear reduced them to the color of aged ivory. 127 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: As for how they wound up being buried in a 128 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: beach on the Isle of Lewis, that's anyone's guests. Stories 129 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: circulate about their origin to this day, but even the 130 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: person who found the pieces is a mystery. The carving 131 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: style suggests that they're Norwegian in origin, and the Isle 132 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,679 Speaker 1: of Lewis was owned by Norway in the twelfth century, 133 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: so it's likely that they came from traveling traders on 134 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 1: their way to northern Ireland. What happened between Norway and 135 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: their intended owner is anyone's guess now. Local folklore naturally 136 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: has the most colorful version of the events. A Gaelic 137 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: legend says that the chess pieces were part of a 138 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: horde of valuables stolen off of a ship in the 139 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: seventeenth century. The sailor fled the scene on foot, buried 140 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: the treasure, but was unable to return to collect his 141 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: hidden prizes. He was captured and sentenced to death as 142 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: a thief, leaving the horde of Chessman to wait until 143 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: their discovery in eighteen thirty one. And weirdly, there's also 144 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: at least one of these pieces that exists independent from 145 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: the rest of the set. It sold at auction for 146 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: over seven hundred thousand pounds, quite a sum for such 147 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: a small piece of ancient ivory. It's impossible to predict 148 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 1: what objects will and will not hold value in the future. 149 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: Much can be said about the declining value of stamp 150 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: collections and the fiasco that was the Beanie Baby's bubble. 151 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: It honestly seems that the only reliable predictor of value 152 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: is human interest, set proven by the Lewis chess pieces, 153 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: because there are still chess fanatics today. Just like there 154 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: we're back in medieval times. Few parts of social life 155 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: have remained so consistent. If you learn how to play 156 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: chess in our modern day, you are sharing a skill 157 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: with the knights of the Middle Ages, which means that chivalry, 158 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: in some ways at least isn't quite so dead after all. 159 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet 160 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn 161 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 1: more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. 162 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership 163 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show 164 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, 165 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: and you can learn all about it over at the 166 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.