1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Benky'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 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. Nothing is made to last anymore, from computers 7 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: to cell phones, even to close things only last for 8 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: so long before they start to deteriorate. This brand new 9 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: smartphone that you spent thousands of dollars on won't even 10 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: turn on in a handful of years. And all those 11 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: new clothes your team bought at the beginning of the 12 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: school year probably won't even make it till Christmas. But 13 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: buildings are different, or at least they're supposed to be. 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifteen Japan, a building was constructed that was 15 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: meant to withstand the worst that nature had to offer. 16 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: It just didn't count on what man had in store. 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: The Prefectural Commercial Exhibition or Product Exhibition Hall was designed 18 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: by Czech architect Jan Letzel as the centerpiece of the 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: city's business district. It was intended to be a place 20 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: for companies to showcase and sell their products, as well 21 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: as a venue for local art exhibitions. Letzel's design was 22 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: different from the other structures in the area too. It 23 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,479 Speaker 1: was three stories tall and made a brick, stone and steel. 24 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: In the middle of it, a compered dome sat on 25 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: top of a five story stairwell. It's unique asthetic was 26 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: in stark contrast to the rest of the buildings in 27 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: the area, making it a popular destination for locals and 28 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:52,639 Speaker 1: tourists alike. Thirty years after its completion, though, tragedy struck. 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: The United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the middle 30 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: of the city. The blast destroyed everything within a one 31 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: mile radius. Homes, apartments, stores, and offices were reduced to rubble. 32 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: Nearly one fifty thousand people were killed between the explosion 33 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,839 Speaker 1: and the radiation that followed, but not the exhibition hall. 34 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: Though the roof had burned away and the center of 35 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: the building was decimated, its sturdy frame still remained intact. 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: Even the dome's skeleton was still there, perched atop the 37 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: center of the structure. It was the only thing to 38 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: have survived the devastating bombing of Hiroshima soon after the war, 39 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: The dome was set to be demolished as part of 40 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: the city's clean up efforts. However, it's remarkable condition amid 41 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: the rest of the city's ruins made the decision to 42 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: tear it down a difficult one. Some folks wanted to 43 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: remove it, while others thought it made a perfect memorial 44 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: for the bombing. The city decided to leave the exhibition 45 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: hall alone and instead put a park around it. In 46 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six, they voted to preserve what the locals 47 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: had come to call the Genbakud Dome. Over the years 48 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: since then, very little has changed. When modifications are made, 49 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: such as a minor upgrade to earthquake proof the dome, 50 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: the look of the building is always left alone. It 51 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: looks almost exactly as it did just after the dust 52 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: settled in. To further preserve the structure, the United Nations 53 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: Cultural Organization UNESCO designated the dome a World Heritage Sites 54 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: in n Today, the dome is part of a massive 55 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: memorial complex meant to convey the scope and devastation of 56 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: one of the worst moments in modern world history, the 57 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: Hiroshima Peace Memorial. It's surrounding park and the other nearby 58 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: monuments are stark reminders of the worst in human nature, 59 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: but they also represent something else. They stand for resilience 60 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: and ingenuity, or struggle and fortitude in the face of adversity, 61 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: and in the case of the dome itself, it's a 62 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: reminder of that old cliche. They just don't make them 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: like they used to. Elections have a tendency to bring 64 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: out the worst in people, from smear campaigns and all 65 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: outlies to voters yelling at each other from opposite sides. 66 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: Politics is, as they say, a circus. It's no wonder 67 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: that many voters instead choose to stay home, refusing to 68 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: participate in a process they feel is unfair or even corrupt, 69 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: which is exactly what happened in San Paolo, Brazil in 70 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: now At the time, the city was suffering. The sewers 71 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: were in need of serious repairs. The prices of common 72 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: goods had risen to astronomical heights at a food shortage 73 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: had thrown everything into chaos, and understandably, people were upset. 74 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: They'd had enough, and with an election around the corner, 75 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: they saw their opportunity to turn things around. There was 76 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: just one problem. The candidates who had been running were 77 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: all equally unappealing no one wanted to vote for them, 78 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,279 Speaker 1: and many of the three point five million citizens of 79 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: the city sat out the election. But those who voted 80 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:12,280 Speaker 1: found an alternative. Her name was Kakaikoh. She was a 81 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: last minute candidate who had no idea her name was 82 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: even on the ballot. After she was added, slogans in 83 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: support of her were plastered all over town, and Brazilian 84 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: voters became energized again. Finally they had a candidate they 85 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: could believe in. Her campaign wasn't given much thought by 86 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: the other candidates. Surely someone so new and inexperienced couldn't 87 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: beat Brazil's political heavyweights in such an important race. And 88 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 1: then on October eight, the votes were cast. One of 89 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: the men running for city council earned a whopping ten 90 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: thousand votes, an impressive showing from his supporters. Kakariko, on 91 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: the other hand, brought in a few more ninety thousand more. 92 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: To be precise, you see, one hundred thousand citizens had 93 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,040 Speaker 1: cast their vote for Kakariko, a landslide that ended the 94 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: campaigns of eleven opposition parties almost instantly. It was a 95 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: surprising victory for a candidate who had been added as 96 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: a protest vote against the five D forty other parties running. Naturally, 97 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,479 Speaker 1: those other candidates were furious. They blamed their losses on 98 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: a secret plan to undermine their campaigns. Could it have 99 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: been foreign interest or a corrupt puppet master pulling the 100 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: strings behind the scene. The answer, though, was far simpler. 101 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: Local journalist its Abori Martins had grown sick of all 102 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: the politicians talking out of both sides of their mouths. 103 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: None of them seemed worthy of occupying a seat on 104 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: the city council. So rather than sit out the election entirely, 105 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: Martin's suggested Kakareko on a whim and then a half 106 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: hearted domination somehow took off. Unfortunately, Martin's scheme fell short. 107 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: There was no way election officials would allow Kakareko to 108 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: serve on the city council. For one thing, she was 109 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: only four years old. For another, she was a rhinoceros. 110 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: She had been on loan to the San Polo Zoo 111 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,559 Speaker 1: for three months and inspired a new sentiment among the people. 112 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: Better a rhinoceros than an ass, they said, and it 113 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: started gaining steam with voters who looked at their options 114 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: and wanted nothing to do with any of them. Cacaraco 115 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: may not have ever gotten to serve on the city council, 116 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: but her unwitting foray into politics did have one lasting effect. 117 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: She spawned a political movement in Canada. Yes, thousands of 118 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: miles to the north, a new political party was forming. 119 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: It was called the Rhinoceros Party of Canada and was 120 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: established in nineteen sixty three as the spiritual successor to 121 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: Brazil's Cacaiko. Their motto, A promise to keep none of 122 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: our promises said it all. They were only there to 123 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: disrupt the status quo, much like their Rhino pal down south. 124 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: When they formed, they named Cornelius the First as their leader. 125 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: Cornelius lived at the Grandy Zoo in Quebec and was 126 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: you guessed at another Rhinoceros. He held that position for 127 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: almost thirty years, right up until the party was dissolved 128 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: in Over the course of nine elections, the Rhinoceros Party 129 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: didn't win a single seat in the House of Commons, 130 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: but they stuck to their fairly simple platform, one that 131 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: resonated with thousands of Canadians. Candidate Brian Gold, who ran 132 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: for election back in described that platform as well as 133 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: anyone might just two ft high he said, and made 134 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: of wood. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of 135 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 136 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 137 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky 138 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 139 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 140 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 141 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: over at the World of Lore dot com. And until 142 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.