1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,719 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Lauren Volgebaum, host of the new House Stuff 2 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Works Now podcast. Every week, I'll be bringing you three 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: stories from our team about the weird and wondrous developments 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: we've seen in science, technology, and culture. Fresh episodes will 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: be out every Monday on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: and everywhere else that find podcasts are found everybody. I 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: imagine that you are curious like I am, about the 8 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: world about how things work. Right, That's probably why you're 9 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: listening to the show and why I do the show well. 10 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: I also want to share another show with you. It's 11 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: called The Great Courses. Plus. It's not a show as 12 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: much as it's this huge library of engaging video lectures 13 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: presented by award winning professors and experts in their field. 14 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: You can learn about whatever interests you on here. They've 15 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: got specific topics like black holes or World War two, 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: or you can just drill down and browsed by category, 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: find science, history, health, even travel and photography information. There's 18 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: hundreds of fascinating courses on there, with new ones that 19 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: they're adding all the time, and you get unlimited access 20 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: to all of them, and you can stream them from anywhere, 21 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: any time, on any device. The one I want to 22 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: recommend to you today is called The Intelligent Brain. Sounds 23 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: perfect for brain Stuff, right. It is this really interesting 24 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: look at research behind intelligence using brain imaging technology to 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: explore the workings of human intelligence learning how to make 26 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: ourselves smarter. That sounds great to me. It sounds like 27 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: it would fit in right here. So here's what we'd 28 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: like for you to do. Sign up for the Great 29 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: Courses Plus today because get this, they are giving brain 30 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: Stuff listeners a special offer. You get an entire month 31 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: of unlimited access to all of their lectures for free. 32 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: Start your free month today. Go to the Great Courses 33 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: Plus dot com slash brain Stuff. Remember that is the 34 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: Great Courses Plus dot com slash brain Stuff. Welcome to 35 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey everybody, this is 36 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: brain Stuff. I'm Christian Seger, and I just got back 37 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: from a vacation. Here's the thing, though, If I were 38 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: going out of the country, let's say, to sunny Bolivia, 39 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: my whole trip would have hinged on one vital thing, 40 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: my passport. But what is this thing exactly? Why do 41 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: I need it to travel? Well, the first question has 42 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: a pretty clear cut answer. A passport is a document 43 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: issued by a government that verifies your identity and gives 44 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 1: you the right to travel under its protection. The word 45 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: passport comes from passport of Middle French phrase from around 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 1: the fifteen hundreds. However, the idea of a passport is 47 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: positively ancient. You can find evidence of state sponsored travel 48 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: documents dating from as far back as four hundred and 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: fifty b c. And since that time these documents have 50 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: existed in one form or another, with varying degrees of success. 51 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: Since about the nineteen eighties, most passports have been regulated 52 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: by a department of the United Nations called the International 53 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: Civil Aviation Organization or I see A. Oh, so why 54 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: do you need one? Well, ultimately it goes down to 55 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: proof of nationality. For example, let's say I was caught 56 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: up in a vast conspiracy and I had to travel 57 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: to the Vatican. That happens, right anyhow, I'm flying into 58 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: Italy and I have to present some sort of proof 59 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: that I'm really coming from where I say I am 60 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: coming from. Otherwise, any old supervillain with a plausible Yankee 61 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: accent could stroll off their runway pretending to be an American. Right, So, 62 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: possessing a passport is like having your country of origin 63 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: vouched for you, assuring other nations that you are in 64 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: fact the person you say you are. Keep in mind, however, 65 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: that possession of a valid passport alone does not guarantee 66 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: your entrance. Countries allow visitors at their own discretion, which 67 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: means that in theory, they can refuse entry to pretty 68 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: much anyone at any time. So even if you have 69 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: a valid passport, make sure to check the entry policies 70 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: of the country you're visiting before you hop on that plane. 71 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: And not everyone's happy with the passport system. In the 72 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 1: Invention of the Passport, professor John Torpi argues that it 73 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: is inherently a monopoly of the state, meaning a private 74 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: company like say how Stuff Works, couldn't just slap my 75 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: mug in a little book and send me off to Japan. 76 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: Religious organizations can't do this either. Not only do countries 77 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: control the passport system, but the issuing country can revoke 78 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: your passport at any time. And of course, not everyone 79 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: has a passport either. Only about forty six percent of 80 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: Americans had either a passport or the less comprehensive passport card. 81 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: The percent who don't have one overwhelmingly didn't get it 82 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: because well, they just didn't want the thing. However, pe 83 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: can end up without a passport for numerous reasons. Perhaps 84 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: it's lost or stolen, in which case you'll need to 85 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: contact your local consulate. In cases of war torn countries, 86 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: refugees may not have a passport. Some people are even 87 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: considered stateless, meaning the country they live in does not 88 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: consider them a citizen. The United Nations has special laws 89 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: describing how to issue travel documents in these cases, So 90 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: there you have it. In theory, almost every single person 91 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: on the globe needs a passport or some sort of 92 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,559 Speaker 1: official document to travel. This official document could be something 93 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: for an individual, or it could be an agreement between 94 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: specific countries. At one point or another, there's no other 95 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: way to legally travel. Virtually everyone needs something like this. Ah, 96 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: but did you notice how I just said almost every 97 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: person and virtually everyone. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. There 98 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: is one person in the world who can travel freely 99 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: and legally without a passport or other documents. The Queen 100 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: of England. True story. British passports are issued in the 101 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: name of the Queen. Therefore, it's not necessary for her 102 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: to have one. The rest of the family has to 103 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: have a passport, though even the Princes William and Harry. 104 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: Check out the brain Stuff channel on YouTube, and for 105 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics, visit how 106 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 1: staff works dot com.