1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Hi everyone, it's Saturday and it's Chuck with a little 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Saturday Select episode for you. I dug deep in the archives. 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: Everyone to talk about human cannonballs. That's part of our 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Circus Suite Circus Arts, sweet rather and uh it's good 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: stuff How human Cannonballs Work from July two thousand eleven, 6 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: an only bit of goody. Welcome to Stuff you should know, 7 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: a production of My Heart Radios How Stuff Works Kaboom 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, There's Charles W. 9 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: Chuck Bryant. What are you doing? How you doing the cheeks? Huh? 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: Have you ever captured that? Yeah? We did it once 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,200 Speaker 1: and then people have asked occasionally like dude, the cheap 12 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: thing again? And I don't want to. I want to 13 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: do it like once every hundred and fifty shows. Literally 14 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: that's a good that's a good pace. I don't want 15 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: to overdo that. So that's that'll be the third time 16 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: soon coming up, I think so. Yeah. Sure for fifty 17 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: right around the corner had around a company. Um, chuckers, 18 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: have you ever had kaboom cereal? No, dude, it was 19 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: that was such a thing good. Um, No, it wasn't 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: good the marshmallows were good. They it was basically like 21 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: lucky Charms. I don't know who ripped off who, but 22 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: it was clown themed rather than you know, irish themed. 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: That's genius. Yeah. But there was a clown on front 24 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: and he had a cannon, and that's where the name 25 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 1: came from. Kaboom. It was a circus clown circus canon. 26 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: But then they realized clowns were scary as heck most people, 27 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: so it failed miserably. I wrote this blog post recently. 28 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: Did you read it about it? Yeah, that's the clown 29 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,759 Speaker 1: giving clown therapy. People seem to like it too. Yeah, 30 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: I thought it was a nice one. Um, that wasn't 31 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: my intro. My intro was about Hunter te. Oh well, 32 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: let's hear it. Do you remember, well, sure you're probably 33 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: gonna reference his death wish. Yes, so he you know, 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: he comes down with the cancer and um shoots himself 35 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: in the head and we're ardless of how you feel 36 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: about suicide. What happened next was his um As you said, 37 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: I guess his death wish, which he made in life. Ironically. Yeah, 38 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: there's two kinds of death wishes. There's a wish that 39 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: you make upon your death that you would like for 40 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: things to happen after you die. And then there's the 41 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: jolly Brunson death. Wish nice good good Chuck Fron, Well, 42 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: that's a Simpsons character too, but it's the Simpson's character, 43 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: the mustachioed sales clerk. Yes, but he clearly references GERALDS Brunson. Yeah. Um. Anyway, 44 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: what happened to Hunter T was he Um, he he 45 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: was cremated and he had his remains shot out of 46 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: a cannon. Have you seen it? Yeah? Thanks to Johnny 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: Depp helped that dream come true because he has tons 48 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,119 Speaker 1: and tons of money to make that happen. Yes, he does. 49 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: It was quite a cannon too. Um. And we've talked 50 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: before about how I want my dead body shot out 51 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,080 Speaker 1: of a cannon. We have indeed, Um, I'm not so 52 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: sure anymore. Maybe who knows? It would be after reading 53 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: this article and the physical requirements. It would be kind 54 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: of gruesome. It wouldn't be like unless they stiffened you 55 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: up somehow, you would come out in a big like 56 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: a dead body wood. That's what I've always imagined though, 57 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,839 Speaker 1: that's what I see flying through the air. I thought 58 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: you saw yourself like shooting through a rocket towards the storm. No, 59 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: like flopping like through the air and doing like half 60 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: somersaults and twists where you think it's gonna be naked too. 61 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: I was gonna land on the Kansas Prairie and let 62 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: the vultures finish me off. All right, we'll see an idea. 63 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: Bring it. I got a backyard for you. I think 64 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: that's how we met coop um he he offered. He 65 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: was like, hey, I I live in Kansas and I 66 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: can get this done. Yeah, alright, so we'll see. But 67 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: I think that that's an image that people can have 68 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: in their head while we talk about how human cannonballs work, right, 69 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: because like you said, there's a lot to it, but 70 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: one of the things that's not to it. And I 71 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,839 Speaker 1: think it's funny that um people wonder how this how 72 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: you can shoot somebody out of a cannon and the 73 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: gunpowder doesn't blow them up. There's no gunpowder, of course, 74 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: there's not. I don't understand how someone cannot understand that intuitively, Yeah, 75 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: because I think people want to believe that they're being 76 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: fired out of a cannon instead of a a long 77 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: uh piston enclosed in a in a tube with a 78 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: fake boom in a flash, Yes, for effect. Okay, so 79 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: I guess it's the fake boom in the flash. They're 80 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 1: they're buying it. Yeah, well that's the idea from the beginning, 81 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: that was the idea. So yes, And it has long roots, indeed, 82 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: back to the nineteenth century, back to the UK, which, 83 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: by the way, I've noticed, did you notice from like 84 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: this article in doing any supplementary research, the UK is 85 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: big into human cannonballs. I think they're big on just 86 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: this whole circus experience. Okay, they were the original Showman. Yeah, sure, 87 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: they own the world. Yeah, it's you know, and they 88 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: sold it. And when you own the world, you have 89 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: an obligation to entertain the world, and they did so 90 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 1: by human cannonballs. Specifically, something called the projector. Is the 91 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: is the I guess grandfather of the human cannon ball cannon, right, yeah, 92 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: the Farini project or eight seventy one, George Farini. Basically 93 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: it was like a more like a catapult, like a 94 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: spatula that would just flip people and stop and people 95 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: would go flopping and flying through the air. Yeah, and 96 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: they oh god, I regret this. Yeah. Uh. Specifically Lulu 97 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: Um who was a man dressed as a woman, because 98 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: that always adds to the comic effect. Right, put a 99 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: dude in address and he was the first person in 100 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: America to get flapjacked with Farini's contraption. There. Yeah, and 101 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: not only did he do that, he was he sailed 102 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: thirty ft into the air. And um was caught by 103 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: someone on a trapeeze. So as we go through this, 104 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: I don't want any just think about my dead body 105 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: being shot onto the Kansas Prairie. Um, I want you 106 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,479 Speaker 1: to think about how difficult it is to catch somebody 107 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: on a trapeez who's just been shot out of a cannon. 108 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: While you're on a trapeeze. You're swinging it just the 109 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: right point, hitting him just the right way, and then 110 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: taking their for momentum and yanking him another way on 111 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: the trapeeze. Yeah. Well this um, in fairness, Lulu wasn't 112 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: caught by someone. She he just actually grabbed hold of 113 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: the trapeeze. But there are people later on in this 114 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: article who were caught by people on the trampeze. I 115 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,239 Speaker 1: just want to get that. So someone out there was like, no, no, Lulu. 116 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: I wonder there'd be one person who knew that. UM, 117 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: So the Ferini projector was invented in eight seventy one. 118 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,039 Speaker 1: It was obsolete by eighteen eight. Because this is the 119 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: year that a fourteen year old girl named Rosa Marie 120 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,679 Speaker 1: Richter whose stage name was zazzle a right, great great 121 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: grandmother to Andy Richter. No, I'm just kidding, okay, um, 122 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: great stage name though, right, she's fourteen. Um, and she, 123 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: at the behest of one P. T. Barnum climbed into 124 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: the first cannon, human cannonball cannon um that that is 125 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: designed like today's modern cannons. Well yea, and she was 126 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: shot out of it and um shortly after that, within 127 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: a few performances, she broke her back and was the 128 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: first casualty of the human cannonball in this first the 129 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: first cannon used the springs, and they employed the blast 130 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: the fire in the in the boom to make people 131 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: thinking back then they probably really bought it. Oh yeah, 132 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: how bad. You know people are so dumb back then. Uh. 133 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: And there's a very famous picture of her climbing into 134 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: the cannon. It's called like beautiful girl and huge gun 135 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: or something like that. I thought that our fore fathers 136 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: like invented everything and like built the world and we're like, 137 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: they're so dumb. What a bunch of stupid people. Yeah, 138 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: well it's harder and harder to build and discover new 139 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: things now because they're all that was all the easy stuff, 140 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: Like you and I could have discovered all this stuff 141 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: right now, it's just more and more difficult. You have 142 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: to really look for subtlety, right yea, so we say, 143 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: thanks to no one. Yeah, um, so the the late 144 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: nineteenth century, is this the human cannonball idea just takes 145 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: off right thanks to Dazzle, thanks to George Loyal. He 146 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: was the one who was shot out of a cannon 147 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,480 Speaker 1: and would be caught by a woman on a trap 148 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 1: at the Yankee Robinson Circus. Right, yes, that's incredibly difficult, 149 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: it is. And you think about it, like, I think 150 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: I've even seen that before, like in person, at at 151 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: a circus when I was a kid. Um, But now 152 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: that I've researched and read the some like, I can't 153 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: imagine how difficult that has to be, how everything has 154 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,439 Speaker 1: to be totally precise, and that these circus performers must 155 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: spend like all day practicing every day just to make sure. Yeah, 156 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: and not just to the timing. There's a lot of 157 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: other stuff that you have to take into account. Right, 158 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: It's right, it's not just get in this cannon. We're 159 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: gonna push you out, no josh, because the little sled 160 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: that you're basically in goes forward at a force of 161 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 1: three thousand and six thousand pounds per square inch of pressure. Right, 162 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: that we should say, compressed air is now the the 163 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: preferred means of shooting that little piston forward. Right, and 164 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: you're in a little capsule like imagine um Mark's egg, 165 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: but with the top cut off, so you're not you're 166 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: in the in the barrel in what amounts to a barrel, 167 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: a bullet in the barrel, a bullet with the top 168 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: cut off, and um that bullet is attached to the cannon. 169 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: So when the when the compressed air shot shots it out, 170 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: the cannon stops, but you keep going, that's right. But 171 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: it shoots you out at a what did you say, 172 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: like three thousand to six thousand pounds per square inch 173 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: of pressure? Yeah, yeah, that produces some some force. That's 174 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: a lot. And that's why you can't just be like 175 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: all limp. You know, that would crush you. You know, 176 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: you have to be extremely strong and rigid and your 177 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: legs have to be taught. Like. You can't just be 178 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: like all right, shoot shoot it off, or like your 179 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: dead body. That's why it would be so gruesome. Yeah, 180 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 1: I wonder if I just explode in blood at the 181 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: end of the cannon. I don't know. Maybe, But with 182 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: with the big daddy cannons these days, you can go 183 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: horizontally about two hundred feet or vertically, which they say 184 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: that's where the ooze and odds come from, as high 185 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 1: as two hundred feet uh and then speeds up to 186 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: sixty to seventy right, So you're hauling, you are hauling. Um, 187 00:10:54,240 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 1: you're also under some tremendous force, right oh yes, so yeah, 188 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: you've got about nine g s during launch and twelve 189 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: jeez an impact and we'll talk about that later. But 190 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: chuck the dodon paw right, it's a roller coaster in Japan. 191 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: It has the highest acceleration. Um, it's a two point 192 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 1: seven geesez yeah, so imagine nine right, Yeah, this is 193 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: a this is a this is you're putting this human 194 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 1: body under a lot of stress, right then, yes, and 195 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: you fly out a long way and that's why you 196 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: have to take into account the things we briefly mentioned 197 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: like wind speed, body weight, obstacles like the guy wires 198 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: and the tent for the net and the poles for 199 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: the for the tent, And we also we mentioned that 200 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: in Sniper. Remember we're talking about the bullet trajectory, and 201 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 1: they have to take into account like humidity. So do 202 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: people who set up human cannonball cannons. And usually I 203 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: get the impression the human cannonball is the manager in 204 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: charge of this whole act. They don't just come out 205 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: and they're like, all right, I'll get in it. Alreadys 206 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: did it? Yeah, And some carnie like puts out a cigarette. 207 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: It's like it looks good to me. Uh now that's 208 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: not the case. Um. A lot of planning goes in 209 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,319 Speaker 1: because they make a point. It's pretty easy to get 210 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: into a cannon and get shot out, although like we said, 211 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,080 Speaker 1: you gotta be really strong and stuff. But the landing 212 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: part is the crucial part, obviously, because of fifty byt 213 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: net might look pretty big when you're standing on it, 214 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: but when you're two hundred feet away and two hundred 215 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: feet up, it might look like a postage stamp to you. 216 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 1: And I mean, this is a big deal, and you 217 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 1: want to hit that net. You you want to hit 218 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: it in just the right place to sure um. Yeah, 219 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 1: so to make sure that the person hits the net, 220 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: um test dummies are used. A test dummy is a 221 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: human cannonball's best friend, because you can shoot a test 222 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 1: dummy out as much as you want until you figure 223 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 1: out whether or not you've got the barrel trajectory just right. 224 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: The temperature is a problem, what have you adjustments early? Right? 225 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: And so they just shoot a test dummy at the 226 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: net until they have it just right, and then they 227 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: they I guess they feel that they're confident they're going 228 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: to try their luck at it. Yeah, And like you said, 229 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: you got to hit the net at the proper place too, 230 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: which is generally the real third because when you hit 231 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: something going down in an angle like that, you're going 232 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: to bounce backwards, not like pop straight up or go forward, right, 233 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: So you don't want to hit it on the first 234 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 1: third because then you'll bounce backwards off the net. So yeah, 235 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:53,199 Speaker 1: it's pretty specific. It is things like so, Chuck, who 236 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 1: does this crazy circus people? Circus families. It's always families. Yeah, 237 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: you know, like once you get into circus, then you've 238 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: almost guaranteed that your kid is going to do that. 239 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: So you want to talk about some of them, Well, yeah, 240 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: the one I think I've heard of these people even 241 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 1: before this, um, this article. But the Zucchini family Zacchini 242 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: zucchini zucchinis, Zacchinis have been doing uh while They've been 243 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: performing in circuses since the nineteen twenties and apparently they 244 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 1: stopped in the nineties. They're like, seventy years is enough 245 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: for us, the Zacchinis are hanging up our little fancy shoes, 246 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: right uh. And in that time, um, there were seven 247 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: brothers in the family. Five of them became human cannonballs. 248 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: And that's just the brothers. There was also a sister 249 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: to who did human cannonballing. Yeah. I'm just dying to 250 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: know what those other two dudes. It's like, yeah, Eli 251 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: and Peyton Manning's brother that most people go, there's another brother, right, like, well, 252 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: what does he do? He he's the oldest, whdn't he 253 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: and he used to like he was like a big 254 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: man on campus at Old Miss. But that was it, 255 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: he didn't he just parted then play football though, So 256 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: he's not beloved by his father Archie. Yeah, so not true. 257 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: Probably Uh, they worked with the Ringling brothers, the Zucchini's did, 258 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: who obviously a big name in circuses, and uh, they 259 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: sort of pushed the envelope Hugo and Victor. The brothers 260 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 1: did a little double barrel gag that went over pretty well. 261 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: And Mario, uh would get shot over Ferris wheels, like 262 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: two Ferris wheels, Mario Zucchini, two fairest wheels, not on 263 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: top of one another, no one after the other. It's 264 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: quite quite a feat. And then um, John Weiss human bullet. Yeah, 265 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: he started out as a clown apparently really he did 266 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: five years as a clown and then made the very 267 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: rare jump to human cannonball. From clown to cannonball this 268 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: year and apparently his first first shot sent him six 269 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: ft really yeah, yeah, that was his first one. Did 270 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: you do it as a clown? Do you know? I 271 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: think that that would have been a mockery to the 272 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: human cannonball um tradition. Okay, yeah, I don't want to 273 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: do that. And then there's the Smith family, also a 274 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: very popular circus cannonball family. Did you talk about John Weiss, Well, 275 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: he was he was one of the most prolific cannonballers yeah, 276 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: did he die doing it? No? Okay, did you mention 277 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: how many times he's done it? No? Five thousand. That 278 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: is a lot of time to be shot out of 279 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: a cannon. I did just kind of breeze over that 280 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: five thousand times and he started in seven. Yeah, so 281 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: he was doing it for a little while there. For years. 282 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: I guess he was doing it once a day, six 283 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 1: days a week, fifty weeks a year. Yeah, you're right, 284 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: that's a lot of blasts. It is a lot. That's 285 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: a lot of I mean, especially what we know about 286 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: what the pressure it exerts on a body. I mean, 287 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: that's that's rough work. Yeah, and it's uh, I mean 288 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: we've pointed out how it is safe. But more than 289 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: thirty people have died doing this over the years. Okay, 290 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: so the that that that pops up in this article 291 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 1: thirty people have died as human cannonballs. There's a British 292 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: historian who died a few years back. His name is A. H. Cox. 293 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,479 Speaker 1: He Um says that there's been only about fifty people 294 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: to ever be human cannonballs. Thirty have died. Really, Yeah, 295 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,439 Speaker 1: I thought that's kind of significant enough to be put 296 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: into this article. Ward me off of human cannonball and 297 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:43,199 Speaker 1: so thirty out of fifty have died and that's just 298 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:48,879 Speaker 1: who died others, you know, like broker Back Zazzle broker Back. Um, yeah, 299 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: we'll get into that gruesomeness soon or Zazzle Zazzle. Okay, alright, 300 00:17:57,280 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: So back to the Smith family. They are the modern 301 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: um cannonball family that are pretty awesome. Um, David Cannonball 302 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: Smith Jr. Has spent much of his life inside of 303 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,399 Speaker 1: a cannon. Yes, have you been on their website? Funny 304 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: he just he's described as having a dynamic personality. I 305 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: like that. It's better than saying he has a dynamite 306 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: personality than be pretty bad. But David the Bullet Smith Jr. 307 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:25,919 Speaker 1: Is his son, and I'm sorry he's the one with 308 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: the dynamics. Okay, his dad was a real snooze. I 309 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: don't know. Uh. He bested his dad's record of by 310 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: flying a hundred ft Yeah, but his dad still holds 311 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,679 Speaker 1: the highest I think two hundred and three sixty one 312 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,479 Speaker 1: two and that friends outside of America. Yeah, that's one 313 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: of those over two Ferris wheels. Yeah, that's crazy. Yep. Oh, 314 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 1: should you mention the DARPA thing? I thought that was 315 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:56,399 Speaker 1: completely stupid and ridiculous. Did you think so? Yeah, I 316 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: think it's kind of cool. I think if DARPA could 317 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 1: perfect this, then it could take the human cannonball art 318 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 1: to a whole new level. Spill it. But basically DARPA 319 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: the Defense Research Project, Right, there's an a in there 320 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 1: somewhere advanced. Yes, thank you um they were looking at. 321 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: I think they file the patent for a basically human 322 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: cannonball cannon that has like a sled chair right, that 323 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: shoots you up. I think they said they can get 324 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: a first responder, special ops, a firefighter on top of 325 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: a five story building in two seconds. So basically their 326 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: idea is to take the human cannonball concept and just 327 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,439 Speaker 1: shoot people on top of buildings to go fight fires 328 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,120 Speaker 1: or to go snipe people or whatever. So I get that. 329 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,399 Speaker 1: It's the landing thing that they say is the hardest 330 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,920 Speaker 1: part in real cannonballing. So what what's going on? Well, 331 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: that's what I'm saying. I have no idea. I don't 332 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 1: know if they were like, well we've got this part, now, 333 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: let's go figure out the other part. But that's that's 334 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: kind of the big um joke or a big unders 335 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:04,399 Speaker 1: or among human cannonballers. Is it's not a problem shooting 336 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: somebody out of a cannon. It's the landing that's the 337 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,919 Speaker 1: important part. Yeah, right, Or in this case, if you're 338 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: shooting someone on a building, if you're off there, then 339 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: it's all of a sudden, you're a cartoon and you 340 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: smack into the building and then slide very slowly down, 341 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,159 Speaker 1: except unlike a cartoon, you leave a trail of blood 342 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,919 Speaker 1: when you slide down. Yeah, and you slide down fast, 343 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: and then there's more blood and body parts on the street. Yes, 344 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:55,359 Speaker 1: which has happened, I'm sure it has. There's there's been 345 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: a lot of accidents, as we've said, out of fifty 346 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: uh thirty, he mean cannonballs have died, right, it's a 347 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 1: lot and um to to prevent this, you know, these 348 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: people stay in tiptop shape, right. Um. You have to 349 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: work out your core. You have to have a strong back, 350 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: You need to be able to brace yourself like you said, 351 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: and really just go totally rigid so when you're shot out, 352 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: you don't just you're not crushed. You need to become 353 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: a projectile, right, um, because all you're wearing a helmet, 354 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: maybe a little padding, Yeah, but helmet is not gonna 355 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: do much if you miss your net. No, um, and 356 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,879 Speaker 1: the net is very important. A lot of people use 357 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 1: airbags as well, right, yes, um, there was a guy 358 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: who's named Elvin Bale. It's the human space Shuttle. Poor 359 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: Elvin Bale. He used air bags and he is a 360 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: victim of circumstance if there ever has been one. Right. 361 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,879 Speaker 1: He was big in the seventies and eighties until I 362 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: believe seven, when he went through all the the tests, 363 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: shot is cry test dummy out. Um, it landed fine 364 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: in these air bags where he calculated they should be. 365 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: And um, what he didn't know is that his crash 366 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,880 Speaker 1: test dummy had gotten wet, which made it much heavier, 367 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: which completely changed the dynamics of its test run. So 368 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: when he shot himself out, he missed the air bags. Right, 369 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: he did. He was he sailed right over him. This 370 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 1: is in Hong Kong. And he said that he knew 371 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: quote I could see where I was going and that 372 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: it was too far, too fast, So he knew in 373 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: mid air. He was conscious enough to be like, oh crap, 374 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna hit the air bag and apparently the dummy, 375 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: because when I read that, I was like, well, how 376 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: does this happen when that's the only safety thing you 377 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: can do. How do you have a soaked dummy? Apparently 378 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,879 Speaker 1: it was left in the rain and they're filled with sand, 379 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: and so the outside of it dried and but the 380 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: sand was still wet on the inside, so it didn't 381 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 1: like feel wet to the touch when they were testing it. 382 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: And he said he remembered it feeling like it was 383 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: in slow motion and that his brain actually thought he 384 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: could solve this problem in mid arrow aerodynamically, like do 385 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 1: something like I can do this and shorten the trip 386 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: and land upright, which might save me. But instead he 387 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: overshot it by just a few yards and slam feet 388 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,280 Speaker 1: first into the floor, shattered his ankles, knee, a leg, 389 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: in his spine, and he's paralyzed from the moist down 390 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: and that is very sad. Uh. He mentions the aerodynamics right, like, 391 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: there is a specific way you want to land. Yeah, 392 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 1: you want to do that little easy somersault and land 393 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: on your back, which is that's the way to land. 394 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: You also said something um that brought to mind the 395 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: idea that this the g force that we talked about earlier. 396 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: It's been shown to produce a loss of consciousness and people. 397 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: So that's another danger that you you know, when you're sailing, 398 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: you want to like stay like a projectile, and if 399 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: you're blacked out, you're going to be like a dead 400 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:12,119 Speaker 1: body like you. Yes, um, and Elvin Bell is not 401 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: the only person that something horrible has happened to obviously. Yeah, 402 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: Matt Cranch just this year. Yeah, a few months ago 403 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: in April. He and this is just a nightmare scenario. 404 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: He got blasted off and right after he blasted off, 405 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 1: the net collapsed. Yeah, so how does that happen? I 406 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: don't know, that's probably what he's asking. Well, he died. 407 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: He landed on his head and died. He did die, 408 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: so that is not what he's asking. That is what 409 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 1: his family is asking, probably via a lawsuit. It would 410 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: be my guess. That was in Great Britain too, very sad. 411 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: And remember I mentioned a Zichini's sister. Um. She the 412 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,679 Speaker 1: Zichinis used to do these double barrels stunts where they 413 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: two would be shot out at the same time, usually 414 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: next to one another and a long parallel one another. Well, 415 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: she and another brother had a had an act where 416 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,199 Speaker 1: they'd be shot in the same direction as when I 417 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: passed by and like high five. Yeah, well they collided 418 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: and she broke her back. That's just a bad idea. 419 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: That was a bad idea. But the sad thing is 420 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: that if you if you look at modern people, like 421 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: the modern cannonballers, they are safety conscious. Um they were 422 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: just like a net collapsed or the dummy was was wet, 423 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: which that that makes it even sadder to me. If 424 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: you get shot, you know, two ft into the air 425 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: at your brother sixty, I wonder how close break your 426 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 1: back then something? Yeah, that was part of the equation. 427 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: I wonder how close they intended to go to one another, 428 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 1: because obviously the closer the better, Like if they were apart, 429 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: it's it's not it's impressive. So they probably wanted to 430 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: get it tight for the effect. But can you imagine 431 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, like when you see that coming 432 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,359 Speaker 1: straight at you, you probably have the same realization like, crap, 433 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: that's I'm gonna die by hitting my brother, sister brother. 434 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: Very sad, Yeah, anything else, that's it. Man. I did 435 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:13,679 Speaker 1: a do we ever did the thing on Daredevil's Uh No, 436 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: I wrote an article on Daredevil's and maybe we should 437 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:17,960 Speaker 1: do that at some point or we've been talking about 438 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: our Evil Evil kin Evil podcast. Maybe because he's a 439 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: big part of that one, maybe we can just cover 440 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: it all songs. Human cannonball. Yeah, we've got that one 441 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: covered done. Okay, Well, if you want to learn more 442 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,160 Speaker 1: about human cannonballs, including how long it takes to accelerate 443 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: a human cannonballer to their top speed, do you want 444 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,439 Speaker 1: to know one fifth of a second? Really? Yeah? You 445 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: can find all that by typing human cannonball onto the 446 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: search bart how stuff works dot com And from what 447 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: you say, Chuck, it sounds like that will bring up 448 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: more than just one article. Yeah, my daredevil sing like 449 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 1: pop up um, I said, handy search bar at House 450 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: Divorced dot com. That means it's time for listener mail. 451 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: That's right, Josh, I'm gonna call this underground railroad. Uh, 452 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: I'm writing in about underground railroad. I wanted to share 453 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 1: a little bit of my childhood summers in upstate New York. 454 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: My great grandfather, Louis Loveland made a home in Johnsburg, 455 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: New York in the Adirondacks. What's so funny? Like you 456 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:26,440 Speaker 1: know him? Yeah, Louie. The home itself is incredibly cool 457 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:28,960 Speaker 1: and haunted. There's a very cluttered and dimly lit room 458 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: hidden away behind the kitchen, which has a small organ 459 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: buried beneath uh decades a stored and forgotten items. Family 460 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: legend has it that the organ would mysteriously start playing 461 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: it all hours of the night thanks to spirits. As 462 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 1: if that weren't enough, there's a very large barn behind 463 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 1: the home, which has seen its better days. My sister 464 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: and I were always warned to be careful when we 465 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 1: went near the barn. The reason because the earth beneath 466 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: our feet could give away at any moment. Well, this 467 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:00,119 Speaker 1: sounds a good, terrifying summer house, but there is a 468 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: hidden tunnel beneath the barn. Because there's a hidden tunnel 469 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:04,400 Speaker 1: beneath the barn, running from the back of the home, 470 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: below the barn and out into the mountains, right next 471 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: to a strawberry patch that my great grandfather planted a 472 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 1: hundred years ago. The tunnel was a part of the 473 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,720 Speaker 1: underground railroad, and I've been told it's one of the 474 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: last stops in the adder on decks that is still 475 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: intact today, although it buries. The tunnel is roughly three 476 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: to four ft below the ground about five ft tall, 477 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: four ft wide and seventy five yards long, packed with 478 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,880 Speaker 1: dirt and rocks and an absolute death trap to navigate 479 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,399 Speaker 1: without a flashlight. The entrance from the home it's just 480 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: too dangerous to use anymore. But there is a way 481 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: to drop into the tunnel via a hidden door in 482 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: the barn, as long as you don't mind a many 483 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: landside of dirt and hay following you into the tunnel, 484 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: which I would um. That's it. Once you carefully make 485 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: your way through the tunnel, you emerge into sunlight and 486 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: a strawberry field. Nice, nice little treat if you're somebody 487 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: warm wet towel, moist towel, and that is from Alison 488 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: STI wow, thanks Alice. You could do that, couldn't you? 489 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:07,479 Speaker 1: Chuck the You've gone caming before I could do that. 490 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: You should handle not me. As long as it's buttressed. 491 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,479 Speaker 1: I wonder if it is buttressed, if Charles Bronson had 492 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: anything to do what it is. Yeah. Uh. If you 493 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: have a great recipe for fresh strawberries, we want to 494 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: hear it. You can wrap it up in an email, 495 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 1: spanking on the bottom, kiss it good night, and send 496 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: it to Stuff podcast at how Stuff Works dot com 497 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,719 Speaker 1: Stuff You Should Know is a production of iHeart Radio's 498 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 499 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 500 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.