1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always for 3 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: tuning in. We are recording this on the week leading 4 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: to Thanksgiving. It's a it's a pretty wild one, uh 5 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: this time around. Things that used to be uh surreal 6 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: are now normal. Things that used to be normal are 7 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: now you know, downright dangerous in some respects. Just for 8 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: an example, Noel super producer Casey Pegram, I actually had 9 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: to go buy coffee. I can't mooch the company coffee anymore. 10 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: I know what's become of this world. Uh, not to 11 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: mention that we're actually broadcast since today from inside the 12 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: belly of an inactive volcano. But I'm starting to hear 13 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: some rumbling, so I'm a little worried. But it'll all 14 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: just it's it's on brand, it's on theme. So if 15 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: at some point in the episode you start to hear 16 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: some kind of like the rumbling starts to intensify and 17 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: then the sound of you know, us being melted by 18 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: molten lava, um, just consider it part of the ride. 19 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: And if if you guys on the call today, if 20 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: you guys see you can see these giant vats of 21 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: baking soda and vinegar behind me. If you see them 22 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: somehow getting close to each other, just say, Ben, watch 23 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: your vinegar. That sounds like an obscure catchphrase for somebody 24 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: watch your vinegar. I like it. I like it. I 25 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: think it should go in one of the many T 26 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: shirts that we keep promising not do we because it's 27 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: tough to work in a volcano up, But I like 28 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: you point out this one is a fake volcano. Nol Uh. 29 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: That's that's how we got around the insurance bit. Uh. 30 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: And fake volcanoes for a lot of our listeners in 31 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: the US and maybe abroad. Uh. Fake volcanoes make you 32 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: think of one thing, right, science projects? Do you guys 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: ever make one of those? Totally? Are you kidding? That's 34 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: the best part of science class. I did it at 35 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: home for fun, not even in science class. Yeah, yeah, 36 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: I I did it for kicks as well. Well, you know, 37 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: my mom's a teacher, So these were sort of I 38 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: called them the shut up projects. You know, on a Saturday. 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: What was the cavity consistent? What of the cavity? Uh? 40 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: Was it crafted from some sort of soda bottle or something? 41 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: And then you build a volcano around it with clay 42 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: or there's probably several different ways to get it done. 43 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: I would say, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's see it's flower salt, 44 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: cooking oil water and then just a little bit of 45 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: baking soda, then the vinegar. Uh, you could build it 46 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: out of a couple of things, right, It's that that's 47 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: the allure. But I think you're right. I think a 48 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: two leader soda bottle is probably the go to for 49 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: a lot of kids, just because it's round, and it's affordable, 50 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: and you gets soda as a side benefit. So there's 51 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: a hustle. But today we're not tricking you with the 52 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: the opening in the segue, folks, we are talking about 53 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,519 Speaker 1: a fake volcano, quite possibly the coolest fake volcano in history. 54 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: It blows our stuff just like out the water. This 55 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: is a Vesuvius to us, this absolutely should have been 56 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: or is the perfect subject matter to feature on like 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: a Weird Flexes episode. Um, so yeah, let's start from 58 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: the top. Uh. You know, we we think of outdoor 59 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: recreation areas is you know, I guess the lesser of 60 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: them might be a park or a playground, But then 61 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: of course they get more and more extra as you 62 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: started delving into theme park territories. Right. The idea of 63 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: public spaces where people can mingle and have a good time, 64 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: UM has has been around for quite a long time. UM. 65 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: But the idea of a resort with amusement facilities, like 66 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: I said, much more along the lines of a theme 67 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: park or water park or something UM, didn't really start 68 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: to show up in Europe until the Renaissance. Of course, 69 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: it was the Renaissance, That's why I was called the 70 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: Renaissance when they had all the like cool new ideas UM. 71 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,119 Speaker 1: And in England in particular, they were referred to as 72 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: pleasure gardens. And I've actually heard that kind of still used, 73 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: like in England at least for theme parks. They call 74 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: them like pleasure parks or a pleasure cruise, you know whatever. UM. 75 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: And they were massively popular from around fifteen fifty two 76 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: round at least in this form UM, you first started 77 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: to see these kinds of resorts that were connected with 78 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: businesses like inns or taverns. Right, yeah, yeah, exactly. And 79 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of an added benefit, you know, which 80 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: in are you gonna go to? Are you gonna go 81 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: to the one that's just a bed and a window 82 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: and a door. Are you gonna go to the one 83 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: that's got some cool stuff you can mess with outside? 84 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: The calculus is clear, and these proved enormously beneficial for businesses, 85 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: and as they did, they became increasingly elaborate. I was 86 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: thinking of, um, the kind of pleasure gardens we have 87 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: in the Atlanta area. In our region, we have the 88 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which are quite beautiful. They had a 89 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: fantastic Alice in Wonderland exhibition earlier. And then we also 90 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: have just a few hours away, the legendary Rock City. 91 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: Have you guys ever been to Rock City? I've seen it. 92 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: It's amazing because that's what they tell you. They say 93 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: Sea Rock City on all the signs leading up to Yeah, 94 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: what is it like? There's there's gnomes kind of I believe, 95 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: aren't the future at Rock City? Yes? And it's in 96 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: black light too, that's right. Yeah, And then there's um, 97 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: I don't know, it's sort of like an outdoor like 98 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: cracker barrel situation. Like t G I fridays with like weird, 99 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: kitchy just you know, kookie stuff everywhere exactly, So you 100 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: probably have something like a pleasure garden in your neck 101 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: of the Global Woods in London in sixteen sixty one, 102 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: a huge pleasure guard opens up. It's called Vauxhall Gardens. 103 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,920 Speaker 1: It's twelve acres in full. Admission is free, So where 104 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: are you going to take your kids? Add to that 105 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: there's entertainment, pretty high quality entertainment. An eight year old 106 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: Mozart performed there in seventeen sixty four. And so, as 107 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: we always notice, money comes into play because a couple 108 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 1: of folks are looking around and they say, what if 109 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: admission was free? And they hold it pinky up, you know, 110 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: to their mouth, and this is how the story kind 111 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: of begins. We see the beginning of an industry, and 112 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: the gardens and their attractions begin to be kind of 113 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: a cultural expression of this desire for what we could 114 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: call vicarious danger or safe danger, because they presented this 115 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: kind of natural world that might appear wild and untamed, 116 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: but it's the kind of think you can take your 117 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: kids to and everyone will be safe and fine. So 118 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: they were unthreatening, they were contained environments, and they also 119 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: kind of generated categories. There was the beauty of nature, 120 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: but then there was another category of like the terror 121 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: of nature. That's right, things like you know, tsunami's heavy 122 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: storms on the high seas, things romanticized by shipwrecks, and 123 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: you know piraty type behavior, uh and acts of of 124 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: daring new thunderstorms in the mountains, and of course you 125 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: know the the open Maw of Hell that is a 126 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: volcano that's just belching fire and liquid rock and black 127 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: smoke into the skin to the sky. Um. And it's 128 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: something that really got some of the creative types behind these, 129 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: you know, the imagineers of their time, I guess um 130 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: got them going. And there was a real fascination with 131 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: like recreating some of these natural horrifying phenomenon that would 132 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: be like a real draw for for you know, thrill 133 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: seekers or pleasure seekers. And there were actually there's a 134 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: series of essays kind of establishing this concept of picturesque 135 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: beauty um that came out in two by a gentleman 136 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: named William Gilpen that kind of I love the way 137 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: this Bloomsbury collective piece, Bloomsbury being a publisher, if I'm 138 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: not mistaken, kind of outline that Guilpen quote taught the 139 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: eighteenth century tourists how to gaze and essentially created the concept, 140 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: or at least made it more mainstream of esthetics or 141 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: of like enjoying something because it looks nice. Um, and 142 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,559 Speaker 1: he was even okay with doing that, like in an 143 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: artificial way, right, Ben, Yeah, that's right. No, Gilpin would 144 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: have been really into Rock City, which we can't say 145 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: enough weirdly cryptic good things. You just have to see 146 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: it real, You just have to see it, uh, Tangent, 147 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: We don't have time to go into it, but a 148 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: long time listeners, who remember the time we had my 149 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: dad on the show. When we moved to Georgia, he 150 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 1: relocated first, and I was convinced that he had run 151 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: away and abandoned our family to live at Rock City 152 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: by himself because I thought it was that cool. And 153 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: you know what, he let me believe that for like 154 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: a year easy. He would tell me he lived in 155 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: Rock City and I couldn't come anyhow, what's heartbreak? He 156 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: still thinks it's funny, but but yeah, it's a Gilpin's 157 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: your point there? No, Um, I love the idea that 158 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: people have to be taught how to gaze, and uh, 159 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: with this there comes some conventions, Right, how do we 160 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: define landscaping? How do we define the picturesque? Uh? He 161 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 1: was all about using us for popular public spectacle or events. 162 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 1: And at the same time, you know, we saw a 163 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: lot of gardeners becoming more picturesque using theatrical effects. Shout 164 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: out to our earlier episode on garden hermits. Was that 165 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: from a weird flex episode or that was a weird 166 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: flex episode? Yeah, I think that was yours. I can't remember. 167 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: I can't remember. They were all equally weird and FLEXI 168 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: but this belongs in those ranks. This this story we're 169 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: about to get to. Yes, yes, we're getting to this story. 170 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: While all this is happening, people of means are traveling 171 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: to England and they're seeing these sites and they're enjoying them, 172 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: and they want to bring a piece of that back 173 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 1: home with them. So enter onto the stage, Prince Leopold 174 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: the Third Friedrich Franz of on desaw I defer to 175 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: you on the German their knowl how Ben, you're only 176 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 1: too kind. I hope that I could even bring a 177 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: modicum of of of of what Casey brings to French 178 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: with German. Let's see, uh. Leopold the Third Friedrich Franz 179 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: on how daw perfect? Thank you? Yes, Casey, actually, can 180 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: we get an applause for oh my god, you guys, 181 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: you guys. I'd like to I'd like to thank my 182 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: my German kindergotten teacher foun noi House. That really was 183 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: her name, which means new new house. I remember when 184 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,719 Speaker 1: I was, when I was in German kindergarten, I was 185 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: going on a trip to America. I may have told 186 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: the story before, but she really wanted me to get 187 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: to butter finger bars, because you can't get butter of 188 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: finger bar at least at the time. Surely that's changed. 189 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,839 Speaker 1: You couldn't get butter finger bars in Germany. Was this 190 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: East Germany? It was in uh oh, yes, I see 191 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: what you're saying. Um and sorry, off the off the 192 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: rails really quickly. But Ben, do you know, and I'm 193 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: sure you do that, you know, horrible the gummies, the 194 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: gummy candies. There's a whole bunch of those that are 195 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 1: only available in like Scandinavia, and they're salty, right, super salty. Yeah. Also, 196 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: so uh, Germany, shout out to the real kinder eggs 197 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: because the stuff we have in the US is just 198 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: not the same. Casey is nodding solemnly. Yeah, I was 199 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: just thinking about the whole kinder toy thing. Well, they 200 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: were choking hazards, not torrious choking hazards, I think. But 201 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: I just bought one the other day and was really 202 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: distressed to realize it's shaped like an egg, but it's 203 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: actually comes with a spoon and it's like you eat 204 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: it and like it's not it's not a chocolate egg 205 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: at all. It's like a total bait and switch. Yeah, 206 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: we also need to talk about the egregious things Cadbury 207 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: has done and the well anyway, first we have to 208 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 1: talk about this volcano. We were promised the volcano. We 209 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: need to have it. This is where Freedrick comes in. Uh. 210 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:48,599 Speaker 1: He and his friend and counselor Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff, 211 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: went to England. They saw this, They saw the study 212 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: of landscape and gardening and picturesque spectacles, and they also 213 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: saw ancient buildings in Italy on their European tour, and 214 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: so they said, why don't we do something like this 215 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: in our native Germany. A lot of people make a 216 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: lot of play ats, right, But the difference here is 217 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 1: Leopold the third Frederick Farns is a prince, he's a duke, 218 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: he rules a small kingdom in modern day Dessow, and 219 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: he was a pretty good ruler, actually fairly progressive for 220 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: his time. He's born in seventeen forty, he's in his 221 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: mid twenties. On this tour of Europe, that's something a 222 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: lot of the members of the noble class do. So 223 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: he goes to London, Paris, Marseille, Rome, Venice, Naples, and 224 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: he sees Mount Vesuvius. He also encounters Pompeii, which had 225 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: been recently rediscovered in seventeen forty eight, and he was 226 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: in Pompeii in seventeen sixty six. So there are a 227 00:13:57,480 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: couple of big things you do. If you're a well 228 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: healed track have aler at the time you go to Vesuvius, 229 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: you climb it and see it with your own eyes. 230 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,840 Speaker 1: And if you have some juice and you've got some pool, 231 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: then you actually visit the excavations of Pompeii. Franz was 232 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: able to do all of this, and they almost didn't 233 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: go to the volcano. This is the weird part. So 234 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: he and his friend Friedrich are trying to get to 235 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: the volcano, but then they notice the volcano is active again. 236 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: So the group says, look, we're here when are we 237 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: going to be back here, guys, let's volcano this, let's 238 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: be amateur volcanologists. They get to the edge of the 239 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: crater and then right when they're at the edge, they 240 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: experienced casicga low rumbling. Here they experience this growing sound 241 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: of vibration that turns into quote a most terrible roar, 242 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: accompanied by a thick cloud of smoke, and shortly afterwards 243 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: an ejection of stones, which the mountains spat out with 244 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: effort and threw far over summit. They watched the eruption. Dude, 245 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: it's pretty cool, man, Yeah, I love what was it 246 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: spat out stones? Yes, yes, with effort, with effort, of course. 247 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: So uh. When he returned to Volts, the Prince um 248 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: and Edmundorff and a landscape architect by the name of 249 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: Johann Friedrich Ias Beck Ias Beck Yeah, doing my best here. 250 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: Um started to go to town creating this like, you know, insane, ludicrous, 251 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: ostentatious display. And you know, we would call it a backyard, 252 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: I guess, or a garden. But it was just just 253 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: pretty massive. I mean it really was like a mini 254 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: kind of theme part and it was um, there were 255 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,400 Speaker 1: these kind of enlightenment ideals that were kicking around that 256 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: were a huge influence over some of the ideas of 257 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: the time. UM. The idea of UH was Jean Jacques Rousseau, 258 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: for example, UM, the philosophy of nature, of being educated 259 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: by nature, let's say. And then there was this garden 260 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: movement that you know, like we talked about with those essays, 261 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: that really valued pastoral beauty over like the more formalized 262 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: kind of you know, hedge mazes and topiarias of the Baroque. Right, yeah, exactly. 263 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: This is a this is a very weird UH mixtape. 264 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: It's kind of like an architectural historical girl talk album 265 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: or like the avalanches. You know, they've taken all these 266 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: different elements Chinese pagodas, synagogues modeled after the Temple of 267 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: Hercules Victor in Rome, a miniature pantheon, all this stuff, 268 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: and they've they've put it together in one enormous state 269 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: or backyard or garden, and it takes decades to complete. 270 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: But at the end, what they what they have is 271 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: just as you've described, this sort of thematically unified tribute 272 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 1: or monument to the Enlightenment as as an age the 273 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,239 Speaker 1: Enlightenment's view of art and nature, beauty, the meaning of 274 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: life and everything. At this point, you know, it's fair 275 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: to say if Douglas Adams had been publishing at the time, 276 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,920 Speaker 1: they would have had a giant marble forty two up there, 277 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: right next to the pagoda. And as soon as it 278 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 1: was ready, Leopold open the park to the public. He 279 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 1: wanted everybody to see what wonders they had wrought. There 280 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: is one part of this park and is particularly amazing. 281 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: It is a furnace fed fake volcano. No fooling Prince 282 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 1: Leopold had kind of a as the History blog describes it, 283 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: a pet mount Vesuvius built and he could make it 284 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: erupt on command. It took six years to make. It 285 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: was done in se and this was like his big 286 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:09,400 Speaker 1: science project. So you go to this cool outdoor public 287 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: space and then you'll learn a little on the way, 288 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 1: and you might just happen to see Leopold himself hanging 289 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: out saying, hey, kid, you want to learn about volcanoes, 290 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: hold my beer stein, watch this and flip a switch 291 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:33,640 Speaker 1: and okay, so how exactly was this accomplished? This This 292 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: is an incredible feat clearly of of engineering and architecture. 293 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: Um so what went into it. Friends, Um and his 294 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 1: architects created a design that involved uh yeah, not that 295 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,680 Speaker 1: not that different from the home made vulcany we're talking about, 296 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 1: because literally, in all of the instructions I found for 297 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: how to make one of those homemade science volcanoes, it 298 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: just says you need some kind of interior container that 299 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: holds the liquid to to house the reaction. Everything from 300 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: like maybe a smaller water bottle to like a two 301 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 1: leader soda bottle with the top with you know cut 302 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: in half, you know. Um. But for this they had 303 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: to build basically an inner building and it was five 304 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 1: stories high, and then cover it with what's described as 305 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: local boulders because only it had to be it was 306 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 1: they were. They weren't going to have any imported boulders. 307 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: They needed this to be authentic. At the top there 308 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: was a hollow cone that contained a high ceilinged chamber 309 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 1: containing three fireplaces. Um, and then the roof had like 310 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,959 Speaker 1: a crater kind of situation that could be filled with 311 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,640 Speaker 1: water to create all of that steam you know, when 312 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: the when the fire you know went off. Um and 313 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: Franz also built an amphitheater like a Greek style, you know, 314 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 1: hillside amphitheater with a little villa where he you know, 315 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: where the prince could have a personal kind of hang 316 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: out like an office, like a study, and also then 317 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: flooded part of the estate to create like a false 318 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,200 Speaker 1: kind of lake or a moat rather surrounding the volcano, 319 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: which they referred to as a stone island. And then 320 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: of course he invited his friends to a very special 321 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: garden party where they watched the volcano erupt, which is 322 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,360 Speaker 1: just amazing. And we have a modern day expert on this, 323 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: uh chemistry professor named Wolfgang Spiro, who had always had 324 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 1: a side interest in historical pyrotechnics. You know, we love 325 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: very specific areas of expertise. Uh So Spira talks about 326 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 1: how this actually went down. You know, obviously this is 327 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: the time before cable television and cell phones. So if 328 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: you happen to have a friend who has a fake 329 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: volcano and they invite you to watch it, well, yeah, 330 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 1: of course, what else are you gonna do. It's not 331 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: like wrestling is on. It's not like David Attenborough is 332 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 1: going to explain to you the wonders of the undersea world. 333 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: So you go, you watch this volcano and it seemed 334 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: like a pretty cool deal. But the question here is 335 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: was this realistic? What did the eruption actually look like? 336 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: We only have one image of this actual volcano, it's 337 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 1: a painting from but Wolfgang Spiup wanted to figure out 338 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: if this painting was realistic or if it was you know, 339 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: kind of gug up for fantasy. If you look at 340 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:40,639 Speaker 1: the volcano in the painting, it looks really cool. It 341 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily look like a you know, an actual facts volcano, 342 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: as our pal Law and vogel Bamb would say, but 343 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: it's impressive. It's a stunner. So here's what Spira did. 344 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,120 Speaker 1: He compared the size of the volcano and the painting 345 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: to the size of the real volcano, which is still 346 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 1: around by this point. Uh. The real volu cano rises 347 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: about fifty six ft above the river that flows past it. 348 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,320 Speaker 1: And he could tell then that the smoke in the 349 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: painting represented a cloud about thirty ft high, and that, 350 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:16,439 Speaker 1: he says, meant the smoke could have been from a 351 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 1: natural source, and the painting was therefore actually a pretty 352 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: good depiction of what the original eruption looked like. But 353 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: then he had a thousand more questions. What kind of 354 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: would would they have used? Why was the volcano so 355 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 1: far away from all the other weird toys the prince had? 356 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 1: Why were there three separate fireplaces concealed in a brick 357 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:41,680 Speaker 1: line chamber underneath the volcano? Uh? Smithsonian has a great 358 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: breakdown of this where they say that some of the 359 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: most important clues come from a guy named Carl August Boatinger. 360 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 1: He wrote a really long account of watching the volcano 361 00:22:53,000 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: in and he was not writing this as a compliment it, 362 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: that's the funny part to me. Instead, he was roasting Leopold, 363 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 1: like he was like, why would you build this thing? 364 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: You weird weird man? And while he's doing this, he's 365 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:18,239 Speaker 1: describing in detail, Uh, the mechanism of the thing, like 366 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,680 Speaker 1: how the eruption starts from water released from the concealed 367 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,160 Speaker 1: crater at the top of the volcano to simulate lava, 368 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 1: to the red lamps that give the pile of stone 369 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: kind of this otherworldly glow. How cool would that be 370 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:36,400 Speaker 1: if this was still around? Ben? Oh, well, hold hold 371 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: your hold your horses, hold your volcanologist, I should say, Uh, 372 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: there were also fireworks? Why not? Why not? You know 373 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: it's already as if it could get any more ostentatious. 374 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: Let's add firework displays, and surely those were not like automated. 375 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:52,639 Speaker 1: These would have to be loaded and set by you know, 376 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: individual workers every single time. Uh that it was set off. 377 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: It wasn't just like okay, like the Disneyland fireworks that 378 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: go off every night. And again those aren't automated either. 379 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: But here's what happened. Um, gunpowder, pitch, and sulfur were 380 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: really easy to get ahold of. In the eighteenth century, 381 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 1: pipe pyrotechnics were super popular and uh, a lot of 382 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: the folks involved in this situation came from military background, 383 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,359 Speaker 1: so they were intimately familiar with these explosives. There was 384 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:25,360 Speaker 1: something called Bengal fire, which was a type of chemical 385 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: that has added to create a bright blue or red flame. 386 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 1: That's a lot like what we would see today in 387 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: terms in the form of a like a flare, like 388 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:38,080 Speaker 1: a road flare or something you used on a ship. Absolutely, 389 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 1: so this is since we were a family show and 390 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: sometimes played in classrooms. This is bad but that sounds 391 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: more awkward than badass. Yeah it does, bad boy, but 392 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: your bottom So this is cool, right, This is this 393 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:02,200 Speaker 1: is objectively crazy and the very definition of a public spectacle. 394 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: You know, Franz was obsessed with this. He loved it, 395 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: loved it, loved it. He passes away at eighteen twenty 396 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: and the eruption stopped because his sole legitimate son is like, 397 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: why would you? Why would you build this volcano? You 398 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: weird weird man. And most of his garden realm as 399 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 1: it was called, was preserved after his death, but the 400 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: volcano fell into neglect over the course of the next 401 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:38,160 Speaker 1: century and a half. Luckily, the garden overall survived World 402 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: War Two with very minor damage. The worst damage it 403 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: received actually, and this is this is just tragic. Uh. 404 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: German forces destroyed the interior of the synagogue during Crystal 405 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:55,679 Speaker 1: Knock in November of nine and the only reason the 406 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: synagogue survives is because the director of the park at 407 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: the time, a guy named Hans Halvarden, kept the building 408 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 1: from being destroyed completely and they fired him. But in 409 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: my opinion, Hans is a hero for that. So after 410 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 1: World War two it becomes part of East Germany. See 411 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,439 Speaker 1: we brought it back around. This area is part of 412 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: East Germany. The volcano is further neglected and according to 413 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 1: Hiko Pills, one of the graduate assistants at the time 414 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:30,119 Speaker 1: at the Bradenburg Technical University. The very last eruptions with 415 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:33,639 Speaker 1: the fake volcano were just burning tires and was overgrown 416 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:38,439 Speaker 1: with weeds and falling apart, and after part of it 417 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: collapsed and killed someone in authorities in East Germany condemned it, 418 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: which is a shame, oh man. And I maybe was 419 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: being a little coy earlier, but maybe I wasn't when 420 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 1: I said, gosh, sure, woody cool, this is still around today. 421 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: Enough of the kind of basis of this thing are 422 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: still around. The stone Island of Volts part of the 423 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:06,399 Speaker 1: Garden Realm of Volets and Onesco. World Heritage deemed it 424 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: a historical site. Um it's about an hour south of 425 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 1: Berlin by car. But in the early two thousands it 426 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: was condemned and really, you know, was overgrown with weeds 427 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,919 Speaker 1: and something of a hazard to be around. The stones 428 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: were in repair and could have collapsed, but a five 429 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: year restoration project fixed all this and deemed the volcano 430 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,959 Speaker 1: to be safe, but yet silent um. It was not 431 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,880 Speaker 1: restored to its full glory until two thousand four, when 432 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: the World Heritage Sites Management looked to a gentleman by 433 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: the name of Wolfgang Spira, who was in a chemistry 434 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: professor from the Brandenburg Technical University UM, and he did. 435 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:54,960 Speaker 1: He had a particular um. He had a particular penchant 436 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,679 Speaker 1: for historical pyrotechnics. Let's add that to the list of 437 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: weird special realizations, right like underwater explosions, historical pyrotechnics. And 438 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: he wanted to bring the volcano roaring back to life because, 439 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: according to Spira, a volcano that can't explode is a 440 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: very sad volcano. Indeed, and he wanted to make it 441 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: happy again, he says, which I love. Um, he wanted 442 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,360 Speaker 1: to help the volcano get its identity back. This guy 443 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: is very high, high concept thinker. It would appear, um. 444 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: So he spent a decade as the head of Berlin's 445 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: criminology lab UM. And he actually signs his emails the 446 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: eruptor we need an explosion for that total Yeah, could 447 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: you say it again, nol the eruptor the oupor Okay, sorry, Casey, 448 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: thank you so much. Look at I've looked at it, Dacy, 449 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: wondering how far we can push the Salacus today. I 450 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: love that quote where Wolfgang wants to help this volcano 451 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: get its identity back. So he starts doing his detective work, 452 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: which we mentioned earlier, and eventually he gets the volcano 453 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: ready to rock and lava, rock and roll, rock and 454 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: lava again, and he recreates the events. It's still incredible 455 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: even to people in the twenty one century. If we 456 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: can set the tone. People are gathering outside of the 457 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: shores of this artificial lake. They're listening to these rumbles. 458 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,719 Speaker 1: Wine is flowing freely, twilight is deepening into what some 459 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 1: German poets called the blue hour. We we call it 460 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: kind of like it's just past golden hour. For anybody 461 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: familiar with filming, it's just a little bit deeper right 462 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: before the night sets on. I've never heard of the 463 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 1: blue hour. Well, we're not German poets yet. So as 464 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: this rumbling is building, as this suscerous reaches a crescendo, 465 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 1: there is a rumble of drums and thunder. Red flame 466 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: games flicker at the top of the volcano, growing into 467 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: a thick column of smoke, and red tinged water starts 468 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: to flow from the crater, churning into the lake below. 469 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,959 Speaker 1: There are these loud explosions, sending sparks careening into the 470 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 1: sky and inside the peak of the volcano. There's an 471 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: eighty six square foot oven packed with fresh pine needles. 472 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: They roar into a smoky fire. They send the sparks 473 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: higher and higher and higher. Bredenburg Technical University students are 474 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,959 Speaker 1: watching this. They're wearing gas masks. They run from fireplace 475 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,000 Speaker 1: to fireplace in the secret chamber below, and they're squirting 476 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,240 Speaker 1: lighter fluid all over these fires and tossing in this 477 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: special powder to make the smoke have a bright color. 478 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: And then they get to see in a very real 479 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: way a snapshot of history from centuries before, which is beautiful. Yeah, 480 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 1: but they didn't solve it all though. There was one 481 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: graduate student, Joe miss Loman, who said, the original volcano 482 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: still has its secrets. Of course, I wonder how they 483 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:09,640 Speaker 1: did the noise. Nowadays we have high fi speakers, but 484 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 1: back then, no idea. Yeah, it's true, but they it 485 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: was really important to them to keep the experience authentic, right. 486 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: Um So, spira and and quills, Oh my goodness, gracious, 487 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: I love this. When q U I L t Z 488 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: S c H, I'm just gonna say quilch Um. They 489 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:34,479 Speaker 1: didn't want to cheapen the experience by like over hyping 490 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: the event. Um So, they don't want it to be again. 491 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,959 Speaker 1: Like the fireworks at Disneyland there every single night, and 492 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: they're really cool. When you're there visiting, it's magical. But 493 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: I imagine if you live in Orlando, it just becomes 494 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: like super hum drum, you know what I mean. Maybe, yeah, 495 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: it's not Christmas if it's every day. So technically, folks, 496 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: if you are in the area, you can visit this volcano. 497 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: It's still in place to rumbled back to life in 498 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: two thousand and five, and about once a year they 499 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 1: fired their pet vesuvious up. But the funny thing is 500 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: you can't get advanced notice of this. Really. They won't 501 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 1: tell you when the next eruption will beat. One of 502 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: them said, and I look this. These guys are great 503 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: with the sound bites. One of one of the creators said, 504 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 1: would you ask a volcano when it's going to go off? 505 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: I added that laugh at the end that's not not 506 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:31,040 Speaker 1: in the quote. Oh yeah, I was with it. I 507 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: was with it. I think this is fascinating. I would 508 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: love one of these in my backyard. Uh maybe it's 509 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,239 Speaker 1: like a like a like a scaled down version. It 510 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: reminds me of a miniature golf course. Kind of like 511 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: the kind of feature you might see in a miniature 512 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: golf course where you hit the golf ball like into 513 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 1: the hole on the side of the volcano and then 514 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: it shoots out the top or something like that. Um, 515 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: I could go for that. I've seen some real volcanoes before. 516 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,840 Speaker 1: I haven't been to the edge of one during interruption, 517 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: but but yeah, this seems like at least the next 518 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: best thing. So for everybody working on a science project now, 519 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: we just wanted to give you a glimpse of how 520 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 1: far you can go with a fake volcano. Thanks as 521 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: always to our super producer, Casey Pegrum, Thanks to our 522 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:22,600 Speaker 1: research associate, the one, the Only, Gabe Bluesier. Gabe, if 523 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: you're listening, checkmate, my friend, we learned how to correctly 524 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 1: pronounce your last name. Oh we did. We have an 525 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: inside scoop and now nothing will ever be the same again. 526 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: We can we can still, you know, go on pretending 527 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: like we don't trying different ways. But I think we 528 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: were right from the start where we've been. A isn't 529 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 1: a Louzier. But you know what, now I'm mixed up again. 530 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:49,160 Speaker 1: Ye same, but you know, either way, you're your subterfuge aside. Gabe, Um, 531 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 1: we we really love you and we're thankful for you 532 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: on this our episode just prior to Thanksgiving. Hope everyone 533 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,600 Speaker 1: out there is being safe. Um. You know, there's a 534 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: lot of we ad myth with families right now, especially 535 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: if you're on different sides of political divide perhaps of 536 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: whether or not you know it's okay to do Thanksgiving 537 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:11,360 Speaker 1: like normal, And um, I just hope everyone's having a 538 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: good conversation about it and and and and thinking of 539 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: others and maybe you know, doing it on zoom this 540 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,319 Speaker 1: year and everything will be better again soon. But I 541 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,960 Speaker 1: think we just if we can push through, then maybe 542 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,319 Speaker 1: we'll all be better for it. And I would like 543 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: to point out for those of us who historically try 544 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 1: to do a little bit of volunteering, uh and so 545 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,399 Speaker 1: on during this time of year, I want to point 546 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,600 Speaker 1: out that volunteering doesn't have to be a seasonal thing. 547 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,280 Speaker 1: If you feel moved to help people, there are always 548 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,520 Speaker 1: people out there who could use a helping hand. So 549 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: think of those folks, not just on Thanksgiving, but think 550 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: of them, you know, in the lull of the holiday calendar, 551 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 1: because they're still there. And we'll follow up with an 552 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: even punch here thanksgiving an episode later later this uh 553 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: later this week, so stay tuned. Also, as always, thanks 554 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,600 Speaker 1: to our number one Turkey, Jonathan Strickland a k. The 555 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,880 Speaker 1: Quister is that you mean not at all? No, he's uh, 556 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,919 Speaker 1: he's more of a tur Ducan kind of figure. Uh. 557 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,359 Speaker 1: He contains multitude. He's like one of those Cathulu tur 558 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: Ducans with the squid that you've seen on the internet. Maybe. Um, 559 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 1: but yeah, you know, we'll have him back very soon, 560 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,480 Speaker 1: very excited. Uh. I think he what he he be 561 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 1: got us this last time. But now we have the 562 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,479 Speaker 1: opportunity to to to to get him back. That probably 563 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: won't be until after the holidays, so um yeah. Check 564 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,120 Speaker 1: out our Facebook group Ridiculous Historians, where you can join 565 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: in the conversation around new episodes and post your memes 566 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,560 Speaker 1: and selfies whatever you want. It's it's all, it's all 567 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 1: for you, um. And you can also find us on 568 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: social media as individual human people. I am at how 569 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:50,400 Speaker 1: Now Noel Brown on Instagram. You can find me on Twitter. 570 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:54,440 Speaker 1: I am at Ben Bolan h s W the old 571 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,759 Speaker 1: school audience folks know what that stands for. And I 572 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 1: am on Instagram as at Ben Boland. So coming for 573 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 1: the weird shots of me as simply in a studio, 574 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:09,319 Speaker 1: and stay for the incredibly obscure memes. We'll see you 575 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:17,279 Speaker 1: next time, folks. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, 576 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,000 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 577 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.