WEBVTT - Part One: John Henry Was Real & Also Became Superman 0:00:00.960 --> 0:00:03.159 Hello, and welcome to Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:07.120 a podcast that Sophie hosts talking about Lebron James and 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:09.240 why she doesn't like a particular ref in. 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:15.040 Basketball former ref, former ref, former ref because he got 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:19.200 the acts Tonzo. 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:27.040 I'm your other host, Margaret Kiljoy, and I know more 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.640 about the nineteenth century than I do, okay, first century 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:34.800 because I live in a cave in West Virginia. But 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.400 this story is about a cave in West Virginia. Actually, 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:40.639 i'm your host, Margaret Kiljoy. I might have already said 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:43.160 that with me today as the actual guest is prop 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:44.320 host of Hood Politics. 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.360 How are you, babe? What's up? 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:47.000 Margaret? 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:49.080 Tam me something good? 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:53.600 Yeah, yeah, I want a body roll this whole episode. 0:00:55.720 --> 0:00:59.360 I want a body roll. Tam me that you lab me? 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:04.160 Yeah? I said, yeah, yeah, this one. This one's mostly positive. 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.039 It's it's more positive than something. It's about hero But 0:01:07.160 --> 0:01:09.240 the things don't always go great. 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:11.520 God damn it, man, this is supposed to be cool 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:14.000 people who do like this. This person was like, this 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:17.199 is this isn't the one shining light of our week? 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:17.959 You know what I'm saying. 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:20.280 I just want to put it out there for those 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:22.800 of you that play uh that that are able to 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.160 play the cool Zone media drinking game. That was uh 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:29.240 props props first one. 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:29.000 You know what I'm saying. 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:31.240 Yeah, you know what I'm saying. That's another one. 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:37.640 Yes, Yes, it's bad. It's bad. It really is. 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:40.759 You should see me editing, Like when I'm just at 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:45.160 home recording myself doing the episode, I'm like, this is 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:46.600 this is so bad. 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:49.279 First of all, first of all, don't ever change. Second 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.680 of all, we're at two or three and it's already 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:54.760 already and you don't. 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.640 Have to play with alcohol, but if you do, let 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:58.560 me know how that goes for you. 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.520 But I'm not allowed to with anything carbonated because Sophie 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:05.279 has prevented me from drinking anything carbonated while I record. 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.160 I don't think it's I don't think it's me you're prevented. 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.520 I think it's your I think it's. 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:13.760 I didn't know that until you talk for three hours. 0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:15.280 You're a burper. 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:20.200 Yeah, So I feel like that's the most common edit 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.160 note I give its Sophie Well. 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.519 Ian takes care of that. Shout out Ian Johnson, who 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.359 is our editor of our podcast and our theme song 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:30.359 is by Unwoman. 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:34.480 Intro's done well, actually no, because this time we're going 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.200 to say that Unwoman has a new album out coming 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:41.000 out September twenty. It's called Desire Paths. So does prop 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:43.000 Oh really, yeah, what's your album call? 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:45.440 It's called The Possibility. It's the Final Terror Form EP. 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:47.280 Hell yeah, amazing. 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.240 When's it out? Is it already out or it's already out? 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:52.440 Came out in what's the best what's the best place 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.720 for people to get to get info on your projects? 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:56.200 Oh? 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.560 Yeah, my website proptpop dot com. But on spot For 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:04.960 some reason, the Spotify algorithm like gives you more like 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:08.880 leverage when you're going into try to do other things, 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.239 like you're yeah, that makes you know, book rooms and 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.280 stuff like that. So if you're gonna stream the record, 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:18.200 just propaganda dude on Spotify. 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.400 Loop and then turn it down and then go to. 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:22.160 That they just go to bed, you know what I'm saying? 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:24.880 Like run him numbers up, Like I really I would 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:25.840 really appreciate that. 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:29.799 Yeah, listen, if you want to send me a link, 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:33.160 less include that in the episode description. Can't do that, 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:36.800 Send me whichever link you want to use, and Ian 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:37.920 I'll throw that in there. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:40.320 Throw that in the show notes yep. 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.600 Also, people should listen to politics. You probably already do 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:45.040 because if you listen to this, you probably listen to 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:45.720 all the Cool Zone show. 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:47.160 It's kind of like one of those things. Yeah, but 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.640 it's worth listening to him. Yeah, why wouldn't you, man, 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:53.440 why wouldn't you listen? 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:57.040 Because you've had some good episodes recently. I mean they're 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:58.520 all good, but but you've had. 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:00.560 Some longer history of hip hop. One that came out 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:02.720 yesterday as is that fun? 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:03.720 Yeah? 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.200 So far you can tell you on your Zone. 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:08.160 Dude that Yeah, I was. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.360 I was in my bag there the next few episodes, 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:12.520 like I'm in my bag because I'm like, this is 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:20.000 this is one because like, okay, you know, election season 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:23.560 is just like catnip for a show like mine, you know, 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:25.719 And i mean. 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:28.520 You know, selection season. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:29.760 I love it, I'm saying. 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:31.960 And Joe Biden's like, I mean, he's just like a 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.040 large cheese pizza, you know what I'm saying. Like it's 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.960 just it's just not enough going on. So I'm like, 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.320 I need a world like crisis, you know what I'm saying. 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:45.120 Dang it, there it is, and I need the cartoon 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:47.400 that is Trump. And it's just like the guy's just 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:48.800 so full of criminal. 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:52.640 Action and his little minions. 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.080 And his little minions. And the one I just finished, 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:55.599 like we need to get to this show. But the 0:04:55.640 --> 0:05:00.640 one I just finished is about of the eighteen of 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.400 the eighteen co defendants in the Rico case, two of 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:05.280 them is black and one of them is still in 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:10.200 jail right now. They left that nigga in jail. 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:15.880 They didn't have his bonds, figured it out beforehand, figured 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:17.159 out ain't nobody helping. 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.320 It's like, that's what your ass get you. 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:25.400 Every ancestry you got was telling your ass you don't 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:26.400 trust the white people. 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:27.520 You should have known. 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.600 I know your If your mama alive right now, she'd be. 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:31.360 Like, what see that? 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:35.080 What I tell you? What I tell you? Trusting them 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:37.000 white people over there? You trusting white people? You know 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:41.000 what I'm saying. I even said on this episode, God, 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:43.479 we gotta move on. But I've even said I've even 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.440 said on this episode. Now I'm talking systemically because some 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:48.479 of you may point out that I am on cool 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:54.000 zone media and I have in fact trusted them white people. 0:05:54.360 --> 0:05:57.240 You know what I'm saying, And I'm like, listen. 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.880 I like to think of Sophie trust yeah, say that's. 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:01.120 What I said. 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:03.680 I was like, Robert and Sophie have earned it. They 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:06.760 cool as hell. They welcome to the barbecue. And if 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.520 you ask them, and if you ask by asked, day 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.920 with me. Okay, just so, don't bring no heat, don't 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:14.640 bring the smoke, day with me? 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:15.520 Yo? 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:16.200 Say it so. 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:20.360 Anyway, prop Yes, what do you know about John Henry 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:21.599 the steel driving man? 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:24.720 I know a lot about John Henry the steel driving. 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:29.280 Oh yeah, yeah, okay, let's go. 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:31.599 Yeah. 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.120 I'm kind of curious. The way I heard about John 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:36.760 Henry as a kid, it was the same way I'd 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:41.880 heard about Paul Bunyan's this folklore. There's no implication there 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:44.560 was any truth to it. The basic story that I 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.240 heard was there was a guy, his name is John Henry. 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:49.800 He works on the railroads, and he's happy about it. 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:53.039 Then the steam drill is invented, and he's like, whatever, 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:55.480 I can beat the machine. I'm the strongest, biggest guy 0:06:55.520 --> 0:07:01.359 in the world. So they race, presumably basically for John Henry. EGO. Yeah, 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:03.719 John Henry wins, his heart gives out from exertion, and 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:07.000 he dies. And the moral of this story, as it 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:08.760 was presented to me, is like kind of weird. It's 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:10.600 just like, I don't know, worked really hard and machines 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:14.440 are sucked that they're bad. Dying on the job is 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.160 something to be proud of. That's how I had heard it. 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:21.000 How would you heard it? Ex slave, Yeah. 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.760 Found a job, was proud for that, and they worked 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:25.760 him to death. So the moral of the story is 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:26.760 don't trust in white people. 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.160 So the moral of the story says the same, don't 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:32.280 trust the white people. He was born a free man 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:33.360 and he died a slave. 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:34.880 That's what it was. 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:38.240 Okay, Yeah, because he died slave, because he died as 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:39.520 a prison convict. 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.760 Yeah, that's what it was. Yeah. 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:45.400 Yeah, I didn't know he was a real person. 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:46.840 Oh, real person. 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.520 Yeah I now, granted I found that out much later, 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:52.720 Like you know, yeah, I had the same childhood you did, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:54.440 where it's like, oh, yeah, he's like a Paul Bunyan 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:58.160 like character. And then my dad was like, no, no, 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.760 he was, he was a person. Yeah, it's like wait 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:02.960 what yeah, then told me this, Yeah, told me the 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:05.320 story like freedman became a slave. 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:06.360 Yeah. 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.880 Yeah, because your dad was your dad was into black 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:10.880 power politics, right, yes he was. 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:11.520 Yeah. 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:14.320 That's what I was learning is that the only people 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:18.560 who were actually telling this story accurately were black radicals 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:24.840 in the seventies. Like that is like, yeah, but the 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:29.160 actual figuring out who he specifically was is only twenty 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:30.400 years old or something like that. 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:33.760 Yeah, I want to say there was a was there 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:38.200 a documentary resent Oh, I don't know. I read a 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:39.880 book about it, but maybe it was a book. 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:42.520 This something came out recently, like you said, yeah, last 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:46.560 twenty years. I was like, no, this guy is incredibly interesting. 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:51.079 Yeah, okay, and that's what we're going to talk about. Yeah, 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.640 John Henry was a real person. I didn't know that part. 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:55.720 He was a black man, he was a prisoner, he 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:59.720 was forced to work. He was all of five foot one. 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:01.280 I didn't know that. 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:06.920 Yeah. The like the model of like strong masculinity at 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:09.959 like beating machines. I love that for. 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:11.560 Him, homie. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:16.040 Yeah, he really did race esteem drill and he really 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.400 did beat it, and it really did kill him. He 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.720 didn't have a choice in the matter. Is kind of 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:23.360 the big, big thing here. 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:25.200 Yeah. 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:28.840 His legend is also tied into the history of basically 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:34.320 every style of music in America, blues, jazz, folk, country, 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:36.800 rock and roll. Well not every style of music, but 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:38.080 every the basis. 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:40.720 Of yeah, yeah, the foundation building blocks. 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:42.400 Yeah yeah. 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.520 And do you know that he's the model and inspiration 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.000 for Superman and Captain America. 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:51.679 No, they're all. 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:52.240 Based on him. 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:58.520 So you're telling me Superman is five foot one, yeah, 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:02.400 the black con he's a black as black convict. 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:06.559 I love it. Yeah, I just I mean it doesn't 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:08.439 feed it. I mean it. 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:12.360 Plays very well with my just belief that like black 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:14.480 people invented everything and. 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:17.720 Yeah yeah yeah, And I'm like, well, here it is. 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:19.360 Here's some more proof of that where it's like I 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.040 keep telling myself, I know that's not true, but I 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:23.920 just but I feel it in my bones. 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:30.120 Yeah, no, it yeah, I don't have a counter argument 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:34.040 that's true, you know, like yeah, oh god, the way 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:36.120 it ties into country music that is real dark. I 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:40.000 can't wait to tell you about that one. Okay, So 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.040 today we're gonna talk about motherfucker John Henry, the Steel 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.920 driving Man, who is mostly remembered. At first, he wasn't 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.400 remembered as a hero. He was remembered as a martyr. 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.800 He was remembered as a warning about the dangers of 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:58.359 overwork and callousness and trusting white people and trusting white bosses. Specifically, 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.360 most of what history knows about John Henry we know 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:04.960 because of one historian named Scott Reynolds Nelson, who is 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.200 He's still alive. He's a history professor at the University 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.680 of Georgia. He writes books about reconstruction, about labor history 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.720 and shit. He's like the person who knows the most 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:15.880 about the Southern railroad labor history. 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:16.320 You know. 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:20.200 His book on the subject is called Steel Driving Man 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.800 John Henry, The Untold Story of an American Legend, and 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:27.440 it's worth checking out. And it's also the only book 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:29.280 I've ever read for research for this show that has 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:31.400 a cover blurb by Bruce Springsteen, which is. 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:33.079 All that's pretty dope. 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:38.199 Yeah, it is a story about railroads and the infrastructure 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.000 of the US. It's a story about West Virginia. So 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:43.360 I extra like it. And the first time you came 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:45.040 on the show, prop you were talking about how so 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.760 much of American music was developed in Appalachia between ethnic 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:50.199 white folks and black folks getting together to do something cool. 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:51.679 Yeah, this is. 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:52.640 A story about that too. 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:56.360 That's dope. I got really excited when I like as 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.079 soon as I like good callback, Yeah, I was at 0:11:59.120 --> 0:11:59.680 a book fair. 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.080 Basically, I was like, give me your history books. I'll 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:07.520 you know, pretty much buy whatever. Ill. Yeah. Yeah. And 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:10.640 there's a radical press that's mostly run by black folks 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:14.080 that's out of Atlanta. And they were like, well, you 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:15.880 know this book, John Henry is a real person. I 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:18.160 was like, John Henry is a real person. This is 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.640 the best present I've ever had as a history podcaster. 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:26.640 Yes, Like I'm sorry what? Yes? Yeah? 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.720 So before railroads, so I goanna talk about history railroad 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:29.839 because okay, should I do? 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:31.040 I love context? All right. 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:33.760 So, canals were the main infrastructure in the US for 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.840 moving cargo and people around before the eighteen thirties or so, 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.600 and especially and most importantly, the canals were used, of course, 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:42.880 to open up the West to steal shit from indigenous people. 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.520 George Washington, famous horror monster of history with the wrong 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:52.160 people's teeth in his mouth, was obsessed with making the 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:56.960 Potomac River navigable past the Appalachian Mountains out out to Ohio. Yeah, 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:00.000 canals were really nasty to build. It was not nice. 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:04.880 Lots of people died also, and this continues to this day. 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:09.760 It involved using taxpayer money to bolster private enterprise. Which 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:12.840 is basically the history of the transportation of the US. Yeah, 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.440 taxpayer funded infrastructure is either operated by or just utilized 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:20.240 heavily by private enterprise who very conveniently don't pay a 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:20.960 lot of taxes. 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:21.600 No. 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.240 Also, do you know that apparently a ton of cities 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.360 in the US the reason that they are where they 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:30.400 are is because there was a waterfall and they were like, yeah, 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:30.880 I didn't know. 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:35.880 I do like Chicago, like Chicago, Chicago because of the canals, 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.760 because it's like, that's you know, it's not the yeah, 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.839 capitals or you know what I'm saying, or right, is it. 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:46.080 Pure I don't know, I don't know, capital of Illinois. 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.360 It's not Chicago, right, it's never a city you think 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:51.959 except no, yeah, not even New York City. I was 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:53.800 let's say, ecept New York City, and I'm like, it's 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:54.920 not capitally. 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:59.920 Yeah, but yeah, yeah, it was like Springfield, that's it. 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:02.559 Yeah, I remember third grade. 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.920 No, but but yeah, yeah, Chicago is one of those 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:08.920 cities that's like, yah, it's just because they made a canal. Yeah, 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.120 that's why it's there. But you said about waterfalls, yeah 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:14.560 part of this yeah yeah. 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:15.040 Yeah. 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:17.920 Richmond, Virginia is where it is because there's a well 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.440 there was there would have been a city wherever. It 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:22.920 became an important city because there was a waterfall and 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:25.120 people were able to hook up water wheels and then 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:31.600 like run wild contraption like rope to go power all 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:34.400 kinds of shit everywhere just using this one waterfall. 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:41.000 Also a fun fact about this is why downtown La 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:44.000 is where it is, because we're the one. Every other 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:49.400 skyline is on the coast, Like if it's a coastal city, 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:53.880 there's skylines on the coast, Like LA's downtown is way inland. 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.760 And it was for a number of reasons. 0:14:56.760 --> 0:15:00.000 One it was because like, yeah, our our ports didn't 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:03.320 give itself well to being part of the canal situation 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:05.560 because it's way over there on the west. And then 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:09.080 secondly because of the indigenous tribe because the La River 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:12.320 used to actually be a river, like you know, so 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:15.560 it's where the tribes were because that was where most 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:19.600 of the fresh water was, right so the tribes. 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:20.120 The Tongula tribe. 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:24.320 And then when when the Spaniards came, they just built 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:29.000 their you know, pueblos and ship you know what I mean, 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:30.040 they're they're what. 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:31.200 Am I their missions? 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:33.360 They built their missions right where the natives were, because 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.240 the natives knew where the water was. So that's why 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:38.680 downtown LA is where it is. It's and it's like 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.840 one of the one of the few major yeah, one 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.080 of the only major like major skylines. 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:47.680 Which is shockingly one of the things they actually teach 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:53.120 in LA public schools learned. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool, 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:54.120 that's shockingly. 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:58.480 Yeah, I didn't learn ship for local history. Sometimes though 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:01.560 I talked shit on my history lessons as a kid, 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:03.200 I also didn't pay a lot of attention. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:05.880 Yeah, they could have been telling you amazing things. 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.360 Yeah, Like I didn't give a shit about history until 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:13.040 I started caring about like what about politics and about 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.760 like oppression and about fighting oppression and all these like yeah. 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:17.680 Like once, I'm like I once I had a role. 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.040 Once I was like, oh, this is a grand story 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:21.960 that we are all part of. Then I was like 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.440 history is a fucking amazing But as a kid, they 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:26.960 were just like and I remember some of the lies. 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.040 I remember because even some of the lies didn't make 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.160 sense as a kid, like being told about Thanksgiving. I'm like, 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:39.040 this doesn't track. But so nineteenth century Great Britain is 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:41.360 like hell, yeah, we're gonna do railroads, and the US 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.680 is like, oh, I want railroads too, and the actual 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.000 they had like gravity roads as they called them before that, 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.000 but like it became a thing once you get the 0:16:50.000 --> 0:16:54.480 steam engine around basically, so the US wants it, and 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:56.040 it does it in the way that US does it. 0:16:56.560 --> 0:17:00.400 They use public resources to build them and give it 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:02.680 to private companies. In this case, they turned the Army 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:06.280 the Army Corps of Engineers, so taxpayer funded, privately owned 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.480 the Army engineers surveyed and selected routes and build it, 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:11.240 built all the structures and shit like that. 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:16.840 I was gonna say, also, you know, unfortunate for America 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.600 to do what they normally do is like what aiden 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:21.440 what the slaves are free now? 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.360 So it was before then. This is before then. 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.960 But oh okay, because I was someing like when they 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.240 started bringing in the Chinese because they needed. 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:31.600 Oh yeah, yeah, no, we're going to slave labor. 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.639 Yeah yeah, anyway, sorry, my bad, No, no, top too 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:36.240 far forward? 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.360 Yeah, no, it is in nineteen twenty seven you get 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.879 the first passenger railroad in the country MH. And of 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.200 course the South is building them with enslaved black people 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.480 as well as underpaid Irish people who have it way 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:54.240 better than the enslaved black people. And the late eighteen 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.320 thirties there's a guy who gets called the mad French engineer, 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:01.120 Claudius Croze, and he's like, hey, Virginia, if you give 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:03.800 me a fuck load of money, I can build tunnels 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.679 through the Blue Ridge Mountains which connect Richmond, Virginia to 0:18:06.680 --> 0:18:11.600 the Shenandoah Valley. This is still within modern day Virginia. Yeah, 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:13.840 and Virginia is like, hell, yeah, we'll float that bill. 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:16.200 That's what we do, even though it won't be publicly 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:19.200 owned America rules. Is totally not a scam. It's definitely 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:21.639 different than an oligarchy. They said all of that and 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:24.439 the resources. By resources that they threw at it, they 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:28.119 mean we mean enslaved black people. The longest tunnel, the 0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:30.479 Blue Ridge Tunnel, is almost a mile long, and it 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:33.240 was paid. It was dug by two groups of people. 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.359 There was eight hundred schittily paid irishmen who got less 0:18:36.359 --> 0:18:38.560 than a dollar a day, which is about thirty five 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.640 dollars in today's money. Imagine fucking living off of thirty 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:45.560 to five dollars a day, and then forty unpaid and 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.400 slave black men. There were one hundred and eighty nine 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.080 recorded deaths of workers digging this fucking tunnel. 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:53.679 Of course there was. 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:57.439 Yeah, a lot of them died from cholera, from the 0:18:57.440 --> 0:19:01.600 shitty conditions that they were all living under. It was 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.520 finished in eighteen fifty eight. It took about twenty fucking years, 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.760 a little less than that, just in time to help 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:11.280 a bunch of racist militias get over to Richmond from 0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:15.320 the big But we want to own people tantrum that 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:19.080 the southern elite threw, Yeah, eighteen sixty or so eighteen 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:19.560 sixty one. 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:23.440 Yeah, but how about but like but we but we 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:27.080 like it, so we like, well how about this? 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:28.800