Boo_ep605

[TRANSCRIPT]
0:00:00 - (Jethro): Over the past 600 or so episodes. Here on the box of oddities, we have talked about freak shows a little bit. We've talked about performers or people who were exploited into freak shows, individual cases. But we've not really talked about the history of freak shows. So it seemed appropriate since, hey, we're all freaks, right? In the heart of the 19th century, freak shows became a cornerstone of popular entertainment. It was all the rage, especially in the United States and Europe.
0:00:37 - (Jethro): These exhibitions, they were part of circuses, part of fairs. They also were standalone attractions, and they showcased unique physical conditions or abilities and were often labeled as freaks, which is, of course, considered a derogatory term by today's standards. Although here at the box of oddities, we've taken that back. It's a badge of honor. The tale of freak shows is rich and strange. Its roots can be found in the Renaissance period. Did you know it went back that far?
0:01:14 - (Jethro): Picture this, a room. It's dimly lit, probably flickering, candlelight shelves creaking under the weight of some of the most peculiar objects you've ever laid your eyes on. This was the dawn of the curiosity cabinet, which is the granddaddy of freak shows. These cabinets were like Aladdin's cave for the curious and the affluent, crammed with natural wonders, exotic artifacts, and odd bits and bobs that made people ponder the mysteries of the world.
0:01:48 - (Jethro): These were things that people would bring back from strange and exotic lands. We're talking about stuffed exotic beasts, shells from the ocean that were as big as your head, paintings that would make your eyes pop, and mechanical contraptions that seemed almost like sorcery at the time. This is what made up the curiosity cabinets.
0:02:15 - (Kat): Okay.
0:02:15 - (Jethro): And they were patronized by the affluent. The wealthy. It was the kind of thing that was stylish to be seen.
0:02:23 - (Kat): That right. I remember we talked about, and this was years ago, how oftentimes that's how the wealthy or royalty would entertain themselves with little people or people from Afar. The idea was different. Neat.
0:02:44 - (Jethro): Yeah. Now fast forward to the 18 hundreds. There's a buzz in the air. And the name on everybody's lips is, of course, Phineas Taylor Barnum. Now, he, of course, was a guy with a knack for the spectacular, and he also had financial backing. P. T. Barnum, as he was known to the world, was really a trailblazer in the world of mass entertainment. He knew how to market.
0:03:10 - (Kat): Right? Didn't he have George Washington's nurse on display at one point?
0:03:17 - (Jethro): Yeah, Joyce Heth was her name. An african american woman who was advertised as being at the time, 161 years old, and the nurse of none other than the first president of the United States, George Washington. This, of course, was a complete fabrication, sure, but it drew massive crowds, eager to see and believe this connection to a national icon. Joyce Heth, became one of the very first major attractions, drawing people in with the allure of touching history through her.
0:03:52 - (Jethro): But ticket sales started to decline a little bit, and newspapers started talking about how this was all a con job and that Joyce was not what P. T. Barnum claimed. When asked about it, he admitted that, yes, it's true. She was not George Washington's nurse. She was not what he claimed she was. She was, in fact, a robot. The stories in the newspapers that claimed that Barnum was faking the exhibit were planted by none other than P. T. Barnum himself.
0:04:25 - (Jethro): Ticket sales, of course, skyrocketed again because everybody wanted to see a lifelike robot. Who wouldn't? After Joyce's death, it was revealed that she was probably no older than 80.
0:04:37 - (Kat): And probably not a robot.
0:04:39 - (Jethro): And not a robot, definitely. That was conclusive. Well, you don't know, but Barnum built this grand american museum around oddities. Inside, visitors saw a lot of human oddities. These were living, breathing wonders, like Joyce Heff. There were giants, there were dwarfs, albinos, folks with skin as elastic as rubber. But it was more than a museum. It was like a theatrical extravaganza. The line between reality and fantasy was blurred because Barnum did things like sew a monkey to a fish and call it a mermaid. Right, the Fiji Mermaid. You've all heard about that. While freak shows provided a livelihood for many who might have struggled to find work elsewhere, they also raised serious ethical questions.
0:05:36 - (Jethro): Exploitation, of course, was rampant with unscrupulous showmen, and these people would take advantage of their own stars. But that was not always the case. There were those who took control of their own destiny, like Joseph Merrick. He, of course, is etched in history as the elephant man. His story is really right out of a Dickens novel. Born in the smoggy heart of Victorian England, Merrick started his life with the same hopes that any young person would. But as he grew, so did his afflictions. His skin began to thicken, his bones morphed, and before long, he was the talk of the town. But for reasons no one really would wish for, Merrick wasn't just a spectacle, but he was a man of grace and depth, with a soul as gentle as a lamb.
0:06:30 - (Jethro): A public did flock to see him, drawn by a mix of curiosity and genuine wonder. But underneath it all, though, it was just a guy who longed for normalcy, for a life less gawked at. Victorian England was a tough crowd and Merrick played the cards he was dealt and he did it with dignity. Then, of course, there's Chang and Eng bunker, the brothers who brought the term siamese twins into the lexicon. They were both from Siam and they were joined at the chest. They sailed across the ocean and landed in the United States, the land of opportunity, where they became a sensation overnight. They toured, they performed, they showed the world that two heads and two hearts are better than one.
0:07:16 - (Jethro): And when their career was over, they had saved enough money that they built a farm. They farmed the land and they even raised family together. General Tom Thumb was born Charles Stratton and he was just 3ft four inches tall, standing in his boots. Stratton was a titan, though, when it came to showbiz. He was only four years old when he was discovered by Barnum. He was a great performer. He sang, he danced, he wowed the crowds, including performances for the Queen of England, Merrick and the Bunker Brothers. And Stratton turned the tides of fate to their favor. They weren't just curiosities in a sideshow. They were pioneers, trailblazers who transcended the label of freak to become icons in an era where being different could mean becoming a star.
0:08:06 - (Jethro): They broke boundaries in unique ways. They all recognized their star value and they were able to control their lives more as time went on. But the popularity of freak shows began to wane right about the time that movies started to become popular. Sure, in the early 20th century. And attitudes towards disability and differences shifted around that time too. The rise of the film industry was really the end of the freak show. It's a form of mass entertainment.
0:08:38 - (Jethro): By the mid 20th century, freak shows had pretty much disappeared, viewed by many as relics of a less enlightened age. Yet the legacy of freak shows lives on, not just in the annals of entertainment history, but annals in the ongoing debates about exploitation, representation and the ethics of display. Today's society continues to grapple with many of those issues that the freak show really kind of highlighted. And though the traditional freak shows are, for the most part extinct, curiosity cabinets live on in a more socially accepted form, like the Mudr museum.
0:09:21 - (Kat): Sure.
0:09:22 - (Jethro): And there are some who say that places like the Mudr Museum are exploiting these displays. I mean, there's things in there like the woman whose body turned to wax the largest impacted colon ever. Many, many skulls and deformities.
0:09:40 - (Kat): Yeah, but you can't exploit a tumor.
0:09:44 - (Jethro): The big difference, of course, is that there are no live people being exhibited. These are all relics and samples and displays.
0:09:55 - (Kat): But you might look at, let's say, a person who, on TikTok, uses their platform and displays their differences, and that's their way of taking control of their destiny. They have something that's different about them. They want to share their lives with the world. And there are some who would say that that's not cool either.
0:10:16 - (Jethro): Well, but they're not being exploited. If it's working for them and they're making some money on it, who cares?
0:10:20 - (Kat): Well, wouldn't you say the same thing about those who were in control of their own work at freak shows?
0:10:27 - (Jethro): Yes, exactly what I would say.
0:10:29 - (Kat): It's an interesting concept.
0:10:31 - (Jethro): The history of freak shows reveals not just a peculiar chapter of our past and entertainment history, but it does reflect our ongoing struggles with differences and disabilities and dignity. My source information, for the most part, came from Smithsonian magazine, an article in time, and the BBC. And now that thing in the middle. Well, it's a well known fact that the US army uses robots to remove explosives and mines and to disarm weapons.
0:11:06 - (Jethro): This, of course, is to ensure the safety of the soldiers. However, the army wasn't expecting this. Some soldiers have grown so attached to their robots that there have been several incidents where soldiers have risked their lives to protect them. Got an email from Terry. Terry says, I've just discovered the box of oddities, and I'm listening from the beginning.
0:11:30 - (Kat): Hi, Terry.
0:11:31 - (Jethro): I was listening to episode 176, where Jethro talked about the tricks that supermarkets use to confuse consumers and increase their bottom line. I had to chuckle recalling my first experience in a Tivana many years ago. I was working at a very upscale department store on the rich side of a huge mall in the Philadelphia suburbs. On a break one day, I discovered a tivana. Being a huge tea fan, I ventured in to take a look.
0:11:59 - (Jethro): The smell of tea was so seductive, I knew I found my happy place. Pricing was listed on the wall behind the sales desk, making it very easy to shop. One sign read, earl Gray, 595. Now, mind you, our shopping minds think in terms of pounds or units. I said. Awesome. I'll take a pound of Earl Gray, please. The sales associate smiled at me with a knowing Cheshire grin. Great. She packaged my tea and rang up my order.
0:12:28 - (Jethro): That'll be $95.20, please, she said, mentally daring me to make a scene. What? I only wanted a pound. Yes, the Earl Grey is 595 an ounce. See it? It's written right there. On the board, really, really tiny letters. My inner thoughts ranged from no, you will not faint to would they notice if I casually turned and walked out of the store without making the purchase? With a few self flagellating rummations, such as, how could you be so stupid?
0:13:03 - (Jethro): Everybody in the store is looking and laughing at you, and this is a nightmare. This is only a nightmare. I felt the color drain from my face, while at the same time, flushing profusely. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. My heart started beating so hard, I knew it could be heard from one end of the mall to the other in my mind's eye. I was in the middle of one of those movies where the protagonist does something so ludicrous, causing everybody around her to turn, point, and laugh, their heads growing in size and seemingly floating above their tiny, tiny bodies.
0:13:35 - (Jethro): Casually, I removed my debit card from my wallet, purchased the tea, and wondered what my husband was going to say when I got home with nearly a $100 worth of tea. Lesson learned. Thanks, Terry. You're quite the writer.
0:13:52 - (Kat): I mean, if you're going to drink it, know.
0:13:54 - (Jethro): Does tea go.
0:13:56 - (Kat): Yeah.
0:13:57 - (Jethro): Yeah. How long would it take to drink a pound's worth of tea?
0:14:01 - (Kat): I don't know.
0:14:02 - (Jethro): Good lord. I wonder if it came shrink wrapped like kilos of weed.
0:14:07 - (Kat): Oh, like vacuum seal.
0:14:08 - (Jethro): Yeah. Tucked under her arm as she's walking home.
0:14:12 - (Kat): Never you mind. Officer. Help, please. Joyce writes, there was a book referenced about old timey medical devices and such in a story jethro did in the later half of this year. At least that's when I listened to it. Any hoozle? I was just wondering what episode that was. Or maybe if you remember what the book was called. Thank you, Joyce from Minnesota.
0:14:38 - (Jethro): Well, the short answer to that, Joyce, is no, I don't remember.
0:14:45 - (Kat): I said I would ask you.
0:14:46 - (Jethro): Okay, all right. I don't remember the episode number, but let me look the book up. Hang on. I'm not sure which book that came from, because I have several of those in my collection. Probably the butchering art by Lindsay Fitzgeris. Or it could be dreadful diseases and terrible treatments. Or it could be the knife man. It could be the survival medicine handbook. Or it could be strange medicine. Sorry I can't be more specific.
0:15:18 - (Kat): Hope that helps, Joyce.
0:15:19 - (Jethro): Yeah, thanks, Joyce. You really put on that shirt this morning and decided to wear it all day. Okay, this is the box of oddities, and would you please tell me a story? Wait a second. I need a sip of my tea. I have another three quarters of a pound to go.
0:15:39 - (Kat): The discovery of new species is an ongoing process, and scientists continue to make discoveries regularly. In recent years, technological advancements such as dna analysis and improved biodiversity survey methods have aided in the discovery of previously unknown species. Additionally, expeditions to remote and less explored areas like deep sea environments and dense rainforests have created more opportunities for iding new guys.
0:16:12 - (Kat): We talked before about Ecuador being one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. One of the reasons I was so excited to come here, and it's because of its many regions and therefore climates.
0:16:24 - (Jethro): Also its elaborate Christmas light displays.
0:16:27 - (Kat): Right. Happy habitat. Today we're going to the mountain forests of central Ecuador. They're known for rich biodiversity and unique ecological characteristics. These forests are part of the andean region. They're known for incredible plant and animal diversity, hosting a wide range of species, many of which are endemic to the region. Bird species like the andean condor, amphibians, insects, and new species being discovered all the time.
0:17:04 - (Kat): For instance, in 2021, according to a study published this week in Zuki, scientists were in the mountains of central and western Ecuador. They were in search of a tree dwelling spider, but they were surprised by this guy they found. Located under a bamboo tree, this eight eyed fella had, a, quote, bad temperament, and he attempted to flee the scientists, making quick, sporadic movements, nearly too fast to see.
0:17:36 - (Kat): Researchers were able to capture this spider, and they took it to the lab. It was there they discovered they'd found a new species.
0:17:43 - (Jethro): Oh, wow.
0:17:45 - (Kat): Psalmapois satanus, or the satan tarantula.
0:17:50 - (Jethro): Okay.
0:17:51 - (Kat): According to the study, the newly discovered species measures just under two inches in length. It has, of course, eight eyes and eight legs, adorned with golden hair and a distinct long fringe on its face. Now, against its dark brown body, this golden fur on its legs make it look like it's wearing fringed leg warmers, and it is adorable.
0:18:16 - (Jethro): And satan is known for wearing fringed leg warmers.
0:18:19 - (Kat): Oh, gosh, yes.
0:18:20 - (Jethro): Yeah, we have him to thank for that.
0:18:22 - (Kat): The article in the New York Post said, quote, scientists at the University of San Francisco Dequito grew very fond of the specimen while they studied it, despite its, quote, bad temperament and sporadic attacks.
0:18:38 - (Jethro): Wow. Is it venomous?
0:18:40 - (Kat): Just sassy. Af. The mountain forests of Ecuador play a crucial role in maintaining water resources, regulating the climate, and providing habitat for numerous species like the Satan tarantula. And like many forest ecosystems worldwide, face threats like deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. And it's important to keep an eye on these things to maintain the delicate balance in the species that depend on these lands moving right along.
0:19:14 - (Kat): Also to a study published in the journal Zookees. On December twelveth, scientists embarked on an expedition to explore limestone caves in the southern region of Yunan, China, with the objective of studying the local fauna. Much to their astonishment, their endeavor led to the serendipitous discovery of a previously unknown species of shrimp, shampies. Shampies. They're now known as the Sinodina ashima. Upon collecting specimens from the cave, the researchers identified two male shrimps and eight female shampies.
0:19:53 - (Kat): Additionally, they obtained three female specimens from a nearby area, further expanding their findings. The measured length of these little, tiny baby shrimpies ranged from approximately zero, nine inches to 1.6 inches. So they're super small. But what distinguishes these species from its relatives?
0:20:14 - (Jethro): Let me guess, fringed leggings?
0:20:17 - (Kat): No fringed leggings, but I bet we could probably have some made for them.
0:20:23 - (Jethro): Where would you be able to order fringed leggings for shrimp?
0:20:27 - (Kat): You know, my sister crochets, and I bet Janet could make it happen.
0:20:32 - (Jethro): Okay, let's talk to Janet.
0:20:33 - (Kat): The notable characteristics are a complete absence of pigment and eyes. So they're blind and pretty much clear.
0:20:43 - (Jethro): Wow.
0:20:44 - (Kat): Yeah, they remind me of one of those phones from the 1980s where you can see all the inner workings.
0:20:51 - (Jethro): The clear Lucite phones.
0:20:53 - (Kat): Yeah, I wish I had one of those still. They also have a remarkably elongated rostrum, which I had to look up, and that means it's beak. So like that front part.
0:21:05 - (Jethro): Okay.
0:21:06 - (Kat): It looks like deer. They also have an absence of sexual dimorphism in the third and fourth periopods, which are its legs. And I don't know why. They have a special name for legs in shrimp.
0:21:19 - (Jethro): It's to make sure they get the right size fringed leggings.
0:21:22 - (Kat): You think so?
0:21:23 - (Jethro): Yeah.
0:21:24 - (Kat): This remarkable discovery has provided valuable insights into the rich biodiversity of this region and shows how, interestingly things will evolve in a cave system in a southern part of China. It highlights the importance of further exploration and study in uncovering the hidden wonders of our natural world, especially in caves. Sign me up. Unless they are especially narrow or especially drippy, and then, no, thank you.
0:21:52 - (Jethro): Cat's not a big fan of narrow and drippy.
0:21:55 - (Kat): Now we're moving to the coast of Japan. Sea pens are fascinating marine creatures. It's a type of soft coral. They are colonial animals, which I want a picture with know little puritan hat.
0:22:11 - (Jethro): Carrying a single shot musket.
0:22:13 - (Kat): Right. They form upright structures that resemble quill pens or feathers. They're found in oceans around the world, particularly in colder waters, and they live primarily on the ocean floor, they anchor themselves to the substrate using a bulbous base called a hold fast. The upper part of the sea pen consists of a flexible stalk known as a peduncle, which is fun to say, and that supports a feather like structure called the polyperium.
0:22:42 - (Kat): And that part contains numerous polyps, each with its own feeding tentacles. So in Japan, this recent study, published in the journal Deep Sea Research, revealed an intriguing discovery made by researchers during their survey of a particular sea mount, which is in a protected marine area off the southern coast of Japan. While operating a remotely operated submarine and exploring the seafloor, they came across a sea pen firmly attached to a rock. Upon closer examination, the researchers realized that this seapen was a previously unknown species, and they named him the gnome seapen.
0:23:23 - (Kat): He measures approximately 4.6 inches in length, and he resembles a leafy plant. But he's not a plant. He's a colony of animals. It's really interesting, but this fella possesses a total of 328 tentacles. Each polyp features eight tentacles, according to the recently released study. So, as I said, there's this long stalk, and then there's polyps on that stalk, and each polyp has tentacles. 328 tentacles.
0:23:54 - (Jethro): And he's only, like, four inches.
0:23:56 - (Kat): Yeah.
0:23:57 - (Jethro): Wow.
0:23:58 - (Kat): Yeah.
0:23:58 - (Jethro): I wonder whose job it was to count those tentacles.
0:24:02 - (Kat): What makes the sea gnome pen particularly noteworthy is its habitat preference. Among sea pens, which, as I said, are typically found in soft materials on the seafloor, the gnome sea pen stands out as one of the few exceptional species that lives on hard surfaces. In fact, it's only the fifth known species to inhabit rocks. They're also super cute, because when they're threatened or disturbed, they quickly contract their structures into a compact form for protection.
0:24:32 - (Kat): So when they're casual and they're loosey goosey, they've got all their tentacles out and they're just waving in the water. But then something comes by that frightens them, and they WHOOP, and they're just a stick.
0:24:46 - (Jethro): Wow.
0:24:46 - (Kat): Yeah. That's how they keep themselves safe. They're filter feeders, so they extend their polyps to feed during the day, and they retract them to minimize exposure and conserve energy. They play an important role in ecosystems by providing habitat and refuge for other marine organisms, but they are super susceptible to environmental changes and human activities. And so practices like fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, that causes significant threats.
0:25:17 - (Kat): And finally, once again this month, published in a journal Neotropical Ichthyology, we learn about a brazilian catfish. The corridoris colossus, was snagged in a river in Brazil, and it found a home in the Natural History Museum in London. Researchers analyzed 17 specimens to classify the newly discovered species, and experts say that the color changing fish have a lightly colored body covered with greenish yellow iridescent coloration.
0:25:49 - (Jethro): Wow.
0:25:50 - (Kat): They have various markings on their body, including a yellow to orange bright patch that forms a v shape. The species varies in color, though, so some specimens can be fully black. But then you'll see these iridescent blue yellow greeny guys scuttling through the rivers.
0:26:08 - (Jethro): How big do these catfish get?
0:26:10 - (Kat): Great question. Specimens ranged from approximately 1.5 inches to two inches long, not including their tail fin.
0:26:18 - (Jethro): I would have expected it to be much larger.
0:26:20 - (Kat): With a name that includes the word colossus.
0:26:22 - (Jethro): Yeah, and catfish. They get huge.
0:26:25 - (Kat): Scientists aren't certain why the species changes color or what triggers it, but they think it might have something to do with repelling predators. According to scientists, male specimens of this species possess. That was a really hard sentence with lots of susp sounds.
0:26:44 - (Jethro): You did good.
0:26:45 - (Kat): Thank you. According to scientists, male specimens of this species possess a tubular genital papilla. This organ is located behind the fish's anus, and it serves as a means to release sperm or eggs. So tubular balls, isn't that the music from the exorcist?
0:27:04 - (Jethro): Sort of, yeah.
0:27:05 - (Kat): Now, I don't know what makes this tubular bits different from other catfish, because, and you may not know this, I am not a catfish genitalia expert, but apparently the scientists think that's really neat.
0:27:20 - (Jethro): Well, I'm going to go with the scientists on that one.
0:27:22 - (Kat): Sure. So these are four very unique creatures new to us, reported just this month.
0:27:28 - (Jethro): That's crazy.
0:27:29 - (Kat): I know. Discovering new species is exciting because it expands our understanding of biodiversity, and it showcases the incredible variety of life on earth, from tubular genitalia to eyeballish shrimp to fringed leggings. Fringed leggings. Each species plays a unique role in the ecosystem, contributing to its balance and resilience. And protecting unusual species is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, as they may hold undiscovered ecological or medicinal value.
0:28:03 - (Kat): It also helps ensure the overall health of our planet and its ecosystems, benefiting both the environment and humanity. And they're neat.
0:28:13 - (Jethro): Isn't it incredible that after all of this time and all of our technology and advancements in technology, that we are still discovering species that we had no idea existed all the time? It's crazy. It's only a matter of time for bigfoot.
0:28:32 - (Kat): I got my information from the aforementioned sources, as well as Yahoo, zookees, and Miami Herald, who I now can't stop thinking of as a guy named Harold who's just a good guy and he's from Miami. And you're like, I went to talk to Miami, Harold. And he was like, there's this new spider you should know about.
0:28:55 - (Jethro): That's a great hobo name.
0:28:57 - (Kat): I know.
0:28:59 - (Jethro): Who's that up on the box car? That's Miami Herald.
0:29:03 - (Kat): Yeah.
0:29:03 - (Jethro): Well, that's fascinating as usual.
0:29:05 - (Kat): Thank you.
0:29:06 - (Jethro): We hope that you guys are having a great holiday and we are looking forward to our new, I don't want to say format, but presentation method of the box of oddities coming up in a week or two.
0:29:22 - (Kat): I think format's okay.
0:29:24 - (Jethro): Instead of two shorter episodes per week, we're going to do one longer one a week. Same amount of content, but just a tidier package is manscaped.
0:29:35 - (Kat): Still a sponsor on the shallow end. Yeah, I was going to make a tidier package joke, but I guess I won't now.