364-Sidney Cotton's Aerial Reconnaissance

Here are eight new lateral thinking puzzles -- play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions. Intro: In 1940, the Venezuelan post office was said to deliver love letters at half price. In 1890 Mark Twain composed a holiday message for the New York World. The sources for this week's puzzles are below. In a few places we've included links to further information -- these contain spoilers, so don't click until you've listened to the episode: Puzzle #1 is from Agnes Rogers' 1953 book How Come? A Book of Riddles, sent to us by listener Jon Jerome. Puzzle #2 is from listener Cheryl Jensen, who sent this link. Puzzle #3 is from listener Neil de Carteret and his cat Nala. Puzzle #4 is from listener Ananth Viswanathan. Puzzle #5 is from Dan Lewis' Now I Know e-newsletter. Here are two links. Puzzle #6 is from Greg. Here's a link. Puzzle #7 is from Sharon. Here are two links. Puzzle #8 is from Greg. Here's a link. You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

28 Dec 202031min

In 1928, Belgian financier Alfred Loewenstein fell to his death from a private plane over the English Channel. How it happened has never been explained. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll describe the bizarre incident, which has been called "one of the strangest fatalities in the history of commercial aviation." We'll also consider whether people can be eaten by pythons and puzzle over an enigmatic horseman. Intro: Philosopher Robin Le Poidevin offers a time-travel puzzle concerning an indefinite diary. In 1946, a quirk of Ohio law seemed to yield contrary outcomes. Sources for our feature on Alfred Loewenstein: William Norris, The Man Who Fell From the Sky, 1987. E. Phillips Oppenheim, Who Travels Alone: The Life and Death of Alfred Loewenstein, 1929. Judy Ferring, "Before the Skies Were Friendly," American Banker 153:169 (Aug. 30, 1988), 38. Phoebe-Lou Adams, "The Man Who Fell From the Sky," Atlantic 259:5 (May 1987), 94. Amy Friedman, "The Chasing of Ghosts," [Kingston, Ont.] Whig-Standard, May 23, 1987. James Idema, "Solving the Strange Death of the World's Third-Richest Man," Chicago Tribune, May 3, 1987. William French, "Real Life Mystery Is Finally Solved," Globe and Mail, April 25, 1987. Daryl Frazell, "A Mystery With No Solution," St. Petersburg Times, May 17, 1987. "Latest of the Strange Winged Tragedies of the Loewensteins," Detroit Evening Times, June 8, 1941. "Wealthy Airman Killed," [Melbourne] Argus, April 1, 1941. "387 Civilians Own Airplanes in State," New York Times, Aug. 17, 1928. "Result of Autopsy," Canberra Times, July 23, 1928. "Disappearance Is Still a Mystery," New Britain [Conn.] Herald, July 6, 1928. "Say He Could Not Open the Door," New Britain [Conn.] Herald, July 6, 1928. "Loewenstein's Death Shocks All of Europe," [Belvidere, Ill.] Republican-Northwestern, July 6, 1928. "Third Richest Man Walks Off Plane in Night; Dies in Sea," United Press, July 5, 1928. "Capt. A. Lowenstein Falls From Plane," Associated Press, July 5, 1928. "Noted International Financier Disappeared From Plane When on London to Brussels Flight," Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 1928. "Noted Belgian Magnate Falls Into North Sea," Calgary Herald, July 5, 1928. "Suicide Hinted in Strange Death of Europe's Croesus," Associated Press, July 5, 1928. "Loewenstein a Suicide," Windsor Star, July 5, 1928. "Gem Thieves Who Robbed Alfred Loewenstein, Belgian Croesus, Hunted Here by Paris Police," New York Times, Dec. 19, 1926. "The Mysterious Death of Flying Millionaire Alfred Loewenstein," Punt PI, BBC Radio 4, July 12, 2014. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 59899," Aviation Safety Network, May 8, 2009. Listener mail: Sarah Gibbens, "How This 23-Foot Python Swallowed a Man Whole," National Geographic, March 29, 2017. "How a Giant Python Swallowed an Indonesian Woman," BBC News, June 18, 2018. Wikipedia, "Reticulated Python" (accessed Dec. 10, 2020). Victoria Gillman, "Photo in the News: Python Bursts After Eating Gator (Update)," National Geographic, Sept. 5, 2006. "Indonesian Man Found Dead in Belly of 7m-Long Python" (video), Jakarta Post, March 29, 2017. "Missing Man Found Swallowed Whole Inside Snake in Indonesia" (video), On Demand News, Mar 30, 2017. Mary Beth Griggs, "A Cute Stuffed Dinosaur Hitched a Ride on SpaceX's Historic Launch," The Verge, May 30, 2020. Loren Grush, "SpaceX Crew-1 Team Harnesses the Force by Bringing Baby Yoda With Them to Space," The Verge, Nov 16, 2020. Wikipedia, "Sandmännchen" (accessed Dec. 10, 2020). Wikipedia, "Sigmund Jähn" (accessed Dec. 10, 2020). Olaf Stampf, "'Capitalism Now Reigns in Space': East German Cosmonaut Sigmund Jähn," Spiegel International, April 12, 2011. Uwe Seidenfaden, "Als DDR-Pilot Sigmund Jähn ins Weltall flog," volksstimme.de, Aug. 23, 2018. Tremor, zero-G indicator of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule (from listener Victoria Sluka). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Greg, based on Ambrose Bierce's 1888 short story "A Son of the Gods." You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

21 Dec 202031min

When a mysterious illness blinded him at age 25, British naval officer James Holman took up a new pursuit: travel. For the next 40 years he roamed the world alone, describing his adventures in a series of popular books. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll describe Holman's remarkable career and his unique perspective on his experiences. We'll also remember some separating trains and puzzle over an oddly drawn battle plan. Intro: David Tennant's 2008 turn as Hamlet enlisted the skull of composer André Tchaikowsky. For J.B.S. Haldane's 60th birthday, biologist John Maynard Smith composed an ode to Struthiomimus. Sources for our feature on James Holman: Jason Roberts, A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler, 2009. James Holman, The Narrative of a Journey Through France, etc., 1822. James Holman, Travels Through Russia, Siberia, etc., 1825. James Holman, A Voyage Round the World, 1834. Sarah Bell, "Sensing Nature: Unravelling Metanarratives of Nature and Blindness," in Sarah Atkinson and Rachel Hunt, eds., GeoHumanities and Health, 2020. Eitan Bar-Yosef, "The 'Deaf Traveller,' the 'Blind Traveller,' and Constructions of Disability in Nineteenth-Century Travel Writing," Victorian Review 35:2 (Fall 2009), 133-154. Pieter François, "If It's 1815, This Must Be Belgium: The Origins of the Modern Travel Guide," Book History 15 (2012), 71-92. Joseph Godlewski, "Zones of Entanglement: Nigeria's Real and Imagined Compounds," Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review 28:2 (Spring 2017), 21-33. Rebe Taylor, "The Polemics of Eating Fish in Tasmania: The Historical Evidence Revisited," Aboriginal History 31 (2007), 1-26. Mark Paterson, "'Looking on Darkness, Which the Blind Do See': Blindness, Empathy, and Feeling Seeing," Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Critical Journal 46:3 (September 2013), 159-177. Keith Nicklin, "A Calabar Chief," Journal of Museum Ethnography 1 (March 1989), 79-84. Robert S. Fogarty, "Rank the Authors," Antioch Review 65:2 (Spring 2007), 213. Daniel Kish, "Human Echolocation: How to 'See' Like a Bat," New Scientist 202:2703 (April 11, 2009), 31-33. Robert Walch, "As He Alone 'Sees' It," America 195:17 (Nov. 27, 2006), 25-26. Anne McIlroy, "James Holman," CanWest News, Dec. 16, 1992, 1. Chris Barsanti, "The Blind Traveler," Publishers Weekly 243:18 (May 1, 2006), 46. Elizabeth Baigent, "Holman, James (1786–1857), traveller," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. My Futility Closet post on echolocator Ben Underwood. Listener mail: "The History of the Slip Coach," Ruairidh MacVeigh, June 27, 2020. "By Slip Coach to Bicester," video of the last slip coach in operation. Wikipedia, "Slip Coach" (accessed Nov. 25, 2020). "Slip Coaches," Railway Wonders of the World, June 21, 1935. "2 Bedroom Restored Slip Coach in Saltash, St Germans, Cornwall, England," One Off Places (accessed Dec. 3, 2020). From listener Aleksandar Ćirković: The 19:38 train departing the main station at Nuremberg each day splits in four. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Marie Nearing, who sent this corroborating link (warning -- this spoils the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

14 Dec 202030min

Joseph Medicine Crow was raised on a Montana reservation in the warrior tradition of his Crow forefathers. But during World War II he found himself applying those lessons in very different circumstances. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll describe Joseph's exploits in the war and how they helped to shape his future. We'll also consider how to distinguish identical twins and puzzle over a physicist's beer. Intro: Two opposing bullets struck one another during the siege of Petersburg. Which full house is likeliest to win? Sources for our feature on Joseph Medicine Crow: Joseph Medicine Crow and Herman J. Viola, Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond, 2006. Charles A. Eastman, Living in Two Worlds: The American Indian Experience Illustrated, 2010. Rick Graetz and Susie Graetz, Crow Country: Montana's Crow Tribe of Indians, 2000. Joseph Medicine Crow, From the Heart of the Crow Country: The Crow Indians' Own Stories, 2000. Phillip Thomas Tucker, Death at the Little Bighorn: A New Look at Custer, His Tactics, and the Tragic Decisions Made at the Last Stand, 2017. Cindy Ott, "Crossing Cultural Fences: The Intersecting Material World of American Indians and Euro-Americans," Western Historical Quarterly 39:4 (Winter 2008), 491-499. James Welch, "Killing Custer: An Excerpt," Montana: The Magazine of Western History 44:4 (Autumn 1994), 16-27. "See You Later, Joe Medicine Crow," Wild West 29:2 (August 2016), 13. "War Songs of the Plains: Joseph Medicine Crow," Economist 419:8985 (April 16, 2016), 82. Nina Sanders, "Remembering Dr. Joe Medicine Crow," Smithsonian, April 6, 2016. Mardi Mileham, "Honoring a Cultural Treasure," Linfield Magazine 6:2 (Fall 2009), 6-11. "Roundup," Wild West 21:2 (August 2008), 9. Bradley Shreve, "Serving Those Who Served," Tribal College Journal 29:2 (Winter 2017) 10-11. Brenda J. Child and Karissa E. White, "'I've Done My Share': Ojibwe People and World War II," Minnesota History 61:5 (Spring 2009), 196-207. Emily Langer, "Native American Icon Was 'Warrior and Living Legend,'" Montreal Gazette, April 13, 2016, B.14. "Joe Medicine Crow: Indian War Chief Decorated for Bravery Who Regaled Custer's 'Last Stand,'" Sunday Independent, April 10, 2016, 29. "Joe Medicine Crow: War Chief Decorated for Bravery Who Told of Custer's 'Last Stand' From the Perspective of the Natives," Daily Telegraph, April 6, 2016, 27. Mike McPhate, "Joseph Medicine Crow, Tribal War Chief and Historian, Dies at 102," New York Times, April 4, 2016. Sarah Kaplan, "Joe Medicine Crow, a War Chief, Historian and the Last Link to the Battle of Little Big Horn, Dies at 102," Washington Post, April 4, 2016. Alex Johnson, "Revered Indian Leader Joe Medicine Crow, Last Crow War Chief, Dies at 102," NBC News, April 4, 2016. "Native American Chief Joe Medicine Crow Dies Aged 102," BBC News, April 3, 2016. Matthew Brown, "Crow Tribe Elder, Historian Joe Medicine Crow Dead at 102," Associated Press, April 3, 2016. Mike Ferguson and Jordon Niedermeier, "Joe Medicine Crow Dies in Billings on Sunday Morning," Billings [Mont.] Gazette, April 3, 2016. Jack McNeel, "Joe Medicine Crow, War Chief," Indian Country Today, Sept. 24, 2008, 21. "Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow to Receive the French Legion of Honor Award and the Bronze Star," Custer Battlefield Museum, May 21, 2008. Robin A. Ladue, "The Last War Chief," Tribal Business Journal (accessed Nov. 22, 2020). "Smithsonian Curator Remembers Plains Indian War Chief Joe Medicine Crow," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, April 4, 2016. Jurek Martin, "Joe Medicine Crow, Warrior and Historian, 1913-2016," FT.com, April 8, 2016. "President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients," White House, July 30, 2009. Herman Viola, "High Bird: Eulogy for Joe Medicine Crow (Crow), 1914-2016," National Museum of the American Indian, April 21, 2016. Tim Ellis' daughter and the world's largest rubber chicken. Listener mail: Kevin W. Bowyer and Patrick J. Flynn, "Biometric Identification of Identical Twins: A Survey," IEEE Eighth International Conference on Biometrics Theory, Applications and Systems, 2016. Sandee LaMotte, "The Other 'Fingerprints' You Don't Know About," CNN, Dec. 4, 2015. Cailin O'Connor, "Life Is Random," Slate, Sept. 12, 2014. Thomas G. Kaye and Mark Meltzer, "Diatoms Constrain Forensic Burial Timelines: Case Study With DB Cooper Money," Scientific Reports 10:1 (Aug. 3, 2020), 1-9. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Carsten Hamann, who sent these corroborating links (warning -- these spoil the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

7 Dec 202030min

George Parker Bidder was born with a surprising gift: He could do complex arithmetic in his head. His feats of calculation would earn for him a university education, a distinguished career in engineering, and fame throughout 19th-century England. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll describe his remarkable ability and the stunning displays he made with it. We'll also try to dodge some foul balls and puzzle over a leaky ship. Intro: John Clem joined the Union Army at age 10. Actress Tippi Hedren kept an African lion as a house pet in the 1970s. Sources for our feature on George Bidder: E.F. Clark, George Parker Bidder: The Calculating Boy, 1983. Steven Bradley Smith, The Great Mental Calculators: The Psychology, Methods, and Lives of Calculating Prodigies, Past and Present, 1983. Frank D. Mitchell, Mathematical Prodigies, 1907. Henry Budd Howell, A Foundational Study in the Pedagogy of Arithmetic, 1914. A.W. Skempton and Mike Chrimes, A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500-1830, 2002. George Eyre Evans, Midland Churches: A History of the Congregations on the Roll of the Midland Christian Union, 1899. David Singmaster, "George Parker Bidder: The Calculating Boy by E.F. Clark," Mathematical Gazette 71:457 (October 1987), 252-254. Antony Anderson, "Fairgrounds to Railways With Numbers," New Scientist 100:1385 (Nov. 24, 1983), 581. Frank D. Mitchell, "Mathematical Prodigies," American Journal of Psychology 18:1 (January 1907), 61-143. Richard A. Proctor, "Calculating Boys," Belgravia Magazine 38:152 (June 1879), 450-470. Martin Gardner, "Mathematical Games," Scientific American 216:4 (April 1967), 116-123. "A Short Account of George Bidder, the Celebrated Mental Calculator: With a Variety of the Most Difficult Questions, Proposed to Him at the Principal Towns in the Kingdom, and His Surprising Rapid Answers, Etc.," pamphlet, 1821. Louis McCreery, "Mathematical Prodigies," Mathematics News Letter 7:7/8 (April-May 1933), 4-12. "Memoirs of Deceased Members," Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 57 (1878-1879), Part III, 294. "George Parker Bidder," Devon Notes and Queries, Vol. 2, 1903. "Calculating Boys," Strand 10 (1895), 277-280. "Bidder, George Parker," Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911. H.T. Wood, "Bidder, George Parker," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. Listener mail: Todd S. Purdum, "His Best Years Past, Veteran in Debt Sells Oscar He Won," New York Times, Aug. 7, 1992. "In Financial Straits, Actor Sells '46 Oscar," Chicago Tribune, Aug. 7, 1992. "Harold Russell Selling 'Best Years of Our Lives' Oscar," Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1992. Heathcliff Rothman, "I'd Really Like to Thank My Pal at the Auction House," New York Times, Feb. 12, 2006. Stephen Ceasar, "You Can't Put a Price on Oscar: Even Heirs of Winners Are Bound by Rules Against Selling the Statue," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 25, 2016. "Orson Welles' Citizen Kane Oscar Auctioned in US," BBC News, Dec. 21, 2011. Allen St. John, "Does Japanese Baseball Have the Answer for MLB's Dangerous Foul Ball Problem?", Forbes, Sept. 30, 2017. "Foul Balls in Japanese Baseball," Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, HBO, April 20, 2016. "A Look at Some Extended Protective Nettings in the KBO and NPB," Fan Interference, Feb, 2, 2016. Andrew W. Lehren and Michelle Tak, "Every Major League Baseball Team Will Expand Netting to Protect Fans From Foul Balls," NBC News, Dec. 11, 2019. Bill Shaikin, "A Lawsuit Could Make Baseball Teams Liable for Foul Balls That Injure Fans," Los Angeles Times, Feb 20, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Jon Jerome. You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

30 Nov 202032min

John Hornby left a privileged background in England to roam the vast subarctic tundra of northern Canada. There he became known as "the hermit of the north," famous for staying alive in a land with very few resources. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll spend a winter with Hornby, who's been called "one of the most colorful adventurers in modern history." We'll also consider an anthropologist's reputation and puzzle over an unreachable safe. Intro: In 1902, Ambrose Bierce proposed that we learn to sever our social ties. Can it make sense to pray for a change in the past? Sources for our feature on John Hornby: Malcolm Waldron, Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands, 1931. Pierre Berton, Prisoners of the North, 2011. David F. Pelly, Thelon: A River Sanctuary, 1996. Morten Asfeldt and Bob Henderson, eds., Pike's Portage: Stories of a Distinguished Place, 2010. Misao Dean, Inheriting a Canoe Paddle: The Canoe in Discourses of English-Canadian Nationalism, 2013. Michael D. Pitt, Beyond the End of the Road: A Winter of Contentment North of the Arctic Circle, 2009. Mckay Jenkins, Bloody Falls of the Coppermine: Madness and Murder in the Arctic Barren Lands, 2007. Clive Powell-Williams, Cold Burial: A True Story of Endurance and Disaster, 2003. Brook Sutton, "Long Before McCandless, John Hornby Tested Himself in Northern Canada -- and Failed," Adventure Journal, Oct. 27, 2016. C.B. Sikstrom, "Hjalmar Nelson Hamar (1894–1967)," Arctic 67:3 (2014), 407-409. Alex M. Hall, "Pike's Portage: Stories of a Distinguised Place, Edited by Morten Asfeldt and Bob Henderson," Arctic 63:3 (2010), 364-365. David F. Pelly, "Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands," Arctic 53:1 (March 2000), 81-82. Hugh Stewart, "Arctic Profiles: John Hornby," Arctic 37:2 (June 1984), 184-185. M.T. Kelly, "Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands," Books in Canada 27:7 (October 1998), 29. Thomas H. Hill, "John Hornby: Legend or Fool," Torch Magazine 89:2 (Winter 2016), 6-9. Martin Zeilig, "Touring Canada's Untouched North a Treat," [Regina, Sask.] Leader Post, Oct. 27, 2006, F2. "Privation and Death in 'the Barrens,'" Toronto Star, Aug. 9, 1987, A8. Anne Ross, "John Hornby," Globe and Mail, March 21, 1978, P.6. George J. Lustre, "Hornby's Adventures," Globe and Mail, March 10, 1978, P.7. Allan Irving, "John Hornby," Globe and Mail, March 9, 1978, P.6. "Last Hours of John Hornby Are Pictured by Christian," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, Dec. 31, 1929, 2. "Bodies of Three Explorers Found," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, Sept. 6, 1928, 29. "Identity of Bodies Not Entirely Clear," New Britain [Conn.] Herald, Aug. 15, 1928, 10. "Musk-Ox Sanctuary," Montreal Gazette, Aug. 26, 1927. James Charles Critchell Bullock Archive, Sherborne School, June 1, 2015. John Ferns, "Hornby, John," Dictionary of Canadian Biography (accessed Nov. 8, 2020). Listener mail: "Building Name Review: Kroeber Hall," Berkeley: Office of the Chancellor (accessed Nov. 7, 2020). "Proposal to Un-Name Kroeber Hall," UC Berkeley Building Name Review Committee, July 1, 2020. Karl Kroeber and Clifton B. Kroeber, Ishi in Three Centuries, 2003. Vicky Baker, "Last Survivor: The Story of the 'World's Loneliest Man,'" BBC News, July 20, 2018. Dom Phillips, "Footage of Sole Survivor of Amazon Tribe Emerges," Guardian, July 19, 2018. Monte Reel, "The Most Isolated Man on the Planet," Slate, Aug. 20, 2010. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Greg. Here are two corroborating links (warning -- these spoil the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

23 Nov 202035min

In the 1930s, German civil servant Friedrich Kellner was outraged by the increasing brutality of the Nazi party and the complicity of his fellow citizens. He began to keep a secret diary to record the crimes of the Third Reich and his condemnations of his countrymen. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we'll tell the story of Friedrich's diary and his outspoken warnings to future generations. We'll also ponder the problem with tardigrades and puzzle over a seemingly foolish choice. Intro: In 1983, Kenneth Gardner patented a way to cremate corpses using solar energy. How can Anna Karenina's fate move us when we know she’s not a real person? Sources for our feature on Friedrich Kellner: Robert Scott Kellner, ed., My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German Against the Third Reich, 2018. Hermann Beck, "My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner -- A German Against the Third Reich," Holocaust and Genocide Studies 33:2 (Fall 2019), 271-273. Peter Fritzsche, "Vernebelt, verdunkelt sind alle Hirne." Tagebücher 1939-1, Central European History 45:4 (December 2012), 780-782. David Clay Large, "My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner; A German Against the Third Reich," Journal of Modern History 91:2 (June 2019), 480-481. Robert Scott Kellner, "Nebraskan, Other U.S. Soldiers Brought Justice to WWII German Town," Omaha World-Herald, May 8, 2020. Robert Scott Kellner, "Commentary: He Documented Nazi Crimes, Secretly, for the Future to Know," Chicago Tribune, April 18, 2020. Robert Scott Kellner, "'The American Army Makes an Impression,'" Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2020. Robert Scott Kellner, "Waiting for D-Day in Germany," Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2019, A.11. Robert Scott Kellner, "The Curse of an Evil Deed," [Washington, D.C.] Examiner, May 8, 2019. Matt Lebovic, "New Memoir Compilation by Hitler's Personal Staff Airs Historical Dirty Laundry," Times of Israel, Oct. 13, 2018. Jane Warren, "Exposed: Myth That Civilians Knew Nothing of Nazi Atrocities," Daily Express, March 10, 2018, 31. Laurence Rees, "Meet Friedrich Kellner: The Unlikely Face of Nazi Resistance," Telegraph, Jan. 22, 2018. Richard J. Evans, "My Opposition: The Diary of Friedrich Kellner Review – A German Against the Nazis," Guardian, Jan. 12, 2018, 6. Matt Lebovic, "What Did Germans Know? Secret Anti-Nazi Diary Gives Voice to Man on the Street," Times of Israel, Jan. 8, 2018. Benjamin Weinthal, "A Diary for the Future," Jerusalem Post, Jan. 27, 2012, 12. "Germany Weaves Web of Its Modern History," [Abu Dhabi] National, Nov. 1, 2011. "A Reminder of the Need to Preserve the Truth," [Montreal] Gazette, Oct. 17, 2011, A.23. Madeline Chambers, "'Ordinary' German's Diary Decried Nazi Atrocities," [Montreal] Gazette, Oct. 13, 2011, A.18. Graeme Morton, "Diaries Chronicle Fall Into Hitlerian Hell," [Victoria, B.C.] Times Colonist, Nov. 17, 2007, C4. Sam Ser, "Anti-Nazi's Revealing Wartime Diaries Become 'Weapon to Combat Evil,'" Jerusalem Post, April 5, 2005, 6. Phil Magers, "Feature: German's War Diary Goes Public," UPI Perspectives, March 25, 2005. Robert Scott Kellner, "Opposing the Nazis: The Secret Diary of a German Against the Third Reich," History Extra, Aug. 22, 2018. Robert Scott Kellner, "Where Will the Culture of Internet Attacks Lead? Nazi Opponent Friedrich Kellner's Diaries Offer Warnings," History News Network, Aug. 23, 2020. Listener mail: Poppy Noor, "Overzealous Profanity Filter Bans Paleontologists From Talking About Bones," Guardian, Oct. 16, 2020. Maria Cramer, "Paleontologists See Stars as Software Bleeps Scientific Terms," New York Times, Oct. 18, 2020. Becky Ferreira, "A Profanity Filter Banned the Word 'Bone' at a Paleontology Conference," Vice, Oct. 15, 2020. Thomas R. Holtz Jr., "SVPers: I have put together a sheet of the 'banned' words on the Q&A function at #2020SVP so far," Twitter, Oct. 13, 2020. Samantha Cole, "PayPal Is Stalling Cute Tardigrade Merch -- and a Notorious Weapons Dealer Is to Blame," Vice, Sept. 11, 2020. Tim Ellis, "Weird Seattle Retailer Archie Mcphee Hit With Even Weirder Paypal Problem, Foiling Tardigrade Sales," GeekWire, Sept. 11, 2020. "Rubber Chicken Museum," Atlas Obscura, accessed Nov. 1, 2020. "Archie McPhee's Rubber Chicken Museum," Archie McPhee, accessed Nov. 1, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Scarlett Casey. You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

16 Nov 202033min

In 1953 Mildred Norman renounced "an empty life of money and things" and dedicated herself to promoting peace. She spent the next three decades walking through the United States to spread a message of simplicity and harmony. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe her unusual life as a peace pilgrim. We'll also admire Wellington's Mittens and puzzle over a barren Christmas. Intro: In 1956, Navy pilot Tom Attridge overtook his own rounds in a supersonic jet. Flemish artist Cornelius Gijsbrechts painted a rendering of the back of a painting. Sources for our feature on Peace Pilgrim: Peace Pilgrim, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, 1992. Peace Pilgrim, Steps Toward Inner Peace, 1964. Kathlyn Gay, American Dissidents: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Subversives, and Prisoners of Conscience, 2012. Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking, 2001. Peace Pilgrim's website. Michael M. Piechowski, "Giftedness for All Seasons: Inner Peace in a Time of War," Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development, University of Iowa, 1991. Michael M. Piechowski, "Is Inner Transformation a Creative Process?", Creativity Research Journal 6:1-2 (1993), 89-98. Michael M. Piechowski, "Peace Pilgrim, Exemplar of Level V," Roeper Review 31:2 (2009), 103-112. Amanda Kautz, "Peace Pilgrim: An American Parallel to a Buddhist Path," Buddhist-Christian Studies 10 (1990), 165-172. Roy Tamashiro, "Planetary Consciousness, Witnessing the Inhuman, and Transformative Learning: Insights From Peace Pilgrimage Oral Histories and Autoethnographies," Religions 9:5 (2018), 148. "Introducing Peace Pilgrim," Equality 15 (May 1969), 3. "Peace Pilgrim's Progress," Equality 1 (May 1965), 3. Ann Rush with John Rush, "Peace Pilgrim: An Extraordinary Life," 1992. Peace Pilgrim, "On Foot and on Faith," The Sun Magazine, February 2020. Katharine Q. Seelye, "Overlooked No More: Emma Gatewood, First Woman to Conquer the Appalachian Trail Alone," New York Times, June 27, 2018. Steve Taylor, "Peace Pilgrim: A Way to Wakefulness," Psychology Today, June 8, 2016. Paul Venesz, "7th Peace Pilgrim Celebration," [Vineland, N.J.] Daily Journal, Sept. 24, 2014, 9. "Peace Pilgrim Nominated to Hall of Fame," [Vineland, N.J.] Daily Journal, May 28, 2014, 1. "Peace Pilgrim Is Eyed for Hall," [Vineland, N.J.] Daily Journal, Oct. 23, 2013, 1. Braden Campbell, "Author of New Book on Peace Pilgrim to Take Part in Egg Harbor City Celebration," Press of Atlantic City, Sept. 11, 2013. Kate Murphy, "Walking the Country as a Spiritual Quest," New York Times, March 2, 2013. Zak Rosen, "Peace Pilgrim's 28-Year Walk for 'A Meaningful Way of Life,'" All Things Considered, National Public Radio, Jan. 1, 2013. Jason Nark, "Peace Pilgrim's Message Carried On," Philadelphia Daily News, July 19, 2008, 7. Sandra Malasky, "Peace Pilgrim Walked the Walk," Peterborough [Ont.] Examiner, July 2, 2005, B4. Bernard Bauer, "A 25-Year Hike," Berkeley [Calif.] Barb 28:2 (Oct. 26-Nov. 8, 1978), 3. Chet Briggs, "Peace Pilgrim Comes to Town," [Austin, Texas] Rag 1:15 (Feb. 20, 1967), 7. "Peace Pilgrim," Ottawa County [Ohio] News, Sept. 25, 1953, 2. "Heard in Lawrence," Lawrence [Kan.] Journal-World, June 29, 1953. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Mittens (cat)" (accessed Oct. 10, 2020). Eleanor Ainge Roy, "'The Best Thing About Wellington': Mittens the Cat Has Paws All Over New Zealand Capital," Guardian, March 3, 2020. "The Wondrous Adventures of Mittens," Facebook. "Celebrity Cat Mittens 'His Floofiness' Awarded Key to the City by Wellington's Mayor," 1 News, May 22, 2020. "Feline Groovy: Mittens Unlocks More Hearts With Key to the City," Wellington City Council, May 22, 2020. Katarina Williams, "Wellington Feline Celebrity Mittens Awarded Key to the City," stuff, May 22, 2020. Eleanor Ainge Roy, "Celebrity Cat Called Mittens in the Running to Be New Zealander of the Year," Guardian, Aug 19, 2020. "Jock VII Takes the Helm," International Churchill Society (accessed Oct. 10, 2020). "Jock VII of Chartwell," National Trust (accessed Oct. 10, 2020). Laura Silverman, "Meet the Long Line of Ginger Cats Who've Taken Up Residence in Winston Churchill's Home," Telegraph, July 20, 2020. "A Perpetual Pussycat," Futility Closet, Oct. 21, 2013. Peter Black, "RIP Doorkins Magnificat," Blogspot, Oct. 5, 2020 "The Story of Doorkins Magnificat," Southwark Cathedral, accessed Oct. 10, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Sharon. Here are two corroborating links (warning -- these spoil the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

2 Nov 202033min