364-Sidney Cotton's Aerial Reconnaissance

Sometimes in our research we come across stories that are regarded as true but that we can't fully verify. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll share two such stories from the 1920s, about a pair of New York fruit dealers and a mythologized bank robber, and discuss the strength of the evidence behind them. We'll also salute a retiring cat and puzzle over a heartless spouse. Intro: English essayist A.C. Benson dreamed poems. Robert Patch patented a toy truck at age 5. Sources for our feature on the Fortunato brothers and Herman Lamm: Walter Mittelstaedt, Herman 'Baron' Lamm, the Father of Modern Bank Robbery, 2012. L.R. Kirchner, Robbing Banks: An American History 1831-1999, 2003. William J. Helmer and Rick Mattix, Public Enemies: America's Criminal Past, 1919-1940, 1998. John Toland, The Dillinger Days, 1963. Bryan Burrough, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, 2009. John Belle and Maxinne Rhea Leighton, Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives, 2000. Brian Robb, A Brief History of Gangsters, 2014. Carl Sifakis, Encyclopedia of American Crime, 2014. Richard Ringer, "Today's Bank Robber Is No Baby Face Nelson; Current Group Called Amateurs in Comparison to Legendary Predecessors," American Banker 148 (Feb. 28, 1983), 2. George W. Hunt, "Of Many Things," America 159:17 (Dec. 3, 1988), 450. Alan Hynd, "Grand Central's $100,000 Deal," in Rouben Mamoulian, ed., Scoundrels & Scalawags: 51 Stories of the Most Fascinating Characters of Hoax and Fraud, 1968. "Historical Perspective: Clinton and Rockville Robberies," [Terre Haute, Ind.] Tribune-Star, Sept. 15, 2019. Philip Marchand, "Grand Theft With Autos: For Bandits and Desperadoes, a Fast Getaway Car Is Just as Important as a Gun," Toronto Star, July 7, 2012, W.1. Scott McCabe, "Father of Modern Bank Robbery Killed in Shootout," [Washington, D.C.] Examiner, Dec. 16, 2011, 8. Christopher Goodwin, "America's Own Robin Hood: John Dillinger Was a Suave, Smooth-Talking Gangster Who Was Cheered On by the Public," Sunday Times, June 28, 2009, 7. Stephen Wilks, "In Pursuit of America's Public Enemies," Canberra Times, Jan. 17, 2009, 17. "Nutty Scam Fooled Fruit Bros.", [Campbell River, B.C.] North Island Midweek, Jan. 3, 2007, 5. Max Haines, "A Grand Con Game," Moose Jaw [Sask.] Times Herald, Dec. 27, 2006, B6. "Fabulous Fakes," Gadsden [Ala.] Times, Nov. 11, 1983. Donald Altschiller, "In This Corner; Robbery Today? It's a Crime," Boston Globe, Jan. 25, 1983, 1. "Dead Bank Bandit Has Been Identified," Rushville [Ind.] Republican, Dec. 19, 1930. Listener mail: "'Chief Mouser' Palmerston Retires as UK's Top Diplomatic Cat," Associated Press, Aug. 7, 2020. Justin Parkinson, "Foreign Office Cat Palmerston Retires to Countryside," BBC News, Aug. 7, 2020. "Paws for Reflection: British Foreign Office Cat Heads for Retirement," Reuters, Aug. 7, 2020. Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey and Stacey Lastoe, "'Cats' Is a Disaster, but Cats Aren't: The Best Cat Cafes to Show Your Solidarity With Our Beloved Companions," CNN, July 19, 2019. Wikipedia, "Cat Café" (accessed Aug. 20, 2020). Frances Cha, "Moomin, Japan's 'Anti-Loneliness' Cafe, Goes Viral," CNN, Feb. 21, 2017. The bear's breakin. Ed Mazza, "Big Boss Bear Bashes Down Door for Incredible Entrance Into Cabin," Huffington Post, July 22, 2020. Becky Talley, "VIDEO: Lake Tahoe Bear Smashes Through Door Like 'The Hulk,'" Our Community Now, July 24, 2020. "Meet the Canada Post Worker Who Wrote the 'Bear at Door' Non-Delivery Slip," CBC, Sept. 26, 2014. Max Knoblauch, "'Bear at Door' Is a Solid Reason to Not Deliver a Package," Mashable, Sept. 25, 2014. Listener Yulia Samaichuk sent us four photos of Tono's Cat Café in Tianzifang, Shanghai. This week's lateral thinking puzzle is taken from Agnes Rogers' 1953 book How Come? A Book of Riddles, sent to us 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!

31 Aug 202032min

In 1939, as the shadow of war spread over Europe, British stockbroker Nicholas Winton helped to spirit hundreds of threatened children out of Czechoslovakia. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Winton's struggle to save the children and the world's eventual recognition of his achievements. We'll also consider some ghostly marriages and puzzle over a ship's speed. Intro: There's a "technical version" of "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Critic A.E. Wilson translated Hamlet's nunnery soliloquy into "Americanese." Sources for our feature on Nicholas Winton: Barbara Winton, If It's Not Impossible--: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton, 2014. William Chadwick, The Rescue of the Prague Refugees 1938-39, 2010. Andrea Hammel and Bea Lewkowicz, The Kindertransport to Britain 1938/39: New Perspectives, 2012. Rod Gragg, My Brother's Keeper: Christians Who Risked All to Protect Jewish Targets of the Nazi Holocaust, 2016. Ivan A. Backer, My Train to Freedom: A Jewish Boy's Journey From Nazi Europe to a Life of Activism, 2016. Laura E. Brade and Rose Holmes, "Troublesome Sainthood: Nicholas Winton and the Contested History of Child Rescue in Prague, 1938-1940," History & Memory 29:1 (Spring/Summer 2017), 3-40. Anna Hájková, "Marie Schmolka and the Group Effort," History Today 68:12 (December 2018), 36-49. Sona Patel, "Winton's Children Share Their Stories," New York Times, July 13, 2015. "A Job Well Done; Nicholas Winton," Economist 416:8946 (July 11, 2015), 82. "Train Tribute to Holocaust 'Hero' Sir Nicholas Winton," BBC News, July 9, 2015. Alasdair Steven, "Sir Nicholas Winton," Scotsman, July 7, 2015, 34. Sarah Sedghi, "Sir Nicholas Winton, the Man Who Saved 669 Children From the Holocaust," Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 2, 2015. "Sir Nicholas Winton," Scotsman, July 2, 2015, 42. Raymond Johnston, "Sir Nicholas Winton to Be Honored in US," Prague Post, Sept. 25, 2013. Robert D. McFadden, "Nicholas Winton, Rescuer of 669 Children From Holocaust, Dies at 106," New York Times, July 1, 2015. "Holocaust 'Hero' Sir Nicholas Winton Dies Aged 106," BBC News, July 1, 2015. Stephen Bates, "Sir Nicholas Winton Obituary," Guardian, July 1, 2015. Daniel Victor, "Nicholas Winton's 'Most Emotional Moment,'" New York Times, July 1, 2015. Jake Flanagin, "Britain’s Schindler, a Reluctant Hero," New York Times, July 10, 2014. Caroline Sharples, "Winton [formerly Wertheim], Sir Nicholas George (Nicky)," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Jan. 10, 2019. "Sir Nicholas Winton," Biography, July 16, 2015. "Nicholas Winton and the Rescue of Children From Czechoslovakia, 1938–1939," United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (accessed Aug. 9, 2020). Winton appeared twice on the BBC1 television series That's Life!, on Feb. 27 and March 6, 1988. This video combines both appearances. Listener mail: "Did You Know Why Marrying Dead People Is Possible in France?", The Local, Jan. 28, 2019. Lizzy Davies, "French Woman Marries Dead Partner," Guardian, Nov. 17, 2009. Wikipedia, "Posthumous Marriage" (accessed Aug. 7, 2020). Vicky Xiuzhong Xu and Bang Xiao, "Ghost Marriages: A 3,000-Year-Old Tradition of Wedding the Dead Is Still Thriving in Rural China," ABC News, April 6, 2018. Grace Tsoi, "China's Ghost Weddings and Why They Can Be Deadly," BBC News, Aug. 24, 2016. Wikipedia, "Chinese Ghost Marriage" (accessed Aug. 7, 2020). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Ken Somolinos, 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!

24 Aug 202032min

In 1829 a group of convicts commandeered a brig in Tasmania and set off across the Pacific, hoping to elude their pursuers and win their freedom. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the mutineers of the Cyprus and a striking new perspective on their adventure. We'll also consider a Flemish dog and puzzle over a multiplied Oscar. Intro: Mark Twain slipped an esophagus into a 1902 short story. Designer Alan Fletcher's West London studio is secured with an alphabet. Sources for our feature on William Swallow: Warwick Hirst, The Man Who Stole the Cyprus: A True Story of Escape, 2008. John Mulvaney, The Axe Had Never Sounded: Place, People and Heritage of Recherche Bay, Tasmania, 2007. Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore, 1987. David Chapman and Carol Hayes, eds., Japan in Australia: Culture, Context and Connection, 2019. Andrew Steinmetz, Japan and Her People, 1859. D.C.S. Sissons, "The Voyage of the Cyprus Mutineers: Did They Ever Enter Japanese Waters?", Journal of Pacific History 43:2 (September 2008), 253-265. Ian Duffield, "Cutting Out and Taking Liberties: Australia's Convict Pirates, 1790–1829," International Review of Social History 58:21 (December 2013), 197–227. E.R. Pretyman, "Pirates at Recherche Bay or the Loss of the Brig 'Cyprus'," Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 88 (1954), 119-128. Mark Gregory, "Convict Era Broadsides and Ballads and the Working Poor: Part 1," Australian Folklore 32 (November 2017), 195-215. Tim Stone, "How a Samurai Manuscript Vindicated the Wild Claims of Convict Escapee William Swallow," ABC Radio National, Sept. 9, 2019. Troy Lennon, "Convicts Chased Freedom From Tasmania to China," [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] Daily Telegraph, Aug. 14, 2019, 35. Rachel Mealey, "The Brig Cyprus: How an English Surfer Solved the Mystery of an Australian Pirate Ship in Japan," ABC News, June 24, 2017. Joshua Robertson, "Australian Convict Pirates in Japan: Evidence of 1830 Voyage Unearthed," Guardian, May 27, 2017. George Blaikie, "Slow Trip to China," [Adelaide] Mail, Oct. 27, 1951, 4. "Piratical Seizure of the Government Brig Cyprus," [Hobart, Tasmania] Colonial Times, Sept. 4, 1829. Stephen Gapps, "The Last Pirate," Australian National Maritime Museum, May 31, 2017. "William Swallow," Convict Records of Australia (accessed July 26, 2020). "As we approached the barbarian ship the dog wagged its tail and whined at us. Its face looks like my illustration. It did not look like food. It looked like a pet." Watercolors by samurai artist Makita Hamaguchi, 1830, from the Tokushima prefectural archive. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "A Dog of Flanders" (accessed July 31, 2020). Wikipedia, "Dog of Flanders (TV series)" (accessed July 31, 2020). Wikipedia, "Dogcart (Dog-Drawn)" (accessed July 31, 2020). Wikipedia, "Drafting Dog" (accessed July 31, 2020). Wikipedia, "Belgian Draft Dog" (accessed July 31, 2020). "An Icon of the Belgian Army in WWI, the Dog Cart," War History Online, March 3, 2014. De Belgische Mastiff. Wikipedia, "Carting" (accessed August 2, 2020). "A Dog of Flanders," National Purebred Dog Day, Dec. 5, 2018. Wikipedia, "Bouvier des Flandres" (accessed August 2, 2020). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Marie Nearing. Here are four 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!

10 Aug 202033min

In 1890, French inventor Louis Le Prince vanished just as he was preparing to debut his early motion pictures. He was never seen again. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll consider the possible causes of Le Prince's disappearance and his place in the history of cinema. We'll also reflect on a murderous lawyer and puzzle over the vagaries of snake milking. Intro: In 1826, schoolteacher George Pocock proposed a carriage drawn by kites. George Sicherman discovered an alternate pair of six-sided dice that produce the same probability distribution as ordinary dice. Sources for our feature on Louis Le Prince: Christopher Rawlence, The Missing Reel: The Untold Story of the Lost Inventor of Moving Pictures, 1990. Thomas Deane Tucker, The Peripatetic Frame, 2020. Adam Hart-Davis, ed., Engineers: From the Great Pyramids to the Pioneers of Space Travel, 2012. Jenni Davis, Lost Bodies, 2017. Charles Musser, "When Did Cinema Become Cinema?: Technology, History, and the Moving Pictures," in Santiago Hidalgo, ed., Technology and Film Scholarship: Experience, Study, Theory, 2018. Richard Howells, "Louis Le Prince: The Body of Evidence," Screen 47:2 (Summer 2006), 179–200. John Gianvito, "Remembrance of Films Lost," Film Quarterly 53:2 (1999), 39-42. Irfan Shah, "Man With a Movie Camera," History Today 69:1 (January 2019) 18-20. Violeta María Martínez Alcañiz, "The Birth of Motion Pictures: Piracy, Patent Disputes and Other Anecdotes in the Race for Inventing Cinema," III Congreso Internacional Historia, Arte y Literatura en el Cine en Español y Portugués, 2015. Atreyee Gupta, "The Disappearance of Louis Le Prince," Materials Today 11:7-8 (July-August 2008), 56. Justin McKinney, "From Ephemera to Art: The Birth of Film Preservation and the Museum of Modern Art Film Library," Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America 33:2 (September 2014), 295-312. Denis Pellerin, "The Quest for Stereoscopic Movement: Was the First Film Ever in 3-D?", International Journal on Stereo & Immersive Media 1:1 (2017). Ian Youngs, "Louis Le Prince, Who Shot the World's First Film in Leeds," BBC News, June 23, 2015. Kevin Brownlow, "The Inventor Vanishes," New York Times, Nov. 18, 1990. "How Is the Technology That Was Used to Reconstruct the Oldest Film in History?", CE Noticias Financieras, English ed., May 13, 2020. Chris Bond, "Leeds Celebrates Its Film Pioneer," Yorkshire Post, Oct. 24, 2017. Adrian Lee, "Whatever Happened to the True Father of Film?", [London] Daily Express, June 29, 2015. "Louis Le Prince: Time to Honour Cinema's Forgotten Pioneer," Yorkshire Post, Sept. 16, 2013. Troy Lennon, "Movie Pioneer Caught in a Disappearing Act," [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] Daily Telegraph, Oct. 14, 2008, 38. Kieron Casey, "The Mystery of Louis Le Prince, the Father of Cinematography," Science+Media Museum, Aug. 29, 2013. Listener mail: Agnes Rogers, How Come? A Book of Riddles, 1953. Wikipedia, "Lateral Thinking" (accessed July 25, 2020). Edward de Bono's website. Wikipedia, "Situation Puzzle" (accessed July 25, 2020). Paul Sloane, Lateral Thinking Puzzlers, 1991. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Eric Ridenour. 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!

3 Aug 202031min

Marooned in Florida in 1528, four Spanish colonists made an extraordinary journey across the unexplored continent. Their experiences changed their conception of the New World and its people. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the remarkable odyssey of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his reformed perspective on the Spanish conquest. We'll also copy the Mona Lisa and puzzle over a deficient pinball machine. Intro: The Russian navy built two circular warships in 1871. When shaken, a certain chemical solution will change from yellow to red to green. Sources for our feature on Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: Andrés Reséndez, A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca, 2009. Robin Varnum, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: American Trailblazer, 2014. Donald E. Chipman, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: The 'Great Pedestrian' of North and South America, 2014. Alex D. Krieger, We Came Naked and Barefoot: The Journey of Cabeza de Vaca Across North America, 2010. Peter Stern, "Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: Conquistador and Sojourner," in Ian Kenneth Steele and Nancy Lee Rhoden, eds., The Human Tradition in Colonial America, 1999. Rolena Adorno, "The Negotiation of Fear in Cabeza de Vaca's Naufragios," in Stephen Greenblatt, ed., New World Encounters, 1993. Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, The Journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and His Companions From Florida to the Pacific, 1528-1536, 1542. Andrés Reséndez, "A Desperate Trek Across America," American Heritage 58:5 (Fall 2008), 19-21. Nancy P. Hickerson, "How Cabeza De Vaca Lived With, Worked Among, and Finally Left the Indians of Texas," Journal of Anthropological Research 54:2 (Summer 1998), 199-218. Donald E. Chipman, "In Search of Cabeza de Vaca's Route Across Texas: An Historiographical Survey," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 91:2 (October 1987), 127-148. Paul E. Hoffman, "A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca, the Extraordinary Tale of a Shipwrecked Spaniard Who Walked Across America in the Sixteenth Century," Journal of American History 95:2 (September 2008), 496-497. R.T.C. Goodwin, "Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and the Textual Travels of an American Miracle," Journal of Iberian & Latin American Studies 14:1 (April 2008), 1-12. John L. Kessell, "A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca," American Historical Review 113:5 (December 2008), 1519-1520. Robert Wilson, "A Long Walk in the New World," American Scholar 77:1 (Winter 2008), 137-139. Nan Goodman, "Mercantilism and Cultural Difference in Cabeza de Vaca's Relación," Early American Literature 40:2 (2005), 229-250, 405. Ali Shehzad Zaidi, "The Spiritual Evolution of Cabeza de Vaca in Shipwrecks," Theory in Action 7:3 (July 2014), 109-117. Kun Jong Lee, "Pauline Typology in Cabeza De Vaca's Naufragios," Early American Literature 34:3 (1999), 241-262. "How Cabeza de Vaca, Explorer, Came by His Strange Name," New York Times, March 9, 1930. Donald E. Chipman, "Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar Núñez," Texas State Historical Association (accessed July 12, 2020). "The Journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca," American Journeys Collection, Wisconsin Historical Society Digital Library and Archives, 2003. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "City of Death" (accessed July 17, 2020). Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Cloud Seeding" (accessed July 17, 2020). Wikipedia, "Cloud Seeding" (accessed July 17, 2020). Andrew Moseman, "Does Cloud Seeding Work?", Scientific American, Feb. 19, 2009. Janet Pelley, "Does Cloud Seeding Really Work?", Chemical & Engineering News 94:22 (May 30, 2016), 18-21. Lulin Xue, Sarah A. Tessendorf, Eric Nelson, Roy Rasmussen, Daniel Breed, et al., "Implementation of a Silver Iodide Cloud-Seeding Parameterization in WRF. Part II: 3D Simulations of Actual Seeding Events and Sensitivity Tests," Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 52:6 (June 2013), 1458-1476. Rachel Hager, "Idaho Power Can Make It Snow — Increasing Water Reserves, Powering Homes. But Is It Safe?", Idaho Statesman, July 25, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Eric Waldow. 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!

27 Juli 202030min

The only dog ever enlisted in the Royal Navy was a Great Dane who befriended the sailors of Cape Town in the 1930s. Given the rank of able seaman, he boosted the morale of British sailors around the world. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of Just Nuisance and his adventures among the sailors who loved him. We'll also examine early concentration camps and puzzle over a weighty fashion. Intro: For most of World War I a statue of Mary hung over Albert, France. J.B.S. Haldane learned to detect methane by reciting Julius Caesar. Sources for our feature on Just Nuisance: Terence Sisson, Just Nuisance, AB: His Full Story, 1985. Leslie M. Steyn, Just Nuisance: Life Story of an Able Seaman Who Leads a Dog's Life, 1945. Malcolm Archibald, Sixpence for the Wind: A Knot of Nautical Folklore, 1998. Douglas Reed, Somewhere South of Suez, 1950. Lance Van Sittert and Sandra Scott Swart, Canis Africanis: A Dog History of Southern Africa, 2008. W.M. Bisset, "New Light on South Africa's Naval Heritage," Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies 7:4 (1977), 38-44. H.H. Curson, "Service Pets," Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 27:1 (1956), 31-50. Lance Van Sittert and Sandra Swart, "Canis familiaris: A Dog History of South Africa," South African Historical Journal 48:1 (2003), 138-173. Leslie Witz, "The Making of an Animal Biography: Huberta's Journey Into South African Natural History, 1928-1932," Kronos (2004), 138-166. "Navy Dog Just Nuisance to Get New Cap, Collar," Cape Times, Sept. 19, 2019, 2. "Have Fun With the Kids on Just Nuisance Day," Cape Times, March 8, 2018, 6. Ellen Castelow, "Able Seaman Just Nuisance," Historic UK (accessed July 5, 2020). Jon Earle, "'A Dog, But a Sailor at Heart': The Story of Just Nuisance, the Only Dog Ever Enlisted in the Royal Navy," Royal Museums Greenwich, Nov. 4, 2019. Listener mail: Andrea Pitzer, "Concentration Camps Existed Long Before Auschwitz," Smithsonian, Nov. 2, 2017. "Timeline: February, 1896: Reconcentration Policy," Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War, PBS, 1999. Paul Harris, "'Spin' on Boer Atrocities," Guardian, Dec. 8, 2001. "Women and Children in White Concentration Camps During the Anglo-Boer War, 1900-1902," South African History Online (accessed July 6, 2020). "Black Concentration Camps During the Anglo-Boer War 2, 1900-1902," South African History Online (accessed July 6, 2020). "Jacob Rees-Mogg Comments on Concentration Camps," BBC News, Feb. 14, 2019. Fransjohan Pretorius, "Concentration Camps in the South African War? Here Are the Real Facts," The Conversation, Feb. 18, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Cate Burlington, 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!

20 Juli 202031min

In 1943, the U.S. established a camp for German prisoners of war near the village of Stark in northern New Hampshire. After a rocky start, the relations between the prisoners and guards underwent a surprising change. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of Camp Stark and the transforming power of human decency. We'll also check out some Canadian snakes and puzzle over some curious signs. Intro: Why does Dracula go to England? The rattleback is a top that seems to prefer spinning in a certain direction. Sources for our feature on Camp Stark: Allen V. Koop, Stark Decency: German Prisoners of War in a New England Village, 2000. Antonio Thompson, Men in German Uniform: POWs in America During World War II, 2010. Michael Greenberg, Tables Turned on Them: Jews Guarding Nazi POWS Held in the United States, 2019. Felice Belman and Mike Pride, The New Hampshire Century: Concord Monitor Profiles of One Hundred People Who Shaped It, 2001. Andrew Streeb, "Measuring Ideas: The Political Segregation of German Prisoners of War in America, 1943-1946," Historical Studies Journal 26 (Spring 2009), 15-29. Jake W. Spidle Jr., "Axis Prisoners of War in the United States, 1942-1946: A Bibliographical Essay," Military Affairs 39:2 (April 1975), 61-66. Earl O. Strimple, "A History of Prison Inmate-Animal Interaction Programs," American Behavioral Scientist 47:1 (2003), 70-78. "Roadside History: Camp Stark, NH's WWII German POW Camp, Housed About 250 Soldiers," New Hampshire Union Leader, Sept. 25, 2016. Robert Blechl, "A Stark Remembrance of German POWs Storming North Country Woods in WWII," Caledonian Record, May 16, 2015. Kayti Burt, "Stark Remembers Former POW Camp," Salmon Press, March 31, 2010. "Camp Stark Is Remembered," Berlin [N.H.] Daily Sun, March 29, 2010. Royal Ford, "N.H. Woods Hold Echoes of War Village Recalls Life at Camp Stark, Where German WWII Prisoners Were Held," Boston Globe, May 12, 1995, 31. Adolphe V. Bernotas, "POW Camp in New Hampshire Was Meeting Ground," Associated Press, May 25, 1994, 29E. "Northeast POWs, Guards Reunite," Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 29, 1986, 3A. John Ellement, "Ex-German POWs and Guards Hold Reunion at N.H. Camp Site," Boston Globe, Sept. 28, 1986, 85. Michael Mokrzycki, "German WWII Prisoners, American Guards Reunite," Associated Press, Sept. 27, 1986. "Escaped War Captive Lived on Art Here," New York Times, Oct. 15, 1944. "Captured Nazi Escapes," New York Times, Aug. 27, 1944. "Two War Prisoners Escape," New York Times, June 29, 1944. Listener mail: "If You're Scared of Snakes, Don't Watch This," National Geographic, June 26, 2014. Calvin Dao, "Narcisse Snake Pits," Canadian Geographic, May 1, 2015. "Narcisse Snake Dens," Atlas Obscura (accessed July 1, 2020). "Snakes of Narcisse," Manitoba.ca (accessed July 1, 2020). Ian Austen, "This Canadian Town Comes Alive Once a Year, as Thousands of Snakes Mate," New York Times, June 16, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener David Roth. 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!

13 Juli 202031min

In 1929 a German couple fled civilization to live on an uninhabited island in the Eastern Pacific. But other settlers soon followed, leading to strife, suspicion, and possibly murder. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Galápagos affair, a bizarre mystery that remains unsolved. We'll also meet another deadly doctor and puzzle over a posthumous marriage. Intro: Damon Knight invented a way to compose stories without having to write them. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, why do we regard some tastes as bad? Photo: Captain Allan G. Hancock, Dore Strauch, and Friedrich Ritter at Floreana. Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7231, Waldo L. Schmitt Papers, Box 90, Folder 4, Image No. SIA2011-1149. Sources for our feature on Floreana: Dore Strauch, Satan Came to Eden: A Survivor's Account of the "Galápagos Affair," 1936. Margret Wittmer, Floreana: A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Galápagos, 1989. John E. Treherne, The Galápagos Affair, 2011. Elizabeth Hennessy, On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden, 2019. Alexander Mann, Yachting on the Pacific: Together With Notes on Travel in Peru, and an Account of the Peoples and Products of Ecuador, 1909. K. Thalia Grant and Gregory B. Estes, "Alf Wollebæk and the Galápagos Archipelago's First Biological Station," Galápagos Research 68 (2016), 33-42. Hans-Rudolf Bork and Andreas Mieth, "Catastrophe on an Enchanted Island: Floreana, Galapagos, Ecuador," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation 19:1 (2005), 5. David Cameron Duffy, "Galapagos Literature -- Fact and Fantasy," Noticias de Galápagos 44 (1986), 18-20. Gavin Haines, "Cannibalism, Nude Germans and a Murder Mystery: The Secret History of the Galapagos," Telegraph, Feb. 12, 2018. Oliver Smith, "Cannibalism, Murder and Chronic Obesity: 10 Island Paradises With Dark and Deadly Secrets," Telegraph.co.uk, Aug. 9, 2017. Allison Amend, "In the Footsteps of Charles Darwin," New York Times (Online), June 20, 2017. Trevor Seymour, "Murder on Seduction Island," [Surry Hills, New South Wales] Daily Telegraph, June 25, 2002, 26. Shiela Waddell, "At the Ends of the Earth," Glasgow Herald, Nov. 20, 1999, 12. Mitchell Smyth, "Satan in Paradise -- Lust and Murder on a Desert Isle," Toronto Star, Oct. 22, 1994, L2. Katherine Woods, "From Utopian Dream to Nightmare," New York Times, May 24, 1936. "Woman Is Leaving Galapagos 'Eden,'" New York Times, Dec. 9, 1934. "Desert Isles' 'Ruler' Escapes Eviction," New York Times, Jan. 23, 1934. Stephanie Merry, "'The Galapagos Affair: When Satan Came to Eden' Movie Review," Washington Post, May 8, 2014. Stephen Holden, "Seeking Eden, They Fled to Far Isle; Hell Followed," New York Times, April 3, 2014. Andrea Crossan, "A New Film Unearths the True Story of a 1930s Murder Mystery in the Galapagos," The World, PRI, April 4, 2014. Moira Macdonald, "'The Galapagos Affair': A Murder Mystery in Paradise," Seattle Times, April 17, 2014. Alan Scherstuhl, "Murder in Paradise in The Galapagos Affair," Village Voice, April 2, 2014. Ryan Gilbey, "Death in Paradise: Ryan Gilbey on The Galapagos Affair," New Statesman, July 28, 2014. Listener mail: "Cremation Medical Certificate," gov.uk, Jan. 2, 2009. "Doctors’ Fees, Cremation Forms & Certificates," beyond.life (accessed June 22, 2020). Trevor Jackson and Richard Smith, "Harold Shipman," BMJ 328:7433 (Jan. 24, 2004), 231. "Harold Shipman (1946–2004)," Biography, April 27, 2017. John Philip Jenkins, "Harold Shipman," Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed June 22, 2020). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Alon Eitan. 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!

6 Juli 202031min