Futility Closet

Beryl Markham managed to fit three extraordinary careers into one lifetime: She was a champion racehorse trainer, a pioneering bush pilot, and a best-selling author. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll review her eventful life, including her historic solo flight across the Atlantic in 1936. We'll also portray some Canadian snakes and puzzle over a deadly car. Intro: In 1974, Stewart Coffin devised a topological puzzle without a solution. In August 1972, Applied Optics determined that Heaven is hotter than Hell. Sources for our feature on Beryl Markham: Mary S. Lovell, Straight on Till Morning: The Life of Beryl Markham, 2011. Beryl Markham, West With the Night, 1942. Derek O'Connor, "The Remarkable Mrs. Markham," Aviation History 28:2 (November 2017), 54-59. Paula McLain, "An Insanely Glamorous Love Triangle," Town & Country, Sept. 2, 2015. Nate Pederson, "West With the Night," Aviation History 20:1 (September 2009), 62-62. Diana Ketcham, "Bad Girl," Nation 245:17 (Nov. 21, 1987), 600-602. Beryl Markham, "The Splendid Outcast," Saturday Evening Post 217:10 (Sept. 2, 1944), 12. "Aviator Beryl Markham Went With the Wind," [Durban] Sunday Tribune, June 4, 2017, 13. Erin Pottie, "Piece of History?", [Halifax, N.S.] Chronicle-Herald, Aug. 25, 2015, A1. "Beryl Markham: An Obituary," Times, Aug. 5, 1999, 25. Jane O'Reilly, "Never Down to Earth," New York Times, Oct. 3, 1993. Christopher Reed, "Inside Story: Beryl's Crash Landing," Guardian, Sept. 29, 1993. Frances Padorr Brent, "Beryl Markham: Truly Adventurous But Perhaps Less Than Honest," Chicago Tribune, Sept. 12, 1993, 6. Sylvia O'Brien, "For Whom Beryl Toiled," International Herald Tribune, Sept. 9, 1993. "Ghost Story," New York Times, Aug. 29, 1993. Robert Savage, "Rediscovering Beryl Markham," New York Times, Oct. 4, 1987, A.50. Nancy Lemann, "Stories Under a Shadow," St. Petersburg Times, Sept. 27, 1987, 6D. "Africa Bush Pilot Beryl Markham, 83," Chicago Tribune, Aug. 6, 1986, 7. Burr Van Atta, "Beryl Markham, 83, First Pilot to Cross the Atlantic East to West," Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 5, 1986, B.6. "Beryl Markham, Aviation Pioneer, 83," Newsday, Aug. 5, 1986, 27. "Beryl Markham," Globe and Mail, Aug. 5, 1986, C.12. "Beryl Markham Is Dead at 83; Flew Across Atlantic in 1936," Associated Press, Aug. 5, 1986. "Mrs. Beryl Markham Wed," New York Times, Oct. 18, 1942. "Beryl Markham Seeks Divorce," New York Times, Oct. 6, 1942. Talbot Lake, "Beryl Markham Writes of Her Hectic Life," [Mount Clemens, Mich.] Daily Monitor Leader, July 24, 1942. Jane Spence Southron, "Personal Record Out of Africa; Beryl Markham's Autobiography Is Vivid, Evocative Writing," New York Times, June 21, 1942. "Conquers Atlantic in Daring Flight," [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, Sept. 13, 1936. "Mrs. Markham, English Society Matron, Has Only Headache to Remind Her of Lone Ocean Flight," United Press, Sept. 7, 1936. "Woman Takes Off on Lone Hop to Try East-West Crossing," [Elizabeth City, N.C.] Daily Independent, Sept. 5, 1936. "Woman Flyer Conquers Atlantic, But Low Gas May Cut Flight Short," Associated Press, Sept. 5, 1936. "English Woman Flier Is Grounded in Nova Scotia After Crossing Atlantic," Henderson [N.C.] Daily Dispatch, Sept. 5, 1936. "English Woman Begins Solo Hop Across Atlantic," Associated Press, Sept. 4, 1936. "Lone Woman Flier Starts West Swing," Henderson [N.C.] Daily Dispatch, Sept. 4, 1936. "Beryl Markham," Encyclopaedia Britannica, July 30, 2020. C.S. Nicholls, "Markham [née Clutterbuck], Beryl," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. Listener mail: "Sir Nicholas Winton 1909-2015," England Fencing. "Bobby Winton 1914-2009," British Veterans Fencing. "Nicholas Winton Honoured by the Czechs for Saving Children From the Nazis," British Fencing. CRIBS International website. "Statue for 'British Schindler' Sir Nicholas Winton," BBC News, Sept. 18, 2010. "Sir Nicholas Winton," Maidenhead Heritage Centre, accessed September 25, 2020. "U-Haul SuperGraphics - Manitoba," accessed September 30, 2020 (for the specific graphic that Rebecca saw). "About U-Haul SuperGraphics," accessed Oct. 1, 2020. "Manitoba: Female Impersonators," accessed Oct. 1, 2020. "Venture Across America and Canada," accessed Sept. 30, 2020. 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 [email protected]

By 1914 Frank Lloyd Wright had become one of America's most influential architects. But that August a violent tragedy unfolded at his Midwestern residence and studio. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the shocking attack of Julian Carlton, which has been called "the most horrific single act of mass murder in Wisconsin history." We'll also admire some helpful dogs and puzzle over some freezing heat. Intro: In 1992 by Celess Antoine patented an umbrella for dogs. Ignaz Moscheles' piano piece "The Way of the World" reads the same upside down. Sources for our feature on the Taliesin killings: William R. Drennan, Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, 2007. Ron McCrea, Building Taliesin: Frank Lloyd Wright's Home of Love and Loss, 2013. Paul Hendrickson, Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright, 2019. Meryle Secrest, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography, 1998. Anthony Alofsin, "Loving Frank; Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders," Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 69:3 (September 2010), 450-451. Christopher Benfey, "Burning Down the House," Harper's Magazine 339:2035 (December 2019), 88-94. Naomi Uechi, "Evolving Transcendentalism: Thoreauvian Simplicity in Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Contemporary Ecological Architecture," Concord Saunterer 17 (2009), 73-98. Jonathan Morrison, "Frank Lloyd Wright: The Giant Talent With Shaky Foundations," Times, Jan. 4, 2020, 16. Michael Prodger, "Plagued By Fire by Paul Hendrickson -- Frank Lloyd Wright, a Life of Disaster and Disarray," Guardian, Nov. 22, 2019, 14. Philip Kennicott, "He Burned Frank Lloyd Wright's House and Killed His Mistress -- But Why?", Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2019. "Monumental Achievements: Frank Lloyd Wright, an American Great Whose Life Was as Colourful as His Buildings Were Breathtaking," Sunday Times, Oct. 20, 2019, 32. John Glassie, "What Kept Wright From Running Dry?", Washington Post, Oct. 6, 2019, E.12. Ron Hogan, "The Tragic Story of Guggenheim Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Secret Love Nest," New York Post, Oct. 5, 2019. Leanne Shapton and Niklas Maak, "The House That Love Built -- Before It Was Gone," New York Times, July 4, 2016. Ron McCrea, "August, 1914: Small-Town Wisconsin Rises to the Occasion of the Taliesin Mass Murder," [Madison, Wis.] Capital Times, Aug. 14, 2014. Mara Bovsun, "Cook Massacres Seven at Wisconsin Home Frank Lloyd Wright Built for His Mistress," New York Daily News, Jan. 25, 2014. Patricia Wolff, "Tranquil Taliesin Harbors Tragic Tale," Oshkosh [Wis.] Northwestern, June 26, 2011, A.1. Ron McCrea, "Taliesin's Postcard Memories Rare Photos Reveal Scenes From Frank Lloyd Wright's Pre-Fire Dwellings," Madison [Wis.] Capital Times, March 23, 2011, 9. Marcus Field, "Architect of Desire," Independent on Sunday, March 8, 2009, 14. Robert Campbell, "House Proud: Paying Homage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Home, Taliesin East," Boston Globe, Dec. 13, 1992, 17. Image: The Taliesin courtyard after the attack and fire. Frank Lloyd Wright is at left. Listener mail: "Just Nuisance," Simonstown.com (accessed Sept. 25, 2020). Kirsten Jacobs, "The Legendary Tale of Just Nuisance," Cape Town Etc, Jan. 28, 2020. The Kitchen Sisters, "Turnspit Dogs: The Rise and Fall of the Vernepator Cur," NPR, May 13, 2014. Natalie Zarrelli, "The Best Kitchen Gadget of the 1600s Was a Small, Short-Legged Dog," Atlas Obscura, Jan. 11, 2017. "Sewing Machine Worked by a Dog," Futility Closet, Oct. 16, 2011. "Turnspit Dogs," Futility Closet, Nov. 10, 2006. Wikipedia, "Newfoundland (dog)," accessed Sept. 24, 2020. Stanley Coren, "The Dogs of Napoleon Bonaparte," Psychology Today, March 8, 2018. "Beach Rescue Dog Alerts Swimmer," BBC News, 23 August 2007. Adam Rivera, David Miller, Phoebe Natanson, and Andrea Miller, "Dogs Train Year-Round to Save Lives in the Italian Waters," ABC News, April 2, 2018. Tom Kington, "Italy's Lifesaving Dogs Swim Towards Foreign Shores," Times, March 10, 2020, 31. "Italy's Canine Lifeguards," NDTV, Aug. 23, 2010 (contains several photos). Anna Gragert, "Newfoundland Dogs Help the Italian Coast Guard Save Lives," My Modern Met, Aug. 5, 2015 (contains several photos). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Garth Payne, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for lis

In 1913, New York publicist John Duval Gluck founded an association to answer Santa's mail. For 15 years its volunteers fulfilled children's Christmas wishes, until Gluck's motivation began to shift. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the rise and fall of "Santa's Secretary" in New York City. We'll also survey some splitting trains and puzzle over a difference between twins. Intro: Edward Lear once had to prove his own existence. Paul Dirac proposed that a math problem could be solved with -2 fish. Sources for our feature on John Duval Gluck and the Santa Claus Association: Alex Palmer, The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York, 2015. Harry Pelle Hartkemeier, John Duvall Gluck, and Emma Croft Germond, "Social Science and Belief," Social Science 9:2 (April 1934), 202-208. Eve M. Kahn, "'Mama Says That Santa Claus Does Not Come to Poor People,'" New York Times, Nov. 26, 2015. Alex Palmer, "Meet the Con Artist Who Popularized Writing to Santa Claus," New York Post, Sept. 20, 2015. Kathleen Read, "What Becomes of Santa Claus Letters?", [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, Dec. 21, 1930, 3. "'Santa Claus' Gluck Ignores His Critics," New York Times, Dec. 11, 1928. "Submits Accounting on Santa Claus Fund," New York Times, Jan. 11, 1928. "Santa Claus Group Again Balks Inquiry," New York Times, Dec. 31, 1927. "Santa Claus, Inc., Now Offers Books," New York Times, Dec. 25, 1927. "Santa Claus Group in Postal Inquiry," New York Times, Dec. 24, 1927. "Santa Claus Group Under Coler's Fire," New York Times, Dec. 23, 1927. "Now the Santa Claus Letters Are Falling Into the Mail," New York Times, Dec. 4, 1927. "Santa Claus Association Will Send Gifts To 12,000 Poor Children Who Wrote Letters," New York Times, Dec. 20, 1925. "Thousands Write Santa," Richmond [Va.] Times-Dispatch, Dec. 21, 1919, 4. "Probe Upholds Contentions of the Boy Scout Leaders," Harrisburg [Pa.] Telegraph, Aug. 24, 1917. John Duval Gluck, "Boy Scouts: Suggestion That the Rival Bodies End Their Quarrel and Get to Work," New York Times, Aug. 19, 1917. Max Abelman and John Duval Gluck, "Methods Proposed to Control Charity; Plans for a Charity Service League," New York Times, Aug. 5, 1917. "Making Santa Real to Poor Children," New York Times, Nov. 22, 1914. "Santa Claus Association Incorporated," New York Times, March 26, 1914. "Played Santa Claus and Solved an Economic Problem," New York Times, Jan. 18, 1914. "Letters to Santa Really Answered," New York Times, Dec. 25, 1913. "Plays Santa Claus to Poor," New York Times, Dec. 12, 1913. "Santa Claus Will Answer His Mail," New York Times, Dec. 7, 1913. "Form Santa Claus Body," New York Times, Dec. 6, 1913. USPS Operation Santa. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "S1 (Munich)" (accessed Aug. 22, 2020). S1 (Munich) schedule. Wikipedia, "Dividing Train" (accessed Sept. 17, 2020). "France in Detail: Getting Around," Lonely Planet, accessed Aug. 22, 2020. "'Where the Train Will Divide...' - Portion Working," Southern Electric Group (accessed Aug. 22, 2020). Wikitravel, "Wakayama" (accessed Aug. 22, 2020). Amtrak Empire Builder schedule, March 16, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1911 an exhausted man emerged from the wilderness north of Oroville, California. He was discovered to be the last of the Yahi, a people who had once flourished in the area but had been decimated by white settlers. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Ishi's sad history and his new life in San Francisco. We'll also consider the surprising dangers of baseball and puzzle over a forceful blackout. Intro: Director Chuck Jones laid out nine rules to govern Road Runner cartoons. James Cook's third expedition to the Pacific discovered a surprising amusement in Hawaii. Sources for our feature on Ishi: Theodora Kroeber, Ishi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America, 1961. Robert F. Heizer and Theodora Kroeber, Ishi the Last Yahi: A Documentary History, 1981. Orin Starn, Ishi's Brain: In Search of Americas Last 'Wild' Indian, 2005. Karl Kroeber and Clifton B. Kroeber, Ishi in Three Centuries, 2003. Saxton T. Pope, Hunting With the Bow & Arrow, 1923. Saxton T. Pope, The Medical History of Ishi, Volume 13, 1920. Nels C. Nelson, Flint Working by Ishi, 1916. Ronald H. Bayor, The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America, 2004. Nancy Scheper-Hughes, "Ishi's Brain, Ishi's Ashes," Anthropology Today 17:1 (Feb. 1, 2001), 12. Alexandra K. Kenny, Thomas Killion, and Nancy Scheper-Hughes, "'Ishi's Brain, Ishi's Ashes': The Complex Issues of Repatriation: A Response to N. Scheper-Hughes," Anthropology Today 18:2 (April 2002), 25-27. Kathleen L. Hull, "Ishi, Kroeber, and Modernity," Current Anthropology 51:6 (December 2010), 887-888. Isaiah Wilner, "Wild Men: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America," Ethnohistory 58:1 (Winter 2011), 158-159. Dennis Torres, "Ishi," Central States Archaeological Journal 31:4 (October 1984), 175-179. Richard Pascal, "Naturalizing 'Ishi': Narrative Appropriations of America's 'Last Wild Indian,'" Australasian Journal of American Studies 16:2 (December 1997), 29-44. Saxton T. Pope, "Hunting With Ishi -- The Last Yana Indian," Journal of California Anthropology 1:2 (1974), 152-173. M. Steven Shackley, "The Stone Tool Technology of Ishi and the Yana of North Central California: Inferences for Hunter-Gatherer Cultural Identity in Historic California," American Anthropologist 102:4 (2000), 693-712. Duane H. King, "Exhibiting Culture: American Indians and Museums," Tulsa Law Review 45:1 (2009), 25. Bruce Bower, "Ishi's Long Road Home," Science News 157:2 (Jan. 8, 2000), 24-25. M.R. James, "Ishi Finally Comes to Rest," Bowhunter 30:2 (December 2000/January 2001), 25. Randy White, "Grandfather Ishi," News From Native California 29:3 (Spring 2016), 34-37. Andrew Curry, "The Last of the Yahi," U.S. News & World Report 129:7 (Aug, 21, 2000), 56. Ann Japenga, "Revisiting Ishi: Questions About Discovery of the 'Last Wild Indian' Haunt Anthropologist's Descendants," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 29, 2003. James May, "Spirit of Ishi Finally Free to Join Ancestors," Indian Country Today, Aug. 23, 2000. Kevin Fagan, "Ishi's Kin To Give Him Proper Burial," San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 10, 2000. Diana Walsh, "Ishi Finally Coming Home: 83 Years After His Death, Smithsonian Turns Over Brain of Famed Indian for Burial in California," San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 9, 2000, A-4. Jan Cienski, "Remains of Last Member of California Tribe Go Home at Last: Ishi's Brain Returned," [Don Mills, Ont.] National Post, Aug. 9, 2000. "Last of Yahi Will Finally Be Coming Home," Associated Press, Aug. 8, 2000. Michelle Locke, "Mind and Body," Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 8, 2000, A1. Brenda Norrell, "Alliance: Eighty-Three Years Is Long Enough," Indian Country Today, May 31, 1999, A2. Stanley McGarr, "Repatriation Restores Strength to the People," Indian Country Today, May 10, 1999, A5. Jacqueline Trescott, "Relatives to Get Brain of Fabled Aboriginal," Calgary Herald, May 8, 1999, A18. Avis Little Eagle, "Respect the Dead, Don't Study Them," Indian Country Today, March 15, 1999, A4. Charles Hillinger, "Lost Tribe's Spirit Lives in Wilderness Area," Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1986, 3. "Archery of Ishi Stone Age Man Will Be Shown," Berkeley Daily Gazette, Nov. 29, 1916. "Tribe Now Dead," [Saint Paul, Minn.] Appeal, May 13, 1916. "Redskin Presents Lane With Arrows, Makes Secretary Tribe's 'Big Chief,'" San Francisco Call, Sept. 6, 1913. "The Only Man in America Who Knows No Christmas -- Ishi," San Francisco Call, Dec. 17, 1911. "Ishi Loses Heart to 'Blond Squaw,'" San Francisco Call, Oct. 16, 1911. "Ishi, the Last Aboriginal Savage in America," San Francisco Call, Oct. 8, 1911. "Find a Rare Aborigine: Scientists Obtain Valuable Tribal Lore From Southern Yahi Indian," New York Times, Sept. 7, 1911. Nancy Rockafellar, "The Story of Ishi: A Chronology," University of California, San Francisco (accessed Sept. 6, 2020). Richard H. Dillon, "Ishi," American National Biography, February 2000. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Harold Russell" (accessed Sept. 8, 2020). Wikipe

In 1920, a young woman was pulled from a canal in Berlin. When her identity couldn't be established, speculation started that she was a Russian princess who had escaped the execution of the imperial family. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the strange life of Anna Anderson and her disputed identity as Grand Duchess Anastasia. We'll also revisit French roosters and puzzle over not using headlights. Intro: In 1899, English engineer E.W. Barton-Wright introduced his own martial art. One early American locomotive was driven by a horse walking on a belt. Photo: The Russian royal family at Livadiya, Crimea, 1913, five years before the execution. Left to right: Olga, Maria, Nicholas II, Alexandra Fyodorovna, Anastasia, Alexei, and Tatiana. Sources for our feature on Anna Anderson: Greg King and Penny Wilson, The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World's Greatest Royal Mystery, 2010. John Klier and Helen Mingay, The Quest for Anastasia: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Romanovs, 1999. James B. Lovell, Anastasia: The Lost Princess, 1995. Frances Welch, A Romanov Fantasy: Life at the Court of Anna Anderson, 2007. Toby Saul, "Death of a Dynasty: How the Romanovs Met Their End," National Geographic, July 20, 2018. Alan Cooperman, "An Anastasia Verdict," U.S. News & World Report 117:11 (Sept. 19, 1994), 20. "What Really Happened to Russia's Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov," Haaretz, Dec. 27, 2018. Nancy Bilyeau, "Will the Real Anastasia Romanov Please Stand Up?", Town & Country, April 25, 2017. "Is This Princess Alive?", Life 38:7 (Feb. 14, 1955), 31-35. Martin Sieff, "Romanov Mystery Finally Solved," UPI, May 1, 2008. "Amateurs Unravel Russia's Last Royal Mystery," New York Times, Nov. 24, 2007. Lena Williams, "Chronicle," New York Times, Oct. 6, 1994, D.24. "Topics of The Times; Anastasia Lives," New York Times, Sept. 11, 1994. John Darnton, "Scientists Confirm Identification of Bones as Czar's," New York Times, July 10, 1993. "Appeal in Anastasia Case Rejected in West Germany," New York Times, Feb. 18, 1970. "Appeal in Anastasia Mystery Is Rejected by Hamburg Court," New York Times, March 1, 1967. Arthur J. Olsenbonn, "Anastasia: Grand Duchess or Grand Hoax?", New York Times, Aug. 24, 1958. Left: Franziska Schanzkowska in 1913. Right: Anna Anderson in 1920. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Lynmouth Flood" (accessed Sept. 2, 2020). Wikipedia, "Project Cumulus" (accessed Sept. 2, 2020). Wikipedia, "Philip Eden" (accessed Sept. 2, 2020). John Vidal and Helen Weinstein, "RAF Rainmakers 'Caused 1952 Flood,'" Guardian, Aug. 30, 2001. Susan Borowski, "Despite Past Failures, Weather Modification Endures," AAAS.org, Dec. 31, 2012. "Rain-Making Link to Killer Floods," BBC News, Aug. 30, 2001. Laura Joint, "Lynmouth Flood Disaster," BBC, Jan. 25, 2008. Philip Eden, "The Day They Made It Rain," Weather Online. Locust Watch. Sam Harrison, "The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Rural France May Soon Be Protected by Law," Atlas Obscura, July 28, 2020. "Proposition de loi nº 2211 visant à définir et protéger le patrimoine sensoriel des campagnes françaises," French National Assembly, Sept. 11, 2019. "France: 74,000 Sign Petition Calling for Justice for Murdered Rooster," Euronews, Aug. 17, 2020. Agence France-Presse, "Justice Sought for Marcel, French Rooster Shot for Crowing," Courthouse News Service, Aug. 17, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Jule Ann Wakeman. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1912, 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing during a family fishing trip in Louisiana. Eight months later, a boy matching his description appeared in Mississippi. But was it Bobby Dunbar? In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the dispute over the boy's identity. We'll also contemplate a scholarship for idlers and puzzle over an ignorant army. Intro: During his solo circumnavigation of 1895-98, Joshua Slocum met the pilot of the Pinta. In 1868, inventor William Carr made a mousetrap for burglars. Sources for our feature on Bobby Dunbar: Tal McThenia and Margaret Dunbar Cutright, A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping That Haunted a Nation, 2013. Cathy Pickens, True Crime Stories of Eastern North Carolina, Sept. 28, 2020. "Questions Remain in Bobby Dunbar Case," [Opelousas, La.] Daily World, Aug. 22, 2018, A.3. "The Mystery Continues: One Century Later, Bobby Dunbar Kidnapping Case Remains Unsolved," [Opelousas, La.] Daily World, July 20, 2018, A.2. Duncan McMonagle, "'World Famous' Kidnapping Saga Starts Well, Ends Badly," Winnipeg Free Press, Aug. 18, 2012, J.7. Steve Weinberg, "Famed Crime's Shock Recalled," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Aug. 5, 2012, E.6. William Johnson, "Dunbar Case to Receive National Spotlight," [Opelousas, La.] Daily World, Dec. 26, 2007. "Man Convicted of Kidnapping 90 Years Ago Cleared," [Cranbrook, B.C.] Daily Townsman, May 5, 2004, 18. "DNA Clears Up 1914 Case," Washington Times, May 5, 2004. William Johnson, "Dunbar Rumors at Last Answered," [Opelousas, La.] Daily World, May 4, 2004. Robert Marchant, "Unraveling," [White Plains, N.Y.] Journal News, Feb. 21, 2004, A.1. Allen G. Breed, "Finding Bobby Dunbar," Associated Press, Feb. 1, 2004. "Real Dunbar Boy in New Orleans, Says a Letter," Hattiesburg [Miss.] News, June 18, 1914, 2. "Dunbars Will Not Go to New Orleans," [Opelousas, La.] St. Landry Clarion 23:30 (May 10, 1913). "Walters Guilty as Charged, Without Capital Punishment," [Franklinton, La.] Era-Leader, April 30, 1914. "Jury to Be Given Case by To-night," [Opelousas, La.] St. Landry Clarion 24:28 (April 25, 1914). "Fighting for Life on Kidnaping Charge," [Columbia, La.] Caldwell Watchman 28:17 (April 17, 1914). "Bobby Dunbar's Father Traces Clue to Location of Boy Bruce Anderson," Hattiesburg [Miss.] News 17:122 (May 22, 1913). Photo: The disputed child with Deputy Sheriff Charles Day, from the New Orleans Times-Democrat, April 1913. Listener mail: John M. Shutske et al., "Notes From the Field: Death of a Farm Worker After Exposure to Manure Gas in an Open Air Environment -- Wisconsin, August 2016," MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66:32 (Aug. 18, 2017), 861-862. Angela Giuffrida, "'Italy's Robinson Crusoe' Despairs as Eviction From Island Paradise Looms," Guardian, July 15, 2020. Silvia Marchetti, "Paradise Lost: Eviction Looms for Hermit Living Alone on Italian Island," CNN, July 28, 2020. Wikipedia, "Budelli" (accessed Aug. 31, 2020). Schule der Folgenlosigkeit: Übungen für ein anderes Leben, University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (accessed Aug. 31, 2020). Firefighters drying hoses, from Richard Scarry's 1968 book What Do People Do All Day? This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Samuel Yeo. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1925, Swiss schoolteacher Aimé Tschiffely set out to prove the resilience of Argentina's criollo horses by riding two of them from Buenos Aires to New York City. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow Tschiffely's unprecedented journey, which has been called "the most exciting and influential equestrian travel tale of all time." We'll also read an inscrutable cookbook and puzzle over a misbehaving coworker. Intro: English was Joseph Conrad's third language, but it held a peculiar mystique for him. Thanks to a mathematical oddity, one measurement suffices to establish the area of a carousel deck. Sources for our feature on Aimé Tschiffely: A.F. Tschiffely, Tschiffely's Ride: Ten Thousand Miles in the Saddle From Southern Cross to Pole Star, 1933. Lawrence Scanlan, Wild About Horses: Our Timeless Passion for the Horse, 2012. Sam Leith, "The Incredible Journey," Spectator 324:9694 (June 14, 2014), 36-37. "Long Ride," Time 21:16 (April 17, 1933), 51. Bacil F. Kirtley, "Unknown Hominids and New World Legends," Western Folklore 23:2 (April 1964), 77-90. Aimé Tschiffely - Long Rider. "Tschiffely's 10,000-Mile, Three-Year Ride," Horse Canada, Jan. 2, 2014. Filipe Masetti Leite, "Journey to the End of the World," Toronto Star (Online), Dec. 19, 2016. Paul Theroux, "Run for Your Life," New York Times, March 5, 1989. "A.F. Tschiffely, Made Noted Trip," New York Times, Jan. 6, 1954. "Noted Horse Dies in Argentina at 37," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, Dec. 26, 1947, A-11. "Famous 'Trek' Horse Embalmed," New York Times, Dec. 25, 1947. "A Homeric Exploit in the Saddle," New York Times, April 23, 1933. "10,000-Mile, Ride Recounted in Book," New York Times, April 10, 1933. "Argentinian Horseman Home Again," New York Times, Dec. 20, 1928. "Nelson Extols Ponies," New York Times, Oct. 6, 1928. "Argentine Rider Glad to Rest Here," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, Aug. 30, 1928, 17. "Yipee! (or Spanish Meaning That): Look, Girls! a Pampas Cowboy!", Indianapolis Times, July 10, 1928. "6,000 Miles on Horseback," New York Times, May 12, 1927. "Testing Endurance of Horse by Long Ride," New Britain [Conn.] Herald, Oct. 30, 1925, 15. Tschiffely's ride on Google Maps. Listener mail: Samille Mitchell, "Sophie Matterson Ditched City Life and Embraced the Isolation of a 5,000km Solo Trek Across Australia," ABC News, May 16, 2020. Sophie Matterson's website. Sian Johnson, "Victorian Man 'Crayfish Dan' Spent 40 Years Living in a Coastal Cave Near Warrnambool," ABC News, May 9, 2020. local student, "Evan got scammed on a cookbook he bought off amazon? It's like it was written by a neural network," Twitter, May 23, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Dave Lawrence. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Here are six new lateral thinking puzzles -- play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions. Intro: In the 1850s, a $5 bill featuring Santa Claus was legal tender in the United States. In 1910 DuPont suggested that "some farmers have a wrong idea about dynamite." 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 listener Cody Scace. Puzzle #2 is from listener Jay Graham. Puzzle #3 is from Greg. Here are two links. Puzzle #4 is from listener Paul Rippey. Puzzle #5 is from listener Hanno Zulla, who sent these links. Puzzle #6 is from Greg. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1937, Englishwoman Ursula Graham Bower became fascinated by the Naga people of northeastern India. She was living among them when World War II broke out and Japan threatened to invade their land. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Bower's efforts to organize the Nagas against an unprecedented foe. We'll also consider a self-censoring font and puzzle over some perplexing spacecraft. Intro: In 1822 the Yorkshire Observer published the schedule of a bachelor's life. In 1988 philosopher Edward J. Gracely offered a dilemma regarding a flight from hell. Sources for our feature on Ursula Graham Bower: Vicky Thomas, Naga Queen: Ursula Graham Bower and Her Jungle Warriors 1939-45, 2011. Ursula Graham Bower, Naga Path, 1950. Christopher Alan Bayly and Timothy Norman Harper, Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia, 1941-1945, 2005. Nicholas van der Bijl, Sharing the Secret: The History of the Intelligence Corps 1940–2010, 2013. Montgomery McFate, Military Anthropology: Soldiers, Scholars and Subjects at the Margins of Empire, 2018. Annamaria Motrescu-Mayes and Heather Norris Nicholson, British Women Amateur Filmmakers, 2018. Alex Lubin, Romance and Rights: The Politics of Interracial Intimacy, 1945-1954, 2009. Margaret MacMillan, History's People: Personalities and the Past, 2015. Andrew Jackson Waskey, "Bower, Ursula Graham," in Bernard A. Cook, ed., Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia From Antiquity to the Present, 2006. Paul Cheeseright, "Queen Without a Throne: Ursula Graham Bower and the Burma Campaign," Asian Affairs 45:2 (June 2014), 289-299. Ajailiu Niumai, "Rani Gaidinliu: The Iconic Woman of Northeast India," Indian Journal of Gender Studies 25:3 (August 2018), 351-367. Stuart Blackburn, "Colonial Contact in the 'Hidden Land': Oral History Among the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh," Indian Economic & Social History Review 40:3 (October 2003), 335-365. Charles Allen, "Spirit of Roedean," Spectator, April 14, 2012. dipanita nath, "Woman Who Came in From the Wild," Indian Express, Aug. 12, 2017. Esha Roy, "My Mother, The Naga Warrior," Indian Express, Oct. 27, 2013. Ved Mohendra, "A Bloody Battle to Remember," [Kuala Lumpur] New Straits Times, June 28, 2014, 16. "Rays of a New Dawn in Nagaland," Assam Tribune, Nov. 26, 2012. Mary Johnson Tweedy, "A Troubled, Far-Off Land," New York Times, Oct. 18, 1953. "Blond Englishwoman, Naga Queen, Helped Fight Japs," Wilmington [N.C.] Morning Star, Dec. 8, 1944, 14. Melissa van der Klugt, "Warrior Queen Ursula Graham Bower's Is Staged for Her Tribal Comrades," Sunday Times, Dec. 30, 2017. Neha Kirpal, "Ursula the 'Jungle Queen': The Extraordinary Story of the Englishwoman Who Led Naga Soldiers in WWII," Scroll, Jan. 10, 2018. "The Nagas: Hill Peoples of Northeast India," Cambridge Experimental Videodisc Project. Martin Gienke, "Film Interviews With Leading Thinkers: Ursula Graham Bower," University of Cambridge, Nov. 4, 1985. "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood," Supplement to the London Gazette, April 20, 1945, 2166. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Sydney Harbour Bridge" (accessed June 4, 2020). Sydney Harbour Bridge coat hanger. "A Short History of the Sydney Harbour Bridge," New South Wales Government (accessed June 4, 2020). Damien Murphy, "Sydney Harbour Bridge Celebrates 85th Anniversary," Sydney Morning Herald, March 16, 2017. Scunthorpe Sans. Alex Hern, "Anti-Porn Filters Stop Dominic Cummings Trending on Twitter," Guardian, May 27, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Jeremy Vander Munnik. Here's an (intermittently!) corroborating 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1911, the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre. After an extensive investigation it made a surprising reappearance that inspired headlines around the world. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the painting's abduction, which has been called the greatest art theft of the 20th century. We'll also shake Seattle and puzzle over a fortunate lack of work. Intro: A hard-boiled egg will stand when spun. What's the largest sofa one can squeeze around a corner? Sources for our feature on Vincenzo Peruggia and the theft of the Mona Lisa: Noah Charney, The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting, 2011. Martin Kemp and Giuseppe Pallanti, Mona Lisa: The People and the Painting, 2017. Andrea Wallace, A History of Intellectual Property in 50 Objects, 2019. Monica R. DiFonzo, "'Think You Can Steal Our Caravaggio and Get Away With It? Think Again,' An Analysis of the Italian Cultural Property Model," George Washington International Law Review 44:3 (2012), 539-571. Niels Christian Pausch and Christoph Kuhnt, "Analysis of Facial Characteristics of Female Beauty and Age of Mona Lisa Using a Pictorial Composition," Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research (2017), 1-7. Donald Capps, "Leonardo's Mona Lisa: Iconic Center of Male Melancholic Religion," Pastoral Psychology 53:2 (2004), 107-137. Joseph A. Harris, "Seeking Mona Lisa," Smithsonian 30:2 (May 1999), 54-65. Simon Kuper, "Who Stole the Mona Lisa?", Slate, Aug. 7, 2011. Terence McArdle, "How the 1911 Theft of the Mona Lisa Made It the World's Most Famous Painting," Washington Post (online), Oct. 20, 2019. Jeff Nilsson, "100 Years Ago: The Mastermind Behind the Mona Lisa Heist," Saturday Evening Post, Dec. 7, 2013. Sheena McKenzie, "Mona Lisa: The Theft That Created a Legend," CNN, Nov. 19, 2013. "Unravelling the Mona Lisa Mystery," Irish Independent, Aug. 5, 2017, 20. John Timpane, "'Mona Lisa' Theft a Century Ago Created Modern Museums," McClatchy-Tribune Business News, Sept. 7, 2011. "Noah Charney: Art Theft, From the 'Mona Lisa' to Today," Lima [Ohio] News, Aug. 23, 2011. "Mona Lisa Thief Honored With a Play in Italian Hometown," [Beirut] Daily Star, Aug. 22, 2011. Mary Orms, "Steal My Painting!", Toronto Star, Aug. 21, 2011, IN.1. Jori Finkel, "Little-Known Facts About the 1911 Theft of Famed 'Mona Lisa,'" [Charleston, W.V.] Sunday Gazette-Mail, Aug. 21, 2011, F.9. Alastair Sooke, "A Century of Mona Lisa, Superstar," Daily Telegraph, Aug. 20, 2011, 21. "100 Years Ago, the Mona Lisa Vanishes," Times of Oman, Aug. 20, 2011. "Mona Lisa: Still Smiling 100 Years After Being Stolen," Saudi Press Agency, Aug. 19, 2011. "Mona Lisa Mystery," Atherton [Queensland] Tablelander, Jan. 5, 2010, 13. Greg Callaghan, "A Short History of ... the Mona Lisa," Weekend Australian Magazine, Oct. 10, 2009, 8. Jonathan Lopez, "The Tale of an Unsophisticated Criminal Convicted of Single-Handedly Stealing the Mona Lisa," Boston Globe, May 17, 2009, K.6. Dwight Garner, "No Smiley Faces the Day the Lady Left the Louvre," New York Times, April 30, 2009. Nick Morrison, "The Art of Lifting a Masterpiece," Darlington [U.K.] Northern Echo, Aug. 29, 2003, 12. Helen Holmes, "Jodie Foster Will Direct a Movie About the Famous 'Mona Lisa' Heist," Observer, Jan. 31, 2020. Miriam Berger, "Theft of German Treasures Joins Ranks of Brazen Museum Heists — From the 'Mona Lisa' to a Solid Gold Toilet," Washington Post (online), Nov. 28, 2019. Terence McArdle, "How the Mona Lisa Became World-Famous," [Nairobi] Daily Nation, Nov. 2, 2019. "Italy Alarmed by Art 'Sales,'" New York Times, Jan. 24, 1926. "'Mona Lisa' Thief Gets a Year in Jail," New York Times, June 6, 1914. "Trial of Perugia Begun," New York Times, June 5, 1914. "Tried to Sell 'Mona Lisa,'" New York Times, Dec. 27, 1913. "Three More Held in 'Mona Lisa' Theft," New York Times, Dec. 22, 1913. "'Mona Lisa' Goes to Rome," New York Times, Dec. 20, 1913. "Thinks Perugia Had Aid," New York Times, Dec. 17, 1913. "Florentines in Riot Over 'Mona Lisa,'" New York Times, Dec. 15, 1913. "Perugia's Eye to Business," New York Times, Dec. 15, 1913. "Perugia Loved Girl Like 'Mona Lisa,'" New York Times, Dec. 15, 1913. "Reading Mona Lisa's Riddle," New York Times, Dec. 15, 1913. "Mona Lisa' on View to Public To-Day," New York Times, Dec. 14, 1913. "Find 'Mona Lisa,' Arrest Robber," New York Times, Dec. 13, 1913. "Thief's Story of His Crime," New York Times, Dec. 13, 1913. Listener mail: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Daniel Keith Ludwig" (accessed May 23, 2020). Anderson Antunes, "Was Eike Batista's Dream of Becoming the World's Richest Man Just That, a Dream?", Forbes, April 17, 2013. Eric Pace, "Daniel Ludwig, Billionaire Businessman, Dies at 95," New York Times, Aug. 29, 1992. Brian Nicholson, "End of U.S. Owner's Dream in the Amazon Jungle," UPI, Jan. 23, 1982. Wikipedia, "Jari Project" (accessed May 23, 2020). Jim Brooke, "Billionaire's Dream Founders in Amazon Jungle," Washington Post,

In the 1930s, Sinto boxer Johann Trollmann was reaching the peak of his career when the Nazis declared his ethnic inferiority. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Trollmann's stand against an intolerant ideology and the price he paid for his fame. We'll also consider a British concentration camp and puzzle over some mysterious towers. Intro: In 1872 Edward Lear offered a recipe for "Gosky Patties." In 1927, engineer Edward R. Armstrong proposed a string of floating airports to link Europe and America. Sources for our feature on Johann Trollmann: Jud Nirenberg, Johann Trollmann and Romani Resistance to the Nazis, 2016. Andrea Pitzer, One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, 2017. Susan Tebbutt, "Piecing Together the Jigsaw: The History of the Sinti and Roma in Germany," in Susan Tebbutt, ed., Sinti and Roma: Gypsies in German-Speaking Society and Literature, 1998. Theodoros Alexandridis, "Let's See Action," Roma Rights Quarterly 4 (2007), 95-97. Linde Apel, "Stumbling Blocks in Germany," Rethinking History 18:2 (June 2014), 181-194. Sybil Milton, "Sinti and Roma in Twentieth-Century Austria and Germany," German Studies Review 23:2 (May 2000), 317-331. Paweł Wolski, "Excessive Masculinity: Boxer Narratives in Holocaust Literature," Teksty Drugie 2 (2017), 209-229. Michaela Grobbel, "Crossing Borders of Different Kinds: Roma Theater in Vienna," Journal of Austrian Studies 48:1 (Spring 2015), 1-26. Rainer Schulze, "Johann 'Rukeli' Trollmann," Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (accessed May 10, 2020). Christina Newland, "Gypsy in the Ring: The Brave Life of Johann 'Rukeli' Trollmann," Fightland, Vice, July 25, 2016. Rainer Schulze, "Punching Above Its Weight," Times Higher Education 2232 (Dec. 3, 2015). Carol Sanders, "Boxers Have Long History of Fighting for Human Rights," Winnipeg Free Press, May 25, 2015, A.10. A.J. Goldmann, "Memorials: Remembering the Resistance," Wall Street Journal, Aug. 26, 2014, D.5. Alexandra Hudson, "Germany Finally Commemorates Roma Victims of Holocaust," Reuters, Oct. 23, 2012. Von Siobhán Dowling, "Monument Honors Sinti Boxer Murdered by the Nazis," Spiegel, June 30, 2010. Trollmann's professional boxing record. Listener mail: Megan Gannon, "'Forgotten' Nazi Camp on British Soil Revealed by Archaeologists," National Geographic, March 30, 2020. Mindy Weisberger, "Hidden Atrocities of Nazis at Concentration Camp on British Island Finally Come to Light," Live Science, April 1, 2020. Amy Brunskill, "Alderney's Concentration Camp Uncovered," Current Archaeology, May 12, 2020. "Only Nazi Concentration Camp on British Soil May Be Protected," BBC News, March 10, 2015. Alex Fox, "Archaeologists Reveal the Hidden Horrors of Only Nazi SS Camp on British Soil," Smithsonian.com, April 1, 2020. Caroline Sturdy Colls, Janos Kerti, and Kevin Colls, "Tormented Alderney: Archaeological Investigations of the Nazi Labour and Concentration Camp of Sylt," Antiquity 94:374 (2020), 512-532. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Greg, based on an item in Rebecca Zurier's 1991 book The Firehouse: An Architectural and Social History. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1957, 14 boys from Monterrey, Mexico, walked into Texas to take part in a game of Little League baseball. What followed surprised and inspired two nations. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Monterrey Industrials and their unlikely path into baseball history. We'll also have dinner for one in Germany and puzzle over a deadly stick. Intro: In a poetry contest, Mark Twain offered an entry of undeniable value. Lewis Carroll composed a bewildering puzzle about a pig. Sources for our feature on the Monterrey Industrials: W. William Winokur, The Perfect Game, 2008. Robin Van Auken, The Little League Baseball World Series, 2002. Lance Van Auken, Play Ball!: The Story of Little League Baseball, 2001. Jorge Iber, "Mexico: Baseball's Humble Beginnings to Budding Competitor," in George Gmelch and Daniel A. Nathan, eds., Baseball Beyond Our Borders: An International Pastime, 2017, 75–84. Jim Morrison, "The Little League World Series' Only Perfect Game," Smithsonian.com, April 5, 2010. Ramona Shelburne, "Giant Steps: A 12-Mile Walk to a Small Texas Town Started a Little League Championship Run for a Team From Monterrey, Mexico. Fifty Years Later, Its Story Is Retold," Los Angeles Daily News, Aug. 26, 2007, S.1. Pablo Jaime Sáinz, "1957 Little League Champions Treated Like Heroes in San Diego," La Prensa San Diego, Nov. 24, 2010, 3. Ben Brigandi, "Macias Returns to LLWS for Ceremony," Williamsport [Pa.] Sun-Gazette, Aug. 24, 2017. "Reynosa Little Leaguers Inspired by 1957 Mexico Champions," Associated Press, Aug. 26, 2017. Steve Wulf, "As Williamsport Opened Its Arms to Mexico's Team, Its Players Embraced the Legacy of Their Predecessors From Monterrey," ESPN, Aug 18, 2016. "Cinderella Club Wins LL Crown," United Press, Aug. 24, 1957. Michael Strauss, "88-Pounder Hope of Monterrey in Little League Series Today; Angel Macias, Ambidextrous, Is Team's No. 1 Pitcher, Batter and Fielder," New York Times, Aug. 22, 1957. "Little League World Series Opens With Big-Time Pomp," [Kittanning, Pa.] Simpson's Leader-Times, Aug. 21, 1957, 13. Michael Strauss, "Macias Hurls Perfect No-Hitter As Monterrey Captures Series," New York Times, Aug. 24, 1957. Elaine Ayala, "Movie, Book Look Back at 'Perfect' Little League Game," My San Antonio, Sept. 2, 2009. Reed Johnson, "'The Perfect Game' Dodged Many Curveballs En Route to Big Screen," Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2010. "Pitcher Has Perfect Game As Taiwan Advances, 18-0," New York Times, Aug. 24, 1979. Edward Wong, "Baseball: Bronx Team Wins Opener On Almonte's Perfect Game," New York Times, Aug. 19, 2001. David Falkner, "Boys' Baseball and Men's Memories," New York Times, Aug. 20, 1986. Marshall G. Most and Robert Rudd, "A Less Than Perfect Game, in a Less Than Perfect Place: The Critical Turn in Baseball Film," Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 2011-2012, 180-195. "Inspired by Film, Mexico Wins Little Series," Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 24, 1997, B.7. "First Perfect Game in 44 Years in Little League World Series: Bronx Pitcher Strikes Out 16 of 18 Batters," Ottawa Citizen, Aug. 19, 2001, B2. "Gómez Inspired by Story Behind 'The Perfect Game': Cuban Actor Saw Similarities Between Role and His Upbringing," [Chicago] Extra, April 28, 2010. Jeffrey Bair, "Little League World Series History Repeats Itself for Mexico With Dramatic, Last-Inning Victory," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 24, 1997, 18. Nancy Cleeland, "Two Cities That Are ... Going to Town; Monterrey: Exploits of Guadalupe Stir 40-Year-Old Memories of First Team to Wrest Little League World Series Title From U.S.," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 23, 1997, C, 1:5. "1957 Little League Baseball World Series Champion, Angel Macias, to Be Enshrined Into the Little League Hall of Excellence," Little League, Aug. 4, 2017. 1957 Little League World Series line scores (accessed May 3, 2020). Baseball Reference, "Angel Macias" (accessed May 3, 2020). Listener mail: Jack Ritchie, "A Square Foot of Texas," Good Housekeeping 148:3 (March 1959), 90-91, 109-114. (Protected under copyright; used by permission of the Jack Ritchie Estate and the Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency.) Wikipedia, "Dinner for One" (accessed May 7, 2020). Stefanie Bolzen, "Dinner for One: The British Comedy Germans Have Been Laughing at for Years," Guardian, Dec. 30, 2018. Joanna Robertson, "Dinner for One: English Comedy Spices Up German New Year," BBC News, Dec. 30, 2018. Travis M. Andrews, "This British Comedy Sketch Is a Record-Breaking New Year's Eve Tradition in Germany. No One Knows Why," Washington Post, Jan. 4, 2017. The "Dinner for One" sketch. The "Dinner for One" sketch with the German introduction. "Hermitage Remains Uninhabited This Year," Radio Salzburg, March 31, 2020 (translated from the original). "An AI's Prank Suggestions," Pluralistic, April 2, 2020. "An AI's Idea of a Prank," AI Weirdness, April 1, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Miles, who sent this cor

In 1932, Yorkshireman Maurice Wilson chose a startling way to promote his mystical beliefs: He would fly to Mount Everest and climb it alone. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow Wilson's misguided adventure, which one writer called "the most incredible story in all the eventful history of Mount Everest." Well also explore an enigmatic musician and puzzle over a mighty cola. Intro: The Sanskrit epic poem Shishupala Vadha contains a palindrome that can be read in any of four directions. Type designer Matthew Carter offered a typeface for public buildings that comes with its own graffiti. Sources for our feature on Maurice Wilson: Dennis Roberts, I'll Climb Mount Everest Alone: The Story of Maurice Wilson, 2013. Scott Ellsworth, The World Beneath Their Feet: Mountaineering, Madness, and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas, 2020. Geoff Powter, Strange and Dangerous Dreams: The Fine Line Between Adventure and Madness, 2006. Sherry B. Ortner, Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering, 2001. Maurice Isserman, Stewart Angas Weaver, and Dee Molenaar, Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering From the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes, 2010. Conrad Anker, The Call of Everest: The History, Science, and Future of the World's Tallest Peak, 2013. Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air, 1998. Eric Shipton, Upon That Mountain, 1943. Martin Gutmann, "Wing and a Prayer," Climbing, Dec. 6, 2010. Robert M. Kaplan, "Maurice Wilson's Everest Quest," Quadrant, June 18, 2016. T.S. Blakeney, "Maurice Wilson and Everest, 1934," Alpine Journal 70 (1965), 269-272. John Cottrell, "The Madman of Everest," Sports Illustrated, April 30, 1973. Audrey Salkeld, "The Struggle for Everest," Climbing 188 (Sept. 15, 1999), 108-116. Colin Wells, "Everest the Mad Way," Climbing 224 (Sept. 15, 2003), 40-44. Troy Lennon, "Deadly Lure of Being on Top of the World," [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] Daily Telegraph, May 26, 2006, 74. Ed Douglas, "Rivals Race to Solve Everest Body Mystery," Guardian, May 15, 2004. Graham Hoyland, "The Complete Guide to: Mount Everest," Independent, May 10, 2003. Nick Ravo, "Charles Warren, 92; Introduced Top Sherpa to Everest Climbers," New York Times, May 3, 1999. Eric E. Shipton, "Body of Climber Found on Everest," New York Times, March 23, 1936. "Perishes in Effort to Scale Everest," [Hendersonville, N.C.] Times-News, July 27, 1934, 4. "Briton Perishes High on Everest," New York Times, July 20, 1934. "The Eccentric Everest Adventurer," Inside Out, BBC One, Sept. 24, 2014. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Sixto Rodriguez" (accessed April 27, 2020). David Malitz, "'Searching for Sugar Man' Documentary Rediscovers Musician Sixto Rodriguez," Washington Post, July 26, 2012. Alexis Petridis, "The Singer Who Came Back From the Dead," Guardian, Oct. 6, 2005. Greg Myre, "In Tragic Twist to Poignant Tale, Oscar-Winning Director Commits Suicide," Parallels, National Public Radio, May 14, 2014. Geoffrey Macnab, "Searching for Sugar Man (12A)," Independent, July 27, 2012. Wikipedia, "Franz von Werra" (accessed April 29, 2020). Luis Rees-Hughes et al., "Multi-Disciplinary Investigations at PoW Camp 198, Bridgend, S. Wales: Site of a Mass Escape in March 1945," Journal of Conflict Archaeology 11:2-3 (2016), 166-191. "Story of German POW to Escape Captivity in Britain Disclosed After 94 Years," Telegraph, Feb. 11, 2011. David J. Carter, "Prisoner of War Camps in Canada," Canadian Encyclopedia, June 17, 2015. Robin Quinn, Hitler's Last Army: German POWs in Britain, 2015. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Paul Heitkemper, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1957, an English doctor was accused of killing his patients for their money. The courtroom drama that followed was called the "murder trial of the century." In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the case of John Bodkin Adams and its significance in British legal history. We'll also bomb Calgary and puzzle over a passive policeman. Intro: In 1959, James Sellers proposed installing microphones in baseball bases. In the Strand, Henry Dudeney offered a puzzle about asparagus bundles. Sources for our feature on John Bodkin Adams: Patrick Baron Devlin, Easing the Passing: The Trial of Dr John Bodkin Adams, 2004. Sybille Bedford, The Trial of Dr. Adams, 1962. Percy Hoskins, Two Men Were Acquitted: The Trial and Acquittal of Doctor John Bodkin Adams, 1984. Kieran Dolin, "The Case of Dr. John Bodkin Adams: A 'Notable' Trial and Its Narratives," in Brook Thomas, ed., Law and Literature, 2002. Jonathan Reinarz and Rebecca Wynter, eds., Complaints, Controversies and Grievances in Medicine: Historical and Social Science Perspectives, 2014. Russell G. Smith, Health Care, Crime and Regulatory Control, 1998. Gail Tulloch, Euthanasia, Choice and Death, 2005. Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Munby, "Medicine and the Law of Homicide: A Case for Reform?", King's Law Journal 23:3 (December 2012), 207-232. Percy Hoskins, "Points: Dr John Bodkin Adams," British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition) 287:6404 (Nov. 19, 1983), 1555. "Trial of Dr. J. Bodkin Adams," British Medical Journal 1:5020 (March 23, 1957), 712-713. "Trial of Dr. J. Bodkin Adams," British Medical Journal 1:5021 (March 30, 1957), 771-772. "Trial of Dr. J. Bodkin Adams: Expert Evidence," British Medical Journal 1:5022 (April 6, 1957), 828-834. "Trial of Dr. J. Bodkin Adams: Expert Evidence Continued," British Medical Journal 1:5023 (April 13, 1957), 889-894. Daniel E. Murray, "The Trial of Dr. Adams," University of Miami Law Review 13:4 (1959), 494. A.W. Simpson, "Euthanasia for Sale?", Michigan Law Review 84:4 (February-April 1986), 807. J.E. Hall Williams, "The Report of the Tucker Committee on Proceedings Before Examining Justices (July, 1958: Cmnd. 479)," Modern Law Review 21:6 (November 1958), 647-652. Caitlin Mahar, "Roy Porter Student Prize Essay, 2012: Easing the Passing: R v Adams and Terminal Care in Postwar Britain," Social History of Medicine 28:1 (2015), 155-171. Peter Ranscombe, "Shipman and Bodkin Adams in the Dock," Lancet Psychiatry 2:11 (November 2015), e32. "Crown vs. Dr. Adams: A Majestic Trial in Old Bailey," Life 42:16 (April 22, 1957), 30-37. Amanda Poole, "Did Antrim's Notorious 'Doctor Death' Go to His Grave With 300 Murders on His Conscience?", Belfast Telegraph, May 21, 2013, 3. Joyce Galbraith, "What Happens When Doctors Play God ...," Irish Medical Times 40:14 (April 7, 2006), 28. Jeremy Laurance, "Serial Killers 'Attracted to Medical Profession,'" Independent, May 10, 2001, 10. Ian Starrett, "Ulster's Notorious 'Mercy' Killing Doc," Belfast News Letter, Feb. 2, 2000, 13. "Dr. John Bodkin Adams Is Buried, and So Is Answer to Patients' Deaths," Philadelphia Inquirer, July 22, 1983, C.18. "Hearing for Dr. Adams Opens," New York Times, May 21, 1957. "Dr. Adams -- One Month After Acquittal," New York Times, May 5, 1957. "Adams Acquitted," New York Times, April 14, 1957. Kennett Love, "Adams Case Due to Go to Jurors," New York Times, April 8, 1957. Kennett Love, "Murder Defense May Call Adams," New York Times, April 1, 1957. Kennett Love, "The Trial of Dr. Adams," New York Times, March 31, 1957. Kennett Love, "Dr. Adams' Trial Enters 2d Week," New York Times, March 25, 1957. Kennett Love, "Suicide Bid Cited in Poison Hearing," New York Times, Jan. 24, 1957. Kennett Love, "Aim of Addiction Linked to Doctor," New York Times, Jan. 23, 1957 Kennett Love, "Britain's Doctor's Plot Already a Classic Case," New York Times, Jan. 20, 1957. Kennett Love, "Unusual Request Linked to Doctor," New York Times, Jan. 19, 1957. Kennett Love, "Evidence Is Gone, Britons Testify," New York Times, Jan. 18, 1957. "Murder by Narcotic Addiction Is Charged to a British Doctor," New York Times, Jan. 15, 1957. Percy Hoskins, "Adams, John Bodkin (1899–1983)," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Before Present" (accessed April 25, 2020). Wikipedia, "Radiocarbon Dating" (accessed April 25, 2020). Erin Blakemore, "Radiocarbon Helps Date Ancient Objects -- But It's Not Perfect," National Geographic, July 12, 2019. Mindy Weisberger, "Nuclear Fallout Exposes Fake 'Antique' Whisky," Live Science, Jan. 27, 2020. David Williams, "Scottish Scientists Use Radioactive Isotopes From Old Nuclear Tests to Find Counterfeit Whisky. More Than 40 Percent of What They Tested Is Fake," CNN, Jan. 24, 2020. "Cal Cavendish, the 'Mad Manure Bomber,' Tells His Story," CBC News, May 7, 2015. Heath McCoy, "A Buzz From the Past," Calgary Herald, Jan. 31, 2009. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listene

In 1932, 9-year-old Lennie Gwyther set out to ride a thousand kilometers to see the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Along the way he became a symbol of Australian grit and determination. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of Lennie's journey, and what it meant to a struggling nation. We'll also recall a Moscow hostage crisis and puzzle over a surprising attack. Intro: Japanese detective novelist Edogawa Rampo's name is a phonetic homage. Samuel Barber decided his future at age 9. Sources for our feature on Lennie Gwyther: Peter Lalor, The Bridge: The Epic Story of an Australian Icon -- The Sydney Harbour Bridge, 2006. Stephanie Owen Reeder, Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony, 2015. Susan Carson, "Spun From Four Horizons: Re-Writing the Sydney Harbour Bridge," Journal of Australian Studies 33:4 (2009), 417-429. Paul Genoni, "The Sydney Harbour Bridge: From Modernity to Post-Modernity in Australian Fiction," Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature 12 (2012), 1-12. "Lennie's Sister Thanks the Community in a Book," South Gippsland Sentinel-Times, Dec. 13, 2018. Rachael Lucas, "Leongatha's Legendary 9yo Lennie Gwyther Garners a Statue for Epic Sydney Harbour Bridge Pony Ride," ABC Gippsland, Oct. 18, 2017. Peter Lalor, "Salute for Bridge Boy Who Rode Into History," Weekend Australian, Oct. 14, 2017, 5. Alexandra Laskie, "Lennie Gwyther's Solo Ride From Leongatha to Sydney Remembered," [Melbourne] Weekly Times, Oct. 13, 2017. Jessica Anstice, "Lennie's Statue to Be Revealed," Great Southern Star, Oct. 10, 2017. Yvonne Gardiner, "Lennie's Famous Ride Adds a New Bronzed Chapter," Queensland Times, June 15, 2017. "Immortalising Lennie," South Gippsland Sentinel-Times, March 1, 2016. Carolyn Webb, "The Nine-Year-Old Who Rode a Pony 1000km to Sydney," Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 22, 2015. Neil Kearney, "Little Lennie the Toast of a Nation," [Melbourne] Herald Sun, March 17, 2007, 33. Michelle Cazzulino, "The Boy Who Rode 1400km to See Our Bridge," [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] Daily Telegraph, March 12, 2007, 11. Peter Lalor, "A Symbol for Australia," Weekend Australian, March 10, 2007, 1. "A Ride Into History," [Surry Hills, N.S.W.] Sunday Telegraph, Oct. 16, 2005, 91. "Lennie Gwyther's Long Ride Ended," Bombala [N.S.W.] Times, June 17, 1932, 1. "Lennie Gwyther Home," Lockhart [N.S.W.] Review and Oaklands Advertiser, June 14, 1932, 2. "Lennie Gwyther," Sydney Morning Herald, June 11, 1932, 18. "Visit of Lennie Gwyther," [Benalla, Victoria] North Eastern Ensign, May 27, 1932, 3. "Lennie Gwyther," Sydney Morning Herald, May 9, 1932, 10. "Lennie Gwyther Returning," Newcastle [N.S.W.] Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, April 21, 1932, 6. "Lennie Gwyther's Return Journey," Sydney Morning Herald, April 20, 1932, 12. "Lennie Gwyther," Morwell [Victoria] Advertiser, April 15, 1932, 1. "Lennie Gwyther's Example," Sydney Morning Herald, March 18, 1932, 7. Lennie Gwyther, "The Boy With the Pony," Sydney Morning Herald, March 12, 1932, 9. "Boy's Long Ride to Attend the Royal Show," Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 1932, 12. "550-Mile Pony Ride," Melbourne Herald, March 9, 1932, 11. "A Boy, His Pony and the Sydney Harbour Bridge," Conversations, ABC Radio, Oct. 31, 2018. "Lennie the Legend," The History Listen, ABC Radio National, April 17, 2018. Charlotte Roberts, "Lennie Gwyther," Sydney Living Museums (accessed April 13, 2020). Listener mail: Claire Bates, "When Foot-and-Mouth Disease Stopped the UK in Its Tracks," BBC News Magazine, Feb. 17, 2016. "Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak of 2001," BBC News, Feb. 18, 2011. Wikipedia, "2001 United Kingdom Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak" (accessed April 18, 2020). Video of a 4x4 Panda navigating a challenging track. "Hostage Crisis in Moscow Theater," History.com, Nov. 24, 2009. Wikipedia, "Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis" (accessed April 15, 2020). Michael Wines, "The Aftermath in Moscow: Post-Mortem in Moscow; Russia Names Drug in Raid, Defending Use," New York Times, Oct. 31, 2002. Erika Kinetz and Maria Danilova, "Lethal Chemical Now Used as a Drug Haunts Theater Hostages," Associated Press, Oct. 8, 2016. Artem Krechetnikov, "Moscow Theatre Siege: Questions Remain Unanswered," BBC Russian, Oct. 24, 2012. Becky Little, "How Opioids Were Used as Weapons During the Moscow Theater Hostage Crisis," History.com, May 25, 2018. Anna Rudnitskaya, "Nord-Ost Tragedy Goes On," Moscow News, Feb. 29, 2008. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Greg. Here's a 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 Fu

In 1927, Henry Ford decided to build a plantation in the Amazon to supply rubber for his auto company. The result was Fordlandia, an incongruous Midwestern-style town in the tropical rainforest. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the checkered history of Ford's curious project -- and what it revealed about his vision of society. We'll also consider some lifesaving seagulls and puzzle over a false alarm. Intro: In 1891, the Strand tried to notate the songs of English birds. The third line of Gray's Elegy can be rearranged in 11 different ways while retaining its sense. Sources for our feature on Fordlandia: Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City, 2010. Elizabeth D. Esch, The Color Line and the Assembly Line: Managing Race in the Ford Empire, 2018. Stephen L. Nugent, The Rise and Fall of the Amazon Rubber Industry: An Historical Anthropology, 2017. Tom W. Bell, Your Next Government?: From the Nation State to Stateless Nations, 2018. Ralf Barkemeyer and Frank Figge, "Fordlândia: Corporate Citizenship or Corporate Colonialism," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 19:2 (2012), 69-78. John Galey, "Industrialist in the Wilderness: Henry Ford's Amazon Venture," Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 21:2 (May 1979), 261-289. Joseph A. Russell, "Fordlandia and Belterra, Rubber Plantations on the Tapajos River, Brazil," Economic Geography 18:2 (April 1942), 125-145. Mary A. Dempsey, "Henry Ford's Amazonian Suburbia," Americas 48:2 (March/April 1996), 44. Nathan J. Citino, "The Global Frontier: Comparative History and the Frontier-Borderlands Approach in American Foreign Relations," Diplomatic History 25:4 (Fall 2001), 677. Anna Tsing, "Earth Stalked by Man," Cambridge Journal of Anthropology 34:1 (Spring 2016), 2-16. Bill Nasson, "Fording the Amazon," South African Journal of Science 106:5-6 (2010), 1-2. Simon Romero, "Deep in Brazil's Amazon, Exploring the Ruins of Ford's Fantasyland," New York Times, Feb. 20, 2017. Drew Reed, "Lost Cities #10: Fordlandia – The Failure of Henry Ford's Utopian City in the Amazon," Guardian, Aug. 19, 2016. Greg Grandin, "Henry Ford's Jungle Folly," Sunday Telegraph, Jan. 31, 2010, 14. Ben Macintyre, "Dearborn-on-Amazon," New York Times, July 16, 2009. Mary A. Dempsey, "Trailing Henry Ford in Amazon Forest," Globe and Mail, Aug. 20, 1994, F.7. "Brazil to Take Over Ford Rubber Lands," Associated Press, Dec. 26, 1945. "Brazil May Grow Rubber for U.S.," Wilmington [N.C.] Morning Star, Feb. 19, 1942. Thomas R. Henry, "Of Stars, Men, and Atoms," [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, Feb. 7, 1942. "Fordlandia to Get Labor; Brazil Prepares to Send Men to Rubber Plantation," New York Times, Aug. 22, 1940. "Fordlandia Built in Brazil's Jungle," New York Times, Dec. 9, 1934. "Opposition to Ford Dropped in Brazil," New York Times, May 3, 1931. "Ford Project Aids Amazon Progress," [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, June 29, 1930. "Ford Plantation in Brazil Is Ideal," [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, Nov. 4, 1928. Katie Canales, "Henry Ford Built 'Fordlandia,' a Utopian City Inside Brazil's Amazon Rainforest That's Now Abandoned — Take a Look Around," Business Insider, Feb. 10, 2020. "Fordlandia: The Failure of Ford's Jungle Utopia," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, June 6, 2009. "Popular Research Topics: Ford Rubber Plantations in Brazil," The Henry Ford (accessed April 5, 2020). Listener mail: "Hundreds of Billions of Locusts Swarm in East Africa," BBC News, March 10, 2020. Antoaneta Roussi, "Why Gigantic Locust Swarms Are Challenging Governments and Researchers," Nature, March 12, 2020. Kaamil Ahmed, "Locust Crisis Poses a Danger to Millions, Forecasters Warn," Guardian, March 20, 2020. Rodney Muhumuza, "New, Larger Wave of Locusts Threatens Millions in Africa," Associated Press, April 10, 2020. "China Will Not Send Ducks to Tackle Locusts in Pakistan, Says Expert," Guardian, Feb. 27, 2020. Kate Ng, "Army of 100,000 Ducks Deployed to Combat Locust Infestation," Independent, Feb. 27, 2020. "China May Send Ducks to Battle Pakistan's Locust Swarms," BBC News, Feb. 27, 2020. Katherine J. Wu, "Is a Duck Army Coming for Pakistan's Locusts? Not So Fast," Smithsonian, Feb. 28, 2020. Wikipedia, "Seagull Monument" (accessed April 6, 2020). Wikipedia, "Miracle of the Gulls" (accessed April 6, 2020). Ryan Cunningham, "A Seagull Story," Salt Lake City Weekly, Feb. 15, 2017. Trent Toone, "Was the 'Miracle of the Gulls' Exaggerated? LDS Historians Explain," LDS Living, July 23, 2018. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Florian, 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

In 1946, Australian engineer Ben Carlin decided to circle the world in an amphibious jeep. He would spend 10 years in the attempt, which he called an "exercise in technology, masochism, and chance." In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Carlin's unlikely odyssey and the determination that drove him. We'll also salute the Kentucky navy and puzzle over some surprising winners. Intro: During World War II a New Zealand duck served as sergeant in a U.S. Marine battalion. In 1938 H.P. Lovecraft wrote an acrostic sonnet to Edgar Allan Poe. Sources for our feature on Ben Carlin and the Half-Safe: Gordon Bass, The Last Great Australian Adventurer: Ben Carlin's Epic Journey Around the World by Amphibious Jeep, 2017. Boyé De Mente, Once a Fool -- From Tokyo to Alaska by Amphibious Jeep, 2005. William Longyard, A Speck on the Sea: Epic Voyages in the Most Improbable Vessels, 2004. Paula Grey, A History of Travel in 50 Vehicles, 2016. "Across the Atlantic by Jeep," Life 29:21 (Nov. 20, 1950), 149-153. James Nestor, "Half-Safe: A Story of Love, Obsession, and History's Most Insane Around-the-World Adventure," Atavist 20 (December 2012). Justin Pollard, "The Eccentric Engineer: How Sea Sickness and Near-Suffocation Spoiled a Romantic Getaway," Engineering & Technology 14:5 (2019), 89. Gordon Bass, "The Great Escape," Weekend Australian Magazine, July 29, 2017, 20. "50 Years Ago in Alaska," Alaska 73:10 (December 2007/January 2008), 13. Dag Pike, "Still Crazy," Yachting 201:4 (April 2007), 74-78. Eliza Wynn, "Northam Born Adventurer Showcased in Travel Film Festival," [Northam, Western Australia] Avon Valley Advocate, May 23, 2018, 2. "Guildford to Get a Taste of Adventure," Midland Kalamunda [Western Australia] Reporter, April 17, 2018, 5. Troy Lennon, "Aussie Adventurer's Crazy Global Jeep Jaunt," Daily Telegraph, Aug. 1, 2017, 23. "Ben Carlin Subject of New Book," Midland Kalamunda Reporter, Sept. 15, 2015, 2. Lorraine Horsley and Emma Wynne, "School Remembers Perth Adventurer Who Circumnavigated Globe in Half Safe, World War II Amphibious Jeep," ABC Premium News, June 22, 2015. "No Half Measures for Carlin," Melville [Western Australia] Times, June 28, 2011, 29. "Half-Safe Inspires Couple in Their Travels Across the Globe," Midland Kalamunda Reporter, July 7, 2009, 3. Warren Brown, "Jeep Thrills on the High Seas," [Surry Hills, New South Wales] Daily Telegraph, Oct. 29, 2004, Y07. "Ben Carlin Ends 10-Year 'Around the World' Trip," The Age, May 15, 1958, 4. Listener mail: Andrea Gallo and Ben Kesling, "Par-A-Dice Captain Is Lucky to Roll Once a Year," Wall Street Journal, Aug. 10, 2014. Jennifer Delgado and Robert McCoppin, "Des Plaines Casino Goes Vegas to Corner Upscale Chicago Market," Chicago Tribune, July 15, 2011. Douglas Holt, "Gambling Boats May Go Nowhere, But Captain, Crew Stay Afloat," Chicago Tribune, April 16, 2000. Paul Sloca, "Missouri's 'Boats in Moats' Get That Sinking Feeling," Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 1998. Wikipedia, "Riverboat Casino" (accessed April 1, 2020). Wikipedia, "Rivers Casino (Des Plaines)" (accessed March 23, 2020). Mark Ballard, "First Riverboat Casino Approved to Come Ashore Near Lake Charles; See Next Steps, Expected Completion," [New Orleans] Advocate, Dec. 19, 2019. Text of Kentucky House Resolution 256, "Encourage the Purchase of a Submarine to Destroy Casino Riverboats": A RESOLUTION encouraging the purchase and vigorous use of the USS Louisville 688 VLS Class submarine. WHEREAS, in the past few years the scourge of the casino riverboat has been an increasingly significant presence on the Ohio River; and WHEREAS, the Ohio River borders the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and WHEREAS, the siren song of payola issuing from the discordant calliopes of these gambling vessels has led thousands of Kentucky citizens to vast disappointment and woe; and WHEREAS, no good can come to the citizens of Kentucky hypnotized from the siren song issuing from these casino riverboats, the engines of which are fired by the hard-earned dollars lost from Kentucky citizens; NOW, THEREFORE, Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. The House of Representatives does hereby encourage the formation of the Kentucky Navy and subsequently immediately encourages the purchase and armament of one particularly effective submarine, namely, the USS Louisville 688 VLS Class Submarine, to patrol the portion of the Ohio River under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth to engage and destroy any casino riverboats that the submarine may encounter. Section 2. The House of Representatives does hereby authorize the notification of the casino riverboat consulate of this Resolution and impending whoopin' so that they may remove their casino vessels to friendlier waters. (To find the resolution on the website of the Kentucky General Assembly, search for the term "submarine" in the Legislative Record for the 2002 Regular Session.)

In 1917, German pilot Werner Voss had set out for a patrol over the Western Front when he encountered two flights of British fighters, including seven of the best pilots in the Royal Flying Corps. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the drama that followed, which has been called "one of the most extraordinary aerial combats of the Great War." We'll also honk at red lights in Mumbai and puzzle over a train passenger's mistake. Intro: The minuet in Haydn's Piano Sonata in A Major is a palindrome. In 1909, Ulysses, Kansas, moved two miles west. Sources for our feature on Werner Voss: Barry Diggens, September Evening: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss, 2012. Dan Hampton, Lords of the Sky: Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, From the Red Baron to the F-16, 2014. Michael Dorflinger, Death Was Their Co-Pilot: Aces of the Skies, 2017. Michael O'Connor, In the Footsteps of the Red Baron, 2005. Norman S. Leach, Cavalry of the Air: An Illustrated Introduction to the Aircraft and Aces of the First World War, 2014. O'Brien Browne, "Shooting Down a Legend," MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History 23:2 (Winter 2011), 66. Jon Guttman, "Aerial Warfare Revived the Ancient Drama of the One-on-One Duel," Military History 18:5 (December 2001), 6. O'Brien Browne, "The Red Baron's Lone Wolf Rival," Aviation History 13:6 (July 2003), 30. Jon Guttman, "The Third Battle of Ypres Saw the Death of an Idealistic Generation -- in the Air as Well as on the Ground," Military History 14:5 (December 1997), 6. Kirk Lowry, "September Evening: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss," Military History 22:6 (September 2005), 68. O'Brien Browne, "The Perfect Soldier," Aviation History 22:1 (September 2011), 30-35. David T. Zabecki, "Hallowed Ground German War Cemetery Langemark, Belgium," Military History 32:5 (January 2016), 76-77. O'Brien Browne, "Deadly Duo," Aviation History 24:1 (September 2013), 44-49. A.D. Harvey, "Why Was the Red Baron's Fokker Painted Red? Decoding the Way Aeroplanes Were Painted in the First World War," War in History 8:3 (2001), 323-340. Dick Smith, "Build Your Own Fokker F.I Triplane," Aviation History 13:6 (July 2003), 37. James Lawrence, "A Victory That Vanished in the Mire," Times, May 20, 2017, 16. Robert Hands, "'Master of the Skies for a Fleeting Moment': A Brief and Brilliant Life -- Arthur Rhys Davids Was a Pioneering Pilot in the First World War," Times, July 3, 2010, 108. Karen Price, "World War I, by Four Men Who Were There," Western Mail, Aug. 19 2006, 24. Meir Ronnen, "Death in the Mud," Jerusalem Post, Nov. 10, 1989, 14. "Famous 'Aces' Downed; Friend and Foe Lose," Madison [S.D.] Daily Leader, Feb. 14, 1918. Listener mail: Richard Proenneke's website. Hannah Ellis-Petersen, "'Honk More, Wait More': Mumbai Tests Traffic Lights That Reward the Patient Driver," Guardian, Feb. 5, 2020. Rory Sullivan and Esha Mitra, "Mumbai Tests Traffic Lights That Stay Red If You Honk Your Horn," CNN, Feb. 5, 2020. Jeffrey Gettleman, "Mumbai Police Play a Trick on Honking Drivers," New York Times, Feb. 4, 2020. "The Punishing Signal in Collaboration With Mumbai Police," FCB Interface Communications, Jan. 30, 2020. "Killer's Remains Will Stay in Museum," East Anglian Daily Times, March 23, 2007. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1889, a dam failed in southwestern Pennsylvania, sending 20 million tons of water down an industrialized valley toward the unsuspecting city of Johnstown. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe some of the dramatic and harrowing personal stories that unfolded on that historic day. We'll also celebrate Christmas with Snoopy and puzzle over a deadly traffic light. Intro: For an 1866 California lecture tour, Mark Twain wrote his own handbills. Raymond Chandler's unused titles include The Diary of a Loud Check Suit. Sources for our feature on the Johnstown flood: David McCullough, Johnstown Flood, 1968. Richard O'Connor, Johnstown the Day the Dam Broke, 1957. Neil M. Coleman, Johnstown's Flood of 1889: Power Over Truth and the Science Behind the Disaster, 2018. Frank Connelly and George C. Jenks, Official History of the Johnstown Flood, 1889. John Stuart Ogilvie, History of the Great Flood in Johnstown, Pa., May 31, 1889, 1889. Willis Fletcher Johnson, History of the Johnstown Flood, 1889. Neil M. Coleman, Uldis Kaktins, and Stephanie Wojno, "Dam-Breach Hydrology of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 -- Challenging the Findings of the 1891 Investigation Report," Heliyon 2:6 (2016), e00120. Christine M. Kreiser, "Wave of Destruction," American History 50:4 (October 2015), 38-41. Uldis Kaktins et al., "Revisiting the Timing and Events Leading to and Causing the Johnstown Flood of 1889," Pennsylvania History 80:3 (2013), 335-363. Sid Perkins, "Johnstown Flood Matched Volume of Mississippi River," Science News, Oct. 20, 2009. Emily Godbey, "Disaster Tourism and the Melodrama of Authenticity: Revisiting the 1889 Johnstown Flood," Pennsylvania History 73:3 (2006), 273-315. Mary P. Lavine, "The Johnstown Floods: Causes and Consequences," in S.K. Majumdar et al., eds., Natural and Technological Disasters: Causes, Effects and Preventative Measures, Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 1992. Robert D. Christie, "The Johnstown Flood," Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine 54:2 (April 1971), 198-210. John Bach McMaster, "The Johnstown Flood," Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 57:3 (1933), 209-243. John Bach McMaster, "The Johnstown Flood: II," Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 57:4 (1933), 316-354. "The Johnstown Disaster," Scientific American 60:26 (June 29, 1889), 406-407. Jason Zweig, "National News, 1889: Club Is Found Culpable in Johnstown Flood," Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2014. David Hurst, "'It's Still Controversial': Debate Rages Over Culpability of Wealthy Club Members," [Johnstown, Pa.] Tribune-Democrat, May 25, 2014. Peter Smith, "Johnstown Flood of 1889: Greatest Disaster in the State Continues to Resonate," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 2014. Henry Fountain, "Research at the Source of a Pennsylvania Flood," New York Times, Oct. 26, 2009. "Town's Ads Say Its Catastrophic Flood 'Is Over,'" [Prescott, Ariz.] Daily Courier, March 31, 2002. "Bones May Be From 1889 Flood," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 8, 1998, B-4. Eric Pace, "Frank Shomo, Infant Survivor of Johnstown Flood, Dies at 108," New York Times, March 24, 1997. D. Byron Yake, "In Johnstown, They Still Talk About the Flood 85 Years Ago," [Washington, Pa.] Observer-Reporter, May 31, 1974, B-6. "Black Day in 1889; Johnstown, Pa., Marks Flood Anniversary," New York Times, May 24, 1964. "Flood Just Part of Little Known Tale Behind Johnstown Woes," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, May 30, 1939. "A Valley of Death," Three Rivers [Mich.] Tribune, June 7, 1889, 6. Johnstown Area Heritage Association, "Johnstown Flood Museum: Pennsylvania Railroad Interview Transcripts," 2013. Listener mail: Kelly Servick, "Brain Parasite May Strip Away Rodents' Fear of Predators -- Not Just of Cats," Science, Jan. 14, 2020. Madlaina Boillat et al., "Neuroinflammation-Associated Aspecific Manipulation of Mouse Predator Fear by Toxoplasma gondii," Cell Reports 30:2 (2020), 320-334. "Toxoplasma Infection in Mice Reduces Generalized Anxiety, Not Just Feline Fear," Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, Jan. 15, 2020. The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy's Christmas," 1967. The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron," 1966. Wikipedia, "Snoopy's Christmas" (accessed March 15, 2020). Alistair Hughes, "Snoopy Still Flying at Christmas," Stuff, Dec. 8, 2014. "Snoopy's Christmas 'Worst Christmas Song of All Time,'" New Zealand Herald, Dec. 18, 2007. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was suggested by listeners David and Becky Pruessner. 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 we

On New Year's Day 1963, two bodies were discovered on an Australian riverbank. Though their identities were quickly determined, weeks of intensive investigation failed to uncover a cause or motive for their deaths. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Bogle-Chandler case, which riveted Australia for years. We'll also revisit the Rosenhan study and puzzle over a revealing lighthouse. Intro: Alphonse Allais' 1897 Funeral March for the Obsequies of a Deaf Man is silent. In 1975 muralist Richard Haas proposed restoring the shadows of bygone Manhattan buildings. Sources for our feature on the Bogle-Chandler case: Peter Butt, Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler?, 2017. "A New Twist in the Case That Puzzled a Nation," Canberra Times, Sept. 3, 2016, 2. Damien Murphy, "New Twist in Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler Murder Mystery," Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 2, 2016. Tracy Bowden, "Two Women May Hold Answer to How Dr Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler Died in 1963," ABC News, Sept. 2, 2016. Tracy Bowden, "Two Women May Hold Key to Bogle-Chandler Case," 7.30, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sept. 2, 2016. Frank Walker, "Deadly Gas Firms as Chandler-Bogle Killer," Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 17, 2006, 41. D.D. McNicoll, "Riddle by the Riverside," Weekend Australian, Sept. 9, 2006, 21. Malcolm Brown, "The Gas Did It: Bogle-Chandler Theory Blames Toxic Cloud," Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 8, 2006, 3. Anna Salleh, "Bogle-Chandler Case Solved?", ABC Science, Sept. 8, 2006. Michael Edwards, "Experts Divided Over Bogle Death Theory," PM, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sept. 8, 2006. Lisa Power, "Daring Affairs Came to a Gruesome End," Daily Telegraph, Sept. 7, 2006, 28. Skye Yates, "New Year's Curse," Daily Telegraph, March 26, 2001, 63. Tony Stephens, "New Year Murder Theory in Bogle Affair," Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 2, 1998, 6. Joseph Lose, "Lovers 'Poisoned', Not LSD; Bodies Found Neatly Covered," [Auckland] Sunday News, Jan. 28, 1996, 7. "Breakthrough in 30-year Murder Mystery," [Wellington, New Zealand] Sunday Star-Times, Jan. 21, 1996, A1. Jack Waterford, "Mystery Unsolved After 25 Years," Canberra Times, Jan. 1, 1988, 2. "Court Told of Close Association," Canberra Times, May 25, 1963, 3. "Chandler in Witness Box," Canberra Times, May 23, 1963, 3. "Woman Called to 2-Death Inquest," The Age, March 1, 1963. Cameron Hazlehurst, "Bogle, Gilbert Stanley (1924–1963)," Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, 1993. Malcolm Brown, "Sweeney, Basil (1925–2009)," Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University (accessed March 2, 2020). Listener mail: Vaughan Bell, "I Seem to Be What I'm Not (You See)," Lancet Psychiatry 7:3 (March 1, 2020), 242. Roderick David Buchanan, "The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness," Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 56:1 (Winter 2020), 52-53. Jennifer Szalai, "Investigating a Famous Study About the Line Between Sanity and Madness," New York Times, Nov. 27, 2019. Emily Eakin, "Her Illness Was Misdiagnosed as Madness. Now Susannah Cahalan Takes on Madness in Medicine," New York Times, Nov. 2, 2019. Hans Pols, "Undercover in the Asylum," Science, Nov. 8, 2019, 697. Gina Perry, "Deception and Illusion in Milgram's Accounts of the Obedience Experiments," Theoretical & Applied Ethics 2:2 (2013), 79-92. Hannah Dwan, "Fighting Baseball on the SNES Had Some of the Funniest Names in Gaming," Telegraph, Oct. 5, 2017. Wikipedia, "MLBPA Baseball" (accessed March 7, 2020). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Steven Jones. Here's a 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

After a severe fever in 1776, Rhode Island farmer's daughter Jemima Wilkinson was reborn as a genderless celestial being who had been sent to warn of the coming Apocalypse. But the general public was too scandalized by the messenger to pay heed to the message. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Public Universal Friend and the prejudiced reaction of a newly formed nation. We'll also bid on an immortal piano and puzzle over some Icelandic conceptions. Intro: When identical images of a tower are placed side by side, the towers appear to diverge. In 2002, Erl E. Kepner patented a one-sided coffee mug. Sources for our feature on the Public Universal Friend: Paul B. Moyer, The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America, 2015. Herbert Andrew Wisbey, Pioneer Prophetess: Jemima Wilkinson, the Publick Universal Friend, 1964. Catherine A. Brekus, Strangers and Pilgrims: Female Preaching in America, 1740-1845, 2000. Michael Bronski, A Queer History of the United States, 2011. Joel Whitney Tibbetts, Women Who Were Called: A Study of the Contributions to American Christianity of Ann Lee, Jemima Wilkinson, Mary Baker Eddy and Aimee Semple McPherson, 1978. Stafford Canning Cleveland, History and Directory of Yates County, 1873. Lewis Cass Aldrich, History of Yates County, N.Y., 1892. Wilkins Updike, James MacSparran, and Daniel Goodwin, A History of the Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Volume 1, 1907. Sharon Betcher, "'The Second Descent of the Spirit of Life from God': The Assumption of Jemima Wilkinson," in Brenda E. Brasher and Lee Quinby, eds., Gender and Apocalyptic Desire, 2014. Paul Buckley, "The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America," Friends Journal 62:6 (June-July 2016), 38. Scott Larson, "'Indescribable Being': Theological Performances of Genderlessness in the Society of the Publick Universal Friend, 1776-1819," Early American Studies 12:3 (Fall 2014), 576-600. Shelby M. Balik, "The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America," Journal of the Early Republic 38:1, 157-160. Gwen Gosney Erickson, "The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America," Quaker History 106:1 (Spring 2017), 28-29. Beverly C. Tomek, "The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America," Journal of American History 103:3 (December 2016), 746–747. Charles Lowell Marlin, "Jemima Wilkinson: Errant Quaker Divine," Quaker History 52:2 (Autumn 1963), 90-94. Jeremy Rapport, "The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America," Early American Literature 52:1 (2017), 249-253, 267. Janet Moore Lindman, "From Salvation to Damnation: Popular Religion in Early America," Reviews in American History 45:4 (December 2017), 570-575. Margaret Bendroth, "Angry Women and the History of American Evangelicalism," Fides et Historia 34:2 (Summer 2002), 113. Samantha Schmidt, "A Genderless Prophet Drew Hundreds of Followers Long Before the Age of Nonbinary Pronouns," Washington Post, Jan. 5, 2020. Molly Worthen, "A Tour Through the 'American Messiahs' of Our Past," New York Times, April 26, 2019. Greg Barnhisel, "The Book of Nonconformists: America Has Always Been a Home to Self-Styled Messiahs," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 7, 2019, E5. Chris Jennings, "The Prophets Among Us," Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2019, A15. Gary Craig, "'Friend' Fund Named in Suit Found Offshore," Rochester [N.Y.] Democrat and Chronicle, Jan. 7, 2007, A7. "Life Story: The Public Universal Friend (1752–1819)," Women & The American Story, New York Historical Society (accessed Feb. 25, 2020). Listener mail: Sonia Purnell, A Woman of No Importance, 2019. "Britain's Secret WWII Weapons Revealed," BBC News, Oct. 26, 1999. Patrick Sawer and Hannah Furness, "From Garlic Chocolate to Exploding Animal Droppings: How Britain's Weird WWII Inventions Helped Fool the Nazis," Telegraph, June 1, 2017. Neil Johnston, "Weird Weapons That Nobbled Nazis Revealed in New Book," Times, June 2, 2017. Wikipedia, "Charles Fraser-Smith" (accessed Feb. 29, 2020). Wikipedia, "Q-Ship" (accessed Feb. 29, 2020). James Barron, "Charles Fraser-Smith, Mr. Gadget For James Bond Tales, Dies at 88," New York Times, Nov. 13, 1992. Barry Fox, "Review: Careful Carruthers, That Paper Clip Is Loaded," New Scientist, Aug. 14, 1993. Owen Mortimer, "'Immortal Piano' Offered for Sale Online," Rhinegold Publishing, Jan. 20, 2020. Russian pianist Anatole Kitain performs the Adagio from Bach's Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564, on the Siena piano. eBay, "Siena Pianoforte Immortal Piano Marchisio 1800's Sculpted By Bartalozzi & Ferri," listing ended Feb. 5, 2020. "Seized by Nazis, Found in Israel, 'Immortal Piano' Expected to Fetch $1m," Times of Israel, March 1, 2020. "'Immortal Pia

In 1942, Manitoba chose a startling way to promote the sale of war bonds -- it staged a Nazi invasion of Winnipeg. For one gripping day, soldiers captured the city, arrested its leaders, and oppressed its citizens. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe If Day, which one observer called "the biggest and most important publicity stunt" in Winnipeg's history. We'll also consider some forged wine and puzzle over some unnoticed car options. Intro: In 1649 Claude Mellan carved a portrait of Jesus with a single line. A pebble discovered in southern Africa may be the earliest evidence of an aesthetic sense among our ancestors. Sources for our feature on If Day: Jody Perrun, The Patriotic Consensus: Unity, Morale, and the Second World War in Winnipeg, 2014. Darren Sean Wershler-Henry, Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, 2010. Michael Newman, "February 19, 1942: If Day," Manitoba History 13 (Spring 1987), 27-30. Graham Chandler, "If Day: The Occupation of Manitoba," Legion Feb. 1, 2017. Ted Burch, "The Day the Nazis Took Over Winnipeg," Maclean's, Sept. 10, 1960. "Winnipeg Is 'Conquered,'" Life 12:10 (March 9, 1942), 30-32. "Tips for Spotting Nazis," National Post, May 10, 2019. Tristin Hopper, "Rare Photos From 'If Day' — The Time Winnipeg Staged a Full-Scale Nazi Invasion of Itself," National Post, Feb. 21, 2019. Don Pelechaty, "Remembrance Day Memories of 1942," Central Plains Herald-Leader, Nov. 9, 2017, A.17. Mike Huen, "'If Day' Currency Blast From the Possible Past," Winnipeg Free Press, June 30, 2017, E3. Christian Cassidy, "When War Came to Winnipeg: 75 Years Ago, City Staged Bold and Hugely Successful Publicity Stunt," Winnipeg Free Press, Feb. 19, 2017, 1. "75 Years Ago, Winnipeggers Said 'What If?", Winnipeg Free Press, Feb. 17, 2017. Karen Howlett, "Fundraiser Sees Winnipeg Invaded by Fake Nazis," Globe and Mail, Feb. 19, 2014, A.2. Alexandra Paul, "When War Came to Winnipeg," Winnipeg Free Press, Feb. 19, 2012, A.4. Ron Robinson, "The Day Nazis Came to Winnipeg," National Post, June 21, 2008, A.23. "George Waight, 93 Was Banker, Actor," Toronto Star, Dec. 17, 1985, B5. "George Waight, Bank Executive, Was Actor," Globe and Mail, Dec. 17, 1985, A.14. "Nazi Army's 'Invasion' of Winnipeg Remembered," Regina [Saskatchewan] Leader-Post, March 4, 1985, A5. "If Day," University of Manitoba Digital Collections. Listener mail: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Wolfgang Beltracchi" (accessed Feb. 22, 2020). Christopher Goodwin, "Wolfgang Beltracchi: A Real Con Artist," Times, May 10, 2014. "Convicted Forger Claims He Faked 'About 50' Artists," BBC News, March 7, 2012. Ben Kenigsberg, "Review: 'Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery' Tells How a Swindler Fooled the World," New York Times, Aug. 18, 2015. Wikipedia, "Rudy Kurniawan" (accessed Feb. 22, 2020). Ed Cumming, "The Great Wine Fraud," Guardian, Sept. 10, 2016. Tatiana Schlossberg, "Wine Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years for Defrauding Clients," New York Times, Aug. 7, 2014. William K. Rashbaum and Matt Flegenheimer, "Renowned Wine Dealer Accused of Trying to Sell Counterfeits," New York Times, March 8, 2012. "Third of Rare Scotch Whiskies Tested Found to Be Fake," BBC News, Dec. 20, 2018. "Whisky Sour? Rare or Fake Scotch Exposed by Carbon-Dating," Reuters, Dec. 20, 2018. Mindy Weisberger, "Nuclear Fallout Exposes Fake 'Antique' Whisky," LiveScience, Jan. 27, 2020. David Williams, "Scottish Scientists Use Radioactive Isotopes From Old Nuclear Tests to Find Counterfeit Whisky. More Than 40 Percent of What They Tested Is Fake," CNN, Jan. 24, 2020. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Brian Voeller, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In the 1870s, new farmsteads on the American plains were beset by enormous swarms of grasshoppers sweeping eastward from the Rocky Mountains. The insects were a disaster for vulnerable farmers, attacking in enormous numbers and devouring everything before them. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the grasshopper plagues and the settlers' struggles against them. We'll also delve into urban legends and puzzle over some vanishing children. Intro: In 2001, a Washington earthquake drew a rose with a pendulum. In 2003, Japanese web designer Nobuyuki Kayahara created a curiously ambiguous animation. Sources for our feature on the grasshopper plagues: Jeffrey A. Lockwood, Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect That Shaped the American Frontier, 2009. Annette Atkins, Harvest of Grief: Grasshopper Plagues and Public Assistance in Minnesota, 1873-78, 2003. Joanna Stratton, Pioneer Women, 2013. Samuel Clay Bassett, Buffalo County, Nebraska, and Its People, 1916. Harold E. Briggs, "Grasshopper Plagues and Early Dakota Agriculture, 1864-1876," Agricultural History 8:2 (April 1934), 51-63. Stephen Gross, "The Grasshopper Shrine at Cold Spring, Minnesota: Religion and Market Capitalism Among German-American Catholics," Catholic Historical Review 92:2 (April 2006), 215-243. Mary K. Fredericksen, "The Grasshopper Wars," The Palimpsest 62:5 (1981), 150-161. Cyrus C. Carpenter, "The Grasshopper Invasion," Annals of Iowa 4:6 (July 1900), 437-447. Chuck Lyons, "The Year of the Locust," Wild West 24:6 (April 2012), 44-49. Wiley Britton, "The Grasshopper Plague of 1866 in Kansas," Scientific Monthly 25:6 (December 1927), 540-545. G. Prosper Zaleski, "The Grasshopper Plague," Scientific American 33:9 (Aug. 28, 1875), 132. Thomas Hayden, "A Long-Ago Plague of Locusts," U.S. News & World Report 136:19 (May 31, 2004), 66. Kathie Bell, "The Grasshopper Plague," Dodge City Daily Globe, April 15, 2019. Lance Nixon, "Dakota Life: The Grasshopper and the Plow," [Topeka, Kan.] Capital Journal, Sept. 3, 2015. Frank Lee, "Grasshopper Chapel Inspires Faith, Prayer," St. Cloud [Minn.] Times, Aug. 6, 2005, C.1. "The Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, July 1, 1888. "The Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, Dec. 29, 1876. "The Bright Side of the Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, July 17, 1875. "The Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, Aug. 10, 1874. "The Locusts of the West," New York Times, July 14, 1874. "The Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, July 14, 1874. "The Grasshopper Plague," New York Times, July 10, 1874. "The Grasshoppers," New York Times, July 10, 1874. "A Plague of Grasshoppers," New York Times, June 22, 1874. Matthew Garcia, "Melanoplus spretus: Rocky Mountain Locust," Animal Diversity Web (accessed Feb. 22, 2020). R.L. Cartwright, "Grasshopper Plagues, 1873–1877," MNopedia, Nov. 17, 2011. Listener mail: "If you thinking about taking a NIGHT TRAIN in ITALY DON'T," Lonely Planet (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). "Urgently Need Advice About Trenitalia Sleeper Trains," Tripadvisor (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). Wikipedia, "Rick Steves" (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). "About Rick Steves," Rick Steves' Europe (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). "Sleeping on Trains," Rick Steves' Europe (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). John Hooper, "'Sleeping Gas' Thieves Target Super-Rich at Italian Billionaires' Resort," Guardian, Aug. 30, 2011. Wikipedia, "Jan Harold Brunvand" (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). Wikipedia, "Urban Legend" (accessed Feb. 14, 2020). Jan Harold Brunvand, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings, 2003. Andrew Noymer, "The Transmission and Persistence of 'Urban Legends': Sociological Application of Age-Structured Epidemic Models," Journal of Mathematical Sociology 25:3 (2001), 299-323. Henry B. Dunn and Charlotte A. Allen, "Rumors, Urban Legends and Internet Hoaxes," Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators, 2005. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Frequently Asked Questions," March 21, 2018. Mayo Clinic, "Carbon Monoxide Poisoning," Oct. 16, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Moxie LaBouche, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

When Maria Marten disappeared from the English village of Polstead in 1827, her lover said that they had married and were living on the Isle of Wight. But Maria's stepmother began having disturbing dreams that hinted at a much grimmer fate. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Red Barn, which transfixed Britain in the early 19th century. We'll also encounter an unfortunate copycat and puzzle over some curious births. Intro: In 1859, a penurious Henry Thoreau donated $5 to a college library. Georges Perec rendered "Ozymandias" without the letter E. Sources for our feature on the Red Barn: James Curtis, The Murder of Maria Marten, 1828. Shane McCorristine, William Corder and the Red Barn Murder: Journeys of the Criminal Body, 2014. Lucy Worsley, The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock, 2014. James Moore, Murder at the Inn: A History of Crime in Britain's Pubs and Hotels, 2015. Colin Wilson, A Casebook of Murder, 2015. Maryrose Cuskelly, Original Skin: Exploring the Marvels of the Human Hide, 2011. Henry Vizetelly, The Romance of Crime, 1860. "Trial of William Corder for the Murder of Maria Marten," Annual Register, 1828, 337-349. James Redding Ware, Wonderful Dreams of Remarkable Men and Women, 1884. Jessie Dobson, "The College Criminals: 4. William Corder," Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 11:4 (1952), 249. Richard Grady, "Personal Identity Established by the Teeth; the Dentist a Scientific Expert," American Journal of Dental Science 17:9 (1884), 385. Harry Cocks, "The Pre-History of Print and Online Dating, c. 1690-1990," in I. Alev Degim, James Johnson, and Tao Fu, Online Courtship: Interpersonal Interactions Across Borders, 2015. Sarah Tarlow, "Curious Afterlives: The Enduring Appeal of the Criminal Corpse," Mortality 21:3 (2016), 210–228. Ruth Penfold-Mounce, "Consuming Criminal Corpses: Fascination With the Dead Criminal Body," Mortality 15:3 (August 2010), 250-265. "The Trial of William Corder, for the Wilful Murder of Maria Marten, Etc.," 1828. "The Trial, at Length, of William Corder, Convicted of the Murder of Maria Marten," 1828. "An Accurate Account of the Trial of William Corder for the Murder of Maria Marten," 1828. "The Trial of William Corder at the Assizes, Bury St. Edmunds," 1828. "Dream Testimony," Notes & Queries 52, Dec. 27, 1856. Paul Collins, "The Molecatcher's Daughter," Independent on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, 20. Peter Watson, "Alternatives: Natural Barn Killer," Guardian, Feb. 19, 1995, 23. Jonathan Kay, "Lessons From a Molecatcher's Daughter," National Post, Jan. 9, 2007, A17. Michael Horsnell, "Red Barn Murderer Finally Laid to Rest," Times, Aug. 18, 2004, 10. Max Haines, "The Red Barn Murder," Sudbury [Ontario] Star, Aug. 16, 2003, D.11. Maryrose Cuskelly, "Of Human Bondage," Australian, June 3, 2009, 18. "Gruesome Murder Still Has the Power to Fascinate," East Anglian Daily Times, Oct. 28, 2013. "True Crime From the 1820s: Shades of Capote," Weekend Edition Saturday, National Public Radio, Oct. 28, 2006. Colin Wilson, "A Murder Mystery: Why Do Some Killings Dominate the Headlines?", Times, Jan. 28, 2006, 25. Pamela Owen, "The Day Murder Became a National Obsession," The People, Sept. 22, 2013, 34. Stephanie Markinson, "Dark History," Yorkshire Post, Jan. 10, 2020, 7. "Collection Articles: The Trial, at Length, of William Corder, Convicted of the Murder of Maria Marten," British Library (accessed Feb. 2, 2020). Alsager Richard Vian, "Corder, William," Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Vol. 12. Alsager Vian, "Corder, William," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. Listener mail: Malcolm Gladwell, "Safety in the Skies," Gladwell.com, Oct. 1, 2001. Hugh Morris, "The Strangest Stories From the Golden Age of Plane Hijacking," Telegraph, July 5, 2019. Thom Patterson, "How the Era of 'Skyjackings' Changed the Way We Fly," CNN, Oct. 2, 2017. "Three Cheeseburgers and a Rental Car," Fear of Landing, July 26, 2019. Wikipedia, "D. B. Cooper" (accessed Feb. 4, 2020). Joni Balter, "Attorney: Hijacker Couldn't Hurt Anyone," UPI, Jan. 21, 1983. "Man Killed in Attempted Hijacking on Coast," UPI, Jan. 21, 1983. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by both Ronald Gainey and Chris Zinsli, based on an item they heard on the podcast 99% Invisible. Here are four additional 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

In 1952, New Zealander Tom Neale set out to establish a solitary life for himself on a remote island in the South Pacific. In all he would spend 17 years there, building a fulfilling life fending entirely for himself. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Neale's adventures on the island and his impressions of an isolated existence. We'll also revisit Scunthorpe and puzzle over a boat's odd behavior. Intro: A 17th-century London handbill advertised the virtues of coffee. In 1905 Mark Twain illustrated the full meaning of a prayer for military victory. Sources for our feature on Tom Neale: Tom Neale, An Island to Oneself: The Story of Six Years on a Desert Island, 1966. Dom Degnon, Sails Full and By, 1995. James C. Simmons, Castaway in Paradise: The Incredible Adventures of True-Life Robinson Crusoes, 1998. Nataša Potocnik, "Robert Dean Frisbie -- An American Writer in the South Pacific," Acta Neophilologica 33:1-2 (2000), 93-105. Joseph Bockrath, "Law on Remote Islands: The Convergence of Fact and Fiction," Legal Studies Forum 27 (2003), 21. Alexey Turchin and Brian Patrick Green, "Islands as Refuges for Surviving Global Catastrophes," Foresight 21:1 (2019), 100-117. Ella Morton, "The Self-Made Castaway Who Spent 16 Years on an Atoll With His Cats," Slate, Oct. 26, 2015. Bette Thompson, "The Happy Exile," New York Times, Nov. 26, 1972. Gerard Hindmarsh, "An Island to Oneself Revisited," Nelson [New Zealand] Mail, Dec. 15, 2018, 6. "Book Mark," Niue News Update, Sept. 18, 2001. Listener mail: A photo taken by Derryl Murphy's grandfather of a ski plane at Fort Reliance, Northwest Territories. Joel Tansey, "Looking Back at the Original Trapper, Golden's Premier Meeting Place," Golden [B.C.] Star, May 28, 2015. Audrey Gillan, "Town Gets Stuck Into Semolina," Guardian, Oct. 27, 2006. "Semolina Snowfall for Yarmouth," [Norwich, U.K.] Eastern Daily Press, Oct. 26, 2006. "Sticky Problem of Semolina Spill," BBC News, Oct. 27, 2006. Wikipedia, "Semolina" (accessed Jan. 31, 2020). Mary Branscombe, "Lyft Is Having Its Scunthorpe Moment Because We Don't Learn From History," Twitter, Dec. 20, 2019. Andrew J. Hawkins, "Lyft's Algorithm Is Trying to Block People With Names Like 'Dick,' 'Finger,' and 'Cummings,'" The Verge, Dec. 19, 2019. Alyse Stanley, "Need a Lyft? Too Bad, Dick Assman," Gizmodo, Dec. 19, 2019. Lisa Eadicicco, "Lyft Thought Some Users' Real Names Were Offensive Content. Candice Poon, Cara Dick, Mike Finger, and Others Were Ordered to Get New Names Within 2 Days," Business Insider, Dec. 19, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Patrick Steinkuhl, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1896, Norwegian immigrant Helga Estby faced the foreclosure of her family's Washington farm. To pay the debt she accepted a wager to walk across the United States within seven months. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow her daring bid to win the prize, and its surprising consequence. We'll also toast Edgar Allan Poe and puzzle over a perplexing train. Intro: The Dutch and French words for kidney are reversals of one another. In Japan, Douglas Adams encountered a new conception of persistence. Sources for our feature on Helga Estby: Linda Lawrence Hunt, Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, 2007. Margaret Riddle, "Estby, Helga (1860-1942)," HistoryLink, Sept. 23, 2011. Stefanie Pettit, "Helga Estby a Walking Tale," Spokesman Review, July 9, 2015, S.8. Pia Hallenberg Christensen, "Cross-Country Walk Inspires Women," [Spokane, Wash.] Spokesman Review, May 3, 2008, B.1. Chris Rodkey, "Women Get No Mileage From Cross-Country Trek," Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2003, A.27. Linda Duval, "The Forgotten Walk: Helga Estby's Hike Across America," [Colorado Springs, Colo.] Gazette, June 8, 2003, LIFE1. Dan Webster, "A Feat Nearly Forgotten," [Spokane, Wash.] Spokesman Review, April 27, 2003, F1. "Mrs. Helga Estby," Spokane Daily Chronicle, April 21, 1942. "A $10,000 Walk," Saint Paul Globe, June 2, 1897, 3. "From Spokane to New York," San Francisco Call 79:157 (May 5, 1896), 4. Listener mail: Ian Duncan, "New Poe Toaster Takes Up a Baltimore Tradition," Baltimore Sun, Jan. 17, 2016. Keith Perry, "New Spate of Attacks by Sleeping Gas Gang, Caravanners Warned," Telegraph, Sept. 1, 2014. Joel Gunter, "Jenson Button Robbery: Are French Burglars Really Using Has?", BBC News, Aug. 7, 2015. Sarah Hilley, "Holiday Couple Gassed and Robbed," Swindon Advertiser, Aug. 15, 2007. "Gassed When Wild Camping," Motor Home Fun, March 31, 2009. "Travelling In France - Warning," Caravan Talk, Aug. 16, 2007. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Colin Sommers, 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In the 1930s the world's best-known conservationist was an ex-trapper named Grey Owl who wrote and lectured ardently for the preservation of the Canadian wilderness. At his death, though, it was discovered that he wasn't who he'd claimed to be. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of his curious history and complicated legacy. We'll also learn how your father can be your uncle and puzzle over a duplicate record. Intro: Dutch engineer Theo Jansen builds sculptures that walk. Helen Fouché Gaines' 1956 cryptanalysis textbook ends with a cipher that "nobody has ever been able to decrypt." Sources for our feature on Grey Owl: Donald B. Smith, From the Land of Shadows: The Making of Grey Owl, 2000. Albert Braz, Apostate Englishman: Grey Owl the Writer and the Myths, 2015. Jane Billinghurst, Grey Owl: The Many Faces of Archie Belaney, 1999. Allison Mitcham, Grey Owl's Favorite Wilderness Revisited, 1991. Lovat Dickson, Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owl, 1973. Anahareo, Devil in Deerskins: My Life With Grey Owl, 1972. James Polk, Wilderness Writers, 1972. Brian Bethune, "Truth and Consequences," Maclean's 112:40 (Oct. 4, 1999), 58. Kenneth Brower, "Grey Owl," Atlantic 265:1 (January 1990), 74-84. Trent Frayne, "Grey Owl the Magnificent Fraud," Maclean's 64 (Aug. 1, 1951), 14-16, 37-39. Dane Lanken, "The Vision of Grey Owl," Canadian Geographic 119:2 (March/April 1999), 74-80. Fenn Stewart, "Grey Owl in the White Settler Wilderness: 'Imaginary Indians' in Canadian Culture and Law," Law, Culture and the Humanities 14:1 (Oct. 8, 2014), 161-181. Kevin Young, "Cowboys & Aliens," Kenyon Review 39:6 (November/December 2017), 10-32. David Chapin, "Gender and Indian Masquerade in the Life of Grey Owl," American Indian Quarterly 24:1 (Winter 2000), 91-109. John Hayman, "Grey Owl's Wild Goose Chase," History Today 44:1 (January 1994), 42. Mark Collin Reid, "Grey Owl," Canada's History 95:5 (October/November 2015), 14-15. Donald B. Smith, "Belaney, Archibald Stansfeld [called Grey Owl]," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Sept. 23, 2004. Donald B. Smith, "Belaney, Archibald Stansfeld, Known as Grey Owl and Wa-sha-quon-asin," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 16, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003 (accessed Jan. 5, 2020). Donald B. Smith, "Archibald Belaney, Grey Owl," The Canadian Encyclopedia, June 17, 2008 (accessed Jan. 5, 2020). Susan Griffith, "Grey Owl: Champion of the Canadian Wilderness," Independent, Nov. 12, 2015. Jane Onyanga-Omara, "Grey Owl: Canada's Great Conservationist and Imposter," BBC News, Sept. 19, 2013. James H. Marsh, "Grey Owl's Great Deception," CanWest News, Sept. 17, 2003, 1. Tony Lofaro, "Why I Kept Grey Owl's Secret," Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 21, 1999, D3. Peter Unwin, "The Fabulations of Grey Owl," The Beaver 79:2 (April 1999), 13-19. Henrietta Smyth, "Grey Owl Returns to England," North Bay [Ont.] Nugget, April 3, 1999, B1. "Grey Owl," New York Times, April 17, 1938. "Service Honors Grey Owl," New York Times, April 16, 1938. "Grey Owl, Worker for Conservation," New York Times, April 14, 1938. "Doctor and Nurse to Beavers in Canada Is Indian Grey Owl," New York Times, June 24, 1934. "Do You Know?", Roanoke Rapids [N.C.] Herald, Nov. 24, 1932, 2. Listener mail: Roger Schlueter, "Getting a Bone Marrow Transplant Could Give You New DNA, Too," Belleville [Ill.] News-Democrat, Jan. 16, 2018. "She's Her Own Twin," ABC News, Aug. 15, 2006. Wikipedia, "Lydia Fairchild" (accessed Jan. 8, 2020). Wikipedia, "Chimera (Genetics)" (accessed Jan. 9, 2020). Jessica Richardson, "Man Fails Paternity Test Due to Passing on Unborn Twin's DNA," BioNews, Nov. 2, 2015. Alice Park, "How a Man's Unborn Twin Fathered His Child," Time, Oct. 28, 2015. Heather Murphy, "When a DNA Test Says You're a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away," New York Times, Dec. 7, 2019. Heather Murphy, "The Case of a Man With Two Sets of DNA Raises More Questions," New York Times, Dec. 12, 2019. Carl Zimmer, "In the Marmoset Family, Things Really Do Appear to Be All Relative," New York Times, March 27, 2007. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Paul Kapp. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

1930 saw the quiet conclusion of a remarkable era. The tiny population of St. Kilda, an isolated Scottish archipelago, decided to end their thousand-year tenure as the most remote community in Britain and move to the mainland. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the remarkable life they'd shared on the island and the reasons they chose to leave. We'll also track a stork to Sudan and puzzle over the uses of tea trays. Intro: Reportedly the 3rd Earl of Darnley believed he was a teapot. Henry Hudson's journal records a 1610 encounter with a mermaid. Sources for our feature on St. Kilda: Charles MacLean, Island on the Edge of the World: The Story of St Kilda, 1972. Tom Steel, The Life and Death of St. Kilda: The Moving Story of a Vanished Island Community, 2011. Andrew Fleming, St Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island, 2005. Alexander Buchan, A Description of St. Kilda, The Most Remote Western Isle of Scotland, 1741. Martin Martin, A Voyage to St. Kilda, 1749. George Seton, St Kilda Past and Present, 1878. Alastair Gray, A History of Scotland, 1989. John Macculloch, A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, 1819. Fraser MacDonald, "St Kilda and the Sublime," Ecumene 8:2 (2001), 151-174. L.F. Powell, "The History of St. Kilda," Review of English Studies 16:61 (January 1940), 44-53. "St. Kilda," British Medical Journal 1:2683 (June 1, 1912), 1249-1251. "St. Kilda," British Medical Journal 2:3418 (July 10, 1926), 80-81. Fergus McIntosh, "A Trip to St. Kilda, Scotland's Lost Utopia in the Sea," New Yorker, Dec. 3, 2017. Alison Campsie, "New Images Throw Light on a St Kilda Fit for the 21st Century," Scotsman, Oct. 8, 2018, 24. Roger Cox, "Deserted Streets, Sea Cliffs and Stark Military Towers Show Real St Kilda in Black and White," Scotsman, May 26, 2018, 58. Neel Mukherjee, "A Veritable No Man's Land, Off the Coast of Scotland," New York Times, May 7, 2018. Alison Campsie, "What It's Like Living on St Kilda," Scotsman, Feb. 21, 2018. "'End of an Era': Last Native of Remote Island St Kilda Dies," [London] Express, April 7, 2016. Gabriella Swerlingwrites, "St Kilda: Islands That Were Not So Remote After All," Times, Nov. 3, 2015, 5. "Norman John Gillies: Obituaries," Daily Telegraph, Oct. 3, 2013, 35. Steven McKenzie, "The New Residents of St Kilda Archipelago," BBC News, Aug. 29, 2010. "Eighty Years Ago St Kilda Was Evacuated. Today One of Only Two Survivors Remembers Leaving the Islands," Scotsman, Aug. 11, 2010. Charlie English, "St Kilda: The Edge of the World," Guardian, Aug. 28, 2009. Nigel Johnson, "St. Kilda Tells of Lonely, Difficult Existence," Winnipeg Free Press, June 10, 2006, E.6. Nigel Richardson, "Revisiting the Margin of the World," National Post, Aug. 21, 1999, B12. Edmund Antrobus, "St. Kilda, the Enigma Out to Sea," [Bergen County, N.J.] Record, Aug. 15, 1999. "Return to St Kilda," Glasgow Herald, March 18, 1987. "Island to Be Abandoned," New York Times, July 30, 1930. "St. Kilda," London Graphic, Nov. 14, 1885. "St Kilda," Caledonian Mercury, Sept. 1, 1834. "Stories from St Kilda," National Records of Scotland (accessed Dec. 29, 2019). Listener mail: "Polish Charity Gets Huge Phone Bill Thanks to Stork," BBC News, June 28, 2018. "Polish Stork Vanishes From GPS but Delivers Huge Phone Bill," AP News, June 29, 2018. Iain Thomson, "What a Flap: SIM Swiped From Slain Stork's GPS Tracker Used to Rack Up $2,700 Phone Bill," The Register, July 3, 2018. Helena Horton, "Palmerston, the Foreign Office Cat, Returns to Work After Six Months Off for Stress," Telegraph, Dec. 2, 2019. Megan Baynes, "Foreign Office Cat Palmerston Returns to Work After Six Months Off With Stress," London Press Association, Dec. 3, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Miriam Fewtrell, based on a fact she read in Leonard Mosley's 1974 book The Reich Marshal: A Biography of Hermann Goering. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

At the turn of the 20th century, a rogue tiger terrorized the villages of Nepal and northern India. By the time British hunter Jim Corbett was called in, it had killed 434 people. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Corbett's pursuit of the elusive cat, and his enlightened efforts to address the source of the problem. We'll also revisit a Confederate spy and puzzle over a bloody ship. Intro: Ralph Beaman devised a sentence that ends with 15 prepositions. The stones of Pennsylvania's Ringing Rocks Park chime when struck. Sources for our feature on the Champawat tiger: Jim Corbett, Man-Eaters of Kumaon, 1944. Dane Huckelbridge, No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History, 2019. Hemanta Mishra, Bones of the Tiger: Protecting the Man-Eaters of Nepal, 2010. Nayanika Mathur, Paper Tiger, 2016. Sujeet Kumar Singh, et al., "Understanding Human–Tiger Conflict Around Corbett Tiger Reserve India: A Case Study Using Forensic Genetics," Wildlife Biology in Practice 11:1 (June 2015), 1-11. Iti Roychowdhury, "Man Eaters and the Eaten Men: A Study of the Portrayal of Indians in the Writings of Jim Corbett," Research Journal of English Language and Literature 5:1 (January-March 2017), 37-41. A.J.T. Johnsingh, "Status and Conservation of the Tiger in Uttaranchal, Northern India," AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 35:3 (May 2006), 135-137. Jim Doherty, "Tigers at the Gate," Smithsonian 32:10 (January 2002), 66-67. Sarah Zielinski, "How a Tiger Transforms Into a Man-Eater," Science News, March 19, 2019. Adele Conover, "The Object at Hand," Smithsonian 26:8 (November 1995), 28. "Jim Corbett Dies; Big-Game Hunter; Told of His Exploits Against Indian Killer Tigers in 'Man-Eaters of Kumaon,'" New York Times, April 21, 1955. "Champawat Residents Remember Jim Corbett on Birth Anniversary," Hindustan Times, July 26, 2017. "The Remarkable Legacy of Tiger Jim," Independent, Nov. 1, 2007, 38. Michael T. Kaufman, "Tiger, Protected From Man, Flourishes Again in India; The Tiger, Protected, Prospers in India Tiger Cubs Live Longer A Special Counting Method," New York Times, Sept. 16, 1980. Christine Hauser, "Number of Tigers in the Wild Is Rising, Wildlife Groups Say," New York Times, April 11, 2016. "A Hunter Who Went on to Save the Hunted," The Hindu, Nov. 10, 2018. "Remembering Corbett! A Legend, Man of Many Parts," [New Delhi] Pioneer, July 26, 2015. "The Tiger Hunter Who Earned His Stripes," Sunday Telegraph, Oct. 13, 2019, 16. Vineet Upadhyay, "Jim Corbett's 100-Yr-Old Rifle Returns Home to His Village," Economic Times, April 6, 2016. Dane Huckelbridge, "How to Ensure Tigers Come Roaring Back," Globe and Mail, Feb. 9, 2019, O.5. D.B.N. Murthy, "It Is Jim Corbett's Country," Alive 365 (March 2013), 48-50. Gregory Crouch, "'No Beast So Fierce' Review: The Making of a Killer," Wall Street Journal, Feb. 4, 2019. R. Raj Rao, "'No Beast So Fierce: The Champawat Tiger and Her Hunter, the First Tiger Conservationist' by Dane Huckelbridge: In the Forests of the Night," The Hindu, May 11, 2019. Bill Purves, "History's Deadliest Single Animal? Story of the Killer Indian Tiger and the Man Who Hunted It Down Detailed in New Book," South China Morning Post, March 6, 2019. Listener mail: The Patreon posts mentioned in the listener mail segment are "Greenhow Misgivings" (discussing the problem) and "Followup to 'Greenhow Misgivings'" (describing the measures we took). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Steven Jones. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Here are six new lateral thinking puzzles -- play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions. Intro: Ixonia, Wisconsin, was named at random. Ben Franklin harnessed the power of long-term interest to make large gifts to Boston and Philadelphia. The sources for this week's puzzles are below. In two 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 listener Gabriel Bizcarra. Puzzle #2 is adapted from Paul Sloane and Des MacHale's 2014 book Remarkable Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Puzzle #3 is from Greg. Puzzle #4 is from listener Peter Quinn. Puzzle #5 is from Greg. Here are two links. Puzzle #6 is from Sharon. Two links. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In the winter of 1931, a dramatic manhunt unfolded in northern Canada when a reclusive trapper shot a constable and fled across the frigid landscape. In the chase that followed the mysterious fugitive amazed his pursuers with his almost superhuman abilities. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the hunt for the "Mad Trapper of Rat River." We'll also visit a forgotten windbreak and puzzle over a father's age. Intro: Korean soldier Yang Kyoungjong was conscripted successively by Japan, the Soviet Union, and Germany. In 1978, Arnold Rosenberg examined idioms to trace a path to the most incomprehensible natural language. RCMP constable Alfred King is at far left in the photo; constable Edgar Millen is second from right. Sources for our feature on Albert Johnson: Dick North, Mad Trapper of Rat River: A True Story of Canada's Biggest Manhunt, 2005. Barbara Smith, The Mad Trapper: Unearthing a Mystery, 2011. Richard C. Davis, "The Mad Trapper, by Rudy Wiebe," Arctic 35:2 (1982), 342. Leslie McCartney, "'You Need to Tell That True Albert Johnson Story Like We Know It': Meanings Embedded in the Gwich'in Version of the Albert Johnson Story," Canadian Journal of Native Studies 37:1 (2017), 201-235. "Who Was the Mad Trapper of Rat River?", Forensic Magazine, June 6, 2018. "Lawbreakers: More Hustlers, Rustlers and Wild Men," Canada's History 96:2 (April/May 2016). Jay Merrett, "Caught by the Mad Trapper," Canada's History 93:1 (February/March 2013). Bob Butz, "Bad Guys Gone 'Wild,'" Outdoor Life 213:6 (June/July 2006), 19. Alan Phillips, "Who Was the Mad Trapper of Rat River?", Maclean's, Oct. 1, 1955. Barbara Roden, "The Mad Trapper Part 4: The Quest to Identify Albert Johnson Begins," [Ashcroft, B.C.] Journal, Sept. 17, 2019. Barbara Roden, "Golden Country: The Mad Trapper Part 5," [Ashcroft, B.C.] Journal, Oct. 3, 2019. Marc Montgomery, "Canada History: Feb 17, 1932: The End and Beginning of the Mystery of the Mad Trapper," Radio Canada International, Feb. 17, 2017. Michael Gates, "Dick North: Farewell to Yukon's Great Storyteller," Yukon News, Oct. 4, 2013. "Hunt for the Mad Trapper -- The Story Ends," [Swan Hills, Alberta] Grizzly Gazette, March 13, 2012, 5. "Hunt for the Mad Trapper," [Swan Hills, Alberta] Grizzly Gazette, Jan. 10, 2012, 4. Josh Wingrove, "Feb. 17, 1932 / Mounties Get the Mad Trapper," Globe and Mail, Feb. 17, 2011, A.2. Joe McWilliams, "Mad Trapper Story Still Fascinates," [High Prairie, Alberta] South Peace News, Dec. 15, 2010, 6. Darah Hansen, "Tooth Enamel Reveals Mad Trapper No Canadian," Edmonton Journal, May 23, 2009, A.5. James Adams, "DNA Tests Prove Mad Trapper Still a Mystery," Globe and Mail, May 13, 2009, R.1. "Mad Trapper Not a Canadian, Scientific Tests Discover," CBC News, Feb. 20, 2009. Jeff Holubitsky, "Fugitive Could Live All Winter in Deep Bush, Outfitter Says," Edmonton Journal, Oct. 10, 2007, A18. Erin Hitchcock, "The Mad Trapper, Unmasked," [New Westminster, B.C.] Record, Sept. 15, 2007, 3. "Trapper Almost Evades Capture," Guelph Mercury, Aug. 16, 2007, A6. "Filmmakers Exhume Mad Trapper's Body," Nanaimo [B.C] Daily News, Aug. 15, 2007, A2. Keith Bonnell, "Mystery of 'Mad Trapper' Nearly Solved," Vancouver Sun, Aug. 15, 2007, C10. "Mad Trapper's Remains Surface in Historic Dig," CBC News, Aug 13, 2007. Katherine Harding, "Hunt for the Mad Trapper Is Back On," Globe and Mail, May 29, 2007, A.3. "Remains of Mad Trapper of Rat River Could Finally Lead to Identification," [Prince Rupert, B.C.] Daily News, May 7, 2007, 11. "Mad Trapper Mystery May Finally Be Solved," Winnipeg Free Press, May 5, 2007, A.13. Ian Mcinroy, "Tracker of Mad Trapper Remembered," [Barrie, Ontario] Examiner, Jan. 13, 2006, A3. Tom Hawthorn, "He Hunted the Mad Trapper," Globe and Mail, March 15, 2003, F.11. Bob Gilmour, "Frontiersmen Pay Tribute to Trapper's Victim," Edmonton Journal, Sept. 28, 1997, A.10. Kerry Powell, "Glory Days; Mad Trapper's Nemesis; Signal Success," Edmonton Journal, Aug. 6, 1995, B.3. "Group to Retrace Mad Trapper Route," Hamilton Spectator, March 5, 1994, A8. Rudy Wiebe, "Trapper Identification Fails to Convince Author," Edmonton Journal, Sept. 2, 1989, E6. Garth Hopkins, "Sequel to The Mad Trapper of Rat River Fascinating Piece of Work," Vancouver Sun, July 29, 1989, D4. Alan Hustak, "a.k.a. the Mad Trapper," [Montreal] Gazette, May 13, 1989, K12. Lynne Van Luven, "Hobby-Turned-Obsession Led to Mad Trapper Solution," Edmonton Journal, May 13, 1989, D3. "Hunt Resumes for Elusive Mad Trapper," Ottawa Citizen, May 9, 1987, H15. "Mad Trapper Film Sparks Furor," Globe and Mail, April 2, 1980, P.16. "Royal Police Get Insane Trapper -- Dead," Las Vegas Age, Feb. 18, 1932, 1. "A Most Bizarre Case: The Mad Trapper of Rat River," Whitehorse Star, Feb. 17, 1932. "Mad Trapper Eludes Cops," Las Vegas Age, Feb. 10, 1932, 1. "Plane Nears Aklavik in Hunt for Trapper," [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star, Feb. 5, 1932, C-5. "Canadian Trapper Slays Policeman," Bismarck T

As the Civil War fractured Washington D.C., socialite Rose O'Neal Greenhow coordinated a vital spy ring to funnel information to the Confederates. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe one of the war's most unlikely spies, and her determination to aid the South. We'll also fragment the queen's birthday and puzzle over a paid game of pinball. Intro: German officer Ernst Jünger likened the sounds of World War I shelling to "being menaced by a man swinging a heavy hammer." Bowdoin College compiled a list of odd how-to titles. NOTE: After this episode was originally released, some listeners objected to our handling of Greenhow's story, saying that we were treating her too sympathetically when she was defending the institution of slavery. They're entirely right about that -- I had focused on her personal story without being sensitive to its larger implications. I'm very sorry for that oversight. We're presenting the story here as it originally ran, and we'll discuss listeners' reactions to it in Episode 279. -- Greg Sources for our feature: Ann Blackman, Wild Rose: Rose O'Neale Greenhow, Civil War Spy, 2006. Ishbel Ross, Rebel Rose: Life of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Confederate Spy, 1954. Karen Abbott, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, 2014. Rose O'Neal Greenhow, My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule at Washington, 1863. H. Donald Winkler, Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles, and Altered the Course of the Civil War, 2010. Michael J. Sulick, Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War, 2014. Allan Pinkerton, The Spy of the Rebellion, 1886. John Bakeless, Spies of the Confederacy, 2011. Ernest B. Furgurson, "The End of Illusions," Smithsonian 42:4 (July/August 2011), 56-64. Jack Finnegan, "Professional Results for an Amateur," Military History, suppl. "Spies and Secret Missions: A History of American Espionage" (2002), 34-35. Nancy B. Samuelson, "Employment of Female Spies in the American Civil War," Minerva 7:3 (Dec. 31, 1989), 57. "Seized Correspondence of Rose O'Neal Greenhow," U.S. National Archives (accessed Nov. 24, 2019). Rose O'Neal Greenhow Papers, Special Collections Library, Duke University. "The Wild Rose of Washington," New York Times, Aug. 22, 2011. "Spy Loved, Died in Line of Duty," [Wilmington, N.C] Morning Star, Dec. 31, 1999, 23. "Civil War Day by Day," Washington [D.C.] Herald, Sept. 30, 1914, 4. "Fair Southern Spies," [Savannah, Ga.] Morning News, Sept. 29, 1896, 5. "Blockade Running," [Winston, N.C.] Western Sentinel, Jan. 14, 1886. "A Rich New Year's Gift," Yorkville [S.C.] Enquirer, Feb. 6, 1862, 1. "The Female Traitors in Washington," New York Herald, Jan. 22, 1862, 2. "Mrs. Greenhow's Indignant Letter to Mr. Seward," New York Herald, Dec. 16, 1861, 4. Phyllis F. Field, "Greenhow, Rose O'Neal," American National Biography, February 2000. Listener mail: "Public Holidays in Western Australia," Government of Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (accessed Nov. 27, 2019). Wikipedia, "Oscar Wilde" (accessed Nov. 27, 2019). Howard Markel, "No, Oscar Wilde Probably Didn't Die of Syphilis," PBS NewsHour, Nov. 30, 2015. Jon Henley, "Wilde Gets Revenge on Wallpaper," Guardian, Dec. 1, 2000. "What Are the Best Last Words Ever?", Atlantic 317:4 (April 2016), 13. "Grand Lakes St. Marys Educational Series: History of GLSM What You Don't Know," Lake Improvement Association (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). "Grand Lake St. Marys State Park: History," Ohio State Parks and Watercraft (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). Lew Powell, "Behind the Lines, Fighting Malaria With Whiskey," North Carolina Miscellany, July 10, 2011. Wikipedia, "Gin and Tonic" (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). Wikipedia, "Tonic Water" (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). "'The Book of Gin' Distills a Spirited History," Morning Edition, National Public Radio, Dec. 28, 2012. Kal Raustiala, "The Imperial Cocktail," Slate, Aug. 28, 2013. "The Largest Human-Made Lakes in the World," WorldAtlas (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). Wikipedia, "Lake Kariba" (accessed Nov. 30, 2019). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was inspired by an item heard on the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1961, Goya's famous portrait of the Duke of Wellington went missing from London's National Gallery. The case went unsolved for four years before someone unexpectedly came forward to confess to the heist. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe one of the greatest art thefts in British history and the surprising twists that followed. We'll also discover Seward's real folly and puzzle over a man's motherhood. Intro: One of the desks on the U.S. Senate floor is full of candy. Astronaut John Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich into space. The following list of "Sasha Spottings" comes from Brandi Sweet, caretaker of Bella, Ojo, Schatzi, Babu, and Atte: Episode 9 Episode 46 Episode 63 Episode 114 Episode 139 Episode 144 Episode 146 ("mentioned as purring but I couldn't hear her") Episode 148 Episode 156 Episode 164 Episode 168 Episode 173 Episode 183 Episode 201 Episode 207 Episode 215 Sources for our feature on Kempton Bunton and Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington: Alan Hirsch, The Duke of Wellington, Kidnapped!, 2016. Simon Mackenzie, "Criminal and Victim Profiles in Art Theft: Motive, Opportunity and Repeat Victimisation," Art Antiquity and Law 10:4 (November 2005), 353-370. Melvin E. DeGraw, "Art Theft in Perspective," International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 31:1 (1987), 1-10. Richard LeBlanc, "Thief-Proofing Our Art Museums: Security Expensive? ... Not the Morning After," UNESCO Courier 18:10 (November 1965), 4-6, 10-17 "Hugh Courts' Papers Relating to the Trial of Kempton Bunton," National Gallery (accessed Nov. 17, 2019). "The National Gallery: The Missing Masterpiece," Royal Society (accessed Nov. 17, 2019). James Whitfield, "The Duke Disappears" History Today 61:8 (August 2011), 43-49. "Thefts From Museums," Burlington Magazine 109:767 (February 1967), 55-56. Noah Charney, "The Wackiest Art Heist Ever," Salon, Nov. 15, 2015. "Spectre of Goya: Letters to the Editor," Times, Oct. 31, 2019, 28. "'The Thieves Vanished Into the Rio Carnival Crowds' - The 10 Most Audacious Art Heists in History," Telegraph.co.uk, Jan. 26, 2018. Adrian Lee, "Britain's Most Bizarre Art Heist," Daily Express, April 16, 2016, 37. Alan Travis, "Revealed: 1961 Goya 'Theft' From National Gallery Was a Family Affair," Guardian, Nov. 30, 2012. "A Blizzard and a Blaze," [Newcastle-upon-Tyne] Evening Chronicle, Dec. 31, 2011, 10. Noah Charney, "Art Thieves No Longer Oddballs," [Christchurch, New Zealand] Press, Sept. 2, 2011. Sandy Nairne, "From National Gallery to Dr No's lair," Guardian, Aug. 6, 2011, 14. Sandy Nairne, "How Goya's Duke of Wellington Was Stolen," Guardian, Aug. 5, 2011. "Hero or Villain?: Geordie's Bizarre Crime of Conscience," [Newcastle-upon-Tyne] Evening Chronicle, June 30, 2010, 10. David Lee, "It's a Steal: Why Art Remains a Favourite Among Thieves," Times, May 22, 2010, 21. Chris Cobb, "Stolen Masterpieces," Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 11, 2009, B.1. "Goya Thief Sent for Trial," Times, Aug. 18, 2001, 25. Peter Lennon and Edward Pilkington, "Files Reveal Innocent Man Was Jailed for Stealing Goya Painting From the National Gallery in 1961," Guardian, Jan. 13, 1996, 3. Paul Hoffman, "Psst! Wanna Buy a Hot Rembrandt?", New York Times, June 1, 1975. "Stolen Wellington by Goya Rehung in London Gallery," New York Times, Jan. 12, 1966. W. Granger Blair, "Briton Acquitted of Stealing Goya; But Admitted Thief Is Guilty of Taking the Frame," New York Times, Nov. 17, 1965. Clyde H. Farnsworth, "Ransom Asked for Goya Stolen in '61," New York Times, Dec. 31, 1964. "Work Said to Be Uninsured," New York Times, Feb. 18, 1964. "'No Questions' Deal Is Offered for Goya," New York Times, Jan. 8, 1964. "Scotland Yard to Examine Alleged Ashes of Painting," New York Times, Jan. 2, 1964. "Greatest Heists in Art History," BBC News, Aug. 23, 2004. "Portrait of the Duke of Wellington," Paintings in Movies (accessed 11/17/2019). Jillian Elizabeth Seaton, "Touching the Void: The Museological Implications of Theft on Public Art Collections," dissertation, University of Edinburgh, 2014. County Cork's Algiers Inn, from listener Ken Murphy. Listener mail: The Algiers Inn. Barry Roche, "Pirate Raid That Stunned Nation," Sun, Jan. 10, 2003, 8. Wikipedia, "Alaska Purchase" (accessed Nov. 22, 2019). Jesse Greenspan, "Why the Purchase of Alaska Was Far From 'Folly,'" History.com, March 30, 2017. "Purchase of Alaska, 1867," Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State (accessed Nov. 22, 2019). "History of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security of the United States Department of State," U.S. Department of State, October 2011 (page xxiii). Ralph E. Weber, "Seward's Other Folly: America's First Encrypted Cable," Studies in Intelligence 36 (1992), 105-109. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Jesse Schlaud. 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://futilityc

In the 1940s, Frances Glessner Lee brought new rigor to crime scene analysis with a curiously quaint tool: She designed 20 miniature scenes of puzzling deaths and challenged her students to investigate them analytically. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death and their importance to modern investigations. We'll also appreciate an overlooked sled dog and puzzle over a shrunken state. Intro: In a lecture at Cornell, Vladimir Nabokov considered Gregor Samsa's new species. Siren Elise Wilhelmsen taught a clock to knit a scarf. Flickr and the Smithsonian American Art Museum have image galleries of Frances Glessner Lee's nutshell studies. Sources for our story: Corinne May Botz, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, 2004. Frances Glessner Lee, "Legal Medicine at Harvard University," Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science 42:5 (January-February 1952), 674-678. M. Uebel, "Corpus Delicti: Frances Glessner Lee and the Art of Suspicion," Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 27:2 (2018), 124-126. Jacquelyn A.D. Jones, "The Value and Potential of Forensic Models," Forensics Journal 8 (2017), 58-65. Katherine Ramsland, "The Truth in a Nutshell," Forensic Examiner 17:2 (2008), 1620. "Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death," Forensic Magazine, Sept. 8, 2017. Jimmy Stamp, "How a Chicago Heiress Trained Homicide Detectives With an Unusual Tool: Dollhouses," Smithsonian.com, March 6, 2014. Sarah Zhang, "How a Gilded-Age Heiress Became the 'Mother of Forensic Science,'" Atlantic, Oct. 14, 2017. Nicole Cooley, "Death and Feminism in a Nutshell," Paris Review, Feb. 5, 2018. Nigel Richardson, "Murder She Built," Telegraph Magazine, Jan. 31, 2015, 36. Catherine Nixey, "Who Shot Barbie?", Times, Nov. 10, 2014, 9. Jessica Snyder Sachs, "Welcome to the Dollhouses of Death," Popular Science 262:5 (May 2003), 38. William L. Hamilton, "Heiress Plotted 19 Grisly Crimes. Investigation Underway," New York Times, Jan. 10, 2018. Ariella Budick, "Bring Up the Bodies: Dioramas," Financial Times, Dec. 30, 2017, 14. "The Art of Murder: Miniature Dioramas of Unexplained Deaths – In Pictures," Guardian, Oct. 27, 2017. Maura Judkis, "Homicide Sweet Homicide," Washington Post, Oct. 27, 2017, T19. "These Miniature Murder Scenes Have Shown Detectives How to Study Homicides for 70 Years," Washington Post, Sept. 17, 2017, A.24. Chris Hewitt, "Crime-Scene Replicas Still Have Tale to Tell in Minneapolis Filmmaker's Documentary," Saint Paul Pioneer Press, March 18, 2013. Michael Sragow, "Murder in a Nutshell," Baltimore Sun, June 3, 2012, E.1. "Visible Proofs: Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death," New York Times, May 11, 2009. Amanda Schaffer, "Solving Puzzles With Body Parts as the Pieces," New York Times, Feb. 28, 2006. Robert Gottlieb, "True Story of Elderly Heiress Who Designed Dioramas of Death," New York Observer, Jan. 24, 2005, 21. Robin Summerfield, "Crime in a Nutshell," Calgary Herald, Jan. 1, 2005, G9. Jennifer Schuessler, "Murder in the Dollhouse," Boston Globe, Oct. 24, 2004, E.2. John Woestendiek, "Murder in Miniature," Baltimore Sun, Oct. 14, 2004, 1E. Eve Kahn, "Murder Downsized," New York Times, Oct. 7, 2004, F.1. "Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death," Smithsonian American Art Museum (accessed Nov. 10, 2019). "Dollhouse Crime Scenes," CBS Sunday Morning, Jan. 14, 2018. Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, "The Tiny, Murderous World of Frances Glessner Lee," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, Nov. 18, 2017. Alison Thoet, "Photos: These Gruesome Dollhouse Death Scenes Reinvented Murder Investigations," PBS NewsHour, Nov. 20, 2017. Ann Marie Menting, "Death in a Nutshell," Harvard Medical School, Sept. 18, 2017. Corinne May Botz, "The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death" (accessed Nov. 10, 2019). Gabrielle Alberts, "This Is Where I Leave You: Unsettling Realities of a Miniature," dissertation, University of Cape Town, 2013. Ferdinand Demara as "Hospital Doctor" in The Hypnotic Eye (1960). Sources for our listener mail segment: Wikipedia, "Ferdinand Waldo Demara: Films/TV" (accessed Nov. 13, 2019). IMDb, "The Hypnotic Eye" (accessed Nov. 13, 2019). IMDb, "Fred Demara: Biography" (accessed Nov. 16, 2019). Wikipedia, "M*A*S*H (TV series)" (accessed Nov. 13, 2019). "Captain Adam Casey," The Monster M*A*S*H Wiki (accessed Nov. 13, 2019). "Dear Dad ... Again (TV series episode)," The Monster M*A*S*H Wiki (accessed Nov. 13, 2019). Brendan Michael, "Check Out Willem Dafoe Mushing in First Look Image of Disney+'s 'Togo,'" Collider, Oct. 24, 2019. IMDb, "Togo (2019)" (accessed Nov. 16, 2019). Wikipedia, "Togo (film)" (accessed Nov. 14, 2019). "'The Great Alaskan Race' Review: A Historic Sled Rescue Turned to Mush," New York Times, Oct. 24, 2019. IMDb, "The Great Alaskan Race (2019)" (accessed Nov. 16, 2019). Dennis Harvey, "Film Review: 'The Great Alaskan Rac

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Huyler Ramsey set out to become the first woman to drive across the United States. In an era of imperfect cars and atrocious roads, she would have to find her own way and undertake her own repairs across 3,800 miles of rugged, poorly mapped terrain. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow Ramsey on her historic journey. We'll also ponder the limits of free speech and puzzle over some banned candy. Intro: Journalist Henri de Blowitz received the Treaty of Berlin in the lining of a hat. In 1895 John Haberle painted a slate so realistic that viewers were tempted to use it. Sources for our feature on Alice Ramsey: Alice Ramsey and Gregory M. Franzwa, Alice's Drive: Republishing Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron, 2005. Curt McConnell, A Reliable Car and a Woman Who Knows It: The First Coast-to-Coast Auto Trips by Women, 1899-1916, 2000. Women's Project of New Jersey, Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women, 1997. Catherine Gourley, Gibson Girls and Suffragists: Perceptions of Women from 1900 to 1918, 2008. Christina E. Dando, Women and Cartography in the Progressive Era, 2017. David Holmstrom, "On the Road With Alice," American History 29:3 (July/August 1994). Don Brown and Evan Rothman, "Queen of the Road," Biography 1:2 (February 1997), 48-52. Marina Koestler Ruben, "Alice Ramsey's Historic Cross-Country Drive," Smithsonian.com, June 4, 2009. Katherine Parkin, "Alice Ramsey: Driving in New Directions," New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 4:2 (2018), 160-178. Carla Rose Lesh, "'What a Woman Can Do With an Auto': American Women in the Early Automotive Era," dissertation, State University of New York at Albany, 2010. Brandon Dye, "Girls on the Road," Autoweek 56:36 (Sept. 4, 2006), 34. Jay Levin, "Daughter of Motoring Pioneer Dies," [Bergen County, N.J.] Record, Nov. 18, 2015, L.6. Joe Blackstock, "Alice Ramsey First Woman to Cross U.S. by Car," Inland Valley [Calif.] Daily Bulletin, March 28, 2011. Robert Peele, "History That's More Than the Sum of Its Parts," New York Times, March 26, 2010. "Preservation Society Honors Historic Drive," Reno Gazette-Journal, Oct. 9, 2009. Robert Peele, "New York to San Francisco in a 1909 Maxwell DA," New York Times, July 12, 2009. Robert Peele, "Recreating a 100-Year-Old Road Trip," New York Times, June 20, 2009. Jane Palmer, "Driving Along Like It's 1909," McClatchy-Tribune Business News, June 18, 2009. Jay Levin, "The Same Trip, 100 Years Later: N.J. Mother's 1909 Milestone," [Bergen County, N.J.] Record, June 10, 2009, L.3. "Re-enacting a Ground-Breaking Journey," New York Times, June 5, 2009. Jay Levin, "Trailblazing Ride Made History: 1909 Road Trip First for a Woman," [Bergen County, N.J.] Record, March 22, 2009, L.1. "Women Transcontinentalists Nearing Chicago," Automobile Topics 8:11 (June 19, 1909), 742. David Conwill, "Alice Ramsey," Hemmings Classic Car 164 (May 2018). "Alice Ramsey," Automotive Hall of Fame (accessed Nov. 3, 2019). Guide to the Alice Huyler Ramsey Papers, 1905-1989, Vassar College (accessed Nov. 3, 2019). Listener mail: Wikipedia, "Rage (King novel)," (accessed Nov. 6, 2019). Corey Adwar, "This Stephen King Novel Will Never Be Printed Again After It Was Tied to School Shootings," Business Insider, April 1, 2014. "Vermont Library Conference/VEMA Annual Meeting: The Bogeyboys," StephenKing.com (accessed Nov. 6, 2019). Wikipedia, "Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors" (accessed Nov. 6, 2019). Wikipedia, "Paladin Press" (accessed Nov. 10, 2019). "Killer of Three Gets Reduced Sentence," Washington Times, May 17, 2001. Emilie S. Kraft, "Hit Man Manual," First Amendment Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University (accessed Nov. 10, 2019). Calvin Reid, "Paladin Press Pays Millions to Settle 'Hit Man' Case," Publishers Weekly, May 31, 1999. David G. Savage, "Publisher of 'Hit Man' Manual Agrees to Settle Suit Over Triple Slaying," Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1999. Rice v. Paladin Enterprises, Inc., 128 F. 3d 233 - Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit 1997. David Montgomery, "If Books Could Kill," Washington Post, July 26, 1998. Robert W. Welkos, "Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Against Oliver Stone," Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2001. "Natural Born Killers Lawsuit Finally Thrown Out," Guardian, March 13, 2001. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Simone and her father. Here's a 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 commen

In 1822, Irish thief Alexander Pearce joined seven convicts fleeing a penal colony in western Tasmania. As they struggled eastward through some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, starvation pressed the party into a series of grim sacrifices. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow the prisoners on their nightmarish bid for freedom. We'll also unearth another giant and puzzle over an eagle's itinerary. Intro: Two presenters at an 1884 AAAS meeting reported on "musical sand" at Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. In scenes of pathos, Charles Dickens often slipped into blank verse. Sources for our feature on Alexander Pearce: Paul Collins, Hell's Gates, 2014. Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding, 2012. Robert Cox, A Compulsion to Kill: The Surprising Story of Australia's Earliest Serial Killers, 2014. Jane Stadler, Peta Mitchell, and Stephen Carleton, Imagined Landscapes: Geovisualizing Australian Spatial Narratives, 2015. "Alexander Pearce," Convict Records of Australia (accessed Oct. 27, 2019). Roger W. Byard and Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, "Cannibalism Amongst Penitentiary Escapees From Sarah Island in Nineteenth Century Van Diemen's Land," Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 1:3 (September 2018), 410–415. Therese-Marie Meyer, "Prison Without Walls: The Tasmanian Bush in Australian Convict Novels," Antipodes 27:2 (December 2013), 143-148. Michael A. Ashby and Leigh E. Rich, "Eating People Is Wrong ... or How We Decide Morally What to Eat," Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 10:2 (June 2013), 129–131. Gananath Obeyesekere, "'British Cannibals': Contemplation of an Event in the Death and Resurrection of James Cook, Explorer," Critical Inquiry 18:4 (Summer 1992), 630-654. Craig Cormick, "Confessions of a Cannibal," MARGIN: Monash Australiana Research Group Informal Notes, Issue 62, April 2004. Cassie Crofts, "Australian History: The Cannibal Convict," National Geographic, Jan. 8, 2016. "Alexander Pearce," Australian Geographic (accessed Oct. 27, 2019). Simon Morris, "No Person Can Tell What He Will Do When Driven by Hunger," Australian Geographic 94 (April-June 2009), 74-79. "The Convict Cannibal," Australian Geographic 94 (April-June 2009), 77. Tim Kroenert, "Cannibal Convict's Tour of Hell," Eureka Street 19:18 (Sept. 25, 2009), 5-7. "John Hagan: On the Trail of a Cannibal," Belfast Telegraph, May 12, 2007, 1. Paul Kalina, "Grisly Confession of a Cannibal Convict: Cover Story," The Age, Jan. 22, 2009, 12. Christopher Bantick, "Mind of a Maneater," Sunday Tasmanian, Aug. 10, 2008, A.8. Rebecca Fitzgibbon, "Our Own Breed of Horror," Sunday Tasmanian, Nov. 2, 2008, 68. Anita Beaumont, "Cannibal Convicts: Cover Story," [Newcastle, N.S.W.] Herald, Jan. 23, 2009, 5. Fran Cusworth, "Meat on the Hoof," [Melbourne] Herald Sun, Dec. 7, 2002, W.21. "A Real Life Horror Story of the Irish Cannibal Who Terrorized Australia," IrishCentral, Oct. 4, 2018. Rebecca Fitzgibbon, "Heart of Darkness," Sunday Tasmanian, Sept. 20, 2009, 25. LJ Charleston, "'We Ate Each Other One by One': The Gruesome Story of Alexander Pearce the Cannibal Convict," news.com.au, May 5, 2019. Greg Clarke, "Heavenly Signs at Gates to Hell," Sunday Tasmanian, Aug. 3, 2008, A.18. "Colonial Crime: Alexander Pearce, the Cannibal," Nightlife, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Dec. 20, 2018. "Alexander Pearce (1790 - 1824)," WikiTree (accessed Nov. 1, 2019). Listener mail: A. Glenn Rogers, "The Taughannock Giant," Life in the Finger Lakes, 1953. Charley Githler, "A Look Back At: Home-Grown Hoax: The Taughannock Giant," [Ithaca, N.Y.] Tompkins Weekly, Dec. 26, 2017. Charley Githler, "Local Legend: The Taughannock Giant," Ithaca.com, June 15, 2019. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1902, scam artist Cassie Chadwick convinced an Ohio lawyer that she was the illegitimate daughter of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. She parlayed this reputation into a life of unthinkable extravagance -- until her debts came due. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Chadwick's efforts to maintain the ruse -- and how she hoped to get away with it. We'll also encounter a haunted tomb and puzzle over an exonerated merchant. Intro: Inventor Otis L. Boucher offered a steel suit for soldiers during World War I. The tippe top leaps up onto its stem when spun. Sources for our feature on Cassie Chadwick: Kerry Segrave, Women Swindlers in America, 1860-1920, 2014. Alan F. Dutka, Misfortune on Cleveland's Millionaires' Row, 2015. George C. Kohn, The New Encyclopedia of American Scandal, 2001. William Henry Theobald, Defrauding the Government: True Tales of Smuggling, From the Note-book of a Confidential Agent of the United States Treasury, 1908. Karen Abbott, "The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance," Smithsonian.com, June 27, 2012. "Chadwick, Cassie L.," Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (accessed Oct. 20, 2019). Lindsay Kernohan, "Cassie Chadwick: A Very Double Life," Strathroy [Ontario] Age Dispatch, May 17, 2018, A7. Sadie Stein, "Impostors Among Us," Town and Country, February 2017. "Top 10 Imposters," Time, May 26, 2009. "Mrs. Chadwick Measured," Poughkeepsie Journal, Dec. 30, 2004, C.1. "Femme Fatale," D&B Reports 40:4 (July/August 1992), 47. "Cassie Chadwick's Jewels," The Bankers Magazine 106:3 (March 1923), 551. Arthur B. Reeve, "New and Old South Sea Bubbles," World's Work 41:1 (November 1920), 31-35. C.P. Connolly, "Marvelous Cassie Chadwick," McClure's Magazine 48:1 (November 1916), 9-11, 65-71. Walter Prichard Eaton, "The Gullible Rich," Munsey's Magazine 46:3 (December 1911), 335-340. "Cassie Chadwick Fretted Life Away in Ohio Prison," Cañon City [Colo.] Record 30:42 (October 17, 1907), 12. "Cassie Chadwick Dies in Prison," New York Times, Oct. 11, 1907. "Mrs. Chadwick Broken Down," Chickasha [Indian Territory] Daily Express, Feb. 19, 1907. "Mrs. Chadwick's Sentence," New York Times, March 28, 1905. "Carnegie Sees Note; Laughs at Bad Spelling of Chadwick Trust Agreement," New York Times, March 6, 1905. "Mr. Carnegie on Hand for Chadwick Trial," New York Times, March 5, 1905. "Chadwick Indictments," New York Times, Feb. 22, 1905. "Motion to Quash," St. John Daily Sun, Feb. 28, 1905. "Tracing Chadwick Satchel," New York Times, Dec. 22, 1904. "Nearly Collapsed in Court," [Fredericksburg, Va.] Daily Star, Dec. 19, 1904. "Meeting Dramatic," Associated Press, Dec. 16, 1904. "Chadwick Paper Out Is Over $19,000,000," New York Times, Dec. 11, 1904. "Trail of Mrs. Chadwick," Carroll [Iowa] Herald, Dec. 7, 1904. Listener mail: C.H. Shanan, "The Haunted Tomb," Wide World Magazine 35:207 (July 1915), 281-285. (Listener Peter Atwood found this story through the podcast Reading, Short and Deep, Episode 188.) Wikipedia, "The Wide World Magazine" (accessed Oct. 26, 2019). "The Wide World Magazine," The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia (accessed Oct. 23, 2019). "Biography: The Boer War," The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia (accessed Oct. 23, 2019). Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Arthur Conan Doyle" (accessed Oct. 23, 2019). "Govt Mulling Over 1400-km Long Great 'Green Wall' to Tackle Land Desertification," News 18 India, Oct. 9, 2019. Vishwa Mohan, "Government Plans 1,400km Long Great 'Green Wall' of India," Times of India, Oct. 9, 2019. Aryn Baker, "Can a 4,815-Mile Wall of Trees Help Curb Climate Change in Africa?", Time, Sept. 12, 2019. Tony Hoare, "Null References: The Billion Dollar Mistake," QCon 2009. Wikipedia, "Tony Hoare" (accessed Oct. 23, 2019). The Chambers Dictionary. Chambers' 500 entertaining words. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was devised by Greg. Here's a 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

In 1978, two luminaries of South Korean cinema were abducted by Kim Jong-Il and forced to make films in North Korea in an outlandish plan to improve his country's fortunes. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of Choi Eun-Hee and Shin Sang-Ok and their dramatic efforts to escape their captors. We'll also examine Napoleon's wallpaper and puzzle over an abandoned construction. Intro: In 1891, Robert Baden-Powell encoded the locations of Dalmatian forts in innocent drawings of butterflies. Legal scholar Mark V. Tushnet suggests how a 16-year-old might seek the presidency. Sources for our feature on Choi Eun-Hee and Shin Sang-Ok: Paul Fischer, A Kim Jong-Il Production, 2015. Johannes Schönherr, North Korean Cinema: A History, 2012. Steven Chung, Split Screen Korea: Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema, 2014. Bradley K. Martin, Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty, 2007. "Choi Eun-hee: South Korean Actress Who Was Kidnapped by North Dies," BBC, April 17, 2018. Martin Belam, "Choi Eun-hee, Actor Once Abducted by North Korea, Dies," Guardian, April 17, 2018. "A Hong Kong Kidnap: How Kim Jong-il Had South Korea's Top Actress Abducted From Repulse Bay," South China Morning Post, March 25, 2015. "Famed South Korean Actress Choi Eun-Hee, Who Was Abducted by North Korean Spies in Hong Kong for Film Fan Kim Jong-Il, Dies Aged 91," South China Morning Post, April 17, 2018. Olivier Holmey, "Remembering Choi Eun-hee, the South Korean Film Actor Once Abducted by Pyongyang," Independent, May 14, 2018. Ilana Kaplan, "Choi Eun-Hee Dead: South Korean Actress Once Kidnapped by North Korea Dies Aged 92," Independent, April 17, 2018. Barbara Demick, "Secret Tape Recordings of Kim Jong Il Provide Rare Insight Into the Psyche of His North Korean Regime," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 27, 2016. Euan McKirdy, "South Korean Actress and Former North Korean Abductee Choi Eun-Hee Dies," CNN, April 17, 2018. Julian Ryall, "The Incredible Life Story of Actress Choi Eun-Hee, Abducted by North Korea and Forced to Make Films for Kim Jong-il," Telegraph, April 17, 2018. Nicolas Levi, "Kim Jong Il: A Film Director Who Ran a Country," Journal of Modern Science 25:2 (2015), 155-166. Choe Sang-Hun, "Obituary: Shin Sang Ok, 80, Korean Film Director," New York Times, April 12, 2006. Douglas Martin, "Shin Sang Ok, 80, Korean Film Director Abducted by Dictator, Is Dead," New York Times, April 13, 2006. Alexandra Alter, "North Korea's Love-Hate of Movies," New York Times, Dec. 31, 2014. Peter Maass, "The Last Emperor," New York Times, Oct. 19, 2003. Chris Knight, "Kim Jong-il's Bizarre Interlude in the Movies," Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 30, 2016, E.5. "A Memoir: Shin Sang-ok, Choi Eun-hee and I," Korea Times, Oct. 5, 2016. "Choi Eun-hee: Beautiful Actress and Doyenne of Postwar South Korean Films Before Her Kidnap by North Korea Where She Lived in a Gilded Cage," Times, June 4, 2018, 48. Ronald Bergan, "Obituary: Shin Sang-Ok: South Korean Film Director Whose Life Read Like the Plot of a Far-Fetched Thriller," Guardian, April 19, 2006, 34. Lawrence Levi, "Lights, Camera, Kidnap," Newsday, Feb. 8, 2015, C.17. "The Incredible Life Story of Actress Choi Eun-hee, Abducted by North Korea and Forced to Make Films for Kim Jong-il," Telegraph, April 17, 2018. An Hong-Kyoon, "More Dramatic Than Movie," Korea Times, Oct. 6, 2016. Hannah McGill, "Acting in the Dictator's Cut," Independent, March 14, 2015, 22. Olivier Holmey, "South Korean Film Actor Abducted by Pyongyang," Independent, May 16, 2018, 36. Peter Keough, "How Kim Jong-il Got What He Wanted," Boston Globe, Sept. 23, 2016, G.8. Peter Keough, "That Time Kim Jong-il Kidnapped His Favorite Movie Star and Director," Boston Globe, Sept. 21, 2016, G.8. Khang Hyun-sung, "Director's Colourful Life Competed With His Cinematic Creations," South China Morning Post, April 15, 2006, 11. Jennifer Hunter, "The Stranger-Than-Fiction Abduction of a Director and His Star," Toronto Star, Jan. 31, 2015, IN.3. "Obituary of Shin Sang-ok," Daily Telegraph, May 6, 2006. Tim Robey, "Losing the Plot: Kim Jong-il Was So Set on Film-Making He Kidnapped Two South Korean Stars," Daily Telegraph, Feb. 28, 2015, 30. Here's Pulgasari, the monster movie that got Shin and Choi to Vienna. In the West it's regarded as a dud. "Pulgasari marked a turn in Shin's career, the first time he had put all his energy into a picture and created a stinker," writes Paul Fischer. "It was a sudden, inexplicable transformation, after which Shin never recovered his magic touch." Listener mail: Ted Chamberlain, "Napoleon Death Mystery Solved, Experts Say," National Geographic, Jan. 17, 2007. "Napoleon Death: Arsenic Poisoning Ruled Out," Live Science, Feb. 12, 2008. "Was Napoleon Poisoned?", American Museum of Natural History, Jan. 21, 2014. J. Thomas Hindmarsh and John Savory, "The Death of Napoleon, Cancer or Arsenic?", Clinical Chemistry 54:12 (2008), 2092-2093. William J. Broad, "Hair Analy

One night in 1631, pirates from the Barbary coast stole ashore at the little Irish village of Baltimore and abducted 107 people to a life of slavery in Algiers -- a rare instance of African raiders seizing white slaves from the British Isles. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the sack of Baltimore and the new life that awaited the captives in North Africa. We'll also save the Tower of London and puzzle over a controversial number. Intro: In 1999, inventor Allison Andrews proposed dividing all our pants in half. In 1955, test pilot Alvin Johnston put an airliner through a barrel roll. Sources for our feature on the sack of Baltimore: Des Ekin, The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates, 2012. Nabil Matar, British Captives From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, 2014. David D. Hebb, Piracy and the English Government 1616–1642: Policy-Making Under the Early Stuarts, 2016. Sir Robert Lambert Playfair, The Scourge of Christendom: Annals of British Relations With Algiers Prior to the French Conquest, 1884. Theresa D. Murray, "From Baltimore to Barbary: The 1631 Sack of Baltimore," History Ireland 14:4 (July/August 2006). Nabil Matar, "The Barbary Corsairs, King Charles I and the Civil War," Seventeenth Century 16:2 (October 2001), 239-258. Nabil I. Matar, "Wives, Captive Husbands, and Turks: The First Women Petitioners in Caroline England," Explorations in Renaissance Culture 40:1-2 (Summer-Winter 2014), 125+. Paul Baepler, "The Barbary Captivity Narrative in American Culture," Early American Literature 39:2 (January 2004), 217-246. Robert C. Davis, "Counting European Slaves on the Barbary Coast," Past & Present 172 (August 2001), 87-124. Paul Baepler, "White Slaves, African Masters," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 588 (July 2003), 90-111. Erik Göbel, "The Danish Algerian Sea Passes, 1747-1838: An Example of Extraterritorial Production of Human Security," Historical Social Research 35:4, 164-189. Des Ekin, "The Irish Village That Was Kidnapped by Islamist Extremists," Irish Independent, Sept. 2, 2006, 1. "Cork Village to Recall Historical Event in Summer Festival," Irish Times, June 20, 2000, 2. Frank McNally, "An Irishman's Diary," Irish Times, June 20, 2007, 17. "Algerian Pirates Who Took Devon Settlers as Slaves," [Exeter] Express & Echo, June 20, 2007, 15. "Pirates of the Cork Coast," Irish Times, Sept. 16, 2006, 9. "Village Stolen for a Life of Slavery," [Plymouth, U.K.] Western Morning News, Feb. 17, 2007, 10. "Islamic Pirates' Raid on Baltimore," Nationalist, Nov. 16, 2010. Lara Marlowe, "Secrets of Barbary Corsair Life Uncovered: Historian Debunks Myth of 'Savage' Attack by Barbary Corsairs on Baltimore," Irish Times, Feb. 18, 1998, 13. "Anniversary of Baltimore Pirate Raid," Irish Examiner, June 20, 2013. "The Irish Slaves in North Africa," Irish Independent, Nov. 11, 2006, 1. James McConnachie, "Scourge of the Waves: Mediterranean Pirates Were Easily as Exotic and Terrifying as Their More Famous Caribbean Counterparts," Sunday Times, March 28, 2010, 42. Barry Roche, "Pirate Raid That Stunned Nation," Sun, Jan. 10, 2003, 8. Thomas Osborne Davis, "The Sack of Baltimore," in Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed., A Victorian Anthology, 1895. Listener mail: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Victoria Day" (accessed Oct. 10, 2019). Canadian Encyclopedia, "Victoria Day," Feb. 7, 2006. "Why Do We Celebrate Victoria Day?", CBC Kids (accessed Oct. 10, 2019). Wikipedia, "Victoria Day (Scotland)" (accessed Oct. 10, 2019). No Such Thing as a Fish, Episode 111, "No Such Thing as Snappedy Chat," originally aired April 28, 2016. Wikipedia, "Queen's Official Birthday" (accessed Oct. 9, 2019). Wikipedia, "Ravens of the Tower of London" (accessed Oct. 10, 2019). William Booth, "The Secrets of the Tower of London's Royal Ravenmaster," Washington Post, Oct. 20, 2018. "How the Ravenmaster of London Protects the Kingdom With Birds," CBC Radio, Oct. 30, 2018. PD Smith, "The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife Review -- My Life at the Tower of London," Guardian, Nov. 3, 2018. "Tower of London Welcomes First Raven Chicks in 30 Years," BBC News, May 17, 2019. Meilan Solly, "Tower of London Welcomes Baby Ravens for the First Time in 30 Years," Smithsonian.com, May 21, 2019. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Mendel Smith, 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 pod

Ferdinand Demara earned his reputation as the Great Impostor: For over 22 years he criss-crossed the country, posing as everything from an auditor to a zoologist and stealing a succession of identities to fool his employers. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll review Demara's motivation, morality, and techniques -- and the charismatic spell he seemed to cast over others. We'll also make Big Ben strike 13 and puzzle over a movie watcher's cat. Intro: In 1825, Thomas Steele proposed enclosing Isaac Newton's residence in a pyramid surmounted by a stone globe. In 1923 Arthur Guiterman found a rhyme for wasp. Sources for our feature on Ferdinand Demara: Robert Crichton, The Great Impostor, 1959. Robert Crichton, The Rascal and the Road, 1961. Frank E. Hagan, Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior, 2008. Joe McCarthy, "The Master Imposter: An Incredible Tale," Life, Jan. 28, 1952. Susan Goldenberg, "Unmasked," Canada's History 91:1 (February/March 2011), 31-36. Ray Cavanaugh, "Brother, Doctor, Soldier, Lies," National Catholic Reporter 51:20 (July 17, 2015), 16. David Goldman, "The Great Impostor," Biography 4:8 (August 2000), 24. "Ferdinand Waldo Demara, 60, An Impostor in Varied Fields," Associated Press, June 9, 1982. Tim Holmes, "Ferdinand Waldo Demara: One of the Greatest Imposters the World Has Ever Seen," Independent, Aug. 29, 2019. Kevin Loria, "The True Story of a Con Artist Who Conducted Surgeries, Ran a Prison, Taught College, and More," Business Insider, Feb. 20, 2016. "Americana: Ferdinand the Bull Thrower," Time, Feb. 25, 1957. Samuel Thurston, "Champion Rascal," New York Times, July 26, 1959. "Top 10 Imposters," Time, May 26, 2009. "'The Great Imposter' Reportedly a Cleric," Associated Press, Jan. 8, 1970. Thomas M. Pryor, "Universal to Film 'Great Impostor'; Career of Ferdinand Demara Jr. Will Be Traced -- Lilli Palmer's Pact Extended," New York Times, March 12, 1959. John Schwartz, "Ideas & Trends; James Gatz, Please Call Your Office," New York Times, March 11, 2001. Eric Pace, "Notes on People," New York Times, April 6, 1978. "Fake Surgeon a Success; Canada to Oust American Who Served Navy in Korea," New York Times, Nov. 21, 1951. "Navy Drops Bogus Surgeon," New York Times, Jan. 30, 1952. "Schoolmaster a Fraud; 'Surgeon' During Korea War Is Unmasked in Maine," New York Times, Feb. 15, 1957. Samuel T. Williamson, "Life Is a Masquerade," New York Times, Dec. 3, 1961. Glen Hallick, "Local Veteran Reflects on Service in the Korean War," Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times [Manitoba], July 25, 2013, 14. Glenn R. Lisle, "Waldo Demara Was a Daring Imposter," Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 20, 2006, A15. "The Original 'Impostor'," Newsday, Oct. 13, 1996, A.41. "Korean War Veteran Wells Met the Great Imposter," Scarborough [Ontario] Mirror, Nov. 12, 2012, 1. Marty Gervais, "My Town," Windsor [Ontario] Star, May 31, 2003, A5. Darren Mcdonald, "The Great Imposter," Chilliwack [B.C.] Times, Nov. 11, 2005, B2. John F. Morrison, "'The Great Imposter': Jack Doe of All Trades," Philadelphia Daily News, March 30, 1983, 22. Pat MacAdam, "The Great Impostor's Last Victim," Ottawa Citizen, April 11, 1999, A3. John Affleck, "Bold Look Into Minds of Conmen," Gold Coast [Southport, Queensland] Bulletin, June 18, 2016, 55. Glen Hallick, "Stan Davis Reflects on His Service in the Korean War," Interlake Spectator, July 25, 2013, 12. "From Our Pages: 1951," Kingston [Ontario] Whig, Dec. 27, 1999, 54. Darrel Bristow-Bovey, "The Man With 50 Lives," [Johannesburg] Times, Nov. 3, 2017. When Demara appeared on You Bet Your Life in 1959, Groucho Marx called him "the most intelligent and charming and likable crook I've ever met." Listener mail: "Hear Big Ben on the Radio Before You Hear It in Real Life," Londonist, Sept. 26, 2014. John O'Ceallaigh, "40 Amazing Facts About Big Ben – As Its Clock Takes on a New Colour," Telegraph, March 22, 2019. "The Great Bell - Big Ben," parliament.uk (accessed Oct. 5, 2019). Wikipedia, "Big Ben" (accessed Oct. 5, 2019). "How to Make Big Ben Strike Thirteen?", Secrets of the Universe, BBC, Nov. 1, 2010. Wikipedia, "Big Ben Strikes Again" (accessed Oct. 3, 2019). Jets Hunt, GPS Puzzles and the Sherlock Holmes Mystery: GPS (Global Positioning System) vs. Sherlock Holmes, 2010. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listeners Neil De Carteret and Nala. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for

In 1929, detective novelist Arthur Upfield wanted to devise the perfect murder, so he started a discussion among his friends in Western Australia. He was pleased with their solution -- until local workers began disappearing, as if the book were coming true. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the Murchison murders, a disturbing case of life imitating art. We'll also incite a revolution and puzzle over a perplexing purchase. Intro: Jacques Jouet wrote a love poem in the language of Tarzan's great apes. To accompany Apollo 11, the president of Ivory Coast wrote a message to the moon. Above: Snowy Rowles with James Ryan's car, photographed by Arthur Upfield. Sources for our feature on the Murchison murders: Arthur Upfield, The Murchison Murders, 1932. Arthur Upfield, The Sands of Windee, 1931. Arthur Upfield, Up and Down the Real Australia, 2009. Jack Coulter, With Malice Aforethought, 1982. James Morton and Susanna Lobez, Dangerous to Know: An Australasian Crime Compendium, 2009. Travis Barton Lindsey, Arthur William Upfield: A Biography, dissertation, Murdoch University, 2005. Carol Hetherington, "Bony at Home and Abroad: The Arthur Upfield Phenomenon," Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (2009). Bill Casey, "Some Burning Issues: Arthur Upfield and the Murchison Murders, Marginalising Aboriginal People and Suggestions on Teaching Australia's History of Frontier Violence," Australian Aboriginal Studies 1 (2018), 29-42. "Turning Pages," The Age, July 18, 2015, 29. Christopher Fowler, "Arthur Upfield," Independent, Sept. 15, 2013, 16. Terry Sweetman, "Perfect Murder Around the Fire," [Brisbane] Courier-Mail, Aug. 25, 2013, 55. James Cockington, "Detective Work Pays Off: Enjoy It - Collect," Sydney Morning Herald, Nov. 17, 2010, 13. Rachel Browne, "Perfect Crime," [Sydney] Sun-Herald, June 14, 2009, 3. Bridget McManus, "A Novel Approach to Crime," Sydney Morning Herald, June 8, 2009, 6. Many thanks to Graham Marshall for his help in researching this story. Listener mail: Wikipedia, "The Scottish Play" (accessed Sept. 4, 2019). Royal Shakespeare Company, "The Curse of the Scottish Play" (accessed Sept. 4, 2019). "Macbeth: The Curse of the Scottish Play," Telegraph, Sept. 18, 2015. Laura Schumm, "Why Do Actors Avoid the Word 'Macbeth'?", History.com, April 9, 2014. David Berre, "'Macbeth' Curse of the Stage," Washington Post, Jan. 28, 1988. "'Scottish Curse' Struck Heston in Bermuda," Bernews, April 7, 2013. Tim Hodgson, "Heston's 'Macbeth' Painting Goes on Display," Royal Gazette, April 18, 2016. "Did the Dumb Girl of Portici Really Set Off the Belgian Revolution in 1830?", Focus on Belgium, Aug. 10, 2018. Wikipedia, "La muette de Portici," (accessed Sept. 17, 2019). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Jim Power. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Here are seven new lateral thinking puzzles -- play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions. Intro: The Rotator typeface presents the digits 0-9 even when turned upside down. In 1897 The Strand designed a complete alphabet using three human acrobats. 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 Kyle's Hendrickson's 1998 book Mental Fitness Puzzles. Puzzle #2 was contributed by listener Chris. Puzzle #3 was contributed by listener Wayne. Here are two links with further information. Puzzle #4 is from listener Jeff Harvey. Puzzle #5 is from listener Ben Sack, who sent two corroborating links. Puzzle #6 is based on an item in Dan Lewis' Now I Know newsletter. Here's a corroborating link. Puzzle #7 is from listener Katie Tripp. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening!