Latest / Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities / The Heist

Transcript

The Heist · Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: If you travel around South Africa, you might wind up
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Inclining Karu, an arid valley in the Western Cape. Nestled
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: between two mountain ranges, the valley is known for stunning
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: views and gorgeous weather. It's also home to nine elaborate mansions,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: each looking like a tiny palace fit for a maharajah.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: These are called the Feather Palaces. They were built by
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: nine South African families who became rich the feather craze
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: of the early nineteen hundreds. Yes, you've heard that right,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: the feather craze. Now, if you've never heard of it before,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: you are not alone. Most people have no idea that
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: at one point feathers were worth more by weight than diamonds.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Even more bizarre were the lengths that some people went
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: to to corner the feather market. They were ready to beg, borrow,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: and literally steal just to get their hands on some
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: ostrich plumes. By nineteen ten, American women were obsessed with big,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: stately hats adorned with bushy feathers. The bigger the feathers,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: the better the hat. Some women even fixed taxidermy birds
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: to their brims. After all, why settle for a few
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: feathers when you can have the whole animal? And Ostrich
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: feathers were the fluffiest feathers on the market, so they
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: were the most sought after, and since they had to
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: be shipped from overseas, they were expensive. At the time,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: South Africa was the ostrich farm capital of the world.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Ostrich feathers were the fourth largest X point, just behind
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: gold and diamonds, and interestingly enough, the ostrich trade was
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: largely run by a Lithuanian Jewish community. They had escaped
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Czarist rule and emigrated to a town called Oatshorn in
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: the Klein Karu Valley, where they swiftly set up ostrich farms,
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: and before long they were raking in the dough. At first,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: they enjoyed a feather boon and made money hand over fist,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: but soon enough American competitors crowded into the market. The
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: South African ostrich industry needed an edge if they wanted
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: to stay competitive with American ostrich farmers. Now, the best
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: ostrich feathers in the world didn't actually come from South Africa.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: They were plucked from barbary ostriches. The problem with that
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: was that nobody knew where barbary ostriches were from. The
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: prevailing rumor was that they were bred in Nigeria. So
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: the South African government decided to fund an expedition to
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Nigeria to see if they could figure out where the
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: ostriches were bred and whether they could buy some. Naturally,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: they hired a group of agricultural professors to lead this expedition.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: So in nineteen eleven, a small group of professors landed
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: in Nigeria. They hired one hundred local men to carry
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: their luggage and equipment into the Sahara Desert and they
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: set up camp along a trade route, and every time
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: a trader passed through with ostriches, the professors would secretly
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: inspect the birds to see if they were these sacred
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: barbary ostriches, and eventually some traders passed through with a
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: flock of the desired birds, but there was a problem.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: As it turns out, the ostriches were not from Nigeria.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: They came from just across the border, which at the
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: time was a French military territory. The South African government
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: asked France if they could buy a flock of barbary ostriches,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: and predictably, the French government said no, and that should
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: have been the end of the conversation. But remember ostrich
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: feathers were South Africa's fourth largest export. They desperately needed
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: to stay on top of the market, so they told
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: the professors if by the birds, just steal them. And so,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: in the dead of night, these professors snuck over the
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: border and into military territory. They ducked past soldiers and
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: gangs of bandits until they finally located a massive flock
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: of barbary ostriches and they managed to make it back
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: to their camp with one hundred and fifty six birds
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: in tow. Of course, this presented the professors with a
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: new challenge. They couldn't just take the birds on a
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: train back to South Africa because that would arouse suspicion.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: So how would they get the ostriches back across the
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Sahara Desert. Well, remember those one hundred local men they
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: hired to set up their camp. Well, the professors hired
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: the men again to carry their belongings and help them
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: build crude ostrich pens out of sticks. They then loaded
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: the ostriches inside the pens, marched them about one hundred
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and eighty miles across the desert to Lagos, where it
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: was safe to board a boat for home. And when
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: they arrived back in South Africa with these birds, the
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: professors were lauded as heroes. For the moment, it seemed
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: as if had saved the South African feather trade. But fate,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: as always, would get the last laugh. Just a year
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: after this elaborate heist, the feather industry collapsed. In the
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: United States. Cars were becoming a popular mode of transportation,
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: and cars back then didn't have tops, so it was
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: impossible to wear giant, feathered covered hats while sitting in
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: the front seat of a car. Women traded in their
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: feather hats for driving caps, and the price of feathers plummeted.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: In the end, the professors risked their lives for a
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: journey that wasn't worth the trip, but in terms of
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: great stories, it's safe to say that this one was
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: a real feather in their caps. In fourteen eighty five,
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: a Portuguese sailor, let's call him Alvaro shall we strained
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: against the oars of a rowboat, swatting at mosquitoes as
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: he went. He and his fellow sailors were on a
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: river in the rainforests of Nigeria. They hoped to find
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: the rumored city of Benin, which was said to contain riches.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Unlike any scene in Europe, traveling through the jungle was exciting,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: but also uncomfortable. There were bugs everywhere, and Alvao couldn't
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: remember a time when he wasn't sweating profusely, and there
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: was always a lingering fear in the back of his mind.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: They could become lost in the jungle, possibly for nothing.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: They were only even here on the word of travelers
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: and traders who claimed to have met people from Benin city.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Alvaro's heart sank when, after a few days of rowing,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: the river finally came to an end they would have
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: to leave their boats and proceed on foot. The river
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: had at least provided some direction. Now they would be
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: completely at the mercy of the jungle, but after only
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: a short bit of walking, Alvaro and his crew were
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: stunned to find a dirt path clear as could be
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: leading them north. Their hearts soared. Perhaps this was the
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: way to the city, and so they continued on. Alvaro
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: kept his eyes on the horizon as always, hoping to
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: catch a glimpse of their destination, and his eyes were
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: eventually drawn to a strange bird perched atop the tree line.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: At first, Alvaro thought that it was some kind of
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: huge condor with its wings expanded, but as they got closer,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: he realized that it wasn't moving. It wasn't a real
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: bird at all. It was a carved one perched atop
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: a tower. They had found the city. Alvaro raced ahead,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: hurrying up the road, unable to contain himself. When he
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: crested the next hill, he was unprepared for the site
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: that unfolded before him. Benin city was massive, stretching out
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: as far as the eye could see. Dozens of towers
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: with the carved bird toppers dotted the skyline, but most
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: impressive were the walls. They were about ten feet high
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: and they stretched for thousands of miles. It seems, surrounding
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: the city and also breaking it up into a series
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: of interconnected communities, and each community was constructed with order
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: and precision. The streets were long and wide, dividing up
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: the buildings in endless rings. They were also dotted with
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: metal lamps that Alvarro assumed illuminated the city at night.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: He and his crew were greeted warmly at the gates.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: The people of the city wore bright and colorful robes,
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: unlike any Alvaro had ever seen before. They guided the
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: crew through the streets, and Alvaro could peer into each
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: building as they went. They had no doors, Apparently the
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: citizens weren't worried about theft. Each home looked very similar,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: with a central chamber and two rooms connected to it,
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: and he could see that the main room was for
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: the patriarch of each house and the side rooms were
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: for the women and children. In fact, the more he looked,
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: the surer he was that the town centers were full
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: of life, with people trading in the exact kinds of goods.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: The crew had hoped to find, large elephant tusks, plentiful
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: cracked pepper, and textiles that would have surely impressed the king.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: When Alvarro looked ahead again, he suddenly realized that the
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: gate guards had led them to what was surely the
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: royal palace. It was constructed out of incredibly smooth clay
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: walls that were so clean and polished that you could
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: almost see your reflection in them. Bronze artwork adorned the entrance,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: showing the king's many accomplishments. Alvaro had expected to find
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: some thatched roofs and mud huts. He had not expected
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: a city that rivaled any in Europe. Once inside, he
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: and his men immediately bowed as they approached the throne
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: of none other than Oba Ozulua, legendary king of Benning City.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Alvaro and his fellow soldiers quickly produced bars of brass
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: and copper to show what they had to offer the king,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: who smiled, telling them that they were welcome there. It
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: seems that a door had been opened between two kingdoms,
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: and it would change this legendary city forever. You see,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: the additional bronze and copper from Portugal would allow the
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: king of Benning City to war with neighboring kingdoms. The
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: city soon became involved in the slave trade, selling their
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: captured enemies to the Europeans, and ruling over a large
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: empire soon meant that there was infighting and civil war
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: inside Benning City. By the late eighteen hundreds, it was
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: an easy target for British colonization, who destroyed the city,
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: so that today the only evidence of its former greatness
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: is found in the journals of the explorers who visited it.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: For the European explorers of old, there might have been
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: no greater discovery than a lost city, But looking back,
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: it would have been better for those cities to remain
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: as hidden as possible. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast,
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: about it over at the Worldolore dot com. And until
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.