I Can't Believe That Happened History Podcast for Kids

The Chess Playing Turk AutomatonThe magic trick that astounded the world was not made by a magician. It was not even intended to be a magic trick. It was a challenge and from the challenge one of the most interesting stories about magic and robots came to be.Maria Theresa of Austria had a performance planned for her court in 1769 to watch a demonstration of magnetic tricks.Her counselor, a Hungarian scientist Wolfgang Von Kempelen was unimpressed and said he could do better He returned in 1770 to perform, the creation took him six months.Created a life-size automaton. The Turkish chess player. He showed the court all of the mechanics. All the court saw was the gears and rods that would make the automaton move. The automaton was wound up ready to play, and a member of the court was chosen to play chess against the automaton.The court reported to hearing whirrs and clicks as the automation moved its' pieces.The automaton nodded twice to signal the check and three times for checkmate off its' opponent.The chess-playing Turk Automaton gathered many famous challengers playing and defeating Benjamin Franklin and Napolean Bonaparte. Edgar Allan Poe wrote an essay about the automaton.Wolfgang was not a magician he was a naturalist, a scientist, an architect, and a hydraulic engineer.The automaton had a long “life” touring Europe and the Americas for 84 years.The device was later purchased in 1804 and exhibited by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel. Maazel installed a voice box in the automaton that would say check whenever it cornered its’ opponent's king. Maazel set up the game with Napolean. It was said that the emperor, who ultimately lost, attempted to cheat multiple times with the automaton shaking its’ head and placing the chess piece back where it had been.How did a machine play chess? How did it account for variables and strategy? You are going to have to think outside the box to solve this puzzle. If you did not guess don’t feel badly. This automaton confounded most of the world. The gears were a front. A hidden cabinet exited where a very small chess master could fit inside the secret compartment and play using puppeteering levers and dangling metal discs that were attracted to the magnets at the base of the chess pieces. The chess masters who secretly operated it included Johann Allgaier, Boncourt, Aaron Alexandre, William Lewis, Jacques Mouret, and William Schlumberger, but the operators within the mechanism during Kempelen's original tour remain a mystery.The illusion was completely shattered when Maelzel died unexpectedly in 1838 and the automaton was taken by one of his creditors.The original automaton was destroyed in a fire but there are reproductions. John Gaughan spent a reported 120,000 to build his own version in 1984. It uses the original chess board which had not been destroyed in the fire. It ran not with a human chess master but with a computer running a chess program.Bibliography:Magic 1400’s-1950’s Daniel, Noel Caveney, Mike Jay, Ricky and Steinmeyer Jim TaschenWikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turk   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaques de VaucansonEarly Life:Jaques de Vaucanson was born in Grenoble, France in 1709 10th child to a poor family of glove makersJaques wanted to become a clock maker as a child. His mother being very religious took Jaques to church with her. While she was in confession Jaques would watch the clock until he memorized its’ mechanisms to such perfection he was able to recreate it at home.When Jaques father died when he was seven he was sent to live and train with the Jesuits. It was a difficult place for Jaques and he did poorly unable to concentrate on lessons. He was even punished for having cogs and wheels to create a boat in his possessions. There was a stand off with the priests where he refused to learn until a teacher would help him make a boat that could cross the pond. After being punished a math teacher and monk decided to help Jaques. Later he became reacquainted with his love of mechanics after meeting the surgeon Claude-Nicolas Le Cat this is where his love of anatomy came from that will feature in his work.At 18 he had his first automaton workshop in Lyon in 1727. Jaques created a robot that would serve the dinner and clear the table. Instead of being impressed one of the politicians found the robot to be an insult to the natural order and demanded the workshop to be destroyed.This era was the time of the robots. They were all the rage in the royal courts though were often classified as toys or games.Jaques was also greatly admired by the famous minds of his time. Voltaire even called him a "new Prometheus". Robots: The Flute PlayerThe flute player while a marvel was Jaques first steps into creating not just a robot that would perform tasks but a robot that could imitate life. In 1737 the flute player was made as a life size Shepard that could play 12 songs.It is said that the flute player came to him in a fevered dream during a four month illness.Vaucanson had been told by a musician that the most difficult instrument to play and tune was a flute. The challenge was set and he decided to make an automaton that would not just mimic playing but would actually play the most difficult instrument.This is what made the flute player unique in a court full of interesting automata was that the machine was playing the music as if it were alive using fashioned lungs that created the breath, fingers that moved, and a mouth that created the shapes need to make the music. The robot was playing the flute in an approximation of how a human would. He also created a tambourine player and a pipe and drum player based on the same principles.The Digesting Duck:When attendance and money fell of from his musicians in 1739, Jaques turned to something entirely new, the digesting Duck.“…it was the same size as a living duck. It could drink, muddle the water with its beak, quack, rise and settle back on its legs and, spectators were amazed to see, it swallowed food with a quick, realistic gulping action in its flexible neck.” Gaby WoodIt is important to say the duck would grab pellets from the hands of visitors, gulp the food down a tube where the pellets would be “digested” in the duck’s stomach and then the duck would poop out the food. The entire food cycle in a robot duck all to the hilarity and enraptured crowd of France.Research: This Eighteenth-Century Robot Actually Used Breathing to Play the FluteBy Kat EschnerSMITHSONIANMAG.COM FEBRUARY 24, 2017 Living Dolls: A Magical History Of The Quest For Mechanical Life by Gaby Wood The Gaurdia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Name: Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-JazarīEarly Life :Born 1136 CEBorn in Upper Mesopotamia. Like his father, he served as chief engineer at Artuklu Palace. His book: The Book of knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices includes all we know of al- Jazari's life and only includes inventions he created himself.Wrote: The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Device descriptions of over fifty mechanical devices with instructions on how to build them. His book was so important because he wrote it with full instructions, not keeping any trade secrets, a DIY book.Famous Inventions:The camshaft: this invention is what truly makes something a programmable computer. These are not seen again in Europe until a few centuries later. While we will focus on his Automata he did invent ways to bring water up without electricity.Automata: Moving peacock driven by hydropower.Musical Robot Band: Remember the can system? Robotic musicians would float on the lake playing music according to which can was put in place. Why the lake? Water power or hydraulic power.Clocks:Elephant clockCastle clock: 11 feet high displayed zodiac, solar, and lunar orbits. The clock had five robot musicians 2 falcons that would drop balls into busesBest Websiteto view the book and an easy breakdown for teachers and homeschoolers https://aljazaribook.com/en/Bibliography:Ben Kingsley describes Al-Jazari's Elephant Clock (1001 Inventions)[FILM] 1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets - starring Sir Ben Kingsley (English Version)Al-Jazari: The Mechanical Geniusby Salim Al-Hassanihttps://muslimheritage.com/al-jazari-the-mechanical-genius/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Archytas of Terentum First Dronemathematician, political leader (elected seven times), and philosopherAlive and active during the time of Plato. We know this because he sent a ship to rescue Plato from Syracuse. (not the city → this guy).We only have four fragments of Archytas' work. We mostly rely on writings that took place fifty years after his death to piece together his life.350 B. C.The first self-propelled flying deviceWooden mechanical dove capable of flapping wings and flying200 Meters using compressed air and steam.These are second-hand reports and many believe pulleys and counterweights were used since the first wind up bird was not invented until a few hundred years later by Hero of Alexandria who will talk about next week-This is only a theory since all records of the event state that-the bird actually flew but with no drawings of the workings of the dove we have to take guesses. Until a clever person or child recreates this original drone using materials and techniques of the times to see what was possible.BibliographyA Brief History of Robot BirdsThe early Greeks and Renaissance artists had birds on their brains By Jimmy StampSMITHSONIANMAG.COM MAY 22, 2013Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyArchytasFirst published Thu Jun 26, 2003; substantive revision Tue Aug 23, 2016 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the start of black history month, we are going to head all the way back to the old west to meet a man who has been long thought to be the inspiration behind The Lone Ranger. Take a listen through and if you are familiar with the TV show or watched the latest movie let me know below what you think. Without any dispute Bass Reeves was one of the most feared lawmen of the west. Born 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas as a slave. The slave owner was Confederate Colonel George Reeves and during the war. There are conflicting accounts as to what happened but on record, he said to have left to ensure his safety and his freedom. Bass Reeves escaped into Oklahoma territory where he found help and friendship amongst the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole First Nations Tribes. During his time with The First Nations Tribes, he learned the skills that would make him one of the best lawmen of the west. He learned to track, shoot, ride, and fluently speak five First Nations Languages. By the way, if I am using First Nations and Native incorrectly please email me. I did an extensive search but I am open to corrections.It is said that he left his master but that he went to the Union to fight. Other accounts have him moving to Arkansas to farm and marry Nellie Jennie (and have 11 children). Some accounts say both. Bass Reeves started as US Marshal in Oklahoma and the Arkansas Territories in 1875. Bass Reeves was never taught reading. He was said to have memorized how the suspect’s name looked on the paper ad was able to match it with the warrant. He was never said to have arrested the wrong person.He was known for his relentless pursuits of criminals and while shot at many times was said to have never been hit by a bullet. He did come close having both his hat and belt shot off. His jurisdiction territory spanned seventy-five thousand square miles. It was said that when a deputy marshal rode out for a round trip of 800 miles a wagon and a cook who also served as a guard went along. This territory was supposed to be handled by 200 deputies unfortunately according to records only twenty to thirty worked at a time.In total Bass Reeves accounted for over 3,000 felons using disguises (a fellow criminal hunted and shot at by law enforcement, a woman, or a preacher). Taking them in as they say dead or alive. Though according to the numbers he made sure to state of just over 3,000 he only had to kill 14 and only in self-defense.After he retired at 67 he spent two years as a city policeman in Muskogee, Oklahoma. During those two years, there were no reported crimes in his new territory.Historians have an incredible benefit to Bass Reeves working life in that he would often be followed by newspaper reporters who would give eye witness accounts. If you ever in the neighborhood go pay respects the bridge that crosses the Arkansas River named the Bass Reeves Memorial Bridge.One of my favorite depictions of Bass Reeves was on a short-lived but amazing sci fi show Timeless.  A thank you to Owlcation and the writer Readmikenow for a huge leg up on the structure of this episodeReferences:CNNThe Washinton PostThe Muskogee PheonixThe Oklahoma City Weekly Times-JournalNational Parks ServiceKey words Oklahoma History, Midwest History, Arkansas History  The Washinton Post The Muskogee Pheonix The Oklahoma City Weekly Times-Journal National Parks Service Key words Oklahoma History, Midwest History, Arkansas History Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone and this is our first week of robots the history! Robots, can you tell excited I am?Welcome to I can't believe this happened. We are going to start with ancient Greece and we're going, to begin with, the robot Talos.Links:HephaestusMinosZeusCreteColossus of RhodesDo You Want To Contribute? Did you find the wrong fact? Do you have the right one? Would you like to let me know what skills you would give your room protection robot? Click here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jean- Eugene-Robert-Houdin-(December 7, 1805 – June 13, 1871) “A magician is merely an actor playing the part of a magician.” Jean was born in Blois France to a watchmaker.  His father was set on Robert becoming a lawyer. Robert was set on becoming a watchmaker. He had a job as a clerk in a law office for a short time where he spent most of his time tinkering with mechanical objects in the office than writing and copying. He was sent back to his father where he became an apprentice watchmaker. He never stopped making clocks and is credited with the invention of The Mystery Clock.In the 1820’s he saved his money to purchase a 2 column set of books, Treatise on Clockmaking, written by Ferdinand Berthoud. In a twist of fate upon returning home he discovered Not the books he had saved for but a 2 volume set on magic called Scientific Amusements.The books had a fault. They explained the principle behind the trick but not how to perform the trick. Without the benefit of our modern magic, the internet. Robert went to take lessons from a local fair and party magician named, Maous from Blois (side note Maous from Blois was a foot doctor when not performing at parties). Jean learned sleight of hand and dexterity but the most important lesson he learned was repetition and discipline. I have researched many magicians and a constant theme is they are never without their trade. If they are a card magician you will never see them without a deck that they are working with. Jean also learned that it is crucial to still make money even while pursuing one’s passions. He opened a watchmakers shop and performed in his spare time.Jean met and married Josephe Cicle Houdin. He took her last name and hyphenated his Robert- Houdin in 1830. They moved to Paris where Jean worked in his father in laws watchmaking shop and he found a group of magicians at the shop Rue Richelieu.He married his love of mechanisms with an interest in automatons creating a singing bird, a dancer on a tightrope, and an automaton that wrote and drew. This was later sold to P.T. Barnum.Using his knowledge of engineering he created amazing props and made stories out of magic creating character plot tension and resolution in his acts.His props were nothing short of engineering marvels creating illusions that were not only beautiful but told stories from the growing an orange tree in a pot to the levitation of his son.His acts and his ability to create a narrative play from magic changed the way magic was performed to this day. Magic had become high entertainment and not a way for a magician to claim special powers. Magic was to awe and delight. It was an age of Darwin and reason and Houdin’s magic played into science and engineering of the age, not the superstition. To further prove this point he did not dress as magicians had before. No long robes embroidered with strange symbols. He dressed as the members of his audience would have done. Coattails, top hat, and gloves His first show was in his estimation a disaster. On July 3, 1845 he performed the “Soirees Fantastiques.”On the verge of a nervous breakdown he told a friend of his failure. His friend agreed with him. It was silly and ridiculous. This harshness gave Jean the kick up the backside he needed to try again.Jean had tremendous success both as an inventor of new and amazing illusions and by selling his magic tricks to other magicians. His style of having tricks build upon tricks to create a story is still used to this day. His influence on other magicians of his time and directly after can not be overstated. The most famous being Houdini who in 1891 took on the last name.In an interesting side not after he retired at 48 he was called upon by Napoleon the third to use his magic to pacify a tribe in Algeria.If you have ever seen a movie called Hugo you might have heard a few things that make you think of the movie. Here is why. In 1888 after his death, his widow sold his theatre to Georges Melies. A magician himself, though history mostly remembers him for his contributions to movie making and pioneering stop motion effects.Resourceshttps://esoterx.com/2014/09/16/the-algerian-war-of-the-wizards-jean-eugene-robert-houdin-vs-the-marabouts/https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1926-03132-001http://www.ptbarnum.org/humbugs.htmlMagic Is Dead Ian FrischHiding the Elephant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey all this is Monica from I can't believe that happened and I am so grateful for all of you coming back to the podcast it was a very long and unexpected but I try to have some exciting news I took the time because I was reading a book and I could really use your help on this it's at I will and Twine.com that's the website and I cannot live in some of the book it's also a game and I need as many people as possible to take a look at play the game and tell me what you like and don't like this is completely free if you go to the website www.owltwine.com it's right at the front if he just signed up with your email completely free I really just need to help with a lot of people try this out OK so on to the podcast I i am really excited I get to introduce you to one of my favorite magicians and women in history Adelaide Herman so Adelaide was born in london 1853 to call a fairly eccentric family she grew pretty much in the family museum which I i think if you kind of a cool thing ever I would love to live in our group and the museum she really had aspirations of becoming a dancer and she went about it and some of the stuff meeting with them ever heard usually you think oh I won't be a dancer I'm just gonna have to dance classes treats and aerialist that's like those amazing people in circuses that are up at the big tough and doing also it's a crazy things and that the five things in the air and then she rode in and going to miss pronounce this so please forgive me of the loss of goodness we're going to just Collett a bicycle if you look this up online you'll see that in the late 1800s there were these things are very close so we can make bicycles but they're a little bit more of a steam punk he does I need a very interesting look and I highly recommend going to Google taking a look so she can just write this shit kind of are used it as a way to do tricks is just incredible with how she just always had to perform she is amazing the skills become very important because she becomes a very important magician and before she becomes very important addition please forgive the snorting and snoring in the background of my pug decided she needed to be with me all day today so I'm never gonna be able to edit out that sound and I'm just picture a very cute little pug and the snoring starting sounds much cuter so all of his physicality is really important because she uses as the magicians assistant and then as one of the most important magicians in her own acts herself Adelaide finally got her dream to be a dancer and she moved to New York to be a part of a dance trip this is where is she needs Alexander Herman now he is considered a pretty important and fairly famous magician along with his brother and they had to separate thanks for going on when the United States and when you're off and switch he Alexander fell head over heels for Adelaide and it's really not hard to imagine why if you see her I'll have some pictures up on the show now so if you head over to to the website and take a look I'll have some pictures up of her she was it's not that she was beautiful if I think she's beautiful but there's just things so alive about her and she was so creative and so she's just so smart and yeah anyway sorry I digress but it's she's just incredibly lively DM they together created but we think of as the magician luck so if you're going to kind i like close your eyes and get a stock image of a magician in your head you kind of think the tall thin text Sido very serious long top man and that is what Alexander Herman like play now this is where I get a little squishy and details and I'm sorry it's it's really hard to explain because when you think of the Magicians Assistant you can think of the person is like oh look I'm pretty over here so you don't see the transitions over there and that was what she's doing and she's incredibly skilled she was coming up with a lot of the ask yourself that her husband performed and yes I'm sorry to skip a big part that they got married congratulations to them both in 1875 and it was such a big wedding that even the mayor of New York came I brought a lot of incredible artistic set ideas costuming and a sense of allusion to their act which is very different than the actress already performing they became incredibly famous and wealthy is an a lot of money KMan the problem is a lot of money went out more money would help them be amazing about summer coming in and it became a big grandpa when Alexander died unexpectedly she was left with tremendous stats and a show and as a woman in the routine 1800s I'm if you can't be? If she could continue to show on her own and Alexander's nephew stepped in and he said that you do the show with her they tried to but it did not go well just spoiler if it did not go well at all and they separated and seem like there's a lot of blood and that person leave at 11 stops not important except to say that she thought she needed to try will more time with another person to make this famous she took some time off and in 1899 she's has a solo and it is incredibly successful it is John dropping the amazing and she becomes be "on "queen of magic and the first really successful female magician so if the switch is at 46 and she comes on a world tour and she's not just famous for her magic and she's also famous as a fashion icon and I'm going to just drop in pictures of her costume design I i am a sucker for custom design and what she wore it really start him since a lot of it was going on at the time they said the word select famous female magician and Adelaide Herman would be really mad at me about that she was very clear that I am she said over and never again I should not be content until I'm recognized by the public as a leader in my profession and entirely irrespective of the question of sex so for the breakdown of that sentence if you are misunderstanding face of the words there is that she saying I just want to be none of the fast I do not want to be known as the best woman I don't even want my gender to be a part of the discussion I just wanna be known as the best illusionist magician ever Natalie played with a lot of our types like types of women and stories in her box and one for most famous ask was the Phantom bride and It! have these themes of loss and marriage and you could probably imagine that this is fairly personal to her after having lost her husband she would couldn't get hypnotized the bride the assistant and the body of the bride would raise up and ship has a Hulu can you be kind of thing over at the body to so there is no alarm wires or anything and she did that act if you times in a few different ways and she did the which illusion where she stumbled on the stage just as an old woman and I am should try to reach fire burning in the darkness it was your ride to the fire should diving to the freight flames and see it returned as a mean go sleep at all of this sounds like kind of like hokey but if you think about it during this time of those late 1800s early 1900s before television this to be a shocking and really needing to see the she performed all of these acts which was incredibly physical and she went on these massive world tours of shit who have until her 70s and 1926 there's a huge warehouse fire and that just destroyed everything she had all the props and when you are a magician your props are everything they are the illusions that they are creating are created by the props and these are incredibly expensive things to buy or have felt and everything was gone so you might notice that a lot of the times and I'm talking about a specific person in this podcast I usually choose them because they read they they don't let anything stop them and I admire that quality tremendously she's in her 70s she loses everything again for the second time in her life and she rebounds she she starts a new show and it's called magic Grace and music and it it it pretty well of me you could say the national of other artists your book shows her in final performing years she was she was really an amazing woman and she did pass away in February 1932 and still you know if you can if your imaginary Jill hear about her but it's important to remember I miss people know who Houdini is and was and they had very similar interests in and how they perform their magic of them and they were just as famous as each other so I just wanted to bring Adelaide Herman back out from the shadow so you were and please take a look at the senates I'll try to link as much as I can see you can see certain what I'm talking about and thank you so much for being so patient with me while I was writing and not posting these weekly I will try so hard to be better at posting these I'll try harder not to see him so much so the kind of thing y'all can do is side from going on signing up for reading Blackwater or Manor and Playing Blackwater Manor is to head over to Apple podcast leave us some stars and some reviews this is oh kind of a project of fun for me I'm just really excited history and I hope you guys enjoy this as well thank you so much I hope you will tune in next week and I can you know we don't every case at all for this podcast this is just something I do because I love history and resend it I love you for listening now and all I can think is that must be because you guys are getting some value from it and you're enjoying it and you're sharing it so if you could keep doing that that is just that means so much to me that do you enjoy this enough to share with friends and family are next month is going to be the Halloween month a.k.a. my favorite holiday ever so I can recovery so. From like the history of Halloween movies in the history of horror movies take history trick-or-treating and I'm at so I hope I see you next month and next week I i will think of something else really cool talk about next weekwww.owlandtwine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.