Wes: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: [ airplane engine buzzing ] Eduardo: WHAT DID THESE METAL PARTS REVEAL ABOUT THE SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR?
ARE THESE BULLET HOLES?
Elyse: HOW DID THE CONTENTS OF THIS GLASS TUBE IMPACT THE FIRST HOURS OF THE CIVIL WAR?
WOW!
Wes: WHAT LEADING ROLE DID THIS SADDLE PLAY IN THE BIRTH OF THE HOLLYWOOD COWBOY?
THAT'S AMAZING.
Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START ♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ HI, I'M ELYSE LURAY, AND WELCOME TO TONIGHT'S EPISODE OF HISTORY DETECTIVES.
2011 MARKS THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR AND THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
JOIN US IN HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO FOUGHT IN THESE WARS AS WE INVESTIGATE A MYSTERY FROM EACH.
Eduardo: OUR FIRST CASE ASKS WHETHER THESE PRISTINE METAL PARTS TELL A LITTLE-KNOWN STORY OF CIVILIAN HEROISM FROM THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK.
DECEMBER 7, 1941: IMPERIAL JAPAN LAUNCHES A DEVASTATING SURPRISE ATTACK ON THE U.S. PACIFIC FLEET.
353 CARRIER-LAUNCHED BOMBERS AND TOP-SECRET ZERO FIGHTER PLANES DELIVER ONE OF THE MOST CRIPPLING BLOWS IN U.S. MILITARY HISTORY.
BY DAY'S END, THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS LAY DEAD OR DYING AND 18 WARSHIPS HAD BEEN SUNK OR DAMAGED.
THE ASSAULT BROUGHT THE VERY BEST FROM THE MILITARY PERSONNEL DEFENDING PEARL HARBOR.
FIFTEEN MEDALS OF HONOR WOULD BE AWARDED.
BUT THE CIVILIAN POPULATION OF THE ISLANDS WOULD ALSO BE SORELY TESTED.
SEVENTY YEARS LATER, JOHN STOVER OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, HAS A FRAGMENT OF METAL WHICH MAY TELL A LITTLE-KNOWN STORY OF HEROISM THAT DAY.
I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF I WAS HOLDING A PIECE OF HISTORY OR JUST A G.I.
'S STORY FOR HIS YOUNG SONS.
HELLO, EDUARDO, COME ON IN.
THANK YOU.
THESE ARE PARTS THAT MY DAD SAID WERE FROM A JAPANESE ZERO THAT CRASHED DURING THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR.
THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD HEFT TO THESE PIECES.
WAS HE ACTUALLY THERE DURING THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR?
NO, HE WAS THERE IN LATE 1942 AND 1943.
HOW DID HE COME BY THESE PIECES?
JOHN SAYS HIS FATHER, A TRUCK REPAIRMAN AND DRIVER, WAS STATIONED ON OAHU, AND AT SOME POINT, HE WAS SENT TO DO A JOB ON A SMALL ISLAND CALLED NIIHAU.
THE HAWAIIAN NATIONAL GUARD HAD TRUCKS THAT THEY COULDN'T REPAIR, AND SO THEY SENT MY DAD AND SOME OTHER MECHANICS TO NIIHAU TO FIX THE TRUCKS, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY FOUND THE PLANE AND BROUGHT BACK THE PIECES.
I NOTICE RIGHT AWAY THIS MARKING "RE2."
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?
THAT WAS IN THERE WHEN WE FIRST SAW THEM, WHEN DAD WOULD TELL US ABOUT THEM WHEN WE WERE KIDS.
AND HE NEVER EXPLAINED WHAT THOSE WERE?
NO, NEVER DID.
WHAT CAN I FIND OUT FOR YOU?
I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT IF THEY ARE FROM THE JAPANESE ZERO THAT ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR AND LANDED ON NIIHAU.
I WILL BRING YOU BACK SOME ANSWERS.
THANK YOU.
THIS I RECOGNIZE FROM MY "AUTO SHOP 101" DAYS BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS IS PART OF A COMBUSTION ENGINE.
THE LONGER, THINNER PIECE IS ALMOST CERTAINLY SOME KIND OF ENGINE VALVE.
THIS OTHER PIECE, THOUGH, I...DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MIGHT BE.
THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN REALLY MAKE OUT OF THIS IS THAT THERE'S THESE CURIOUS ETCHINGS HERE THAT I CAN READ RATHER CLEARLY, AND THAT HAS ME A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS.
IF THESE PIECES CAME FROM A JAPANESE ZERO, WHY WOULD THEY HAVE ENGLISH WRITING ON IT?
THE OTHER THING IS THAT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU, SO LET ME DO A LITTLE RESEARCH AND SEE WHAT I CAN FIND.
HERE WE GO: ONE HUNDRED MILES WEST OF HONOLULU.
IT'S HAWAII'S SMALLEST INHABITED ISLAND, WITH A POPULATION OF AROUND 200.
IT HAS BEEN PRIVATELY OWNED BY ONE FAMILY SINCE THE 1860s.
A LISTING CALLS NIIHAU "THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND."
FOR ACCESS, VISITORS MUST REQUEST PERMISSION.
THIS IS GOING TO MAKE FOR A CHALLENGING INVESTIGATION.
UH, LET ME SEE WHAT I CAN FIND ABOUT THE CRASH.
OH, HERE'S SOMETHING: NEW YORK TIMES, DECEMBER 17, 1941.
IT DOESN'T GIVE A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT IT DOES CONFIRM THAT THERE WAS A DISABLED ENEMY AIRCRAFT ON THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU.
WELL, HERE'S ANOTHER ARTICLE, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, SAME DATELINE.
IT MENTIONS THAT THE JAPANESE PILOT TERRORIZED THE ISLAND FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
BUT THERE'S NOTHING HERE THAT CAN HELP ME IDENTIFY THE PIECES, AND I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT JAPANESE PILOT WHO ATTACKED THE ISLAND.
I GUESS I'M ON MY WAY TO HAWAII.
PEARL HARBOR: A PERFECT ISLAND DEEPWATER SHELTER.
DURING 1940, AS TENSION GREW IN THE PACIFIC, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT MOVED MUCH OF THE U.S. PACIFIC FLEET TO THE HARBOR TO DETER JAPANESE EXPANSION IN THAT REGION.
BUT ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, MUCH OF THE FLEET LAY PEACEFULLY AT ANCHOR.
HISTORIAN DANIEL MARTINEZ HAS INVITED ME TO JOIN HIM ON KILO PIER, FACING THE HARBOR WITH A VIEW OF WHERE THE JAPANESE ATTACK FIRST BEGAN.
- WELCOME TO PEARL HARBOR.
- THANK YOU.
I'M INVESTIGATING A STORY ABOUT SOME PARTS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO COME FROM A CRASHED JAPANESE ZERO ON THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU.
THIS LOOKS LIKE A ROCKER ARM FROM AN ENGINE... DANIEL IS NOT SURE IF THE PARTS ARE FROM A ZERO, BUT HE EXPLAINS HOW THE ZERO WAS AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF THE JAPANESE STRIKE FORCE THAT ARRIVED OVER PEARL HARBOR SHORTLY BEFORE 8:00 THAT DECEMBER MORNING.
THE JAPANESE STRIKE FORCE IS IN THAT DIRECTION, EDUARDO.
IT'S 230 MILES TO THE NORTH.
THEY HAVE NOW APPROACHED OAHU UNDETECTED.
SUDDENLY, WAVES OF AIRCRAFT POURED FROM THE SKY.
IN A MATTER OF MOMENTS, THE PACIFIC FLEET IS LYING IN AGONY.
DANIEL EXPLAINS HOW, OF THE 125 ZEROS THAT LAUNCHED OFF OF SIX JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS THAT DAY, THE IMPERIAL FLEET LOST JUST NINE.
THREE CRASHED ON LAND, INCLUDING ONE ON NIIHAU.
IT WAS PILOTED BY AIRMAN FIRST CLASS SIGENORI NISHIKAICHI.
HE WAS HIT, AND THIS IS GOING TO SPELL HIS FATE, BECAUSE HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK TO HIS CARRIER, THE HIRYU.
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE, RIGHT AT PEARL HARBOR.
AND HIS ROUTE THEN WENT... WEST TOWARDS THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU, RIGHT THERE.
ROUGHLY 100 MILES.
NISHIKAISHI HEADED TOWARDS AN ISLAND THE JAPANESE MILITARY BELIEVED WAS UNINHABITED.
THAT'S WHAT HE'D BEEN TOLD, AND THAT WAY HE COULD BE PICKED UP BY A SUBMARINE AND RESCUED.
NIIHAU IS STILL OFF-LIMITS, AND GETTING TO THE CRASH SITE WILL BE A CHALLENGE, BUT I HAVE MY OWN SECRET WEAPON.
THE INCREDIBLE RESEARCH STAFF AT HISTORY DETECTIVES HAS DONE THE NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE: GET US ACCESS TO NIIHAU.
WE'RE ON OUR WAY THERE TO TALK TO THE OWNER OF THE ISLAND.
IT'S A PRETTY GOOD-SIZED LAND MASS.
IT'S BIGGER THAN MANHATTAN, IT'S BIGGER THAN SAN FRANCISCO.
- IS IT REALLY?
- OH, YEAH.
ONCE FARMED FOR SHEEP AND CATTLE, IT'S BEEN PRIVATELY OWNED FOR ALMOST 150 YEARS.
I SEE THE TRUCK AT 12:00; WE'LL BE LANDING THERE.
IT WAS KEITH ROBINSON'S ANCESTORS WHO BOUGHT THE ISLAND IN THE 1860s.
MANY OF ITS MOSTLY HAWAIIAN-SPEAKING INHABITANTS REMAINED ON THE LAND, AND THEIR DESCENDANTS STILL LIVE THERE TODAY.
KEITH TAKES US CLOSE TO THE SITE WHERE NISHIKAICHI CRASH-LANDED.
[ men speaking in Hawaiian ] FROM FAMILY LORE AND THE ORAL HISTORY OF THE RESIDENTS, KEITH RECOUNTS THE SURPRISE LANDING.
SO THE PLANE COMES BOUNCING ALONG HERE... YEP.
MAKING A LOT OF RACKET, I IMAGINE, AS IT CAME SKIDDING ALONG.
AND QUITE A DUST CLOUD AS WELL.
AND IT CAME TO REST SOMEWHERE IN HERE.
KEITH EXPLAINS HOW ONE OF THE HAWAIIAN RESIDENTS, RANCH HAND HOWARD HAWILA KALEOHANO, WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE.
THE AVIATOR WAS JUST RECOVERING FROM HIS BOUNCING AROUND, AND HE LOOKED UP AT HAWILA AND REACHED FOR HIS PISTOL.
SO HAWILA DECIDED TO RELIEVE HIM OF HIS PISTOL.
THE PILOT SPOKE JAPANESE AND SOME BROKEN ENGLISH.
TO TRANSLATE, HAWILA BROUGHT THE STRANGER TO THE HOME OF YOSHIO HARADA, A JAPANESE AMERICAN WHO WORKED ON THE ISLAND.
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, HE WAS PRETTY MUCH IN THE HANDS OF THE NIIHAU PEOPLE.
THE REMOTE ISLANDERS HAD NO RADIO AND KNEW NOTHING OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK, BUT THEY GREW INCREASINGLY SUSPICIOUS OF THE PILOT AND HIS BULLET-RIDDLED PLANE.
THEY REALIZED THAT SOMETHING HAD GONE FAR WRONG IN THE WIDER WORLD.
OF COURSE, THEY BEGAN TO CONNECT THE AVIATOR WITH WHATEVER THAT "SOMETHING WRONG" WAS.
AND THEN, FOR REASONS UNKNOWN, HARADA, THE JAPANESE AMERICAN TRANSLATING FOR THE PILOT, TURNED AGAINST HIS OWN NEIGHBORS AND HELPED THE ENEMY FLIER ESCAPE HIS CAPTORS.
TO KEEP THE TOP-SECRET PLANE FROM FALLING INTO AMERICAN HANDS, THE PAIR SET FIRE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND USED ITS MACHINE GUN TO TERRORIZE THE VILLAGE.
THE RAMPAGE WAS SHORT-LIVED.
A LOCAL FARMER, BEN KANAHELE, TOOK MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS, LITERALLY.
DESPITE BEING SHOT THREE TIMES, THE MUSCULAR HAWAIIAN RUSHED THE PILOT AND THREW HIM HEAD-FIRST AGAINST A STONE WALL.
WITH THE PILOT DEAD, HARADA TURNED HIS GUN ON HIMSELF.
YEARS LATER, AS A CHILD, KEITH SAYS HE EVEN REMEMBERS PLAYING ON THE PLANE'S WRECKAGE.
WAS THERE AN ENGINE IN THE AIRPLANE THAT YOU PLAYED WITH?
NO, NO TRACE OF AN ENGINE.
THE STORY GOES THAT THIS PARTICULAR G.I.
WAS ONLY HERE FOR A COUPLE DAYS, AND HE WAS SENT TO ACTUALLY REPAIR SOME OF THE TRUCKS THAT WERE ON THE ISLAND, AND THESE WERE SOME OF THE PIECES THAT HE CLAIMS THAT HE TOOK FROM THE DOWNED ZERO.
KEITH SAYS WHEN THE MILITARY ARRIVED RIGHT AFTER THE INCIDENT, THEY MADE AN OFFICIAL REPORT AND TOOK PARTS OF THE PLANE FOR STUDY.
WELL, I'M NO ENGINE MECHANIC.
I CANNOT SAY FOR SURE THAT THAT CAME FROM A PLANE THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE RAID.
KEITH SAYS THE PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM CAME TO NIIHAU IN 2006 AND EXCAVATED THE REMAINS OF THE ZERO FOR AN EXHIBIT.
THAT MUSEUM IS ON FORD ISLAND.
DURING THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK, THIS WAS AN ACTIVE NAVAL STATION.
I'M MEETING WITH OPERATIONS DIRECTOR SCOTTY SCOTT.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
- WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM.
SCOTTY SAYS THE CAPTURE AND KILLING OF THE JAPANESE PILOT WAS LARGELY OVERSHADOWED AT THE TIME BY THE HORRIFIC EVENTS AT PEARL HARBOR.
IT'S A STORY OF BRAVERY.
BEN KANAHELE WAS HEROIC.
HE WAS AWARDED A MEDAL OF MERIT AND A PURPLE HEART FOR THE WOUNDS HE RECEIVED.
THE MUSEUM REPLICATED WHAT NISHIKAICHI'S ZERO WOULD'VE LOOKED LIKE BEFORE IT CRASHED.
IT'S AN EXACT MATCH... WITH ONE DIFFERENCE.
IT DOESN'T HAVE AN ORIGINAL ENGINE.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN'T MATCH IT AGAINST WHAT'S BEHIND YOU, BECAUSE WHEN THIS AIRCRAFT WAS RESTORED, THEY HAD NO SAKAE ENGINES.
SO IF THESE PIECES ARE AUTHENTIC, WHERE WOULD IT HAVE FIT ON THIS AIRPLANE?
WELL, YOUR BEST BET WOULD BE TO TALK TO OUR RESTORATION SHOP, THE MECHANICS THAT ACTUALLY WORK ON THE AIRCRAFT.
DESIGNED FOR AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY IN 1938, HANGER 79 BORE WITNESS TO THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR.
IT NOW HOUSES AN ACTIVE RESTORATION SHOP.
I'M HOPING AVIATION MECHANIC JOHN STERLING CAN TELL WHETHER OUR PARTS CAME FROM A JAPANESE ZERO.
IS THERE ANY WAY FOR US TO VERIFY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WHETHER THESE PIECES CAME FROM AN AMERICAN ENGINE OR A JAPANESE ENGINE?
AMERICAN ENGINES WERE ALL MEASURED IN THE AMERICAN STANDARD.
JAPANESE ENGINES AND JAPANESE AIRCRAFT ARE METRIC, SO THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO GET YOU A LITTLE BIT CLOSER ON... WELL, LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT.
OKAY, WE'LL GO OVER TO THE WORK BENCH OVER HERE, AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.
I GOT A GAUGE RIGHT HERE, AND THIS IS A METRIC GAUGE.
YOU TRY TO MEASURE THE PITCH, THE THREADS PER INCH.
YOU HAVE DIFFERENT TEMPLATES HERE, AND THEY JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO MESH.
AND THIS ONE ACTUALLY MEASURES 1.50 MILLIMETERS.
THIS IS A METRIC THREAD.
SO THAT CONFIRMS IT: THESE PIECES ARE DEFINITELY NOT AMERICAN.
YES, AND IT'S NOT AMERICAN.
THIS IS KIND OF A NEAT THING.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF MARKINGS ON HERE... LET ME LOOK AT THIS FOR A MINUTE.
THAT'S ACTUALLY STAMPED IN THERE.
THIS IS JAPANESE KANJI, AND SO IS THIS.
SO THAT'S -- WOW.
THEY'RE REAL TINY; I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN MAKE THOSE OUT.
I COMPLETELY MISSED THAT.
THERE THEY ARE; YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THIS IS A JAPANESE PART.
OUR STORY APPEARS TO BE COMING TOGETHER, ALTHOUGH JOHN CAN'T BE CERTAIN OUR PART CAME FROM THE ZERO THAT CRASHED ON NIIHAU.
YOU'D HAVE TO GET OVER TO A SHOP THAT'S RESTORING A ZERO.
LARRY WILL AND THE FOLKS AT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT LIMITED IN FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, HAVE RESTORED NUMEROUS WWII PLANES.
VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.
IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?
YES, IT IS.
LARRY'S TEAM HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED BY THE EVERGREEN AVIATION AND SPACE MUSEUM IN OREGON TO BUILD A ZERO FROM SPARE PARTS ACQUIRED FROM SOURCES AROUND THE WORLD.
THIS IS FANTASTIC.
WELL, I'VE GOT SOME PIECES I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS STORY ON THESE TWO PIECES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE COME FROM A JAPANESE ZERO.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THEY ARE.
IF THEY ARE ZERO PARTS, HE SAYS IT'S AN ASTONISHING FIND.
THEY'RE VERY RARE.
WHAT MAKES THEM RARE?
THE JAPANESE ACTUALLY, PART OF THE ARMISTICE IS THEY HAD TO DESTROY THEIR WAR MACHINE, AND SO MOST OF THE AIRPLANES WERE JUST DESTROYED AFTER THE WAR, BLUEPRINTS AND EVERYTHING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND VERY CURIOUS IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU CAN SEE JAPANESE MARKINGS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
BUT IF YOU LOOK HERE, THERE'S THE ENGLISH LETTER "R" AND THEN "E" AND THEN THE NUMBER "2."
WHY IS THAT?
LET ME SHOW YOU.
SO WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
WE HAVE A JAPANESE SAKAE 21 ENGINE.
THIS BELONGS TO EVERGREEN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.
ARE THESE BULLET HOLES?
YES, THEY ARE.
IT'S ACTUALLY FROM A CRASHED ZERO.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE IT APART?
I'D LOVE TO, THANKS.
LARRY WANTS TO SHOW ME SOMETHING ON HIS ZERO'S ROCKER ARM.
OKAY, HERE YOU GO.
NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK RIGHT UP HERE.
- YOU SEE THIS "RE2"?
- YEAH.
WHAT DO YOU SEE ON THAT ONE?
"RS1."
THERE YOU GO.
WELL, WHY WOULD THE JAPANESE USE ENGLISH WRITING ON THEIR PARTS?
BECAUSE THE JAPANESE WERE ACTUALLY BUILDING RADIAL ENGINES UNDER LICENSE FROM PRATT & WHITNEY AND WRIGHT PREVIOUS TO WORLD WAR II.
SO I THINK IT WAS JUST INDUSTRY STANDARD THAT THEY CONTINUED TO USE THAT DURING THE WARTIME.
THE "S" IS OBVIOUSLY FOR "INTAKE" INSTEAD OF "EXHAUST."
BUT SOMETHING IS STILL AMISS.
ALTHOUGH BOTH HAVE ENGLISH MARKINGS, LARRY'S ROCKER ARM IS CLEARLY DIFFERENT FROM OURS.
WHAT LARRY TELLS ME NEXT WILL CERTAINLY BE OF INTEREST TO JOHN.
WELL, JOHN, I THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PEARL HARBOR, BUT IN TRYING TO AUTHENTICATE THESE PIECES, I DISCOVERED A LITTLE-KNOWN STORY OF WORLD WAR II.
I TELL JOHN ABOUT WHAT TRANSPIRED ON THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU THAT FATEFUL WEEK FOLLOWING THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, AND THAT NOT LONG AFTER THE INCIDENT, THE MILITARY HAD STATIONED PERSONNEL ON NIIHAU TO DEFEND THE ISLAND, JUST LIKE HIS DAD HAD TOLD HIM.
THAT'S GREAT.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR.
NOW, AS TO WHETHER THESE PIECES ARE AUTHENTIC FROM A JAPANESE ZERO FROM WORLD WAR II, I THINK YOU WILL BE INTRIGUED BY WHAT I FOUND.
WHEN WE DISASSEMBLED AN AUTHENTIC ZERO ENGINE, WHAT WE FOUND INSIDE WASN'T EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED.
WHY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO ROCKER ARMS?
THIS ONE IS CLEARLY DIFFERENT.
THIS IS A SAKAE 21, A LATER VARIANT.
THE STRAIGHT ROCKER PUTS IT INTO THE EARLIER CATEGORY, THE SAKAE 12 ENGINE, WHICH WOULD PUT IT IN THE TIME FRAME OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR HAVING A PIECE OF HISTORY.
I'M QUITE CONFIDENT THAT THESE PIECES CAME FROM THE ISLAND OF NIIHAU, FROM THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT OF SIGENORI ICHIKAICHI.
TO HAVE A PIECE OF HISTORY LIKE THAT OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, GLAD I CONTACTED YOU.
THANK YOU, IT'S BEEN GREAT.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT HAS NEVER BEEN FULLY UNDERSTOOD WHY THE JAPANESE-AMERICAN TRANSLATOR, YOSHIO HARADA, HELPED THE PILOT ESCAPE HIS HAWAIIAN CAPTORS.
TWO MONTHS AFTER THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK, ON FEBRUARY 19, 1942, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066, RESULTING IN THE RELOCATION OF OVER 100,000 WEST COAST RESIDENTS WITH JAPANESE ANCESTRY.
ALTHOUGH HARADA'S ACTIONS THAT DAY AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES STILL INSPIRE DEBATE, THERE'S NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT HIS BEHAVIOR INFLUENCED THE PRESIDENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, FBI CHIEF J. EDGAR HOOVER SENT THE WHITE HOUSE A PERSONAL MEMO DESCRIBING THE EVENTS ON NIIHAU, BUT IT IS DATED MARCH 28, 1942, MORE THAN A MONTH AFTER EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066.
Wes: EVEN BEFORE PEARL HARBOR, GRUMMAN ENGINEERS WERE WORKING ON AN ADVANCED FIGHTER PLANE.
COMPARED TO THE ZERO, THE F4F WILDCAT, THE NAVY'S TOP FIGHTER, COULDN'T COMPETE IN CLIMBING SPEED OR ACROBATICS.
THE NAVY HAD TO FIND A PLANE, AND FAST.
ENTER THE F6F HELLCAT.
A NEW PRATT & WHITNEY 2000-HORSEPOWER ENGINE GAVE THE PLANE INCREDIBLE POWER.
BUT NO ONE REALLY KNEW IF THE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD HELP DEFEAT THE ZERO UNTIL THE U.S.
CAUGHT A BREAK.
ON JULY 10, 1942, A NAVY PATROL OVER THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS IN ALASKA SPOTTED A DOWNED PLANE.
A CLOSER LOOK PROVED IT WAS A DITCHED ZERO FROM A JAPANESE BOMBING RAID.
THE ZERO WAS SHIPPED TO THE NORTH ISLAND NAVAL AIR STATION IN SAN DIEGO, WHERE NAVY CREWS PROBED, STUDIED, AND EVENTUALLY FLEW THE ENEMY'S ACE.
THESE DATA HELPED THE MILITARY LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO COMBAT THE ZERO.
THE NEW HELLCAT ENTERED THE FIGHT ON AUGUST 31, 1943.
AGAINST THE ZERO, IT WAS A SUCCESS.
IT FLEW AN AVERAGE 55 MILES PER HOUR FASTER AND COULD OUTCLIMB THE JAPANESE FIGHTER BY OVER 10,000 FEET.
BY THE END OF THE WAR, THE HELLCAT WAS CREDITED WITH SHOOTING DOWN OVER 5,150 ENEMY AIRCRAFT.
Elyse: OUR NEXT CASE STARTS WITH A TUBE OF METAL SHAVINGS AND A HUNT FOR A MISSING SOUTHERN RELIC.
APRIL 12, 1861: THE NATION IS IN A CRISIS, AND ALL EYES ARE ON CHARLESTON HARBOR.
FOR TWO DAYS, THE NEWLY FORMED CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA HAVE DEMANDED THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ABANDON THEIR POSITIONS AT FORT SUMTER.
BUT THEY REFUSE.
FINALLY, THE CONFEDERATES OPEN FIRE.
AFTER 34 HOURS OF BOMBARDMENT, THE HEAVILY OUTMANNED UNION TROOPS SURRENDER.
BUT THAT DEFEAT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
THE FIRST CANNON SHOT FIRED AT FORT SUMTER IS THE FIRST BATTLE SHOT FIRED IN THE BLOODIEST WAR EVER FOUGHT ON AMERICAN SOIL.
NOW, AN ANTIQUES DEALER FROM HOLLYWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINA, WONDERS IF HE HAS AN ARTIFACT FROM THAT MOMENTOUS FIRST SHOT.
THIS NOTE MAKES ME BELIEVE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR.
I'M ELYSE LURAY, AND I'M IN SOUTH CAROLINA TO MEET ROBERT SARCO.
ALL RIGHT, SO SHOW ME WHAT YOU HAVE.
OKAY, HERE WE GO.
IT'S A TEST TUBE: IT'S GOT IRON FILINGS ON THE BOTTOM, THERE'S A CORK, A PERIOD-INK NOTE IN THE MIDDLE, AND HAS TOP CORK TO PROTECT EVERYTHING.
IT READS, "OLD SECESSION WAS REBORED "AT THE CHARLESTON IRON WORKS MAY 4/99, AND FIRED BY PALMETTO GUARD'S CAMP U.C.V.
IN HONOR OF U.C.V.
REUNION MAY 10/99."
OKAY, SO HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF OLD SECESSION?
WELL, OLD SECESSION DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL WHEN I FIRST READ THAT, BUT WHEN IT SAYS "REBORED," I KNEW THEN OLD SECESSION WAS A CANNON.
THEY REBORE THEM WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO FIRE THEM AGAIN TO KEEP THE SHELL FROM JAMMING IN IT AND EXPLODING THE ENTIRE CANNON.
WHO WAS THE PALMETTO GUARD?
THE STORY OF THE PALMETTO GUARD WAS TOLD TO ME ORALLY BEFORE I COULD EVEN READ OR WRITE.
ROBERT SAYS THE PALMETTO GUARD WAS AN ELITE GROUP OF MILITIA SOLDIERS DEFENDING CHARLESTON HARBOR IN EARLY 1861.
IN MY OPINION, THE FIRST SHOT THAT PRECIPITATED THE CIVIL WAR WAS INDEED FIRED BY THE PALMETTO GUARDS FROM WHAT I THINK WAS OLD SECESSION.
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?
THE IRON FILINGS IN HERE, DO THEY REALLY BELONG TO OLD SECESSION, THE CANNON THAT STARTED THE CIVIL WAR?
ALL RIGHT, WELL, I'M ALWAYS SKEPTICAL ABOUT LETTERS THAT ARE PUT WITH ANTIQUES.
YOU CAN'T ASSUME, FROM AN APPRAISING POINT OF VIEW, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A PERIOD NOTE AND PERIOD SHAVINGS, THAT THEY'RE TOGETHER.
I ALSO AM PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOME TESTING ON IT; IS THAT OKAY?
THAT'S FINE, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT TOO INVASIVE.
OKAY, I'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT.
THANK YOU.
FROM PAST INVESTIGATIONS, I KNOW THAT MANY CIVIL WAR CANNONS WERE MADE FROM IRON.
IF THE SHAVINGS ARE IRON, THEY WOULD BE MAGNETIC.
AND THEY'RE MOVING, SO IT'S DEFINITELY IRON OR SOMETHING THAT'S MAGNETIC.
IT DOES SAY "PYREX" ON HERE, AND I KNOW THAT PYREX WAS MADE IN THE 1920s FOR KITCHENWARE, SO IT WAS PROBABLY PLACED IN THIS TUBE MANY, MANY YEARS LATER.
LOOKING AT THE NOTE, LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN SEE.
THE STYLE OF THE WRITING LOOKS CORRECT TO ME.
IT'S INDICATIVE TO WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN THE LATE 1800s.
DID OLD SECESSION FIRE THE FIRST SHOTS OF THE CIVIL WAR?
[ gulls cawing ] I'M MEETING THE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE ARCHIVES, ERIC EMERSON, AT CHARLESTON HARBOR.
LET'S STEP UP ON THE BATTERY AND GET A BETTER VIEW OF THINGS.
COOL.
ERIC RECOUNTS HOW THE BATTLE THAT THRUST CHARLESTON -- AND THE NATION -- INTO WAR HAD BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
LINCOLN'S 1860 ELECTION AND OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY IN NEW TERRITORIES PROMPTED SOUTH CAROLINA TO SECEDE FROM THE UNION.
SIX MORE SOUTHERN STATES FOLLOWED.
AND BY APRIL OF 1861, CHARLESTON HARBOR IS TENSE WITH THE THREAT OF VIOLENCE.
CONFEDERATE FORCES HERE WERE PREPARING TO BOMBARD FORT SUMTER, WHICH IS JUST OUT AT THE FRONT OF THE HARBOR THERE.
OKAY, I SEE IT.
AND SO FORT SUMTER WAS A FEDERAL INSTALLATION, AND THEY HAD REFUSED TO SURRENDER, AS ALL THE OTHER FEDERAL INSTALLATIONS IN CHARLESTON HARBOR HAD SURRENDERED, AND SO THIS YOUNG CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT DECIDED THAT THEY NEEDED TO BOMBARD THE FORT BEFORE REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVED.
AND SO ON APRIL 12, 1861, THEY BEGAN THEIR BOMBARDMENT OF THE POST.
AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING, THE CONFEDERATES OPENED FIRE.
[ shots exploding ] THE SIEGE WOULD CONTINUE FOR 34 HOURS.
ALL RIGHT, SO HERE'S THE PIECE.
OUR CONTRIBUTOR THINKS THAT THESE BORINGS CAME FROM THE CANNON THAT FIRED THE FIRST SHOTS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
ERIC CAN CONFIRM THE PALMETTO GUARD'S CONNECTION TO CHARLESTON HARBOR.
THE PALMETTO GUARD ACTUALLY TOOK PART IN THE BOMBARDMENT OF FORT SUMTER.
HE SAYS THERE ARE REPORTS OF A GUARD FIRING OFF WARNING SHOTS AT UNION SUPPLY SHIPS EARLIER THAT YEAR.
[ shots firing ] BUT WHO SHOT FIRST IN THAT DECISIVE BATTLE OF APRIL 1861?
WELL, NO ONE KNOWS WHICH CANNON FIRED THE FIRST SHOT ON FORT SUMTER.
OLD SECESSION FIRED A FIRST SHOT OF A DIFFERENT KIND THAT WAS JUST AS IMPORTANT.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
ERIC EXPLAINS THAT THE EDITOR OF THE CHARLESTON DAILY COURIER BOUGHT A CANNON SALVAGED FROM A SPANISH SHIP MANY YEARS PRIOR TO THE WAR.
HE'S NEVER SEEN ANY IMAGES OF WHAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS OLD SECESSION, BUT IT WAS REPORTED TO BE A 6-POUNDER, WEIGHING ALMOST A HALF A TON AND MEASURING OVER 5 FEET LONG.
THE CANNON COULD FIRE UP TO 1,500 YARDS, BUT ERIC SAYS OLD SECESSION EARNED ITS REAL FAME OFF THE BATTLEFIELD.
THE GUN WAS FIRED EACH TIME A STATE SECEDED.
[ booms ] OLD SECESSION'S MOST FAMOUS SHOT WAS WHEN IT WAS FIRED TO ANNOUNCE SOUTH CAROLINA'S SECESSION ON DECEMBER 20, 1860.
SO IT WASN'T USED AS A WEAPON.
EXACTLY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS CANNON WAS PRETTY SYMBOLIC TO THE SOUTH.
VERY MUCH SO, AND I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU WHERE IT WAS LOCATED, A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE.
OKAY, WE'RE AT THE CORNER OF BROAD AND EAST BAY, AND OLD SECESSION WAS LOCATED JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE OLD EXCHANGE BUILDING, AND WHENEVER IT FIRED, PEOPLE WOULD RUSH INTO THE STREETS TO CELEBRATE RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF THIS BUILDING.
BUT SOUTHERNERS WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES HEEDING THE CANNON.
OLD SECESSION WAS HEARD AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS ACTUALLY FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, ONE OF THE REPORTERS THAT WAS HERE DURING THE SECESSION CRISIS: "I NATURALLY FELT CURIOUS ABOUT THIS FAMOUS PIECE OF METAL."
CHARLESTON WAS VIEWED AS THE CENTER OF REBELLION, THE CENTER OF INTRANSIGENCE, AND THEY VIEWED THIS CANNON AS A SYMBOL OF THAT AS WELL.
OLD SECESSION REMAINS AN IMPORTANT SYMBOL DURING THE WAR, BUT BY LATE 1863, AS CONFEDERATES SUFFERED REVERSALS ON THE BATTLEFIELDS AT GETTYSBURG AND VICKSBURG, THE CANNON WAS IN DANGER.
CHARLESTONIANS BEGAN TO FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY AND FOR THEIR SYMBOL OF DEFIANCE.
THE CANNON'S TAKEN, AND IT'S BURIED SO FEDERAL TROOPS CAN'T GET POSSESSION OF THIS REALLY IMPORTANT SYMBOL.
AND THEN AFTER RECONSTRUCTION, THE CANNON'S DUG UP, AND IT'S KEPT HERE IN CHARLESTON.
IF IT'S HERE IN CHARLESTON, PERHAPS I CAN COMPARE THE METAL AGAINST MY SHAVINGS.
DO YOU KNOW THERE THE CANNON IS NOW?
WE DON'T KNOW WHERE OLD SECESSION IS.
IT FALLS OUT OF THE RECORD AROUND 1910; IT IS MISSING.
BUT ERIC HAS AN IDEA.
HE BELIEVES THAT THE U.C.V.
ON OUR NOTE REFERS TO THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS.
I THINK YOU SHOULD VISIT THE CONFEDERATE MUSEUM HERE IN CHARLESTON, WHICH HAS GREAT RESOURCES REGARDING THE U.C.V.
THIS MUSEUM HOUSES ARTIFACTS OF THE CIVIL WAR DONATED BY CONFEDERATE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
- HELLO, HELLO.
- HI, JUNE.
WELCOME TO THE CONFEDERATE MUSEUM.
CURATOR JUNE WELLS CONFIRMS THAT THE U.C.V.
ON OUR LABEL ALMOST CERTAINLY REFERS TO THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS, A GROUP FORMED IN 1889.
THEY'RE THE SURVIVING ACTUAL VETERANS FROM THE WAR.
THEY HONORED THE OTHER VETERANS THAT WERE NO LONGER ALIVE.
WHY DID IT FORM?
I MEAN, WHY, 30 YEARS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, DID THEY FEEL THIS NEED TO HAVE THIS GROUP?
JUNE EXPLAINS HOW, IN THE NEARLY 25 YEARS SINCE THE WAR'S END, THE VETERANS HAVE LIVED THROUGH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHANGE, INCLUDING OCCUPATION BY UNION TROOPS AND FEDERAL RULE.
THE CONFEDERATES COULD NOT WEAR THEIR CLOTHING LEST THEY CUT THE BUTTONS OFF.
THEY COULD NOT MEET MORE THAN THREE TOGETHER IN THE STREET.
NO DISRESPECT, BUT THEY LOST THE WAR.
THEY LOST THE WAR.
WHEN FEDERAL TROOPS LEFT THE SOUTH IN 1877, THE FREEDOMS THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS HAD FOUGHT FOR DURING THE WAR WERE SLOWLY ERODED, AND A STRUCTURE OF JIM CROW POLICIES EMERGED.
BUT JUNE EXPLAINS HOW THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS WERE LARGELY ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE DISABLED VETERANS AND TO BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR WARTIME EXPERIENCES.
THEY WERE THE SURVIVORS.
THEY CAME TOGETHER TO LET THE WORLD KNOW ABOUT THEIR SIDE OF THE WAR.
THEY WERE GETTING THEIR HISTORY, THEIR CITIES ALL BACK TOGETHER.
WHEN THEY HAD THE REUNION HERE IN 1899, 30,000 VETERANS CAME.
JUNE SAYS THE VETERANS RESURRECTED THE SYMBOL OF THAT ERA, OLD SECESSION.
IN 1899, THEY SHOT ONE MORE SHOT FROM THE SAME CANNON.
I HAVE SOMETHING I'D LIKE YOU TO SEE IF YOU'LL JUST FOLLOW ME.
TUCKED AWAY IN THE MUSEUM IS MY FIRST CHANCE TO SEE WHAT OLD SECESSION MAY HAVE LOOKED LIKE.
"CONFEDERATE VETERANS' REUNION, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, MAY 10, 1899, BORINGS OF OLD SECESSION."
THAT'S ALMOST EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON MY PIECE OF PAPER.
EXACTLY.
WOW, AND THE BORINGS ARE INSIDE.
THE BORINGS ARE INSIDE.
OH, WOW.
I THINK IT WAS A SOUVENIR.
IT PROBABLY WENT JUST TO THE OFFICERS AND SPECIAL PEOPLE AT THE REUNION.
YOU KNOW, I'M JUST WONDERING IF I COULD COMPARE SCIENTIFICALLY THE ONES THAT I HAVE, MY BORINGS, TO YOUR BORINGS.
I COULD BORROW SOME OF THEM?
WE MIGHT LET YOU BORROW JUST A FEW.
I INVITE MIKE DREWS, DIRECTOR OF THE CLEMSON CONSERVATION CENTER, TO JOIN US BACK AT THE MUSEUM.
MIKE AND HIS COLLEAGUE, LIISA, SPECIALIZE IN METAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND RESTORATION.
THEY'LL ANALYZE BOTH SAMPLES OF SHAVINGS TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE A MATCH.
Drews: THIS IS A HANDHELD XRF SPECTROMETER, AND WITH IT TODAY, WE HOPE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE SHAVINGS ARE MADE OF.
TELL ME HOW THE XRF WORKS.
WHAT THIS INSTRUMENT ALLOWS US TO DO IS DETERMINE WHAT ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE.
MIKE EXPLAINS HE'LL BOMBARD OUR SAMPLES WITH X-RAYS IN ORDER TO REVEAL THEIR ATOMIC MAKEUP.
SO THIS WOULD BE THE MUSEUM SAMPLE.
BY ANALYZING THE RADIATION FROM THE SAMPLES, MIKE CAN DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT.
THAT'S THE ENERGY OF THE X-RAYS THAT CAME OUT OF THE SAMPLE, OKAY?
NEXT IS -- THIS IS ROBERT'S.
[ ♪♪♪ ] WHAT DO YOU SEE?
WHEN I COMPARE THE TWO SPECTRA, THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR.
I'M SEEING BASICALLY WHAT I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE FOR A SAMPLE OF A CIVIL WAR-ERA IRON.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, THAT'S GOOD.
AND THE TYPICAL KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND: A LITTLE BIT OF COPPER, A LITTLE BIT OF ZINC.
THE SAMPLES ARE ALMOST A MATCH, BUT MIKE SPOTS A DISCREPANCY.
TWO NEW PEAKS THAT ARE PRESENT IN THE MUSEUM SAMPLE THAT WEREN'T PRESENT IN YOUR SAMPLE.
AND IF I CLICK ON MY LITTLE DATA ANALYSIS, I GET A PERFECT MATCH FOR MERCURY.
MERCURY; IS THAT SURPRISING?
IF IT HAD MERCURY IN IT, IT WOULD BE BECAUSE IT WAS EXPOSED TO MERCURY IN SOME WAY.
SO YOU DON'T THINK THEY CAME FROM THE SAME CANNON.
THESE TWO SAMPLES, BASED ON XRF ANALYSIS, ARE NOT IDENTICAL.
SO THAT MEANS THAT MY BORINGS PROBABLY DIDN'T COME FROM WHERE I THOUGHT THEY DID.
THAT'S A REAL POSSIBILITY.
MMM.
BUT SOMETHING IS STILL GNAWING AT ME.
THE WRITING ON OUR NOTE ALMOST PERFECTLY MATCHES THE WORDING ON THE MUSEUM'S ENVELOPE.
IS THERE ANY WAY ONE CANNON COULD PRODUCE TWO SHAVINGS THAT DON'T MATCH?
I'M TAKING A DETOUR TO PENNSYLVANIA TO VISIT JEFF STAFFORD.
HE REPAIRS AND RESTORES CANNONS.
I'VE EXPLAINED MY DILEMMA TO JEFF, AND HE SAYS HE HAS A FEW THINGS TO SHOW ME THAT MIGHT HELP.
WELL, THIS IS ABOUT AS CLOSE TO OLD SECESSION AS WE'RE GOING TO FIND.
IT'S AN 1827 6-POUNDER.
OKAY.
JEFF'S CANNON PRE-DATES OLD SECESSION, BUT HE SAYS IT'S VERY SIMILAR AND STILL SHOOTS.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO COME AROUND HERE, GET THE POWDER CHARGE.
GET THE POWDER, RIGHT.
THIS IS A POWDER CHARGE.
JEFF EXPLAINS SINCE OLD SECESSION WAS FIRED TO SPREAD NEWS, A POWDER CHARGE RATHER THAN A CANNONBALL WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN USED.
AND WE'RE GOING TO RAM IT DOWN THE BORE, MAKE SURE IT'S SEATED.
THE PRIMER GOES IN, HOOK UP THE LANYARD...
RIGHT, AND THEN I'M GOING TO PULL IT, RIGHT?
PULL IT HARD.
[ loud boom] WOW!
WORKS EVERY TIME.
OH, I LOVE IT!
BUT IT'S THE REBORING PROCESS, THE WAY OUR SHAVINGS WERE PRODUCED, THAT JEFF SAYS MAY UNLOCK OUR INVESTIGATION.
OKAY, THE CANNON BARREL WOULD BE IN A LATHE, IN A CHUCK -- THIS WAS CALLED A CHUCK.
JUST PUT THE CHUCK IN GEAR, BRING YOUR TOOL BIT IN... OH, NEAT; THOSE ARE THE SHAVINGS.
WHEN YOU'RE CUTTING METAL, THE TOOL BIT GETS HOT, AND YOU WANT TO KEEP IT COOLED OFF SO IT DOESN'T LOSE ITS EDGE.
YOU HAVE TO USE A LUBRICANT ON THE TOOL.
DO THEY ALWAYS USE LUBRICANT?
YEAH, WHAT THEY PROBABLY USED WAS A MIXTURE OF WHALE OIL AND LARD.
WHAT JEFF EXPLAINS NEXT IS SOMETHING ROBERT IS GOING TO WANT TO HEAR.
ROBERT, WHAT FUN!
IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD STORY WHEN YOU GET TO SHOOT A CANNON, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE FIRST THING WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT IS OLD SECESSION.
YOU HAD ASKED ME, DID IT FIRE THE FIRST SHOT OF THE CIVIL WAR?
I TELL ROBERT ABOUT THE ROLE THE CANNON PLAYED IN ANNOUNCING THE SECESSION OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE OTHER SOUTHERN STATES.
ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T CLAIM THAT IT FIRED THE FIRST SHOTS, IT CERTAINLY FIRED SOME REALLY SYMBOLIC SHOTS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
THAT'S FANTASTIC.
I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOMETHING I FOUND AT THE CONFEDERATE MUSEUM.
"BORING OF OLD SECESSION, CHARLESTON, SC," AND OF COURSE THE DATE IN THE NOTE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR LETTER.
ABSOLUTELY, ALMOST WORD FOR WORD.
I EXPLAIN HOW HIS SHAVINGS DID NOT PERFECTLY MATCH THOSE AT THE MUSEUM.
OH, MY.
THAT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING.
I MADE ONE MORE STOP TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE DISCREPANCY.
AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS THEY WOULD MIX MERCURY WITH THE WHALE OIL AND LARD SO IT WOULDN'T GO BAD.
SO THE MERCURY WAS USED TO KEEP THE LUBRICANT FROM SPOILING.
RIGHT.
BUT WHY WOULD SOME SHAVINGS HAVE MERCURY AND SOME SHAVINGS WOULDN'T HAVE MERCURY?
AFTER IT RAN OUT OF LUBRICANT AND BEFORE YOU RE-LUBRICATED IT, THAT'S WHEN YOU WOULD GET A CHIP WITHOUT MERCURY IN IT.
IN MY OPINION, IT MAKES SENSE THAT ONE CHIP WOULD HAVE TRACES OF MERCURY AND ONE CHIP WOULDN'T.
WHILE WE CAN'T CONFIRM OUR SHAVINGS ARE FROM OLD SECESSION, IT DOES SEEM PROBABLE.
THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE.
I THINK YOU OWN A VERY UNIQUE AND RARE ARTIFACT.
THE CANNON WAS NOT ONLY SYMBOLIC TO THE SOUTH, IT WAS SYMBOLIC TO THE NORTH.
IT REALLY HAS A STRONG PLACE IN HISTORY.
HAVING THIS ARTIFACT IS SUCH AN HONOR.
AFTER THE CANNON'S DISAPPEARANCE IN THE EARLY 1900s, SOME SUSPECT IT WAS MELTED DOWN FOR IRON.
OTHERS BELIEVE IT WAS STOLEN AND IS TUCKED AWAY IN A BACK ROOM SOMEWHERE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF OLD SECESSION, CONTACT US AT HISTORY DETECTIVES AT pbs.org.
ANTIETAM: THE BLOODIEST SINGLE-DAY BATTLE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
ITS NICKNAME: ARTILLERY HELL.
THROUGHOUT THE WAR, CANNON, MORTARS, AND OTHER MOBILE GUNS KNOWN AS FIELD ARTILLERY CLAIMED AT LEAST 8% OF ALL CASUALTIES.
GUNS RANGED FROM THE BRONZE MODEL 1841 6-POUNDER, WHICH FIRED A 6-POUND SHELL, TO THE IRON 20-POUNDER PARROTT RIFLE.
THE GUNS THEMSELVES WEIGHED OVER HALF A TON.
EIGHT MEN OPERATED EACH FIELD PIECE: A GUNNER TO AIM AND COMMAND, TWO CANNONEERS TO PREPARE AMMUNITION, ONE TO RUN THE AMMO, AND FOUR TO LOAD, CLEAN, AND FIRE.
USING A POUND OR MORE OF GUNPOWDER, A CANNON COULD LOB PROJECTILES NEARLY A MILE.
SOLID SHOT WAS USED TO PIERCE FORTS AND SHIPS, BUT THE DEADLIEST AMMUNITION WAS CALLED CANISTER.
CYLINDERS PACKED WITH IRON OR LEAD BALLS TURNED THE CANNON INTO A MASSIVE SHOTGUN, KILLING OR MAIMING DOZENS OF MEN IN A SINGLE BLAST.
LINCOLN KNEW THE FUTURE OF THE WAR WOULD LIKELY TURN ON FIELD ARTILLERY.
IN 1856, HE WARNED GOVERNMENT FOES: "FRIENDS, I BELIEVE IN THE PROVIDENCE OF THE MOST MEN, THE LARGEST PURSE, AND THE LONGEST CANNON."
Wes: OUR LAST CASE ASKS IF THIS SADDLE HELPED CARRY THE ALL-AMERICAN COWBOY ONTO THE SILVER SCREEN.
Come on, get in your saddle.
We've got to go tell the chief.
IN 1930s HOLLYWOOD, AUDIENCES THRILLED TO DEATH-DEFYING STUNTS: RHETT BUTLER LEADING SCARLETT O'HARA OUT OF A BURNING ATLANTA IN GONE WITH THE WIND, ANGRY INDIANS ATTACKING THE RINGO KID IN STAGECOACH, AND THE COWBOYS WHO LEAPED, PUNCHED, AND TUMBLED IN SCORES OF FILMS.
WHAT PART DID ONE MAN PLAY IN ALL THESE ICONIC ACTION SCENES?
NOW, TERRY GARBER FROM McCALL, IDAHO, WONDERS IF THIS SADDLE WAS RIDDEN BY A MAN WHO MAY HAVE CREATED THE HOLLYWOOD STUNT MAN.
I'M WES COWAN, AND I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS FOR TERRY.
[ knocking ] - HEY, TERRY.
- HI, WES.
OH, WOW, LET ME HELP YOU THERE.
I GOT IT OUT OF A BARN IN WEISER, IDAHO.
NOW, ARE YOU A SADDLE COLLECTOR?
DO YOU COLLECT WESTERN MEMORABILIA?
YEAH, I DO; I COLLECT LOTS OF WESTERN MEMORABILIA.
SO WHAT ATTRACTED YOU ABOUT THIS SADDLE?
I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE OF THE NAME ON THE CANTLE.
SO, "CANUTT," AND THEN THERE'S A "Y-A-K" IN THE MIDDLE.
"YAK CANUTT," WHO'S YAK CANUTT?
YAKIMA WAS A WORLD-CHAMPION RODEO-ER.
I HEARD HE MOVED TO HOLLYWOOD AND DID STUNT WORK.
TERRY'S DONE SOME DIGGING, AND HE BELIEVES YAKIMA CANUTT WAS A STUNT MAN IN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES.
BUT I HAVE TO ADMIT, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF HIM.
SO YOU THINK THIS WAS YAKIMA CANUTT'S SADDLE, THEN?
I HOPE SO.
COOL.
BUT YOU'RE NOT SURE.
NO, I'M NOT SURE.
SO DID YOU EVER CONSIDER THAT THE SADDLE MIGHT BE A FAKE?
OH, SURE.
IN THIS COLLECTION FIELD, THERE'S A LOT OF FAKES OUT THERE.
OKAY, WELL, IT'S A GREAT SADDLE, AND I SEE IT'S GOT A BRAND HERE FROM THE MAKER.
YEAH, THAT'S HAMLEY'S BRAND, HAMLEY OUT OF PENDLETON, OREGON.
ALL RIGHT, TERRY, SO WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU WITH?
WELL, WES, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF IT'S ACTUALLY YAKIMA CANUTT'S.
I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE IT WITH ME; IS THAT ALL RIGHT?
- OKAY.
- TERRIFIC.
WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
YOU KNOW, THE FIRST THING I WANT TO TELL YOU IS THAT I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON SADDLES.
I MEAN, I KNOW ENOUGH TO BE DANGEROUS.
IT'S PROBABLY A LATE 19th-, EARLY 20th-CENTURY MODEL, BUT WHETHER IT'S FROM 1890 OR 1920, I DON'T KNOW.
SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP ME DATE THE SADDLE.
SOMEBODY'S REALLY RIDDEN THIS SADDLE AND RIDDEN IT PRETTY HARD.
SEE THE BASKET WEAVE STAMPING AND HOW IT'S WORN OFF HERE?
I MEAN, THIS SADDLE WAS WELL-USED.
IT'S FRANKLY WORN OUT.
LOOK AT THIS: THE SADDLE IS STAMPED "SPECIAL," AND THEN THERE'S SETS OF NUMBERS ON EITHER SIDE, SO THOSE NUMBERS HAVE TO MEAN SOMETHING.
I WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS GUY, YAKIMA CANUTT.
[ ♪♪♪ ] BORN 1895, DIED 1986.
AMERICAN RODEO RIDER, ACTOR, STUNT MAN, AND ACTION DIRECTOR.
STAGECOACH, OLD YELLER, BEN-HUR, CAT BALLOU, A MAN CALLED HORSE.
THIS GUY WAS IN PRACTICALLY EVERY FAMOUS WESTERN MOVIE THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE.
HA, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
YAK GETTING ON A BUCKING BRONC.
AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE SADDLE.
SURE LOOKS A LOT LIKE TERRY'S SADDLE.
I'D GUESS YAK PROBABLY HAD MORE THAN ONE SADDLE, BUT IS IT POSSIBLE WE HAVE THE ONE IN THE PHOTO?
BINGO: THE AUTRY MUSEUM HAS ONE OF YAK CANUTT'S SADDLES.
LOOKS LIKE I'M HEADING TO LOS ANGELES.
THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER IN HOLLYWOOD'S GRIFFITH PARK IS A MUSEUM ABOUT THE AMERICAN WEST.
JEFFREY RICHARDSON IS ONE OF THEIR CURATORS.
SO HERE IS OUR YAKIMA CANUTT SADDLE.
THIS IS SO SPECTACULAR.
IT DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE SADDLE I BROUGHT IN.
IS THIS THE KIND OF SADDLE THAT HE WOULD'VE USED AS A STUNT MAN, THEN?
NO, THIS PARTICULAR SADDLE WAS PRESENTED TO HIM IN 1923 WHEN HE WON HIS FOURTH AND FINAL ALL-AROUND CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP.
BEGINNING IN 1910, THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP WAS ONE OF THE GREAT RODEO EVENTS OF THE WEST, ATTRACTING ELITE RIDERS AND COWBOYS.
RODEO WAS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SPECTATOR SPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY, AND THIS WAS ACROSS AMERICA.
YOU HAD RODEOS IN NEW YORK CITY, YOU HAD RODEOS OUT WEST IN PENDLETON, AND EVERYWHERE IN-BETWEEN.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS WORLD TROPHY SADDLE, I HAVE TO THINK OF IT ON PAR WITH, LIKE, THE WORLD SERIES TROPHY.
RIGHT.
AND FROM THE RODEO, WHERE HE BECAME VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL, HE MADE THE TRANSITION TO HOLLYWOOD.
RODEO AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDUSTRY WERE VERY CONNECTED AT THIS TIME, AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, HE CAME TO KNOW A LOT OF THE EARLY WESTERN STARS, SUCH AS TOM MIX, JOHN WAYNE.
JEFFREY EXPLAINS THAT YAK WASN'T EXACTLY A HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY.
HIS CONTRIBUTION WAS AS AN ANONYMOUS STUNT MAN FOR THE STARS.
HE REALLY PERFECTED A LOT OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE STILL USED IN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY TODAY.
YAK EVEN DOUBLED FOR JOHN WAYNE IN THE ERA'S GREATEST WESTERN, STAGECOACH.
AND WE'RE NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT WESTERNS; WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A VARIETY OF FILMS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY.
THAT WAS YAK CANUTT, NOT CLARK GABLE, WHO DROVE SCARLETT O'HARA THROUGH A BURNING ATLANTA.
OVER DECADES OF DOING STUNTS, YAK INJURED HIS DIAPHRAGM, A KIDNEY, AND HIS INTESTINES, AND HE BROKE HIS SHOULDER BLADE, HIS NOSE, HIS RIBS, AND BOTH ANKLES.
HE BECAME AN ADVOCATE FOR SAFER WORKING CONDITIONS.
DURING THE 1920s AND 1930s, THERE WAS A PEAK PERIOD WHEN ABOUT 10 PEOPLE A YEAR WERE DYING AS A RESULT OF DOING STUNTS FOR THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE REALLY TRIED TO MAKE SURE WAS THAT THE STUNTS WERE SAFE NOT ONLY FOR THE STUNT MEN BUT ALSO FOR THE ANIMALS.
IT BECAME A MODERN INDUSTRY AS THE RESULT OF SOMEONE LIKE CANUTT.
WELL, HERE IT IS.
THIS IS THE SADDLE I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT.
IT'S QUITE BEAUTIFUL.
NOW, IS THIS THE KIND OF SADDLE THAT HE WOULD'VE USED AS A STUNT MAN, THEN?
WELL, THE SADDLES THAT HE WOULD'VE USED IN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY WERE ALL SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRICKS.
THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT HE WOULD'VE USED IN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY.
THIS WOULD'VE BEEN A WORKING SADDLE.
THIS WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING THAT HE WOULD HAVE USED DURING HIS TIME IN THE RODEO.
LOOKS LIKE MY NEXT STOP IS COWBOY COUNTRY.
I'M STOPPING BY THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP ARENA, WHERE YAKIMA WON FOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- HELLO, WES.
- HEY!
I'M RANDY SEVERE; I'M PRESIDENT OF THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP.
HI, RANDY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MEETING ME OUT HERE.
BOY, WHO'S YOUR BUDDY HERE?
WELL, THIS IS DEX; THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOUNT.
RANDY, HERE'S THE SADDLE I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT.
OH, THAT'S A BEAUTY, ISN'T IT?
OH, A GREAT SADDLE.
YOU CAN TELL A LOT BY A SADDLE: THE WAY IT WAS MADE, WHEN IT WAS MADE.
THIS SADDLE IS PRE-1920, THAT'S FOR SURE.
RANDY EXPLAINS BEFORE 1920, THERE WERE NO STANDARDS OR REQUIREMENTS FOR SADDLES WHEN A COWBOY ENTERED A RODEO.
IF YOU ENTERED THE BRONC RIDE AND YOU SHOWED UP AND RODE WHAT YOU OWNED, AND SOME SADDLES GAVE YOU A BETTER ADVANTAGE OVER ANOTHER GUY.
THIS IS CALLED THE SWELLS OF THE SADDLE.
RANDY SAYS A RIDER COULD TUCK HIS LEGS UNDER THE SWELLS AND STAY ON THE HORSE LONGER, BUT IN 1920, THE RODEO DECIDED TO EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD.
RANDY THINKS TERRY'S SADDLE, WITH THE LARGER SWELLS, IS A PRE-ASSOCIATION SADDLE, SO EARLIER THAN 1920.
AND IF THIS WAS YAK'S SADDLE, HE CAN NARROW THE TIME FRAME EVEN FURTHER.
THIS GREAT NAME ON THE BACK, YAKIMA GOT HIS NAME IN 1914, SO WE KNOW THAT IT WAS AFTER THAT.
AND HOW'D HE GET HIS NAME?
THAT HAPPENED RIGHT HERE IN THIS ARENA.
YAKIMA ATTENDED THE ROUND-UP THAT YEAR IN THE COMPANY OF SOME -- A COUPLE OF GOOD FRIENDS FROM YAKIMA, WASHINGTON.
AND THE COMMON JOKE AROUND THE LOCAL FOLKS WAS THAT THEM YAKIMA BOYS, THEY CAN'T RIDE NOTHING.
THEY CALLED HIM YAK FROM THEN ON.
HIS REAL NAME WAS ENOS EDWARD.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HANG THAT ON YOUR SHINGLE?
YEAH, I AGREE.
ENOS EDWARD IS NOT A REAL COWBOY NAME.
YOU GOT THAT RIGHT.
WELL, RANDY, IS THAT COMMON FOR A BRONC RIDER TO WEAR A SADDLE OUT LIKE THAT?
RANDY EXPLAINS HOW, IN YAK'S DAY, A HORSE AND SADDLE WERE USED MORE LIKE A COWBOY'S PICKUP TRUCK IS USED TODAY: THEY WERE HIS PRIMARY TRANSPORTATION AND THE MAIN TOOL OF HIS LIVELIHOOD.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, IF YOU'VE GOT TIME TO SEE IT, I'D JUST LOVE TO SHOW YOU HOW THESE SADDLES ARE REALLY USED.
OH, YEAH!
THESE ARE THE BMCC COLLEGE RODEO TEAM.
THEY'RE A NATIONALLY RANKED TEAM, AND GOOD KIDS, EVERY ONE OF THEM.
SO THE ROUND-UP TODAY, HOW DIFFERENT IS IT FROM WHEN YAK CANUTT WAS PARTICIPATING?
WELL, THERE WERE SOME DIFFERENCES.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHANGES IS THESE CHUTES YOU SEE ARE NOW HOUSED WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL ANIMAL IS IN THERE BY HIMSELF; THAT'S A GREAT ASSISTANCE TO THE COWBOY.
WHEW.
IN YAK'S DAY, THE HORSE WAS LED OUT -- THEY DIDN'T HAVE THEM CHUTES.
TWO HORSES WOULD SANDWICH THE BRONC IN BETWEEN, AND HE HAD TO SADDLE AND GET ON THAT WAY WITH NO ARTIFICIAL -- OH, MY GOD, YOU'RE KIDDING ME!
NO ARTIFICIAL RESTRICTIONS, AND IT MADE QUITE A CHALLENGE.
I'LL BET IT WAS!
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE ABUSE AND THE STRESS ON THE SADDLE.
[ cowboys hooting ] WELL, I'LL TELL YOU, AFTER WATCHING THESE KIDS DO THIS, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY A SADDLE WOULD GET WORN OUT.
[ chuckles ] RANDY DOESN'T KNOW IF WE HAVE YAK'S SADDLE OR WHERE IT WAS USED, BUT I THINK I MAY HAVE FOUND SOMEONE WHO DOES.
I'M HEADED TO A SADDLE SHOP IN POST FALLS, IDAHO.
THE HISTORY DETECTIVES OFFICE HAS TRACKED DOWN A DISTANT COUSIN OF YAK CANUTT'S, BOB HICKMAN, WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE A SADDLE MAKER.
HEY, BOB.
HEY, WES.
GOT A SADDLE FOR YOU.
YEAH, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
WELL, THAT'S AN OLD ONE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WELL, I CAN SEE THESE FENDERS AREN'T ORIGINAL, OR THE STIRRUP LEATHERS.
THE STIRRUPS HAVE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF WORK DONE TO THEM.
SHEEPSKIN'S DIFFERENT; IT'S A NEW SHEEPSKIN.
LOOKS LIKE THEY STITCHED BACK OVER THE OLD STITCH LINE.
IT'S HAD A LOT OF WORK DONE ON IT, A LOT OF WORK.
YOU KNOW, HERE'S ONE THING THAT'S ALWAYS SORT OF BOTHERED ME ABOUT THIS SADDLE: THE CARVING BEHIND THE CANTLE HERE LOOKS REALLY CRUDE.
YOU'RE A SADDLE MAKER; WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I'VE GOT SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
HERE'S A PICTURE; TAKE A LOOK AT HIS BOOTS.
IT'S FROM 1923.
WOW, LOOK AT THAT, THE Y-A-K ON THE BOOTS AND Y-A-K ON THE CANTLE OF THE SADDLE.
WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE SAME, SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS, THEN?
BOB EXPLAINS HOW THE WESTERN TRADITION OF BRANDING ISN'T JUST FOR USE ON ANIMALS, IT'S ALSO USED ON EQUIPMENT AND GEAR, SETTING EACH COWBOY APART, A FORM OF EARLY COWBOY P.R.
I THINK THIS IS ONE OF YAKIMA'S EARLIER ATTEMPTS AT MAKING THE Y-A-K AS ONE OF HIS TRADEMARKS.
WOW, SO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS YAK CANUTT'S SADDLE.
THE "CANUTT" AND THE "Y-A-K" IN THE CENTER OF IT, IT LOOKS AUTHENTIC.
AND BOB HAS A HUNCH WHO CAN TELL ME WHERE YAK MIGHT'VE USED IT.
HE SAYS THE WORD "SPECIAL" STAMPED INTO THE LEATHER MEANS IT WAS MADE TO ORDER.
PARLEY PEARCE IS HAMLEY & COMPANY'S CO-OWNER.
WES, WELCOME.
HERE'S THAT SADDLE.
OH, LET'S LOOK AT THAT THING.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE BACK.
OH, YEAH; OH, BOY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RECORDS AT ALL THAT YAKIMA CANUTT BOUGHT THIS SADDLE?
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD A BASEMENT FIRE AROUND 1919 AND LOST THE RECORDS.
SO YOU HAVE NO RECORDS FOR IT.
NO RECORDS.
BUT PARLEY EXPLAINS HOW THE NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF THE SADDLE CAN HELP.
THAT'S AN 1850 NUMBER; HAMLEY'S NUMBERED EVERY SADDLE THAT CAME OUT OF THE SHOP.
PRETTY MUCH ALL THE SADDLES BETWEEN THE NUMBER 1600 AND 2100 WERE BUILT DURING 1917.
THAT'S GOING TO PUT AN 1850 NUMBER AT ABOUT MAY OF 1917.
SO THAT'S JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE SEPTEMBER, WHEN THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP IS HELD.
THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THAT MEANS THAT THAT SADDLE COULD BE THE SADDLE THAT YAKIMA CANUTT WON THE BRONCO RIDING CHAMPIONSHIP ON.
THAT'S CORRECT.
WHAT PARLEY SHOWS ME NEXT IS CERTAINLY GOING TO INTEREST TERRY GARBER.
TERRY, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, IF THIS SADDLE COULD TALK, IT COULD TELL A LOT OF STORIES.
I TELL TERRY ALL ABOUT THE MAKE-DO REPAIRS ON HIS SADDLE, BUT BOB HICKMAN WAS CONVINCED IT WAS NOT A FAKE.
OH, WOW.
NOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE.
WES, I'VE GOT SOMETHING ELSE TO SHOW YOU.
KNOWING YOU GUYS WERE COMING, I DID A LITTLE HOMEWORK.
ALRIGHTY.
I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME THE 1919 HAMLEY CATALOG.
THE SCRIPT SAYS, "THE 'CANUTT' SPECIAL, "ON WHICH YAKIMA CANUTT WON THE BUCKING CONTEST AT THE 1917 PENDLETON ROUND-UP."
SO THIS WAS THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE HAMLEY SADDLE THAT WAS CALLED THE CANUTT SADDLE.
IT IS THE PROTOTYPE FOR IT.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT SADDLE.
WE WOULD LOVE TO PUT THAT SADDLE ON DISPLAY.
WOW, THAT'S AMAZING.
[ laughs ] I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
THAT'S REALLY NEAT.
I'M GLAD THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE TO IT, TOO.
THAT'S NEAT.
AFTER 15 YEARS AS A STUNT MAN, YAK CANUTT BECAME A SECOND UNIT DIRECTOR.
IN 1966, THE SAFETY GEAR AND TECHNIQUES HE INVENTED WON HIM AN OSCAR.
HE REMAINS THE ONLY STUNT MAN EVER TO RECEIVE THIS HONOR.
IF YOU WANT TO WATCH YAKIMA CANUTT AS A SILENT MOVIE STAR, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
LAST YEAR WE DID SOMETHING BRAND-NEW ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: WE ASKED YOU TO HELP SOLVE A CASE.
GWEN INVESTIGATED THE MOON MUSEUM, A CERAMIC CHIP WITH WORK BY SIX ARTISTS, INCLUDING ANDY WARHOL, TO SEE IF THE CHIP WAS AFFIXED TO THE LEG OF THE APOLLO 12 LUNAR LANDER AND SITTING ON THE MOON TODAY.
GWEN IDENTIFIED A GRUMMAN WORKER KNOWN ONLY AS JOHN F. AS THE PERSON WHO MAY HAVE PUT THE CHIP ON THE LANDER AND ASKED THE AUDIENCE TO HELP TRACK HIM DOWN.
WE RECEIVED 184 POSTINGS ON THE PBS WEBSITE AND LETTERS FROM VIEWERS ACROSS THE NATION.
SINCE JOHN F. SENT A TELEGRAM CONFIRMING THE CHIP WAS ON THE LANDER, MANY PEOPLE SUGGESTED CHECKING THE WESTERN UNION ARCHIVES.
UNFORTUNATELY, WESTERN UNION DIDN'T SAVE THE INFORMATION LOGS OF TELEGRAPH SENDERS AT THE TIME.
WE ALSO HEARD FROM FORMER BELL LAB EMPLOYEES ROBERT MERKLE AND BURT UNGER, WHO GAVE US MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE INGENIOUS WORK THEY DID TO SHRINK THE ARTWORK ONTO THE TINY CHIP.
AND WE WERE REMINDED HOW HARD A TASK WE HAD WHEN WE READ A POST FROM RUTH WALDHAUER, THE WIDOW OF ENGINEER FRED WALDHAUER, THE MAN WHO KNEW JOHN F.: EVEN SHE DIDN'T KNOW.
JOHN F.'S IDENTITY REMAINS A MYSTERY.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBERT MERKLE AND BURT UNGER'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT, VISIT US AT pbs.org.
LET YOUR MYSTERY UNLOCK AMERICAN HISTORY.
YOU KNOW, AT HISTORY DETECTIVES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT NEXT GREAT CASE, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
THE CRITERIA IS SIMPLE.
THE MYSTERY MUST BE CONNECTED TO AN OBJECT.
[ playing quick, random notes ] AND THE OBJECT HAS TO BE TIED TO AMERICAN HISTORY.
TO SUBMIT YOUR CASE, GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org, THEN CLICK "SUBMIT YOUR STORY."