Eduardo: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: Wes: HOW DID THIS METAL BLADE SPARK VIOLENT TENSION BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH?
THIS IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL EVENT IN U.S. HISTORY.
IT WAS AN ATTACK ON A FEDERAL ARSENAL.
Eduardo: WHAT CAN THIS BRASS BULLET REVEAL ABOUT THE HIDDEN AGENDA OF AMERICAN FORCES IN THE EARLIEST FIGHT AGAINST SOVIET COMMUNISM?
Elyse: AND IS THIS THE COSTUME THAT HELPED SERVE UP A BILLION HAPPY MEALS?
We'll have lots of fun!
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 ♪ Wes: OUR FIRST CASE ASKS HOW THIS BLADE POINT MAY HAVE HELPED PROVOKE CRIES FOR SOUTHERN SECESSION IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE CIVIL WAR.
SEPTEMBER 1859: OF A POPULATION OF 7 1/2 MILLION AMERICANS, MORE THAN HALF ARE IN SHACKLES AND CHAINS.
ONE MAN IS PREPARED TO CONFRONT THE VIOLENCE OF SLAVERY WITH VIOLENCE OF HIS OWN.
AT HARPERS FERRY, VIRGINIA, WHITE ABOLITIONIST JOHN BROWN IS READYING PLANS TO ATTACK A FEDERAL ARSENAL AND INCITE A SLAVE REBELLION THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH.
WHEN IT FINALLY COMES, THE NEWS OF BROWN'S OCTOBER 16th RAID SHOCKS THE NATION.
IN THE SOUTH, THE ATTACK FANS LONG-SIMMERING FEARS OF A SLAVE REVOLT AND SOUNDS A LOUDER DRUM BEAT FOR SECESSION.
NOW, A MAN FROM SOLON, OHIO, THINKS HE MAY HAVE MADE A TRULY ASTONISHING FIND AT A LOCAL ANTIQUE STORE: AN ORIGINAL JOHN BROWN WEAPON MADE FOR THIS HISTORIC RAID.
I WONDER IF THIS WEAPON IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY OR A BROOMSTICK WITH A BOWIE KNIFE ON TOP.
I'M WES COWAN, AND I'M STARTING MY INVESTIGATION WITH A FEW QUESTIONS FOR GARY WHEWELL.
COOL THING; WHERE'D YOU GET IT?
I BOUGHT IT IN CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO, AT AN ANTIQUE STORE ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO.
WHAT DID YOU PAY FOR IT?
$170.
170 BUCKS.
YOU KNOW, I NEVER WALK INTO AN ANTIQUE SHOP AND SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR $170.
WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?
I THINK IT MIGHT BE A JOHN BROWN PIKE.
JOHN BROWN WAS GOING TO ARM THE SLAVES WITH PIKES FOR HIS RAID ON HARPERS FERRY IN 1859.
WHY DO YOU THINK THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH JOHN BROWN?
I DID A BIT OF RESEARCH.
JOHN BROWN WAS CAPTURED IN HIS RAID ON HARPERS FERRY, BUT A FEW OF THE PEOPLE ESCAPED TO JEFFERSON, OHIO...
OKAY.
WHICH IS A FEW MILES FROM CHAGRIN FALLS, WHERE I BOUGHT IT.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?
I WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR YOU TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS AN AUTHENTIC JOHN BROWN PIKE.
WELL, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, I HAVE SOME PERSONAL HISTORY WITH JOHN BROWN.
A FEW YEARS AGO, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELL ONE OF THE FEW KNOWN DAGUERREOTYPE IMAGES OF JOHN BROWN.
OH, WOW.
IT HAD DESCENDED IN HIS FAMILY FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
IT SOLD FOR JUST UNDER $100,000.
SO THIS IS A GREAT ARTIFACT FOR ME TO INVESTIGATE.
WHEN I FIND OUT SOMETHING, I'LL BRING IT BACK AND LET YOU KNOW.
OVER THE YEARS, I'VE SOLD A LOT OF PIKES, AND THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE A STANDARD SORT OF PRE-CIVIL WAR ERA PIKE.
THE METAL, PATINA, AND DESIGN ALL LOOK PERIOD.
THE PIKE IS A REALLY SORT OF PRIMITIVE WEAPON, AND BY THE TIME THE CIVIL WAR ROLLED AROUND, IT WAS PRETTY MUCH OBSOLETE.
IT'S BASICALLY AN 18th-CENTURY WEAPON.
IS IT REALLY SOMETHING BROWN WOULD'VE OWNED OR USED?
THE THING I THINK IS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS ONE IS THERE IS STAMPED ON THE BLADE "C. HART & SON, 1859."
YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS C. HART, BUT THAT'S THE RIGHT DATE.
BROWN'S PLAN WAS TO ATTACK THE FEDERAL ARSENAL AT HARPERS FERRY WITH HIS FOLLOWERS.
THEY WOULD THEN SEIZE GUNS STORED THERE AND IGNITE A SLAVE REVOLT THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH.
DID THEY PLAN TO USE PIKES TO ATTACK THE ARSENAL?
HONESTLY, I CAN'T SAY WHETHER THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH JOHN BROWN, HARPERS FERRY, THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT.
NOW, THIS IS INTERESTING.
IT SEEMS THAT BROWN DID PLAN TO USE THIS KIND OF WEAPON.
I'VE FOUND SEVERAL REFERENCES TO JOHN BROWN AND PIKES.
THERE'S ONE AT THE SMITHSONIAN, THERE ARE SOME AT THE KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND THERE'S SOMETHING HERE: HE ORDERED 1,000 OF THESE PIKES THAT HE WAS GOING TO PASS OUT TO SLAVES THAT HE ANTICIPATED WOULD FLOCK TO HIM ONCE THEY GOT NEWS OF THE UPRISING AT HARPERS FERRY; HE WOULD ARM THEM WITH THESE PIKES.
THE KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ACTUALLY LISTS THE DIMENSIONS OF THE PIKE ITSELF.
"THE PIKES BROWN ORDERED CONSISTED OF A 9 1/2- TO 10-INCH-LONG DOUBLE-EDGED BLADE."
SO...THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 9 1/2 INCHES, GREAT.
"4 1/2-INCH-WIDE IRON GUARD..." YEP.
"AND A 3 1/4-INCH-LONG TAPERING FERRULE."
THIS IS THE FERRULE... AND THIS IS A LITTLE SHORT; THIS IS 3 INCHES.
NOW, THIS IS ODD.
THERE SHOULD BE A SCREW HERE THAT CONNECTS THE FERRULE TO THE SHAFT.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEM.
THE PIKE AT THE KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY WAS MADE BY CHARLES BLAIR OF COLLINSVILLE, CONNECTICUT, NOT C. HART.
AND APPARENTLY, THE GENUINE PIKES ALL ARE STAMPED WITH A SERIAL NUMBER.
GARY'S PIKE JUST HAS "C. HART & SON, 1859," NO SERIAL NUMBERS.
I GOOGLE "C. HART & SON," AND ALL I CAN FIND IS SOME POTTERY.
BOTTOM LINE, THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE KNOWN JOHN BROWN PIKES AND THIS PIKE, BUT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR GLARING DISSIMILARITIES.
PROFESSOR SPENCER CREW FROM GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY IS AN EXPERT IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
SPENCER, IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU.
I'M HOPING THAT YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PIKE LIKE THIS BEFORE?
WELL, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I HAVE SEEN A PIKE LIKE THIS BEFORE.
I WORKED IN CINCINNATI AT A PLACE CALLED THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER, AND WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE OF THESE ON DISPLAY.
SPENCER EXPLAINS THE CENTER HAD THE PIKE BECAUSE THE WEAPON HAD BEEN A KEY PART OF BROWN'S STRATEGY.
IT WAS ALSO A SYMBOL OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO OVERTHROW SLAVERY EVEN IF IT MEANT RESORTING TO VIOLENCE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO SLAVERY, HE'S SORT OF ON THAT FRINGE.
HE'S AMONG THE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO THINK YOU HAVE TO CARRY THE FIGHT TO THE SOUTH.
IF VIOLENCE BECOMES A PART OF THAT, THAT'S JUST AN ACCEPTABLE PART OF THE PROCESS ITSELF.
AND WHY THE PIKE?
WELL, I THINK THE PIKE IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT COMPLICATED.
IT'S CERTAINLY SIMPLER THAN A RIFLE.
IT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT ANYONE CAN USE FAIRLY EASILY.
IT'S A PRETTY FRIGHTENING OBJECT.
SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT BROWN'S RAID ON HARPERS FERRY WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE.
WELL, I GUESS YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT SUCCESS IS.
IF THE GOAL WAS TO CAPTURE THE ARSENAL AND CREATE THIS UPROAR AMONG THE ENSLAVED, THAT PART IS NOT SUCCESSFUL, BUT I THINK THE LARGER SYMBOLIC VALUE OF IT IS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
THE PIKES BECOME SORT OF THIS WONDERFUL SYMBOL.
YOU HAVE POLITICIANS ON BOTH SIDES USING IT AS A WAY OF SORT OF STIRRING UP THE CROWDS.
SO YOU'LL HAVE NORTHERN POLITICIANS WHO COME ONSTAGE WITH A PIKE AND WOULD SORT OF USE IT TO INDICATE THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF STRONG POSITION WE NEED TO TAKE TO STOP THE SOUTH FROM SPREADING SLAVERY TO THE REST OF THE NATION.
BUT SOUTHERNERS WOULD DO THE SAME SORT OF THING WITH THIS KIND OF A PIKE AND COME ONTO THE STAGE AND INDICATE THE KIND OF PROBLEMS THEY WERE GOING TO FACE WITH THE NORTH.
BUT THEY ALSO BECOME A SOUVENIR OF INTEREST TO A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EVENT.
YOU HAVE BLACKSMITHS WHO BEGIN KNOCKING THESE OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
WELL, DO YOU HAVE ANY OPINIONS ABOUT THIS ONE?
DO YOU THINK THIS IS A SOUVENIR?
I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT FOR SURE.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN OR HEARD OF A PIKE STAMPED "C. HART & SON" WITH THE DATE 1859?
I HAVE NOT.
THE MAKER OF SEVERAL OF THE PIKES I'VE SEEN ONLINE WAS CHARLES BLAIR OF COLLINSVILLE, CONNECTICUT.
HISTORIAN CLIFF ALDERMAN IS IN UNIONVILLE, JUST FIVE MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHERE BLAIR WORKED.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ONE OF THESE PIKES BEFORE?
I'VE SEEN A PIKE BEFORE, YES.
CLIFF EXPLAINS HOW, IN THE SWIRL OF PUBLIC ATTENTION AFTER THE RAID, INVESTIGATORS TRACKED BROWN'S STEPS AND THE SOURCE OF HIS WEAPONS.
IN 1857, JOHN BROWN HAD ASKED CHARLES BLAIR IN COLLINSVILLE, CONNECTICUT, TO MAKE 1,000 PIKES.
HE GAVE THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONEY, AND THEN BROWN DISAPPEARED FOR OVER A YEAR.
WHEN BROWN CAME BACK IN 1859, BLAIR SAID, "I'M SORRY, I'M TOO BUSY; I'LL FIND YOU SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT."
IN SWORN TESTIMONY, BLAIR ADMITTED TO BEGINNING PRODUCTION OF THE PIKES, AND HE ALSO DISCLOSED WHO FILLED THE FINAL WEAPONS ORDER.
HE ENDED UP SUBCONTRACTING THE WORK TO CHAUNCEY HART.
HE WAS A BLACKSMITH IN UNIONVILLE, CONNECTICUT, IN THE 1850s.
IN THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1859, HE WAS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
HE WAS FINGERED AS THE PERSON WHO MADE THESE PIKES FOR JOHN BROWN.
CLIFF TELLS ME THAT NEITHER BLAIR NOR HART KNEW THAT BROWN WAS GOING TO USE THESE PIKES IN HIS RAID ON HARPERS FERRY.
HART USUALLY MADE TOOLS AND TRAPS, AND THIS WAS THE ONLY TIME IN HIS CAREER HE WAS CONTRACTED TO MAKE WEAPONS.
CLIFF ALSO SHOWS ME OTHER STAMPS THAT HART HAD USED ON HIS TOOLS, AND BELIEVES MY STAMP LOOKS SIMILAR.
CLIFF BELIEVES OUR PIKE WAS MADE BY HART.
SO DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS A PIKE THAT ACTUALLY COULD'VE BEEN USED BY JOHN BROWN AND HIS MEN DURING THE RAID ON HARPERS FERRY?
I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
WHY?
THE PIKE WOULD'VE HAD A HOLE BORED WITH A SCREW, IT WOULD'VE HAD A SERIAL NUMBER IN ONE OF THREE PLACES ON IT.
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS COULD BE A SOUVENIR PIKE THAT HART MADE?
IT COULD BE A SOUVENIR PIKE, BUT I DOUBT VERY MUCH THAT CHAUNCEY HART WOULD'VE MADE IT.
BECAUSE WHY?
THIS IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL EVENT IN U.S. HISTORY.
IT WAS AN ATTACK ON A FEDERAL ARSENAL.
SO HE WASN'T GOING TO BE COMMEMORATING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO HIM -- BEING ARRESTED, BEING HUMILIATED -- BY MAKING MORE PIKES.
I'M IN HARPERS FERRY, WEST VIRGINIA, WITH DENNIS FRYE, THE CHIEF HISTORIAN AT THE HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
THIS IS THE KENNEDY FARM THAT JOHN BROWN WOULD SELECT AS HIS HEADQUARTERS, HIS BASE OF OPERATIONS, FOR HIS WAR AGAINST SLAVERY.
SO THIS IS REALLY WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
THIS IS WHERE IT BEGAN, ABSOLUTELY.
BROWN HIMSELF WOULD BE HERE FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS, PREPARING AND PLANNING.
DENNIS SAYS BROWN'S PLAN WAS TO STASH HUNDREDS OF PIKES AT THE NEARBY FARMHOUSE UNTIL THE RAID WAS OVER.
THEY WOULD THEN BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE SLAVES WHO ROSE UP IN REBELLION.
AND ON THE NIGHT OF OCTOBER 16, 1859, BROWN WOULD GATHER HIS MEN AND SAY, "MEN, GET ON YOUR ARMS, WE SHALL PROCEED TO THE FERRY."
AND, WES, LET'S PROCEED TO THE FERRY.
I'LL FOLLOW YOU.
ALL RIGHT.
[ ♪♪♪ ] MAIN STREET, HARPERS FERRY, HUH?
YOU'RE ON IT, SHENANDOAH STREET.
THE UNITED STATES ARMORY IS RIGHT OVER HERE AT THIS SITE.
TWENTY BUILDINGS ONCE STOOD RIGHT HERE, THE UNITED STATES ARSENAL RIGHT OVER HERE.
SAME NIGHT WATCHMAN WHO COVERED THE ARMORY ALSO COVERED THE ARSENAL, SO BROWN'S MEN TAKE THE ARSENAL WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY WHATSOEVER -- THE PLAN IS WORKING PERFECTLY, WES, PERFECTLY.
BUT BROWN'S TACTICS WERE SOON DERAILED.
THE TRAIN'S COMING INTO TOWN.
ONE OF THE NIGHT WATCHMEN FROM THE BRIDGE ESCAPES FROM BROWN'S CAPTORS AND FLAGS DOWN THE TRAIN, STOPS IT.
A BAGGAGE PORTER WENT OUT ON THE PLATFORM...
HE WILL BE SHOT BY BROWN'S MEN.
A DOCTOR WHO RESIDED IN ONE OF THESE BUILDINGS HERE -- WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY -- HEARS THOSE SHOTS, GOES TO NEARBY CHARLESTOWN, NOTIFIES MILITIA, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE EQUIVALENT OF OUR NATIONAL GUARD START RUSHING TOWARDS HARPERS FERRY.
SO BY 11:00 A.M. MONDAY MORNING -- THE RAID IS ONLY 12 HOURS OLD -- BROWN WILL BE SURROUNDED IN WHAT HE HAD CHOSEN AS HIS HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, WHICH IS THE FIRE ENGINE HOUSE OF THE U.S. ARMORY.
AND HE'S NOT GOING TO GET OUT.
NOW, BECAUSE THEY HAVE ATTACKED A UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SENDS MARINES OUT HERE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMMANDED BY UNITED STATES ARMY LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROBERT E. LEE.
IT'S THE SAME ROBERT E. LEE THAT LATER BECOMES A CONFEDERATE GENERAL.
BECAUSE THIS IS A FIRE ENGINE HOUSE, THEY FIND A LADDER, AND THEY'RE GOING TO USE THAT LADDER AS A BATTERING RAM TO TRY TO BREAK THROUGH THE DOORS.
IN THREE MINUTES, IT'S OVER.
WOUNDED AND BLEEDING, BROWN IS ARRESTED AND PLACED ON TRIAL FOR MURDER AND TREASON.
ONLY SIX WEEKS LATER, BROWN IS EXECUTED.
BROWN'S RAID OF HARPERS FERRY WAS CUT SHORT ALONG WITH HIS HOPES OF INCITING AN ARMED SLAVE REBELLION.
DENNIS SAYS THE PIKES THAT REMAINED IN THE FARMHOUSE WERE NOT USED THAT DAY.
WELL, DENNIS, HERE'S MY PIKE.
I THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I HAVE TWO HERE THAT THE NATIONAL PARK OWNS THAT ARE AUTHENTIC.
WELL, ON FIRST GLANCE, THIS PARTICULAR PIKE DOES NOT HAVE ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE ORIGINAL JOHN BROWN PIKE.
DESPITE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OUR PIKE AND THE ORIGINALS, DENNIS DOES THINK OURS IS FROM THE SAME PERIOD.
DID YOU SEE THAT THE BLADE OF MY PIKE IS ALSO STAMPED WITH THE MANUFACTURER'S NAME?
YOU KNOW, THAT'S EXTREMELY UNUSUAL.
NONE OF OURS HAVE THE MANUFACTURER'S NAME.
ARE WE LOOKING AT A FAKE?
I SAY HIGHLY, HIGHLY UNLIKELY FOR THIS REASON: NO ONE KNOWS WHO HART IS.
THE BLACKSMITH WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PIKES IS BLAIR.
I DOUBT EVEN JOHN BROWN KNEW THAT HART WAS MANUFACTURING THESE ADDITIONAL PIKES.
SO IF SOMEONE WAS GOING TO MAKE A FAKE PIKE, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE PUT "HART," THEY WOULD'VE PUT BLAIR'S NAME ON THE PIKE.
DENNIS GAVE ME A SUGGESTION: TO MEET WITH MICHELLE HAMMER, THE RESIDENT BLACKSMITHING EXPERT AT HARPERS FERRY.
HI, MICHELLE.
- HI.
- WES COWAN.
- NICE TO MEET YOU, WES.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
WELL, HERE'S THE PIKE.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S TAKE A LOOK OVER HERE.
MICHELLE EXPLAINS THE BLACKSMITHING PROCESS THAT CREATED OUR PIKE.
SHE SAYS THE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN OUR PIKE AND THE KNOWN ORIGINALS MAKE PERFECT SENSE.
WES, THIS IS A MODEL 1841 HARPERS FERRY RIFLE, AND IT'S A FINISHED PRODUCT.
AT FIRST, I'M NOT SURE WHY SHE'S SHOWING ME A MUSKET OR WHERE SHE'S GOING WITH HER LOGIC, BUT MICHELLE EXPLAINS HOW THE HARPERS FERRY ARMORY BOTH STORED AND DESIGNED WEAPONS.
AND HERE I HAVE A PATTERN PIECE, OR A PROTOTYPE, FOR THE LOCK ON THE FINISHED PIECE HERE.
IT'S COMPLETELY NOT EVEN MADE OF IRON; IT IS MADE OF LEAD.
BEFORE MAKING THE FINAL PRODUCT, THE WEAPON NEEDED TEMPLATES AND MOLDS.
AND THERE ARE TWO HOLES HERE, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE FIVE HOLES THERE.
SO THEY'RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE FINISHED PRODUCT, OKAY.
WHAT MICHELLE SAYS NEXT WILL CERTAINLY BE NEWS TO GARY.
GARY, I TOLD YOU DURING OUR INITIAL MEETING THAT THIS WAS A GREAT STORY FOR ME PERSONALLY BECAUSE I HAD BEEN SO FORTUNATE TO SELL THAT FABULOUS DAGUERREOTYPE OF JOHN BROWN, SO I WENT INTO THIS INVESTIGATION WITH BOTH FEET, BUT I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, WHEN I'VE LOOKED AT THIS PIKE AND STARTED LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEM, MY FIRST REACTION WAS THIS THING'S A FAKE.
I TELL GARY HOW EVERY EXPERT HAD POINTED OUT PROBLEMS WITH OUR PIKE UNTIL I SPOKE WITH MICHELLE HAMMER, A BLACKSMITHING EXPERT AT THE HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.
MICHELLE EXPLAINS THAT OUR PIKE MAY NOT HAVE THE FINISHED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HARPERS FERRY PIKES, BUT SHE THINKS IT'S STILL CONNECTED TO THE RAID.
CHAUNCEY HART WOULD'VE NEEDED A PROTOTYPE IF HE WAS FINISHING OUT THIS CONTRACT GIVEN TO HIM BY CHARLES BLAIR.
ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT MY PIKE THAT'S STAMPED "C. HART & SON" MAY BE THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE JOHN BROWN FINISHED PIKE?
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THINK YOU HAVE.
MICHELLE POINTS OUT THAT EACH BLACKSMITH MAKES HIS OWN TEMPLATE, EVEN IF WORKING ON AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED ORDER.
CHAUNCEY HART WOULD'VE NEEDED A PROTOTYPE IF HE WAS FINISHING OUT THIS CONTRACT GIVEN TO HIM BY CHARLES BLAIR, AND HE WOULD'VE KEPT THIS IN HIS PATTERN ROOM.
SO IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT IT STAYED THERE FOR MANY YEARS.
MAKES ME VERY HAPPY.
WHAT YOU HAVE IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTIFACT THAT RELATES DIRECTLY TO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE ANTEBELLUM HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.
I APPRECIATE YOU GOING TO ALL THIS EFFORT, WES.
IT'S...THE INFORMATION YOU GAVE ME IS VERY WORTHWHILE.
I APPRECIATE IT.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT, AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
THE PIKES WERE SO IMPORTANT TO BROWN THAT HE ENTRUSTED THEM TO HIS SON.
DURING THE RAID, OWEN BROWN STAYED BEHIND AT THE KENNEDY FARMHOUSE TO GUARD THE SUPPLY OF PIKES AND RIFLES.
HIS BROTHERS OLIVER AND WATSON ACCOMPANIED THEIR FATHER AND WERE KILLED IN THE RAID.
OWEN BROWN ESCAPED INTO HIDING AND WOUND UP LIVING A HERMIT'S LIFE NEAR PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, JOHN BROWN'S WIFE, ALONG WITH SOME OF THEIR CHILDREN, ALSO MOVED TO CALIFORNIA, HOPING TO MAKE A NEW LIFE FOR HER FAMILY.
IN 1855, ABOLITIONIST JOHN BROWN JOINED HIS FIVE SONS IN THE NEWLY RECOGNIZED TERRITORY OF KANSAS.
THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT OF 1854 STATED THAT SETTLERS DECIDE BY POPULAR VOTE WHETHER KANSAS WOULD ALLOW SLAVERY.
THE ATMOSPHERE SOON TURNED VIOLENT.
ON MAY 21, 1856, SOME 750 ARMED PRO-SLAVERY MEN KNOWN AS BORDER RUFFIANS ATTACKED THE FREE-STATE TOWN OF LAWRENCE.
JUST A DAY LATER CAME NEWS THAT ANTI-SLAVERY SENATOR CHARLES SUMNER HAD BEEN ATTACKED ON THE SENATE FLOOR BY SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR PRESTON BROOKS.
FOR JOHN BROWN, NEWS OF THE BEATING WAS THE LAST STRAW.
ON THE NIGHT OF MAY 24th, BROWN AND SEVEN MEN ARRIVED AT A SETTLEMENT OF PRO-SLAVERY FAMILIES NEAR POTTAWATOMIE CREEK.
BRANDISHING SWORDS, THEY KNOCKED ON THE DOOR OF JAMES DOYLE AND HIS FAMILY.
BROWN'S MEN ROUNDED UP DOYLE AND TWO OF HIS SONS.
THEY STRUCK AND KILLED THE THREE MEN WITH THEIR SWORDS.
THE RAIDERS THEN MOVED ON TO OTHER HOMES TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR VENGEANCE, KILLING FIVE MEN IN TOTAL.
JOHN BROWN FLED AUTHORITIES, BUT HIS ACTIONS THAT NIGHT LEFT A LONG SHADOW.
THE BLOODY POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRESCENDO OF TENSION BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH, WHICH YEARS LATER WOULD BOIL OVER INTO THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
Eduardo: OUR NEXT CASE ASKS WHAT A DOUGHBOY'S KEEPSAKE REVEALS ABOUT THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST COMMUNIST RUSSIA.
NOVEMBER 1917: THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION HAS SPARKED UPHEAVAL IN RUSSIA AND BROUGHT A RADICALLY NEW SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT ONTO THE WORLD STAGE.
THE UNITED STATES, ALONG WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE, ARE SHELL-SHOCKED.
ALREADY EMBROILED IN A BLOODY WAR WITH GERMANY, THEY NOW FACE A POTENTIAL NEW FOE, AN ANTI-CAPITALIST WORKER STATE, WHICH THEY FEAR MAY ONE DAY SPREAD COMMUNISM TO THEIR OWN SHORES.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THESE ALLIES TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO THIS NEW THREAT, KEEPING THEIR REAL AGENDA HIDDEN FROM THEIR OWN PUBLIC.
NOW, A COLLECTOR FROM LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA, HAS A PIECE OF LEAD AND BRASS THAT MAY OPEN A WINDOW ON A CRITICAL MOMENT IN SOVIET/AMERICAN RELATIONS.
THIS BULLET'S NEVER BEEN FIRED, BUT I'M SURE THERE'S A STORY BEHIND IT.
I'M EDUARDO PAGAN, AND I'M MEETING DAVE DAMP TO INVESTIGATE THE AMMUNITION HE FOUND DECADES AGO.
I WAS 16 YEARS OLD AT A GUN SHOW IN COLORADO, AND I HAD A DOLLAR AND WAS WALKING AROUND, AND I FOUND THIS IN A BOX OF LOOSE SHELLS.
THE THING THAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE INSCRIPTION ON IT.
IT SAYS, "LEO V. THOMPSON, COMPANY E, 31st INFANTRY, A.E.F.
SIBERIA."
WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS?
WELL, I DID A LITTLE SEARCH HERE RECENTLY, AND I FOUND OUT THAT A.E.F.
STANDS FOR AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, AND WE ACTUALLY SENT SOME TROOPS TO SIBERIA BACK IN 1918.
BUT BEYOND THAT, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
IF YOU TAKE THE BULLET OFF, IT'S GOT AN INTERESTING FEATURE.
OH, LOOK AT THAT.
I FIGURE IT WAS MADE INTO A LETTER OPENER, A SOUVENIR, EITHER FOR MR. THOMPSON OR BY MR. THOMPSON.
WELL, WHAT CAN I FIND OUT FOR YOU?
WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT LEO V. THOMPSON AND THE UNIT HE SERVED IN.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHY WE HAD AMERICAN TROOPS IN SIBERIA.
I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN FIND OUT FOR YOU.
THANK YOU, IT WAS VERY NICE MEETING YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE BULLET DEFINITELY APPEARS TO BE LEAD, AND THE CASING APPEARS TO BE BRASS.
IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE PENKNIFE OR MAYBE A LETTER OPENER.
THE INSCRIPTION ON THIS LOOKS VERY NICELY DONE.
"LEO V. THOMPSON, COMPANY E, 31st INFANTRY, A.E.F.
SIBERIA."
THERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT THE WORD "LEO."
THERE'S A -- WHAT APPEARS TO BE A PERIOD AFTER THE "O."
I'M GUESSING THAT'S MAYBE SHORT FOR LEONARD.
I DO REMEMBER SOMETHING ABOUT A DETACHMENT AT SIBERIA, BUT I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THAT.
AND A.E.F., IMMEDIATELY I THINK OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DURING WORLD WAR I.
IF HE SERVED IN THE A.E.F., FINDING LEONARD V. THOMPSON SHOULDN'T BE THAT DIFFICULT.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WORLD WAR I VETERANS DATABASES.
[ ♪♪♪ ] THIS IS INTERESTING.
THE 31st INFANTRY WAS SENT TO SIBERIA FROM 1918 TO 1920.
BUT I CAN'T FIND A LEONARD OR A LEO V. THOMPSON IN THE 31st INFANTRY.
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR DAVID FOGLESONG HAS WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ABOUT THE UNITED STATES' INVOLVEMENT WITH RUSSIA AT THIS TIME.
DAVID, THANKS SO MUCH FOR MEETING WITH ME.
I'M DYING TO KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
NO, I NEVER HAVE SEEN ANYTHING EXACTLY LIKE THIS.
WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WERE THE INITIALS A.E.F.
DAVID EXPLAINS HOW THE TERM A.E.F.
HAD FIRST BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE OF SOME 2 MILLION DOUGHBOYS.
THESE TROOPS LEFT THE UNITED STATES IN 1917 AND 1918 TO FIGHT GERMANY DURING WORLD WAR I.
BUT HE SAYS THE INFANTRY ON OUR BULLET MUST REFER TO THE U.S. FORCE STATIONED IN SIBERIA AFTER THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION OF 1917.
THERE WERE TWO AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES THAT WERE SENT TO THE FORMER RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE SUMMER OF 1918.
THE EXPEDITION TO SIBERIA INVOLVED BETWEEN 8- AND 10,000 AMERICAN TROOPS.
ONE WENT INTO NORTHERN RUSSIA AT ARKHANGELSK, OR ARCHANGEL, AND ONE WENT INTO EASTERN SIBERIA AT THE PORT OF VLADIVOSTOK IN THE SUMMER OF 1918.
THIS IS THE PERIOD OF THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION, AND THIS IS THE REASON, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WHY RUSSIA PULLED OUT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
YES.
DAVID EXPLAINS HOW THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION HAD LIT A CIVIL WAR INSIDE RUSSIA, WITH LENIN'S BOLSHEVIK RED ARMY DOING BATTLE WITH THE MONARCHIST WHITE ARMY.
DAVID RELATES HOW CZARIST RUSSIA HAD, AT FIRST, BEEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ALLIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GERMANY.
THEY HAD ALSO BEEN SENT A GREAT DEAL OF WAR MAT刡IEL AND AMMUNITION.
NOW, GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND THE UNITED STATES VIEWED THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION AND THAT STOCKPILED AMMUNITION WITH GROWING CONCERN.
THE BRITISH AND THE FRENCH AND THE AMERICANS DID NOT WANT THE BOLSHEVIKS TO BE ABLE TO SEIZE THOSE STOCKPILES AT ARKHANGELSK AND AT VLADIVOSTOK.
DAVID SAYS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MADE THE DECISION TO KEEP TROOPS IN SOVIET RUSSIA EVEN THOUGH GERMANY SURRENDERED IN THE FALL OF 1918, MARKING THE END OF THE WAR.
HOW DID WILSON SELL THIS TO THE PUBLIC?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS HE DID NOT SELL THE EXPEDITION TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THEN THAT WE SEE SO MANY PEOPLE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND WONDERING WHAT ARE OUR FORCES DOING IN NORTHERN RUSSIA AND EASTERN SIBERIA AFTER THE ENDING OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR?
THE WILSON ADMINISTRATION DID RELEASE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC A BRIEF PRESS RELEASE IN EARLY AUGUST OF 1918.
"THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES WISHES TO ANNOUNCE TO THE PEOPLE OF RUSSIA IN THE MOST PUBLIC AND SOLEMN MANNER," WILSON WROTE, "THAT IT CONTEMPLATES NO INTERFERENCE WITH THE POLITICAL SOVEREIGNTY OF RUSSIA."
BUT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, A VERY DIFFERENT STRATEGY WAS BEING PLOTTED.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO SPELL IT OUT THAT THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF THIS WAS TO TRY TO ASSIST THE REMOVAL OF THE BOLSHEVIK REGIME.
BOLSHEVISM REALLY MEANT A CHALLENGE TO THE EXISTING ORDER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, INCLUDING IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE WILL INCITE THE WORKING CLASS OF THE WORLD TO REBEL AGAINST THE CAPITALISTS, AND WE WILL TRY TO TURN THE FIRST WORLD WAR INTO A CIVIL WAR WITHIN EACH OF THOSE SOCIETIES.
WILSON WAS SECRETLY PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE ANTI-COMMUNIST WHITE ARMY.
IMPLICITLY, THE UNITED STATES IS ASSISTING THE WHITE FORCES IN THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR BY PATROLLING THE RAILWAY LINE, BY KEEPING THAT SUPPLY LINE OPEN.
SO WE DIDN'T INTERVENE DIRECTLY, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD INDIRECTLY TO INFLUENCE WHAT WAS HAPPENING THERE.
RIGHT.
WHAT DID THE AMERICAN TROOPS UNDERSTAND OF THEIR MISSION IN RUSSIA?
SOME OF THEM DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL.
BOTH IN TERMS OF LOCAL SKIRMISHES AGAINST RED PARTISANS AND IN TERMS OF SECURING THE SUPPLY LINE FOR THE WHITES, SOME OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS UNDERSTOOD THAT THEIR PURPOSE WAS AT LEAST IMPLICITLY ANTI-BOLSHEVIK.
DAVID SUGGESTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 31st AND LEO THOMPSON I HEAD TO THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY.
DORAN CART IS CURATOR.
THIS IS OUR SIBERIAN EXPEDITION EXHIBIT.
HE SAYS THE ARTIFACTS ARE A REMINDER OF A WAR AND SOLDIERS WHOSE EXPLOITS AMERICA KNOWS LITTLE ABOUT.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER OBJECTS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THIS.
I THINK THIS IS THE SAME CARTRIDGE THAT YOU HAVE.
THIS IS AN UNFIRED CARTRIDGE, AND THIS WAS FOR THE BERDAN II RIFLE.
THE GUN ITSELF WAS INVENTED IN 1870 BY AN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR VETERAN SHARPSHOOTER, HIRAM BERDAN.
AN INCREDIBLY RELIABLE WEAPON, SOME 3 MILLION OF THEM WERE EVENTUALLY MADE.
AND THESE WERE USED QUITE EXTENSIVELY IN SIBERIA.
THE CARTRIDGES WERE ALSO INVENTED BY BERDAN AND KNOWN FOR THEIR POWER AND ACCURACY.
IF YOU PULL THE BULLET FROM THE CARTRIDGE, OUT COMES A LITTLE KNIFE.
THEY MADE A LOT OF THOSE.
- THAT'S SHELL ART.
- OH.
SHELL ART WAS AN ART FORM THAT REALLY REACHED ITS HEIGHT DURING WORLD WAR I.
THEY COULD KEEP THEM AS A REMEMBRANCE OF WHERE THEY SERVED AND WHAT THEY DID DURING THE WAR, OR THEY WOULD SEND THEM HOME.
THESE WERE MADE REALLY IN A COTTAGE INDUSTRY.
SO A LOCAL ARTISAN DID THIS?
LOCAL ARTISANS RIGHT THERE, THEY HAD MARKETS ALL SET UP.
SOLDIERS WOULD COME IN, THEY WOULD GIVE THEIR NAME, THEIR UNIT NUMBER, AND THEY WOULD ENGRAVE IT AND SELL IT TO THE SOLDIER.
WELL, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT THE 31st INFANTRY AND SPECIFICALLY COMPANY E?
WELL, THE 31st INFANTRY REALLY HAD AN INTERESTING HISTORY.
THEIR FIRST DUTY REALLY WAS TO GUARD THE MILITARY STORES IN VLADIVOSTOK ITSELF, AND IN THE SUMMERTIME OF 1919, THEY WERE SENT OUT TO GUARD THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY.
WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR THESE GUYS IN THIS UNIT?
MOSTLY IT WAS MISERABLE.
[ chuckles ] THEY WERE COLD AND HUNGRY AND HAD PEOPLE SHOOTING AT THEM.
THEY HAD MANY SKIRMISHES WITH WHAT THEY CALLED THE BOLSHEVIKY BANDITS.
DURING THIS SUMMER OF 1919, 30 MEMBERS OF THE 31st INFANTRY WERE KILLED, AND THEN 60 OF THEM WERE WOUNDED.
WAS LEO V. THOMPSON ONE OF THE CASUALTIES?
WHY CAN'T I FIND A TRACE OF HIS SERVICE?
WELL, WHAT KIND OF RECORDS EXIST FOR THIS UNIT?
WELL, THERE'S NOT A LOT.
IT WAS KIND OF A FORGOTTEN WAR, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A COPY HERE OF THE ROSTER OF THE 31st INFANTRY OF COMPANY E. I'D LOVE TO SEE IF WE CAN FIND LEO V. THOMPSON IN THIS ROSTER.
WELL, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND HIM.
SO WE DON'T SEE ANY THOMPSONS UNDER THE OFFICERS OR NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
NOW WE'RE INTO THE PRIVATES.
NOW, THERE'S A THOMPSON, BUT THAT'S GEORGE V. THOMPSON.
WELL, THERE'S NOT A LEO.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STRUCK ME AS A LITTLE BIT CURIOUS IS THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE A PERIOD RIGHT AFTER "LEO."
MAYBE THIS LEO IS NOT LEO BUT GEO, SHORT FOR GEORGE.
AND, OF COURSE, THAT WAS A COMMON ABBREVIATION AT THAT TIME FOR GEORGE.
COULD THIS BE THE SAME MAN ON OUR BULLET?
DORAN DIRECTS ME TO THE MUSEUM'S ONLINE RECORDS.
WELL, THERE'S ONE GEORGE V. THOMPSON, 1881.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT BIRTHDATE WOULD BE QUITE RIGHT FOR THE TIME THAT I'M LOOKING AT.
HERE'S ANOTHER ONE WHO WAS BORN IN 1895.
NOW, THAT SEEMS LIKE A REAL POSSIBILITY.
OH, AND THEY'VE GOT A DRAFT CARD ONLINE.
OH, HERE IT IS, GEORGE V. THOMPSON, AGE 22, FROM MILAN, MISSOURI.
BORN IN 1895.
HE WAS A FARMER.
AND LOOK AT THIS, HE SIGNED HIS NAME GEO V. THOMPSON.
I THINK THIS COULD BE OUR GUY.
WHAT HAPPENED TO GEORGE THOMPSON?
THE BULLET MADE IT OUT OF RUSSIA, BUT DID ITS OWNER?
I WAS ABLE TO TRACK GEORGE'S GRANDSON, STEVE THOMPSON, TO SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.
- COME ON IN.
- THANK YOU.
I AM CONDUCTING SOME RESEARCH ON A WORLD WAR I SOLDIER BY THE NAME OF GEORGE V. THOMPSON.
I PRESUME THIS IS YOUR GRANDFATHER.
THAT IS CORRECT.
I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
THAT IS JUST INCREDIBLE.
STEVE TELLS ME THAT GEORGE SURVIVED THE WAR AND THAT THE FAMILY HAS MEMORABILIA FROM HIS TIME IN RUSSIA.
LET ME START WITH THAT.
THIS PHOTO OF GEORGE IS WHAT I BELIEVE IS HIS ISSUE JACKET.
YOU KNOW, I SEE A RESEMBLANCE.
THESE ARE HIS INSIGNIA PINS.
AH, YES, 31st INFANTRY.
"M.G."
FOR MACHINE GUN, I TAKE IT?
HE WAS ON A MACHINE GUN CREW.
EDUARDO, THE LAST THING THAT WE HAVE HERE ARE ALL OF HIS LETTERS TO AND FROM HOME.
THIS IS REALLY COOL THAT YOU'VE GOT THESE.
THESE LETTERS FROM SIBERIA ARE REMARKABLE.
"I DON'T REALLY WANT OUT UNTIL PEACE, AND THEN I CAN WALK OUT FEELING THAT I HAVE DONE MY BIT."
TO WHAT DEGREE DO YOU THINK HE UNDERSTOOD THE PURPOSE OF THEIR BEING STATIONED IN SIBERIA?
HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS GOING ON IN SIBERIA AND IN RUSSIA AS A WHOLE, AND THAT WHEN THEY PULLED OUT, THEY WERE ABANDONING THE COUNTRY.
AND ESSENTIALLY, THEY WERE ABANDONING IT TO COMMUNISM.
"WE ARE UP AGAINST ONE OF THE GREATEST QUESTIONS TO MY NOTION THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN."
LOOKING OVER GEORGE'S LETTERS, THE DETAILS OF HIS EXPERIENCE FINALLY BECOME CLEARER.
THEN STEVE HELPS ME COMPLETE THE PICTURE OF GEORGE'S SERVICE IN SIBERIA.
WELL, DAVE, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR CONTACTING ME AND ALLOWING ME TO DELVE INTO A PIECE OF AMERICAN HISTORY THAT I DIDN'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT.
I CAN TELL YOU AFTER A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCH THAT THERE WAS NO LEO V. THOMPSON WHO SERVED IN THIS UNIT.
THERE WAS NO LEO V. THOMPSON?
OH, WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING.
NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST LETTER IN THAT FIRST NAME, IT LOOKS LIKE AN L, BUT NOTICE THAT THERE'S A LINE THAT'S SCRATCHED BEHIND IT, WHICH THEN TRANSFORMS THE L INTO A G. AND I CAN TELL YOU, IN FACT, THERE WAS A GEORGE V. THOMPSON WHO SERVED IN COMPANY E IN THE 31st INFANTRY IN SIBERIA FROM 1918 TO 1920.
YOU KNOW, NOW THAT YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT, YOU CAN SEE IT, BUT IT'S SO FAINT.
AND I'VE GOT SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO SEE.
I WAS ABLE TO FIND A PICTURE OF GEORGE THOMPSON HIMSELF, DRESSED IN HIS WINTER UNIFORM FOR HIS SIBERIAN SERVICE.
IT'S KIND OF NEAT TO SEE THE MAN BEHIND THE SHELL, SO TO SPEAK, AFTER 40 YEARS OF WONDERING.
THIS IS VERY INTERESTING.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE.
I WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH HIS FAMILY, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO FILL IN SOME BACKGROUND ABOUT HIS LIFE.
I FOUND SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING IN GEORGE'S DIARY.
ON JUNE 26th, THEY HAVE A CALL TO ARMS.
THEY'RE OUT FOR ACTION, "MY SQUAD OUT ON HOSPITAL TRAIN "FOR REINFORCEMENT OF A COMPANY "IN ENGAGEMENT WITH REDS, UNDER FIRE, A REAL BATTLE.
"IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THREE AUTOMATIC RIFLE SQUADS.
"DROVE THE ENEMY OFF INTO THE HILLS.
"THERE WERE 19 AMERICANS KILLED, 32 WERE WOUNDED.
A DREADFUL SIGHT."
THAT WAS THE LARGEST ENGAGEMENT THAT THE 31st INFANTRY EXPERIENCED.
YOU'VE GOT QUITE A HISTORICAL RECORD HERE.
BECAUSE OF THE CAMOUFLAGED NATURE OF THE A.E.F.
'S OPERATIONS, STEVE'S GRANDFATHER'S DIARY GIVES A RARE LOOK INTO THE BRUTALITY OF THAT FIGHTING AND THE BRAVERY OF THE SOLDIERS.
WELL, THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
KNOWING THE STORY BEHIND IT REALLY KIND OF BRINGS HOME JUST WHAT THAT REPRESENTS.
I'VE GOT ONE MORE THING THAT I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
DAVE, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO MEET STEVE V. THOMPSON, THE GRANDSON OF GEORGE V. THOMPSON.
THIS IS DAVE DAMP.
IT'S REALLY A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU.
WELL, I'VE HAD THIS FOR 40 YEARS, AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN IN A PLACE OF HONOR IN MY HOME, AND I'VE NEVER CONSIDERED IT MINE, SO I'M GLAD THAT I'M ABLE TO RETURN IT TO YOUR FAMILY.
WOW, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOU GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY CHERISHING THIS AND THEN BRINGING IT BACK TO THE FAMILY.
I WANT TO THANK YOU.
NO, THANK YOU.
IN EARLY 1920, AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY AND PLUMMETING SOLDIER MORALE, WILSON FINALLY PULLED AMERICAN TROOPS FROM SIBERIA.
GEORGE THOMPSON RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES AND SETTLED IN KANSAS, WHERE HE STARTED A FARM.
THREE GENERATIONS LATER, SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS STILL LIVE THERE TODAY.
TO READ GEORGE THOMPSON'S LETTERS HOME FROM SIBERIA, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION TOOK MANY FORMS.
IN AUGUST 1917, RADICAL JOURNALIST JOHN REED LEFT TO COVER THE IMPENDING EVENTS IN RUSSIA.
HE SOON FOUND HIMSELF WITH A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO A REVOLUTION.
ON NOVEMBER 7th, REED WATCHED AS THE RUSSIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LABOR PARTY, LED BY VLADIMIR LENIN, STAGED THEIR ASSAULT ON THE WINTER PALACE, THE SEAT OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.
FOR REED, THIS VICTORY SIGNALED THE POSSIBILITY OF A SOCIALIST REVOLUTION AROUND THE WORLD, AND HE WAS READY TO JOIN THE FIGHT.
ON JANUARY 20, 1918, REED GRABBED A RIFLE AND WENT ON PATROL WITH THE RED GUARD TO DEFEND THE NEW SOVIET FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE FROM COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY ATTACK.
AFTER HIS RETURN TO NEW YORK, HE PUBLISHED TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD, HIS FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION.
IN THE PREFACE, REED ACKNOWLEDGED HIS PARTISAN SYMPATHIES BUT STILL DEFENDED THE WORK.
HE WROTE, "I HAVE TRIED TO SEE THE EVENTS "WITH THE EYE OF A CONSCIENTIOUS REPORTER INTERESTED IN SETTING DOWN THE TRUTH."
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DISAGREED.
ARRESTED MULTIPLE TIMES AND PREVIOUSLY INDICTED FOR SEDITION, REED RETURNED TO RUSSIA.
ON OCTOBER 17, 1920, HE DIED IN MOSCOW OF TYPHUS AT THE AGE OF 32.
REED WAS GIVEN A HERO'S BURIAL AT THE KREMLIN WALL ADJOINING RED SQUARE, THE 1917 MASS GRAVE SITE FOR THE BOLSHEVIK CASUALTIES.
Elyse: OUR LAST CASE ASKS WHY THIS CLOWN COSTUME MIGHT HAVE TUMBLED INTO HOMES ACROSS AMERICA.
BY THE MID-1960s, McDONALD'S IS PART OF A WAVE OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS CROWDING MALLS AND HIGHWAYS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BUT ENTREPRENEUR RAY KROC ISN'T SATISFIED.
CAN HE CREATE THE BIGGEST FAST FOOD CHAIN IN THE LAND BY WINNING THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE SMALLEST CONSUMERS?
RANDY LIEBERMANN FROM RESTON, VIRGINIA, HAS A COSTUME THAT MAY BE FROM RAY KROC'S BIG PLAN FOR TINY CUSTOMERS.
I'M ELYSE LURAY, AND I'M HERE TO TAKE A LOOK AT RANDY'S FIND.
- WOW.
- THERE WE GO.
I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT.
SO WHERE'D YOU FIND IT?
WELL, I FOUND IT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AT A McDONALD'S COLLECTOR'S CLUB CONVENTION.
THE FORMER OWNER PRODUCED THIS NEWSLETTER.
OH, NICE.
"AN OLD RONALD COSTUME WAS FOUND AT A SALE FOR UNCLAIMED STORAGE LOCKER ITEMS."
SO IT WAS BASICALLY FOUND IN A LOCKER?
LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE IT SAYS.
OH, NEAT, HERE'S ALL THE ITEMS THAT CAME WITH IT: THE SHOES, THE MAKEUP -- WHICH I LOVE -- THE WIG.
AND THEN IT SAYS HERE, "ANY OTHER DETAILS "SUCH AS WHO PURCHASED THE OUTFIT AND WHEN, WHO USED THE OUTFIT, FOR HOW LONG, ARE UNKNOWN."
SO THERE'S NO PROVENANCE ON THIS PIECE.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
NO, UNFORTUNATELY NOT.
WHAT EXACTLY CAN I FIND OUT FOR YOU?
IS THIS THE FIRST RONALD McDONALD COSTUME?
SO I'M GOING TO TAKE EVERYTHING WITH ME, IS THAT OKAY?
PLEASE DO, YES.
OKAY, I LOVE THE SHOES.
THEY DEFINITELY HAVE WEAR, SO WE KNOW THEY'VE BEEN WORN BEFORE.
THE SUIT: FIRST OF ALL, IT'S IN PRETTY GOOD CONDITION.
THE YELLOW IS REALLY BRIGHT, THE COLORS ARE REALLY BRIGHT.
THE ONLY FADING I SEE IS RIGHT HERE.
MY GUESS IS THAT AT SOME POINT THIS WAS RED.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS LOGO BEFORE, SO IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO DATE THE LOGO.
AND THESE ARE PLASTIC.
I MEAN, MAYBE IT'S SIMPLY JUST A HALLOWEEN COSTUME.
THE ONLY REASON I THINK MAYBE NOT, THOUGH, IS BECAUSE THERE IS THIS LABEL BACK HERE THAT SAYS MAX WELDY, AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HE WAS A PARISIAN COSTUME MAKER.
I'VE SEEN HIS WORK BEFORE FROM MY DAYS AT CHRISTIE'S.
NOT SURE HOW THAT PARLAYS INTO RONALD McDONALD AND CLOWNS, SO THAT'LL BE INTERESTING.
AND THE OTHER REALLY NICE THING I LIKE ABOUT THIS COSTUME IS THAT IT'S ACTUALLY COMPLETE.
WE HAVE THE WIG, WE HAVE THE GLOVES, WE HAVE THE SHOES, WE EVEN HAVE THE MAKEUP.
SO TO ME, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING TOGETHER IS REALLY INCREDIBLE.
AND I GUESS I KIND OF NEED TO REALLY FIND OUT WHAT EARLY McDONALD'S COSTUMES LOOKED LIKE AND START FROM THERE.
[ ♪♪♪ ] OKAY, LISTEN TO THIS.
IN 1966, McDONALD'S UNVEILED RONALD McDONALD IN HIS FIRST NATIONAL TELEVISION CAMPAIGN.
TV announcer: Does Ronald McDonald think he can catch a fish in a washtub?
THIS IS GREAT.
OKAY, SO THIS LOGO WAS CLEARLY USED IN THE EARLY COMMERCIALS.
-- anything to win.
Aw, that wasn't fair.
UM, LET'S SEE.
Look at Ronald's balloon.
THE POCKETS ARE THE SAME.
There goes Ronald in his flying hamburger.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I SEE IS THAT THE STRIPES ON THE SHIRT ARE MUCH THICKER IN THIS COMMERCIAL THAN THEY ARE IN THIS COSTUME.
Look for the golden arches.
Join your friends at McDonald's, the closest thing to home.
I'M NOT SEEING ANY MENTION OF MAX WELDY AND A CONNECTION TO A RONALD McDONALD COSTUME.
AND TO COMPLICATE THINGS, I'M ALSO SEEING A LOT OF REFERENCES TO WILLARD SCOTT, THE LONGTIME TODAY SHOW WEATHERMAN, AND THEY ALL CLAIM THAT HE WAS THE FIRST RONALD McDONALD.
SO LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN FIND FROM THERE.
I like to do everything boys and girls like to do.
ALL RIGHT, THAT RONALD IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE RONALD THAT I HAVE HERE.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THAT LEAVES OUR COSTUME.
ANDREW F. SMITH HAS WRITTEN OR EDITED 19 BOOKS ON AMERICA'S CULINARY PAST, INCLUDING HAMBURGER: A GLOBAL HISTORY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE COSTUME?
FIRST OF ALL, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF IT WAS USED IN THE FIRST COMMERCIAL.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST RONALD McDONALD COSTUME.
THE FIRST ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH WILLARD SCOTT, BUT IT WAS A LOCAL COMMERCIAL ONLY IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C., AREA.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
McDONALD'S WAS ORIGINALLY A LOCAL SAN BERNARDINO OUTFIT WITH MAURICE McDONALD AND RICHARD McDONALD WHEN THEY EXPANDED TO ABOUT 10 DIFFERENT OUTLETS.
AND THEY MADE A CONTRACT WITH RAY KROC, WHO LIVED IN CHICAGO, TO FRANCHISE NATIONALLY.
ANDY EXPLAINS THAT UNDER KROC'S MANAGEMENT, BY THE MID-1960s, 100 NEW FRANCHISES WERE OPENING ANNUALLY.
McDONALD'S CONTINUED TO STREAMLINE, AUTOMATE, AND FORMAT THEIR FOOD PREPARATION, MENUS, AND EVEN ARCHITECTURE TO UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS.
THAT STANDARDIZATION WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO McDONALD'S.
BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE STANDARDS ON ADVERTISING.
AND SO EACH LOCAL FRANCHISE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS OWN ADVERTISING.
ANDY SAYS A LOCAL McDONALD'S IN WASHINGTON, D.C., HAD AN IDEA TO BOOST BUSINESS BY SPONSORING A CHILDREN'S PROGRAM CALLED BOZO'S CIRCUS.
IT WAS TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL.
YOU HAD A 30% INCREASE IN SALES LOCALLY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE FRANCHISE THEN HIRED THE CLOWN, PLAYED BY WILLARD SCOTT, TO STAR IN COMMERCIALS AS A BRAND-NEW CHARACTER, RONALD McDONALD.
Watch for me on TV.
We'll have lots of fun.
[ horn squeaks ] ANDY EXPLAINS THAT EVEN ON JUST THE LOCAL LEVEL, THE POWER OF TELEVISION AS A NEW ADVERTISING MEDIUM WAS ON FULL VIEW.
TELEVISION IN THE 1950s AND EARLY 1960s REALLY WAS A MUCH MORE POWERFUL MEDIA THAN IT IS TODAY.
THERE WERE VERY FEW CHANNELS AVAILABLE IN MOST COMMUNITIES, SO IF YOU HAD A CHILDREN'S PROGRAM ON, YOU HAD LITERALLY ALL THE KIDS IN A LOCAL COMMUNITY WATCHING IT.
SO THEY REALLY WERE TARGETING KIDS.
THE INITIAL TARGET WERE FAMILIES THAT WERE IN SUBURBS.
RAY KROC WOULD FLY OVER A COMMUNITY, LOOK WHERE THE SCHOOLS WERE, LOOK WHERE THE NEW CHURCHES WERE BEING BUILT, THEN THAT'S WHERE HE DECIDED HE REALLY WANTED McDONALD'S FRANCHISES.
IT'S THE BABY BOOM ERA.
YOU HAVE LOTS OF KIDS.
THERE ARE NO FOOD OUTLETS IN THE SUBURBAN AREA, SO RAY KROC THOUGHT, "IF WE GET ALL THOSE CHILDREN IN HERE, THEY'LL EAT A LOT OF HAMBURGERS."
AND INDEED, THEY DID.
THE ADVERTISING STRATEGY THAT WORKED IN WASHINGTON WOULD SURELY WORK ON THE NATIONAL STAGE.
THE NATIONAL McDONALD'S CORPORATION TOOK ONE LOOK AT THIS AND SAW THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS, AND THEY BEGAN TO ADVERTISE RONALD McDONALD NATIONALLY.
SO THIS WAS A LANDMARK CAMPAIGN.
THIS IS THE FIRST NATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR ANY FAST FOOD OPERATION, AND THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY RECOGNIZED THAT CHILDREN WAS THE REAL MARKET, AND THAT'S BEEN THE MAJOR TARGET FOR MOST FAST FOOD CHAINS EVER SINCE.
THE TARGETING OF KIDS AS CONSUMERS HAS A LONG HISTORY IN AMERICA WITH EXAMPLES DATING BACK TO THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.
ANDY POINTS OUT THAT STRATEGY SOMETIMES DRAWS CRITICISM FROM CONSUMER PROTECTION ADVOCATES.
AND WITH INCREASING RATES OF CHILD OBESITY, SOME CRITICS HAVE EVEN LOBBIED TO HAVE RONALD RETIRED.
YOU KNOW, MY KIDS DON'T GO TO McDONALD'S BECAUSE OF RONALD McDONALD, THEY GO BECAUSE OF THE TOYS.
WELL, IT STARTS OFF WITH RONALD McDONALD AND THE CLOWN OUTFIT.
IT MOVES FROM THERE INTO PLAYLANDS, AND THEN THEY MOVED TO THE HAPPY MEAL THAT COMES ON IN THE '70s, AND THEN THEY MOVE TO TIE-INS WITH MOVIES AND TOYS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE TIE-INS.
SO LET'S GO BACK TO OUR COSTUME FOR A SECOND HERE, BECAUSE CLEARLY IT'S NOT WILLARD SCOTT'S COSTUME.
IT COULD WELL HAVE BEEN THE FIRST ONE THAT WAS USED NATIONALLY ON TELEVISION.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S OBVIOUS ABOUT IT IS THE SHIRT IS DIFFERENT.
ANDY SUGGESTS TALKING TO AN ARCHITECT OF McDONALD'S FIRST AD CAMPAIGN.
PAUL SCHRAGE WORKED FOR CHICAGO-BASED D'ARCY ADVERTISING COMPANY AND LATER BECAME McDONALD'S FIRST CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER.
ALL RIGHT, PAUL, SO MY FIRST QUESTION TO YOU IS DO YOU THINK THIS COSTUME COULD HAVE BEEN USED IN THE FIRST NATIONAL TELEVISION CAMPAIGN?
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THE UNDERSHIRT AND THE STRIPES ARE DIFFERENT, BUT TO ME, EVERYTHING ELSE IS DEAD ON.
YEAH, NO QUESTION, IT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE AS I REMEMBER THAT COSTUME.
PAUL CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENT STRIPING ON THE COSTUME SHIRTS, BUT HE SAYS THE LOGO IS ACCURATE AND THAT MAX WELDY DID MANUFACTURE THE FIRST RONALD COSTUMES.
WHY WERE YOU CONVINCED THAT RONALD SHOULD BE THE NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON?
WE WERE AT A VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN OUR HISTORY.
WE WERE AT TWO BILLION SERVED AND GROWING.
PAUL SAYS THESE WERE HEADY TIMES FOR THE ADVERTISING BUSINESS.
TALENTED AD MEN AND WOMEN CREATED LEGENDARY FIGURES FROM THE MARLBORO MAN TO MR. CLEAN.
HIS TEAM REDESIGNED THE WILLARD SCOTT COSTUME AND RECAST RONALD WITH A CIRCUS PERFORMER, MICHAEL POLAKOVS.
SO WHO'S MICHAEL?
MICHAEL IS COCO THE CLOWN FROM RINGLING BROS. BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS.
WHY DID YOU GO FROM WILLARD TO MICHAEL?
MICHAEL WAS A PROFESSIONAL CLOWN: VERY ANIMATED, A LOT OF SIGHT GAGS.
THE NEW AND IMPROVED RONALD MADE HIS DEBUT IN MACY'S 1966 THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.
THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY A STRING OF NATIONAL COMMERCIALS, INCLUDING A SPOT DURING THE FIRST SUPER BOWL ON JANUARY 15, 1967.
HE WOULD HAVE PERSONAL APPEARANCES, AND THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE ENTIRE IMAGE OF THAT RESTAURANT.
YOU MAKE IT A MORE FUN PLACE TO COME TO.
ON THE SURFACE, McDONALD'S STRATEGY WAS LESS ABOUT ADVERTISING FOOD AND MORE ABOUT PROMOTING THE IDEA OF FUN AND FAMILY.
WINNING THE CHILDREN'S HEARTS AND MINDS -- AND THEN THEIR STOMACHS -- WAS KEY.
RONALD WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO BE A PITCHMAN.
HE WAS A GOODWILL AMBASSADOR.
HE WOULD BE FUN.
OVER TIME, HE DEVELOPED TRUST, WHICH WAS KEY.
IT'S KEY WHEN YOU'RE DOING BRANDING.
IS THERE ANY ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE ME TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF THIS WAS MICHAEL'S?
UNFORTUNATELY, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TALK TO MICHAEL; MICHAEL IS DECEASED.
BUT HIS WIFE HAZEL, I'M SURE SHE COULD FILL IN SOME OF THE BLANK SPACES.
HAZEL POLAKOVS OF CATLETTSBURG, KENTUCKY, MET HER LATE HUSBAND IN 1960.
JUST A YEAR LATER, THE LATVIAN MICHAEL POLAKOVS, WHO CAME FROM A LONG LINE OF CLOWNS, JOINED RINGLING BROS. "GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH."
HIS COCO THE CLOWN TOOK TOP BILLING THERE FOR OVER A DECADE.
HAZEL, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT COCO AND HIS HISTORY?
HOW DID McDONALD'S FIND HIM?
COCO WAS WORKING PROMOTION FOR RINGLING BROS.
IN CHICAGO AND HE GOT A CALL FROM THE McDONALD CORPORATION.
SO HE WENT DOWNTOWN TO THE BOARD MEETING, AND THEY SAID, "COCO, WE'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU CAN MAKE SOMEONE LAUGH WITHIN 30 SECONDS."
AND COCO HAS A WIG THAT THE FAMILY TRADITION IS THE HAIR COMES UP, FLIPS UP.
HE DID THAT, AND THEY ROARED, AND THEY SAID, "OKAY, THAT'S IT, PICK UP YOUR CHECK."
AND THAT'S HOW HE STARTED.
- THAT'S THE FIRST COSTUME.
- YES.
THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT MY COSTUME AND COMPARING IT TO THE COPY OF ONE OF THE FIRST COMMERCIALS THAT I HAVE, I NOTICED THAT THE STRIPES WERE TOO THIN, BUT YOURS ARE EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE COMMERCIAL.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES.
I MEAN, THE POCKETS ARE REALLY SIMILAR.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER SIMILARITY: THE MAX WELDY LABEL.
COCO AND MAX TOGETHER DESIGNED THE COSTUME.
HAZEL EXPLAINS HOW McDONALD'S HAD ASKED MICHAEL TO COME UP WITH A NEW RONALD COSTUME AND HOW HE HAD TURNED FOR HELP TO MAX WELDY, THE RINGLING BROS. COSTUME MAKER AT THE TIME.
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING; THIS WAS THE IDEA THEY WANTED.
HAZEL SAYS THAT EVEN AFTER HER HUSBAND STOPPED WORKING FOR McDONALD'S, HE NEVER FORGOT THE TIME HE SPENT PERFORMING AS RONALD.
COCO WAS ALWAYS VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS.
ANY TIME HE WAS PROMOTING RINGLING, HE GOT THE CHANCE, HE WOULD ALSO PROMOTE RONALD McDONALD TOGETHER.
MAX WELDY DIED IN 1983, BUT HAZEL'S KEPT A FEW RECORDS AND MEMORABILIA FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF RONALD.
I KNOW THAT YOURS IS THE FIRST COSTUME FROM THE FIRST NATIONAL COMMERCIAL, BUT THEY LOOK SO MUCH ALIKE THAT MINE HAS TO BE SOMETHING.
WHAT'S THE KEY TO FIGURING OUT WHAT IT IS?
WHAT HAZEL SHARES WITH US NEXT WILL CERTAINLY INTEREST RANDY.
I KNOW YOU WANTED TO FIND OUT IF THIS WAS THE FIRST RONALD McDONALD COSTUME, AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT.
I TELL RANDY THAT HIS COSTUME WAS NOT USED BY WILLARD SCOTT IN THE FIRST PORTRAYAL OF RONALD McDONALD.
SO WHERE IS IT IN THE PECKING ORDER?
WELL, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
THEN I WENT AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE COSTUME WAS FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL RONALD McDONALD.
I EXPLAIN THAT MICHAEL POLAKOVS, OR COCO THE CLOWN, TOOK RONALD NATIONWIDE AND THAT HIS WIDOW HAD THE ORIGINAL COSTUME THAT HE WORE.
BUT SHE DID HAVE SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION THAT I THINK YOU'LL BE EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT.
SO THIS IS A PURCHASE ORDER FROM McDONALD'S TO MICHAEL, AND IT'S SAYING, "EXPENSE TO DEVELOP "A MORE EXPRESSIVE RONALD McDONALD COSTUME "FOR OUR USE IN FUTURE TV COMMERCIAL.
"THIS COSTUME WILL BE THE MASTER PATTERN FOR COSTUMES TO BE RENTED OR SOLD TO OUR OPERATORS."
HAZEL EXPLAINS THAT HER HUSBAND AND MAX WELDY TWEAKED THEIR ORIGINAL RONALD McDONALD PROTOTYPE INTO A STANDARDIZED COSTUME THAT COULD BE MASS PRODUCED AND ORDERED BY ANY LOCAL McDONALD'S WANTING THEIR OWN RONALD.
RANDY'S COSTUME WAS ONE OF THE FINAL PRODUCTS SOLD IN A READY-TO-GO KIT ALONG WITH SHOES, A WIG, AND MAKEUP.
YOU HAVE A COSTUME THAT WAS IMPROVED FROM THE ONE THAT I HAVE SO THAT THEY COULD SEND THAT OUT TO ALL OF THE FRANCHISES.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF MEMORABILIA.
YES, IT IS, UH-HUH.
SO, RANDY, WE KNOW THAT YOUR COSTUME WAS PART OF A LANDMARK CAMPAIGN, AND IT REALLY CHANGED THE WAY THAT FAST FOOD WAS MARKETED NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD.
WELL, I'M GLAD TO BE ABLE TO OWN THIS PIECE OF HISTORY.
TODAY, RONALD McDONALD SPEAKS IN 25 LANGUAGES AND HAS APPEARED IN OVER 10,000 COMMERCIALS.
YOUTH MARKETING HAS BECOME A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY AS ADVERTISING RESEARCHERS SEEK TO MEASURE CHILDREN'S WANTS, NEEDS, AND WHAT IS KNOWN AS PESTER POWER, THE AMOUNT THEY NAG THEIR PARENTS TO BUY THAT MUST-HAVE PRODUCT.
RONALD McDONALD IS A HOUSEHOLD NAME, BUT AMERICA'S FIRST CELEBRITY CLOWN WAS A 19th-CENTURY PERFORMER NAMED DAN RICE.
RICE WAS BORN IN 1823, 30 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST AMERICAN CIRCUS DEBUTED IN PHILADELPHIA.
RICE GOT HIS START AS A TEENAGER PERFORMING IN MEETINGHOUSES, BARNS, AND CLEARINGS.
ONE OF RICE'S FIRST ACTS WAS PRESENTING SYBIL, A PIG WHO COULD TELL TIME.
IN 1848, HE TOURED HIS OWN SHOW.
IT FEATURED WHITEFACE AND BLACKFACE CLOWNS, INCLUDING THE ETHIOPIAN SERENADERS, A POPULAR ACT THAT CAPTURED THE SOMETIMES PERVERSE WHITE AMERICAN FASCINATION WITH AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE.
AS CIRCUS BECAME ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S RARE NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, RICE WAS PROBABLY SEEN BY MORE AMERICANS THAN ANY OTHER PUBLIC FIGURE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.
AND MARK TWAIN, WHO HAD SEEN HIS ACT AS A BOY IN HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, ADDED A RICE-LIKE CIRCUS TO HUCKLEBERRY FINN.
WHEN MORE HIGHBROW ENTERTAINMENT BECAME THE FASHION IN THE 1850s, RICE REINVENTED HIMSELF AS THE GREAT AMERICAN HUMORIST IN "DAN RICE'S GREAT SHOW."
A PRECURSOR TO LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW COMEDIANS, RICE BLURRED THE LINE BETWEEN JOKES AND POLITICS.
THOUGH DAN RICE SANK INTO SENTIMENTAL OBSCURITY, THE FAME OF HIS GREAT SHOW STILL ECHOES IN RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY'S "GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH."
DO YOU HAVE A MYSTERY THAT ILLUMINATES AMERICAN HISTORY?
I THINK IT COULD BE A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF CIVIL WAR HISTORY.
Wes: THE HISTORY DETECTIVES ARE ALWAYS ON THE HUNT FOR THE NEXT BIG CASE.
MAYBE YOU CAN HELP US OUT.
ALL YOU NEED IS AN OBJECT WITH A GOOD AMERICAN MYSTERY CONNECTED TO IT.
SO WAS THIS JUST STICKING UP OUT OF THE BEACH?
THERE MUST BE A STORY BEHIND THIS.
TO SUBMIT YOUR CASE, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org, THEN CLICK "SUBMIT YOUR STORY."
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE CONNECTED THROUGH THE GENERATIONS.
