Elyse: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: WHAT DO THESE CRUMBLING PAGES REVEAL ABOUT DIVIDED LOYALTIES DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION?
I'M JUST AMAZED BY THE WHOLE THING.
Tukufu: WHAT ROLE DID THESE RECORDS PLAY IN THE SCULPTING OF AMERICA'S FIXATION WITH FITNESS?
Man on record: Ready, begin.
Gwendolyn: AND, IN AN ENCORE PRESENTATION, WAS WORK BY MAJOR ARTISTS, INCLUDING ANDY WARHOL, SMUGGLED TO THE MOON?
Man: "A.O.K., ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO."
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 ♪ Elyse: OUR FIRST CASE OPENS AN AGING BUNDLE OF PAPERS AND TURNS THE PAGES TO THE CHAOTIC AND CONTROVERSIAL FIRST DAYS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
1775: THE AMERICAN COLONIES ARE ENGAGED IN A DAVID-AND-GOLIATH STRUGGLE WITH THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL MILITARY FORCE.
THE OPPRESSION OF BRITISH RULE HAD BOILED OVER TWO YEARS EARLIER IN THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, AND THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS IS NOW AT THE HEART OF THE VIOLENT STRUGGLE TO GIVE BIRTH TO A NEW NATION.
BUT NOT EVERYBODY SUPPORTS THE PATRIOTS.
A POWERFUL MINORITY BACKS KING GEORGE AND IS FIGHTING TO KEEP AMERICA A COLONY.
SHEP WILLIAMS FROM DENNIS, MASSACHUSETTS, HAS AN ALMANAC WITH SCRIBBLINGS THAT MIGHT BE A WINDOW INTO THE FIRST FUMBLING DAYS OF THE UNITED STATES.
I DON'T KNOW WHO OWNED THIS, BUT HE MIGHT'VE LIVED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
HI, ELYSE, COME ON IN.
THANKS.
- HERE IT IS.
- OKAY.
AN ALMANAC FROM 1775.
OKAY, NATHANIEL AMES.
IT'S BEEN IN MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, PASSED DOWN, AND THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING ANNOTATIONS IN THE MARGINS.
SOMEONE HAD APPARENTLY BEEN USING IT AS A DIARY.
FOR INSTANCE, IN APRIL, ON THE 19th OF 1775, IT SAYS THERE WAS A BATTLE FOUGHT, WHICH WE ASSUME IS THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
FURTHER ON, IT NOTES THAT "CHARLESTOWN BURNS BY THE REGULARS."
THAT LINES UP WITH THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
IT'S POTENTIALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENT, A MIX OF PERSONAL DETAIL AND A RECORD OF THE VIOLENT BIRTH OF THE NATION.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THESE NAMES; HAVE YOU EVER RESEARCHED THEM?
NO, I NEVER DID.
OKAY.
ONE CRYPTIC NOTATION HAS ALWAYS HELD SHEP'S PARTICULAR FASCINATION.
ON APRIL 25th, THE AUTHOR NOTES, "SON JOS.
SAILED FOR ENGLAND."
THE DATE IS JUST SIX DAYS AFTER LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
AND WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?
WHO OWNED THE ALMANAC AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS NOTES.
I'M GOING TO TAKE IT WITH ME, AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN FIND OUT.
VERY GOOD.
OKAY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
ON THE COVER, IT SAYS, "AN ASTRONOMICAL DIARY, ALMANACK, YEAR OF OUR LORD, 1775."
AND IT'S BY NATHANIEL AMES.
AN ALMANAC, IT WAS LIKE A CALENDAR.
IT TOLD YOU HOLIDAYS, IT TOLD YOU ABOUT THE SUN RISING, THE MOON SETTING, THE TIDES.
THE TYPEFACE AND PAPER SEEM TO BE 18th CENTURY.
IT'S IN REALLY GOOD CONDITION; I'M KIND OF SURPRISED, BECAUSE YOU WOULD EXPECT SOMEONE TO BE HOLDING IT A LOT, BUT THERE IS WEAR TO IT.
THE INFORMATION IS PRETTY STANDARD FOR AN ALMANAC, BUT HONESTLY, IT'S THE INSCRIPTIONS THAT ARE SO FASCINATING.
THERE'S NOTHING HERE TO IDENTIFY THE OWNER, BUT THE ENTRY THAT CAUGHT SHEP'S ATTENTION COULD BE A LEAD.
"SON JOS.
SAILED FOR ENGLAND WITH CAPTAIN BROWN."
THE AUTHOR MENTIONS THEIR SON AGAIN.
IT SAYS HERE, "WROTE MY SON JOSEPH" -- KAY OR TAY -- "VIA BARNSTABLE."
I DON'T KNOW WHAT "KAY" OR "TAY" IS; IT COULD BE A LAST NAME, IT COULD BE A MIDDLE NAME, IT COULD BE A NICKNAME, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO GO ON.
JOSEPH TAY OR KAY...
I'M NOT GETTING ANYTHING.
THERE'S LOTS OF NOTATIONS ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE DIED.
JOSIAH BROWN, REVEREND M. BOWMAN, JOSHUA VOSE.
MOST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS LIVED IN MASSACHUSETTS, SEVERAL FROM THE TOWN OF MILTON, LESS THAN 10 MILES FROM BOSTON.
THE ALMANAC'S OWNER IS OBVIOUSLY TAKING GREAT INTEREST IN WHAT'S GOING ON IN 1775.
THERE ARE ENTRIES ON BATTLES, DEATHS, AND GENERALS.
WAS OUR AUTHOR ALSO IN THE MILITARY?
MY STRONGEST LEAD MAY BE THE WRITER'S SON JOSEPH, WHO DEPARTS FOR ENGLAND JUST SIX DAYS AFTER THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION.
ARE YOU ESCAPING THE WAR, ARE YOU PART OF THE WAR?
WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT?
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING HISTORIAN JOSEPH J. ELLIS OF MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE IS ONE OF AMERICA'S FOREMOST SCHOLARS IN REVOLUTIONARY WAR-ERA NEW ENGLAND.
HI, ELYSE, WELCOME TO MOUNT HOLYOKE.
THANK YOU.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN ALMANAC LIKE THIS BEFORE?
SURE, THIS IS AN AMES ALMANAC, NATHANIEL AMES.
IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR ALMANAC IN MID 18th-CENTURY NEW ENGLAND.
IT WAS THE FIRST ALMANAC PRINTED IN THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES AND SOLD OVER 60,000 COPIES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO WOULD'VE OWNED AN ALMANAC LIKE THIS?
ALMOST SURELY THE OWNER OF THIS IS A MAN.
THE LITERACY RATE AMONG MEN IS TWICE AS HIGH AS WOMEN, AND THE MEN ARE THE FARMERS WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT CROPS AND STUFF.
JOE SAYS THE REVOLUTIONARY GENERATION -- THE PATRIOTS WHO WOULD SOON FIGHT FOR LIBERTY -- WAS FOR THE MOST PART MADE UP OF FARMERS.
THIS MAN IS LIVING THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT, CONTROVERSIAL, PASSIONATE, DANGEROUS MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
HE CAN'T TELL US WHO OUR ALMANAC BELONGED TO, AND HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THE SON'S SURNAME, BUT HE SUGGESTS THE ANNOTATIONS PUT THE AUTHOR AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE DEEPLY DIVIDED STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.
IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BEGINS IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1775.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE LISTED ON THIS ALMANAC ARE FROM MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
DOES THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?
AH, MILTON IS THE MAIN TOWN IN SUFFOLK COUNTY.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE THERE ARE WEALTHY MERCHANTS WITH SOME REASONABLY NICE HOUSES, MANY OF WHOM END UP BEING LOYALISTS, WHOSE PRIMARY ALLEGIANCE REMAINS WITH THE BRITISH CROWN AND BRITISH PARLIAMENT.
BUT IT'S ALSO SURROUNDED BY A POPULATION IN SUFFOLK COUNTY THAT'S AMONG THE MOST RADICAL WHIGS, OR PATRIOTS, IN AMERICA.
JOE EXPLAINS HOW, IN 1774, AS PUNISHMENT FOR THE BOSTON TEA PARTY REBELLION, THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT RETALIATED WITH WHAT WERE KNOWN AS THE INTOLERABLE ACTS, CLOSING THE BOSTON PORT AND STRIPPING MASSACHUSETTS OF ITS RIGHT TO SELF GOVERNMENT.
THE ISSUES BEING RAISED IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1774 ARE ALL THE ISSUES THAT ARE GOING TO BRING ABOUT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
IN RESPONSE, DELEGATES FROM BOSTON AND TOWN LEADERS FROM SUFFOLK COUNTY DRAFTED WHAT WERE KNOWN AS THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES, A SORT OF PRECURSOR TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES ESSENTIALLY SAID WE DON'T RECOGNIZE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S DECISIONS.
THE RESOLVES BRANDED THE ACTS AS "THE ATTEMPTS OF A WICKED ADMINISTRATION TO ENSLAVE AMERICA," AND URGED COLONISTS TO "ACQUAINT THEMSELVES WITH THE ART OF WAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
AND IF YOU SAID ANYTHING HOSTILE ABOUT THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES OR SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE BRITISH ARMY, YOU WERE CALLED OUT: YOUR NAME WAS PRINTED IN THE PAPER, PEOPLE WERE TOLD NOT TO TALK TO YOU.
SO THERE'S A REAL SPLIT, A REAL CIVIL WAR GOING ON HERE BETWEEN PATRIOTS AND LOYALISTS.
IT SAYS HERE "SON JOS.
SAILED TO ENGLAND WITH CAPTAIN BROWN," AND IT'S SIX DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
WHO WOULD GO TO ENGLAND IN 1775?
WELL, ONE REASON COULD BE THAT HE'S A MERCHANT, AND HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO HELP SETTLE BUSINESS.
ANOTHER IS THAT THERE'S -- THIS IS A VIOLENT TIME, AND IT'S A SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC GOING ON, AND YOU SIMPLY ARE SENDING YOUR CHILD OUT OF HARM'S WAY.
BUT THE FACT THAT THIS MAN SENDS HIS SON BACK TO ENGLAND SUGGESTS TO ME THAT IT'S HIGHLY POSSIBLE THAT THIS MAN IS A LOYALIST.
JOE PUTS ME IN TOUCH WITH MAYA JASANOFF OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AN EXPERT ON LOYALISTS DURING THE REVOLUTION.
SHE ASKED TO MEET AT THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM LIBRARY, WITH ITS OUTSTANDING COLLECTION OF LOYALIST REFERENCE MATERIAL.
OKAY, THERE'S ONE INSCRIPTION THAT I PARTICULARLY WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, IT SAYS HERE, "APRIL 25th, SON JOSEPH SAILED FOR ENGLAND WITH CAPTAIN BROWN."
NOW, THAT'S SIX DAYS AFTER LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
YOU KNOW, IT MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT SOMEBODY WHO WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE OF MAYBE THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING.
SHE SUGGESTS THAT THE DATE OF THE ALMANAC AND THE DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND ARE EARLY IN THE REVOLUTION AND MIGHT BE CLUES.
SO A YEAR LATER, IN 1776, THE BRITISH ACTUALLY LOST CONTROL OF BOSTON TO THE PATRIOTS, AND THEY DECIDED TO EVACUATE.
WHEN THEY LEFT, THEY TOOK WITH THEM ABOUT 1,200 CIVILIANS FROM BOSTON, AND THOSE PEOPLE WENT AS REFUGEES, AND THEY WENT FOR FREE ON BRITISH SHIPS.
MAYA SAYS THOSE WHO STAYED IN BOSTON UNDER BRITISH PROTECTION FACED PERSECUTION.
MASSACHUSETTS ACTUALLY PASSED A LAW IN 1778 AGAINST LOYALISTS, WHERE THE STATE TOOK AWAY THEIR PROPERTY AND ALSO BANISHED THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE NOW TRAITORS AGAINST THE STATE.
A LARGE POPULATION OF LOYALISTS FLED TO CANADA.
SO THIS GUY WAS LEAVING EVEN BEFORE IT SEEMED REALLY NECESSARY TO GO.
SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT HIM?
THAT SUGGESTS THAT HE WAS PROBABLY REASONABLY WELL OFF, THAT HE'S PAYING FOR HIS OWN PASSAGE, THAT HE FEELS THAT THERE ARE REASONS THAT HE SHOULD GET GOING EVEN BEFORE IT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT FOR SO MANY OTHERS IN A SITUATION OF OPEN WAR.
BUT MAYA'S NOT FAMILIAR WITH A JOSEPH KAY OR TAY AS A KNOWN SUPPORTER OF THE BRITISH CROWN.
BUT IF HE WAS A LOYALIST, THERE IS ONE PLACE WE COULD TRY TO FIND HIM.
THERE'S A GREAT BIOGRAPHICAL WORK CALLED SABINE'S AMERICAN LOYALISTS, AND IT'S A LIST OF A LOT OF LOYALISTS; WE COULD MAYBE CHECK AND SEE IF HE'S THERE.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1847, LORENZO SABINE'S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF LOYALISTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IS A 1,200-PAGE REFERENCE COMPENDIUM SKETCHING THE LIVES OF EVERYONE FROM ROYAL GOVERNOR THOMAS HUTCHINSON TO THE LOWLIEST STREET SWEEP.
C-A-S, CAYFORD.
CAYFORD COULD BE AN ABBREVIATION.
YEAH, BUT IT SAYS RICHARD, SO THAT CAN'T BE IT.
NO.
IS THERE A JOSEPH?
NOTHING LIKE THAT HERE.
LET'S CHECK THE LETTER T. OKAY, LET'S GO TO THE Ts.
HUH, NOW HERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING.
THIS IS TAYLOR.
JOSEPH, OKAY.
"OF BOSTON, MERCHANT, GRADUATED HARVARD IN 1765" -- THAT'S OUR TIME PERIOD.
"WENT TO ENGLAND," THAT'S GREAT.
"WAS A MEMBER OF THE LOYALIST CLUB IN LONDON IN 1776.
PROSCRIBED AND BANISHED IN 1778."
THE LISTING SHOWS THAT HE WAS EVENTUALLY ALLOWED TO RETURN TO BOSTON AND DIED THERE IN 1816.
YOU KNOW, THE PARENTS AREN'T GIVEN HERE, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT JOSEPH TAYLOR GRADUATED FROM HARVARD IN 1765.
AND IN FACT, THERE'S A BOOK THAT DESCRIBES ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO GRADUATED FROM HARVARD.
IT'S CALLED SIBLEY'S HARVARD GRADUATES.
AND WOULD THAT MAYBE TELL US WHO THE PARENTS ARE?
LET'S CHECK THERE.
HERE WE GO.
- OH, IT'S PRETTY BIG.
- HERE IS JOSEPH TAYLOR.
ALL RIGHT.
HE SAILED TO ENGLAND ON APRIL 24, 1775.
THAT'S ONE DAY BEFORE WHAT OUR ALMANAC SAYS.
THE DATES DON'T MATCH PERFECTLY, BUT MAYA IS ENCOURAGED.
YOU KNOW, WITH THOSE DATES SO CLOSE AND WITH THE NUMBER OF SHIPS COMING OUT OF BOSTON HARBOR BEING PRETTY FEW AT THAT TIME, I THINK THIS REALLY MAKES SENSE; IT COULD BE THE SAME PERSON.
LET'S SEE WHAT IT SAYS.
OKAY, SO HE'S THE SON OF WILLIAM AND FAITH TAYLOR, SO THAT WOULD BE OUR DAD IF HE'S THE RIGHT PERSON.
ALL IT SAYS ABOUT THE FATHER, WILLIAM TAYLOR, WAS THAT HE WAS A MERCHANT AND A MEMBER OF SOMETHING CALLED KING'S CHAPEL.
THE KING'S CHAPEL IS THE ANGLICAN CHAPEL HERE IN BOSTON.
MAYA THINKS SHE'S HEARD THE NAME WILLIAM TAYLOR BEFORE.
THERE'S A GUY OF THAT NAME WHO WAS ONE OF THE PRESENTERS OF THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES.
BUT THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES WAS A REVOLUTIONARY DOCUMENT DENOUNCING THE KING.
YOU KNOW, THERE WERE ACTUALLY A NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO WERE DIVIDED BY THE REVOLUTION.
IT WAS QUITE A CIVIL WAR.
ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES WAS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, THE FOUNDING FATHER, WHOSE SON, WILLIAM, WAS ACTUALLY A LOYALIST AND WHO ENDED UP GOING TO ENGLAND AND SPENDING THE REST OF HIS LIFE AS A REFUGEE.
DOES OUR ALMANAC RECORD BOTH THE BIRTH OF A NATION AND THE FRACTURING OF A MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY?
MAYA SENT ME TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WHERE SOME OF THE TAYLOR FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE IS ARCHIVED.
JULIE MILLER, A SPECIALIST IN EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY, HELPS ME LOCATE THE CORRECT FILES.
OKAY, DIARY, UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALS, JONATHAN, CHARLES...
HERE'S WILLIAM.
WE EVENTUALLY UNCOVER A SMALL FILE OF LETTERS BETWEEN FATHER AND SON.
THERE'S REALLY NOT THAT MUCH ABOUT POLITICS.
THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY FAMILY LETTERS.
INSTEAD OF HOSTILITY, JOSEPH AND WILLIAM SHARE FAMILY AFFECTION.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE.
"SON JOSEPH TAYLOR, MILTON, 1779."
UM...
HE'S TALKING ABOUT JUST LIFE IN BOSTON.
"I SINCERELY WISH YOU HAPPINESS IN THIS TROUBLESOME WORLD "AND HEREAFTER IN A FUTURE STATE OF GLORY, AND I'M YOUR AFFECTIONATE FATHER, WILLIAM TAYLOR."
CLEARLY, EVEN IF THEY'RE ON COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE TURMOIL THAT'S GOING ON IN THE WAR RIGHT NOW, THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S PRETTY EVIDENT WHEN YOU READ THESE PAPERS THAT THEY WERE A CLOSE FAMILY AND THAT THEY FELT THIS DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM.
OUR ALMANAC IS POTENTIALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY RECORD OF A NATION AND A FAMILY'S HISTORY, BUT DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT FAMILY?
I BROUGHT HANDWRITING EXPERT HERMAN DARVICK TO COMPARE THE WRITING IN THE ALMANAC WITH THE LETTERS.
I GRABBED THE ALMANAC.
IF YOU OPEN IT UP TO THE THIRD PAGE, YOU'LL SEE SOME INSCRIPTIONS.
OKAY, HERE'S SOME LETTERS.
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
THE HANDWRITING IS MUCH SMALLER IN THE ALMANAC THAN IN THE LETTER.
AND ALSO THE ALMANAC IS 1775, THE LETTER IS 1779, FOUR YEARS LATER, AND HANDWRITING COULD CHANGE A LITTLE BIT IN FOUR YEARS.
THE FIRST STEP IS JUST COMPARING CAPITAL LETTERS, THE UPPERCASE, AND THE FIRST WORD HERE IS THE WORD "BATTLE."
THE B IN BATTLE IS ALMOST IDENTICALLY SHAPED TO THE B IN BOSTON, SO THAT'S A SIMILARITY.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S UNIQUE TO THESE TWO THAT YOU WOULD SAY WOULD SEAL THE DEAL?
SHEP IS GOING TO BE CURIOUS TO HEAR WHAT HERMAN POINTS OUT NEXT.
I'M BRINGING HIM TO THE KING'S CHAPEL IN BOSTON, WHERE ONE WILLIAM TAYLOR WAS A MEMBER.
OKAY, YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE?
I CERTAINLY DO.
- WHAT'S BEHIND US?
- KING'S CHAPEL.
OKAY, DO YOU KNOW WHY I BROUGHT YOU HERE?
I HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST IDEA.
I TELL SHEP THAT DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, SOME MEMBERS OF THIS CHURCH WERE LOYALISTS.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS DOCUMENT HAS A DIRECT LINK TO THE LOYALIST MOVEMENT.
THIS INVESTIGATION HAD ONE GOOD LEAD: A SON NAMED JOSEPH WHO SAILED TO ENGLAND SIX DAYS AFTER THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
I EXPLAIN HOW WE UNCOVERED A FATHER WHO HAD SIGNED THE SUFFOLK RESOLVES AND A SON WHO HAD FLED TO ENGLAND AS A LOYALIST.
BUT DID THE HANDWRITING IN HIS ALMANAC PROVE OUR CASE?
WHAT HE DOES IS HE CROSSES THE LOWER PART OF THE G ALL THE WAY NEAR THE BOTTOM, WHICH IS AN ODDITY.
YOU USUALLY DON'T SEE THAT IN LETTERS.
SO DO YOU THINK THE WRITING IN THIS ALMANAC WAS DONE BY WILLIAM TAYLOR?
IN MY OPINION, THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER IS ALSO THE PERSON WHO HANDWROTE THE NOTES IN THE ALMANAC, AND THAT'S WILLIAM TAYLOR.
OKAY, WE'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE GRAVE OF THE GENTLEMAN WHO WROTE IN YOUR ALMANAC.
HIS NAME IS WILLIAM TAYLOR.
WOW, "WILLIAM TAYLOR, ESQ., DIED FEBRUARY 1789."
THAT'S HIM.
AMAZING, YOU FOUND HIS GRAVE!
I'M JUST AMAZED BY THE WHOLE THING.
I DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD A PRAYER OF FINDING OUT WHO WROTE THOSE NOTES.
I WOULD'VE GUESSED IT WOULD'VE JUST BEEN SOME YEOMAN, SOME FARMER.
IT WAS AN AMAZING INVESTIGATION, AND I NEVER EXPECTED TO HAVE SOMETHING SO RARE.
IT'S MIND-BLOWING TO THINK THAT THAT'S BEEN SITTING IN TIN BOXES AND WHATEVER IN OUR FAMILY FOR OVER 200 YEARS.
IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.
A GENEALOGY SEARCH COULD NOT CONFIRM A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHEP'S ANCESTORS AND WILLIAM TAYLOR, BUT BOTH FAMILIES LIVED IN SUFFOLK COUNTY IN THE 18th CENTURY.
WILLIAM TAYLOR REMAINED IN THE BOSTON AREA UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1789.
HIS SON JOSEPH RETURNED TO BOSTON IN 1796 AND OPENED A MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY THERE.
JOSEPH TAYLOR DIED IN BOSTON IN 1816 AT THE AGE OF 71.
SO YOU THINK YOU'VE FOUND AN AUTHENTIC HISTORICAL DOCUMENT?
HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON MAKING SURE IT'S THE REAL THING.
CHECK ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES, OR ONLINE FOR PENMANSHIP BY THE SAME PERSON.
PERSONAL MARKS, LIKE THE WAY SOMEONE DOTS THEIR Is OR CROSSES THEIR Ts AND THE SHAPES OF LOOPS ARE A KEY TO AUTHENTICATING HANDWRITING.
YOU SHOULD ALSO LOOK FOR DISCREPANCIES OF THE VERTICAL POSITIONING OF THE LETTERS, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LINES, AND THE SLANT OF THE WRITING.
HESITATIONS, OR INDICATIONS THAT THE PEN WAS PICKED UP AND PUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIGNATURE, COULD BE SIGNS THAT IT WAS TRACED.
EXAMINING THE DOCUMENT UNDER A MICROSCOPE CAN EXPOSE VARIATIONS IN THE INK THAT WOULD SUGGEST IT'S A FORGERY.
INFRARED LIGHT CAN ALSO REVEAL IF MORE THAN ONE KIND OF INK IS PRESENT.
IF YOU'RE STILL UNSURE IF YOU HAVE AN AUTHENTIC PIECE, SEEK THE ADVICE OF A FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINER WHO CAN HELP YOU ANALYZE YOUR TEXT.
AND IF YOU THINK YOU'VE FOUND SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY, LET US KNOW AT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
Tukufu: OUR NEXT CASE ASKS WHAT A BOX OF OLD RECORDS CAN REVEAL ABOUT AN EARLY ERA IN AMERICAN PHYSICAL FITNESS.
[ theme music plays ] TV announcer: Stop!
Look!
Listen!
1951: OAKLAND FITNESS FANATIC AND HEALTH CLUB OWNER JACK LaLANNE ENERGIZES THE LOCAL AIRWAVES.
Now let's work the other leg.
Ready?
Begin.
HIS REVOLUTIONARY FITNESS PROGRAM MOTIVATES VIEWERS OFF THE COUCH AND INTO ACTION.
All right, now, let's go.
LaLANNE'S FITNESS SHOW WAS ON NATIONAL TV FOR DECADES.
BUT WAS LaLANNE THE FIRST TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BRING EXERCISE INTO THE AMERICAN HOME?
NOW MARY FILLMAN FROM SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA, WONDERS WHETHER HER GRANDFATHER WAS A FITNESS PIONEER IN THE ROARING TWENTIES.
- COME ON IN.
- THANK YOU.
OKAY, SO WHAT DO YOU GOT FOR ME?
WELL, I HAVE A SET OF 78 RPM RECORDS FROM THE 1920s THAT ARE AN EXERCISE PROGRAM.
WHERE'D YOU GET THIS FROM?
MY MOTHER BOUGHT THEM FROM A GARAGE SALE IN THE '60s FOR 15 CENTS.
SHE BOUGHT THEM BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTOR ON THE RECORDS WAS MY GRANDFATHER, WALLACE ROGERSON, AND HE MADE THESE RECORDS AND MARKETED THEM.
AND I NEVER GOT TO MEET HIM, WANTED TO BE ABLE TO HEAR HIM AGAIN.
SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER?
NOT MUCH.
MY DAD DIDN'T GROW UP WITH HIM, SO ALL I'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN IS WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO RESEARCH MYSELF.
SO I WAS ABLE TO FIND HIS WORLD WAR I DRAFT RECORD.
DATE OF BIRTH: NOVEMBER 29, 1880.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS KIND OF UNUSUAL, UNDER "PRESENT OCCUPATION," HE'S DOWN THERE AS A PHYSICAL TRAINER.
MARY DIDN'T REALIZE THAT EXERCISE RECORDS EXISTED IN THE 1920s.
SHE WONDERS IF HER GRANDFATHER WAS A PIONEER.
WHAT CAN I FIND OUT FOR YOU?
WAS HE THE JACK LaLANNE OF THE ROARING TWENTIES?
NOW, DO YOU MIND IF I JUST SIT HERE AND CHECK EVERYTHING OUT?
TAKE YOUR TIME.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
SO THERE ARE FIVE RECORDS.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT EXERCISES IN THE COVER OF THE VARIOUS RECORDS.
LISTEN TO SOME OF THIS: "NO WOMAN WHO IS HONEST WITH HERSELF "WILL DENY THE CHARM OF A WELL-BALANCED, SYMMETRIC FIGURE."
SO NO DOUBT THERE IS A KIND OF EMPHASIS ON WOMEN.
AND THE WORD "REDUCING" IS ON EACH RECORD.
IT DOES REMIND ME OF THOSE EXERCISES I USED TO SEE MY MOTHER DOING TO JACK LaLANNE.
"GET THIN TO MUSIC."
IT'S IN RELATIVELY GOOD CONDITION TO BE THIS OLD.
COPYRIGHT 1920.
AND THEN IN HERE, COPYRIGHT 1920 AND 1921.
AND OVER HERE I HAVE PATENT NOVEMBER 14, 1922.
ALL THESE DIFFERENT DATES SEEM A LITTLE ODD TO ME.
YOU KNOW, I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WALLACE ROGERSON.
THE RECORD LABEL PUTS WALLACE IN CHICAGO.
PRESS CLUB OF CHICAGO, 1922.
"WALLACE M. ROGERSON, "PRESIDENT OF THE WALLACE INSTITUTE, HAS MADE 'GET THIN TO MUSIC' A BYWORD IN AMERICA."
WALLACE GAVE PHYSICAL TRAINING CLASSES, SENT OUT EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS, AND IN 1917, RECORDED HIS VOICE WITH A DICTATING MACHINE.
"THIS AROUSED SO MUCH INTEREST THAT IN A COURSE OF A YEAR HE SET ABOUT TO MANUFACTURE DISC RECORDS."
"THE WALLACE RECORDS HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY INTO ALMOST EVERY OTHER HOME IN THE NATION."
THAT'S A MAJOR CLAIM.
BUT I DON'T SEE A LOT TO BACK IT UP.
I'D HAVE EXPECTED TO FIND MORE ON WALLACE.
THE FIRST THING I NEED TO DO IS HEAR WHAT'S ON THESE RECORDS.
PROFESSOR PATRICK HUBER HAS WRITTEN ON POPULAR CULTURE IN THE 1920s.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THIS GUY?
I HAVE HEARD OF WALLACE.
IN MY RESEARCH, I'VE RUN ACROSS ADS FOR THE WALLACE REDUCING RECORDS, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL RECORD -- OR HEARD THEM.
- OH, REALLY?
- NO, UNH-UH.
- WELL, LET'S PLAY ONE.
- OKAY.
Wallace Rogerson: Dear madam, before you start your first lesson, permit me to explain just what I will accomplish for you as your physical director.
The earliest effects of the work will be improvement in the way you feel.
Ready?
Begin.
One, two, one, two, one and hold.
SO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THIS PERIOD OF TIME.
THE PERIOD IN WHICH THESE RECORDS WERE MANUFACTURED, THERE'S A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE BODY.
PATRICK EXPLAINS HOW AMERICANS HAD BEEN LIFTING BARBELLS AND DOING CALISTHENIC EXERCISES SINCE THE 19th CENTURY.
BUT THE EMPHASIS WAS ON FITNESS, NOT WEIGHT LOSS.
IN THE 1890s, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD THIS LINKAGE BETWEEN BEING OVERWEIGHT AND WEALTH.
THE NOTION WAS THAT THE PORTLY HAD AMPLE MONEY FOR FOOD, WHILE THE POOR STAYED LEAN AND HUNGRY.
BUT THAT ATTITUDE CHANGED BY THE 1920s.
PATRICK EXPLAINS HOW INDUSTRIALIZATION HELPED CREATE DESK JOBS FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND A CONSUMER SOCIETY.
SO INCREASINGLY, THE SORT OF SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, THAT REALLY BEGINS IN THE 1920s, AND YOU ALSO HAVE MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS WHO ENJOY MORE PAID VACATIONS, SHORTER WORK WEEKS, INCREASING INCOME.
AND SO NOW THEY HAVE MORE TIME AND MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS.
AND ALL THIS INCOME ESTABLISHED A NEW MARKET, ONE THAT WALLACE ROGERSON APPEARED TO NOTICE: WOMEN.
THERE'S A NEW EMPHASIS ON THIS FEMININE IDEAL OF BEAUTY THAT'S EMERGING IN THE FLAPPER FIGURE, THIS RAIL-THIN, FLAT-CHESTED, SMALL HIPS, ALMOST BOYISH FIGURE THAT BECOMES REALLY THE NEW IDEAL OF FEMININE BEAUTY DURING THE 1920s.
SO HIS PROGRAM WAS CLEARLY DIRECTED AT WOMEN.
THIS IS THE NEW STANDARD OF BEAUTY, AND SO IN ORDER TO CONFORM TO THIS IMAGE, WOMEN BEGAN TO COUNT CALORIES AND TO DIET AND TO TRY TO SHED EXCESS WEIGHT, OR REDUCING, AS THEY CALL IT, WHICH IS IN THE TITLE OF WALLACE'S REDUCING RECORDS.
I can reduce you just as surely as I have reduced the thousands of other women who have placed themselves under my direction.
PATRICK SAYS WALLACE SAW AN OPPORTUNITY AND TOOK IT.
SO HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS HE?
WELL, I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING THAT'LL HELP TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
THIS IS A RESEARCH FILE FROM TALKING MACHINE WORLD, WHICH WAS A TRADE JOURNAL THAT WAS AIMED AT THE MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS AND RETAILERS OF PHONOGRAPHS AND PHONOGRAPH RECORDS.
IN APRIL OF 1922 IN THIS AD, HE IS CLAIMING TO HAVE SOLD 50,000 SETS.
THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF SELF-PROMOTION, I WOULD IMAGINE, IN THAT PARTICULAR ADVERTISEMENT.
SO WALLACE COMES ON THE SCENE, AND HE INTRODUCES HIS EXERCISE MODE.
WAS HE THE FIRST PERSON TO DO THIS?
WELL, HE CLAIMED HE WAS.
THIS IS AN AD FROM JUNE 1922 TALKING MACHINE WORLD, AND THERE'S A NOTE HERE THAT'S QUITE INTERESTING.
"WALLACE IS THE ORIGINATOR "OF THE MUSIC METHOD OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
"SIMILAR RECORDS ARE IMITATIONS WHICH WILL ALL BE PROSECUTED WITH VIGOR."
SO WHAT ARE THE SIMILAR RECORDS THAT HE'S REFERRING TO?
WELL, THERE WERE AT LEAST FOUR OTHER SETS OF THESE EXERCISE RECORDS FROM THE PERIOD 1922-1923.
SO WALLACE HAD COMPETITION, BUT WAS HE THE FIRST?
JAN TODD, SPORTS HISTORIAN AND FORMERLY THE WORLD'S STRONGEST WOMAN, MEETS ME AT THE STARK CENTER FOR PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN.
CHECK THIS OUT.
LISTEN, THIS IS HOW IT SOUNDS.
Just a few weeks of earnest cooperation with me will put you in that trim physical form that makes life worthwhile.
THAT IS SO GREAT.
"THAT THIN PHYSICAL FORM THAT MAKES LIFE WORTHWHILE."
I KNOW, THIS IS THAT THEME OF LET'S BE THIN, LET'S BE SLENDER.
HE FIGURED OUT HOW TO MARKET JUST TO WOMEN.
YOU KNOW, THAT, I THINK, IS A SORT OF NEW THING.
WAS OUR GUY THE FIRST PERSON TO DEVELOP A SET OF PHONOGRAPH RECORDS FOR EXERCISE?
A LITTLE BIT HARD TO SAY FOR SURE, BUT CERTAINLY IN THE '20s, AND LIKE '22, '23, '24, WE BEGIN TO SEE A NUMBER OF OTHER RECORD SETS BEING SOLD BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
THERE'S THE RCA VICTOR COMPANY.
THE PRO BOXER GENE TUNNEY, WHO WAS WORLD CHAMPION, COMES OUT WITH HIS OWN SET OF EXERCISE RECORDS IN '27.
SO CLEARLY THERE WAS A MARKET FOR THESE, AND CLEARLY SOMEBODY HAD A BRIGHT IDEA THAT ALLOWED PEOPLE TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE DAY.
JAN SAYS THE LINK BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND HOME EXERCISE IS THE REAL INNOVATION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE CONTINUUM HERE, WE HAVE THIS MOMENT IN THE 1920s WHERE WE HAVE EXERCISE RECORDS, AND THEN WE GET -- WE HIT THE '50s, AND THAT, OF COURSE, IS THE ERA OF JACK LaLANNE.
And down, and one, and two.
WHAT MADE JACK LaLANNE REALLY FAMOUS WAS HE TOOK A NEW TECHNOLOGY, WHICH WAS TELEVISION, AND HE FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE THAT TECHNOLOGY TO DO SOMETHING THAT NOBODY ELSE HAD DONE.
AND THEN WE COME INTO THE 1980s, AND OF COURSE THAT'S WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE VIDEO RECORDERS IN OUR HOUSES.
AND THAT ALLOWED -- JANE FONDA BEING THE PRIMARY ONE -- ALLOWED WOMEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, AGAIN, TO USE THE VERY LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO DO EXERCISE AT HOME.
SO IF WALLACE TRULY IS THE FIRST PERSON, THEN HE IS THE PERSON WHO TAKES THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND FIGURES OUT HOW TO DO SOMETHING NEW WITH THAT.
BUT JAN HAS NEVER SEEN WALLACE'S NAME ASSOCIATED WITH THIS INNOVATION.
I MEAN, I'VE SPENT 20 YEARS OF MY LIFE STUDYING THE HISTORY OF EXERCISE, PARTICULARLY WOMEN'S EXERCISE; IT'S WHAT I SPECIALIZE IN.
AND HE COMPLETELY IS OFF THE GRID FOR ME.
YOU KNOW HOW THIS WORKS.
IT'S WHAT GETS SAVED THAT'S SO OFTEN WHAT WE REMEMBER.
JAN SAYS THE MAN EVERYONE REMEMBERS IS WALTER CAMP.
WALTER CAMP WAS THE FOOTBALL COACH AT YALE UNIVERSITY, A VERY RESPECTED FIGURE IN EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY BECAUSE HE WAS A SORT OF NATIONAL HERO AND REALLY HELPED ESTABLISH THE GAME OF FOOTBALL.
DURING WORLD WAR I, CAMP WAS HIRED BY THE MILITARY TO SHAPE UP THE TROOPS.
AROUND 1917, HE DEVELOPED A SHORT CALISTHENIC ROUTINE CALLED THE DAILY DOZEN.
HE EVENTUALLY DEVELOPS A PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
BY THE EARLY 1920s, CAMP PLAYS OFF HIS FAME AND RELEASES THE DAILY DOZEN ON RECORDS, THE EARLIEST SUCH RECORDS JAN HAS SEEN.
SO WHO WAS FIRST, CAMP OR WALLACE?
THAT'S A REALLY HARD QUESTION FOR ME BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE I REALLY HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES HERE TO ANSWER IT.
JAN HAS AN IDEA: FINDING OUT WHO WAS ADVERTISING THEIR RECORDS FIRST COULD YIELD SOME CLUES.
AND WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD RUN OF PHYSICAL CULTURE, WHICH WAS THE MAIN EXERCISE MAGAZINE IN AMERICA AT THAT TIME.
SO LOOKING IN IT MIGHT GIVE US SOME CLUES AS TO WHO CAME FIRST.
LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.
BUT I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING ABOUT RECORDS.
WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE, HERE'S YOUR GUY.
- OH, IS THAT CAMP?
- YES.
"'HOW TEN MINUTES' FUN EVERY DAY KEEPS ME FIT' BY WALTER CAMP."
WHEN I LOOK AT THAT PAGE, THERE'S NOTHING THERE TO DRAW ME IN AS A WOMAN.
I DON'T SEE ANYTHING THAT SAYS, "OH, WOMEN SHOULD READ THIS" AT ALL.
THIS IS AUGUST OF '21.
- AUGUST 1921.
- I'LL BE DARNED.
WELL, IS WALLACE IN THERE?
WOW, THERE WE GO.
"GET THIN TO MUSIC."
THE CAMP DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THINNESS, SLENDERNESS, AND THERE IT IS, "GET THIN TO MUSIC."
BOTH OF THEM ARE ADVERTISING IN AUGUST OF 1921, AND THEY'RE IN THE SAME MAGAZINE.
HOW DO I FIND OUT IF HE WAS THE FIRST GUY?
I THINK THE PERSON YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK TO IS JIM MIDDLETON, WHO LIVES IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.
HE'S AN ANTIQUE RECORD COLLECTOR, AND HE'S REALLY MADE A STUDY OF THE 1920s.
HE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.
[ ♪♪♪ ] JIM MIDDLETON OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, HAS BEEN COLLECTING EXERCISE RECORDS SINCE THE 1990s.
I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO MADE THESE EXERCISE PHONOGRAPH RECORDS FIRST, WALLACE OR CAMP.
HIS COLLECTION INCLUDES A LARGER SELECTION OF 1920s EXERCISE RECORDS THAN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
THIS ISN'T AN MP3; IT'S AN MP MINUS ONE.
(chuckling) OKAY.
THIS IS A COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH FROM THE EARLY 1920s.
HERE WE HAVE THE WALLACE COLLECTION FROM MY ARCHIVE ALONG WITH THE WALTER CAMP DAILY DOZEN.
SO THIS IS THE CAMP COLLECTION.
ABSOTIVELY.
THE WALTER CAMP DAILY DOZEN HEALTH BUILDING EXERCISES COMES AS A FIVE-RECORD SET ALONG WITH SOME EXERCISE DIRECTIONS THERE.
WE CAN EVEN PLAY ONE OF THESE FOR YOU.
LET'S CHECK IT OUT.
I'LL WARM THIS PUPPY UP.
Walter Camp: Exercise number one: Make 12-inch circles with your arms, circling from the shoulders and keeping your elbows in.
Begin: one, two, three, four...
THE MARTIAL MUSIC SEEMS TARGETED AT MEN, BUT THE EXERCISES ARE SIMILAR TO WALLACE'S.
SO WHEN DID HE MAKE THESE?
ACCORDING TO THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE ON THE RECORD ITSELF, THESE ARE MADE IN 1921.
AND SEE, MINE HAS COPYRIGHT HERE ON THE COVER 1920, BUT THEN INSIDE IT HAS COPYRIGHT 1920 AND 1921.
AND IF YOU LOOK ON THE ALBUM HERE, IT SAYS PATENTED NOVEMBER 14, 1922.
THAT WOULD NOT BE TERRIBLY UNUSUAL FOR SOMEONE WHO'S DEVELOPING A BRAND-NEW IDEA TO TRY TO DOCUMENT AND ESSENTIALLY SHOW PROGRESS OF HIS IDEA AS IT COMES TO A FULL PATENT.
SO HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHOSE RECORD CAME FIRST?
I HAVE ONE MORE PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO YOU, A LITTLE BOOKLET RIGHT HERE.
JIM BELIEVES WALLACE'S FIRST SET OF EXERCISE RECORDS WAS PRESSED BY THE COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY.
IT WAS VERY COMMON FOR THE COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY TO PUT OUT WHAT WE CALL VANITY PRESSINGS.
YOU COME TO THEM WITH AN IDEA FOR A RECORDING, YOU GIVE THEM THE MONEY, THEY OPEN UP THEIR FACTORY TO YOU; YOU CAN PRESS YOUR OWN RECORDS.
AND THEY KEPT RECORDS OF THEIR RECORDS.
THIS BOOKLET HERE, ON PAGE 56, INDICATES SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU SAID IS THAT YOU HADN'T LISTENED TO YOUR GRANDFATHER SINCE THE 1960s.
WHY DON'T WE TAKE A LISTEN TO HIS VOICE.
Dear madam, before you start your first lesson, permit me to explain just what I will accomplish for you as your physical director.
Let me emphasize two things.
The first is that you must do your part as faithfully as I do mine.
I DIDN'T KNOW HIM, SO THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I WILL KNOW HIM.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
I TELL MARY THAT WALLACE CLAIMED TO HAVE SOLD 50,000 RECORDSBY 1922, BUT HE WASN'T THE ONLY ONE TRYING TO CORNER THIS MARKET.
WALTER CAMP'S PROGRAM WAS BEING ADVERTISED AT THE SAME TIME.
IN TRYING TO PROVIDE YOU AN ANSWER, WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHO CAME FIRST, CAMP OR YOUR GRANDFATHER.
AND?
HERE IT IS, LOOK AT THIS.
A WALLACE EXERCISE RECORD FROM A 1920 SET SOLD WITH BOX AND MANUAL.
THIS MEANS THAT HE PRINTED HIS RECORDS AT COLUMBIA IN 1920.
CAMP'S RECORDS WERE PRINTED IN 1921.
THIS IS THE PROOF THAT I WOULD NEED TO SHOW THAT HE INDEED IS THE FIRST PERSON TO MARKET MUSIC, EXERCISE, ON RECORD FOR HOME USE -- IN OTHER WORDS, THE FIRST MAN TO GET YOU FIT TO MUSIC.
THAT IS FANTASTIC.
HE WAS AHEAD -- AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL MY BROTHER AND MY WHOLE FAMILY.
THEY'LL BE THRILLED TO HEAR THAT.
IN THE MID-1930s, WALLACE EXTENDED HIS WEIGHT-REDUCING METHOD TO A CHICAGO RADIO PROGRAM KNOWN BY THE "GET THIN TO MUSIC" SLOGAN.
AFTER WALLACE'S DEATH IN 1943, HIS RECORDS STAYED IN CIRCULATION AT LEAST UNTIL THE 1950s, BUT WERE NOT NEARLY AS WELL KNOWN AS CAMP'S, AND ALMOST LOST TO HISTORY.
TO SEE ALL THE EXERCISES ON THE WALLACE RECORDS, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
Elyse: IN THE RACE TO BE THE FIRST TO LAY CLAIM TO A GROUNDBREAKING IDEA, MANY INVENTORS HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED OR LARGELY FORGOTTEN IN POPULAR ACCOUNTS.
TAKE THE TELEPHONE.
ON MARCH 10, 1876, THOMAS WATSON AND ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL HAD THEIR FAMOUS AND WELL DOCUMENTED CHAT ON THE TELEPHONE.
BELL'S TELEPHONE PATENT WOULD EVENTUALLY EARN HIM INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
BUT A GERMAN PHYSICIST, JOHANN PHILIPP REIS, HAD BUILT A FUNCTIONAL TELEPHONE A FULL DECADE EARLIER.
THE FIRST WORDS SPOKEN OVER HIS DEVICE?
"THE HORSE EATS NO CUCUMBER SALAD."
AND THEN THERE'S BELL'S FELLOW AMERICAN INVENTOR, ELISHA GRAY.
GRAY FILED A PATENT ALMOST EXACTLY AT THE SAME TIME ALEXANDER BELL HAD, IN FEBRUARY 1876.
AUTHOR AND RESEARCHER SETH SHULMAN FOUND EVIDENCE THAT BELL HAD PAID A CLERK IN THE PATENT OFFICE $100 TO SEE GRAY'S PATENT.
SHULMAN ALSO FOUND A DIAGRAM FROM BELL'S PRIVATE LAB NOTES DATED MARCH 9, 1876, WITH A NEARLY IDENTICAL DESIGN TO GRAY'S.
A NOTE FOUND AMONG ELISHA GRAY'S BELONGINGS AFTER HIS DEATH SUMMED UP HIS FEELINGS: "THE HISTORY OF THE TELEPHONE WILL NEVER FULLY BE WRITTEN."
THE TRUTH, HE CLAIMED, WAS LYING "ON THE HEARTS AND CONSCIENCES "OF THOSE FEW WHOSE LIPS ARE SEALED -- "SOME IN DEATH, AND OTHERS BY A GOLDEN CLASP WHOSE GRIP IS EVEN TIGHTER."
Gwendolyn: OUR LAST CASE TAKES US HIGH INTO THE STARS AND DEEP INTO THE PROVOCATIVE ART MOVEMENTS OF THE 1960s.
JULY 20, 1969: A NATION RUPTURED BY ASSASSINATIONS, WAR, AND CULTURAL UPHEAVAL PAUSES TO MARVEL AS NEIL ARMSTRONG TAKES ONE SMALL STEP ONTO THE MOON.
Armstrong over radio: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
THE MOON MISSIONS WERE A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING, THE CULMINATION OF YEARS OF RESEARCH, MONEY, EXPERIMENTS, AND FATAL ACCIDENTS.
EVERY STEP, SCREW, BOOT, AND BUTTON IS ACCOUNTED FOR.
EVERY SECOND, SEQUENCE, AND SECTION IS PLANNED.
THERE CAN BE NO SURPRISES.
NOW, OVER 40 YEARS LATER, A MAN FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA, BELIEVES HE MAY HOLD SOMETHING AMAZING, THE FIRST PIECE OF ART TO LAND ON THE MOON.
FOR YEARS, I'VE WONDERED IF I'M HOLDING THE WORLD'S FIRST MOON MUSEUM.
I'M GWENDOLYN WRIGHT, AND I'M STARTING MY INVESTIGATION WITH A VISIT TO JADE DELLINGER.
- NICE TO MEET YOU.
- VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.
PLEASE COME IN.
SO, JADE, YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL PIECE OF ART TO SHOW ME?
I DO; IT'S IN THIS SMALL BOX.
IT'S -- I BELIEVE TO BE A CERAMIC CHIP THAT WAS A COLLABORATIVE ARTWORK WITH DRAWINGS BY SIX ARTISTS THAT INTENDED TO HAVE THIS SENT TO THE MOON WITH THE APOLLO 12 MISSION.
WHO WERE THE ARTISTS?
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ANDY WARHOL CONTRIBUTED, ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG CONTRIBUTED, AND FOUR OTHER ARTISTS THAT ARE QUITE WELL KNOWN.
SO THESE WERE MAJOR ART FIGURES.
WHERE DID YOU FIND IT?
I FOUND THIS IN AN ONLINE AUCTION, AND THERE WASN'T A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION.
WHO WAS SELLING IT?
I BELIEVE IT CAME FROM A RELATIVE OF AN ENGINEER THAT HAD WORKED AT BELL LABORATORIES IN THE 1960s.
THE SELLER TOLD JADE THE DETAILS ABOUT THE ARTISTS WHOSE WORK IS ETCHED ONTO THE CERAMIC MINI-CANVAS AND CONFIRMED THE IDEA THAT IT WAS MADE FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE: GETTING IT ON THE MOON.
THE SELLER ALSO SAID THAT MORE THAN ONE CHIP WAS MADE.
WHAT'S THE MAIN THING YOU'D LIKE FOR ME TO FIND OUT?
WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS CHIP OR ONE LIKE IT MADE ITS WAY TO THE MOON.
I HAVE TO SAY, I TEND NOT TO BELIEVE "WENT TO THE MOON," BUT IT'S AN INTRIGUING CONCEPT.
I'LL TAKE IT WITH ME AND TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF IT.
I'M HEADING BACK TO MY HOTEL TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.
IT IS TINY, EXACTLY THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH BY HALF AN INCH, AND THERE ARE SIX SMALL DRAWINGS.
THERE ARE NO SIGNATURES, AND THEY'RE CLEARLY VERY DIFFERENT.
THERE'S CERTAINLY NOTHING HERE THAT PROVES THESE DRAWINGS WERE MADE BY WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTS.
ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG WAS KNOWN FOR CREATING WORKS WITH FOUND OBJECTS.
AND IN THE LATE 1960s, WARHOL WAS MAKING FILMS AND POP ART LITHOGRAPHS.
I VIVIDLY REMEMBER WATCHING APOLLO 11 ON TELEVISION.
WE WERE TRANSFIXED.
BUT I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT APOLLO 12.
WAS THIS ARTWORK SMUGGLED ONBOARD OR DID NASA GREENLIGHT THE PROJECT?
THESE WERE HIGHLY RATIONAL MEN OF SCIENCE, AND PEOPLE'S LIVES WERE AT STAKE.
WELL, LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET ANY BACKGROUND INFORMATION ONLINE.
APOLLO 12 WAS THE SECOND MISSION TO LAND A MAN ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.
IT LAUNCHED ON NOVEMBER 14, 1969, JUST FOUR MONTHS AFTER NEIL ARMSTRONG TOOK HIS FAMOUS STEPS.
THEY WERE UP THERE FROM NOVEMBER 14 TO 24, 1969.
TEN DAYS.
AT THE END OF THEIR 10 DAYS, THE ASTRONAUTS RETURNED THE LUNAR MODULE TO THE COMMAND MODULE, LEAVING THE LEGS OF THE DESCENT MODULE ON THE MOON, WHERE THEY REMAIN TODAY.
THIS IS INTERESTING.
NOT LONG AFTER ITS CREATION IN 1958, NASA BEGAN COMMISSIONING ARTISTS TO CELEBRATE SPACE FLIGHT, BUT NO MENTION OF OUR CHIP OR OF PUTTING ART ON THE MOON.
HERE'S A STORY.
IT'S FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ON NOVEMBER 22, 1969, JUST EIGHT DAYS AFTER APOLLO 12 LIFTED OFF.
"A NEW YORK SCULPTOR NAMED FORREST MYERS "HAS YEARNED TO PLANT A WORK OF ART ON THE MOON.
"NOW HE BELIEVES HE HAS DONE SO VIA THE APOLLO 12 MISSION.
"A TINY CERAMIC WAFER BEARING DRAWINGS BY SIX NEW YORK ARTISTS."
ANDY WARHOL, CLAES OLDENBURG, ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG, DAVID NOVROS, JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, AND FORREST MYERS HIMSELF ALL CONTRIBUTED WORKS TO THIS SO-CALLED MOON MUSEUM.
MYERS CLAIMS ONE CHIP WAS CLANDESTINELY AFFIXED TO A LEG OF THE LUNAR MODULE.
BUT AN OFFICIAL OF THE SPACE AGENCY IS NOT SO SURE.
HE SAID THAT HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE PURPORTED PROJECT.
HA!
WELL, I'VE GOT TO GET HOLD OF THIS FORREST MYERS.
A RENOWNED ARTIST WITH SCULPTURES AND COLLECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD, FORREST "FROSTY" MYERS HAS BEEN CREATING INFLUENTIAL WORKS FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
BACK IN 1969, HE WAS AT THE CENTER OF NEW YORK'S VIBRANT ART SCENE.
SO HERE'S THE CHIP THAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT, FROSTY.
NOW, YOU DID MAKE THIS, RIGHT?
OH, YES, THIS IS ONE OF THE CHIPS.
HOW MANY WERE THERE?
I THINK THERE WERE 16 OF THEM; THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN 20.
HERE'S MINE.
TELL ME, WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS?
WELL, GOING TO THE MOON WAS THE BIGGEST THING IN OUR GENERATION.
IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN THAT TO THE KIDS TODAY.
I MEAN, WE WERE STEPPING OFF THE PLANET.
MY IDEA WAS TO GET SIX GREAT ARTISTS TOGETHER AND MAKE IT A TINY LITTLE MUSEUM THAT WOULD BE ON THE MOON.
FROSTY EXPLAINS THAT DAVID NOVROS AND JOHN CHAMBERLAIN DID DRAWINGS THAT LOOKED LIKE CIRCUITRY, CLAES OLDENBURG CONTRIBUTED HIS SIGNATURE MICKEY MOUSE, AND ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG, A SINGLE MINIMALIST LINE.
ANDY WARHOL DECIDED THAT HE WOULD DO HIS SIGNATURE, WHICH WAS AN "A" AND A "W." BUT FROSTY SAYS THAT FROM A CERTAIN ANGLE, THE LETTERS COULD ALSO LOOK LIKE A ROCKET OR A PIECE OF ANATOMY.
AND HE WAS BEING, OH, THE TERRIBLE BAD BOY.
FROSTY'S OWN CONTRIBUTION WAS A LINKED SYMBOL HE CALLED"INTERCONNECTION."
HOW DID YOU GET THE WORK REDUCED TO SOMETHING THIS SMALL?
I WENT TO FRED WALDHAUER, WHO WAS WORKING AT BELL LABS.
AND FRED SORT OF BECAME THE PROJECT ENGINEER FOR THIS IDEA.
AND HE GOT IN TOUCH WITH ROBERT MERKLE AND BURT UNGER, WHO WAS WORKING ON THIS TYPE OF PLATING ON CERAMIC WAFERS TO MAKE CIRCUITRY.
THEY JUST -- THEY RAN WITH IT; IT WAS GREAT.
AT THE TIME, THIS WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART ENGINEERING.
WELL, WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU APPROACHED THE PEOPLE AT NASA?
AT FIRST IT SEEMED PROMISING, AND THEN WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE JUST GETTING THE RUNAROUND.
THEY NEVER SAID NO; I JUST COULDN'T GET THEM TO SAY ANYTHING.
WELL, FRED WALDHAUER KNEW AN ENGINEER AT GRUMMAN AIRCRAFT THAT WAS WORKING ON THE LUNAR LANDER.
AND THIS GUY IMMEDIATELY SAID, "YEAH, I CAN DO THIS."
AND I SAID, "WELL, HOW WILL WE KNOW WHEN HE'S DOING TO DO THIS?"
BECAUSE NOW THE TIME IS APPROACHING; WE'RE GETTING CLOSE.
FROSTY TELLS ME THE SECRET AGENT AT GRUMMAN HAD AGREED TO SEND A TELEGRAM WHEN THE DEED WAS DONE.
MY DOORBELL RANG AND IT WAS WESTERN UNION, AND THERE WAS A TELEGRAM, AND OF COURSE I WAS DYING.
IT COULD SAY YES OR NO; I DIDN'T KNOW.
- WHAT DID IT SAY?
- WELL, I ACTUALLY HAVE IT.
IT SAYS, "CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, 3:35 EASTERN STANDARD TIME."
AND IT JUST SIMPLY SAYS, "YOU'RE ON.
A.O.K., ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO.
JOHN F." THEN IT WAS CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION.
THEN WE WENT TO THE BARS AND OPENED SOME CHAMPAGNE.
IT WAS VERY EXCITING.
I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF THE MOON THE SAME SINCE.
BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS: WHO SENT THE TELEGRAM?
FRED SAID, "LOOK, THIS GUY MADE A PROMISE THAT I'M NOT GOING TO EXPOSE WHO THIS GUY IS," AND I JUST TOOK IT AT THAT; IT WAS OKAY.
FROSTY TELLS ME ONLY FRED AND JOHN F. HIMSELF KNOW HIS IDENTITY.
WELL, CAN I TALK TO FRED?
WELL, FRED'S PASSED AWAY.
SO MANY OF THE ENGINEERS AND A COUPLE OF THE ARTISTS -- YOU KNOW, THIS WAS 40 YEARS AGO.
I WILL TRY MY VERY BEST TO PUT ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
MAYBE ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS FROM THE MISSION CAN HELP ME.
ONE OF ONLY A DOZEN HUMAN BEINGS TO WALK ON THE MOON, ASTRONAUT ALAN BEAN SOARED INTO OUTER SPACE WITH THE APOLLO 12 MISSION.
WELCOME.
CAPTAIN BEAN, IT'S SO NICE TO MEET YOU.
- NICE OF YOU TO VISIT.
- THANK YOU.
HERE'S THE STUDIO, RIGHT THIS WAY.
IN THE YEARS SINCE HIS OUTER SPACE ADVENTURES, CAPTAIN BEAN HAS DEVOTED HIMSELF TO PAINTING.
AS BOTH AN ARTIST AND AN APOLLO 12 ASTRONAUT, HE MAY BE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.
AND WHEN THE SUN'S BRIGHT ON EARTH, OF COURSE, YOU EITHER SEE BLUE SKY OR KIND OF GRAY CLOUDS, BUT ON THE MOON THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT.
YOU'RE LOOKING OUT INTO THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE.
THERE'S BEEN SOMETHING LIKE 54 BILLION MODERN HUMANS.
WE WERE 12 THAT GOT TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE BESIDES THIS EARTH.
I FEEL LIKE MAYBE I WON THE LOTTERY TWO OR THREE TIMES IN A ROW.
AS I TOLD YOU, I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THIS LITTLE CHIP WENT WITH YOU.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?
THIS IS NEWS TO ME.
I'M NOT AWARE OF THIS CHIP GOING WITH US.
YOU WERE ALLOWED TO BRING SOME PERSONAL OBJECTS ABOARD, RIGHT?
WE HAD A LITTLE THING CALLED A PERSONAL PREFERENCE KIT THAT WAS A LITTLE CLOTH BAG, AND SO I WOULD ASK MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES, "IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE ME TO TAKE TO THE MOON?"
IT WAS VERY OFFICIAL.
WE LAID IT OUT ON A TABLE, IT WAS PHOTOGRAPHED, IT WAS NUMBERED, AND EVERYTHING ELSE, SO EVERYTHING THAT I TOOK FOR PERSONAL REASONS, NASA KNEW ABOUT.
I SHOW CAPTAIN BEAN FROSTY'S TELEGRAM FROM THE MYSTERIOUS GRUMMAN EMPLOYEE.
IT'S JUST BEFORE YOU'RE LAUNCHING, SAYING, "YOU'RE ON, A.O.K., ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO," SIGNED JOHN F. NOW, AS BEST AS YOU CAN RECALL, DID YOU KNOW ANYONE NAMED JOHN F.?
MOST OF THE SEVERAL HUNDRED THAT WORKED AROUND THE LUNAR MODULE, BOTH FROM GRUMMAN AND FROM NASA, I DIDN'T KNOW THEIR NAMES THAT WELL.
I WOULD SAY THAT JOHN F., IF THIS IS A TRUTHFUL THING, WOULD BE RISKING HIS WHOLE CAREER, WHAT HE'S WORKED FOR ALL HIS LIFE.
CAPTAIN BEAN, IT HAS BEEN A GREAT HONOR TO MEET YOU.
- THANK YOU SO MUCH.
- THANK YOU, GWEN.
THANKS FOR COMING BY.
MY BEST CHANCE FOR FINDING THIS MYSTERIOUS JOHN F. PROBABLY LIES WITH THE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS WHO BUILT THE MOON LANDER.
IN 1962, GRUMMAN, A LEADING PRODUCER OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT, WAS AWARDED A PRESTIGIOUS CONTRACT: THEY WERE GOING TO BUILD THE LUNAR MODULES.
RICHARD KUPCZYK WAS THE LAUNCH PAD FOREMAN AT GRUMMAN.
HIS TEAM WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINAL ASSEMBLY, TESTING, AND LAUNCH OF THE LUNAR MODULE.
HE AGREES TO MEET ME AT THE CRADLE OF AVIATION MUSEUM.
IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME TRACK DOWN JOHN F., IT MIGHT BE RICHARD.
WELL, HELLO, GWEN.
HELLO, RICHARD.
VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
I'M DOING VERY WELL, AND I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE.
THIS MUSEUM HOUSES A REAL LUNAR MODULE ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE USED FOR THE APOLLO 12 MISSION.
I SHARE THE TELEGRAM AND TELL RICHARD WE'VE HEARD THAT SOMEONE AT GRUMMAN SNUCK THE CHIP ONBOARD APOLLO 12.
NOW, DID YOU KNOW ANYONE NAMED JOHN F.?
IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS.
I BROUGHT THE YEARBOOK WITH ME THAT WE HAD OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED AT THE CAPE DURING THE APOLLO MISSIONS.
AND ALL OF THE TECHNICIANS ARE IN HERE, AND THEIR NAMES ARE IN THE BACK.
SO IF WE GO TO F, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF F's.
WE DISCOVER TWO MEN WITH THE INITIALS J.
AND F. I WONDER IF ONE OF THESE TWO IS OUR GUY.
NO, I DON'T THINK SO, BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T PART OF THE SPACECRAFT TEAM, AND THE ACCESS, YOU WOULD REALLY HAVE TO HAVE A REASON TO GO THERE, AND THOSE NAMES AREN'T FAMILIAR TO ME.
SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS.
I DON'T THINK SO.
I WONDER, GIVEN THE TIGHT SECURITY, WAS JOHN F. THE ENGINEER'S REAL NAME?
WHEN I READ THE TELEGRAPH AND I SAW THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN, THE FIRST THING THAT JUMPED INTO MY MIND WAS THE FELLOW WHO STARTED IT ALL, J.F.K.
SO JOHN F. KENNEDY JUMPED INTO MY MIND AS A PSEUDONYM MAYBE.
THE TIGHT SECURITY, THE LONG HOURS, AND THE DEDICATION TO NASA'S MOON MISSIONS WERE UNLIKE ANYTHING HE HAD EXPERIENCED BEFORE OR SINCE.
EVERYBODY WANTED THE SAME THING, TO GO TO THE MOON.
SO YOU WERE CREATING NEW RULES.
DID YOU BREAK ANY RULES, TOO?
- LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING, GWEN.
- OKAY.
COME WITH ME.
BE CAREFUL NOW, YOU'RE ON A LUNAR SURFACE.
IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE WE'VE EVEN TALKED ABOUT THIS, AND I FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT IT NOW.
THIS IS A BLANKET, AND THERE ARE 16 LAYERS OF THIS.
WHAT RICHARD SHOWS ME NEXT MEANS THAT, LIKE FROSTY MYERS, I WILL NEVER THINK OF THE MOON IN THE SAME WAY AGAIN.
WELL, JADE, IN MANY WAYS THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST FASCINATING AND THE MOST FRUSTRATING STORY I'VE EVER WORKED ON.
WOW.
I TELL JADE THAT FROSTY CONFIRMED MAKING THE CHIP AND ABOUT THE TELEGRAM HE RECEIVED FROM CAPE CANAVERAL.
BUT THE ONLY PERSON FROSTY KNEW WHO COULD HAVE REVEALED THE IDENTITY OF JOHN F. WAS FRED WALDHAUER, AND FRED'S PASSED ON.
AH, OKAY.
NOW, I HAVE ANOTHER LEAD.
I SPOKE WITH RICHARD KUPCZYK, WHO WAS THERE ON THE LAUNCH PAD OVERSEEING THINGS, AND HE TOLD ME SOMETHING THAT HE'S NEVER TOLD ANYBODY.
THERE ARE SMALL PERSONAL ITEMS THAT THE FELLOWS PUT IN BETWEEN THE BLANKETS OF THE SPACECRAFT.
RICHARD TELLS ME THAT THE ENGINEERS BURIED PHOTOS OF THEIR CHILDREN AND WIVES WITHIN THE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF THE BLANKETS.
ON APOLLO 12, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE ON THAT SPACECRAFT THAT ARE LAYING ON THE LUNAR SURFACE RIGHT NOW, AND NEVER, EVER WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT WAS DONE TO THE SPACECRAFT THAT WOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE.
WAS IT WRONG?
YES.
BUT WE WERE CAUGHT UP INTO THIS THING, AND WE WERE GOOD AND WE KNEW IT, AND WE LEFT OUR MARK.
SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT A CHIP LIKE THIS IS ON THE MOON.
IT'S NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I'D SAY IT'S -- WELL, MY GUT FEEL IS IT'S THERE.
REALLY?
OH, GREAT; THAT'S AMAZING.
I TELL JADE THAT IN THIS EFFORT TO PLACE ART ON THE MOON, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT FOR A SHINING MOMENT, WE HAD BRIDGED ONE DIVIDE IN OUR CULTURE BACK THEN.
OUR ASTRONAUT HAD TURNED TO PAINTING WHEN HE RETURNED TO EARTH.
SCIENTISTS AT BELL LABS HAD CONSPIRED TO HELP GET THE WORK OF RADICAL ARTISTS TO THE MOON.
AND THE HARDWORKING TEAM AT GRUMMAN WHO HAD BUILT THE MOON LANDER HAD SHOWN A PLAYFUL WILLINGNESS TO BEND SOME RULES, MAKING THE SPACE PROJECT MORE PROFOUNDLY HUMAN THAN I HAD EVER REALIZED.
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.
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JOIN US ON THE PBS WEBSITE.
Tukufu: READ POSTS FROM OUR INSIDER BLOG OR SUBMIT A COMMENT YOURSELF.
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OR SUBMIT A STORY.
WHO KNOWS, YOUR MYSTERIOUS OBJECT COULD BE THE HISTORY DETECTIVES' NEXT GREAT CASE.
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Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪