Seriously Amazing Objects (2013–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Trailblazers - full transcript
Xavier: America is a land
of incredible firsts.
Boy: We're gonna go up
in something.
Whoa!
Xavier: Intrepid explorers...
Man: Whoa!
Xavier: Indestructible icons...
And electrifying ideas.
Man: I've always been
afraid of those.
Xavier: America's trailblazers
changed the way we live.
Man: You're the last survivor
of the phoenix.
Man: Right.
Xavier: This is the smithsonian.
And this.
And this.
And this!
A hundred million artifacts.
Thousands of visitors a day.
And some lucky folks
are about to be surprised.
Girl: Yeah!
Xavier:
If they can catch our eye
or show what they know.
Woman: We're not
going to get it.
Woman: That was seinfeld.
Xavier: Yeah, you got it.
They're going to see some
seriously amazing objects.
Woman: Oh, my gosh!
Hi, I'm xavier carnegie,
And I've worked here
at the smithsonian institution
For eight years.
With 19 museums,
Sometimes I feel like I need
a guide to get around.
Actually I've got a question
About one of the most famous
guides in history.
Let's see if I can find
someone who has the answer.
All right, you guys,
I have a question for you.
How do you pronounce
this word here?
Woman: Uh, sackaja-way-a?
Girls: Sackaja-wee-a.
Man: Sackaja-way-a.
Xavier: Pronounce this word.
Together: Sa-kaga-way-a.
Xavier: How did you know that
was the right pronunciation?
Man: We saw it on a tv show.
Xavier: Oh, ok,
That would be a good...
Kind of those educational shows.
That means I get
to give you a surprise.
Do you guys want to see
what I have for you?
Frank: Yes, we do.
Xavier: Come with me.
We're going to go
on an adventure, this way.
I'm taking frank and lisa to
meet one of our senior curators.
Harry rubenstein: Ok, well, hi.
Xavier: Harry rubenstein
Is responsible
for thousands of objects,
Including
thomas jefferson's bible,
Abraham lincoln's top hat,
And over 20,000
political campaign buttons.
Harry: Gonna put
these gloves on...
Xavier: Today he's going to show
them a priceless artifact,
An object that literally changed
the direction of the country.
Harry: This small, little object
Is a compass,
Used during
the lewis and clark expedition.
Lisa: Wow.
Xavier: In 1803,
Thomas jefferson dreamed
of finding a waterway
Across the continent
to the pacific.
Meriwether lewis,
william clark,
And 31 other members
of the corps of discovery
Set out to find that route.
They had no idea
where they would go
Or how long it would take.
The expedition was a voyage
into the unknown.
This small compass
is a very rare witness
To the entire
7,689-mile journey.
Frank: So the first compass that
went to the pacific and back?
Harry: Yes.
Frank: That's really cool.
Lisa: Wow.
Harry: When they got back,
after almost two years,
What was important for them
Were their journals
and the specimens.
And so all the scientific
instruments were sold off.
And this is the only one
that still survives.
Frank: Really?
Is it just me,
or is it still working?
Harry: It still works.
I mean, it's a great
little device.
Frank: It makes me want to
go out and use a compass.
It's kind of cool.
Xavier: Ok, frank,
careful what you wish for.
I'm going to put
frank and lisa to the test...
Lewis and clark style.
They will have to
orienteer their way
Through eight acres
of thick forest
With just a compass and a few
waypoints to guide them.
Here's the twist:
It's girl vs. Boy,
Each with their own
mini corps of discovery.
The winning team makes it
out of the wilds first.
Alright, good luck, guys.
On your mark, get set, go!
Girl: This way.
Girl: Over here. Come on.
Boy: 66 degrees
is down that trail.
Lisa:
North is the red, right?
Girl: Right here.
Xavier: On may 14, 1804,
The corps set out
from st. Louis.
The expedition had three boats,
two horses, 15 rifles,
And this handheld compass.
There was no guarantee
they would ever make it home.
Boy: Head to the tall red barn
by traveling...
Girl: 340 degrees north.
Xavier: So far,
Our guys have been out here
for less than an hour.
The expedition
lived off the land
For two and a half years.
Boy: Since north is that way,
266 degrees is down that trail.
Girl: I don't see
anything up there.
Xavier: In this game,
the boys seem to have the edge.
But lewis and clark
wouldn't have made it far
Without their female guide,
sacagawea.
Girl: Head to
the tree stream crossing,
Traveling 230 degrees south.
Boy: We're going down that way.
Xavier: Lisa and frank's teams
are almost out of the woods.
Just a few more
coordinates to find.
After 18 months, william clark
thought his expedition
Had finally reached the pacific.
In his journal he wrote:
"ocean in view. Oh, the joy!"
Boy: I see it!
Xavier: Today's teams
also think the end is in sight.
Boy: Head to the campsite
by traveling 50 degrees north
From the end of the zipline.
Xavier: But a zipline
wasn't part of the plan.
Boy: Ok, we should
probably take a vote.
Boy: I'm scared of heights.
Frank: I think
one of you guys should go.
Boy: I'm just gonna
pin it on you.
Boy: Yeah, me, too.
Frank: You pick on
the old guy, right?
Boys: Yeah!
Xavier: Although lewis and clark
paddled raging rapids,
Mapped new terrain,
And crossed the snow-capped
rockies on foot...
Lisa: Me?
Girl: I'm afraid to.
Lisa: I'll do it.
Xavier:
They never had to do this.
Frank: Here we go.
Aaah!
Girls: Bye! Bye!
[laughing and yelling]
Girl: Bye!
Lisa: That was awesome!
How did it look?
Girl: Awesome!
Lisa: Yeah?
So where are we headed now?
Frank: Down that trail?
Girl: Ok, that way.
Xavier:
Over the past few hours,
The teams have crossed
mighty streams,
Conquered the treetops,
And navigated miles
of uncharted trails.
It's a race to the finish.
Girls: Yes, we made it!
Xavier:
Girls! You made it!
It looks like you guys
are the first ones here.
I think you are the winners!
[cheering]
The girls made sacagawea proud.
Xavier: Gentlemen.
Gentlemen.
But everyone made it through.
Lisa: Good job, guys.
Xavier: What did you learn
along the way?
Frank: We learned
that we're pretty good
At using a map
and using a compass.
Xavier: Very good!
In 1806, the expedition
returned to st. Louis.
They had drawn
around 140 new maps,
Encountered three dozen
indian tribes,
And laid claim
to the oregon territory.
America was now
a coast-to-coast nation,
And this small compass
was there for it all.
Harry: You look at this,
And you can sort of imagine,
You know, what did it mean to
go out and explore a territory
That had never been seen
by anybody that you knew.
This compass
embodies in many ways
This whole sort of generations,
Hundreds of years
of exploration,
Into this one simple thing.
Lisa: It's gorgeous, too.
Harry: It is, isn't it?
Thankfully at least
somebody had some sense
That they'd at least
a small token
Of that large moment
in history,
And saved this object.
Frank: It's very cool.
Xavier: Lewis and clark
Discovered
over 130 new animal species
On their trip west.
They encountered one that
once numbered in the billions
And was extinct
just a century later.
I'm going to see if anyone here
can guess the species.
I'm gonna
give you some facts,
And the facts are about
an animal that is now extinct.
If you can guess
what animal it is, then you win.
A group of these animals
could be so large
That they would blot out
the sun for three days.
Ray: Pterodactyl.
Xavier: No.
Brian: The woolly mammoth?
Xavier: Mammoth? No.
It could block out the sun
for three days?
Brian: For three days?
Dana: I'd have to say
maybe a water creature
That could block out
something...
Xavier: I'll tell you what,
let me give you another one.
This animal was known
For traveling in groups
of a billion or more.
Brian: A billion?
Xavier: Oh, you're thinking.
Woman: Is it a bug...
Man: Yeah, that's what I was
thinking, something small, too.
Woman: Like a locust?
Xavier:
Something small? Alright.
The last of the species
died in 1914
And was named after
one of the u.S. First ladies.
Brian: Wait a minute,
are we still on the same thing
That can block out the sun?
Xavier: Same thing.
This is all the same animal.
Brian: And there are
a billion or more?
And they're extinct?
Xavier: They are extinct.
When this animal would roost,
Collectively,
there were so many of them,
That they could break
tree branches.
Brian: Can't be a condor.
Dave: Would it be
a type of bat, maybe?
Brian:
Really? Like a pigeon?
Xavier: Very astute.
It is a pigeon.
Passenger pigeon.
You probably heard
of these before, right?
Dave: I should have known.
Dana: Should have known.
Xavier: You guys ever heard
of a passenger pigeon?
Brian: They were that big,
they would block out the sun?
Xavier: Well, there were
so many of them.
They'd travel
in such a big group
That they could
block out the sun.
Brian: Like locusts of the sky.
Xavier: Yes, that's
a good description.
So why are we spending
so much time on pigeons?
First of all,
they are highly underrated.
This one, named cher ami,
is a world war I hero.
Cher ami saved an infantry
division under friendly fire
By delivering a message to hq.
By the time he reached his goal,
He was shot through the breast,
blinded in one eye,
And had a leg
dangling by a tendon.
Army medics saved his life,
And he received
the croix de guerre,
The french equivalent of the
congressional medal of honor.
Today he is on display
At the national museum
of american history,
Where I found lucia
paying her respects.
Lucia:
I'm a big pigeon fanatic.
I'm really into pigeons.
Xavier: Cool. Very cool.
Well, you know what?
If you really like pigeons,
I got something you might be
interested in seeing.
Now, the only problem is
it's not here.
It's actually next door
At the national museum
of natural history.
If you have a few minutes,
Do you want to
come over there with me?
Lucia: Sure.
Xavier: Come this way.
Xavier: It turns out
lucia really loves pigeons.
Lucia: Of course, you know,
"sesame street,"
Bert is really into pigeons...
Xavier: Absolutely.
Lucia:...And plays checkers
with bernice.
Xavier:
Yes, that's very true.
Lucia: "on the waterfront"
And "mr. Smith
goes to washington,"
Those are all movies
that feature pigeons.
Xavier: Ok.
For someone interested in birds,
this place is heaven.
Lucia: Hi.
Chris milensky: Hi, I'm chris.
Lucia: Lucia. Nice to meet you.
Chris: Welcome to
the division of birds.
Lucia: Thanks.
Xavier: Come to think of it,
it's literally bird heaven,
Where over 600,000
have come to rest.
The smithsonian has one of
the largest collections
In the world,
Open to scientists
from all over.
Chris: Anyone who wants
to come and study birds,
They can either come here
and work with us
Or we can loan
the specimens to them.
Xavier: One specimen
stands out above the rest.
Lucia: Oh, my god,
you're kidding me.
That's martha?
Chris: This is martha.
Xavier:
For a pigeon fan like lucia,
This is like seeing
a movie star--
The very last passenger pigeon.
Chris: She died
in the cincinnati zoo
At 1:00 p.M.
On the 1st of September, 1914.
She was literally alone
For about four years
before she died.
And we knew at that time
That there were no other ones
in the wild.
So this is one of the rare cases
When you can actually place
an exact time and date
On an extinction.
Xavier: Today martha sits for
posterity beside her companion,
Appropriately named george,
A fellow passenger pigeon
who died long before her.
Hundreds of years ago,
Passenger pigeons
were estimated
To be about a quarter
of the total bird population
Of the united states.
A flock a mile wide
flying 60 miles an hour
Could take days
to pass overhead.
So where did they go?
Chris: The story
really is not a simple one.
There are a lot of factors
involved with any extinction.
In this case there was
a lot of market hunting.
[gunshots]
They were easy targets.
Because they occurred
in these large flocks
Of over a billion birds,
A hunter could go and collect
thousands at a time
Without really having
to try that hard.
Xavier: Passenger pigeons became
a staple of the american diet.
By the end of the 1800s,
Millions were being shipped back
to cities in the east.
Another natural factor
sealed their fate.
Lucia: They didn't lay
as many eggs as other pigeons,
So it was easier to
wipe them out that way, right?
Chris: Yeah. The biology of
the passenger pigeon was such
That they really relied
on those large flocks
For a couple of reasons.
One was protection
from predators.
There's safety in numbers.
They didn't have to lay a whole
bunch of eggs to reproduce.
So in a matter
of just a few decades,
They were just all gone.
Xavier:
Once a species is gone,
No amount of wishful thinking
can bring it back.
Chris has another rare treasure
to share with lucia.
Chris: This is
the ivory billed woodpecker.
You may have heard of this one.
This one was actually
thought to be rediscovered
Not too long ago,
Which unfortunately
turned out not to be true,
And so they went extinct
back in the '50s.
And just for comparison,
We always like to show
the pileated woodpecker,
Which is the one that people
often confuse it for.
And so this one
is still very common.
Xavier:
Birds still go extinct,
But the loss
of the passenger pigeon
Made people take notice.
It prompted the very first legal
protections for migratory birds.
As passenger pigeons
left the sky,
Another species
was about to enter it.
Xavier:
I've got a question for you.
Let's see if you can
get the answer.
What was wilbur and orville
wright's profession
The first time they called
themselves the wright brothers?
Boy: Bicycles?
Xavier:
Oh, man, that's the answer
I think a lot of people
are going to come up with.
Woman: I've been
out of school too long.
Woman: Oh, my god,
and it's right there
And I can't get it out.
Man: That is a good one.
Man: Something to do
with shoes, I think.
Woman: Give me another hint.
Xavier: It was mechanical.
Extra, extra,
read all about it.
Man: Newspapers!
Xavier: They were printers.
Woman: Printers!
Xavier: Yes, they were.
Xavier:
Those folks did well,
But I'm still looking
for that one special person
Who's crazy about airplanes.
Excuse me, guys.
How are you today?
Woman: Good, how are you?
Xavier: I see you guys checking
out some of the planes here.
We got the spirit
of st. Louis over here,
The x-1, the x-15.
Are you guys
interested in aviation?
Wendy: He is. He's really
interested in aviation.
Xavier: It seems like beck
might just fit the bill.
And his mom can come, too.
Beck: I've just always
loved planes.
Xavier: They're about to see,
up close,
The machine that sparked
our aviation revolution.
Alright, follow me.
This way.
Wendy: Alright, great.
Xavier: The one and only
original wright flyer.
Peter jakab: One of the things
That makes it
such an important object
Is that everything
that's embodied in this airplane
Is embodied in every airplane
that we fly in today.
Xavier: In the early 1900s,
Wilbur and orville wright worked
feverishly to take to the skies.
For years,
many others had tried...
And failed.
And there was
no shortage of skeptics.
Just days before
the wright brothers took flight,
The "new york times" stated
that a flying machine
Wouldn't be built
for millions of years.
Well, they were wrong.
On December 17, 1903,
Orville and wilbur
readied their flyer
On the sands of
kitty hawk, north carolina.
Beck:
Why did the wright brothers
Choose to fly in kitty hawk?
Peter: In those days, it was
a barren, sandy landscape,
And the wright brothers
went down there
And were able to make
hundreds of flights
With their gliders
in the good steady winds,
In the safe environment
of the sandy dunes there.
Xavier: At 10:35 a.M.,
orville takes off.
He is airborne for 12 seconds.
By the fourth attempt,
Wilbur flies for 59 seconds,
Covering a distance of 852 feet.
Beck:
Why is the pilot right there?
Why is he laying down?
Peter: One of the things
That the wright brothers
realized also was important
Was the drag of the airplane.
Now, they were going
at very, very low speeds.
This airplane
only had a ground speed
Of about six miles an hour.
You could probably run faster
than this airplane was flying.
But with such a low airspeed
And limited power
of the airplane,
Every bit of resistance
was important.
So by laying down, they actually
had a smaller area of the pilot
Than by sitting up
or standing up.
Xavier: The brothers understood
the importance of aerodynamics,
Balance, control,
And the benefit of a strong,
lightweight structure.
That was no accident.
In addition to their
early careers as printers,
They built and sold
their own brand of bicycles.
Peter:
The wright brothers realized
That you didn't have to have
an entirely stable machine
To have an entirely
controllable machine.
Xavier: The wrights even added
Some of the more familiar
features of bicycle mechanics
To their flyer.
Peter:
Look at those things there
That look like
bicycle chains and sprockets.
What that is
is the transmission system,
Which is connecting the two
propellers to the engine.
Wendy: Fantastic.
Beck: This is cool.
Xavier:
But they also understood
The need to pilot the aircraft
in three dimensions.
While others were focused
on building powerful engines,
The brothers knew that
controlling the plane in the air
Would be the key.
The flyer was designed
with a canard
That controlled
the ascent and descent
From the front of the aircraft.
Peter: This is called
a canard configuration.
And the reason
the wright brothers did that
Is because aerodynamically,
When you have the horizontal
stabilizer in the front,
What happens
when the airplane stalls
And starts to
fall out of the sky
Is it happens
in a much more gentle way.
The airplane kind of just
pancakes down like that.
So it was a lot safer.
Beck: How does this plane,
How does it move
like side to side like that?
Peter:
Ah, you're a smart guy.
You know that there's three axes
of motion in an airplane.
There's the lateral
balance of the wings,
The climb and descent,
which is called pitch,
And then there's
something called yaw,
Which is the side-to-side
motion of the airplane.
What's that thing
in the back there?
Beck: Looks like...
Kind of like a rudder.
Peter: Looks like a rudder
because it is a rudder.
And the wright brothers
added that on there
To be able to
control the airplane
In this third dimension
of space.
And with one motion,
one slide of the hips,
He could control both the
wing warping of the airplane,
The lateral balance,
And move the rudder
and control it that way.
So with those three controls
and those two movements,
He could fly
in three-dimensional space.
Beck: That's cool.
Wendy: So how many times
did this plane fly?
Peter: Well, you know,
it only flew on one day.
A big gust of wind
Came across the sand dunes
down at kitty hawk
And picked up the airplane
And cartwheeled it
across the sand
And damaged it beyond repair
in the field.
And it never flew again.
Every airplane
that you've ever flown on,
Every airplane that's
in this museum
Flies the same way
as this one does.
The highest-flying,
fastest-flying airplane
Flies the same way
As the original wright brothers
airplane did in 1903.
Wendy: Thank you
very much, peter.
This was really interesting.
Thank you very much.
Peter: It's always fun to talk
about my favorite airplane.
Xavier: Beck seems fascinated
with the wright flyer.
Wait till he sees what's next.
Was it exciting?
Beck: Yeah.
Xavier: Are you ready
to take off?
Wendy: Uh-oh. Yeah.
Xavier: What do you think?
Beck: We're gonna go up
in something, aren't we?
Xavier: Beck, look,
we can't obviously
Take the wright flyer out,
because it's an artifact,
But how would you like
to go flying
In an old-fashioned biplane?
What do you think, man?
How do you feel?
Beck: Awesome!
Xavier: Good, right? Yeah?
You guys ready to go?
Come on in.
Beck: This is an awesome plane!
Xavier: Pretty nice.
Wendy: Yeah, beautiful.
Xavier: Guys, this is john.
He's going to be
our pilot for the day.
Wendy:
Hi, nice to meet you.
Xavier: Here's beck.
John corradi:
Hi, beck, how are you?
A lot of similarities,
believe it or not--
This airplane
and the wright flyer
That you were just
downtown looking at.
Xavier: What you saw.
Beck: Yeah.
John: This is a biplane
like the wright flyer.
And the wings are fabric.
There's a wood spar, wood ribs.
But this is fabric.
It's not linen.
The rudder is at the back,
like in the wright flyer.
The elevators are at the back.
The wright flyer,
if you remember,
Had that canard at the front
for pitch control.
But other than that,
it's pretty similar.
40 years' difference.
Xavier: You ready? Beck: Yeah.
John: Mom, you going with?
Wendy: No, I'm gonna
let the boys have all the fun.
John: Aw, come on.
Wendy: No, thank you very much.
No, you guys have fun.
Xavier:
I think we can handle this.
John: Let's load 'em up, then.
Beck: I want to be
in the air force,
And fly either
helicopters or jets.
I am definitely interested
in being a pilot.
John: Here we go.
Xavier:
It's time to experience
The principles
of the wright flyer firsthand.
Beck: Wow!
Woo-hoo!
Xavier: You can see
everything from up here.
Beck: I know.
John: Pretty good view,
isn't it?
Beck: Oh, yeah.
John: A lot of similarities
Considering
they're 39 years apart.
This is 1942.
This airplane is a lot
more stable, of course.
Xavier: The wright flyer
never flew this high.
John: It makes a great
aerobatic airplane.
Xavier: Or did any of this.
Beck: Whoa!
Xavier: Whoo!
Beck: Oh! Whoa!
Xavier: Whoa!
Beck: Yeah!
John: I knew you'd love it.
Beck: That was so cool!
John: I knew you'd love it.
Xavier: Wow!
John: Here we go.
Adios.
Xavier: Whoa! Oh oh!
Beck: Oh! Whoa!
Xavier: Whoa!
Beck: Yow!
Wow!
Xavier:
Oh, man, this is so cool.
Not only is beck
a great flying companion;
He knows his stuff.
Instruments.
Do you know what they are?
Beck: Yeah, ok.
This first one up here,
that's the altimeter.
I think that shows the prop.
Xavier: How fast it's going.
Beck: That's the airspeed
in knots,
So right now we're going
about 70 miles an hour.
Xavier: The wright brothers'
top airspeed?
10 miles per hour.
We've come a long way
since 1903.
Beck: I didn't think anything
like this would happen today.
It's cool doing
those sharp banks. Yeah.
The fact that you couldn't see
Was probably
the worst part of that.
Wendy: Have we inspired you
or scared you?
Beck: Uh, yes.
[laughter]
John: Good job, son.
Beck: Thank you.
Xavier: Beck's flight was just
one of more than 100,000 planes
In our skies today.
The airplane
has transformed our world
And the way we live.
All thanks to the ingenuity
of two bicycle-makers
Who dreamed they could fly.
Before planes flew overhead,
Another trailblazer
steamed onto the scene,
One that still works today.
I'm john barnett,
And I'm sitting on the forward
end of the john bull engine,
Which is a major exhibit
In the smithsonian
american history museum.
Xavier: Curators aren't the only
caretakers at the smithsonian.
John's got his hands full caring
for this priceless treasure--
The oldest operable steam train
in the world.
John barnett: When I retired,
One of my friends
who worked here
Said that there would be
probably the need
For something
like I'm doing now.
The long and the short of it
was I came down and started,
And that was about 12 years ago.
Once a week
I get my share of dust.
And I've been
wielding this mop ever since.
Xavier: This shiny locomotive,
Originally built in England,
Was shipped across the atlantic
in pieces.
It made its first run in 1831.
John: I go up the front.
There's no ladder on this thing.
If you want to see a real sight,
Watch me climb up an engine.
This is the fireplace,
And they'd throw
this wood in there,
And that would heat water.
The one thing I do know
is that...[bell rings]
That's a signal to myself
that I'm working here.
[bell rings]
Xavier: In 1981,
On its 150th birthday,
The engine was fired up
once again.
It had been half a century
since its last run.
John: They ran it
on what was then
The b&o railroad freight branch
into georgetown.
You wouldn't believe it,
After all these years
and the age of the thing,
That they could ever
get it going.
But they were afraid if
they ever tried to run it again,
The boiler would blow.
Now here I am cleaning it.
Xavier: The british john bull
Revolutionized the rails
in the u.S.
One of our founding fathers
Also found inspiration
across the pond.
I'm hanging out in this exhibit,
Which is all about
early electricity.
I'm hoping to find a visitor
who's interested in this stuff.
Let's see who we can catch.
Excuse me, sir.
Hi, my name is xavier.
Man: How you doing?
Xavier: I'm here with
the smithsonian. How are you?
Man: Great.
Xavier:
I noticed you're looking at
Some of these artifacts
on early electricity.
Are you interested
in these kinds of things?
Tommy: Yeah, I was looking
at some of this stuff.
I've seen it in books before.
I've never had the opportunity
to see it for real.
Xavier: It's amazing
what we can do now
Versus what they did then.
Tommy: Yeah.
This stuff is so huge
To crank out
the most minimal electricity.
I've got like a cell phone
that does everything,
And it's this big.
Xavier: It could
probably do more.
Tommy: It's fascinating.
Xavier: It really is.
Well, you know, I like to find
visitors to the museum
And get to show them some things
that aren't on display.
Would you be interested
In seeing
some of that stuff with me?
Tommy: Really? Like back where
they keep all the stuff
That the public
has no access to?
Xavier: The secret vaults.
Tommy: Absolutely.
Xavier: You want to see
something?
Tommy: Absolutely.
Xavier: Tommy loves
his electronic gadgets.
And he's about to set his eyes
On one of
the oldest ones around.
But this won't fit
in his pocket.
Man: One of the neater pieces
in our collection
Is this electrostatic machine.
Xavier: Machines like these
Could generate
an electric charge
And were equally interesting
to scientists and society.
Parlor games using electricity
Were all the rage
in 18th-century europe.
This particular machine
Was designed by none other
than benjamin franklin.
Franklin was best known
as a politician, publisher,
And statesman.
But his greatest passion
was science.
Legend has it
that he captured electricity
With a simple key on a kite,
But no one knows
if that story is even true.
We do know franklin
was daring enough
To try to harness
electricity's power.
To keep up with his peers
across the atlantic,
He ran his own experiments
right here in america.
Tommy:
Can I take a guess on this?
Any time I hear about
electricity and a globe
Or I see a glass globe
or a ball,
Is this one of those devices
where you put your hand on it
And your hair will go on end?
I've always been
afraid of those.
Xavier: This machine was
state-of-the-art for its time.
The glass globe sat on top
of a piece of leather.
When the large wheel turned,
Friction between
the glass and the leather
Would create
static electric charge.
People had been curious
about electricity for ages,
But this machine helped finally
demonstrate how to create it.
Tommy: By the way, my cell phone
is about to lose its charge.
Can I plug it right in?
Man: Um, I don't think
it would quite work as well.
Xavier: Electricity was only one
of ben franklin's interests.
He contributed a mind-boggling
array of inventions
To early america,
Including bifocal glasses,
A flexible urinary catheter,
The franklin stove,
And words of wisdom
we still use today.
All of these sayings were
said by benjamin franklin.
I'm gonna give you
the first part,
And if you can guess
the second part of all of them,
We're going to give you a prize.
Does that sound good?
Woman: Yeah!
Boy: Yeah.
Xavier: Alright, so here we go.
So put your thinking caps on.
The first one is
"a penny saved..."
Woman: You know that one?
Boy: A penny earned?
Woman: Is a penny earned.
Xavier: Is a penny earned.
Ding, ding.
You got the first one.
"an apple a day..."
Woman: Say it.
Xavier:
You can say it, it's ok.
Girl: Keeps the doctors away.
Xavier: Keeps the doctor away.
You got it.
Xavier: "time..."
Woman: Time?
Xavier: "time is..."
"time is..."
Woman: Is of the essence?
Xavier: Oooh!
"time is..."
Woman: Time is money.
Woman: Time is money?
Xavier: Time is money.
That's it.
Did you guys know
benjamin franklin said that?
Woman: No.
Xavier: I'm going to
give you one more.
This is kind of a tricky one.
"guests, like fish..."
Woman: Swim?
Xavier: Your guests swim?
Woman: Yeah.
Xavier: "guests like fish..."
Woman: Are always welcome?
Xavier: Are fish always
welcome at your house?
"guests, like fish,
Start to smell
after three days."
Is that a good one?
Your prize is a jar of pickles.
Woman:
This is her favorite!
Xavier:
Oh, it's your favorite?
You have something in common
with benjamin franklin.
This is one of his favorite
snacks right here.
Woman: Pickles!
Girl: Pickles!
Xavier: Franklin also said,
"an investment in knowledge
pays the best interest."
Man: He's living in an era
Where knowledge
for the sake of knowledge
Is definitely something
that's respected.
And they don't want to be seen
as provincial.
Let's see what we can do
with electricity.
Let's let these folks
over in europe know
That we're not just backwoodsmen
here in the colonies,
That we can actually do
What we today might say
cutting-edge science
On the frontier.
Tommy: So in a way he was
marketing the image of america.
Xavier: These early experiments
blazed the trail
For powering every home
and building today.
Benjamin franklin believed
america would be
A country of dreamers
and risk-takers,
Unbound by tradition,
Fertile land for innovation
and invention.
And he was right.
Franklin was also
a big letter writer.
He had thousands of pen pals.
I bet he would have loved
our next location.
The national postal museum
Contains nearly
six million objects.
If it's come through
a post office
Or carried the mail,
It's here.
Excuse me,
how are you guys doing today?
What's your name?
Jamie: Jamie.
Xavier: What's your name, sir?
Michael: Michael.
Xavier: Turns out this couple
shares a fascination
With letter writing.
Come on this way.
We'll see what we can find.
So I figured they needed to meet
curator lynn heidelbaugh.
Michael: Our children think
we're just artifacts of the past
Because when we first met,
we were living 400 miles apart,
So we corresponded
by letters.
Lynn heidelbaugh:
How frequently did you write?
Jamie: Every week.
Michael: Yeah, every week.
I was in the denver area,
and she was in utah.
Lynn: Oh, wow,
that's beautiful.
Have you shared them
with your family?
Jamie: Yes.
Lynn: Oh, that's great.
Save them!
Xavier: Lynn would say that.
She gets paid
to read other people's mail,
And lots of it.
Lynn: I have
some objects to show you today
Related to world war ii.
Xavier: Today
the average u.S. Household
Receives
a personal letter by mail
About seven times a year.
But during world war ii,
it was much more.
Lynn: Service members
were writing
About six letters a week--
So, that's almost every day--
per service member.
Xavier: By 1945,
The army's mail exploded
To over
2.5 billion pieces per year--
So many letters,
They had to invent a new way
to deliver them all.
Lynn: We have a v-mail letter,
Which is
a special kind of letter
That they used
only during world war ii,
To lighten the mail load.
Xavier: V-mail, or victory mail,
decreased shipping costs
By converting paper letters
into microfilm.
Film narrator:
A 100-foot roll of film
Can carry
1,500 individual letters.
Quite a saving in cargo space
When you realize
that 150,000 letters
That ordinarily fill 22 sacks
Will, on microfilm,
take just one bag.
Xavier: Once they arrived,
The letters were enlarged,
converted back to paper,
And delivered.
Today those letters
paint a vivid picture
Of life during war.
Lynn: And this one
Is particularly
eloquent and meaningful.
This person is looking back,
He's talking about how he's
stationed at pearl harbor.
Want to try reading
some of that?
Michael: "ghastly though
it must have looked
On that infamous day
in December of '41,
It must have been a beautiful
scene of desolation."
Xavier: The morning
of December 7, 1941,
Dawned clear and sunny
on the hawaiian island of oahu.
60,000 military personnel
on base at pearl harbor
Woke up to the roar
of exploding japanese bombs.
[airplanes approaching]
[machine gun fire]
[explosions]
The attack lasted
less than two hours,
But eight navy battleships
were sunk.
One of them
was the u.S.S. Oklahoma.
This hand stamp
from the oklahoma's post office
Went down with the ship.
The date still reads
"Saturday, December 6th."
Lynn: So this would have been
used to postmark the date
When a registered mail piece
Was going to leave
the u.S.S. Oklahoma,
Which didn't leave
the u.S.S. Oklahoma then,
Until it was salvaged,
well after the attack.
Michael: So this was found
underwater in the oklahoma?
Lynn: Exactly. Yeah.
Michael:
In pearl harbor, after it sunk?
Lynn: Yes. Yeah.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: This stamp
Has an eerie power
to evoke that day,
But there are still some
who can actually tell the story.
Frank yanick was stationed
On the u.S.S. Phoenix
in pearl harbor.
On the morning of December 7th
He was on his way to the
oklahoma for church services
When bombs began to fall.
Frank yanick:
When the first wave came in,
Into pearl harbor,
I was below deck.
So I was dressed all in whites
And getting ready to go
on the oklahoma,
Which was sunk.
If they'd have waited
five more minutes, maybe seven,
I wouldn't be here now.
Xavier: The attack happened
on a Sunday, just before 8 a.M.
Frank: The first wave came in,
Just lit torpedoes and bombs
and everything else
And hit the ships,
'cause they were all in a bunch.
When I got up
to my battle station,
Why, I just...I fired
at anything that flew.
Xavier: In a single morning,
the japanese took the lives
Of over 2,400 service members
and civilians.
Frank remembers the aftermath.
Frank: And would you believe
coffins stacked a mile high?
Xavier:
Congress declared war on japan
The very next day.
And frank was on
the front lines of history.
Frank: I'm a little boy
from pennsylvania,
Little coal mining town.
I joined the navy when I was 18.
Got baptized
by the japanese at 19.
Michael: How many of your
comrades from the phoenix
Are still alive
that you know of?
And how many
do you stay in touch with?
None?
None are still alive
or none that...
Frank: None alive.
Michael: You're the last
survivor of the phoenix.
Frank: Right.
Xavier: Frank served
for five more years
In the pacific theater,
Fighting at wake island,
leyte gulf,
Borneo,
and the philippines
Before returning home
to virginia in 1946.
The country had changed
while he was gone.
On the homefront,
World war ii created
a surge of patriotism.
People sold war bonds,
planted victory gardens,
And held scrap metal drives.
Even comic books were filled
with the exploits
Of nazi-fighting super heroes.
One of them
really broke the mold.
Let's see if someone
can guess who it is.
I have a couple of questions
to ask you guys.
I want to see if you can guess
the person I'm describing
In these questions, alright?
Who was on the cover of the very
first issue of "ms." magazine?
Woman: No idea.
Xavier: Don't know?
This person's alter ego
was named diana prince.
Woman:
I have no idea who that is.
Xavier: I'll give you one more.
This person transforms
into a super hero by spinning.
Woman: Oh, that's that
super...What's her name?
Xavier: What is it?
Girl: Superwoman?
Xavier: Oh, my goodness,
you're so close!
Woman: Wonder woman?
Xavier: Oh, there you go.
I knew you were gonna get it.
Let me see your spin,
your super hero spin.
You got one?
Boom! There it is.
Look at that.
There we go.
Yes, yes! Very nice!
Woman: Yes. When I was a kid,
my dad used to read them to me,
So I've been reading them since
I was in like middle school.
Xavier: Alright, here we go.
This one's a little harder.
In her homeland
on paradise island,
A land inhabited
only by superhuman women,
Wonder woman is known as athena,
bearer of justice,
Queen hippolyta
of the good warriors,
Or princess diana
of the immortal amazons?
Both: Princess diana of
the immortal amazons.
Xavier: At the same time.
Woman: Yeah.
Xavier:
I have a surprise for you.
I'm taking gareth and kate
To the smithsonian's dibner
library special collection.
Curator lilla vekerdy
has a rare copy
Of an all-american art form.
Lilla vekerdy:
I would like to show you
The first introduction
of wonder woman
Into the world of comics.
Xavier: Wonder woman
Became america's
favorite female super hero
When she debuted in 1941.
[punches landing]
That was
the golden age of comics.
Ordinary americans sought refuge
from the one-two punch
Of the depression
and world war ii
In their pages.
Wonder woman's story was
a perfect escapist fantasy--
A princess born on the utopian
island homeland of amazon women.
She rescues pilot steve trevor
from his wrecked plane
And travels back with him to
the world of men to combat evil.
Her captivating looks
and incredible super powers
Quickly landed wonder woman
her first comic cover.
Lilla: What I like to point out
in this first image
Is how feminine she is,
At the same time
being so athletic.
So the little feet,
The little mouth,
the big eyes,
The very feminine skirt,
But a very muscular body
to go with it.
Xavier: But beauty
only gets you so far.
To be a great super hero,
you need super strength.
Lilla: Wonder woman holding up
an entire locomotive
Just by her bare hands.
Kate: What do you think
about how the writer
Viewed women in society
at that time?
Lilla: He wrote articles
about the role of gender
And women especially.
Xavier: Wonder woman's creator,
william marston,
Was a harvard-trained
psychologist and inventor,
Not an artist.
But he recognized that comics
could influence society.
Wonder woman broke ground
as a strong female role model.
Marston created her under
the pseudonym charles moulton
And enlisted
illustrator harry peter
To bring her to life.
Gareth: Was wonder woman
based on anyone?
Lilla: Yes, what we think
might have been a real model
Is his wife, elizabeth.
Xavier: Elizabeth marston
was a ground-breaker herself,
One of only three women
To graduate from boston
university law school in 1918.
She became a career woman
and working mother.
Traditional roles were changing,
And the world
was changing as well.
[airplanes]
[gunfire]
With world war ii
shaking the country,
Marston's patriotism
and sense of justice
Were also reflected
in his super heroine.
Kate: It's always been
kind of odd to me
That she's this symbol
of american heroism
When she comes from
a different culture.
Gareth: Still wearing
the stars and stripes.
Lilla: Right.
Well, it's the time of the war,
the second world war,
So I think there is a fear.
And marston actually writes
How america needs a protector
from the evil of mankind.
And that's wonder woman.
Xavier: Her costume may be
a patriotic super suit,
But those accessories are more
than just fashion statements.
Kate: Oh, my god.
Lilla: This focuses
on the bracelets,
Which can't only deter bullets,
but also...
Kate: Cannonballs!
Lilla: Cannonballs.
Xavier:
The indestructible bracelets
Protect her
from incoming firepower.
And her golden lasso
captures evildoers,
Forcing them to tell the truth.
It's also a piece of gear that
marston borrowed from real life.
Lilla: One of his field of
interests was lie detecting,
So the lasso of truth
Was basically his scientific
interest in detecting lies.
Xavier: And don't forget
those high-tech earrings
That communicate
with the goddess venus.
Lilla: He was also thinking
about wireless communication.
Gareth:
Years before "star trek."
Lilla: Yes!
Kate: So do you think
that her costume changed
To kind of reflect the trends
in society as it progressed?
Lilla: Yes, it did.
In the 1950s, after the war,
Women were expected
to go back to home,
Be housewives,
Still have the little waist,
but have a nice skirt, you know.
Kate: Do you think that
she's kept up with modern times
After the '80s and the '90s?
I know that recently
The artists made the decision
to give her pants,
And there was a big uproar
in the comic book community
Over that.
Lilla: I'm pretty sure that
it's the same social pressure
That is trying to come out
in the comics--
The role change
of women in society.
Kate: It did seem
that primarily males were upset
About her getting pants.
Gareth: I didn't mind
her having pants.
[laughter]
Kate: I don't think that there's
anyone that you could argue
Would be comparable.
She definitely struck a chord
with the nation,
Like almost an ultimate calling
Of both femininity
and patriotism.
Xavier: It's amazing
how a simple object
Can connect you to something
you've heard about
All your life.
Great leaps forward.
Beacons of change.
Intrepid explorers.
Defenders of freedom.
Just imagine
what seriously amazing things
America's trailblazers
will come up with next.
of incredible firsts.
Boy: We're gonna go up
in something.
Whoa!
Xavier: Intrepid explorers...
Man: Whoa!
Xavier: Indestructible icons...
And electrifying ideas.
Man: I've always been
afraid of those.
Xavier: America's trailblazers
changed the way we live.
Man: You're the last survivor
of the phoenix.
Man: Right.
Xavier: This is the smithsonian.
And this.
And this.
And this!
A hundred million artifacts.
Thousands of visitors a day.
And some lucky folks
are about to be surprised.
Girl: Yeah!
Xavier:
If they can catch our eye
or show what they know.
Woman: We're not
going to get it.
Woman: That was seinfeld.
Xavier: Yeah, you got it.
They're going to see some
seriously amazing objects.
Woman: Oh, my gosh!
Hi, I'm xavier carnegie,
And I've worked here
at the smithsonian institution
For eight years.
With 19 museums,
Sometimes I feel like I need
a guide to get around.
Actually I've got a question
About one of the most famous
guides in history.
Let's see if I can find
someone who has the answer.
All right, you guys,
I have a question for you.
How do you pronounce
this word here?
Woman: Uh, sackaja-way-a?
Girls: Sackaja-wee-a.
Man: Sackaja-way-a.
Xavier: Pronounce this word.
Together: Sa-kaga-way-a.
Xavier: How did you know that
was the right pronunciation?
Man: We saw it on a tv show.
Xavier: Oh, ok,
That would be a good...
Kind of those educational shows.
That means I get
to give you a surprise.
Do you guys want to see
what I have for you?
Frank: Yes, we do.
Xavier: Come with me.
We're going to go
on an adventure, this way.
I'm taking frank and lisa to
meet one of our senior curators.
Harry rubenstein: Ok, well, hi.
Xavier: Harry rubenstein
Is responsible
for thousands of objects,
Including
thomas jefferson's bible,
Abraham lincoln's top hat,
And over 20,000
political campaign buttons.
Harry: Gonna put
these gloves on...
Xavier: Today he's going to show
them a priceless artifact,
An object that literally changed
the direction of the country.
Harry: This small, little object
Is a compass,
Used during
the lewis and clark expedition.
Lisa: Wow.
Xavier: In 1803,
Thomas jefferson dreamed
of finding a waterway
Across the continent
to the pacific.
Meriwether lewis,
william clark,
And 31 other members
of the corps of discovery
Set out to find that route.
They had no idea
where they would go
Or how long it would take.
The expedition was a voyage
into the unknown.
This small compass
is a very rare witness
To the entire
7,689-mile journey.
Frank: So the first compass that
went to the pacific and back?
Harry: Yes.
Frank: That's really cool.
Lisa: Wow.
Harry: When they got back,
after almost two years,
What was important for them
Were their journals
and the specimens.
And so all the scientific
instruments were sold off.
And this is the only one
that still survives.
Frank: Really?
Is it just me,
or is it still working?
Harry: It still works.
I mean, it's a great
little device.
Frank: It makes me want to
go out and use a compass.
It's kind of cool.
Xavier: Ok, frank,
careful what you wish for.
I'm going to put
frank and lisa to the test...
Lewis and clark style.
They will have to
orienteer their way
Through eight acres
of thick forest
With just a compass and a few
waypoints to guide them.
Here's the twist:
It's girl vs. Boy,
Each with their own
mini corps of discovery.
The winning team makes it
out of the wilds first.
Alright, good luck, guys.
On your mark, get set, go!
Girl: This way.
Girl: Over here. Come on.
Boy: 66 degrees
is down that trail.
Lisa:
North is the red, right?
Girl: Right here.
Xavier: On may 14, 1804,
The corps set out
from st. Louis.
The expedition had three boats,
two horses, 15 rifles,
And this handheld compass.
There was no guarantee
they would ever make it home.
Boy: Head to the tall red barn
by traveling...
Girl: 340 degrees north.
Xavier: So far,
Our guys have been out here
for less than an hour.
The expedition
lived off the land
For two and a half years.
Boy: Since north is that way,
266 degrees is down that trail.
Girl: I don't see
anything up there.
Xavier: In this game,
the boys seem to have the edge.
But lewis and clark
wouldn't have made it far
Without their female guide,
sacagawea.
Girl: Head to
the tree stream crossing,
Traveling 230 degrees south.
Boy: We're going down that way.
Xavier: Lisa and frank's teams
are almost out of the woods.
Just a few more
coordinates to find.
After 18 months, william clark
thought his expedition
Had finally reached the pacific.
In his journal he wrote:
"ocean in view. Oh, the joy!"
Boy: I see it!
Xavier: Today's teams
also think the end is in sight.
Boy: Head to the campsite
by traveling 50 degrees north
From the end of the zipline.
Xavier: But a zipline
wasn't part of the plan.
Boy: Ok, we should
probably take a vote.
Boy: I'm scared of heights.
Frank: I think
one of you guys should go.
Boy: I'm just gonna
pin it on you.
Boy: Yeah, me, too.
Frank: You pick on
the old guy, right?
Boys: Yeah!
Xavier: Although lewis and clark
paddled raging rapids,
Mapped new terrain,
And crossed the snow-capped
rockies on foot...
Lisa: Me?
Girl: I'm afraid to.
Lisa: I'll do it.
Xavier:
They never had to do this.
Frank: Here we go.
Aaah!
Girls: Bye! Bye!
[laughing and yelling]
Girl: Bye!
Lisa: That was awesome!
How did it look?
Girl: Awesome!
Lisa: Yeah?
So where are we headed now?
Frank: Down that trail?
Girl: Ok, that way.
Xavier:
Over the past few hours,
The teams have crossed
mighty streams,
Conquered the treetops,
And navigated miles
of uncharted trails.
It's a race to the finish.
Girls: Yes, we made it!
Xavier:
Girls! You made it!
It looks like you guys
are the first ones here.
I think you are the winners!
[cheering]
The girls made sacagawea proud.
Xavier: Gentlemen.
Gentlemen.
But everyone made it through.
Lisa: Good job, guys.
Xavier: What did you learn
along the way?
Frank: We learned
that we're pretty good
At using a map
and using a compass.
Xavier: Very good!
In 1806, the expedition
returned to st. Louis.
They had drawn
around 140 new maps,
Encountered three dozen
indian tribes,
And laid claim
to the oregon territory.
America was now
a coast-to-coast nation,
And this small compass
was there for it all.
Harry: You look at this,
And you can sort of imagine,
You know, what did it mean to
go out and explore a territory
That had never been seen
by anybody that you knew.
This compass
embodies in many ways
This whole sort of generations,
Hundreds of years
of exploration,
Into this one simple thing.
Lisa: It's gorgeous, too.
Harry: It is, isn't it?
Thankfully at least
somebody had some sense
That they'd at least
a small token
Of that large moment
in history,
And saved this object.
Frank: It's very cool.
Xavier: Lewis and clark
Discovered
over 130 new animal species
On their trip west.
They encountered one that
once numbered in the billions
And was extinct
just a century later.
I'm going to see if anyone here
can guess the species.
I'm gonna
give you some facts,
And the facts are about
an animal that is now extinct.
If you can guess
what animal it is, then you win.
A group of these animals
could be so large
That they would blot out
the sun for three days.
Ray: Pterodactyl.
Xavier: No.
Brian: The woolly mammoth?
Xavier: Mammoth? No.
It could block out the sun
for three days?
Brian: For three days?
Dana: I'd have to say
maybe a water creature
That could block out
something...
Xavier: I'll tell you what,
let me give you another one.
This animal was known
For traveling in groups
of a billion or more.
Brian: A billion?
Xavier: Oh, you're thinking.
Woman: Is it a bug...
Man: Yeah, that's what I was
thinking, something small, too.
Woman: Like a locust?
Xavier:
Something small? Alright.
The last of the species
died in 1914
And was named after
one of the u.S. First ladies.
Brian: Wait a minute,
are we still on the same thing
That can block out the sun?
Xavier: Same thing.
This is all the same animal.
Brian: And there are
a billion or more?
And they're extinct?
Xavier: They are extinct.
When this animal would roost,
Collectively,
there were so many of them,
That they could break
tree branches.
Brian: Can't be a condor.
Dave: Would it be
a type of bat, maybe?
Brian:
Really? Like a pigeon?
Xavier: Very astute.
It is a pigeon.
Passenger pigeon.
You probably heard
of these before, right?
Dave: I should have known.
Dana: Should have known.
Xavier: You guys ever heard
of a passenger pigeon?
Brian: They were that big,
they would block out the sun?
Xavier: Well, there were
so many of them.
They'd travel
in such a big group
That they could
block out the sun.
Brian: Like locusts of the sky.
Xavier: Yes, that's
a good description.
So why are we spending
so much time on pigeons?
First of all,
they are highly underrated.
This one, named cher ami,
is a world war I hero.
Cher ami saved an infantry
division under friendly fire
By delivering a message to hq.
By the time he reached his goal,
He was shot through the breast,
blinded in one eye,
And had a leg
dangling by a tendon.
Army medics saved his life,
And he received
the croix de guerre,
The french equivalent of the
congressional medal of honor.
Today he is on display
At the national museum
of american history,
Where I found lucia
paying her respects.
Lucia:
I'm a big pigeon fanatic.
I'm really into pigeons.
Xavier: Cool. Very cool.
Well, you know what?
If you really like pigeons,
I got something you might be
interested in seeing.
Now, the only problem is
it's not here.
It's actually next door
At the national museum
of natural history.
If you have a few minutes,
Do you want to
come over there with me?
Lucia: Sure.
Xavier: Come this way.
Xavier: It turns out
lucia really loves pigeons.
Lucia: Of course, you know,
"sesame street,"
Bert is really into pigeons...
Xavier: Absolutely.
Lucia:...And plays checkers
with bernice.
Xavier:
Yes, that's very true.
Lucia: "on the waterfront"
And "mr. Smith
goes to washington,"
Those are all movies
that feature pigeons.
Xavier: Ok.
For someone interested in birds,
this place is heaven.
Lucia: Hi.
Chris milensky: Hi, I'm chris.
Lucia: Lucia. Nice to meet you.
Chris: Welcome to
the division of birds.
Lucia: Thanks.
Xavier: Come to think of it,
it's literally bird heaven,
Where over 600,000
have come to rest.
The smithsonian has one of
the largest collections
In the world,
Open to scientists
from all over.
Chris: Anyone who wants
to come and study birds,
They can either come here
and work with us
Or we can loan
the specimens to them.
Xavier: One specimen
stands out above the rest.
Lucia: Oh, my god,
you're kidding me.
That's martha?
Chris: This is martha.
Xavier:
For a pigeon fan like lucia,
This is like seeing
a movie star--
The very last passenger pigeon.
Chris: She died
in the cincinnati zoo
At 1:00 p.M.
On the 1st of September, 1914.
She was literally alone
For about four years
before she died.
And we knew at that time
That there were no other ones
in the wild.
So this is one of the rare cases
When you can actually place
an exact time and date
On an extinction.
Xavier: Today martha sits for
posterity beside her companion,
Appropriately named george,
A fellow passenger pigeon
who died long before her.
Hundreds of years ago,
Passenger pigeons
were estimated
To be about a quarter
of the total bird population
Of the united states.
A flock a mile wide
flying 60 miles an hour
Could take days
to pass overhead.
So where did they go?
Chris: The story
really is not a simple one.
There are a lot of factors
involved with any extinction.
In this case there was
a lot of market hunting.
[gunshots]
They were easy targets.
Because they occurred
in these large flocks
Of over a billion birds,
A hunter could go and collect
thousands at a time
Without really having
to try that hard.
Xavier: Passenger pigeons became
a staple of the american diet.
By the end of the 1800s,
Millions were being shipped back
to cities in the east.
Another natural factor
sealed their fate.
Lucia: They didn't lay
as many eggs as other pigeons,
So it was easier to
wipe them out that way, right?
Chris: Yeah. The biology of
the passenger pigeon was such
That they really relied
on those large flocks
For a couple of reasons.
One was protection
from predators.
There's safety in numbers.
They didn't have to lay a whole
bunch of eggs to reproduce.
So in a matter
of just a few decades,
They were just all gone.
Xavier:
Once a species is gone,
No amount of wishful thinking
can bring it back.
Chris has another rare treasure
to share with lucia.
Chris: This is
the ivory billed woodpecker.
You may have heard of this one.
This one was actually
thought to be rediscovered
Not too long ago,
Which unfortunately
turned out not to be true,
And so they went extinct
back in the '50s.
And just for comparison,
We always like to show
the pileated woodpecker,
Which is the one that people
often confuse it for.
And so this one
is still very common.
Xavier:
Birds still go extinct,
But the loss
of the passenger pigeon
Made people take notice.
It prompted the very first legal
protections for migratory birds.
As passenger pigeons
left the sky,
Another species
was about to enter it.
Xavier:
I've got a question for you.
Let's see if you can
get the answer.
What was wilbur and orville
wright's profession
The first time they called
themselves the wright brothers?
Boy: Bicycles?
Xavier:
Oh, man, that's the answer
I think a lot of people
are going to come up with.
Woman: I've been
out of school too long.
Woman: Oh, my god,
and it's right there
And I can't get it out.
Man: That is a good one.
Man: Something to do
with shoes, I think.
Woman: Give me another hint.
Xavier: It was mechanical.
Extra, extra,
read all about it.
Man: Newspapers!
Xavier: They were printers.
Woman: Printers!
Xavier: Yes, they were.
Xavier:
Those folks did well,
But I'm still looking
for that one special person
Who's crazy about airplanes.
Excuse me, guys.
How are you today?
Woman: Good, how are you?
Xavier: I see you guys checking
out some of the planes here.
We got the spirit
of st. Louis over here,
The x-1, the x-15.
Are you guys
interested in aviation?
Wendy: He is. He's really
interested in aviation.
Xavier: It seems like beck
might just fit the bill.
And his mom can come, too.
Beck: I've just always
loved planes.
Xavier: They're about to see,
up close,
The machine that sparked
our aviation revolution.
Alright, follow me.
This way.
Wendy: Alright, great.
Xavier: The one and only
original wright flyer.
Peter jakab: One of the things
That makes it
such an important object
Is that everything
that's embodied in this airplane
Is embodied in every airplane
that we fly in today.
Xavier: In the early 1900s,
Wilbur and orville wright worked
feverishly to take to the skies.
For years,
many others had tried...
And failed.
And there was
no shortage of skeptics.
Just days before
the wright brothers took flight,
The "new york times" stated
that a flying machine
Wouldn't be built
for millions of years.
Well, they were wrong.
On December 17, 1903,
Orville and wilbur
readied their flyer
On the sands of
kitty hawk, north carolina.
Beck:
Why did the wright brothers
Choose to fly in kitty hawk?
Peter: In those days, it was
a barren, sandy landscape,
And the wright brothers
went down there
And were able to make
hundreds of flights
With their gliders
in the good steady winds,
In the safe environment
of the sandy dunes there.
Xavier: At 10:35 a.M.,
orville takes off.
He is airborne for 12 seconds.
By the fourth attempt,
Wilbur flies for 59 seconds,
Covering a distance of 852 feet.
Beck:
Why is the pilot right there?
Why is he laying down?
Peter: One of the things
That the wright brothers
realized also was important
Was the drag of the airplane.
Now, they were going
at very, very low speeds.
This airplane
only had a ground speed
Of about six miles an hour.
You could probably run faster
than this airplane was flying.
But with such a low airspeed
And limited power
of the airplane,
Every bit of resistance
was important.
So by laying down, they actually
had a smaller area of the pilot
Than by sitting up
or standing up.
Xavier: The brothers understood
the importance of aerodynamics,
Balance, control,
And the benefit of a strong,
lightweight structure.
That was no accident.
In addition to their
early careers as printers,
They built and sold
their own brand of bicycles.
Peter:
The wright brothers realized
That you didn't have to have
an entirely stable machine
To have an entirely
controllable machine.
Xavier: The wrights even added
Some of the more familiar
features of bicycle mechanics
To their flyer.
Peter:
Look at those things there
That look like
bicycle chains and sprockets.
What that is
is the transmission system,
Which is connecting the two
propellers to the engine.
Wendy: Fantastic.
Beck: This is cool.
Xavier:
But they also understood
The need to pilot the aircraft
in three dimensions.
While others were focused
on building powerful engines,
The brothers knew that
controlling the plane in the air
Would be the key.
The flyer was designed
with a canard
That controlled
the ascent and descent
From the front of the aircraft.
Peter: This is called
a canard configuration.
And the reason
the wright brothers did that
Is because aerodynamically,
When you have the horizontal
stabilizer in the front,
What happens
when the airplane stalls
And starts to
fall out of the sky
Is it happens
in a much more gentle way.
The airplane kind of just
pancakes down like that.
So it was a lot safer.
Beck: How does this plane,
How does it move
like side to side like that?
Peter:
Ah, you're a smart guy.
You know that there's three axes
of motion in an airplane.
There's the lateral
balance of the wings,
The climb and descent,
which is called pitch,
And then there's
something called yaw,
Which is the side-to-side
motion of the airplane.
What's that thing
in the back there?
Beck: Looks like...
Kind of like a rudder.
Peter: Looks like a rudder
because it is a rudder.
And the wright brothers
added that on there
To be able to
control the airplane
In this third dimension
of space.
And with one motion,
one slide of the hips,
He could control both the
wing warping of the airplane,
The lateral balance,
And move the rudder
and control it that way.
So with those three controls
and those two movements,
He could fly
in three-dimensional space.
Beck: That's cool.
Wendy: So how many times
did this plane fly?
Peter: Well, you know,
it only flew on one day.
A big gust of wind
Came across the sand dunes
down at kitty hawk
And picked up the airplane
And cartwheeled it
across the sand
And damaged it beyond repair
in the field.
And it never flew again.
Every airplane
that you've ever flown on,
Every airplane that's
in this museum
Flies the same way
as this one does.
The highest-flying,
fastest-flying airplane
Flies the same way
As the original wright brothers
airplane did in 1903.
Wendy: Thank you
very much, peter.
This was really interesting.
Thank you very much.
Peter: It's always fun to talk
about my favorite airplane.
Xavier: Beck seems fascinated
with the wright flyer.
Wait till he sees what's next.
Was it exciting?
Beck: Yeah.
Xavier: Are you ready
to take off?
Wendy: Uh-oh. Yeah.
Xavier: What do you think?
Beck: We're gonna go up
in something, aren't we?
Xavier: Beck, look,
we can't obviously
Take the wright flyer out,
because it's an artifact,
But how would you like
to go flying
In an old-fashioned biplane?
What do you think, man?
How do you feel?
Beck: Awesome!
Xavier: Good, right? Yeah?
You guys ready to go?
Come on in.
Beck: This is an awesome plane!
Xavier: Pretty nice.
Wendy: Yeah, beautiful.
Xavier: Guys, this is john.
He's going to be
our pilot for the day.
Wendy:
Hi, nice to meet you.
Xavier: Here's beck.
John corradi:
Hi, beck, how are you?
A lot of similarities,
believe it or not--
This airplane
and the wright flyer
That you were just
downtown looking at.
Xavier: What you saw.
Beck: Yeah.
John: This is a biplane
like the wright flyer.
And the wings are fabric.
There's a wood spar, wood ribs.
But this is fabric.
It's not linen.
The rudder is at the back,
like in the wright flyer.
The elevators are at the back.
The wright flyer,
if you remember,
Had that canard at the front
for pitch control.
But other than that,
it's pretty similar.
40 years' difference.
Xavier: You ready? Beck: Yeah.
John: Mom, you going with?
Wendy: No, I'm gonna
let the boys have all the fun.
John: Aw, come on.
Wendy: No, thank you very much.
No, you guys have fun.
Xavier:
I think we can handle this.
John: Let's load 'em up, then.
Beck: I want to be
in the air force,
And fly either
helicopters or jets.
I am definitely interested
in being a pilot.
John: Here we go.
Xavier:
It's time to experience
The principles
of the wright flyer firsthand.
Beck: Wow!
Woo-hoo!
Xavier: You can see
everything from up here.
Beck: I know.
John: Pretty good view,
isn't it?
Beck: Oh, yeah.
John: A lot of similarities
Considering
they're 39 years apart.
This is 1942.
This airplane is a lot
more stable, of course.
Xavier: The wright flyer
never flew this high.
John: It makes a great
aerobatic airplane.
Xavier: Or did any of this.
Beck: Whoa!
Xavier: Whoo!
Beck: Oh! Whoa!
Xavier: Whoa!
Beck: Yeah!
John: I knew you'd love it.
Beck: That was so cool!
John: I knew you'd love it.
Xavier: Wow!
John: Here we go.
Adios.
Xavier: Whoa! Oh oh!
Beck: Oh! Whoa!
Xavier: Whoa!
Beck: Yow!
Wow!
Xavier:
Oh, man, this is so cool.
Not only is beck
a great flying companion;
He knows his stuff.
Instruments.
Do you know what they are?
Beck: Yeah, ok.
This first one up here,
that's the altimeter.
I think that shows the prop.
Xavier: How fast it's going.
Beck: That's the airspeed
in knots,
So right now we're going
about 70 miles an hour.
Xavier: The wright brothers'
top airspeed?
10 miles per hour.
We've come a long way
since 1903.
Beck: I didn't think anything
like this would happen today.
It's cool doing
those sharp banks. Yeah.
The fact that you couldn't see
Was probably
the worst part of that.
Wendy: Have we inspired you
or scared you?
Beck: Uh, yes.
[laughter]
John: Good job, son.
Beck: Thank you.
Xavier: Beck's flight was just
one of more than 100,000 planes
In our skies today.
The airplane
has transformed our world
And the way we live.
All thanks to the ingenuity
of two bicycle-makers
Who dreamed they could fly.
Before planes flew overhead,
Another trailblazer
steamed onto the scene,
One that still works today.
I'm john barnett,
And I'm sitting on the forward
end of the john bull engine,
Which is a major exhibit
In the smithsonian
american history museum.
Xavier: Curators aren't the only
caretakers at the smithsonian.
John's got his hands full caring
for this priceless treasure--
The oldest operable steam train
in the world.
John barnett: When I retired,
One of my friends
who worked here
Said that there would be
probably the need
For something
like I'm doing now.
The long and the short of it
was I came down and started,
And that was about 12 years ago.
Once a week
I get my share of dust.
And I've been
wielding this mop ever since.
Xavier: This shiny locomotive,
Originally built in England,
Was shipped across the atlantic
in pieces.
It made its first run in 1831.
John: I go up the front.
There's no ladder on this thing.
If you want to see a real sight,
Watch me climb up an engine.
This is the fireplace,
And they'd throw
this wood in there,
And that would heat water.
The one thing I do know
is that...[bell rings]
That's a signal to myself
that I'm working here.
[bell rings]
Xavier: In 1981,
On its 150th birthday,
The engine was fired up
once again.
It had been half a century
since its last run.
John: They ran it
on what was then
The b&o railroad freight branch
into georgetown.
You wouldn't believe it,
After all these years
and the age of the thing,
That they could ever
get it going.
But they were afraid if
they ever tried to run it again,
The boiler would blow.
Now here I am cleaning it.
Xavier: The british john bull
Revolutionized the rails
in the u.S.
One of our founding fathers
Also found inspiration
across the pond.
I'm hanging out in this exhibit,
Which is all about
early electricity.
I'm hoping to find a visitor
who's interested in this stuff.
Let's see who we can catch.
Excuse me, sir.
Hi, my name is xavier.
Man: How you doing?
Xavier: I'm here with
the smithsonian. How are you?
Man: Great.
Xavier:
I noticed you're looking at
Some of these artifacts
on early electricity.
Are you interested
in these kinds of things?
Tommy: Yeah, I was looking
at some of this stuff.
I've seen it in books before.
I've never had the opportunity
to see it for real.
Xavier: It's amazing
what we can do now
Versus what they did then.
Tommy: Yeah.
This stuff is so huge
To crank out
the most minimal electricity.
I've got like a cell phone
that does everything,
And it's this big.
Xavier: It could
probably do more.
Tommy: It's fascinating.
Xavier: It really is.
Well, you know, I like to find
visitors to the museum
And get to show them some things
that aren't on display.
Would you be interested
In seeing
some of that stuff with me?
Tommy: Really? Like back where
they keep all the stuff
That the public
has no access to?
Xavier: The secret vaults.
Tommy: Absolutely.
Xavier: You want to see
something?
Tommy: Absolutely.
Xavier: Tommy loves
his electronic gadgets.
And he's about to set his eyes
On one of
the oldest ones around.
But this won't fit
in his pocket.
Man: One of the neater pieces
in our collection
Is this electrostatic machine.
Xavier: Machines like these
Could generate
an electric charge
And were equally interesting
to scientists and society.
Parlor games using electricity
Were all the rage
in 18th-century europe.
This particular machine
Was designed by none other
than benjamin franklin.
Franklin was best known
as a politician, publisher,
And statesman.
But his greatest passion
was science.
Legend has it
that he captured electricity
With a simple key on a kite,
But no one knows
if that story is even true.
We do know franklin
was daring enough
To try to harness
electricity's power.
To keep up with his peers
across the atlantic,
He ran his own experiments
right here in america.
Tommy:
Can I take a guess on this?
Any time I hear about
electricity and a globe
Or I see a glass globe
or a ball,
Is this one of those devices
where you put your hand on it
And your hair will go on end?
I've always been
afraid of those.
Xavier: This machine was
state-of-the-art for its time.
The glass globe sat on top
of a piece of leather.
When the large wheel turned,
Friction between
the glass and the leather
Would create
static electric charge.
People had been curious
about electricity for ages,
But this machine helped finally
demonstrate how to create it.
Tommy: By the way, my cell phone
is about to lose its charge.
Can I plug it right in?
Man: Um, I don't think
it would quite work as well.
Xavier: Electricity was only one
of ben franklin's interests.
He contributed a mind-boggling
array of inventions
To early america,
Including bifocal glasses,
A flexible urinary catheter,
The franklin stove,
And words of wisdom
we still use today.
All of these sayings were
said by benjamin franklin.
I'm gonna give you
the first part,
And if you can guess
the second part of all of them,
We're going to give you a prize.
Does that sound good?
Woman: Yeah!
Boy: Yeah.
Xavier: Alright, so here we go.
So put your thinking caps on.
The first one is
"a penny saved..."
Woman: You know that one?
Boy: A penny earned?
Woman: Is a penny earned.
Xavier: Is a penny earned.
Ding, ding.
You got the first one.
"an apple a day..."
Woman: Say it.
Xavier:
You can say it, it's ok.
Girl: Keeps the doctors away.
Xavier: Keeps the doctor away.
You got it.
Xavier: "time..."
Woman: Time?
Xavier: "time is..."
"time is..."
Woman: Is of the essence?
Xavier: Oooh!
"time is..."
Woman: Time is money.
Woman: Time is money?
Xavier: Time is money.
That's it.
Did you guys know
benjamin franklin said that?
Woman: No.
Xavier: I'm going to
give you one more.
This is kind of a tricky one.
"guests, like fish..."
Woman: Swim?
Xavier: Your guests swim?
Woman: Yeah.
Xavier: "guests like fish..."
Woman: Are always welcome?
Xavier: Are fish always
welcome at your house?
"guests, like fish,
Start to smell
after three days."
Is that a good one?
Your prize is a jar of pickles.
Woman:
This is her favorite!
Xavier:
Oh, it's your favorite?
You have something in common
with benjamin franklin.
This is one of his favorite
snacks right here.
Woman: Pickles!
Girl: Pickles!
Xavier: Franklin also said,
"an investment in knowledge
pays the best interest."
Man: He's living in an era
Where knowledge
for the sake of knowledge
Is definitely something
that's respected.
And they don't want to be seen
as provincial.
Let's see what we can do
with electricity.
Let's let these folks
over in europe know
That we're not just backwoodsmen
here in the colonies,
That we can actually do
What we today might say
cutting-edge science
On the frontier.
Tommy: So in a way he was
marketing the image of america.
Xavier: These early experiments
blazed the trail
For powering every home
and building today.
Benjamin franklin believed
america would be
A country of dreamers
and risk-takers,
Unbound by tradition,
Fertile land for innovation
and invention.
And he was right.
Franklin was also
a big letter writer.
He had thousands of pen pals.
I bet he would have loved
our next location.
The national postal museum
Contains nearly
six million objects.
If it's come through
a post office
Or carried the mail,
It's here.
Excuse me,
how are you guys doing today?
What's your name?
Jamie: Jamie.
Xavier: What's your name, sir?
Michael: Michael.
Xavier: Turns out this couple
shares a fascination
With letter writing.
Come on this way.
We'll see what we can find.
So I figured they needed to meet
curator lynn heidelbaugh.
Michael: Our children think
we're just artifacts of the past
Because when we first met,
we were living 400 miles apart,
So we corresponded
by letters.
Lynn heidelbaugh:
How frequently did you write?
Jamie: Every week.
Michael: Yeah, every week.
I was in the denver area,
and she was in utah.
Lynn: Oh, wow,
that's beautiful.
Have you shared them
with your family?
Jamie: Yes.
Lynn: Oh, that's great.
Save them!
Xavier: Lynn would say that.
She gets paid
to read other people's mail,
And lots of it.
Lynn: I have
some objects to show you today
Related to world war ii.
Xavier: Today
the average u.S. Household
Receives
a personal letter by mail
About seven times a year.
But during world war ii,
it was much more.
Lynn: Service members
were writing
About six letters a week--
So, that's almost every day--
per service member.
Xavier: By 1945,
The army's mail exploded
To over
2.5 billion pieces per year--
So many letters,
They had to invent a new way
to deliver them all.
Lynn: We have a v-mail letter,
Which is
a special kind of letter
That they used
only during world war ii,
To lighten the mail load.
Xavier: V-mail, or victory mail,
decreased shipping costs
By converting paper letters
into microfilm.
Film narrator:
A 100-foot roll of film
Can carry
1,500 individual letters.
Quite a saving in cargo space
When you realize
that 150,000 letters
That ordinarily fill 22 sacks
Will, on microfilm,
take just one bag.
Xavier: Once they arrived,
The letters were enlarged,
converted back to paper,
And delivered.
Today those letters
paint a vivid picture
Of life during war.
Lynn: And this one
Is particularly
eloquent and meaningful.
This person is looking back,
He's talking about how he's
stationed at pearl harbor.
Want to try reading
some of that?
Michael: "ghastly though
it must have looked
On that infamous day
in December of '41,
It must have been a beautiful
scene of desolation."
Xavier: The morning
of December 7, 1941,
Dawned clear and sunny
on the hawaiian island of oahu.
60,000 military personnel
on base at pearl harbor
Woke up to the roar
of exploding japanese bombs.
[airplanes approaching]
[machine gun fire]
[explosions]
The attack lasted
less than two hours,
But eight navy battleships
were sunk.
One of them
was the u.S.S. Oklahoma.
This hand stamp
from the oklahoma's post office
Went down with the ship.
The date still reads
"Saturday, December 6th."
Lynn: So this would have been
used to postmark the date
When a registered mail piece
Was going to leave
the u.S.S. Oklahoma,
Which didn't leave
the u.S.S. Oklahoma then,
Until it was salvaged,
well after the attack.
Michael: So this was found
underwater in the oklahoma?
Lynn: Exactly. Yeah.
Michael:
In pearl harbor, after it sunk?
Lynn: Yes. Yeah.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: This stamp
Has an eerie power
to evoke that day,
But there are still some
who can actually tell the story.
Frank yanick was stationed
On the u.S.S. Phoenix
in pearl harbor.
On the morning of December 7th
He was on his way to the
oklahoma for church services
When bombs began to fall.
Frank yanick:
When the first wave came in,
Into pearl harbor,
I was below deck.
So I was dressed all in whites
And getting ready to go
on the oklahoma,
Which was sunk.
If they'd have waited
five more minutes, maybe seven,
I wouldn't be here now.
Xavier: The attack happened
on a Sunday, just before 8 a.M.
Frank: The first wave came in,
Just lit torpedoes and bombs
and everything else
And hit the ships,
'cause they were all in a bunch.
When I got up
to my battle station,
Why, I just...I fired
at anything that flew.
Xavier: In a single morning,
the japanese took the lives
Of over 2,400 service members
and civilians.
Frank remembers the aftermath.
Frank: And would you believe
coffins stacked a mile high?
Xavier:
Congress declared war on japan
The very next day.
And frank was on
the front lines of history.
Frank: I'm a little boy
from pennsylvania,
Little coal mining town.
I joined the navy when I was 18.
Got baptized
by the japanese at 19.
Michael: How many of your
comrades from the phoenix
Are still alive
that you know of?
And how many
do you stay in touch with?
None?
None are still alive
or none that...
Frank: None alive.
Michael: You're the last
survivor of the phoenix.
Frank: Right.
Xavier: Frank served
for five more years
In the pacific theater,
Fighting at wake island,
leyte gulf,
Borneo,
and the philippines
Before returning home
to virginia in 1946.
The country had changed
while he was gone.
On the homefront,
World war ii created
a surge of patriotism.
People sold war bonds,
planted victory gardens,
And held scrap metal drives.
Even comic books were filled
with the exploits
Of nazi-fighting super heroes.
One of them
really broke the mold.
Let's see if someone
can guess who it is.
I have a couple of questions
to ask you guys.
I want to see if you can guess
the person I'm describing
In these questions, alright?
Who was on the cover of the very
first issue of "ms." magazine?
Woman: No idea.
Xavier: Don't know?
This person's alter ego
was named diana prince.
Woman:
I have no idea who that is.
Xavier: I'll give you one more.
This person transforms
into a super hero by spinning.
Woman: Oh, that's that
super...What's her name?
Xavier: What is it?
Girl: Superwoman?
Xavier: Oh, my goodness,
you're so close!
Woman: Wonder woman?
Xavier: Oh, there you go.
I knew you were gonna get it.
Let me see your spin,
your super hero spin.
You got one?
Boom! There it is.
Look at that.
There we go.
Yes, yes! Very nice!
Woman: Yes. When I was a kid,
my dad used to read them to me,
So I've been reading them since
I was in like middle school.
Xavier: Alright, here we go.
This one's a little harder.
In her homeland
on paradise island,
A land inhabited
only by superhuman women,
Wonder woman is known as athena,
bearer of justice,
Queen hippolyta
of the good warriors,
Or princess diana
of the immortal amazons?
Both: Princess diana of
the immortal amazons.
Xavier: At the same time.
Woman: Yeah.
Xavier:
I have a surprise for you.
I'm taking gareth and kate
To the smithsonian's dibner
library special collection.
Curator lilla vekerdy
has a rare copy
Of an all-american art form.
Lilla vekerdy:
I would like to show you
The first introduction
of wonder woman
Into the world of comics.
Xavier: Wonder woman
Became america's
favorite female super hero
When she debuted in 1941.
[punches landing]
That was
the golden age of comics.
Ordinary americans sought refuge
from the one-two punch
Of the depression
and world war ii
In their pages.
Wonder woman's story was
a perfect escapist fantasy--
A princess born on the utopian
island homeland of amazon women.
She rescues pilot steve trevor
from his wrecked plane
And travels back with him to
the world of men to combat evil.
Her captivating looks
and incredible super powers
Quickly landed wonder woman
her first comic cover.
Lilla: What I like to point out
in this first image
Is how feminine she is,
At the same time
being so athletic.
So the little feet,
The little mouth,
the big eyes,
The very feminine skirt,
But a very muscular body
to go with it.
Xavier: But beauty
only gets you so far.
To be a great super hero,
you need super strength.
Lilla: Wonder woman holding up
an entire locomotive
Just by her bare hands.
Kate: What do you think
about how the writer
Viewed women in society
at that time?
Lilla: He wrote articles
about the role of gender
And women especially.
Xavier: Wonder woman's creator,
william marston,
Was a harvard-trained
psychologist and inventor,
Not an artist.
But he recognized that comics
could influence society.
Wonder woman broke ground
as a strong female role model.
Marston created her under
the pseudonym charles moulton
And enlisted
illustrator harry peter
To bring her to life.
Gareth: Was wonder woman
based on anyone?
Lilla: Yes, what we think
might have been a real model
Is his wife, elizabeth.
Xavier: Elizabeth marston
was a ground-breaker herself,
One of only three women
To graduate from boston
university law school in 1918.
She became a career woman
and working mother.
Traditional roles were changing,
And the world
was changing as well.
[airplanes]
[gunfire]
With world war ii
shaking the country,
Marston's patriotism
and sense of justice
Were also reflected
in his super heroine.
Kate: It's always been
kind of odd to me
That she's this symbol
of american heroism
When she comes from
a different culture.
Gareth: Still wearing
the stars and stripes.
Lilla: Right.
Well, it's the time of the war,
the second world war,
So I think there is a fear.
And marston actually writes
How america needs a protector
from the evil of mankind.
And that's wonder woman.
Xavier: Her costume may be
a patriotic super suit,
But those accessories are more
than just fashion statements.
Kate: Oh, my god.
Lilla: This focuses
on the bracelets,
Which can't only deter bullets,
but also...
Kate: Cannonballs!
Lilla: Cannonballs.
Xavier:
The indestructible bracelets
Protect her
from incoming firepower.
And her golden lasso
captures evildoers,
Forcing them to tell the truth.
It's also a piece of gear that
marston borrowed from real life.
Lilla: One of his field of
interests was lie detecting,
So the lasso of truth
Was basically his scientific
interest in detecting lies.
Xavier: And don't forget
those high-tech earrings
That communicate
with the goddess venus.
Lilla: He was also thinking
about wireless communication.
Gareth:
Years before "star trek."
Lilla: Yes!
Kate: So do you think
that her costume changed
To kind of reflect the trends
in society as it progressed?
Lilla: Yes, it did.
In the 1950s, after the war,
Women were expected
to go back to home,
Be housewives,
Still have the little waist,
but have a nice skirt, you know.
Kate: Do you think that
she's kept up with modern times
After the '80s and the '90s?
I know that recently
The artists made the decision
to give her pants,
And there was a big uproar
in the comic book community
Over that.
Lilla: I'm pretty sure that
it's the same social pressure
That is trying to come out
in the comics--
The role change
of women in society.
Kate: It did seem
that primarily males were upset
About her getting pants.
Gareth: I didn't mind
her having pants.
[laughter]
Kate: I don't think that there's
anyone that you could argue
Would be comparable.
She definitely struck a chord
with the nation,
Like almost an ultimate calling
Of both femininity
and patriotism.
Xavier: It's amazing
how a simple object
Can connect you to something
you've heard about
All your life.
Great leaps forward.
Beacons of change.
Intrepid explorers.
Defenders of freedom.
Just imagine
what seriously amazing things
America's trailblazers
will come up with next.