Seriously Amazing Objects (2013–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Melting Pot - full transcript
Xavier: They say america
is a melting pot...
Come on in.
Seasoned with fortitude...
Woman: You can do it!
Xavier: Cured with creativity...
Man: Daddy has smoke
coming out of his.
Xavier: Built on legacies
centuries old.
Man: This is
a.44 caliber revolver.
Man: Wow.
Xavier: We're going all out
to find the people...
Woman: No way!
Xavier:...And the stories
that spice up america.
Woman: I'm so excited!
Xavier:
This is the smithsonian...
And this...
And this...
And this.
100 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: Oh, seinfeld!
Xavier: Yeah, you got it!
...They're going to see
some seriously amazing objects.
Woman: Oh, my gosh!
Hey, I'm xavier carnegie, and
I work here at the smithsonian.
Usually when we talk
about the melting pot,
We're thinking of immigrants
from all over the world
Coming to the u.S.
But thousands of years
before columbus,
This land was already home
to hundreds of cultures.
The doors are open
At the national museum
of the american indian.
Time to find someone who's up
for a big adventure.
Excuse me, guys.
I have a question to ask.
How many different cultures
Are represented in this museum?
Paul: Let's go with 500.
Xavier: Go a little higher.
Carmen: 900.
I don't know, like how...
Xavier: 1200.
Paul: Really?
Carmen: Wow.
Xavier: Where are you from, man?
Paul: I'm from wisconsin.
Xavier: Wisconsin.
Where are you from?
Carmen: I'm from colombia.
Xavier: Ok, I have a follow-up
question, then, for you.
Is colombia represented
at this museum?
Carmen: Yes.
Xavier: You are correct.
Colombia is represented
in this museum.
Carmen: Oh, that's great.
Xavier: And since you got that,
I want to give you guys
a prize.
But the thing is,
it's not here.
You guys have to go
on an adventure with me
To another location.
Carmen: Ok.
Xavier: What do you guys think?
I promise you are going
to love this.
Carmen: Sure. Why not?
Xavier: Yeah?
Come this way with me.
Paul: Ah, great!
Carmen: Cool.
Xavier: Turns out carmen
is fascinated
With native american history
Because her family
has indigenous roots
In south america.
I've got something I think
she'll really connect with.
This is the smithsonian
museum support center.
With half a million square feet
of space,
It can hold
over 55 million objects
When they're not on exhibit,
From samurai suits
to phyllis diller's boots.
Anthropologist candace greene
Helps oversee tens of thousands
of artifacts.
Among them, artwork
dating back to 1882.
The artist, famed plains
indian chief sitting bull.
Paul: Oh, wow!
Candace:
So that's the first one.
Carmen: That's amazing.
Xavier: Sitting bull,
the legendary lakota leader,
Achieved his first warrior honor
at the age of 14
For his fearlessness in battle.
Renowned for his bravery,
he became
One of the most powerful
indian chiefs of all time.
He's less known
for his artwork.
Paul: So how many are there
of these drawings?
Candace: I think there are
thirty-some of these drawings.
Paul: Yeah.
Carmen: This is beautiful.
Xavier: These pictures
are a journal
Of sitting bull's exploits
in war.
Candace:
The scenes are war scenes.
That's what men drew.
Paul: Hmm.
Carmen: Ok.
Candace: That was
their accomplishment;
Those were the important things
to record.
Xavier: Plains indians
didn't always have
A reputation for warfare.
But by the 18th century,
settlers were pushing westward,
Forcing tribes to compete
for resources.
War was becoming a way of life.
For the plains indians,
Horses were critical
both in battle
And in the everyday struggle
to survive.
Candace: You know horses
were important to this man.
Carmen: Yes.
Paul: Yeah.
Carmen: It's like it's
an extension of...
I don't know,
like the centauros?
Do you say that in...
In spanish, centauros.
Paul: Centaur?
Carmen: Centaur! Centaur!
Candace: Exactly.
And I think that really captures
plains men.
They and their war horse,
they were one, they were a unit.
Xavier: Not every lakota drawing
is about warfare.
These unsigned pictures depict
a traditional ritual.
Candace: This is
two couples courting.
Carmen: Aw.
Candace: He's approaching her,
and he's wrapped in his blanket,
She's wrapped in her blanket,
and if all goes well...
[laughing]
She will let him wrap
his blanket around both of them.
Carmen: That's so sweet!
Candace: It's a lakota
courting custom.
Carmen: That's really nice.
It's beautiful to see
another side of their story.
Candace:
If you ever have a chance
To go to a native gathering
on the plains,
You will see
some awesome things.
Xavier: These guys have no idea
what's coming next.
Carmen: Thank you so much,
candace.
This was really, really amazing.
Paul: Yeah, I know,
amazing pictures.
Carmen: Thank you,
I'm taking this one home.
[laughter]
Xavier: Now for the really fun
part of my job.
Carmen: You read it.
Xavier:
Let's see what we got.
Paul: Prepare to journey back
to the time of sitting bull.
Pack your bags
for big sky country.
Carmen: Big sky country?
Xavier: Do you know
what big sky country is?
Paul: Maybe montana?
Xavier: Montana.
Carmen: No way!
Xavier: You guys are going
to montana.
Paul: Really?
Xavier: Yes. Absolutely.
Paul: Awesome.
I've never been there.
Xavier: Are you excited?
Carmen: Yeah.
Xavier: We're sending them
1,800 miles west
And over 100 years back in time,
To a place where history
was made.
Near this spot on the banks
of the little bighorn river,
A bloody confrontation
took place.
Sitting bull had prophesized
its outcome.
Paul: It says sitting bull
was said to have had a vision
Of soldiers falling
into his camp
Like grasshoppers from the sky.
Carmen: Wow.
Paul: It inspired the battle
you are about to see.
Xavier: Each year,
near the exact site,
You can relive the battle
of the little bighorn.
In 1876, tensions were rising
as the government tried
To confine american indians
to reservations.
When some tribes fought back to
defend their nomadic lifestyle,
Famed civil war hero
george armstrong custer
Was sent to deal with them.
In June of that year,
Custer's cavalry descended
on an indian camp.
Warriors gathered quickly
to defend themselves.
Carmen: We see these troops
attacking,
They were like coming
to the teepee,
Where all the women
and children were.
And I was like, oh, my goodness,
They're attacking
the women and children!
Xavier: The troops,
some 600 strong,
Were outnumbered
by roughly 3 to 1.
After a fierce confrontation,
The native american warriors
pushed the cavalry back...
And pursued them into the hills.
In less than an hour, more than
200 u.S. Troops were dead--
Among them, their leader.
It was custer's last stand.
The sioux, arapahoe
and cheyenne
Won the battle
of the little bighorn,
But ultimately
they lost the war.
Just five years later
Most american indians
were confined to reservations.
Carmen and paul have one final
stop on their adventure.
Carmen: Take this envelope
To the little bighorn
battlefield national monument.
It will help unlock
stories from the past.
Xavier: This monument
commemorates the heroism
Of fallen tribal warriors.
Carmen: Oh...
Ernie: How you doing?
My name is ernie lapointe.
Carmen: Hi, carmen.
Nice to meet you.
Ernie: How you doing?
Carmen: Good. How are you?
Ernie: Good. I'm the
great-grandson of sitting bull.
Paul: Wow.
Carmen: No way, that's amazing.
Paul: I have an envelope
for you.
Ernie: Thank you,
I appreciate that.
This is tobacco in here.
This is an offering,
that's to the spirits.
And I ask my great-grandfather
and the spirits
For their permission
to speak their name.
Carmen:
Well, we have been learning
About your great-grandfather
and how brave he was.
Ernie: Well, there are many,
many points in his life
That I try to live that--
Carmen: Mm-hmm.
Ernie: His generosity,
his compassion and his courage.
They were telling me
that you guys
Seen these ledgers, drawings.
Carmen: Yes.
Paul: Yep.
Yeah, it was
really interesting.
Each of them had
a detailed account
Of what the drawing was about.
Ernie: Right, right.
Somebody has to tell
your own story, basically,
And that's how they did it,
with the ledger drawings.
Carmen: Something that I thought
that it was really interesting
From these drawings
was the horses.
Ernie: When they draw
the pictographs,
The horse is so beautiful.
You see, in our language,
We call the horse
the sunkawakan.
Paul: Oh, ok.
Ernie: It's
a sacred four-legged,
Because you can ride it to hunt,
or it transports your teepee.
It's like part of you.
If something happened to you
and you should pass away,
And they put you
up on a scaffold,
They take your favorite horse
underneath,
So you ride it
to the spirit world.
Carmen: Well, how do you say
like a new friend
In lakota language?
Or friend.
Ernie: Friend is a kola.
Carmen: A kola?
Paul: A kola.
Ernie: Kola.
Carmen: Kola?
Ernie: Yeah.
Carmen: Ok. Kola.
Paul: We have a new kola.
Carmen: You have a new kola.
I have a camera here.
Ernie: Ok.
Carmen: I can take a picture.
Ernie: Ok:
Paul: Carmen has
indigenous descendance,
And we understand
that there are traditions
That are still being done that
are from hundreds of years ago,
But it's an amazing experience
to actually meet the people
Who are continuing on
with these traditions.
Xavier: Change happened fast
on the american frontier.
Nine years after the battle
of the little bighorn,
Sitting bull joined
buffalo bill's wild west show.
It was a romantic slice
of a dying culture.
Thousands turned out to see
legends of the west in real life
As early cameras captured
the spectacle for posterity...
Thanks to american inventor
thomas edison.
An early movie camera
was just one
Of more than a thousand
inventions he patented.
Another was the light bulb.
We take it for granted today,
But before it arrived, the night
looked something like this.
We all rely on them.
Now I'm going to test some folks
To see if they can figure out
how a light bulb is made.
This contest is going to be
the kids vs. The adults.
Or in this case, the adult.
And you guys, we're gonna see
If you can beat your dad
at this.
What you're going
to be making is--
Are you ready?
A light bulb.
With just a few
everyday objects...
They're going to try
to turn on the lights.
Michael: I think
I'm in trouble, actually.
Xavier: You think so?
Michael: Yup.
Xavier: Take everything out.
On your mark, get set...
Wait, I didn't say it yet.
[laughter]
On your mark, get set, go!
Here we go.
The goal is to attach
the filament to the wires,
Run it through the cork,
and seal the jar.
Only then will
the light bulb light.
But these guys have no idea
how it all comes together.
And at first,
neither did thomas edison.
One of his biggest problems
Was finding a filament
that would last.
He tested over 1,600
different materials,
Everything from platinum to hair
from his friend's beard.
Michael: This thing is
probably pretty useful.
Xavier: Dad is trying to give
kaitlin and matthew some help,
But they don't need it!
Ah, look at this.
Kaitlin: And then we'll
put one through.
Xavier: Good, good.
Oh, dad is
quickly catching up. Ah...
Matthew: Ha ha.
Xavier:
I'm really impressed, guys.
Michael: They're almost done.
Xavier:
It took edison and his team
Months of trial and error
Until they happened
upon the magic filament--
A simple carbonized thread
That would burn
for more than 14 hours.
I like it.
Mike, you're pretty much
done as well.
Michael: I think so.
Xavier: Alright, you guys,
I think it's time to test
your light bulbs.
I'm gonna hook these up,
I'm gonna go positive first,
alright?
Now we're gonna touch it
to the negative
And see if it works.
Now look closely.
Michael: Look at your light.
Xavier: Do you see anything?
Kaitlin: Yeah!
Xavier: Hey, it's working.
Kaitlin: Whoa!
Xavier: Look at that.
Michael:
That's a mini light bulb.
Xavier: Wow, check that out.
Kaitlin: Whoa!
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: Alright, now let's go
to the other side
And see if this one will work.
Michael: Let's see if dad
can get a light bulb to come on.
Xavier: Here we go.
Look carefully.
Michael: Daddy has smoke
coming out of his, somehow.
Xavier: There it goes.
[laughter]
Hal: Radio, television,
telephones...
Kaitlin: Ok.
Xavier: We seem to have sparked
Kaitlin and matthew's interest
in light bulbs.
Curator hal wallace is going to
show them edison's originals.
Hal: We have edison bulbs.
Michael:
Now, are these all edison?
Hal: Everything in these trays
are edison.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: Born in ohio,
the youngest of seven,
Thomas edison only had 12 weeks
of formal schooling.
As a young entrepreneur,
edison was known to boast.
In 1876 he said he'd crank out
a great new invention
Twice a year.
1879 was the year
of the light bulb.
Kaitlin: Did a lot of people
think edison
Might have been crazy to try
to do that kind of thing?
Xavier: If he was crazy,
he had a lot of help.
Edison set up
an invention factory--
The world's first
industrial research lab
In menlo park, new jersey.
The lab was prolific,
conjuring up
Astonishing, magical leaps
in technology.
They called edison
"the wizard of menlo park."
Hal: You want to see one
of the very special ones?
Michael: Yeah.
Kaitlin: Yeah.
Xavier:
Under pressure from competitors
and impatient investors,
Edison finally revealed
his much anticipated light bulb
On new year's eve, 1879.
Hal: Edison invited the world
to menlo park
To see the new invention,
about 100 light bulbs,
And this is one of them.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier:
They had the light bulb...
But few in america
had a place to plug it in.
The switches, the sockets
the safety fuses,
The entire electrical
distribution system--
Edison and his team invented
or improved on all of it.
Michael: And how many
of the homes at that point
Had electricity in them?
Hal: Not many.
You had to be very rich
to afford electricity,
Or you had to be in business.
Michael:
No lights, no tv, no wii?
Hal: Hard to imagine, isn't it?
Michael: What would you do
without that night light, buddy?
Matthew: Freak out.
[laughter]
Xavier: Thanks to edison's
long-burning bulb,
Our days are no longer bound
By the rising and setting
of the sun.
Thomas edison
gave america new light,
But there have also been times
of darkness.
World war ii
was one of those times.
Nathan: I'm here
in washington, d.C.,
On my spring break,
Spending a lot of time
at the smithsonian.
I enjoy world war ii history.
Xavier: I'm sending nathan and
his dad back into the vaults
To see some not-so-typical
wartime artifacts.
Cedric yeh is a curator
In the division
of armed forces history.
Cedric: What we're going to be
looking at today
Is watercolors by akio ujihara.
Xavier:
Ujihara was a 44-year-old
engineer from los angeles.
He was also
one of many americans
Detained during world war ii
Simply because he was
of japanese descent.
The chapter of history
these watercolors depict
Is rarely discussed.
Cedric: This is just
his personal way
Of remembering what life
was like in the camps.
This one is from manzanar.
And these two are from topaz.
Nathan:
I first learned about this
In my a.P. U.S. History class,
And prior to this class,
I just thought, you know,
Of america as perfect.
We've never done anything wrong
or, to hurt people,
And all you really hear
about internment camps
In world war ii, you know,
is the german ones.
Man: We knew that some among
them were potentially dangerous.
Xavier: After japan's attack
on pearl harbor,
The u.S. Government set up
ten internment camps
Across the west.
They detained over 100,000
japanese americans
Perceived as a threat
to the war effort.
Half of those detained
were children.
Cedric: Many of the sons
of those behind barbed wire
Volunteered for
the united states army.
Nathan: Me, personally,
if I was in a situation,
I would be pretty angry and not
want to join the armed forces,
But some people did,
as you just said.
David: It really speaks
to their character
And the high character they had
In the face
of what's really evil.
Nathan: You know, it really
wasn't that long ago.
People that were in these camps,
some of them are still alive.
Cedric: Many of them.
Xavier: In fact, nathan
is about to meet one.
Betty taira was only 8
when her family was sent
Into the heart mountain
internment camp in wyoming.
Betty: There were five
in our family.
An older sister, a younger
brother, and my parents.
And each of us was allowed
to take one suitcase.
But it was too much
for my brother and for me,
So from a family of five,
we only had three suitcases.
David: Wow.
Nathan: Wow.
Xavier: Every family
was issued a number.
Life inside the fence
was communal.
Betty: There were six units
in a barrack.
They were non-insulated
buildings,
Much of it was green wood.
So it shrank.
Nathan: Yeah.
Betty: There were five of us
in a room.
It wasn't even this big.
But it had a window on one side
and a window on the other.
One incandescent light.
There was no sink,
no bathroom, no stove.
But it was just a barren room,
and five cots.
Xavier: Betty's family spent
nearly a year in the camps.
One of the worst consequences
was the least obvious--
Camp life altered each person's
place in the world.
Betty: Just broke up
the nucleus of a family
That most japanese families
were accustomed to.
Xavier: Fathers were denied
their role as breadwinners.
Mothers had no meals to prepare
or houses to tend.
Despite the conditions,
creativity flourished.
People used
whatever they could find.
Cedric:
They had these shells that were
just littering everywhere.
Betty: I think that you, too,
If you were left somewhere
and you had to--
You had nothing to do,
and you had no materials,
You probably would find
the same kind...
David: Use what you have.
Nathan: Yeah.
Betty: So that's, that's what's
good about human beings.
You know they,
they become creative.
And they use talents they--
And skills they
don't even know they had.
Nathan: Adapt, yeah.
David: Yeah.
Betty: Yeah.
Cedric: While they worked
behind the barbed wire,
They didn't give up.
They continued to try
to live their lives
As well as they could.
David: I'm so curious
what happened to you.
Betty: We moved
to washington, d.C.
I went to junior high school,
high school,
I graduated from
the university of maryland.
You know, this war experience
spurred many japanese americans.
They did so much
to prove their loyalty.
They went to school
And they have become
very successful people
In all walks of life.
So, from that disaster,
I think that it spurred us
to become even better people.
Xavier: It also spurred us
to become a better country.
Ultimately, the u.S. Government
apologized
To japanese american families
for the incarceration.
War rewrote the rules.
For some, that meant injustice.
Others faced a new call to duty
That would change their place
in society.
You guys know this image?
Kat: Yeah, it's pretty iconic.
Xavier:
You know, the original poster
From which all these
are based on
Is actually right here
in this building.
Would you guys like to see it?
John: Sure!
Xavier: I can take you to see
it, if you got some time.
John: Yeah!
Xavier: Alright, great! Come on.
Kat and john let me tear them
away from their shopping.
Only two original posters
still exist,
And one is kept locked up
in the smithsonian vault.
Larry: I have something that you
Probably are
pretty familiar with, and, uh...
Kat: It's rosie!
Xavier: Well, she is,
and she isn't.
Larry: She's actually
a westinghouse war worker.
It's a poster that was made
for westinghouse plants
In the pittsburgh area
during the second world war.
Xavier: It was part of
a series of posters
Designed to encourage thrift,
hard work, and safety
In support of the war effort.
Larry: They're really not
about feminist empowerment
We might think of today.
They're really about
don't break your tools,
Hurry up, get back to work--
Things you need to know
If you're new to any kind
of factory production.
Xavier: The depiction is thought
to be based on this photo
Of michigan metalworker
geraldine hoff doyle,
But whoever the lovely lady
really is,
She wasn't called "rosie"
at the start.
Kat: Who named it
rosie the riveter?
Larry: There was
a rosie the riveter song
That became a popular song
in 1943.
♪ all the day long,
whether rain or shine ♪
♪ she's a part
of the assembly line ♪
♪ she's making history
working for victory ♪
♪ rosie, the riveter ♪
Larry: The idea that women
were riveting,
That was kind of
a novel thing at the time.
It's still a novel thing.
But anyone with a kerchief on
their head has become a rosie.
Xavier: This poster hung on
the westinghouse factory wall
In 1943 for just two short weeks
And then disappeared.
♪ when they gave her
a production "e" ♪
♪ she was as proud
as a girl could be ♪
♪ there's something true
about... ♪
The image resurfaced
at the national archives
In the 1980s
And quickly became an icon
of the feminist movement
That still endures.
Larry: This speaks
to people today,
Which is sort of what
history is about.
Kat: Yeah, it's really
fascinating that this image
Had a completely
different purpose
And has now become this symbol
of women empowerment
And, you know, equality.
Xavier: The meaning of the word
"it" has changed as well.
Larry: The "it"
was about winning the war
Through work and
more efficient work.
When you put this
by itself today,
Everything else
just kind of fades away,
And you just see her
as an ideal woman
Who can take charge,
who is responsible,
Competitive with any man,
can do any job any man can do,
And that's "it."
John: It was marketing,
somebody, somebody saw this
And said I could sell that.
Larry: Right, yes,
I can do that.
[laughter]
Kat: You can do it!
Xavier: And, boy, did we do it!
In just 6 years,
american factories turned out
Over 300,000 planes
to support the war.
Kat and john are taking off
to see the real thing.
Ed: Kat, john, welcome to our
new restoration facility
Here at the udvar-hazy center.
This aircraft was
at the naval air station
At pearl harbor
on December 7, 1941,
The day the japanese attacked
the united states there.
It was flown off of hawaii,
looking for the japanese fleet.
Kat: My mom's side of
the family, they're from hawaii.
And so they were there
during pearl harbor.
Yeah, I mean,
it's pretty significant for me
To be able to stand here and see
something that was part of that.
Can I touch it?
Ed: Sure.
John: I was going to ask
the same thing.
Kat: It's just so much history.
John: Yeah.
Kat: There's so many rivets.
Like it seems like more
than what's necessary,
But obviously not.
Ed: This aircraft is very much
a '30s metal aircraft
In the sense that they use
round head rivets,
As opposed to what was used
later, flush rivets.
Xavier: This navy dive bomber
was nicknamed the beast
Because it was
so difficult to fly.
Kat: So these rivets
are different.
Ed: Ok.
John: Yeah.
Ed: Yeah, you noticed.
By 1944 all manufacture
had gone
To a flush riveting process.
That was a development
in aircraft production
That really made streamlining
and smooth skin practical.
John: So I have to ask.
There's a tag hanging off here
That says "caution:
Radioactive material."
Ed: Correct.
That's a good question.
These aircraft
all had instruments,
And also in many cases,
written indicators, instructions
That could be read at night
that were marked with radium.
Kat: But we're ok right here?
Ed: We're ok right here.
Xavier: The u.S. Manufactured
more fighter planes
Than japan and germany combined.
Factories worked 24/7 producing
what we needed to win the war.
Ed: And it changed
american society.
I mean, women now
were in the workforce.
Many liked the money,
they liked the freedom,
They liked the job.
In japan they had kids
and elderly people
Working in their factories
with the most primitive tools.
If we could look
at the japanese planes,
They are rough, very rough.
And this is a textbook piece
of construction here.
Kat: Good job, women.
Xavier: Of course america's
manufacturing prowess
Was established
well before world war ii.
In fact, the first product
that was perfected
On the manufacturing
assembly line
Also helped shape
the american west.
Let's see if anyone
can guess what it was.
Man: I have no idea.
Xavier: Nothing?
Woman: Nothing.
Man: Hydraulics?
Man: The cotton gin.
Xavier: That's a good guess,
but you're a little too early.
Man: This is embarrassing.
Woman: I know.
Xavier: Hmmm. Maybe I need
to come at this a different way.
I'll ask you guys
another question.
Woman: Ok.
Xavier: What did wyatt earp,
jesse james,
General george patton, and
the czar nicolas I all own?
Man: Watches?
Woman: A gun?
Xavier: What kind of gun?
Woman: Revolver?
Xavier: Colt revolver, yeah.
Man: Ok, fair enough.
Xavier: You've heard of
colt revolver.
Man: Yeah. I am from new york.
Xavier: The colt revolver was
the first american invention
To perfect the assembly
of interchangeable parts.
Man: My dad used to have one.
Also he used to have
a bumper sticker on his truck
That said "the west wasn't won
with a registered gun."
[laughter]
David: Come on in.
Xavier:
Guns inspire strong opinions,
But one thing
is pretty much fact--
Jordan: Wow!
Xavier: They've shaped
our history.
This is the gun room
At the national museum
of american history.
Curator david miller is the
keeper of over 5,000 firearms,
Some more than 500 years old.
David: What we have down here
Are all british
military muskets.
Xavier: 22-year-old jordan has
a keen interest in weaponry.
Jordan: I just commissioned
into the marine corps.
I'm fresh out of the box,
so I just graduated school.
I saw 9/11 as a kid,
and after seeing that,
I was really, I felt like
I needed to contribute
Back to the country.
Well, a lot of people do.
It's kind of cliche, I know.
Xavier: Whether it's defending
your country,
Your wagon train or your castle,
This room has a firearm
for every situation.
Jordan: Would you mind if I saw
The oldest weapon
that you have in here?
David: Well, the oldest gun
in our collection is back here.
And this is what they call
a hand cannon.
And this was made in germany
in the 1390s.
It's the oldest gun we have
in the collection.
Jordan: Yeah.
David: You would load it here
with powder and a projectile.
Then you would aim it
or point it
And set it off
by lighting it off back here.
Jordan: Yeah.
David:
So it was a little difficult
To aim and shoot
at the same time.
It is made of iron,
it is...
Jordan: Pure iron. Just solid.
David: And it's very heavy.
Jordan: It's just like a bat.
David: If you don't drop it
on your foot.
Jordan: Yeah.
Xavier: Weapons like this one
were individually forged.
That all changed
when samuel colt
Perfected the assembly line,
bringing guns to the masses.
David: Ok.
This is the colt
number 5 belt revolver.
It was made in 1838 to 1840.
Jordan: It's huge.
David: This is a 5-shot,
.36 caliber revolver.
Xavier: It's the first firearm
With a successful
revolving cylinder--
That means you could fire off
multiple rounds
Without reloading.
A small change, but one
that transformed the west.
We know the old west
from movies,
But the american frontier
really was a dangerous place.
A gun that could only fire
a single shot at a time
Made someone under attack
extremely vulnerable.
You'd better be a great shot,
a lightning-fast reloader,
And have a lot of friends.
With the advent
of the colt revolver,
One person could face off
against multiple attackers
And at least have a shot
at survival.
If you were really worried,
You could step it up
to the colt.44.
David: This is
a 6-shot.44 caliber revolver.
Jordan: Wow, that's a,
that's a big gun.
David: It's huge.
And as you can see,
it's 6 shots,
You can shoot it 6 times
without reloading.
Jordan: Yeah, but that made it
a lot more effective, right?
David: Right.
Xavier: Just like in the movies,
colts were in the holsters
Of heroes and villains
on the frontier.
Billy the kid was shot dead by
pat garrett's.44 colt pistol.
Jesse james liked to brandish
a pair of revolvers
And was also shot by one,
At point blank range
in the back of the head.
Before they were gunned down
themselves,
The notorious dalton gang
robbed banks
Using elaborately carved
revolvers.
Jordan: A lot of kids,
I feel like, these days,
Like weapons and stuff.
And I mean, standing here,
it's like, pretty cool.
But I'm actually,
I'm actually pretty,
Pretty terrified of weapons.
I mean, I'll be honest.
David: Well, that's
a good way to be.
Jordan: Because I think
that while it's a tool
That I think that we need
to know how to use,
But I think that it's a tool
That we underestimate
a lot of the time.
Xavier: These guns
will never be loaded again.
But they still have
the firepower to evoke the past.
David: And best of luck to you
In your career
in the marine corps.
Jordan: Thank you very much.
Xavier: Guns have changed a lot
since 1848.
You might even say
we've become a little too good
At weapons design.
After world war ii,
The threat of nuclear war froze
international relationships.
At the height of the cold war,
Two very unlikely diplomats
helped things begin to thaw out.
In 1972, president richard nixon
Visited the people's republic
of china,
And americans got a rare glimpse
Of life inside
a communist country.
First lady pat nixon
Was a fan of the pandas
at the beijing zoo,
So the chinese premier gave her
two of them as a gift.
An olive branch
from an old enemy,
When ling ling and hsing hsing
arrived at the national zoo,
They displaced the president
and first lady--
And everyone else in town--
in popularity.
The latest generation of pandas
continue to draw
More than a million
admirers each year.
But they can be an elusive pair.
Alecia: Where are they?
I wish we could see them!
Xavier: Alecia and ginelle
Are here to see the zoo's
star residents.
But they're having a tough time
getting a peek.
Alecia: Maybe over there?
Ginelle: I don't know.
Maybe they're
inside eating, or...
Xavier: I've got a way
to help them out.
But first they need
to pick up a few things
At the local art store.
Alecia: So the list says
that we need canvas.
We need four.
Ginelle: 40% off.
Alecia: I'm loving that.
Ginelle: Fantastic.
Alecia: So, fingerpaint.
Oh, but look
at all of these colors!
Ginelle: Oh! Like, uh, pink?
Yes.
Alecia: What about the blue?
Xavier:
They're totally happy to shop
Without a clue why they are
buying this stuff.
Alecia: Ok, I think we're good.
It's interesting
that they didn't ask us
To get brushes,
but we've got paint.
Ginelle: I have no idea.
Hi, xavier.
Xavier: Hey! Did you find
everything on the list?
Ginelle:
We have a lot of colors,
So I'm super excited to find out
what we're doing.
Xavier: You'll have to come
all the way back to the zoo
To find out.
Ginelle: Oh, come on!
Xavier:
Backstage at the panda house,
Alecia and ginelle
are in for a surprise.
Alecia: I think this is it.
[laughs]
Alecia: Oh, my goodness.
Ginelle: That's it.
Is it a girl or a boy?
Nicole: This is our female,
mei xiang.
Xavier: Weighing in
at 245 pounds, mei xiang.
Ginelle: This is awesome!
Alecia: Yeah. Hi!
Xavier: And at 275 pounds,
her counterpart, tian tian.
Ginelle: I've never been
this close to a panda before.
Nicole: Not many people have.
It's really important
that you always stay
Behind this yellow line.
That's how far
they can reach out,
So that's for your own
protection.
Ginelle: He's so cute.
Xavier:
They're cute and creative.
That trip to the art store
is about to make some sense.
Nicole: So what we're gonna do
Is have them do some artwork
with us.
This had been working for some
of the other bears in the park,
This brush set-up,
And we decided to try it again
with the pandas,
And this time they took to it
right away.
Ginelle: Cool,
that sounds so awesome.
Alecia: I want to do blue.
Nicole: Ok, tian.
Xavier: Tian tian
gets straight to work...
Ginelle: Oh, my gosh,
they're so cool!
Xavier:
Painting helps to develop
the panda's motor skills.
It also gives them a chance
to bond with their zookeepers.
Nicole: Good job. Try again.
That was a little messy.
Xavier: Plus, it's fun!
[laughs]
Ginelle: She's like really
gripping it.
Nicole: Tian, don't eat
the brush, dude.
Xavier: They didn't take to it
right away,
But they've been painting
for two years now.
Nicole: Good boy.
Obviously captive animals
don't have the same lifestyle
That their wild counterparts do,
So we want to keep them as
interested in things as novel
And mix things up
as much as possible.
Ginelle: What other types
of things do you guys do?
Nicole:
We give them puzzle feeders;
We hide their food
in different places.
Xavier: They like to play,
But these guys have
an important job--
Making more pandas.
Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas
exist in the world.
Every new birth is a triumph
For this extremely
endangered species.
Captive breeding programs are
essential to their survival.
Females are only fertile
for 1 to 2 days a year,
And it's nearly impossible
to tell one is pregnant
Until it delivers.
It definitely keeps the staff
here at the zoo on their toes.
Ginelle: Kind of what she's
doing with the paint.
He's super interested.
Wow.
Nicole: Good job, tian.
Alecia: I think your first one
is better, guy.
Nicole: We'll see if mei
wants to paint a little bit.
Ginelle: Whoa...
[laughing]
Has she had any pandas?
Nicole: She had a cub in 2005,
and his name tai shian,
And he's alive and well
in china.
Xavier: Mei xiang's first born
was a 4-ounce baby
Affectionately nicknamed
"butterstick."
Alecia: Was it hard to say
goodbye to the little baby?
Nicole: It was hard.
He wasn't so much of a baby
when we went to china, though.
He was 4 and a half years old.
Alecia: Oh, wow.
Nicole:
So he'd learned everything
That he needed to learn
from his mom.
Xavier: More recently
the national zoo was thrilled
To welcome its newest arrival.
On August 23, 2013, mei xiang
gave birth to a baby girl.
Maybe the new addition will be
as artistic as her parents.
Nicole: Mei xiang,
can you paint?
Good girl.
[laughing]
Nicole: That's pretty.
That's a little smush
on the end.
Alecia: It's beautiful.
Ginelle: That looks awesome.
Nicole: That's nice.
Ginelle: Hi.
I like all of them.
Xavier: Alecia and ginelle
get to take home a souvenir.
Alecia: Seriously?
I'm so excited,
I feel like it's christmas.
Ginelle: Thank you so much.
Nicole: You're welcome.
Thanks for the art supplies.
Alecia: It was
an awesome experience.
Xavier: Pandas aren't the only
residents of the national zoo
Who have learned to paint.
Maybe someday
they'll be on exhibit
At one of the smithsonian
art museums.
The national portrait gallery is
like the facebook of the past.
Noah webster,
the dictionary guy.
Nathaniel hawthorne, the guy
who wrote "the scarlet letter."
Davy crockett,
king of the wild frontier.
Back in the day--
way, way back,
Before iphones and youtube,
Portraits like these
were the only way
To know what someone
looked like.
Hi. I see you're checking out
queen elizabeth I.
Diane: Yeah.
Xavier: Diane seems like
the adventurous type.
Take a look at this painting.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Who do you think it is?
Diane: Um, I don't know.
Xavier: It must be just
another stuffy court portrait
Of a royal brit, right?
Want me to show you?
Take a look.
Not so.
Diane: Oh, wow, pocahontas!
Xavier: Never have guessed,
right?
Diane: No, she looks
totally different.
Xavier: Daughter of the powerful
algonquian chief powhatan,
She was a native american
princess.
But why does she look
so british?
Turns out, pocahontas
left america for England in 1616
With her british husband
john rolfe.
This is a beautiful portrait,
but it's actually a copy.
Diane: Really?
Xavier: Yes, and the original
happens to be right here.
Diane: Yeah?
Xavier: Come this way with me,
and I'll show you.
Diane: Ok, cool.
Xavier: Diane is about to go
behind the scenes
Into one of the vaults
Where the gallery's priceless
works of art are stored.
Xavier: Hello.
Wendy: Hello.
Xavier: Here we are, diane,
This is the senior curator
for prints and drawings,
Wendy wick reaves.
Wendy, this is diane.
Wendy: Nice to meet you, diane.
Diane: Nice to meet you.
Xavier: I'm going to let
you guys get to it.
Wendy: Thank you, come on in.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Wendy has pulled out
one of the oldest objects
In the portrait gallery
collection.
Wendy: Well, this is actually
a much more accurate likeness
Of pocahontas
than you get downstairs.
She does not look
like an english lady.
Diane: No, not at all.
Wendy: Despite this clothing.
So you can really see
her high cheekbones
And strong features
and a cleft in the chin.
Diane:
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
Wendy: We have lots
of factual information here.
We have her names.
Matoaka was her real name,
Because pocahontas
was a nickname, actually.
Diane: What does pocahontas
mean? Do you know?
Wendy: It's something about
playful, which is kind of fun.
Diane: Oh, that's
kind of cool, yeah.
Wendy: And then we have rebecca,
Which is her christian
baptized name.
Diane: Ok.
Wendy: And we have her age.
It says that she was 21 in 1616,
and it gives her royal lineage.
She is the daughter
to the mighty prince powhatan.
So you get all this
real information
In the inscription here.
Xavier: Pocahontas is best known
for the likely mythic feat
Of saving english colonist
john smith's life,
While her father,
chief powhatan,
Held him captive.
In 1613 she was captured
by english settlers
And held for ransom,
But chose to stay
with her captors.
And upon arrival in london
with her husband,
The exotic pocahontas became
an instant celebrity.
Wendy: Most people were
just completely dazzled.
They'd never seen
anything like her,
And they thought she was exotic
and wonderful.
She was probably presented
at court,
She went to the theater,
she was written about,
She was gossiped about.
She was news.
Xavier: Because she was news,
her image was in demand,
Just like today's
modern movie stars,
And her likeness was included in
this royal book of celebrities.
Wendy: And her visit coincided
with this big vogue
For engraved portraits
of famous people in England.
So our copy of this engraving
is bound into this book,
As you can see, that is called
The baziliologia:
A book of kings.
Diane: The baziliologia.
Wendy: It's a compilation
of prints
Of royal figures
and other famous people.
So here is henry viii.
So, how remarkable
That this very young
native american woman
Is put together in a book
of notables with henry viii.
Diane: It's actually
pretty amazing.
Is she the only
native american in there?
Wendy: Yes.
Diane: That's very awesome.
Xavier: But behind the pomp
and celebrity
Lies a more complex story.
Diane: You wonder how much
of this was her choice
And how much of it is
the circumstances she was in.
Wendy: Her entire trip
was basically
A public relations ploy
by the virginia company.
Diane: Ok.
Wendy: They wanted to raise
support for their little colony.
Diane: Right.
Wendy: And it worked.
They really did raise a lot
of interest in their company,
But of course,
she paid a tragic price.
Xavier: As an american indian,
pocahontas may have been
Particularly susceptible
to western disease.
Just before she was to return
to america,
She fell gravely ill--
Likely from pneumonia
or tuberculosis.
The princess never recovered.
Wendy: She died right before
she was returning home.
The ship was ready to sail
back to virginia,
And she died in England.
Diane: Was she buried there?
Wendy: She's buried at gravesend
in England, yes.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Though we'll never know
how pocahontas truly felt
About leaving her homeland,
She will always be remembered
as a girl who bridged a divide
At the dawn
of our country's history.
I learn something new
every day at this job.
I had no idea that pocahontas's
life story had so many layers.
Nicole: Good girl!
Xavier: Maybe america is not
a melting pot, but a cake...
Kaitlin: Yeah!
Xavier: With layers of light...
Kat: It's rosie!
Xavier: And darkness...
Betty: Spurred us to become
even better people.
Xavier: Warriors and icons...
Carmen: That's amazing.
Xavier: That combine to make
a seriously amazing country.
is a melting pot...
Come on in.
Seasoned with fortitude...
Woman: You can do it!
Xavier: Cured with creativity...
Man: Daddy has smoke
coming out of his.
Xavier: Built on legacies
centuries old.
Man: This is
a.44 caliber revolver.
Man: Wow.
Xavier: We're going all out
to find the people...
Woman: No way!
Xavier:...And the stories
that spice up america.
Woman: I'm so excited!
Xavier:
This is the smithsonian...
And this...
And this...
And this.
100 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: Oh, seinfeld!
Xavier: Yeah, you got it!
...They're going to see
some seriously amazing objects.
Woman: Oh, my gosh!
Hey, I'm xavier carnegie, and
I work here at the smithsonian.
Usually when we talk
about the melting pot,
We're thinking of immigrants
from all over the world
Coming to the u.S.
But thousands of years
before columbus,
This land was already home
to hundreds of cultures.
The doors are open
At the national museum
of the american indian.
Time to find someone who's up
for a big adventure.
Excuse me, guys.
I have a question to ask.
How many different cultures
Are represented in this museum?
Paul: Let's go with 500.
Xavier: Go a little higher.
Carmen: 900.
I don't know, like how...
Xavier: 1200.
Paul: Really?
Carmen: Wow.
Xavier: Where are you from, man?
Paul: I'm from wisconsin.
Xavier: Wisconsin.
Where are you from?
Carmen: I'm from colombia.
Xavier: Ok, I have a follow-up
question, then, for you.
Is colombia represented
at this museum?
Carmen: Yes.
Xavier: You are correct.
Colombia is represented
in this museum.
Carmen: Oh, that's great.
Xavier: And since you got that,
I want to give you guys
a prize.
But the thing is,
it's not here.
You guys have to go
on an adventure with me
To another location.
Carmen: Ok.
Xavier: What do you guys think?
I promise you are going
to love this.
Carmen: Sure. Why not?
Xavier: Yeah?
Come this way with me.
Paul: Ah, great!
Carmen: Cool.
Xavier: Turns out carmen
is fascinated
With native american history
Because her family
has indigenous roots
In south america.
I've got something I think
she'll really connect with.
This is the smithsonian
museum support center.
With half a million square feet
of space,
It can hold
over 55 million objects
When they're not on exhibit,
From samurai suits
to phyllis diller's boots.
Anthropologist candace greene
Helps oversee tens of thousands
of artifacts.
Among them, artwork
dating back to 1882.
The artist, famed plains
indian chief sitting bull.
Paul: Oh, wow!
Candace:
So that's the first one.
Carmen: That's amazing.
Xavier: Sitting bull,
the legendary lakota leader,
Achieved his first warrior honor
at the age of 14
For his fearlessness in battle.
Renowned for his bravery,
he became
One of the most powerful
indian chiefs of all time.
He's less known
for his artwork.
Paul: So how many are there
of these drawings?
Candace: I think there are
thirty-some of these drawings.
Paul: Yeah.
Carmen: This is beautiful.
Xavier: These pictures
are a journal
Of sitting bull's exploits
in war.
Candace:
The scenes are war scenes.
That's what men drew.
Paul: Hmm.
Carmen: Ok.
Candace: That was
their accomplishment;
Those were the important things
to record.
Xavier: Plains indians
didn't always have
A reputation for warfare.
But by the 18th century,
settlers were pushing westward,
Forcing tribes to compete
for resources.
War was becoming a way of life.
For the plains indians,
Horses were critical
both in battle
And in the everyday struggle
to survive.
Candace: You know horses
were important to this man.
Carmen: Yes.
Paul: Yeah.
Carmen: It's like it's
an extension of...
I don't know,
like the centauros?
Do you say that in...
In spanish, centauros.
Paul: Centaur?
Carmen: Centaur! Centaur!
Candace: Exactly.
And I think that really captures
plains men.
They and their war horse,
they were one, they were a unit.
Xavier: Not every lakota drawing
is about warfare.
These unsigned pictures depict
a traditional ritual.
Candace: This is
two couples courting.
Carmen: Aw.
Candace: He's approaching her,
and he's wrapped in his blanket,
She's wrapped in her blanket,
and if all goes well...
[laughing]
She will let him wrap
his blanket around both of them.
Carmen: That's so sweet!
Candace: It's a lakota
courting custom.
Carmen: That's really nice.
It's beautiful to see
another side of their story.
Candace:
If you ever have a chance
To go to a native gathering
on the plains,
You will see
some awesome things.
Xavier: These guys have no idea
what's coming next.
Carmen: Thank you so much,
candace.
This was really, really amazing.
Paul: Yeah, I know,
amazing pictures.
Carmen: Thank you,
I'm taking this one home.
[laughter]
Xavier: Now for the really fun
part of my job.
Carmen: You read it.
Xavier:
Let's see what we got.
Paul: Prepare to journey back
to the time of sitting bull.
Pack your bags
for big sky country.
Carmen: Big sky country?
Xavier: Do you know
what big sky country is?
Paul: Maybe montana?
Xavier: Montana.
Carmen: No way!
Xavier: You guys are going
to montana.
Paul: Really?
Xavier: Yes. Absolutely.
Paul: Awesome.
I've never been there.
Xavier: Are you excited?
Carmen: Yeah.
Xavier: We're sending them
1,800 miles west
And over 100 years back in time,
To a place where history
was made.
Near this spot on the banks
of the little bighorn river,
A bloody confrontation
took place.
Sitting bull had prophesized
its outcome.
Paul: It says sitting bull
was said to have had a vision
Of soldiers falling
into his camp
Like grasshoppers from the sky.
Carmen: Wow.
Paul: It inspired the battle
you are about to see.
Xavier: Each year,
near the exact site,
You can relive the battle
of the little bighorn.
In 1876, tensions were rising
as the government tried
To confine american indians
to reservations.
When some tribes fought back to
defend their nomadic lifestyle,
Famed civil war hero
george armstrong custer
Was sent to deal with them.
In June of that year,
Custer's cavalry descended
on an indian camp.
Warriors gathered quickly
to defend themselves.
Carmen: We see these troops
attacking,
They were like coming
to the teepee,
Where all the women
and children were.
And I was like, oh, my goodness,
They're attacking
the women and children!
Xavier: The troops,
some 600 strong,
Were outnumbered
by roughly 3 to 1.
After a fierce confrontation,
The native american warriors
pushed the cavalry back...
And pursued them into the hills.
In less than an hour, more than
200 u.S. Troops were dead--
Among them, their leader.
It was custer's last stand.
The sioux, arapahoe
and cheyenne
Won the battle
of the little bighorn,
But ultimately
they lost the war.
Just five years later
Most american indians
were confined to reservations.
Carmen and paul have one final
stop on their adventure.
Carmen: Take this envelope
To the little bighorn
battlefield national monument.
It will help unlock
stories from the past.
Xavier: This monument
commemorates the heroism
Of fallen tribal warriors.
Carmen: Oh...
Ernie: How you doing?
My name is ernie lapointe.
Carmen: Hi, carmen.
Nice to meet you.
Ernie: How you doing?
Carmen: Good. How are you?
Ernie: Good. I'm the
great-grandson of sitting bull.
Paul: Wow.
Carmen: No way, that's amazing.
Paul: I have an envelope
for you.
Ernie: Thank you,
I appreciate that.
This is tobacco in here.
This is an offering,
that's to the spirits.
And I ask my great-grandfather
and the spirits
For their permission
to speak their name.
Carmen:
Well, we have been learning
About your great-grandfather
and how brave he was.
Ernie: Well, there are many,
many points in his life
That I try to live that--
Carmen: Mm-hmm.
Ernie: His generosity,
his compassion and his courage.
They were telling me
that you guys
Seen these ledgers, drawings.
Carmen: Yes.
Paul: Yep.
Yeah, it was
really interesting.
Each of them had
a detailed account
Of what the drawing was about.
Ernie: Right, right.
Somebody has to tell
your own story, basically,
And that's how they did it,
with the ledger drawings.
Carmen: Something that I thought
that it was really interesting
From these drawings
was the horses.
Ernie: When they draw
the pictographs,
The horse is so beautiful.
You see, in our language,
We call the horse
the sunkawakan.
Paul: Oh, ok.
Ernie: It's
a sacred four-legged,
Because you can ride it to hunt,
or it transports your teepee.
It's like part of you.
If something happened to you
and you should pass away,
And they put you
up on a scaffold,
They take your favorite horse
underneath,
So you ride it
to the spirit world.
Carmen: Well, how do you say
like a new friend
In lakota language?
Or friend.
Ernie: Friend is a kola.
Carmen: A kola?
Paul: A kola.
Ernie: Kola.
Carmen: Kola?
Ernie: Yeah.
Carmen: Ok. Kola.
Paul: We have a new kola.
Carmen: You have a new kola.
I have a camera here.
Ernie: Ok.
Carmen: I can take a picture.
Ernie: Ok:
Paul: Carmen has
indigenous descendance,
And we understand
that there are traditions
That are still being done that
are from hundreds of years ago,
But it's an amazing experience
to actually meet the people
Who are continuing on
with these traditions.
Xavier: Change happened fast
on the american frontier.
Nine years after the battle
of the little bighorn,
Sitting bull joined
buffalo bill's wild west show.
It was a romantic slice
of a dying culture.
Thousands turned out to see
legends of the west in real life
As early cameras captured
the spectacle for posterity...
Thanks to american inventor
thomas edison.
An early movie camera
was just one
Of more than a thousand
inventions he patented.
Another was the light bulb.
We take it for granted today,
But before it arrived, the night
looked something like this.
We all rely on them.
Now I'm going to test some folks
To see if they can figure out
how a light bulb is made.
This contest is going to be
the kids vs. The adults.
Or in this case, the adult.
And you guys, we're gonna see
If you can beat your dad
at this.
What you're going
to be making is--
Are you ready?
A light bulb.
With just a few
everyday objects...
They're going to try
to turn on the lights.
Michael: I think
I'm in trouble, actually.
Xavier: You think so?
Michael: Yup.
Xavier: Take everything out.
On your mark, get set...
Wait, I didn't say it yet.
[laughter]
On your mark, get set, go!
Here we go.
The goal is to attach
the filament to the wires,
Run it through the cork,
and seal the jar.
Only then will
the light bulb light.
But these guys have no idea
how it all comes together.
And at first,
neither did thomas edison.
One of his biggest problems
Was finding a filament
that would last.
He tested over 1,600
different materials,
Everything from platinum to hair
from his friend's beard.
Michael: This thing is
probably pretty useful.
Xavier: Dad is trying to give
kaitlin and matthew some help,
But they don't need it!
Ah, look at this.
Kaitlin: And then we'll
put one through.
Xavier: Good, good.
Oh, dad is
quickly catching up. Ah...
Matthew: Ha ha.
Xavier:
I'm really impressed, guys.
Michael: They're almost done.
Xavier:
It took edison and his team
Months of trial and error
Until they happened
upon the magic filament--
A simple carbonized thread
That would burn
for more than 14 hours.
I like it.
Mike, you're pretty much
done as well.
Michael: I think so.
Xavier: Alright, you guys,
I think it's time to test
your light bulbs.
I'm gonna hook these up,
I'm gonna go positive first,
alright?
Now we're gonna touch it
to the negative
And see if it works.
Now look closely.
Michael: Look at your light.
Xavier: Do you see anything?
Kaitlin: Yeah!
Xavier: Hey, it's working.
Kaitlin: Whoa!
Xavier: Look at that.
Michael:
That's a mini light bulb.
Xavier: Wow, check that out.
Kaitlin: Whoa!
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: Alright, now let's go
to the other side
And see if this one will work.
Michael: Let's see if dad
can get a light bulb to come on.
Xavier: Here we go.
Look carefully.
Michael: Daddy has smoke
coming out of his, somehow.
Xavier: There it goes.
[laughter]
Hal: Radio, television,
telephones...
Kaitlin: Ok.
Xavier: We seem to have sparked
Kaitlin and matthew's interest
in light bulbs.
Curator hal wallace is going to
show them edison's originals.
Hal: We have edison bulbs.
Michael:
Now, are these all edison?
Hal: Everything in these trays
are edison.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier: Born in ohio,
the youngest of seven,
Thomas edison only had 12 weeks
of formal schooling.
As a young entrepreneur,
edison was known to boast.
In 1876 he said he'd crank out
a great new invention
Twice a year.
1879 was the year
of the light bulb.
Kaitlin: Did a lot of people
think edison
Might have been crazy to try
to do that kind of thing?
Xavier: If he was crazy,
he had a lot of help.
Edison set up
an invention factory--
The world's first
industrial research lab
In menlo park, new jersey.
The lab was prolific,
conjuring up
Astonishing, magical leaps
in technology.
They called edison
"the wizard of menlo park."
Hal: You want to see one
of the very special ones?
Michael: Yeah.
Kaitlin: Yeah.
Xavier:
Under pressure from competitors
and impatient investors,
Edison finally revealed
his much anticipated light bulb
On new year's eve, 1879.
Hal: Edison invited the world
to menlo park
To see the new invention,
about 100 light bulbs,
And this is one of them.
Michael: Wow.
Xavier:
They had the light bulb...
But few in america
had a place to plug it in.
The switches, the sockets
the safety fuses,
The entire electrical
distribution system--
Edison and his team invented
or improved on all of it.
Michael: And how many
of the homes at that point
Had electricity in them?
Hal: Not many.
You had to be very rich
to afford electricity,
Or you had to be in business.
Michael:
No lights, no tv, no wii?
Hal: Hard to imagine, isn't it?
Michael: What would you do
without that night light, buddy?
Matthew: Freak out.
[laughter]
Xavier: Thanks to edison's
long-burning bulb,
Our days are no longer bound
By the rising and setting
of the sun.
Thomas edison
gave america new light,
But there have also been times
of darkness.
World war ii
was one of those times.
Nathan: I'm here
in washington, d.C.,
On my spring break,
Spending a lot of time
at the smithsonian.
I enjoy world war ii history.
Xavier: I'm sending nathan and
his dad back into the vaults
To see some not-so-typical
wartime artifacts.
Cedric yeh is a curator
In the division
of armed forces history.
Cedric: What we're going to be
looking at today
Is watercolors by akio ujihara.
Xavier:
Ujihara was a 44-year-old
engineer from los angeles.
He was also
one of many americans
Detained during world war ii
Simply because he was
of japanese descent.
The chapter of history
these watercolors depict
Is rarely discussed.
Cedric: This is just
his personal way
Of remembering what life
was like in the camps.
This one is from manzanar.
And these two are from topaz.
Nathan:
I first learned about this
In my a.P. U.S. History class,
And prior to this class,
I just thought, you know,
Of america as perfect.
We've never done anything wrong
or, to hurt people,
And all you really hear
about internment camps
In world war ii, you know,
is the german ones.
Man: We knew that some among
them were potentially dangerous.
Xavier: After japan's attack
on pearl harbor,
The u.S. Government set up
ten internment camps
Across the west.
They detained over 100,000
japanese americans
Perceived as a threat
to the war effort.
Half of those detained
were children.
Cedric: Many of the sons
of those behind barbed wire
Volunteered for
the united states army.
Nathan: Me, personally,
if I was in a situation,
I would be pretty angry and not
want to join the armed forces,
But some people did,
as you just said.
David: It really speaks
to their character
And the high character they had
In the face
of what's really evil.
Nathan: You know, it really
wasn't that long ago.
People that were in these camps,
some of them are still alive.
Cedric: Many of them.
Xavier: In fact, nathan
is about to meet one.
Betty taira was only 8
when her family was sent
Into the heart mountain
internment camp in wyoming.
Betty: There were five
in our family.
An older sister, a younger
brother, and my parents.
And each of us was allowed
to take one suitcase.
But it was too much
for my brother and for me,
So from a family of five,
we only had three suitcases.
David: Wow.
Nathan: Wow.
Xavier: Every family
was issued a number.
Life inside the fence
was communal.
Betty: There were six units
in a barrack.
They were non-insulated
buildings,
Much of it was green wood.
So it shrank.
Nathan: Yeah.
Betty: There were five of us
in a room.
It wasn't even this big.
But it had a window on one side
and a window on the other.
One incandescent light.
There was no sink,
no bathroom, no stove.
But it was just a barren room,
and five cots.
Xavier: Betty's family spent
nearly a year in the camps.
One of the worst consequences
was the least obvious--
Camp life altered each person's
place in the world.
Betty: Just broke up
the nucleus of a family
That most japanese families
were accustomed to.
Xavier: Fathers were denied
their role as breadwinners.
Mothers had no meals to prepare
or houses to tend.
Despite the conditions,
creativity flourished.
People used
whatever they could find.
Cedric:
They had these shells that were
just littering everywhere.
Betty: I think that you, too,
If you were left somewhere
and you had to--
You had nothing to do,
and you had no materials,
You probably would find
the same kind...
David: Use what you have.
Nathan: Yeah.
Betty: So that's, that's what's
good about human beings.
You know they,
they become creative.
And they use talents they--
And skills they
don't even know they had.
Nathan: Adapt, yeah.
David: Yeah.
Betty: Yeah.
Cedric: While they worked
behind the barbed wire,
They didn't give up.
They continued to try
to live their lives
As well as they could.
David: I'm so curious
what happened to you.
Betty: We moved
to washington, d.C.
I went to junior high school,
high school,
I graduated from
the university of maryland.
You know, this war experience
spurred many japanese americans.
They did so much
to prove their loyalty.
They went to school
And they have become
very successful people
In all walks of life.
So, from that disaster,
I think that it spurred us
to become even better people.
Xavier: It also spurred us
to become a better country.
Ultimately, the u.S. Government
apologized
To japanese american families
for the incarceration.
War rewrote the rules.
For some, that meant injustice.
Others faced a new call to duty
That would change their place
in society.
You guys know this image?
Kat: Yeah, it's pretty iconic.
Xavier:
You know, the original poster
From which all these
are based on
Is actually right here
in this building.
Would you guys like to see it?
John: Sure!
Xavier: I can take you to see
it, if you got some time.
John: Yeah!
Xavier: Alright, great! Come on.
Kat and john let me tear them
away from their shopping.
Only two original posters
still exist,
And one is kept locked up
in the smithsonian vault.
Larry: I have something that you
Probably are
pretty familiar with, and, uh...
Kat: It's rosie!
Xavier: Well, she is,
and she isn't.
Larry: She's actually
a westinghouse war worker.
It's a poster that was made
for westinghouse plants
In the pittsburgh area
during the second world war.
Xavier: It was part of
a series of posters
Designed to encourage thrift,
hard work, and safety
In support of the war effort.
Larry: They're really not
about feminist empowerment
We might think of today.
They're really about
don't break your tools,
Hurry up, get back to work--
Things you need to know
If you're new to any kind
of factory production.
Xavier: The depiction is thought
to be based on this photo
Of michigan metalworker
geraldine hoff doyle,
But whoever the lovely lady
really is,
She wasn't called "rosie"
at the start.
Kat: Who named it
rosie the riveter?
Larry: There was
a rosie the riveter song
That became a popular song
in 1943.
♪ all the day long,
whether rain or shine ♪
♪ she's a part
of the assembly line ♪
♪ she's making history
working for victory ♪
♪ rosie, the riveter ♪
Larry: The idea that women
were riveting,
That was kind of
a novel thing at the time.
It's still a novel thing.
But anyone with a kerchief on
their head has become a rosie.
Xavier: This poster hung on
the westinghouse factory wall
In 1943 for just two short weeks
And then disappeared.
♪ when they gave her
a production "e" ♪
♪ she was as proud
as a girl could be ♪
♪ there's something true
about... ♪
The image resurfaced
at the national archives
In the 1980s
And quickly became an icon
of the feminist movement
That still endures.
Larry: This speaks
to people today,
Which is sort of what
history is about.
Kat: Yeah, it's really
fascinating that this image
Had a completely
different purpose
And has now become this symbol
of women empowerment
And, you know, equality.
Xavier: The meaning of the word
"it" has changed as well.
Larry: The "it"
was about winning the war
Through work and
more efficient work.
When you put this
by itself today,
Everything else
just kind of fades away,
And you just see her
as an ideal woman
Who can take charge,
who is responsible,
Competitive with any man,
can do any job any man can do,
And that's "it."
John: It was marketing,
somebody, somebody saw this
And said I could sell that.
Larry: Right, yes,
I can do that.
[laughter]
Kat: You can do it!
Xavier: And, boy, did we do it!
In just 6 years,
american factories turned out
Over 300,000 planes
to support the war.
Kat and john are taking off
to see the real thing.
Ed: Kat, john, welcome to our
new restoration facility
Here at the udvar-hazy center.
This aircraft was
at the naval air station
At pearl harbor
on December 7, 1941,
The day the japanese attacked
the united states there.
It was flown off of hawaii,
looking for the japanese fleet.
Kat: My mom's side of
the family, they're from hawaii.
And so they were there
during pearl harbor.
Yeah, I mean,
it's pretty significant for me
To be able to stand here and see
something that was part of that.
Can I touch it?
Ed: Sure.
John: I was going to ask
the same thing.
Kat: It's just so much history.
John: Yeah.
Kat: There's so many rivets.
Like it seems like more
than what's necessary,
But obviously not.
Ed: This aircraft is very much
a '30s metal aircraft
In the sense that they use
round head rivets,
As opposed to what was used
later, flush rivets.
Xavier: This navy dive bomber
was nicknamed the beast
Because it was
so difficult to fly.
Kat: So these rivets
are different.
Ed: Ok.
John: Yeah.
Ed: Yeah, you noticed.
By 1944 all manufacture
had gone
To a flush riveting process.
That was a development
in aircraft production
That really made streamlining
and smooth skin practical.
John: So I have to ask.
There's a tag hanging off here
That says "caution:
Radioactive material."
Ed: Correct.
That's a good question.
These aircraft
all had instruments,
And also in many cases,
written indicators, instructions
That could be read at night
that were marked with radium.
Kat: But we're ok right here?
Ed: We're ok right here.
Xavier: The u.S. Manufactured
more fighter planes
Than japan and germany combined.
Factories worked 24/7 producing
what we needed to win the war.
Ed: And it changed
american society.
I mean, women now
were in the workforce.
Many liked the money,
they liked the freedom,
They liked the job.
In japan they had kids
and elderly people
Working in their factories
with the most primitive tools.
If we could look
at the japanese planes,
They are rough, very rough.
And this is a textbook piece
of construction here.
Kat: Good job, women.
Xavier: Of course america's
manufacturing prowess
Was established
well before world war ii.
In fact, the first product
that was perfected
On the manufacturing
assembly line
Also helped shape
the american west.
Let's see if anyone
can guess what it was.
Man: I have no idea.
Xavier: Nothing?
Woman: Nothing.
Man: Hydraulics?
Man: The cotton gin.
Xavier: That's a good guess,
but you're a little too early.
Man: This is embarrassing.
Woman: I know.
Xavier: Hmmm. Maybe I need
to come at this a different way.
I'll ask you guys
another question.
Woman: Ok.
Xavier: What did wyatt earp,
jesse james,
General george patton, and
the czar nicolas I all own?
Man: Watches?
Woman: A gun?
Xavier: What kind of gun?
Woman: Revolver?
Xavier: Colt revolver, yeah.
Man: Ok, fair enough.
Xavier: You've heard of
colt revolver.
Man: Yeah. I am from new york.
Xavier: The colt revolver was
the first american invention
To perfect the assembly
of interchangeable parts.
Man: My dad used to have one.
Also he used to have
a bumper sticker on his truck
That said "the west wasn't won
with a registered gun."
[laughter]
David: Come on in.
Xavier:
Guns inspire strong opinions,
But one thing
is pretty much fact--
Jordan: Wow!
Xavier: They've shaped
our history.
This is the gun room
At the national museum
of american history.
Curator david miller is the
keeper of over 5,000 firearms,
Some more than 500 years old.
David: What we have down here
Are all british
military muskets.
Xavier: 22-year-old jordan has
a keen interest in weaponry.
Jordan: I just commissioned
into the marine corps.
I'm fresh out of the box,
so I just graduated school.
I saw 9/11 as a kid,
and after seeing that,
I was really, I felt like
I needed to contribute
Back to the country.
Well, a lot of people do.
It's kind of cliche, I know.
Xavier: Whether it's defending
your country,
Your wagon train or your castle,
This room has a firearm
for every situation.
Jordan: Would you mind if I saw
The oldest weapon
that you have in here?
David: Well, the oldest gun
in our collection is back here.
And this is what they call
a hand cannon.
And this was made in germany
in the 1390s.
It's the oldest gun we have
in the collection.
Jordan: Yeah.
David: You would load it here
with powder and a projectile.
Then you would aim it
or point it
And set it off
by lighting it off back here.
Jordan: Yeah.
David:
So it was a little difficult
To aim and shoot
at the same time.
It is made of iron,
it is...
Jordan: Pure iron. Just solid.
David: And it's very heavy.
Jordan: It's just like a bat.
David: If you don't drop it
on your foot.
Jordan: Yeah.
Xavier: Weapons like this one
were individually forged.
That all changed
when samuel colt
Perfected the assembly line,
bringing guns to the masses.
David: Ok.
This is the colt
number 5 belt revolver.
It was made in 1838 to 1840.
Jordan: It's huge.
David: This is a 5-shot,
.36 caliber revolver.
Xavier: It's the first firearm
With a successful
revolving cylinder--
That means you could fire off
multiple rounds
Without reloading.
A small change, but one
that transformed the west.
We know the old west
from movies,
But the american frontier
really was a dangerous place.
A gun that could only fire
a single shot at a time
Made someone under attack
extremely vulnerable.
You'd better be a great shot,
a lightning-fast reloader,
And have a lot of friends.
With the advent
of the colt revolver,
One person could face off
against multiple attackers
And at least have a shot
at survival.
If you were really worried,
You could step it up
to the colt.44.
David: This is
a 6-shot.44 caliber revolver.
Jordan: Wow, that's a,
that's a big gun.
David: It's huge.
And as you can see,
it's 6 shots,
You can shoot it 6 times
without reloading.
Jordan: Yeah, but that made it
a lot more effective, right?
David: Right.
Xavier: Just like in the movies,
colts were in the holsters
Of heroes and villains
on the frontier.
Billy the kid was shot dead by
pat garrett's.44 colt pistol.
Jesse james liked to brandish
a pair of revolvers
And was also shot by one,
At point blank range
in the back of the head.
Before they were gunned down
themselves,
The notorious dalton gang
robbed banks
Using elaborately carved
revolvers.
Jordan: A lot of kids,
I feel like, these days,
Like weapons and stuff.
And I mean, standing here,
it's like, pretty cool.
But I'm actually,
I'm actually pretty,
Pretty terrified of weapons.
I mean, I'll be honest.
David: Well, that's
a good way to be.
Jordan: Because I think
that while it's a tool
That I think that we need
to know how to use,
But I think that it's a tool
That we underestimate
a lot of the time.
Xavier: These guns
will never be loaded again.
But they still have
the firepower to evoke the past.
David: And best of luck to you
In your career
in the marine corps.
Jordan: Thank you very much.
Xavier: Guns have changed a lot
since 1848.
You might even say
we've become a little too good
At weapons design.
After world war ii,
The threat of nuclear war froze
international relationships.
At the height of the cold war,
Two very unlikely diplomats
helped things begin to thaw out.
In 1972, president richard nixon
Visited the people's republic
of china,
And americans got a rare glimpse
Of life inside
a communist country.
First lady pat nixon
Was a fan of the pandas
at the beijing zoo,
So the chinese premier gave her
two of them as a gift.
An olive branch
from an old enemy,
When ling ling and hsing hsing
arrived at the national zoo,
They displaced the president
and first lady--
And everyone else in town--
in popularity.
The latest generation of pandas
continue to draw
More than a million
admirers each year.
But they can be an elusive pair.
Alecia: Where are they?
I wish we could see them!
Xavier: Alecia and ginelle
Are here to see the zoo's
star residents.
But they're having a tough time
getting a peek.
Alecia: Maybe over there?
Ginelle: I don't know.
Maybe they're
inside eating, or...
Xavier: I've got a way
to help them out.
But first they need
to pick up a few things
At the local art store.
Alecia: So the list says
that we need canvas.
We need four.
Ginelle: 40% off.
Alecia: I'm loving that.
Ginelle: Fantastic.
Alecia: So, fingerpaint.
Oh, but look
at all of these colors!
Ginelle: Oh! Like, uh, pink?
Yes.
Alecia: What about the blue?
Xavier:
They're totally happy to shop
Without a clue why they are
buying this stuff.
Alecia: Ok, I think we're good.
It's interesting
that they didn't ask us
To get brushes,
but we've got paint.
Ginelle: I have no idea.
Hi, xavier.
Xavier: Hey! Did you find
everything on the list?
Ginelle:
We have a lot of colors,
So I'm super excited to find out
what we're doing.
Xavier: You'll have to come
all the way back to the zoo
To find out.
Ginelle: Oh, come on!
Xavier:
Backstage at the panda house,
Alecia and ginelle
are in for a surprise.
Alecia: I think this is it.
[laughs]
Alecia: Oh, my goodness.
Ginelle: That's it.
Is it a girl or a boy?
Nicole: This is our female,
mei xiang.
Xavier: Weighing in
at 245 pounds, mei xiang.
Ginelle: This is awesome!
Alecia: Yeah. Hi!
Xavier: And at 275 pounds,
her counterpart, tian tian.
Ginelle: I've never been
this close to a panda before.
Nicole: Not many people have.
It's really important
that you always stay
Behind this yellow line.
That's how far
they can reach out,
So that's for your own
protection.
Ginelle: He's so cute.
Xavier:
They're cute and creative.
That trip to the art store
is about to make some sense.
Nicole: So what we're gonna do
Is have them do some artwork
with us.
This had been working for some
of the other bears in the park,
This brush set-up,
And we decided to try it again
with the pandas,
And this time they took to it
right away.
Ginelle: Cool,
that sounds so awesome.
Alecia: I want to do blue.
Nicole: Ok, tian.
Xavier: Tian tian
gets straight to work...
Ginelle: Oh, my gosh,
they're so cool!
Xavier:
Painting helps to develop
the panda's motor skills.
It also gives them a chance
to bond with their zookeepers.
Nicole: Good job. Try again.
That was a little messy.
Xavier: Plus, it's fun!
[laughs]
Ginelle: She's like really
gripping it.
Nicole: Tian, don't eat
the brush, dude.
Xavier: They didn't take to it
right away,
But they've been painting
for two years now.
Nicole: Good boy.
Obviously captive animals
don't have the same lifestyle
That their wild counterparts do,
So we want to keep them as
interested in things as novel
And mix things up
as much as possible.
Ginelle: What other types
of things do you guys do?
Nicole:
We give them puzzle feeders;
We hide their food
in different places.
Xavier: They like to play,
But these guys have
an important job--
Making more pandas.
Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas
exist in the world.
Every new birth is a triumph
For this extremely
endangered species.
Captive breeding programs are
essential to their survival.
Females are only fertile
for 1 to 2 days a year,
And it's nearly impossible
to tell one is pregnant
Until it delivers.
It definitely keeps the staff
here at the zoo on their toes.
Ginelle: Kind of what she's
doing with the paint.
He's super interested.
Wow.
Nicole: Good job, tian.
Alecia: I think your first one
is better, guy.
Nicole: We'll see if mei
wants to paint a little bit.
Ginelle: Whoa...
[laughing]
Has she had any pandas?
Nicole: She had a cub in 2005,
and his name tai shian,
And he's alive and well
in china.
Xavier: Mei xiang's first born
was a 4-ounce baby
Affectionately nicknamed
"butterstick."
Alecia: Was it hard to say
goodbye to the little baby?
Nicole: It was hard.
He wasn't so much of a baby
when we went to china, though.
He was 4 and a half years old.
Alecia: Oh, wow.
Nicole:
So he'd learned everything
That he needed to learn
from his mom.
Xavier: More recently
the national zoo was thrilled
To welcome its newest arrival.
On August 23, 2013, mei xiang
gave birth to a baby girl.
Maybe the new addition will be
as artistic as her parents.
Nicole: Mei xiang,
can you paint?
Good girl.
[laughing]
Nicole: That's pretty.
That's a little smush
on the end.
Alecia: It's beautiful.
Ginelle: That looks awesome.
Nicole: That's nice.
Ginelle: Hi.
I like all of them.
Xavier: Alecia and ginelle
get to take home a souvenir.
Alecia: Seriously?
I'm so excited,
I feel like it's christmas.
Ginelle: Thank you so much.
Nicole: You're welcome.
Thanks for the art supplies.
Alecia: It was
an awesome experience.
Xavier: Pandas aren't the only
residents of the national zoo
Who have learned to paint.
Maybe someday
they'll be on exhibit
At one of the smithsonian
art museums.
The national portrait gallery is
like the facebook of the past.
Noah webster,
the dictionary guy.
Nathaniel hawthorne, the guy
who wrote "the scarlet letter."
Davy crockett,
king of the wild frontier.
Back in the day--
way, way back,
Before iphones and youtube,
Portraits like these
were the only way
To know what someone
looked like.
Hi. I see you're checking out
queen elizabeth I.
Diane: Yeah.
Xavier: Diane seems like
the adventurous type.
Take a look at this painting.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Who do you think it is?
Diane: Um, I don't know.
Xavier: It must be just
another stuffy court portrait
Of a royal brit, right?
Want me to show you?
Take a look.
Not so.
Diane: Oh, wow, pocahontas!
Xavier: Never have guessed,
right?
Diane: No, she looks
totally different.
Xavier: Daughter of the powerful
algonquian chief powhatan,
She was a native american
princess.
But why does she look
so british?
Turns out, pocahontas
left america for England in 1616
With her british husband
john rolfe.
This is a beautiful portrait,
but it's actually a copy.
Diane: Really?
Xavier: Yes, and the original
happens to be right here.
Diane: Yeah?
Xavier: Come this way with me,
and I'll show you.
Diane: Ok, cool.
Xavier: Diane is about to go
behind the scenes
Into one of the vaults
Where the gallery's priceless
works of art are stored.
Xavier: Hello.
Wendy: Hello.
Xavier: Here we are, diane,
This is the senior curator
for prints and drawings,
Wendy wick reaves.
Wendy, this is diane.
Wendy: Nice to meet you, diane.
Diane: Nice to meet you.
Xavier: I'm going to let
you guys get to it.
Wendy: Thank you, come on in.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Wendy has pulled out
one of the oldest objects
In the portrait gallery
collection.
Wendy: Well, this is actually
a much more accurate likeness
Of pocahontas
than you get downstairs.
She does not look
like an english lady.
Diane: No, not at all.
Wendy: Despite this clothing.
So you can really see
her high cheekbones
And strong features
and a cleft in the chin.
Diane:
Yeah, I noticed that, too.
Wendy: We have lots
of factual information here.
We have her names.
Matoaka was her real name,
Because pocahontas
was a nickname, actually.
Diane: What does pocahontas
mean? Do you know?
Wendy: It's something about
playful, which is kind of fun.
Diane: Oh, that's
kind of cool, yeah.
Wendy: And then we have rebecca,
Which is her christian
baptized name.
Diane: Ok.
Wendy: And we have her age.
It says that she was 21 in 1616,
and it gives her royal lineage.
She is the daughter
to the mighty prince powhatan.
So you get all this
real information
In the inscription here.
Xavier: Pocahontas is best known
for the likely mythic feat
Of saving english colonist
john smith's life,
While her father,
chief powhatan,
Held him captive.
In 1613 she was captured
by english settlers
And held for ransom,
But chose to stay
with her captors.
And upon arrival in london
with her husband,
The exotic pocahontas became
an instant celebrity.
Wendy: Most people were
just completely dazzled.
They'd never seen
anything like her,
And they thought she was exotic
and wonderful.
She was probably presented
at court,
She went to the theater,
she was written about,
She was gossiped about.
She was news.
Xavier: Because she was news,
her image was in demand,
Just like today's
modern movie stars,
And her likeness was included in
this royal book of celebrities.
Wendy: And her visit coincided
with this big vogue
For engraved portraits
of famous people in England.
So our copy of this engraving
is bound into this book,
As you can see, that is called
The baziliologia:
A book of kings.
Diane: The baziliologia.
Wendy: It's a compilation
of prints
Of royal figures
and other famous people.
So here is henry viii.
So, how remarkable
That this very young
native american woman
Is put together in a book
of notables with henry viii.
Diane: It's actually
pretty amazing.
Is she the only
native american in there?
Wendy: Yes.
Diane: That's very awesome.
Xavier: But behind the pomp
and celebrity
Lies a more complex story.
Diane: You wonder how much
of this was her choice
And how much of it is
the circumstances she was in.
Wendy: Her entire trip
was basically
A public relations ploy
by the virginia company.
Diane: Ok.
Wendy: They wanted to raise
support for their little colony.
Diane: Right.
Wendy: And it worked.
They really did raise a lot
of interest in their company,
But of course,
she paid a tragic price.
Xavier: As an american indian,
pocahontas may have been
Particularly susceptible
to western disease.
Just before she was to return
to america,
She fell gravely ill--
Likely from pneumonia
or tuberculosis.
The princess never recovered.
Wendy: She died right before
she was returning home.
The ship was ready to sail
back to virginia,
And she died in England.
Diane: Was she buried there?
Wendy: She's buried at gravesend
in England, yes.
Diane: Ok.
Xavier: Though we'll never know
how pocahontas truly felt
About leaving her homeland,
She will always be remembered
as a girl who bridged a divide
At the dawn
of our country's history.
I learn something new
every day at this job.
I had no idea that pocahontas's
life story had so many layers.
Nicole: Good girl!
Xavier: Maybe america is not
a melting pot, but a cake...
Kaitlin: Yeah!
Xavier: With layers of light...
Kat: It's rosie!
Xavier: And darkness...
Betty: Spurred us to become
even better people.
Xavier: Warriors and icons...
Carmen: That's amazing.
Xavier: That combine to make
a seriously amazing country.