Many of the objects inside the Cabinet are one of a kind, or at least very rare. Today's tour will expose you to two more stories that will fit that mould perfectly.
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Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. In sixty six a d. The Eastern Mediterranean became the site of a major conflict between the Jews and the Roman Empire. The Jewish people had endured enough of the Roman successive taxation practices, and so they revolted and the Romans retaliated. The fighting carried on for four long years, with the conflict reaching its climax in the city of Jerusalem. Jewish men, women and children of fighting age took up arms against their oppressors, hoping to defend them off, but the Roman armies were too strong. They tore down the city walls and burned the temple to the ground. In the end, Jerusalem fell to the Romans. Survivors were taken into slavery and their culture was almost eradicated. Many centuries later, the Romans found themselves at the center of another battle, this time against Attila and his army of Huns. They fought in an area of modern day eastern France. Attila's plan was to invade Gaul, a Roman territory made up of several European countries including modern day France, Belgium, Northern Italy and Luxembourg. However, while both sides faced casualties in the thousands, in the end it was Attila who was defeated and the Romans retained control of their land. Then, in ten sixty six, King Harold of England went up against Duke William the second of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror. William had brought with him armies from all over France and Belgium. After King Harold had defeated, the Norwegian invader is moving into his land, and though Harold put up a valiant effort, Williams forces proved too strong to overpower. The English aristocracy was destroyed. Its control of the Catholic Church fell to the Normans, who transformed England forever. All three historical events have something in common. They involve war, death, and destruction. Each event had a winner and a loser. Power was gained and power was lost. And yet there's something else, something otherworldly, that binds these seemingly disparate events together. Haley's comment, even though the comet wasn't officially named until the seventeen hundreds. It had been viewed as an omen of tragedy since the beginning of time. Scholar and historian Titus Flavius Josephus had seen the comet streak just before the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. He described it as a star resembling a sword. Hailey's comment had also been spotted in four fifty one, at the time of Attila's defeat in Western Europe, and in the months leading up to King Harold's defeat at the Battle of Hastings. There it was again that long haired star, as it was described at the time, a prophecy of William's impending conquest. But perhaps the most noticeable coincidence tied to the comet occurred in eighteen thirty five, when a young man named Samuel Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri, only two weeks prior Haley's comment had made its closest approach to Earth. As we all know, Samuel Clemens went on to great success under the pen name Mark Twain, writing as a commentator and storyteller. He had a knack for pointing out hypocrisy and in some ways he gave birth to modern observational comedy through the numerous talks that he gave throughout his career. In fact, his observational skills came in quite handy. In nineteen o nine, he'd been working with noted by bographer Albert Payne on his own life story when he told him that he had come in with Haley's comment and how it would be the greatest disappointment of his life if he didn't go out with it as well. One year later, on April nineteen, Haley's comments soared through the night sky right on schedule, and Mark Twain died of a heart attack the following day. They used to be in every state fair and along every boardwalk in the country. The hissing whistle of the calliope would fill the air, scented with the rich aroma of buttered popcorn. The familiar call of the barker would ring out, enticeing curious patrons to the wonders within his tent. Carnivalgoers would pay their fare and duck under the striped awning, coming face to face with humanity's greatest wonders. Though they were deemed freaks by everyone else, these men and women were simply born with medical conditions that prevented them from living within a so called civilized society. They had no other home. They were kicked out of public schools, they were shunned by their families. They couldn't find employment anywhere else. Instead, they found peace and understanding within the communities of the traveling carnivals and circuses they worked for. They built relationships with people who had also been ostracized by their peers, and the public paid handsomely to gawk at their natural abilities, anatomical anomalies that were often pitched as grotesque or inhuman, and such claims couldn't have been further from the truth. During the nineteen twenties and thirties, traveling side shows became a primary form of entertainment. But just like the stage actors and actresses of the day, these performers needed a break. They were, after all, only human. During harsh winters, when snow and wind made travel to the Midwest almost impossible, sideshow acts had to find a warm place where they could set up camp without being bothered by the local population. Lucky for them, such a place existed. It was a small town in western Florida, just off Route forty one called Gibsonton, located near Ringling Brothers winter home. Gibsonton became a haven for traveling side shows looking to wait out the freezing temperatures in a more comfortable location. It started out small, with only a handful of acts setting up tents in a place where they could sleep, train, and get away from the throngs of open mouth spectators. Soon, other nomadic carnivals got worried about the sanctuary on the Florida coast. Like the Gold Rush of the mid eighteen hundreds, it wasn't long before Gibsonton blew up and the small group of side show performers turned into an entire community, and rather than push them away from the quiet town, the local government welcome them with open arms. They changed the zoning laws to allow them to keep tigers and other exotic animals on their property. The Gibsonson Post office was the only one in the country with counters specifically designed for little people. Eateries had custom seats made for patrons who were bigger and taller than usual, and jobs were easy to come by. Once the carnival ride manufacturers started opening up their factories there. Dubbed Freakville, USA, it was a town built by and for the people who lived there, the people who were told they weren't wanted anywhere else. Unfortunately, as time marched on, so did sensibilities surrounding what was considered entertainment. Eventually, freak shows fell out of favor. Audiences found distraction and film and television instead, and the general sentiment concerning sideshow acts became one of disgusted morbid curiosity evolved into concern for the well being of the performers. Despite the eventual loss of interest, though, Freakville still stands today. In fact, there's a museum dedicated to the side shows and carnivals of long ago. The town boasts a population of over fifteen thousand, many of whom are descendants of the original performers. What started as a safe retreat for society's most vulnerable among us has itself become an attraction for adventurous tourists. It goes to show that no matter how our tastes change, or how much we learn about the unknown, we will always crave something new to challenge our perceptions and understandings of the world. It's just that sometimes those challenges aren't new at all. They've just been waiting for us to step right up and take a look. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.