00:00In the 12th and 13th centuries, Bologna had an evocative aspect, that of contemporary Manhattan.
00:06Although the exact number of towers, comparable to skyscrapers, remains unknown,
00:11it is estimated that it probably exceeded a hundred.
00:14The highest reached a height similar to that of Big Ben, i.e. 97 meters.
00:21At that time, Bologna was one of the largest European metropolises,
00:26with impressive construction projects and notable ambition.
00:31In addition to the cathedrals and city hotels, the wealthiest families built towers,
00:37probably to affirm their status and opulence.
00:40The space limited to the center of the city, not allowing the construction of vast castles,
00:45these buildings were designed in height.
00:48However, their owners did not live there,
00:51preferring to reside in more modest buildings located nearby.
00:55These towers played a defensive role above all.
00:59The construction of a tower required 3 to 10 years of labor,
01:03a process both long and demanding.
01:07Each structure rested on solid foundations, deeply buried,
01:12surmounted by a base made up of heavy blocks of Selenite stone.
01:17The higher the tower, the more its walls were refined and lightened.
01:21In the 13th century, many of these towers were demolished,
01:24while others collapsed naturally.
01:27Some were then converted into watchtowers, shops or residential buildings.
01:33Today, only 22 of these towers remain in the heart of Bologna.
01:37Among them, two have become emblematic symbols of the city,
01:40mentioned in all tourist guides.
01:43Another astonishing historical revelation from Italy concerns the gladiators.
01:48They were not exclusively male.
01:51Although rare, gladiators did exist,
01:54and evidence attests that several women took part in the circus.
01:59In ancient texts, these fighters were called ludiae or mulieres,
02:05but certainly not ladies.
02:07Some researchers deduce that they mostly belonged to the plebeian class.
02:12The term gladiatrix did not exist in Antiquity.
02:15It was invented in the 19th century.
02:18The women who chose to become gladiators
02:21seemed to be motivated by an aspiration for independence and recognition,
02:25for the pace of gain, or even for the repayment of their debts.
02:29It is likely that they received honors comparable to those of male gladiators.
02:34But such a situation defied the norms of Roman society,
02:38as well as the conception of roles assigned to women.
02:42In the 1st century, the Roman Senate adopted a law
02:45prohibiting women under the age of 20 from taking part in the game.
02:48And in the year 200, Emperor Septim Severus
02:51forbade all women to take part in the arena,
02:54fearing that they would not want to compete in the Olympic Games.
02:58Such a possibility would have profoundly disrupted the established social order.
03:02The ananas were once considered in Great Britain
03:05as the equivalent of bags and luxury watches,
03:08a symbol of wealth and prestige.
03:11We can still admire sculpted representations of them,
03:14notably at the top of the Western towers of the St Paul's Cathedral,
03:17one of the most emblematic monuments in London.
03:20The explorers returning from the Americas
03:23praised the ananas with such enthusiasm
03:26that everyone dreamed of tasting this fruit king.
03:29However, these require very high temperatures
03:32and years to mature.
03:35Yet, despite the cold and humid climate of England and Scotland,
03:38ananas were found in the gardens of the Cossus residence
03:41at the end of the 18th century.
03:44Thanks to the installation of specialized greenhouses,
03:47called pineries, and equipped with heating systems,
03:50an ananas could be worth up to 80 pounds,
03:53or the equivalent of $15,000 today.
03:56Naturally, one almost never consumed a fruit of such a price.
03:59It was rather used as a gift or as a piece of equipment,
04:02hanging on a table until it decomposed.
04:05People, unable to afford one,
04:08even went so far as to rent it to display their wealth at receptions.
04:11The ananas became a source of inspiration for the decorative arts
04:14and the dishes of the wealthy classes.
04:17The sculptures in the shape of ananas decorating the pillars of portals
04:20or the top of the Wimbledon trophy are vestiges of this era.
04:23However, as early as the 1820s,
04:26massive imports of ananas from abroad
04:30gradually led to the loss of its superb fruit.
04:33100 million years ago, giant crocodiles
04:36populated the Sahara Desert.
04:39In the 1990s, paleontologists
04:42discovered fossilized skeletons of primitive crocodiles,
04:45including the famous Supercroc or Sarcosuchus Imperator.
04:50Among their discoveries were several partial skeletons,
04:53dating back 110 million years.
04:56This prehistoric colossus,
04:59with a head as large as an adult man,
05:02was about 12 meters long,
05:05twice the height of a giraffe.
05:08This giant crocodile thrived both in water and on land,
05:11integrating into the diversified ecosystem of ancient North Africa.
05:14The expeditions carried out in the Sahara
05:17revealed a lost world full of ancient crocodiles,
05:20some of which resembled modern animals.
05:23The Supercroc, or Araripesuchus vegeneri,
05:26had a developed odour and long legs
05:29that allowed it to move like a dog.
05:32Among the remarkable discoveries was also the Duck Croc,
05:35or Anatosuchus, a 1 meter long crocodile
05:38with features reminiscent of those of an ornithorhynchus.
05:41It was better adapted to terrestrial life than aquatic.
05:44Another species, the Rat Croc, or Araripesuchus ratuade,
05:47was barely 60 cm long
05:50and had the perfect teeth to dig the ground
05:53in search of insects.
05:56Compared to current crocodiles,
05:59these creatures were more agile, dynamic
06:02and probably smarter,
06:05contrasting with the passive nature of modern hunters.
06:08If noise-canceling helmets had existed in the 19th century,
06:11they would have been very useful.
06:14On August 27, 1883,
06:17there was a cataclysmic eruption.
06:20This event produced what is considered
06:23the most powerful sound ever recorded.
06:26When the Krakatoa collapsed,
06:29it triggered tsunamis whose waves reached 50 meters
06:32and traveled to South Africa.
06:35This uninhabited volcanic island had not experienced an eruption
06:38for two centuries before this tragic day.
06:41The explosion caused the death of more than 30,000 people
06:44due to atmospheric pollution perceived by sound.
06:47A barometer located in a gas plant
06:50160 km away measured a level of 172 decibels.
06:53An average human being can tolerate
06:56up to 130 decibels without suffering serious damage.
06:59The acoustic pressure generated by the eruption
07:02therefore perforated the tips of the sailors
07:05aboard the Noram Castle, a British ship
07:08located 60 km from the Krakatoa.
07:11The world has traveled around the planet several times
07:14and the noise, comparable to that of cannon fire,
07:17was still audible 5,000 km away.
07:20The end of the 19th century was marked
07:23by a plethora of imposing mustaches.
07:26But there was a problem.
07:29It was very difficult to enjoy a cup of tea
07:32with this type of pilosity.
07:35The heat of the tea melted the wax,
07:38resulting in an ingenious solution.
07:41The moustache cup.
07:44Harvey Adams, a British potter,
07:47is probably at the origin of the invention of the moustache cup
07:50in the 1870s.
07:53He patented a butterfly-shaped inner rim
07:56with a hole to drink without soaking his moustache.
07:59This innovation quickly seduced the United Kingdom
08:02before conquering the rest of Europe.
08:05The moustache cups were sold in shops like Sears
08:08and Marshall Fields, now part of the Macy's line.
08:11They were available in various formats and styles.
08:14Some, called farmer's cups,
08:17could hold up to a pint of tea.
08:20Others were small delicate porcelain pieces,
08:23sometimes in the form of shells
08:26or struck on the name of their owner.
08:29They were often accompanied by cutouts.
08:32Byron, one of the greatest British poets,
08:35owned a real personal zoo
08:38made up of many dogs, cats and a collection of exotic animals.
08:41Among them were a monkey, a crocodile,
08:44a fox, a sloth, a bear and several boars.
08:47When Byron studied at the Trinity College of Cambridge,
08:50a rule forbade the presence of dogs on campus.
08:53This prohibition deeply irritated him
08:56and he decided to be wary of them.
08:59Byron saw an unusual animal,
09:02a tame bear.
09:05The Trinity College authorities tried to dissuade him
09:08but as no rule explicitly mentioned bears,
09:11they could not stop him.
09:14Byron walked his bear in the woods,
09:17talked to him and even considered registering him as a student.
09:20The exact origin of this bear remains unknown
09:23but what is certain is that at his departure from Cambridge,
09:26Byron decided to integrate his domain.
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