- 6 months ago
This is Episode 6 of Retro News.
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00:00Retro News
00:19It's a blast from the past
00:21I'm Mark
00:23And I'm Kendall
00:24And this is Retro News
00:25The show that digs through the archives of news history
00:28To bring you the important
00:29And not so important stories
00:33Today, we're going back to the year 1932
00:37We'll take a look at a Ferris wheel for cars
00:40See a table that deals playing cards for you
00:43And meet a cat who adopts a litter of puppies
00:46But first, let's take a look at the world's shortest railroad
00:51Vatican City, located steps away from Rome, Italy
00:55Is the smallest state in the world
00:57Less than one square mile
00:58It's definitely an area you could walk
01:00But in 1932, Pope Pius XI decided he would travel
01:04The gates of Vatican City opened up to let modernization in
01:09With this railroad built on church grounds
01:11It's the world's smallest railway
01:12The whole railroad was only about 100 yards long
01:16But it did connect the tiny Vatican State
01:18To main railroads that led to important European cities
01:21That included Rome
01:23A city the Pope could have walked to in less than five minutes
01:25Pope Pius XI had a special three-car train built
01:29It was the most magnificent ride in the world
01:32One car housed a throne room that was almost as beautiful as the throne room in the Vatican itself
01:37For more innovations, let's go to Brennan and Rachel
01:40The first steam-powered locomotives hit the railways in the 1800s
01:44And soon, trains became a popular way to transport goods and people
01:49Building a locomotive wasn't kids' play
01:52But try telling that to this determined boy who had a mind to build his own
01:57When John Reed found the engine of an old car, the wheels in his head started turning
02:03Two and a half years later, at just 15 years old, he built his very own locomotive
02:09The engine was real
02:15Controlled by 87 valves from the dashboard
02:18The boiler carried 500 pounds of steam
02:22Twice the amount of a full-size locomotive
02:25John's mighty machine could speed up to 80 miles an hour
02:30Well, at least when no traffic cops are around
02:34Most of us have heard our parents complaining at the gas pump
02:39So you can bet they love this innovative car that didn't need any gas at all
02:44Gas-powered automobiles were the most popular cars on the road in the early 1900s
02:50But even back then, people were looking for new types of fuel
02:53This car ran by steam using anthracite
02:57Anthracite is a hard, shiny, black type of coal
03:00It has the highest carbon count and has the best burning of all coals
03:05Just a few pounds kept the car running for 100 miles
03:08George Marchand was the inventor of this steam-powered car
03:12Which could travel 75 miles an hour
03:14Today, more than 230 million vehicles travel the roads in the United States
03:21That can make parking one big headache
03:25Here's a solution to this age-old problem
03:28Finding a place to park got easier with this parking attraction in Chicago
03:33This vertical parking lot was the first one in the world
03:37All you had to do was drive onto one of the platforms
03:40An attendant pushed a button
03:42And this up-and-down merry-go-round did the rest
03:45These skyscraper elevators were 105 feet high
03:50And could park 48 cars in a space that would normally hold just six
03:55The cages could move 100 feet in 60 seconds
03:59When you needed your car back, you could get it in less than a minute
04:03Scratch-free
04:04Go Fish may be a lot more fun
04:07But internationally, a game called Bridge
04:10Is the most popular card game among serious card players
04:13Bridge players call the game a sport of the mind
04:16Even the International Olympic Committee recognizes the game as a sport
04:21But it's not in the Olympic Games yet
04:24Here's an idea that made this game a little easier to play
04:27An electrical device built into a folding table
04:31Could shuffle and deal complete hands to card lovers playing Bridge
04:35First, a deck of cards was placed in a little drawer
04:39Boards then spun around under the tabletop
04:42And dealt cards one by one in the slots in front of each player
04:46Missed deals were impossible
04:48Lawrence Hammond, a famous clockmaker from Illinois
04:53Invented the tabletop technology
04:55It eliminated the wait for players to shuffle and deal
04:58The machine would shuffle a second deck
05:01While the first deck was being played
05:03That really cut down on the time left for family arguments between hands
05:07You've heard it before
05:09Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
05:12But who ever heard of someone living in a house made of glass?
05:17Well, take a look at this
05:19A new see-through building block crashed onto the scene in factories like this one
05:25In Columbus, Ohio
05:26Glass bricks were mass-produced and offered a crystal-clear alternative
05:31To other products used in home construction
05:33It might take a lot of windex to keep these houses clean
05:37But the bricks were great at keeping noise, heat, and cold out
05:42And letting light in
05:43However, as you can clearly see
05:47They didn't give much privacy to those on the inside
05:50Have you ever heard of carillon?
05:53It's a huge musical instrument that's made of giant bells
05:56One of the best and biggest carillons ever built
06:00Found its home in Illinois
06:01Englishmen finished work on the last of the 72 bells
06:06That made up this instrument
06:07Which is still the second-largest carillon in the world
06:10It was designed for John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
06:13Who ordered the chimes in honor of his mother
06:15The carillon cost $1.5 million to build
06:19The masterpiece made its home in the chapel
06:22At the University of Chicago
06:24The chapel, with its beautiful stained-glass window
06:27Was a perfect fit
06:29Nora Johnson played the instrument
06:31And was specially trained for the job
06:33The carillon was, and still is, powered entirely by the musicians' hands and feet
06:38The colossal chimeset weighed in at a hefty 374,000 pounds
06:44The first Olympic dog sled race took place in 1932
06:51In Lake Placid, New York
06:52At that time, it was just a demonstration
06:54Dog sled racing is still not officially an Olympic sport
06:58But there is a campaign to get it added to the roster by 2010
07:01Today, drinking alcohol is against the law
07:05If you're under 21 years old in the United States
07:07But in 1932, it was against the law for anyone to drink
07:10No matter what their age
07:121,800 barrels of alcohol, a banned beverage
07:16Were nabbed by the government and destroyed in New Jersey
07:19It was one of the biggest shipments of alcohol
07:22The Department of Justice ever corralled
07:24Seven train car loads of outlawed beer saw the light of day
07:28Instead of the throats of those waiting for it
07:30The sight of this destruction all depended on your point of view
07:34Those who never drank likely celebrated the alcohol's demise
07:37While those who did drink were pretty upset
07:39About one and a half million drinks went down the drain
07:44And the government made sure that they left their mark
07:46Officials set the barrels on fire
07:48To hammer home the point that Prohibition was very much alive
07:52Joining me now is Professor What's It
07:54With a little more information on Prohibition
07:56Hi, Professor
07:57Hi, Kendall
07:59Professor, can you explain Prohibition?
08:02What was it?
08:04Prohibition was a time when the manufacture and sale of alcohol was illegal
08:08In 1919, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution established Prohibition in the United States
08:14It was called the Volstead Act
08:16Why did the government want to ban alcohol?
08:20People thought Prohibition would help reduce crime, solve social problems, and even improve health in America
08:26Did it work?
08:28No
08:28In fact, Prohibition had the opposite effect
08:31Crime increased, respectable people, and even government officials bought and drank alcohol illegally
08:37Selling alcohol became big business
08:39And many people blamed the rise of gangsters on Prohibition
08:42Does Prohibition still exist?
08:45No
08:45Franklin Roosevelt wanted to put an end to Prohibition
08:48In his 1932 presidential campaign, he vowed to legalize it if he was elected
08:53He knew that it would create millions of jobs for the unemployed
08:56And just months after he was elected, the amendment was overturned and alcohol was once again legal
09:01Thanks, Professor
09:03Now here's the retro quiz
09:05What big pink gift did the Japanese give to the United States?
09:13I'll be back with the answer later in the show
09:15Radio City Music Hall opened to the public in New York City on December 27, 1932
09:24Today it's home to the famous precision dance team called the Rockettes
09:28Radio City got its funny name from the first company to move into the Rockefeller Center
09:33RCA, they made radios
09:35In 1932, America was in the middle of the Great Depression
09:4216 million Americans were unemployed
09:45The Depression started when the stock market crashed on October 24, 1929
09:51Which is often called Black Thursday
09:53Now here's Brandi Mitchell with a look at what it was like to live in the Depression
09:58The Great Depression lasted more than 10 years
10:01Jobs were limited
10:02Finding any work at all was a big victory
10:05Finding enough food to eat was a challenge
10:07But people were resourceful
10:09If you had something to trade, swap meets were a great way to get something you needed
10:15Local economists in Suffern, New York arranged this bring and take trading day
10:20Neighbors traded furniture, clothing, groceries, vegetables, fruit, wood, coal, and even artwork for the things they needed
10:30A turkey was traded in exchange for a stained glass plaque
10:33A goat went for a bucket of paint
10:36He must have been a troublemaker
10:38Even this goose found a new home
10:40Many unemployed men offered their time and services in exchange for food and other goods
10:46What a bright idea to make the most of these tight money times
10:50If you want to make a lot of something, say a million pieces of bubble gum
10:55The fastest way is to set up a factory
10:58The very first factory popped up in Venice, Italy in 1104
11:02This shipbuilding factory had 16,000 workers and produced nearly one ship a day
11:08By the 1930s, factories were common
11:11These plants didn't have enough jobs for all of the 16 million Americans who were out of work
11:17But they could help some
11:18Thousands of unemployed Americans found new work and a new life in factories across the United States
11:25In Detroit, 4,500 men got full-time jobs working at one of the largest automobile plants in the country
11:33Together, they built hundreds of cars every day to meet the increasing demand
11:37People were lining up to secure factory jobs
11:41Men and women both found work making shoes
11:44In this Cincinnati shoe factory, business in 1932 was four times better than it was the year before
11:501,000 employees worked overtime to produce 5,000 pairs of shoes every day
11:56I bet they did a lot of soul-searching
11:59Greeting cards were also a booming business
12:02The biggest greeting card company in the world had 1,165 employees
12:08The goal?
12:10To produce 50 million cards by New Year's Day
12:13Huh, that's a lot of season's greetings
12:16And in California, even this raisin packing plant got in on the action
12:21Shipping 35 carloads of this wrinkly fruit every day
12:25The Supreme Court is not a building
12:28It's a group of nine judges handpicked by the President
12:32The first court was chosen in 1789 by George Washington
12:36But they didn't have their own courthouse to work in until 1932
12:40A group of judges and members of the American Bar Association gathered together as President Herbert Hoover
12:46Dedicated the future home of the Supreme Court
12:50The structure is on a seven-acre plot handpicked by the late President William Howard Taft
12:56Chief Justice Charles Hughes was on hand to witness the stateless ceremonies
13:00At the dedication, Chief Justice Hughes spoke these words
13:04The Republic endures and this is the symbol of its faith
13:08The building was expected to cost nearly $10 million to complete
13:13But when it was finished, officials actually came in under budget
13:17$94,000 were returned to the Treasury
13:20The dedication of the Supreme Court building was an historic event
13:24Marking the construction of the first real home for the country's leading law officials
13:29In 1932, even the animals were turning into politicians
13:34With the help of the Boy Scouts, these small creatures put their best foot forward
13:39To support a claws, uh, cause close to their hearts
13:43Mr. Turtle was up first
13:46Then the milk snake signed his John Hancock
13:49He used his tail to leave his mark
13:51Don't worry, milk snakes are only dangerous to mice
13:55Next up, Old Man Possum signed his name to the list and was glad to do it
14:00He'd do anything to help the cause along
14:02Johnny Skunk stepped up too
14:04In spite of his reputation, he was really a smell, I mean, swell guy
14:10And last but not least, Freddy Frog went through a lot of preliminaries
14:14Before he left his webbed mark in the important document
14:17They were supporting a good cause
14:20The little critters simply wanted New York City Mayor James J. Walker
14:23To warn drivers to be more careful and not run over them on the road
14:27Now that's an idea
14:29In 1932, the Pulitzer Prize was awarded to author Pearl S. Buck for her novel, The Good Earth
14:39The story was inspired by Pearl's childhood in China
14:42The book sold over 2 million copies
14:44It was made into a play in an Academy Award-winning movie
14:47Then, in 1938, Pearl S. Buck became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
14:54In January, Japan attacked the Chinese city of Shanghai to force the government there to stop boycotting Japanese goods
15:02The event would be remembered as the Shanghai War of 1932
15:07The League of Nations had landed in China
15:10And Japanese officers were giving them an eyeful of what was left after the bombardment on January 28th
15:17These were the first scenes of the damage left after Japan's attack on Shanghai, China's largest city
15:23The fighting lasted 33 days
15:25Henry Claudel of France and Major General Frank McCoy from the U.S.
15:30Were a few of the officials who were sent to study the attack
15:33The casualties were enormous
15:35The Chinese put up a fight that was considered one of the most heroic defenses of the time
15:40But eventually had to retreat
15:42This was what was left of the Chinese district of Chippei
15:45This section was the target of a particularly violent attack
15:49Five years later, in August 1937, Japan attacked Shanghai again
15:55The city was finally restored to China at the end of World War II
16:00Isabella Bumfrey was born a slave in 1797
16:07When she was 45 years old, God spoke to Isabella
16:10He said to take the name Sojourner, because it meant to travel
16:13And Truth, because she was to preach the terrible truth about slavery
16:16For nearly 20 years, Sojourner Truth traveled the country spreading the word
16:20She even got to meet President Abraham Lincoln
16:23Sojourner Truth, who spread God's word about the evils of slavery
16:27Is this week's spiritual hero
16:281932 was an election year
16:34So a lot of people wore campaign buttons to show their support for their favorite candidate
16:38Some women went beyond the button
16:40They campaigned with style
16:42Women really got in on the political scene in this year's election
16:46And it showed up in their hairstyles
16:49One enterprising hairstylist came up with special party-specific cuts
16:54The Hoover Bob and the Roosevelt Bob
16:56Women had their tresses tailored to flaunt their favorite candidate
17:00The Republican haircut, the Hoover Bob, curls over the top like an elephant's trunk
17:06The Democratic Roosevelt Bob was more of a budget cut, showing the ears
17:12Thank goodness this fad didn't last
17:15Here's another hair-raising idea we found in the archives
17:20Louis Parmé was a famous authority on headdresses in France
17:24He added yet another feather in his cap when he brought this idea to the United States
17:29Wigs made of feathers
17:31This one's made from swan feathers, sculpted into a wind-blown bob
17:35Here's an Australian feathered look that must have turned heads
17:39The idea was to have these feather-light wigs match the color of the women's gowns
17:44Here's another one, made of white swan feathers
17:47Those swans must have been cold that winter
17:50Here's a green one with burnt rooster feathers
17:53They had a fancy name for this one, but they're still feathers
17:56Maybe those old feather pillows could be put to some good use after all
18:09U.S. bobsled team member Eddie Egan became the only athlete in history to win a gold medal in both a winter and summer Olympics
18:23His first gold was for boxing in the summer games of 1920
18:26And his second for bobsledding 12 years later at the 1932 Olympics
18:31Now here are Michael and Adriana with more sports
18:35The 1932 Olympics happened right in the middle of the Great Depression
18:39It was held in Los Angeles
18:41Only half as many athletes competed in these games as had competed in 1928
18:46Still, competition was strong
18:48Eighteen world records were either broken or equal to these games
18:52One woman athlete set three world records at the games
18:55Her name was Babe Dedrickson
18:57She wowed the crowd at the Olympic tryouts, too
19:00Here's a look
19:01Dallas, Texas native Babe Dedrickson could have qualified as a one-woman team at these tryouts
19:07She took first in the eight-meter hurdle, the javelin throw, and the high jump
19:12She also placed in the discus throw
19:15Babe was strong in the relay and long jump, too
19:18But in 1932, women were restricted to competing in only three individual events in track and field
19:24Ethel Harrington from Illinois also competed for the U.S. in the tryouts
19:29And placed first in the 100-meter deck
19:32The hot air balloon was invented in 1783
19:36Today, there are dozens of hot air balloon festivals and races all around the world
19:41In Switzerland, 16 hot air balloons from eight different countries competed in this contest
19:47Thousands were cheering as the balloons took off that late afternoon
19:50Two lieutenants from the U.S. Navy won the previous year and they proved themselves again in this race
19:57The Navy team rose to the challenge and floated 921 miles before landing near the Polish Latvia border more than 36 hours later
20:05That was nearly 100 miles farther than their nearest competitor
20:09That competitor was another American team that floated into second place after covering 830 miles
20:16Dancing's fun, sure, but a month of the cha-cha would even wear Janet Jackson down
20:21The craze called marathon dancing was in full swing during the Depression years
20:26Forty couples started it, but only 16 couples were left after a month of dancing in this marathon in Chicago
20:32Many slept walked through their routines, relying solely on their partner to keep them in step
20:37After every hour of dancing, the couples got 15 minutes of rest, they ate 7 meals a day, and cooled up with a shower once a night
20:45To keep the contest hopping, sprints of two and a half hours without stopping were frequent
20:51Talk about a quick step
20:53Those sprints waltzed the weak and the weary out the door and shortened the contest by at least two weeks
20:59A doctor, dentist, and three registered nurses were among the chaperones that just danced
21:04The winners pocketed more than prestige, the contests usually had a cash prize for the winning team
21:14Here are some Florida boxers who took the plunge and came up with something new
21:18We think they're all wet
21:20The 1932 presidential election would pit Republican President Herbert Hoover
21:41Against a Democratic competitor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
21:44That year's race was a realigning election, which means it led to a dramatic change in politics
21:50Joining me now is Professor Whatzit
21:52Hi Professor
21:53Who won the 1932 presidential election?
21:56Franklin D. Roosevelt won in a landslide
21:59Nearly 23 million Americans voted for FDR
22:02Fewer than 16 million voted for Hoover
22:04What did the people like so much about FDR?
22:08Good question. The 1932 election took place in the middle of the Great Depression
22:13Many Americans blamed President Hoover, who was elected in 1928, for the Depression
22:18Was the Depression Hoover's fault?
22:20Not really. President Hoover was elected a few months before the stock market crash of 1929
22:26Businesses closed and millions lost their jobs after the crash
22:30People expected the president to get people working again
22:33Didn't he help the people?
22:35He cared about the people, but Hoover believed the government should not be involved with the country's economy
22:41He gave government loans to businesses, hoping that they would be able to provide jobs
22:45He didn't believe the government should give money to the unemployed or provide jobs for them
22:51What did Roosevelt offer the people?
22:53Roosevelt came along with a plan called the New Deal, which promised to get people back to work
22:59Americans were ready for the New Deal and a new president, so on November 8th, the country chose Roosevelt as their new leader
23:06Thanks, Professor
23:08Now, here's Adriana with the birthdays of 1932
23:12A big retro news happy birthday goes out to these history makers who were born in 1932
23:17Senator Edward Kennedy was born on February 22nd, 1932
23:22He is the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
23:25As of 2005, Senator Kennedy is the third longest serving senator in U.S. history
23:31Roy Halston Frowick, known to the world as Halston, was born on April 23rd, 1932
23:37He initially designed hats, but in 1973, he stunned the fashion world with his simple, elegant designs
23:44Halston designed clothing for some of the most glamorous women of the 20th century
23:49Whipped cream on top of an ice cream sundae used to be a rare treat
23:55The fluffy topping was hard to make until 1932
23:58When chemist Charles Getz combined cream with nitrous oxide
24:01That's laughing gas
24:02He made whipped cream you could spray from a can
24:05Amelia Earhart was one of the most famous women flyers of her time
24:11She made history in May 1932 when she flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean
24:16She was the first woman to make the trip
24:19Taking off on the fifth anniversary of the first ever flight across the Atlantic by Charles Lindbergh
24:25She flew from Newfoundland, Canada to Northern Ireland
24:28And was welcomed back with a parade and thousands of cheering fans
24:32Army and Navy planes flew overhead to show their admiration
24:36The country's greatest aviation figures were also on hand to pay tribute
24:40Earhart would soon leave another mark on America
24:43Three years after this thunderous ceremony
24:45She became the first person ever to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean
24:50Here's the answer to today's retro quiz
24:57What big pink gift did the Japanese give the United States?
25:01In 1912, the Japanese government gave the US more than 3,000 cherry trees
25:06These pictures taken in 1932 show the famous pink beauties in full bloom in Washington DC
25:12In 1965, the Japanese gave the US even more cherry trees
25:16Today, more than 3,700 cherry trees have a home here
25:20There are about 60 million pet dogs in the United States
25:27But cats take the bone in this pet popularity contest
25:31Nearly 70 million felines have parked their paws in the homes of America's cat-loving owners
25:36These animals have been fighting, well, like cats and dogs since the beginning of time
25:42But every once in a while, they get along just fine
25:45This is a sight you had to see to believe
25:48This cat played mom to a whole new breed after making sure she had enough milk to go around
25:53This generous mama cat named Tittles had four kittens, but two of them died
25:58When she found five orphaned Boston Terrier puppies, she welcomed them with open paws
26:03She adopted them on the spot
26:05And the little pups got along with their new purring siblings just fine
26:09I wonder if it works with cats and mice
26:11Although some people do keep big cats like lions and tigers as pets
26:16It can be a pretty hairy experience
26:18Here's an unlikely pal for a three-year-old
26:22Betty Jean Bench's playmate was a lion cub that was bigger than she was
26:25They were a great wrestling team
26:28And Betty even bottle-fed her furry feline
26:30But we're not sure if she was the one with the unfortunate task of cleaning the litter box
26:35We don't know what happened to the two pals
26:38Hopefully, there was never a cat catastrophe
26:40Flagpole sitting was a weird craze that started in Baltimore
26:44People climbed up on the flagpoles and, well, they just sat there
26:47In 1932, there was a new twist to that pastime
26:51If you think flagpole sitting is weird, how about flagpole skating?
26:55Bobby Miller started this roller escapade on the top of a 125-foot flagpole
27:00The skating sensation was out to set a new world record on this 60-inch platform
27:05And he did
27:06He skated for 52 hours straight
27:09That's 1,060 minutes
27:11And just in case you're wondering
27:13The world record holder for flagpole sitting sat on a pole for 49 days
27:17That's our retro news report for this week
27:21Now here's the last laugh
27:23And, here's the last laugh
27:24Well, there's one in theev cuatro
27:27But that's what they novec menu
27:27That's what highlights Modest
27:28I don't know
27:28We don't know
27:29It's not that old
27:29No, there's to be magical
27:43We don't know
27:45Pray for in the meantime
27:45Don't know
27:45Anybody
27:46Imagine
27:46Y
27:46But
27:47Play for a
27:48Tomorrow
27:48A
27:49GoPro