1 00:00:02,008 --> 00:00:04,456 NARRATOR: Can a sphere the size of a pinhead be a murder weapon? 2 00:00:05,974 --> 00:00:09,767 This weird tiny sphere was found embedded 3 00:00:09,870 --> 00:00:12,077 in the body of a dead man. 4 00:00:12,180 --> 00:00:15,870 NARRATOR: Does this Medieval machine predict the future? 5 00:00:15,974 --> 00:00:20,560 It is said to have belonged to a man that allegedly 6 00:00:20,663 --> 00:00:25,008 predicted 9/11 or the rise of Hitler centuries 7 00:00:25,111 --> 00:00:26,801 before they happened. 8 00:00:26,905 --> 00:00:29,008 NARRATOR: And did this high-tech bird cage 9 00:00:29,111 --> 00:00:31,767 really save the lives of thousands? 10 00:00:31,870 --> 00:00:34,939 It actually became illegal to not use these birds. 11 00:00:39,284 --> 00:00:41,180 NARRATOR: These are the most remarkable 12 00:00:41,284 --> 00:00:43,525 and mysterious objects on Earth, 13 00:00:43,629 --> 00:00:46,629 hidden away in museums, 14 00:00:46,732 --> 00:00:50,422 laboratories, and storage rooms. 15 00:00:50,525 --> 00:00:52,939 Now, new research and technology can 16 00:00:53,043 --> 00:00:56,387 get under their skin like never before. 17 00:00:57,801 --> 00:01:00,594 We can rebuild them, 18 00:01:00,698 --> 00:01:02,732 pull them apart, 19 00:01:02,836 --> 00:01:04,629 and zoom in 20 00:01:04,732 --> 00:01:07,663 to reveal the unbelievable, 21 00:01:09,008 --> 00:01:10,836 the ancient, 22 00:01:10,939 --> 00:01:13,008 and the truly bizarre. 23 00:01:15,456 --> 00:01:18,939 These are the world's strangest things. 24 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,870 In London's Crime Museum is a minute metal sphere, 25 00:01:31,974 --> 00:01:34,767 just 7/100ths of an inch across. 26 00:01:34,870 --> 00:01:38,422 AUERBACH: This object is minuscule. 27 00:01:38,525 --> 00:01:40,525 It's smaller than the head of a pin. 28 00:01:40,629 --> 00:01:43,525 But it's capable of killing someone. 29 00:01:43,629 --> 00:01:45,836 NARRATOR: It is the only hard evidence of a crime 30 00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:48,629 that has confounded police for almost half a century. 31 00:01:52,422 --> 00:01:54,560 Now, using the latest technology, 32 00:01:56,215 --> 00:01:59,698 we're bringing this mysterious object to life. 33 00:02:02,491 --> 00:02:06,318 This weird, tiny sphere was found embedded 34 00:02:06,422 --> 00:02:07,870 in the body of a dead man. 35 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,525 The sphere, at first glance, looks really innocent, 36 00:02:12,629 --> 00:02:14,146 but the devil is in the details. 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,008 NARRATOR: The sphere is made from two of 38 00:02:19,111 --> 00:02:22,594 the rarest, most valuable metals in the world. 39 00:02:22,698 --> 00:02:25,974 It's covered in tiny scratches, 40 00:02:26,077 --> 00:02:29,974 but there are also these holes that run through it. 41 00:02:30,077 --> 00:02:31,836 NARRATOR: The holes are just four times 42 00:02:31,939 --> 00:02:33,422 the width of a human hair. 43 00:02:34,870 --> 00:02:36,456 BENECKE: The two holes meet in the middle, 44 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,594 so they form a cross-shaped pattern. 45 00:02:39,698 --> 00:02:40,732 What was inside? 46 00:02:44,629 --> 00:02:48,353 NARRATOR: What are the microscopic holes for? 47 00:02:48,456 --> 00:02:50,422 Who made this strange sphere? 48 00:02:50,525 --> 00:02:52,870 And how does it become the center of one 49 00:02:52,974 --> 00:02:56,215 of the most bizarre true crime stories of our time? 50 00:03:02,905 --> 00:03:07,077 London, September 8th, 1978, 11 p.m. 51 00:03:08,698 --> 00:03:11,939 49-year-old Bulgarian playwright, 52 00:03:12,043 --> 00:03:15,767 Georgi Markov is rushed into St. James Hospital. 53 00:03:15,870 --> 00:03:19,249 Markov is really in a terrible state. 54 00:03:19,353 --> 00:03:23,215 He's been complaining of pain, nausea. 55 00:03:23,318 --> 00:03:26,146 He's been vomiting, he's got a really high fever. 56 00:03:26,249 --> 00:03:28,870 He's had dizziness, and he's in an awful lot of pain. 57 00:03:28,974 --> 00:03:31,318 His white blood cell count is sky high, 58 00:03:31,422 --> 00:03:33,043 and it's just not making any sense. 59 00:03:34,456 --> 00:03:38,387 And on September 11th, Markov suffers a cardiac arrest. 60 00:03:38,491 --> 00:03:40,422 At 10:40 a.m., he's pronounced dead. 61 00:03:42,077 --> 00:03:44,560 MARKS: The doctors give the cause of death a septicemia, 62 00:03:44,663 --> 00:03:46,732 which is blood poisoning caused by bacteria 63 00:03:46,836 --> 00:03:48,146 getting into the blood. 64 00:03:48,249 --> 00:03:50,732 AUERBACH: That's really just the doctor's best guess. 65 00:03:50,836 --> 00:03:52,008 They are stumped. 66 00:03:52,111 --> 00:03:54,077 They don't know what could cause what was, at the time, 67 00:03:54,180 --> 00:03:55,560 a perfectly healthy man to 68 00:03:55,663 --> 00:03:59,318 decline so rapidly and so dramatically. 69 00:03:59,422 --> 00:04:01,801 NARRATOR: Before he dies, Markov tells doctors that 70 00:04:01,905 --> 00:04:03,698 he thinks he's the victim of a hit. 71 00:04:06,077 --> 00:04:09,456 Markov had defected from Bulgaria 72 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,249 a decade earlier and subsequently moved to England. 73 00:04:14,594 --> 00:04:15,870 NARRATOR: In Bulgaria, 74 00:04:15,974 --> 00:04:18,284 he'd been an acclaimed playwright and satirist. 75 00:04:18,387 --> 00:04:19,974 But since moving to the U.K., 76 00:04:20,077 --> 00:04:22,353 he'd become one of the Soviet-backed regime's 77 00:04:22,456 --> 00:04:24,456 most prominent critics. 78 00:04:31,387 --> 00:04:35,284 The ruler of Bulgaria, Zhivkov, is a dictator. 79 00:04:35,387 --> 00:04:40,732 This is not a man who's going to tolerate contradiction, 80 00:04:40,836 --> 00:04:42,111 dissent, or criticism. 81 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:45,560 NARRATOR: A potential assassination gets 82 00:04:45,663 --> 00:04:46,836 the British police's attention. 83 00:04:48,456 --> 00:04:51,939 Scotland yard orders an autopsy of Markov's body, 84 00:04:52,043 --> 00:04:54,456 because they know he's a Bulgarian defector, 85 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,215 and the circumstance of his death are suspicious. 86 00:04:57,318 --> 00:04:59,422 When they complete their investigation, 87 00:04:59,525 --> 00:05:04,111 they do find a tiny pinprick, as if he had been injected 88 00:05:04,215 --> 00:05:05,284 with something. 89 00:05:07,905 --> 00:05:10,318 NARRATOR: They excise the wound site and send it 90 00:05:10,422 --> 00:05:13,353 to the U.K.'s top secret biochemical weapons 91 00:05:13,456 --> 00:05:15,215 research center, 92 00:05:15,318 --> 00:05:17,043 Porton Down. 93 00:05:17,146 --> 00:05:18,422 MARKS: The team at Porton Down 94 00:05:18,525 --> 00:05:21,698 slice through the flesh with a scalpel, and it hits a tiny 95 00:05:21,801 --> 00:05:26,111 metal sphere, which is only 7/100ths of an inch across. 96 00:05:26,215 --> 00:05:28,974 NARRATOR: This is that minute sphere, 97 00:05:29,077 --> 00:05:31,284 magnified almost 1,000 times. 98 00:05:32,801 --> 00:05:36,939 Could something so tiny really be connected to Markov's death? 99 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,698 SELLA: We know that there are all kinds of 100 00:05:47,801 --> 00:05:49,629 poisonous metals out there, 101 00:05:49,732 --> 00:05:53,111 whether it's mercury or thallium, you know, 102 00:05:53,215 --> 00:05:55,974 there's a whole series of things in the periodic table 103 00:05:56,077 --> 00:05:59,043 which are unquestionably bad for you. 104 00:05:59,146 --> 00:06:03,801 NARRATOR: So, is Markov killed by toxic metal? 105 00:06:03,905 --> 00:06:06,905 SELLA: The analysis of this little sphere showed 106 00:06:07,008 --> 00:06:09,456 that it consisted 90 percent of platinum 107 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,043 and 10 percent of iridium, 108 00:06:11,146 --> 00:06:14,456 and those two metals are in a group in the periodic table, 109 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,180 which are referred to as the noble metals. 110 00:06:17,284 --> 00:06:19,353 These metals are incredibly 111 00:06:19,456 --> 00:06:22,318 chemically and also biologically inert. 112 00:06:22,422 --> 00:06:26,422 There's no way that the sphere itself, on its own, 113 00:06:26,525 --> 00:06:29,249 can explain the strange death of Georgi Markov. 114 00:06:31,284 --> 00:06:33,870 NARRATOR: So what does kill Markov? 115 00:06:38,249 --> 00:06:41,801 Two weeks after the attack on Markov, 116 00:06:41,905 --> 00:06:43,043 The British police receive 117 00:06:43,146 --> 00:06:45,284 a call from the French capital, Paris. 118 00:06:47,043 --> 00:06:49,698 It turns out that on August 26th, 119 00:06:49,801 --> 00:06:51,905 2 weeks before the Markov incident, 120 00:06:52,008 --> 00:06:53,939 another Bulgarian defector, 121 00:06:54,043 --> 00:06:58,525 a chap named Vladimir Kostov, reports that, as he was exiting 122 00:06:58,629 --> 00:07:00,974 a Paris metro station, he felt 123 00:07:01,077 --> 00:07:03,732 a stinging sensation in his back. 124 00:07:03,836 --> 00:07:05,663 NARRATOR: Kostov falls ill with almost 125 00:07:05,767 --> 00:07:08,284 exactly the same symptoms as Markov. 126 00:07:08,387 --> 00:07:11,353 But unlike Markov, he survives. 127 00:07:11,456 --> 00:07:13,870 AUERBACH: When doctors investigate further, 128 00:07:13,974 --> 00:07:15,836 they find something very familiar -- 129 00:07:15,939 --> 00:07:20,767 a tiny pinprick in his back, and in that pinprick, 130 00:07:20,870 --> 00:07:23,801 a minuscule metal sphere. 131 00:07:23,905 --> 00:07:26,387 On Tuesday, a metal object was removed from the back of 132 00:07:26,491 --> 00:07:29,767 Mr. Kostov, and our scientists have now examined this, 133 00:07:29,870 --> 00:07:32,043 and we're quite satisfied it's identical in size 134 00:07:32,146 --> 00:07:32,870 and composition. 135 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:38,663 NARRATOR: Police are now convinced 136 00:07:38,767 --> 00:07:41,077 the metal sphere kills Markoff. 137 00:07:46,732 --> 00:07:47,801 So, it can only be 138 00:07:47,905 --> 00:07:50,870 something contained within the microscopic holes. 139 00:07:53,146 --> 00:07:54,974 Whatever the substance was, 140 00:07:55,077 --> 00:07:58,043 It was only a fifth of a thousandth of a gram, 141 00:07:58,146 --> 00:08:00,353 and that was enough to kill a grown man. 142 00:08:02,732 --> 00:08:05,180 BENECKE: Most of the chemical agents known, for example, 143 00:08:05,284 --> 00:08:09,525 cyanide or arsenic, need much higher amounts of the chemical 144 00:08:09,629 --> 00:08:11,284 compared to what was seen in Markov. 145 00:08:11,387 --> 00:08:14,698 So synthetic toxins could be crossed off the list. 146 00:08:16,387 --> 00:08:19,491 NARRATOR: There is just one class of toxin that might fit. 147 00:08:21,801 --> 00:08:24,836 The toxic substances that are left are now biological 148 00:08:24,939 --> 00:08:26,111 substances, for example, 149 00:08:26,215 --> 00:08:30,008 those that you could extract out of spiders, snakes, 150 00:08:30,111 --> 00:08:34,387 plants or any other biological living being. 151 00:08:34,491 --> 00:08:36,836 NARRATOR: And one biotoxin in particular 152 00:08:36,939 --> 00:08:39,146 stands out from the rest. 153 00:08:39,249 --> 00:08:40,456 BENECKE: Inside of the holes 154 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:43,974 was a poison, which is very, very dangerous and quite lethal. 155 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,249 NARRATOR: And there is no antidote. 156 00:08:57,698 --> 00:09:00,008 NARRATOR: British scientists have finally identified 157 00:09:00,111 --> 00:09:02,249 the poison concealed inside the sphere 158 00:09:02,353 --> 00:09:04,043 that kills Georgi Markov... 159 00:09:06,043 --> 00:09:07,594 ...ricin. 160 00:09:07,698 --> 00:09:11,525 Ricin is really easy to get, because it comes out of 161 00:09:11,629 --> 00:09:13,387 castor oil beans, 162 00:09:13,491 --> 00:09:15,525 and the oil itself is not dangerous, 163 00:09:15,629 --> 00:09:19,180 but the waste that remains in huge amounts 164 00:09:19,284 --> 00:09:21,974 contains the highly toxic substance ricin. 165 00:09:22,077 --> 00:09:24,456 NARRATOR: When ricin enters the bloodstream, 166 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,318 it blocks cells from producing essential proteins. 167 00:09:29,146 --> 00:09:32,905 The reaction in the body is rapid and extremely dangerous. 168 00:09:33,008 --> 00:09:37,387 Ricin causes vomiting, a very high white blood cell count, 169 00:09:37,491 --> 00:09:40,215 fever, sweating, abdominal pain. 170 00:09:40,318 --> 00:09:43,456 This is all very typical for poisoning, and since Markoff 171 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:45,318 had exactly those symptoms, 172 00:09:45,422 --> 00:09:48,043 this is a clear sign that he was poisoned with ricin. 173 00:09:50,043 --> 00:09:53,801 NARRATOR: So why doesn't Kostov die in Paris? 174 00:09:53,905 --> 00:09:57,043 The French sphere turns out to be identical 175 00:09:57,146 --> 00:10:01,318 to the Markov sphere in all respects except one. 176 00:10:01,422 --> 00:10:03,387 The holes are not empty. 177 00:10:03,491 --> 00:10:06,422 They contain tiny amounts of a substance -- 178 00:10:06,525 --> 00:10:10,249 not poison, but something quite innocuous... 179 00:10:10,353 --> 00:10:11,353 wax. 180 00:10:13,284 --> 00:10:16,767 NARRATOR: Investigators believe the wax acts as a plug. 181 00:10:16,870 --> 00:10:19,318 So the sphere itself is simply 182 00:10:19,422 --> 00:10:21,905 the delivery mechanism for this poison. 183 00:10:22,008 --> 00:10:26,111 The poison is tucked away inside, capped with wax. 184 00:10:26,215 --> 00:10:29,663 NARRATOR: Until the sphere enters the body. 185 00:10:29,767 --> 00:10:32,043 SELLA: At that point, it warms up 186 00:10:32,146 --> 00:10:33,836 and releases the goods. 187 00:10:35,456 --> 00:10:37,077 NARRATOR: Scientists suspect 188 00:10:37,180 --> 00:10:40,456 that Kostov's survival is dumb luck. 189 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,387 The sphere enters part of his back 190 00:10:42,491 --> 00:10:44,663 where there are fewer large blood vessels. 191 00:10:44,767 --> 00:10:48,111 So by the time the wax melts and the poison starts to 192 00:10:48,215 --> 00:10:52,180 circulate, his body has begun to protect itself. 193 00:10:52,284 --> 00:10:56,698 In Kostov's case, there was blood clotting taking place, 194 00:10:56,801 --> 00:10:58,387 and this prevented poison from 195 00:10:58,491 --> 00:11:00,387 getting out of the little sphere. 196 00:11:04,215 --> 00:11:06,456 NARRATOR: Markov is killed by a speck 197 00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:10,284 of ricin contained in this microscopic sphere. 198 00:11:10,387 --> 00:11:12,836 But the truly bizarre story is how 199 00:11:12,939 --> 00:11:15,456 it gets into Markov in the first place. 200 00:11:18,801 --> 00:11:24,491 Before Markov dies, he tells hospital staff a strange tale 201 00:11:24,594 --> 00:11:28,077 that sounds like something out of a John le Carre novel. 202 00:11:28,180 --> 00:11:29,732 On the afternoon of September 7th, 203 00:11:29,836 --> 00:11:32,974 Markoff was on his way to work at the BBC. 204 00:11:33,077 --> 00:11:35,422 He crosses Waterloo Bridge, and as he's waiting 205 00:11:35,525 --> 00:11:36,698 at a bus station, 206 00:11:36,801 --> 00:11:39,284 he feels a sharp jab in his thigh. 207 00:11:39,387 --> 00:11:42,146 He hears someone say, "I'm sorry," 208 00:11:42,249 --> 00:11:44,801 looks around, and sees a man he doesn't recognize 209 00:11:44,905 --> 00:11:48,629 pick up an umbrella and step into a cab and speed off. 210 00:11:48,732 --> 00:11:50,560 Only hours later, he starts to feel all 211 00:11:50,663 --> 00:11:52,077 these terrible symptoms. 212 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:54,663 NARRATOR: Is the umbrella a weapon? 213 00:11:54,767 --> 00:11:56,629 There's no way to know, because 214 00:11:56,732 --> 00:12:00,043 the umbrella and the suspect have disappeared. 215 00:12:00,146 --> 00:12:02,732 Within a year of Markov's death, 216 00:12:02,836 --> 00:12:05,387 the police case has stalled. 217 00:12:06,698 --> 00:12:09,663 It is 10 more years before they catch a break. 218 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:13,698 [indistinct shouting] 219 00:12:13,801 --> 00:12:17,043 AUERBACH: On the 10th of November 1989, 220 00:12:17,146 --> 00:12:19,215 one day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 221 00:12:19,318 --> 00:12:22,422 Zhivkov is ousted as the dictator of Bulgaria, 222 00:12:22,525 --> 00:12:26,698 communism there falls, and the secrets start to tumble out. 223 00:12:26,801 --> 00:12:29,974 Investigators exploring the Communist Interior Ministry 224 00:12:30,077 --> 00:12:34,318 make a startling discovery -- they stumble upon a stack of 225 00:12:34,422 --> 00:12:38,663 these umbrellas modified to fire tiny metal pellets. 226 00:12:38,767 --> 00:12:41,008 NARRATOR: Now, investigators know the umbrella gun is 227 00:12:41,111 --> 00:12:45,249 real, and they understand exactly how it works. 228 00:12:45,353 --> 00:12:48,077 MARKS: This device looked like any normal umbrella. 229 00:12:48,180 --> 00:12:50,836 When you pushed the button to open the umbrella, 230 00:12:50,939 --> 00:12:54,422 it acted as a firing trigger, and this released a gas stored 231 00:12:54,525 --> 00:12:56,836 in the cylinder in the stem of the umbrella. 232 00:12:56,939 --> 00:12:58,422 The gas propels the sphere with 233 00:12:58,525 --> 00:13:00,974 enough force to pierce through the flesh. 234 00:13:03,249 --> 00:13:06,284 NARRATOR: The police now know precisely how Markoff died. 235 00:13:08,318 --> 00:13:11,905 The one thing they don't know is who pulled the trigger. 236 00:13:16,077 --> 00:13:17,594 There's a lot of people who come under 237 00:13:17,698 --> 00:13:21,146 suspicion as possibly being the man with the umbrella. 238 00:13:21,249 --> 00:13:24,077 NARRATOR: Among them is a man thought to 239 00:13:24,180 --> 00:13:26,456 be associated with the Bulgarian government, 240 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:30,491 Francesco Gullino. 241 00:13:30,594 --> 00:13:32,939 He's known to have made several trips to London, 242 00:13:33,043 --> 00:13:35,146 including one right around the time of 243 00:13:35,249 --> 00:13:36,594 Markov's assassination. 244 00:13:36,698 --> 00:13:39,870 And it's also known that he left for Rome the day after. 245 00:13:41,284 --> 00:13:44,560 Evidence puts him at the right place and the right time. 246 00:13:44,663 --> 00:13:47,215 And Gullino is questioned by the international police 247 00:13:47,318 --> 00:13:48,560 in 1993. 248 00:13:49,939 --> 00:13:53,629 NARRATOR: But the evidence is circumstantial at best. 249 00:13:53,732 --> 00:13:56,146 Gullino dies in August 2021. 250 00:13:57,663 --> 00:14:00,663 Nobody has ever charged with Markov's murder. 251 00:14:00,767 --> 00:14:05,732 Even now, more than 40 years after Markov's death, 252 00:14:05,836 --> 00:14:09,146 the only solid evidence we have of his assassination is 253 00:14:09,249 --> 00:14:13,422 this strange metal sphere no bigger than the head of a pin. 254 00:14:14,732 --> 00:14:17,594 Whoever was ultimately responsible for this attack, 255 00:14:17,698 --> 00:14:18,905 one thing is certainly true -- 256 00:14:19,008 --> 00:14:22,008 sometimes, very, very bad things come in very, 257 00:14:22,111 --> 00:14:23,284 very small packages. 258 00:14:30,146 --> 00:14:31,456 NARRATOR: At Oxford University's History of 259 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,387 Science Museum is an extraordinary device. 260 00:14:35,594 --> 00:14:37,732 This elegant, intricate contraption is 261 00:14:37,836 --> 00:14:39,387 hundreds of years old, 262 00:14:39,491 --> 00:14:42,525 and it straddles the borderlands between science 263 00:14:42,629 --> 00:14:44,767 and superstition. 264 00:14:44,870 --> 00:14:47,629 We are still trying to understand 265 00:14:47,732 --> 00:14:49,353 how exactly they work. 266 00:14:50,870 --> 00:14:52,905 NARRATOR: Now, using the latest technology, 267 00:14:53,008 --> 00:14:57,387 we are going to open up this incredible instrument, layer by 268 00:14:57,491 --> 00:15:00,905 layer, to uncover its hidden secrets. 269 00:15:02,215 --> 00:15:04,663 It measures nearly 8 inches across. 270 00:15:04,767 --> 00:15:07,318 Intricately etched plates and dials cover 271 00:15:07,422 --> 00:15:12,491 both faces, and it changed the way we look at the universe. 272 00:15:14,525 --> 00:15:17,663 It can predict everything that is going on in the heavens. 273 00:15:19,008 --> 00:15:22,939 NARRATOR: But it was intended for more than astronomy. 274 00:15:23,043 --> 00:15:26,043 This one in particular has a series of markings 275 00:15:26,146 --> 00:15:27,905 and inscriptions that indicate 276 00:15:28,008 --> 00:15:31,491 that it was also used in connection to medicine. 277 00:15:31,594 --> 00:15:33,353 NARRATOR: But what makes this device truly 278 00:15:33,456 --> 00:15:36,043 special is the identity of its owner, 279 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:41,180 [speaking German] 280 00:15:41,284 --> 00:15:42,732 someone who is claimed to 281 00:15:42,836 --> 00:15:45,422 have prophesied world-changing events. 282 00:15:46,905 --> 00:15:51,043 It is said to have belonged to a man that allegedly 283 00:15:51,146 --> 00:15:55,594 predicted 9/11 or the rise of Hitler centuries before 284 00:15:55,698 --> 00:15:57,249 they happen. 285 00:15:57,353 --> 00:15:58,974 And this man was Nostradamus. 286 00:15:59,077 --> 00:16:02,284 NARRATOR: Experts believe this could be 287 00:16:02,387 --> 00:16:04,387 the device Nostradamus used to 288 00:16:04,491 --> 00:16:06,698 make his infamous predictions. 289 00:16:06,801 --> 00:16:09,146 Essentially, it is a kind of 290 00:16:09,249 --> 00:16:12,008 way of predicting what the future is going to bring. 291 00:16:13,215 --> 00:16:16,422 NARRATOR: What is this extraordinary machine? 292 00:16:16,525 --> 00:16:18,560 Is it really a medical device? 293 00:16:18,663 --> 00:16:21,318 Who is Nostradamus? 294 00:16:21,422 --> 00:16:24,318 And can he really use this to predict the future? 295 00:16:38,629 --> 00:16:43,043 This beautiful device is an astrolabe. 296 00:16:43,146 --> 00:16:46,043 BALL: The face of the astrolabe is a kind of 297 00:16:46,146 --> 00:16:48,974 two-dimensional map of the night sky. 298 00:16:49,077 --> 00:16:51,008 Overhead, there is this dome 299 00:16:51,111 --> 00:16:54,008 of the night sky, and it's projected 300 00:16:54,111 --> 00:16:56,870 onto this flat sort of two-dimensional system in 301 00:16:56,974 --> 00:16:59,939 much the same way that the surface of the Earth is 302 00:17:00,043 --> 00:17:03,801 projected onto a flat surface in an ordinary map. 303 00:17:07,422 --> 00:17:08,422 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: The name comes from the Greek, 304 00:17:08,525 --> 00:17:12,180 so astrolabe means the taker of the stars, 305 00:17:12,284 --> 00:17:15,353 and it's a very nice image, because you are 306 00:17:15,456 --> 00:17:19,698 able to encompass the whole of the universe with this tool 307 00:17:19,801 --> 00:17:22,249 you can hold in your hands. 308 00:17:22,353 --> 00:17:26,732 BALL: An astrolabe has various moving parts that allows one to 309 00:17:26,836 --> 00:17:29,594 predict the altitude of 310 00:17:29,698 --> 00:17:34,180 a particular star above the horizon at a particular time 311 00:17:34,284 --> 00:17:35,836 and place of the year. 312 00:17:35,939 --> 00:17:40,043 So it's really a device for making sense of the night sky. 313 00:17:41,939 --> 00:17:44,043 NARRATOR: But it's so much more than that. 314 00:17:48,146 --> 00:17:52,249 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: It could be used to measure distances, 315 00:17:52,353 --> 00:17:54,284 to calculate the heights of buildings. 316 00:17:54,387 --> 00:17:57,905 It could be used to forecast tides. 317 00:17:58,008 --> 00:17:59,594 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: There were special astrolabes 318 00:17:59,698 --> 00:18:01,456 that were used for navigation. 319 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:05,008 One 10th century philosopher suggested that there 320 00:18:05,111 --> 00:18:08,560 were a thousand uses for the astrolabe. 321 00:18:08,663 --> 00:18:12,594 NARRATOR: This is one of the most stunning in existence, 322 00:18:12,698 --> 00:18:15,077 because it's not just an astrolabe. 323 00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:18,629 BALL: It's really two devices in one. 324 00:18:20,180 --> 00:18:23,974 NARRATOR: One face is the star predicting astrolabe, 325 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:29,215 while the device on the opposite face is for the planets. 326 00:18:31,939 --> 00:18:33,939 BALL: This is called an equatorium. 327 00:18:35,456 --> 00:18:38,629 The planets are harder to follow, because unlike 328 00:18:38,732 --> 00:18:40,422 the stars, they're moving much more. 329 00:18:40,525 --> 00:18:42,146 That's, in fact, what planet means. 330 00:18:42,249 --> 00:18:43,284 It means wanderer. 331 00:18:43,387 --> 00:18:45,801 These were -- seemed to be star-like objects 332 00:18:45,905 --> 00:18:47,732 that wandered around the sky. 333 00:18:49,387 --> 00:18:52,698 It extends both into the past and into the future. 334 00:18:54,939 --> 00:18:57,215 So you can predict really at any time in 335 00:18:57,318 --> 00:18:59,525 the future where the planets are going to be. 336 00:18:59,629 --> 00:19:01,525 You can also project back into 337 00:19:01,629 --> 00:19:05,077 the past to predict where they were. 338 00:19:07,698 --> 00:19:12,008 So really, this device gives you, in one package, a way of 339 00:19:12,111 --> 00:19:15,732 understanding and predicting the movements of the entirety 340 00:19:15,836 --> 00:19:18,146 of what you could see in the night sky. 341 00:19:18,249 --> 00:19:20,318 NARRATOR: An astrolabe and an equatorium 342 00:19:20,422 --> 00:19:23,146 in a single device is virtually unheard of. 343 00:19:23,249 --> 00:19:24,284 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: That's really rare. 344 00:19:24,387 --> 00:19:27,387 We only have three that have come down to us, 345 00:19:27,491 --> 00:19:29,663 and we are still trying to understand 346 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:31,560 how exactly they work. 347 00:19:31,663 --> 00:19:33,767 NARRATOR: But one thing is clear -- 348 00:19:33,870 --> 00:19:36,732 this is a high-precision instrument. 349 00:19:38,974 --> 00:19:42,180 ESCOLANO-POVEDA This astrolabe is not only really beautiful 350 00:19:42,284 --> 00:19:46,284 and really breathtaking to look at, but it's also very precise. 351 00:19:46,387 --> 00:19:51,077 Very complex calculations go into making all these scales, 352 00:19:51,180 --> 00:19:54,215 all these different parts. 353 00:19:54,318 --> 00:19:56,767 NARRATOR: But did this rare and specialized piece 354 00:19:56,870 --> 00:20:00,525 of equipment really belong to the infamous Nostradamus? 355 00:20:04,801 --> 00:20:08,008 We have very strong clues to 356 00:20:08,111 --> 00:20:10,801 the identity of the astrolabe's owner. 357 00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:14,043 Records show the astrolabe belonged to 358 00:20:14,146 --> 00:20:17,353 a rich French family called the d'Hautevilles, 359 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,111 and they had a very famous neighbor. 360 00:20:23,111 --> 00:20:24,387 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: Nostradamus, 361 00:20:24,491 --> 00:20:26,801 or Michel de Nostredame, lived very close 362 00:20:26,905 --> 00:20:31,180 to the d'Hauteville family for the last 19 years of his life. 363 00:20:31,284 --> 00:20:33,905 NARRATOR: Living in the same small French town, 364 00:20:34,008 --> 00:20:36,284 it's inevitable these prominent citizens 365 00:20:36,387 --> 00:20:38,422 would have known each other well, 366 00:20:38,525 --> 00:20:41,663 and when Nostradamus died, it's thought the d'Hauteville 367 00:20:41,767 --> 00:20:44,594 family may have acquired his astrolabe. 368 00:20:44,698 --> 00:20:47,284 They were certainly one of the few families in the region 369 00:20:47,387 --> 00:20:48,905 wealthy enough to have bought it. 370 00:20:50,698 --> 00:20:54,870 Another clue is inscribed on the astrolabe itself. 371 00:20:54,974 --> 00:20:57,905 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: We have this inscription, iniciv morbi, 372 00:20:58,008 --> 00:21:00,008 which means the onset of sickness, 373 00:21:00,111 --> 00:21:02,801 which would be used to calculate the beginning 374 00:21:02,905 --> 00:21:04,043 of fevers. 375 00:21:04,146 --> 00:21:07,456 Fevers normally happen at particular points 376 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:08,525 throughout the year, 377 00:21:08,629 --> 00:21:11,732 and this would need to be calculated. 378 00:21:11,836 --> 00:21:14,594 NARRATOR: This rare inscription regarding illness is 379 00:21:14,698 --> 00:21:19,284 significant, because Nostradamus is a doctor. 380 00:21:19,387 --> 00:21:24,249 Nostradamus was a physician, and he also had the economic 381 00:21:24,353 --> 00:21:28,146 power at the end of his life to acquire such a complex 382 00:21:28,249 --> 00:21:30,180 and expensive instrument. 383 00:21:30,284 --> 00:21:32,525 So if we put all the pieces together, 384 00:21:32,629 --> 00:21:35,732 there are many chances that these astrolabe could have 385 00:21:35,836 --> 00:21:38,180 actually belonged to Nostradamus. 386 00:21:40,905 --> 00:21:43,353 NARRATOR: But why does a famous doctor need 387 00:21:43,456 --> 00:21:46,801 a device that reads the stars and planets? 388 00:21:51,836 --> 00:21:53,422 In the Middle Ages, 389 00:21:53,525 --> 00:21:56,560 astronomy and astrology are an integral part of medicine. 390 00:21:58,387 --> 00:22:00,663 There was a belief at that time that there was 391 00:22:00,767 --> 00:22:02,525 a correspondence between what 392 00:22:02,629 --> 00:22:06,249 was happening in the heavens and what was happening on Earth 393 00:22:06,353 --> 00:22:07,422 and in the body. 394 00:22:07,525 --> 00:22:11,111 Each one of the Zodiacal constellations had particular 395 00:22:11,215 --> 00:22:13,318 characteristics that would transfer 396 00:22:13,422 --> 00:22:15,836 those characteristics to that part of the body. 397 00:22:17,249 --> 00:22:20,629 So Aries got the head, Gemini got the shoulders, and poor 398 00:22:20,732 --> 00:22:22,836 Scorpio ended up with the genitals. 399 00:22:24,215 --> 00:22:26,387 NARRATOR: The Zodiac constellations also 400 00:22:26,491 --> 00:22:28,732 take the blame for specific illnesses. 401 00:22:28,836 --> 00:22:30,974 Pisces, Cancer, and Capricorn 402 00:22:31,077 --> 00:22:33,767 cause diseases involving sores, scales, and fistulas. 403 00:22:33,870 --> 00:22:36,732 While Sagittarius and Gemini are responsible 404 00:22:36,836 --> 00:22:39,353 for falling fits or epileptic seizures. 405 00:22:39,456 --> 00:22:43,008 NARRATOR: And planets have their own unique role in 406 00:22:43,111 --> 00:22:44,491 medieval medicine. 407 00:22:45,698 --> 00:22:48,146 STEELE: Planets were in charge of really rather 408 00:22:48,249 --> 00:22:50,318 random collections of parts of the human body. 409 00:22:50,422 --> 00:22:53,525 For example, Saturn controls the right ear and the spleen, 410 00:22:53,629 --> 00:22:55,008 while Jupiter controls 411 00:22:55,111 --> 00:22:58,456 the lungs and arteries, and poor Mercury gets speech, 412 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:00,146 thought, and the buttocks. 413 00:23:01,456 --> 00:23:04,491 NARRATOR: So the astrolabe is a vital 414 00:23:04,594 --> 00:23:07,663 diagnostic tool for a doctor like Nostradamus. 415 00:23:10,422 --> 00:23:13,767 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: Nostradamus would use the astrolabe in order 416 00:23:13,870 --> 00:23:16,077 to calculate the horoscope of this person 417 00:23:16,180 --> 00:23:18,767 and see where the sun, the moon, 418 00:23:18,870 --> 00:23:21,422 the planets, and the stars were at the birth of 419 00:23:21,525 --> 00:23:23,905 this particular person. 420 00:23:24,008 --> 00:23:26,456 Secondly, the time they got ill, as its 421 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:28,801 Zodiac characteristics had to be assessed. 422 00:23:28,905 --> 00:23:31,008 And thirdly, a decision would need to be made about the best 423 00:23:31,111 --> 00:23:33,043 day to try bleeding, bathing, 424 00:23:33,146 --> 00:23:35,836 sweating, and so on based on the locations and phases of 425 00:23:35,939 --> 00:23:37,043 the moon in the Zodiac -- 426 00:23:37,146 --> 00:23:40,215 another job for the equatorium. 427 00:23:40,318 --> 00:23:43,525 NARRATOR: Nostradamus then looks to the astrological sign 428 00:23:43,629 --> 00:23:47,077 that rules over the diagnosed disease. 429 00:23:47,180 --> 00:23:48,974 STEELE: So Nostradamus would have known that if 430 00:23:49,077 --> 00:23:50,491 the problem was with the spine, then the orbit 431 00:23:50,594 --> 00:23:52,560 of the sun would have been important, while if it was 432 00:23:52,663 --> 00:23:54,939 the liver, then Jupiter needed to be tracked, 433 00:23:55,043 --> 00:23:57,594 all of which could be done with his equatorium. 434 00:23:59,491 --> 00:24:02,905 NARRATOR: All this seems a long way from supposedly predicting 435 00:24:03,008 --> 00:24:07,180 the rise of Hitler and the assassination of JFK. 436 00:24:07,284 --> 00:24:11,629 So what transforms Nostradamus from a medic into a prophet? 437 00:24:13,249 --> 00:24:16,111 And what does this strange device have to do with it? 438 00:24:30,180 --> 00:24:33,043 NARRATOR: In the 16th century, Nostradamus works as 439 00:24:33,146 --> 00:24:37,560 a physician, using the astrolabe to treat patients. 440 00:24:37,663 --> 00:24:41,318 But it's a bad time to be a doctor. 441 00:24:44,767 --> 00:24:47,629 STEELE: The continent was ravaged by plague, 442 00:24:47,732 --> 00:24:49,629 which was an incredibly deadly disease. 443 00:24:52,180 --> 00:24:53,422 And nobody knew what caused it. 444 00:24:53,525 --> 00:24:55,836 It seemed to strike without apparent rhyme or reason. 445 00:24:57,318 --> 00:24:59,594 NARRATOR: When Nostradamus's wife and children are killed by 446 00:24:59,698 --> 00:25:03,008 the plague, he begins to move from medicine towards 447 00:25:03,111 --> 00:25:06,318 the occult and his infamous prophecies. 448 00:25:06,422 --> 00:25:10,836 Nostradamus tried to find a way of predicting what was 449 00:25:10,939 --> 00:25:12,732 going to happen so that he could 450 00:25:12,836 --> 00:25:16,560 be ready for another plague or another disaster. 451 00:25:18,077 --> 00:25:20,249 NARRATOR: He spends hours meditating. 452 00:25:20,353 --> 00:25:23,974 He has hallucinations or visions. 453 00:25:24,077 --> 00:25:26,801 These inspire his prophecies, which he then 454 00:25:26,905 --> 00:25:29,456 refines with the predictions of the astrolabe. 455 00:25:32,353 --> 00:25:36,284 This ability to be able to say at such and such a time 456 00:25:36,387 --> 00:25:37,456 on such and such a day, 457 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,180 this planet will be here and this star will be here, 458 00:25:40,284 --> 00:25:42,422 this would have looked like an astonishing, 459 00:25:42,525 --> 00:25:46,043 almost a magical capability. 460 00:25:46,146 --> 00:25:48,353 NARRATOR: The result is his 10-volume 461 00:25:48,456 --> 00:25:51,836 compendium of prophecies called the Centuries. 462 00:25:54,525 --> 00:25:57,801 But to avoid problems with the powerful Catholic church, 463 00:25:57,905 --> 00:26:02,077 Nostradamus deliberately obscures his prophetic writing. 464 00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:04,008 What he did was use 465 00:26:04,111 --> 00:26:09,043 metaphorical language and also words in different languages -- 466 00:26:09,146 --> 00:26:12,491 Latin, Greek -- in order to predict the future, 467 00:26:12,594 --> 00:26:16,008 but also to do it in, like, a veiled way. 468 00:26:16,111 --> 00:26:18,905 One example says, "The great man 469 00:26:19,008 --> 00:26:21,215 will be struck by a thunderbolt," 470 00:26:21,318 --> 00:26:23,284 and this has been associated 471 00:26:23,387 --> 00:26:25,870 with the murder of JFK. 472 00:26:31,663 --> 00:26:34,801 But of course, this is a very broad statement. 473 00:26:34,905 --> 00:26:37,870 A great man could be any kind of ruler, and a thunderbolt 474 00:26:37,974 --> 00:26:41,353 could be a gunshot, but it could also be a real 475 00:26:41,456 --> 00:26:46,422 thunderbolt or any other kind of violent event. 476 00:26:49,698 --> 00:26:51,456 NARRATOR: Nostradamus is also supposed to 477 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,111 have predicted the rise of Hitler. 478 00:26:56,043 --> 00:26:58,249 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: One of these lines 479 00:26:58,353 --> 00:27:00,525 says that in the west of Europe, 480 00:27:00,629 --> 00:27:03,801 a child born of poor parents will rise, 481 00:27:03,905 --> 00:27:07,732 but many people were born from poor families 482 00:27:07,836 --> 00:27:10,008 and then have obtained powers. 483 00:27:10,111 --> 00:27:13,801 So the problem of using this veiled language to present these 484 00:27:13,905 --> 00:27:17,491 predictions is that you can basically make them work 485 00:27:17,594 --> 00:27:19,008 for everything. 486 00:27:21,387 --> 00:27:23,387 NARRATOR: But there is one prediction 487 00:27:23,491 --> 00:27:25,905 Nostradamus doesn't obscure. 488 00:27:26,008 --> 00:27:28,008 ESCOLANO-POVEDA: In the evening prior to his death 489 00:27:28,111 --> 00:27:30,353 in July 1st, 1566, 490 00:27:30,456 --> 00:27:35,456 he said to his secretary that he wouldn't be found alive in 491 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,077 the next morning, and then he died the next day. 492 00:27:39,180 --> 00:27:41,767 But of course, if you're going to die during the night, 493 00:27:41,870 --> 00:27:44,043 you probably don't feel very well 494 00:27:44,146 --> 00:27:45,767 in the evening of that day. 495 00:27:47,353 --> 00:27:48,870 NARRATOR: Debate over the accuracy of 496 00:27:48,974 --> 00:27:52,146 Nostradamus's predictions will run and run. 497 00:27:52,249 --> 00:27:54,629 One thing we do know -- 498 00:27:54,732 --> 00:27:57,870 Nostradamus claims all his prophecies are based 499 00:27:57,974 --> 00:28:00,422 on astrological calculations 500 00:28:00,525 --> 00:28:02,836 that he may have made with this 501 00:28:02,939 --> 00:28:04,525 astonishing astrolabe. 502 00:28:14,387 --> 00:28:16,974 In a cabinet at the Science Museum 503 00:28:17,077 --> 00:28:20,594 in London sits a very odd device. 504 00:28:21,905 --> 00:28:24,698 It's such a strange-looking contraption. 505 00:28:24,801 --> 00:28:26,905 Does it do good or does it do bad? 506 00:28:28,077 --> 00:28:30,249 NARRATOR: It helped save thousands of lives 507 00:28:30,353 --> 00:28:31,629 all over the world. 508 00:28:31,732 --> 00:28:33,491 This strange thing was found in some 509 00:28:33,594 --> 00:28:35,629 of the deepest, darkest holes in the world. 510 00:28:35,732 --> 00:28:36,974 And it proved to be an incredibly 511 00:28:37,077 --> 00:28:40,353 simple solution to an industrial-sized problem. 512 00:28:40,456 --> 00:28:43,180 NARRATOR: Now, using the latest technology, 513 00:28:43,284 --> 00:28:47,629 we are bringing this amazing machine out of the darkness 514 00:28:47,732 --> 00:28:48,870 and into the light. 515 00:28:50,767 --> 00:28:55,629 Measuring around 10 inches tall and 4 inches wide, this... 516 00:28:55,732 --> 00:28:58,422 is the canary resuscitator. 517 00:28:58,525 --> 00:29:04,629 This simple metal-framed glass box changes the world. 518 00:29:04,732 --> 00:29:08,043 It actually became illegal to not use these birds. 519 00:29:08,146 --> 00:29:11,353 NARRATOR: So what is this strange device? 520 00:29:11,456 --> 00:29:14,974 What inspires its creation? 521 00:29:15,077 --> 00:29:18,284 How does it save people's lives, 522 00:29:18,387 --> 00:29:21,284 and why is there a tiny bird inside? 523 00:29:26,870 --> 00:29:30,215 In fact, that tiny bird is crucial 524 00:29:30,318 --> 00:29:32,974 to how this machine works. 525 00:29:33,077 --> 00:29:34,629 MARKS: Essentially, what you've got here is 526 00:29:34,732 --> 00:29:36,456 the world's most high-tech bird cage. 527 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:38,974 It's not so bad for the bird -- from inside it can see out, 528 00:29:39,077 --> 00:29:40,249 it's got windows. 529 00:29:40,353 --> 00:29:43,146 But the key thing about it is that it's supposed to keep 530 00:29:43,249 --> 00:29:45,732 the bird alive in a place where the atmosphere 531 00:29:45,836 --> 00:29:46,974 should kill it. 532 00:29:47,077 --> 00:29:50,249 NARRATOR: 110 years ago, the construction of this bird 533 00:29:50,353 --> 00:29:52,870 cage is cutting edge technology. 534 00:29:52,974 --> 00:29:55,905 SOMARA: It's a very engineering-focused device. 535 00:29:56,008 --> 00:29:58,353 There are screws, there are panes of glass, 536 00:29:58,456 --> 00:30:00,284 and once the bird is in the device, 537 00:30:00,387 --> 00:30:03,560 it can't get out -- there's a perforated metal grill. 538 00:30:03,663 --> 00:30:07,284 NARRATOR: The perforated grill inside the hinged 539 00:30:07,387 --> 00:30:10,146 porthole is key to its purpose. 540 00:30:10,249 --> 00:30:12,663 SOMARA: So once the porthole door is opened, 541 00:30:12,767 --> 00:30:15,249 the surrounding air rushes into that device. 542 00:30:15,353 --> 00:30:18,077 The bird breathes in that air -- if there's something dangerous 543 00:30:18,180 --> 00:30:19,836 in the air, the bird will pass out, 544 00:30:19,939 --> 00:30:22,111 and that's when you know there's something wrong. 545 00:30:22,215 --> 00:30:24,560 NARRATOR: The bird can be saved by shutting 546 00:30:24,663 --> 00:30:26,318 the airtight porthole, 547 00:30:26,422 --> 00:30:28,594 isolating it from the dangerous atmosphere. 548 00:30:29,836 --> 00:30:32,939 And that's where the tank on top comes in. 549 00:30:33,043 --> 00:30:37,249 There's a thin metal pipe that feeds oxygen into the space. 550 00:30:37,353 --> 00:30:39,629 It's airtight, and it's responsible 551 00:30:39,732 --> 00:30:41,249 for resuscitating the bird. 552 00:30:41,353 --> 00:30:43,491 It's almost like a tiny space capsule 553 00:30:43,594 --> 00:30:44,939 keeping that bird alive. 554 00:30:46,422 --> 00:30:47,732 NARRATOR: It seems like an awful lot of 555 00:30:47,836 --> 00:30:50,870 trouble to go to for a small bird. 556 00:30:50,974 --> 00:30:55,387 In reality, this strange contraption is a game changer. 557 00:30:56,801 --> 00:31:00,456 But what is a canary doing inside it in the first place? 558 00:31:08,732 --> 00:31:10,939 NARRATOR: This bizarre life-saving bird box plays 559 00:31:11,043 --> 00:31:15,249 a vital role in the rise of the modern world. 560 00:31:17,284 --> 00:31:19,077 At the end of the 19th century, 561 00:31:19,180 --> 00:31:23,146 heavy industries are sweeping all before them. 562 00:31:23,249 --> 00:31:25,353 MARKS: The world is powered by steam, 563 00:31:25,456 --> 00:31:28,663 and steam, in turn, is powered by coal. 564 00:31:28,767 --> 00:31:33,870 So coal is really fundamental to this new way of life. 565 00:31:33,974 --> 00:31:36,318 NARRATOR: But the more coal the world demands, 566 00:31:36,422 --> 00:31:38,870 the more hazardous coal mines become. 567 00:31:40,456 --> 00:31:43,353 MARKS: It was a really dangerous place to work. 568 00:31:43,456 --> 00:31:45,525 You were at the mercy of cave-ins. 569 00:31:45,629 --> 00:31:48,146 There was big machinery, they were using dynamite, 570 00:31:48,249 --> 00:31:50,353 there were potentially floods. 571 00:31:50,456 --> 00:31:53,387 NARRATOR: But the most feared ways of dying are invisible. 572 00:31:55,043 --> 00:31:55,939 The gases. 573 00:31:57,318 --> 00:32:00,456 All of the toxic gases are called damps, 574 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,491 based after the German word dampf, meaning vapor. 575 00:32:04,594 --> 00:32:07,387 There was almost a superstitious fear with 576 00:32:07,491 --> 00:32:09,870 the damps, because different damps 577 00:32:09,974 --> 00:32:12,491 killed people in different and sinister ways. 578 00:32:14,180 --> 00:32:16,146 NARRATOR: Fire damp, the term used for 579 00:32:16,249 --> 00:32:19,974 trapped flammable gasses, is the most violent 580 00:32:20,077 --> 00:32:22,387 SOMARA: Fire damp is methane, 581 00:32:22,491 --> 00:32:24,215 and you can imagine, these coal miners 582 00:32:24,318 --> 00:32:26,594 were walking around with candle lamps. 583 00:32:26,698 --> 00:32:30,801 Any naked flame would just ignite that methane. 584 00:32:33,043 --> 00:32:35,422 NARRATOR: White damp is a more subtle 585 00:32:35,525 --> 00:32:39,043 but equally deadly killer. 586 00:32:39,146 --> 00:32:42,698 White damp is mostly made up of carbon monoxide. 587 00:32:42,801 --> 00:32:46,180 It's odorless, colorless, tasteless, 588 00:32:46,284 --> 00:32:47,870 and lethal. 589 00:32:50,456 --> 00:32:51,698 STEELE: Every time you're exposed to it, 590 00:32:51,801 --> 00:32:53,008 a bit more of that carbon monoxide 591 00:32:53,111 --> 00:32:54,663 binds to your hemoglobin, 592 00:32:54,767 --> 00:32:57,698 slowly occupying more and more of the slots that are necessary 593 00:32:57,801 --> 00:32:59,525 to carry oxygen around your body. 594 00:32:59,629 --> 00:33:01,353 And if enough of those slots get filled, 595 00:33:01,456 --> 00:33:03,008 you can die within minutes. 596 00:33:03,111 --> 00:33:05,905 It's one of the most dangerous gases in mining, 597 00:33:06,008 --> 00:33:08,387 and one of the most difficult to detect. 598 00:33:10,284 --> 00:33:15,732 NARRATOR: In 1896, 57 men and 80 pit ponies 599 00:33:15,836 --> 00:33:18,663 die in a single incident in Wales. 600 00:33:18,767 --> 00:33:22,422 Oxford physiologist John Haldane is brought in 601 00:33:22,525 --> 00:33:24,594 to investigate. 602 00:33:24,698 --> 00:33:27,836 The bodies show no signs of fatal injuries, 603 00:33:27,939 --> 00:33:31,939 but they do have a familiar pink tinge. 604 00:33:32,043 --> 00:33:34,422 This pink tinge to the skin is one 605 00:33:34,525 --> 00:33:37,560 of the telltale signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. 606 00:33:37,663 --> 00:33:39,560 This demonstrated that it was the white damp, 607 00:33:39,663 --> 00:33:41,767 this silent killer that had killed these men. 608 00:33:45,249 --> 00:33:47,146 NARRATOR: Haldane sets out to find a way 609 00:33:47,249 --> 00:33:49,836 to detect carbon monoxide, 610 00:33:49,939 --> 00:33:52,422 which is where the canaries come in. 611 00:33:53,732 --> 00:33:56,939 But why canaries? 612 00:34:00,456 --> 00:34:02,008 In the late 19th century, 613 00:34:02,111 --> 00:34:05,801 there's no machine capable of detecting carbon monoxide. 614 00:34:05,905 --> 00:34:08,008 But what about an animal? 615 00:34:09,594 --> 00:34:13,146 Physiologist John Haldane locks himself away in his lab, 616 00:34:13,249 --> 00:34:15,180 searching for answers. 617 00:34:15,284 --> 00:34:18,422 He studies mice and quickly discovers they are up 618 00:34:18,525 --> 00:34:22,974 to 20 times more sensitive to carbon monoxide than humans. 619 00:34:23,077 --> 00:34:24,836 Unfortunately, there's a problem with mice. 620 00:34:24,939 --> 00:34:26,939 And that problem is they sleep a lot. 621 00:34:27,043 --> 00:34:28,836 And that means if you see a mouse that's not moving 622 00:34:28,939 --> 00:34:30,663 in its little cage, how do you know 623 00:34:30,767 --> 00:34:32,560 whether it's suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning 624 00:34:32,663 --> 00:34:33,801 or just taking a nap? 625 00:34:35,111 --> 00:34:38,146 NARRATOR: Birds turn out to be much more promising. 626 00:34:38,249 --> 00:34:41,491 They sit on their perch, and if a bird falls off of its perch, 627 00:34:41,594 --> 00:34:44,663 you know it's not sleeping, but it's been overcome. 628 00:34:44,767 --> 00:34:46,801 NARRATOR: And Haldane discovers birds are even 629 00:34:46,905 --> 00:34:50,732 more sensitive to carbon monoxide than mice. 630 00:34:50,836 --> 00:34:52,698 They've got a very advanced respiratory system, 631 00:34:52,801 --> 00:34:55,180 because birds have an incredibly fast metabolism 632 00:34:55,284 --> 00:34:57,284 for one simple reason -- they fly. 633 00:34:59,836 --> 00:35:02,629 And flying expends an absolutely huge amount of energy 634 00:35:02,732 --> 00:35:04,043 per unit weight, 635 00:35:06,146 --> 00:35:08,525 which means they have to inhale huge amounts of oxygen 636 00:35:08,629 --> 00:35:10,180 to power all those chemical reactions 637 00:35:10,284 --> 00:35:11,491 that allow them to stay in the air. 638 00:35:13,422 --> 00:35:16,629 That means they breathe a huge amount more air per unit volume 639 00:35:16,732 --> 00:35:17,801 than a human does, 640 00:35:17,905 --> 00:35:19,698 and are therefore much more susceptible to tiny 641 00:35:19,801 --> 00:35:21,594 concentrations of airborne toxins. 642 00:35:21,698 --> 00:35:26,491 NARRATOR: There are literally thousands of bird species. 643 00:35:26,594 --> 00:35:29,594 So what is so special 644 00:35:29,698 --> 00:35:31,801 about canaries? 645 00:35:31,905 --> 00:35:34,422 Canaries sing, particularly the male birds 646 00:35:34,525 --> 00:35:35,732 are singing almost constantly. 647 00:35:37,387 --> 00:35:38,905 And let's face it, when you're a miner, 648 00:35:39,008 --> 00:35:41,077 you don't have a lot of time to be watching over your bird. 649 00:35:41,180 --> 00:35:42,939 You're too busy mining. 650 00:35:43,043 --> 00:35:44,008 So that means that they might 651 00:35:44,111 --> 00:35:45,801 just notice the canary stops singing. 652 00:35:47,318 --> 00:35:51,215 NARRATOR: Haldane's canaries rapidly transform 653 00:35:51,318 --> 00:35:53,905 the dangerous world of mining. 654 00:35:54,008 --> 00:35:57,077 On February the 15th, 1901, there's a devastating 655 00:35:57,180 --> 00:35:59,215 mining accident in Fife, 656 00:35:59,318 --> 00:36:02,008 and the mine becomes flooded with carbon monoxide. 657 00:36:02,111 --> 00:36:03,870 One of the survivors, Archibald Ramsay, 658 00:36:03,974 --> 00:36:06,249 went back in to rescue other miners, 659 00:36:06,353 --> 00:36:09,008 taking two canaries with him, and afterwards, he said 660 00:36:09,111 --> 00:36:12,905 definitively that it was the canaries who kept him alive. 661 00:36:13,008 --> 00:36:14,801 NARRATOR: This leads to the slightly bizarre 662 00:36:14,905 --> 00:36:18,525 situation of an actual canary law. 663 00:36:18,629 --> 00:36:21,456 MARKS: Haldane's findings about canaries are considered 664 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:23,318 so important that, by 1911, 665 00:36:23,422 --> 00:36:25,629 they actually pass a law in parliament to say 666 00:36:25,732 --> 00:36:28,387 you must take canaries into the mines, and this isn't 667 00:36:28,491 --> 00:36:29,594 confined to Britain. 668 00:36:29,698 --> 00:36:32,387 Once people realize how vital canaries are, 669 00:36:32,491 --> 00:36:35,043 they become used all over the world as a standard in 670 00:36:35,146 --> 00:36:36,387 coal mining. 671 00:36:36,491 --> 00:36:40,077 NARRATOR: By 1914, canaries are saving the lives 672 00:36:40,180 --> 00:36:45,077 of 800 men a year in Britain alone. 673 00:36:45,180 --> 00:36:51,008 But where does the idea of building 674 00:36:51,111 --> 00:36:53,077 a resuscitator for them come from? 675 00:37:03,870 --> 00:37:05,767 NARRATOR: For the beginning of the 20th century, 676 00:37:05,870 --> 00:37:08,732 the canary resuscitator is a sophisticated piece 677 00:37:08,836 --> 00:37:10,077 of technology. 678 00:37:13,008 --> 00:37:15,422 It is the work of the British engineering company, 679 00:37:15,525 --> 00:37:16,422 Siebe Gorman. 680 00:37:17,767 --> 00:37:20,180 STEELE: Siebe Gorman were a company who specialized in 681 00:37:20,284 --> 00:37:23,077 building diving helmets since the 1830s, and that meant 682 00:37:23,180 --> 00:37:24,974 they knew a lot about the critical technologies to 683 00:37:25,077 --> 00:37:26,180 building the resuscitator -- 684 00:37:26,284 --> 00:37:29,491 providing oxygen and air-tight seals. 685 00:37:29,594 --> 00:37:32,560 NARRATOR: And by the time they build this canary resuscitator, 686 00:37:32,663 --> 00:37:34,008 Siebe Gorman have already 687 00:37:34,111 --> 00:37:37,077 developed expertise in this kind of technology. 688 00:37:37,180 --> 00:37:38,801 In 1902, 689 00:37:38,905 --> 00:37:41,456 they actually built a man-sized respirator 690 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:43,629 for mine rescue, which bought the miner 691 00:37:43,732 --> 00:37:47,491 about two hours working in this toxic environment. 692 00:37:47,594 --> 00:37:50,111 This same technology, now called the Proto, 693 00:37:50,215 --> 00:37:53,801 was also used in World War I for any regions that suffered from 694 00:37:53,905 --> 00:37:55,629 chemical weapons. 695 00:37:55,732 --> 00:37:58,180 NARRATOR: The company's expertise in respiration 696 00:37:58,284 --> 00:38:01,870 and diving is obvious in the construction of the device. 697 00:38:01,974 --> 00:38:04,974 SOMARA: If you look carefully, there are rubber seals on 698 00:38:05,077 --> 00:38:07,077 the panes of glass and the screws 699 00:38:07,180 --> 00:38:08,318 that hold it all together, 700 00:38:08,422 --> 00:38:10,663 but also on the porthole door. 701 00:38:10,767 --> 00:38:13,215 And that's exactly the same kind of technology that's used 702 00:38:13,318 --> 00:38:14,905 in diving equipment. 703 00:38:15,008 --> 00:38:17,043 NARRATOR: This diving technology makes 704 00:38:17,146 --> 00:38:19,629 the resuscitator airtight. 705 00:38:19,732 --> 00:38:22,801 As soon as the miner detected that the bird was in some kind 706 00:38:22,905 --> 00:38:26,043 of distress, the miner would shut the porthole door, 707 00:38:26,146 --> 00:38:28,043 sealing the air inside it. 708 00:38:28,146 --> 00:38:30,456 They then open the valve to the tank, 709 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,698 and all the toxic air would be flushed out, 710 00:38:32,801 --> 00:38:34,318 hopefully saving the bird. 711 00:38:37,318 --> 00:38:39,663 NARRATOR: The black and white paint on the tank indicates 712 00:38:39,767 --> 00:38:43,939 that the contents are pure oxygen rather than simply air, 713 00:38:44,043 --> 00:38:47,387 and that is vital to saving the tiny bird. 714 00:38:47,491 --> 00:38:49,491 STEELE: The higher the concentration of the oxygen, 715 00:38:49,594 --> 00:38:50,905 the easier it is for your lungs, 716 00:38:51,008 --> 00:38:53,318 even if they are in some kind of trouble, to absorb enough to 717 00:38:53,422 --> 00:38:54,974 keep the rest of your body alive. 718 00:38:55,077 --> 00:38:56,939 If you're a canary who's just breathed in a bunch 719 00:38:57,043 --> 00:38:58,801 of toxic gas, then it's far safer 720 00:38:58,905 --> 00:39:00,594 to be in a high oxygen atmosphere, 721 00:39:00,698 --> 00:39:03,456 and that gives you a fighting chance of recovery. 722 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:07,077 NARRATOR: And on top of the device is a final sign 723 00:39:07,180 --> 00:39:09,318 of Siebe Gorman's expertise. 724 00:39:09,422 --> 00:39:11,663 SOMARA: The oxygen in the tank is highly pressurized, 725 00:39:11,767 --> 00:39:16,077 and you can't let that level of pressure into the device. 726 00:39:16,180 --> 00:39:17,146 It would kill the bird. 727 00:39:17,249 --> 00:39:20,422 So there's a small safety valve that just bleeds 728 00:39:20,525 --> 00:39:22,939 the pressure, making sure that the bird is safe. 729 00:39:25,318 --> 00:39:27,767 NARRATOR: But why go to all this engineering cost 730 00:39:27,870 --> 00:39:31,422 and effort just to save a tiny bird? 731 00:39:31,525 --> 00:39:34,732 [bird chirping] 732 00:39:34,836 --> 00:39:37,111 Some suspect the answer lies in 733 00:39:37,215 --> 00:39:41,008 the relationship between the miners and their canaries. 734 00:39:42,629 --> 00:39:45,008 WEST: I think we should be careful not to underestimate 735 00:39:45,111 --> 00:39:46,456 the need that human beings have, 736 00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,318 that lots of animals have, to form relationships 737 00:39:49,422 --> 00:39:50,318 with other things. 738 00:39:50,422 --> 00:39:53,111 We crave connection, we crave interaction. 739 00:39:53,215 --> 00:39:56,353 So if we interact with anything long enough, we have 740 00:39:56,456 --> 00:39:59,284 the potential to form some kind of connection to it. 741 00:39:59,387 --> 00:40:01,836 And if you have a canary in a cage, and it's your canary, 742 00:40:01,939 --> 00:40:03,491 and you're taking care of it every day, 743 00:40:03,594 --> 00:40:05,767 then on some level, your brain becomes attached to 744 00:40:05,870 --> 00:40:07,974 that canary, and you think, well, I love this canary. 745 00:40:08,077 --> 00:40:10,939 This is a very special canary. This is a great canary. 746 00:40:11,043 --> 00:40:12,525 This is my canary. 747 00:40:14,767 --> 00:40:18,974 Perhaps this is the origin of the resuscitator. 748 00:40:19,077 --> 00:40:21,801 It's entirely possible that canary resuscitators 749 00:40:21,905 --> 00:40:24,008 were really a result of the pressure from miners 750 00:40:24,111 --> 00:40:26,146 to protect their friends. 751 00:40:26,249 --> 00:40:30,180 NARRATOR: Canaries become an instant fixture at 752 00:40:30,284 --> 00:40:33,836 the side of coal miners across the world. 753 00:40:33,939 --> 00:40:35,870 But even these much-loved birds 754 00:40:35,974 --> 00:40:38,422 can't survive the march of technology. 755 00:40:40,732 --> 00:40:42,491 By the end of the 1980s, 756 00:40:42,594 --> 00:40:45,870 coal mines everywhere are retiring their canaries. 757 00:40:47,180 --> 00:40:50,353 SOMARA: These birds were used for 100 years down in 758 00:40:50,456 --> 00:40:53,180 the mines, and then they were replaced by little 759 00:40:53,284 --> 00:40:56,422 electronic devices. 760 00:40:56,525 --> 00:40:57,939 NARRATOR: It's the end of the line 761 00:40:58,043 --> 00:40:59,767 for the canary resuscitator. 762 00:40:59,870 --> 00:41:03,732 MARKS: So after a century of saving thousands of lives, 763 00:41:03,836 --> 00:41:07,318 the canary resuscitator ended up being a scuffed object in 764 00:41:07,422 --> 00:41:09,870 a museum, just a historical curiosity. 765 00:41:11,905 --> 00:41:13,836 NARRATOR: The resuscitator may have gone, 766 00:41:13,939 --> 00:41:16,939 but the canaries it protected have left their mark. 767 00:41:17,043 --> 00:41:18,663 MARKS: The memory of the canary in 768 00:41:18,767 --> 00:41:20,905 the coal mine has a long-lasting effect. 769 00:41:21,008 --> 00:41:24,767 After 9/11, canary breeders in New York were not able to 770 00:41:24,870 --> 00:41:27,008 keep up with demand, because people really wanted 771 00:41:27,111 --> 00:41:29,146 that safety of having the canary there 772 00:41:29,249 --> 00:41:31,353 to warn about a potential chemical attack. 773 00:41:31,456 --> 00:41:34,560 And in 2003 in Baghdad, canaries were in 774 00:41:34,663 --> 00:41:37,594 really high demand for the very same reason. 775 00:41:37,698 --> 00:41:40,939 NARRATOR: And they've left their mark on our language, too. 776 00:41:41,043 --> 00:41:43,043 MARKS: Everyone knows what the phrase 777 00:41:43,146 --> 00:41:44,456 canary in the coal mine means. 778 00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:47,146 It's become a shorthand for warning of trouble ahead. 779 00:41:47,249 --> 00:41:50,594 SOMARA: It's incredible to think that that term 780 00:41:50,698 --> 00:41:52,284 that we use so frequently 781 00:41:52,387 --> 00:41:55,905 came from this idea of canaries being so effective 782 00:41:56,008 --> 00:41:57,974 in saving lives.