1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:04,500 [gentle music] 2 00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:08,875 - Do you remember when model trains required a fire exit? 3 00:00:08,875 --> 00:00:10,417 [train whistling] 4 00:00:10,417 --> 00:00:11,542 - One moment you have your beautiful little village, 5 00:00:11,542 --> 00:00:13,125 the next moment the forest fire comes 6 00:00:13,125 --> 00:00:14,083 and burns it to the ground. 7 00:00:14,083 --> 00:00:15,542 [flame whooshing] 8 00:00:15,542 --> 00:00:17,208 - [Henry] Did you know that there was a time 9 00:00:17,208 --> 00:00:20,042 when flying a kite sent you sky high? 10 00:00:20,042 --> 00:00:21,625 [transition thudding] 11 00:00:21,625 --> 00:00:23,875 - What if we made it big enough to strap a human onto it 12 00:00:23,875 --> 00:00:25,000 and lift them up in the air? 13 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,667 [wind whooshing] 14 00:00:26,667 --> 00:00:28,625 - Imagine dangling with no seatbelt in gale force winds. 15 00:00:28,625 --> 00:00:32,250 - Or when skyscrapers became the ultimate climbing gym. 16 00:00:32,250 --> 00:00:33,750 [transition whooshing] 17 00:00:33,750 --> 00:00:36,167 - An error in this case means a fall, not from feet, 18 00:00:36,167 --> 00:00:37,875 but from stories. 19 00:00:37,875 --> 00:00:40,208 - It's completely insane, 20 00:00:40,208 --> 00:00:41,208 [transition thudding] 21 00:00:41,208 --> 00:00:43,583 but pretty marvelous as well. 22 00:00:43,583 --> 00:00:47,417 - These are the things we used to do for fun, 23 00:00:47,417 --> 00:00:48,625 for money, [metal clanging] 24 00:00:48,625 --> 00:00:50,750 or maybe out of boredom [crowd clamoring] 25 00:00:50,750 --> 00:00:53,167 that we'll never see again. 26 00:00:53,167 --> 00:00:54,750 Were they dangerous? 27 00:00:54,750 --> 00:00:55,917 Certainly. 28 00:00:55,917 --> 00:00:56,958 Deadly? 29 00:00:56,958 --> 00:00:58,083 Occasionally. 30 00:00:58,083 --> 00:01:00,750 But boy, wasn't it exciting? 31 00:01:00,750 --> 00:01:01,667 [suspenseful music] 32 00:01:01,667 --> 00:01:04,625 [graphic whooshing] 33 00:01:07,208 --> 00:01:11,000 [suspenseful music] 34 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,583 Remember back when free time meant hobbies 35 00:01:13,583 --> 00:01:16,583 where you actually made things by hand? 36 00:01:16,583 --> 00:01:20,000 When I was growing up, the space race had folks everywhere 37 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,917 building model rockets in their backyards, 38 00:01:22,917 --> 00:01:25,083 and for kids left to their own devices, 39 00:01:25,083 --> 00:01:27,625 it was a real blast. 40 00:01:27,625 --> 00:01:31,083 [rocket whooshing] 41 00:01:31,083 --> 00:01:34,667 - In 1957, the Soviet Union launches Sputnik. 42 00:01:34,667 --> 00:01:35,708 [suspenseful music] 43 00:01:35,708 --> 00:01:37,792 The first manmade satellite. 44 00:01:39,125 --> 00:01:40,708 - [Newsreader] Today, a new moon is in the sky 45 00:01:40,708 --> 00:01:43,333 placed in orbit by a Russian rocket. 46 00:01:43,333 --> 00:01:45,708 - And this really kicks off the space race 47 00:01:45,708 --> 00:01:48,792 between the Soviet Union and the United States. 48 00:01:48,792 --> 00:01:50,083 - America is lagging, 49 00:01:50,208 --> 00:01:52,167 and people become afraid of Russian dominance, 50 00:01:52,167 --> 00:01:54,875 so space becomes a national obsession. 51 00:01:54,875 --> 00:01:57,042 [gentle music] 52 00:01:57,042 --> 00:01:59,083 - Suddenly kids everywhere want 53 00:01:59,083 --> 00:02:01,375 to make their own rockets, 54 00:02:01,375 --> 00:02:04,708 but do-it-yourself rocket kits are not yet a thing. 55 00:02:04,708 --> 00:02:06,875 - [Henry] So kids in the '50s are allowed 56 00:02:06,875 --> 00:02:10,542 to build their own explosive rockets from scratch 57 00:02:10,542 --> 00:02:13,625 and adults are happy to show them how. 58 00:02:13,625 --> 00:02:15,375 - Magazines like "Popular Mechanics" 59 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:17,708 actually run these how-to guides. 60 00:02:17,708 --> 00:02:19,208 [suspenseful music] 61 00:02:19,375 --> 00:02:21,333 Kids could look at and go, "Okay, so I need this much pipe. 62 00:02:21,333 --> 00:02:24,042 This is the diameter, and this is how to build one." 63 00:02:24,042 --> 00:02:26,667 - [Austin] Kids start scavenging garages 64 00:02:26,667 --> 00:02:29,333 and local hardware stores for parts. 65 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:32,917 Suddenly everyone's basement is a mini Cape Canaveral. 66 00:02:32,917 --> 00:02:34,167 [model rocket whooshing] 67 00:02:34,167 --> 00:02:35,000 - [Henry] But you don't get liftoff 68 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:36,542 without serious combustion, 69 00:02:36,542 --> 00:02:39,292 and kids have no problem getting their hands 70 00:02:39,292 --> 00:02:41,667 on the explosives they need. 71 00:02:41,667 --> 00:02:42,625 [firecrackers popping] 72 00:02:42,625 --> 00:02:44,667 - [Lance] Kids tear apart fireworks. 73 00:02:44,667 --> 00:02:48,208 They tear open dad's bullets from his hunting rifle 74 00:02:48,208 --> 00:02:50,958 and they build black powder rockets. 75 00:02:50,958 --> 00:02:52,208 - [Rutledge] What's so wild is that 76 00:02:52,208 --> 00:02:54,000 you might burn down the garage, 77 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,208 and parents are like, "Oh, cool. 78 00:02:55,208 --> 00:02:56,625 Glad you got a hobby. 79 00:02:56,625 --> 00:02:57,750 This is great." 80 00:02:57,750 --> 00:02:59,125 - [Natalia] The rockets kids are building 81 00:02:59,125 --> 00:03:00,708 are not these little, dinky toys. 82 00:03:00,708 --> 00:03:03,042 They are actually, on a small scale, 83 00:03:03,042 --> 00:03:05,208 rockets with a lot of force and power. 84 00:03:05,208 --> 00:03:06,458 Some blast off 85 00:03:06,458 --> 00:03:07,875 between 100 and 200 [rocket whooshing] 86 00:03:07,875 --> 00:03:09,125 miles per hour, 87 00:03:09,125 --> 00:03:10,833 and they can go hundreds of feet into the air. 88 00:03:10,833 --> 00:03:12,167 [model rocket whooshing] 89 00:03:12,167 --> 00:03:13,625 [gentle music] 90 00:03:13,625 --> 00:03:15,292 - [Austin] Today, you can't fly a drone anywhere 91 00:03:15,292 --> 00:03:16,167 in New York City. 92 00:03:16,167 --> 00:03:17,292 Uh-uh. 93 00:03:18,375 --> 00:03:19,417 But back then, "Hey, you wanna go 94 00:03:19,417 --> 00:03:20,583 to Brooklyn and launch some rockets? 95 00:03:20,583 --> 00:03:21,292 Let's go." 96 00:03:21,292 --> 00:03:22,667 [model rocket whooshing] 97 00:03:22,792 --> 00:03:25,333 - But there's a reason it's called rocket science, 98 00:03:25,333 --> 00:03:28,000 because it's hard, and it requires some know-how. 99 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,208 If you have the fin angles off by just a little bit, 100 00:03:31,208 --> 00:03:33,375 instead of having a rocking go airborne, 101 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:35,208 you have a missile coming at you. 102 00:03:35,208 --> 00:03:36,792 - [Lance] This isn't NASA. 103 00:03:36,792 --> 00:03:39,208 This is kids messing around in the backyard. 104 00:03:39,208 --> 00:03:40,333 It's not exactly safe. 105 00:03:40,333 --> 00:03:42,042 [explosion booming] 106 00:03:42,042 --> 00:03:44,917 - [Rutledge] You can only get lift off if you can control 107 00:03:44,917 --> 00:03:46,542 how the fuel burns. 108 00:03:46,542 --> 00:03:48,375 - [Hakeem] You need a controlled combustion 109 00:03:48,375 --> 00:03:51,708 that ejects hot gases at a high speed, 110 00:03:51,708 --> 00:03:54,333 and that's what's gonna give you your thrust. 111 00:03:54,333 --> 00:03:56,750 - [Rutledge] But if you use too much gunpowder, 112 00:03:56,750 --> 00:04:00,750 you are building up too much fuel for what it can burn. 113 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:02,917 You're essentially just building a pipe bomb. 114 00:04:02,917 --> 00:04:05,375 [explosion booming] 115 00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:08,417 - [Henry] And if gunpowder isn't powerful enough, 116 00:04:08,417 --> 00:04:11,792 kids rip up something with even more oomph. 117 00:04:11,792 --> 00:04:15,292 - Kids actually create a thing they call rocket candy, 118 00:04:15,292 --> 00:04:18,167 and it's potassium nitrate and sugar. 119 00:04:18,167 --> 00:04:19,167 [transition whooshing] 120 00:04:19,167 --> 00:04:22,208 And it burns real, real fast. 121 00:04:22,208 --> 00:04:24,208 [rocket whooshing] 122 00:04:24,208 --> 00:04:25,667 - [Austin] Depending on how you make it, 123 00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:30,000 rocket candy produces 50% more power than black powder. 124 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,125 So if you want your rocket to make it to the moon, 125 00:04:33,125 --> 00:04:34,875 rocket candy's the only way to go. 126 00:04:34,875 --> 00:04:35,917 [gentle music] 127 00:04:36,042 --> 00:04:37,875 - [Rutledge] There's no oversight on this. 128 00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:41,042 The fact that a kid could go to like a pharmacy 129 00:04:41,042 --> 00:04:42,917 and buy potassium nitrate, just, 130 00:04:42,917 --> 00:04:44,708 "Here you go," that's insane. 131 00:04:44,708 --> 00:04:46,125 - [Lance] There's no law against this. 132 00:04:46,125 --> 00:04:48,042 This is no secret formula. 133 00:04:48,042 --> 00:04:49,542 They're giving you the recipe, 134 00:04:49,542 --> 00:04:51,042 encouraging rocket science. 135 00:04:51,042 --> 00:04:52,333 [dramatic music] 136 00:04:52,333 --> 00:04:54,125 - [Rutledge] It's just total mayhem. 137 00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:55,167 [explosion booming] 138 00:04:55,167 --> 00:04:55,875 There's all kinds of accidents. 139 00:04:55,875 --> 00:04:57,333 [rocket whooshing] 140 00:04:57,458 --> 00:04:59,083 - [Hakeem] Kids are getting hit by the rocket fuels 141 00:04:59,083 --> 00:05:01,000 that are 2,000 degrees. 142 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,792 That's hot enough to melt gold or vaporize human skin. 143 00:05:04,792 --> 00:05:06,083 [model rocket whooshing] 144 00:05:06,292 --> 00:05:08,375 - [Natalia] 30 kids are hurt and 11 are hospitalized in New York 145 00:05:08,375 --> 00:05:09,250 [graphic thudding] 146 00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:10,750 after a rocket explodes. 147 00:05:10,750 --> 00:05:13,792 - [Rutledge] People are losing fingers, eyes, 148 00:05:13,792 --> 00:05:15,792 they're setting garages on fire. 149 00:05:15,792 --> 00:05:17,083 [explosion booming] 150 00:05:17,083 --> 00:05:18,750 - [Austin] Things get so bad 151 00:05:18,750 --> 00:05:21,458 that the National Fire Prevention Association 152 00:05:21,458 --> 00:05:23,667 and even the American Rocket Society 153 00:05:23,667 --> 00:05:26,125 recommends banning the hobby. 154 00:05:26,125 --> 00:05:27,375 [graphic thudding] 155 00:05:27,375 --> 00:05:28,708 - [Natalia] So, by the early 1960s, 156 00:05:28,708 --> 00:05:31,375 a few enterprising businessmen make standardized, 157 00:05:31,375 --> 00:05:35,792 mass-produced toy rocket sets designed for children. 158 00:05:35,792 --> 00:05:37,000 [suspenseful music] 159 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,583 - [Austin] They develop a rolled paper motor 160 00:05:39,583 --> 00:05:41,750 with a measured amount of gunpowder. 161 00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:44,417 They also create a launch pad that allows the rocket 162 00:05:44,417 --> 00:05:47,000 to be ignited from a distance. 163 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,417 [model rocket whooshing] 164 00:05:48,417 --> 00:05:49,250 - [Rutledge] But I gotta say, there's something cool 165 00:05:49,250 --> 00:05:50,458 about building your own rocket. 166 00:05:50,458 --> 00:05:52,208 These kids really had something. 167 00:05:52,208 --> 00:05:55,000 I mean it's physics, and when making their own fuel, 168 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,250 it's also chemistry. 169 00:05:56,250 --> 00:05:58,750 [model rocket whooshing] 170 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:02,083 - You might remember that in the old days, go fly a kite 171 00:06:02,083 --> 00:06:04,333 meant get lost, go away. 172 00:06:04,333 --> 00:06:06,500 And for some extreme kite flyers, 173 00:06:06,500 --> 00:06:08,375 that's exactly what happened. 174 00:06:08,375 --> 00:06:09,708 [gentle music] 175 00:06:09,708 --> 00:06:11,875 - Kites are a really popular hobby, 176 00:06:11,875 --> 00:06:14,833 especially in the early part of the 20th century. 177 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:17,583 They are relatively cheap, relatively simple, 178 00:06:17,583 --> 00:06:19,667 but also pretty magical. 179 00:06:19,667 --> 00:06:22,375 - Kite technology seems very simple. 180 00:06:22,375 --> 00:06:23,792 You got a piece of cloth 181 00:06:23,792 --> 00:06:25,333 and you spread it out over a frame, you know, 182 00:06:25,333 --> 00:06:27,750 it lifts it, it catches a breeze, it goes up in the air. 183 00:06:27,750 --> 00:06:29,500 What a peaceful day on the beach. 184 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:30,542 [suspenseful music] 185 00:06:31,167 --> 00:06:33,875 And then somebody was like, "I got a better idea than that. 186 00:06:33,875 --> 00:06:37,167 What if we made it big enough to strap a human onto it 187 00:06:37,167 --> 00:06:38,708 and lift them up in the air?" 188 00:06:38,708 --> 00:06:41,125 And I gotta be honest, I wanna do this. 189 00:06:41,125 --> 00:06:42,792 [gentle music] 190 00:06:42,792 --> 00:06:45,583 - [Bryant] Samuel Perkins is an inventor from Massachusetts 191 00:06:45,583 --> 00:06:48,417 and he has invented a man-lifting kite. 192 00:06:48,417 --> 00:06:49,792 [graphic whooshing] 193 00:06:49,792 --> 00:06:52,042 - Perkins' man-lifting kites are essentially 10 194 00:06:52,042 --> 00:06:55,208 by 15 feet wooden frames wrapped with canvas, 195 00:06:55,208 --> 00:06:59,250 and he put multiple kites linked together in a single line. 196 00:06:59,250 --> 00:07:00,417 - Each one adds more 197 00:07:00,417 --> 00:07:02,083 and more lift until you get enough 198 00:07:02,083 --> 00:07:05,125 that you can lift the body weight of a human being. 199 00:07:05,875 --> 00:07:07,167 It's pretty wild. 200 00:07:07,167 --> 00:07:08,417 [gentle music] 201 00:07:08,417 --> 00:07:10,875 - Perkins debuts his system at the 1910 202 00:07:10,875 --> 00:07:15,042 Harvard Boston aero meet in front of 67,000 spectators. 203 00:07:15,042 --> 00:07:17,042 - According to reporters, the biggest spectacle 204 00:07:17,042 --> 00:07:18,917 of the day is Perkins, 205 00:07:18,917 --> 00:07:23,958 who's lifted 200 feet off the ground by five huge kites. 206 00:07:23,958 --> 00:07:24,792 [suspenseful music] 207 00:07:24,792 --> 00:07:26,708 - [Don] This is revolutionary. 208 00:07:26,708 --> 00:07:29,042 In 1910, airplanes are still experimental, 209 00:07:29,042 --> 00:07:31,917 and many don't stay up for more than a few minutes, 210 00:07:31,917 --> 00:07:36,042 but Perkins' kites can remain aloft for a long time. 211 00:07:36,042 --> 00:07:37,750 - [Kavitha] People are very excited about this. 212 00:07:37,750 --> 00:07:39,208 Newspapers are all over it. 213 00:07:39,208 --> 00:07:40,500 There's a ton of publicity, 214 00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:42,625 and it feels like this could be the next big thing. 215 00:07:42,625 --> 00:07:43,958 - [Brian] Does it not sound like 216 00:07:43,958 --> 00:07:45,083 the greatest thing ever? [graphic whooshing] 217 00:07:45,083 --> 00:07:46,042 I mean, you're flying. 218 00:07:46,042 --> 00:07:47,708 You're flying. 219 00:07:47,708 --> 00:07:50,792 - [Dan] Perkins' kites inspire others to make their own kites 220 00:07:50,792 --> 00:07:52,958 to get into the action and get up in the air. 221 00:07:52,958 --> 00:07:55,792 And some kite builders even start selling rides 222 00:07:55,792 --> 00:07:58,208 on their contraptions to members of the public 223 00:07:58,208 --> 00:07:59,458 for just a few cents. 224 00:07:59,458 --> 00:08:00,625 And just like that, 225 00:08:00,625 --> 00:08:03,875 the man-lifting kite craze takes off. 226 00:08:03,875 --> 00:08:04,625 [gentle music] 227 00:08:04,625 --> 00:08:05,833 - [Henry] But it's not nearly 228 00:08:05,833 --> 00:08:08,542 as breezy as flying a regular kite. 229 00:08:08,542 --> 00:08:10,625 - [Dan] These kites are about three times the size 230 00:08:10,625 --> 00:08:11,750 of an average person, 231 00:08:11,750 --> 00:08:13,500 and they're so powerful that you need 232 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,083 a crew of 10 just to keep them steady. 233 00:08:16,083 --> 00:08:17,792 [suspenseful music] 234 00:08:17,792 --> 00:08:20,667 - [Bryant] On the ground, wind might be 20, 30 miles an hour, 235 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:24,375 but if you go 400 feet above, that can double. 236 00:08:24,375 --> 00:08:26,042 [suspenseful music] 237 00:08:26,042 --> 00:08:28,333 - [Don] That's like highway speeds, 40 stories in the air. 238 00:08:28,333 --> 00:08:30,000 Gusts can come out of nowhere. 239 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,167 The line twists, 240 00:08:31,167 --> 00:08:33,417 and suddenly that whole rig can be spinning 241 00:08:33,417 --> 00:08:34,708 like a corkscrew. 242 00:08:34,708 --> 00:08:35,917 You're whipping through the air 243 00:08:35,917 --> 00:08:38,375 with nothing to hold onto but a rope. 244 00:08:38,375 --> 00:08:39,875 - [Henry] If you've ever flown a kite 245 00:08:39,875 --> 00:08:41,792 and had it crash into a tree 246 00:08:41,792 --> 00:08:43,667 or nose dive into the ground, 247 00:08:43,667 --> 00:08:45,042 [graphic whooshing] 248 00:08:45,042 --> 00:08:47,667 now picture that with a human being attached. 249 00:08:47,667 --> 00:08:49,167 [suspenseful music] 250 00:08:49,375 --> 00:08:51,792 - [Kavitha] There's no harness or seatbelt or really anything. 251 00:08:51,792 --> 00:08:54,292 There's nothing between you and the ground. 252 00:08:54,292 --> 00:08:55,542 [transition whooshing] 253 00:08:55,542 --> 00:08:56,875 - [Dan] Imagine dangling in a lawn chair 254 00:08:56,875 --> 00:08:59,250 with no seatbelt in gale force winds. 255 00:08:59,250 --> 00:09:01,042 [suspenseful music] 256 00:09:01,042 --> 00:09:02,875 - [Kavitha] During one of Perkins' demonstrations, 257 00:09:02,875 --> 00:09:07,125 a rope snaps and a rider falls 75 feet to the ground. 258 00:09:07,125 --> 00:09:07,792 - [Dan] Another time, 259 00:09:07,917 --> 00:09:09,875 Perkins himself falls 12 stories 260 00:09:09,875 --> 00:09:12,250 when heavy winds snap one of his kites. 261 00:09:12,250 --> 00:09:14,417 His remaining kites acted like parachutes, 262 00:09:14,417 --> 00:09:15,542 so he survives the fall. 263 00:09:15,542 --> 00:09:17,792 But not everyone's so lucky. 264 00:09:17,792 --> 00:09:20,167 - [Jason] Despite fatalities and countless injuries, 265 00:09:20,167 --> 00:09:22,083 these kites continue to be popular 266 00:09:22,083 --> 00:09:23,292 for about the next decade. 267 00:09:23,292 --> 00:09:25,458 And kinda like the kites themselves, 268 00:09:25,458 --> 00:09:28,083 the casualties, they just keep going up. 269 00:09:28,083 --> 00:09:30,875 - [Kavitha] Eventually enough accidents happen 270 00:09:30,875 --> 00:09:32,625 that the government finally steps in. 271 00:09:32,625 --> 00:09:35,167 - [Jason] In 1954, the Civil Aeronautics Board 272 00:09:35,167 --> 00:09:37,875 restricts lifting any person via kite power, 273 00:09:37,875 --> 00:09:40,625 effectively grounding this high-flying hobby 274 00:09:40,625 --> 00:09:42,208 once and for all. 275 00:09:42,208 --> 00:09:42,875 [gentle music] 276 00:09:42,875 --> 00:09:44,042 - [Brian] It's dangerous. 277 00:09:44,042 --> 00:09:45,667 That being said, I think as a country 278 00:09:45,667 --> 00:09:48,083 we have given up on kite technology in a way 279 00:09:48,083 --> 00:09:49,417 that's unbecoming of us, 280 00:09:49,417 --> 00:09:50,542 'cause it sounds awesome. 281 00:09:50,542 --> 00:09:52,083 Nothing is gonna convince me 282 00:09:52,083 --> 00:09:54,042 that gliding on a kite wouldn't be fun. 283 00:09:54,042 --> 00:09:56,042 [gentle music] 284 00:09:56,042 --> 00:10:00,208 - As the saying goes, what goes up must come down, 285 00:10:00,208 --> 00:10:01,750 and down they came. 286 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:07,833 - There was a time when model trains were the hobby 287 00:10:07,833 --> 00:10:10,375 of choice and fun for the whole family, 288 00:10:10,375 --> 00:10:11,833 but you'd be surprised 289 00:10:11,833 --> 00:10:15,000 how quickly things could go off the rails. 290 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,167 - [Austin] After World War II, 291 00:10:16,167 --> 00:10:18,583 Americans are working shorter hours, 292 00:10:18,583 --> 00:10:20,667 and they're fleeing to the suburbs. 293 00:10:20,667 --> 00:10:23,417 So now they've got more time, more money, 294 00:10:23,417 --> 00:10:27,958 and more space to pursue new hobbies like model railroads. 295 00:10:27,958 --> 00:10:29,417 [suspenseful music] [train whistling] 296 00:10:29,417 --> 00:10:31,000 - [Brian] You're in your basement with model railroads, 297 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,208 you're playing God, you're creating the landscape, 298 00:10:33,208 --> 00:10:35,667 you're creating the town, you're creating the tracks. 299 00:10:35,667 --> 00:10:37,042 - [Austin] This is not a kid's toy. 300 00:10:37,042 --> 00:10:39,250 This is like an adult hobbyist realm. 301 00:10:39,250 --> 00:10:41,542 - [Speaker] A miniature railroad has come to be regarded 302 00:10:41,542 --> 00:10:43,542 as standard equipment for the young male. 303 00:10:43,542 --> 00:10:47,583 - [Rutledge] This is like a 300 million a year industry 304 00:10:47,583 --> 00:10:48,708 in today's money. 305 00:10:48,708 --> 00:10:49,833 [bright music] 306 00:10:49,833 --> 00:10:50,833 - [Natalia] People got really fancy 307 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:52,250 with their electric train sets, 308 00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:53,708 not just all the scenery, 309 00:10:53,708 --> 00:10:56,375 but you had electric bridges that went up and down. 310 00:10:56,375 --> 00:10:58,583 The problem is that the wiring would come loose 311 00:10:58,583 --> 00:11:00,125 and the bridge would stop working. 312 00:11:00,250 --> 00:11:03,417 - [Dan] But magazines and how to guides have a great solution. 313 00:11:03,417 --> 00:11:05,708 Where the wires go, you just fill that little cup 314 00:11:05,708 --> 00:11:07,375 with liquid mercury 315 00:11:07,375 --> 00:11:09,708 and then the wire will always be touching metal. 316 00:11:09,708 --> 00:11:11,167 But what the magazines don't tell you 317 00:11:11,167 --> 00:11:13,417 is that you're also gonna get mercury poisoning. 318 00:11:13,417 --> 00:11:14,667 [suspenseful music] 319 00:11:14,792 --> 00:11:16,167 - [Henry] And what they also don't tell you 320 00:11:16,167 --> 00:11:18,625 is that a short circuiting bridge might be the least 321 00:11:18,625 --> 00:11:20,375 of your problems. 322 00:11:20,375 --> 00:11:22,667 - [Lance] Early model train sets plugged into the wall 323 00:11:22,667 --> 00:11:24,125 in the 110 volt outlet, 324 00:11:24,125 --> 00:11:26,125 just like you're plugging in major appliances, 325 00:11:26,125 --> 00:11:28,708 your washing machine or your dishwasher. 326 00:11:28,708 --> 00:11:31,917 - [Austin] But most of these have fuses or cutoffs. 327 00:11:31,917 --> 00:11:36,250 The trains don't. They're just drawing unyielding power. 328 00:11:36,250 --> 00:11:37,833 [suspenseful music] 329 00:11:37,833 --> 00:11:39,375 - [Hakeem] These little train sets may look like toys, 330 00:11:39,375 --> 00:11:41,542 but they pack a lot of power. 331 00:11:41,542 --> 00:11:42,833 There's enough electricity going through 332 00:11:42,833 --> 00:11:45,083 that thing to stop your heart. 333 00:11:45,083 --> 00:11:48,292 - [Austin] We've all heard that in real life you can get killed 334 00:11:48,292 --> 00:11:49,708 by touching the third rail, 335 00:11:49,708 --> 00:11:52,292 so it's sort of like this, 336 00:11:53,375 --> 00:11:55,250 but on a smaller scale. 337 00:11:55,375 --> 00:11:57,083 [dramatic music] 338 00:11:57,083 --> 00:11:59,417 - [Henry] And when they add a transformer box in the 1950s 339 00:11:59,417 --> 00:12:00,625 to make them safer, 340 00:12:00,625 --> 00:12:04,083 it just gives you a new way to get burned. 341 00:12:04,083 --> 00:12:05,875 - [Lance] The transformer's gonna take this power 342 00:12:05,875 --> 00:12:08,750 that comes from the outlet at 110 volts 343 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:10,958 and it's gonna reduce it down to about 12 volts, 344 00:12:10,958 --> 00:12:13,958 which is about enough to run a cell phone today. 345 00:12:13,958 --> 00:12:16,000 - [Bryant] But they weren't really properly insulated, 346 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:17,833 and if they got too hot, 347 00:12:17,833 --> 00:12:20,375 these transformer boxes, they could burn you. 348 00:12:20,375 --> 00:12:23,375 But if they really got too hot, they'd catch fire. 349 00:12:23,375 --> 00:12:24,667 [gentle music] 350 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:26,167 - [Don] All across the country, 351 00:12:26,167 --> 00:12:28,708 newspapers run stories about electric trains 352 00:12:28,708 --> 00:12:30,417 setting homes ablaze. 353 00:12:30,417 --> 00:12:32,083 [graphic whooshing] 354 00:12:32,083 --> 00:12:33,208 - [Lance] One moment you have your beautiful little village. 355 00:12:33,208 --> 00:12:34,583 The next moment the forest fire comes 356 00:12:34,583 --> 00:12:35,875 and burns it to the ground. 357 00:12:35,875 --> 00:12:37,208 [gentle playful music] 358 00:12:37,208 --> 00:12:39,375 - [Brian] But I would say that if any hobby 359 00:12:39,375 --> 00:12:40,875 is worth the dangers, 360 00:12:40,875 --> 00:12:43,000 I think it's model trains. 361 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,292 My first model train set 362 00:12:44,292 --> 00:12:47,083 was my father's that he had as a kid. 363 00:12:47,083 --> 00:12:49,458 The same things that were unlocked in my imagination 364 00:12:49,458 --> 00:12:52,917 were unlocked in my father's imagination when he was a kid. 365 00:12:52,917 --> 00:12:54,375 And I think that that's rare, 366 00:12:54,375 --> 00:12:56,500 and I think that that's kind of beautiful. 367 00:12:56,500 --> 00:12:57,833 [bright music] 368 00:12:58,042 --> 00:12:59,583 - [Lance] There's still a whole lot of hobbyists today 369 00:12:59,583 --> 00:13:02,875 who prefer the old-style trains for their durability 370 00:13:02,875 --> 00:13:04,542 and their nostalgia. 371 00:13:04,542 --> 00:13:07,292 Just remember to rewire the whole thing before you set it up 372 00:13:07,292 --> 00:13:09,750 or have a fire extinguisher handy. 373 00:13:09,750 --> 00:13:12,417 [train whistling] 374 00:13:12,417 --> 00:13:14,458 - Remember the CB radio craze? 375 00:13:14,458 --> 00:13:18,042 It wasn't just for truckers, everybody wanted to try it, 376 00:13:18,042 --> 00:13:20,042 including my best friend, Gerald, 377 00:13:20,042 --> 00:13:23,542 but what people didn't see coming was pretty shocking. 378 00:13:23,542 --> 00:13:26,208 [suspenseful music] [horn honking] 379 00:13:26,208 --> 00:13:29,083 - [Hakeem] CB radios were all the rage back when I was a kid. 380 00:13:29,083 --> 00:13:31,292 25 million were sold in just 381 00:13:31,292 --> 00:13:34,875 the years between 1974 and 1977. 382 00:13:34,875 --> 00:13:36,458 - [Lance] People are learning CB talk. 383 00:13:36,458 --> 00:13:39,458 You know, "Hey, good, buddy, what's your 20." 384 00:13:39,458 --> 00:13:42,125 "I'm on a super slab with the hammer down on," 385 00:13:42,125 --> 00:13:45,667 which means that you're on an interstate highway going fast. 386 00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:47,083 [bright music] 387 00:13:47,083 --> 00:13:48,667 - [Rutledge] You gotta pick your own CB name, 388 00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:52,750 your handle, if you will, like Love Muffin or Tiny Dancer. 389 00:13:52,750 --> 00:13:53,875 "Breaker breaker 1-9, 390 00:13:53,875 --> 00:13:56,083 this here's the bearded lady comeback," 391 00:13:56,083 --> 00:13:57,292 that's what they called me. 392 00:13:57,292 --> 00:13:58,458 [gentle music] 393 00:13:58,583 --> 00:14:00,542 - My poor father was forced to purchase a CB radio 394 00:14:00,542 --> 00:14:02,708 for the car by me 395 00:14:02,708 --> 00:14:05,000 because of the movie "Smokey and the Bandit." 396 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,125 - We ain't gonna make it, son. 397 00:14:06,125 --> 00:14:07,708 - We've come this far, aint we? 398 00:14:07,708 --> 00:14:08,542 [wood clacking] 399 00:14:08,542 --> 00:14:10,208 [dramatic music] 400 00:14:10,208 --> 00:14:12,875 - [Kavitha] Long before chat rooms and social media, 401 00:14:12,875 --> 00:14:14,500 this was kind of the nascent version of that. 402 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:17,708 This was a way to kind of jump on with your family members 403 00:14:17,708 --> 00:14:19,208 and friends and start chatting, 404 00:14:19,208 --> 00:14:20,792 and sometimes you would jump on 405 00:14:20,792 --> 00:14:22,750 and not even know who was on the other end. 406 00:14:22,750 --> 00:14:24,375 - [Austin] CB radio's become so popular, 407 00:14:24,375 --> 00:14:27,042 people aren't just using them in their cars and trucks. 408 00:14:27,042 --> 00:14:29,583 They're turning their attics, their basements, 409 00:14:29,583 --> 00:14:34,708 their homes into recreational CB radio stations. 410 00:14:34,708 --> 00:14:36,958 - [Hakeem] During this boom, people start buying 411 00:14:36,958 --> 00:14:39,917 these monster antennas so they can get more range. 412 00:14:39,917 --> 00:14:41,458 - [Martin] Typical CB radio is giving you 413 00:14:41,458 --> 00:14:43,167 maybe five miles of range. 414 00:14:43,167 --> 00:14:45,125 The longer the antenna, the better the range 415 00:14:45,125 --> 00:14:46,875 and the clearer the signal. 416 00:14:46,875 --> 00:14:50,208 - [Hakeem] When it comes to CB antennas, size does matter. 417 00:14:50,208 --> 00:14:52,917 These antennas can be 15 or 20 feet tall, 418 00:14:52,917 --> 00:14:54,500 and they're attaching them to their roofs. 419 00:14:54,500 --> 00:14:55,750 [dramatic music] 420 00:14:55,750 --> 00:14:56,958 - [Austin] Now you've got your dad, 421 00:14:56,958 --> 00:14:59,208 a hobbyist, not a professional, 422 00:14:59,208 --> 00:15:01,875 getting up on a 20-foot roof 423 00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:06,083 to erect a 20-foot aerial with his buddies. 424 00:15:06,083 --> 00:15:08,417 This is a recipe for disaster. 425 00:15:08,417 --> 00:15:10,000 - [Lance] Once you get it up there, you have 426 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,375 to make it stand upright like the mast of a ship, 427 00:15:12,375 --> 00:15:14,958 and you have to attach wires to hold it up. 428 00:15:14,958 --> 00:15:17,667 And remember that these are roughly three times 429 00:15:17,667 --> 00:15:19,042 the height of an average man. 430 00:15:19,042 --> 00:15:20,417 [dramatic music] 431 00:15:20,417 --> 00:15:22,375 - [Henry] Safely installing your CB antenna 432 00:15:22,375 --> 00:15:25,792 is a high wire act in more ways than one. 433 00:15:25,792 --> 00:15:27,208 - [Austin] This is a time when 434 00:15:27,208 --> 00:15:29,542 most power lines are above ground 435 00:15:29,542 --> 00:15:31,750 and regulations stipulate that they only have 436 00:15:31,750 --> 00:15:33,958 to be 12 feet from your house. 437 00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:37,125 - [Lance] Even if that antenna only lightly brushes 438 00:15:37,125 --> 00:15:39,917 a power line, it's gonna conduct all of that power, 439 00:15:39,917 --> 00:15:43,208 up to 14,000 bolts of electric energy 440 00:15:43,208 --> 00:15:45,708 straight into your body. 441 00:15:45,708 --> 00:15:47,083 [electricity crackling] 442 00:15:47,083 --> 00:15:48,708 It's like a human bug zapper. 443 00:15:48,708 --> 00:15:49,875 [electricity crackling] 444 00:15:49,875 --> 00:15:51,333 = [Austin] To put it in perspective, 445 00:15:51,333 --> 00:15:55,375 old-fashioned electric chairs used 1,000 to 2,000 volts, 446 00:15:55,375 --> 00:16:00,125 so this is enough electricity to kill you seven times over. 447 00:16:00,375 --> 00:16:02,125 [gentle music] 448 00:16:02,125 --> 00:16:04,375 - [Lance] So people are losing control of these antennas 449 00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:07,042 and they are falling and crashing into power lines, 450 00:16:07,042 --> 00:16:08,708 and we're not talking just a few people. 451 00:16:08,708 --> 00:16:10,042 [graphic thudding] 452 00:16:10,042 --> 00:16:12,708 - [Hakeem] In 1976 alone, there are 92 deaths 453 00:16:12,708 --> 00:16:15,167 and 156 injuries reported 454 00:16:15,167 --> 00:16:18,333 due to electrocution from the CB antennas. 455 00:16:18,333 --> 00:16:19,542 [bright music] 456 00:16:19,542 --> 00:16:20,958 - [Henry] But the hobby continues to grow. 457 00:16:20,958 --> 00:16:22,125 - [Austin] By the late 1970s, 458 00:16:22,125 --> 00:16:24,542 there are 40 channels across CB Radio, 459 00:16:24,542 --> 00:16:27,167 but it's impossible to monitor how many people 460 00:16:27,167 --> 00:16:29,458 are on and what they're talking about. 461 00:16:29,458 --> 00:16:31,750 - [Henry] And the CB airwaves could provide 462 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:33,375 their own kind of shock. 463 00:16:33,375 --> 00:16:34,417 [gentle music] 464 00:16:34,417 --> 00:16:35,292 - [Lance] These were public airwaves, 465 00:16:35,292 --> 00:16:37,042 and people, especially kids, 466 00:16:37,042 --> 00:16:39,208 would be on the CB saying all sorts 467 00:16:39,208 --> 00:16:42,333 of outrageous things just to get a rise out of people. 468 00:16:42,333 --> 00:16:44,292 - [Brian] It was wild on those CBs back in the day. 469 00:16:44,292 --> 00:16:46,000 You could say whatever you want 470 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:47,875 and then just switch to the next channel 471 00:16:47,875 --> 00:16:49,292 and then start harassing those people. 472 00:16:49,292 --> 00:16:50,083 Harassing. 473 00:16:50,083 --> 00:16:51,625 Start talking to those people. 474 00:16:51,625 --> 00:16:53,083 [gentle music] 475 00:16:53,083 --> 00:16:55,625 - [Austin] By the early '80s, people have had enough 476 00:16:55,625 --> 00:16:57,250 of the CB radio fad 477 00:16:57,250 --> 00:16:59,208 and eventually will start yelling 478 00:16:59,208 --> 00:17:01,417 at people on the internet. 479 00:17:01,417 --> 00:17:03,792 - [Lance] But I have to say, CB radios have something 480 00:17:03,792 --> 00:17:05,625 over the social media of today. 481 00:17:05,625 --> 00:17:09,417 There's no record of anything I said over a CB radio. 482 00:17:09,417 --> 00:17:12,000 You can't say that about social media today. 483 00:17:12,667 --> 00:17:14,000 [gentle music] 484 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,208 - Once cell phones came along, it was over 485 00:17:16,208 --> 00:17:18,500 and out for CB radios. 486 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,208 - Remember butterfly collecting? I do. 487 00:17:24,208 --> 00:17:26,042 We all ran around with nets chasing one 488 00:17:26,042 --> 00:17:28,458 of nature's most beautiful creatures. 489 00:17:28,458 --> 00:17:30,458 Well, it turns out the butterflies 490 00:17:30,458 --> 00:17:32,667 weren't the only ones in jeopardy. 491 00:17:32,667 --> 00:17:34,333 [bright music] 492 00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:37,208 - [Natalia] In 1951, Alexander B. Klots releases this book, 493 00:17:37,208 --> 00:17:39,375 "A Field Guide to the Butterflies," 494 00:17:39,375 --> 00:17:41,792 which becomes the Bible for butterfly collectors 495 00:17:41,792 --> 00:17:43,250 around the country. 496 00:17:43,250 --> 00:17:46,125 - [Austin] America is suddenly crazy for butterflies. 497 00:17:46,125 --> 00:17:47,042 [gentle music] 498 00:17:47,042 --> 00:17:48,375 Clubs spring up, 499 00:17:48,375 --> 00:17:52,375 schools send kids out into fields with nets, 500 00:17:52,375 --> 00:17:54,667 seeing what butterflies they come up with. 501 00:17:54,667 --> 00:17:57,667 It's a huge craze, and it's everywhere. 502 00:17:57,667 --> 00:17:59,375 - [Natalia] The butterflies are beautiful, 503 00:17:59,375 --> 00:18:01,042 but if you really wanna collect them... 504 00:18:01,042 --> 00:18:02,083 [graphics clicking] 505 00:18:02,083 --> 00:18:04,042 you have to kill them. 506 00:18:04,042 --> 00:18:05,292 [bright music] 507 00:18:05,417 --> 00:18:08,208 - [Austin] Butterflies are very delicate. 508 00:18:08,208 --> 00:18:11,542 Their wings are paper thin, so killing a butterfly 509 00:18:11,542 --> 00:18:14,958 by force will wreck your specimen. 510 00:18:14,958 --> 00:18:18,750 - Killing something without profound overt physical damage 511 00:18:18,750 --> 00:18:23,208 has long meant the use of one thing in particular, poison, 512 00:18:23,208 --> 00:18:26,000 with cyanide being at the top of that list. 513 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:27,708 [dramatic music] 514 00:18:27,708 --> 00:18:30,833 Cyanide is what they famously put in the Flavor Aid punch 515 00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:33,000 at Jonestown to kill everybody. 516 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:34,542 [bright music] 517 00:18:34,708 --> 00:18:37,375 - [Lance] Cyanide for as deadly as it is, was crazy easy to get. 518 00:18:37,375 --> 00:18:39,375 You can order it mail order, you can get it out 519 00:18:39,375 --> 00:18:41,375 of a science catalog. 520 00:18:41,375 --> 00:18:43,208 - [Henry] And kids can take it right out 521 00:18:43,208 --> 00:18:44,917 of their own chemistry sets. 522 00:18:44,917 --> 00:18:47,917 - [Natalia] Kitchen tables turn into these little science labs, 523 00:18:47,917 --> 00:18:51,667 and kids set them up with their wax paper, with their pins, 524 00:18:51,667 --> 00:18:54,042 and of course with their killing jar. 525 00:18:54,042 --> 00:18:55,458 [suspenseful music] 526 00:18:55,458 --> 00:18:56,375 - [Lance] Everybody that's collecting butterflies 527 00:18:56,375 --> 00:18:57,708 has their killing jar, 528 00:18:57,708 --> 00:18:59,625 and you just take a standard glass jar, 529 00:18:59,625 --> 00:19:01,375 you dump in a few cyanide pellets, 530 00:19:01,375 --> 00:19:02,792 you screw the lid on top, 531 00:19:02,792 --> 00:19:05,125 and so you have a perfect specimen every time. 532 00:19:05,125 --> 00:19:06,167 No big deal. 533 00:19:06,167 --> 00:19:07,500 [dramatic music] 534 00:19:07,500 --> 00:19:08,375 - [Austin] It's not like people don't know 535 00:19:08,375 --> 00:19:09,458 that this stuff is dangerous. 536 00:19:09,458 --> 00:19:11,208 It's been proven for decades. 537 00:19:11,208 --> 00:19:14,708 In 1923, a collector, Martin A. Meyer, 538 00:19:14,708 --> 00:19:17,208 was found dead next to his killing jar. 539 00:19:17,208 --> 00:19:19,208 People know this is toxic stuff, 540 00:19:19,208 --> 00:19:21,458 but they're still using this chemical. 541 00:19:21,458 --> 00:19:23,458 - [Adam] Now this breaks my brain a little bit 542 00:19:23,458 --> 00:19:27,208 because at some point hobbyists say, "Wait, wait, 543 00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:28,500 wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 544 00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:32,292 We can't give cyanide poison to children. 545 00:19:32,292 --> 00:19:33,542 [bright music] 546 00:19:33,542 --> 00:19:35,458 We need to find a safer alternative. 547 00:19:35,458 --> 00:19:38,417 What chemical should we give children 548 00:19:38,417 --> 00:19:40,792 to use for their hobby?" 549 00:19:40,792 --> 00:19:44,042 - Eventually they ended up substituting chloroform. 550 00:19:44,042 --> 00:19:45,667 [gentle music] 551 00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:47,625 Just so you know what chloroform is, 552 00:19:47,625 --> 00:19:50,417 it's that thing you see a lot in like spy movies 553 00:19:50,417 --> 00:19:52,208 where they put it on someone, they breathe it in, 554 00:19:52,208 --> 00:19:54,167 and they immediately like collapse. 555 00:19:54,167 --> 00:19:56,583 That's chloroform. 556 00:19:56,583 --> 00:19:59,417 And in the 1950s, it's just kind of like 557 00:19:59,417 --> 00:20:02,125 readily available to you. 558 00:20:02,125 --> 00:20:04,708 - [Natalia] The movies make chloroform look like melatonin, 559 00:20:04,708 --> 00:20:06,000 but it is not that. 560 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,125 [eerie music] 561 00:20:07,125 --> 00:20:08,375 - [Adam] In real life, 562 00:20:08,375 --> 00:20:10,708 chloroform creates respiratory failure, 563 00:20:10,708 --> 00:20:15,250 cardiac arrest, kidney damage, liver damage, 564 00:20:15,250 --> 00:20:17,542 and, oh, what's that called? [fingers snapping] 565 00:20:17,542 --> 00:20:19,000 Death. 566 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,333 - [Natalia] In 1960, 567 00:20:20,333 --> 00:20:22,875 the Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act 568 00:20:22,875 --> 00:20:24,333 draws a line. 569 00:20:24,333 --> 00:20:26,917 Anything with a serious toxin in it has to carry a label 570 00:20:26,917 --> 00:20:28,500 that says danger, poison, 571 00:20:28,500 --> 00:20:31,208 and its prohibited from being sold to children. 572 00:20:31,208 --> 00:20:32,583 [gentle music] 573 00:20:32,583 --> 00:20:33,875 - [Austin] By the 1960s, schools and clubs 574 00:20:33,875 --> 00:20:37,917 moved to new ways of asphyxiating your butterflies, 575 00:20:37,917 --> 00:20:40,042 ethyl acetate jars, 576 00:20:40,042 --> 00:20:43,583 short freezing, carbon dioxide. 577 00:20:43,583 --> 00:20:47,708 All of these new methods are way safer for the kids. 578 00:20:47,708 --> 00:20:49,833 For the butterflies, though, not so much. 579 00:20:53,375 --> 00:20:54,417 - Did you know. 580 00:20:54,417 --> 00:20:56,417 There was once a time when taxidermy 581 00:20:56,417 --> 00:20:58,542 was a very popular hobby. 582 00:20:58,542 --> 00:21:01,417 Now it wasn't great for the animals of course, 583 00:21:01,417 --> 00:21:04,958 and it turns out it wasn't so great for the people either. 584 00:21:04,958 --> 00:21:07,042 [bright music] 585 00:21:07,042 --> 00:21:08,333 - [Kavitha] In the 19th century, 586 00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:10,708 taxidermy becomes a huge hobby and all the rage 587 00:21:10,708 --> 00:21:12,000 among the wealthy, 588 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,167 who preserve the trophies from their game hunts. 589 00:21:15,167 --> 00:21:16,750 [gentle music] 590 00:21:16,750 --> 00:21:18,917 - [Rutledge] People can actually preserve these animals 591 00:21:18,917 --> 00:21:20,875 that they've shot or captured 592 00:21:20,875 --> 00:21:23,875 and really kind of show off their wealth. 593 00:21:23,875 --> 00:21:26,542 Because taxidermy is popular with people 594 00:21:26,542 --> 00:21:27,833 that are really affluent, 595 00:21:27,833 --> 00:21:29,583 the trickle down comes to normal folks 596 00:21:29,583 --> 00:21:31,708 who also want to feel a little bit fancy, 597 00:21:31,708 --> 00:21:33,542 so they start doing it themselves, 598 00:21:33,542 --> 00:21:36,667 and it really takes off in that arena as well. 599 00:21:36,667 --> 00:21:37,917 [gentle music] 600 00:21:37,917 --> 00:21:40,208 - [Bryant] You can learn taxidermy at a museum, 601 00:21:40,208 --> 00:21:43,583 at a club, and even at the YMCA. 602 00:21:43,583 --> 00:21:46,000 - [Rutledge] In 1911, the Boy Scouts actually 603 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,208 made a badge for taxidermy, 604 00:21:48,208 --> 00:21:52,875 and even 4H starts doing taxidermy in their courses. 605 00:21:52,875 --> 00:21:54,125 - [Lance] There's specialty magazines 606 00:21:54,125 --> 00:21:55,667 that are all about taxidermy. 607 00:21:55,667 --> 00:21:57,250 They will give you instructions 608 00:21:57,250 --> 00:21:59,042 and you have the ability to get all the materials 609 00:21:59,042 --> 00:22:00,833 you need by mail order. 610 00:22:00,833 --> 00:22:04,583 - [Rutledge] Whoa, artificial animal skulls for rugs. 611 00:22:04,583 --> 00:22:06,167 Those are bear heads. 612 00:22:06,167 --> 00:22:09,375 You can order a bear head to make your own bear skin rug. 613 00:22:09,375 --> 00:22:11,042 This is great. 614 00:22:11,042 --> 00:22:12,417 [gentle music] 615 00:22:12,417 --> 00:22:13,375 - [Natalia] People are stuffing everything. 616 00:22:13,375 --> 00:22:15,333 Yes, hunters are mounting deer heads, 617 00:22:15,333 --> 00:22:17,208 but people are preserving roadkill. 618 00:22:17,208 --> 00:22:19,292 I mean, even a bird that hits a window 619 00:22:19,292 --> 00:22:21,375 is a subject for taxidermy. 620 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:23,833 Everything is fair game, including pets. 621 00:22:24,875 --> 00:22:26,500 [gentle music] 622 00:22:26,500 --> 00:22:28,417 - [Henry] But the process involved in this booming hobby 623 00:22:28,417 --> 00:22:31,208 gets even hairier than you might expect. 624 00:22:31,208 --> 00:22:32,500 - [Kavitha] After skinning the animal, 625 00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:34,833 you rub soap over the insides 626 00:22:34,833 --> 00:22:37,000 and the hide so it kills the insects 627 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,625 and actually prevents decay. 628 00:22:39,625 --> 00:22:42,542 - [Lance] It's wonderful because it stays on the pelt. 629 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:46,792 The problem is its magical ingredient is arsenic. 630 00:22:46,792 --> 00:22:48,208 [dramatic music] 631 00:22:48,208 --> 00:22:52,542 - [Austin] Because it has no taste and dissolves so easily, 632 00:22:52,542 --> 00:22:56,542 arsenic is used as a poison for centuries. 633 00:22:56,542 --> 00:22:59,708 So many noblemen die from ingesting arsenic 634 00:22:59,708 --> 00:23:01,417 that it's called the king of poisons 635 00:23:01,417 --> 00:23:03,375 and the poison of kings. 636 00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:05,458 - [Negin] At the time, they knew that arsenic was poisonous 637 00:23:05,458 --> 00:23:06,833 if you ingested it, 638 00:23:06,833 --> 00:23:09,792 but nobody thought about the consequences 639 00:23:09,792 --> 00:23:12,542 of handling arsenic or breathing it in. 640 00:23:12,542 --> 00:23:14,875 And, you know, these amateur taxidermists 641 00:23:14,875 --> 00:23:19,208 were just slathering it on with their bare hands. 642 00:23:19,208 --> 00:23:20,583 [suspenseful music] 643 00:23:20,583 --> 00:23:21,750 - [Kavitha] Pretty soon people who do a lot 644 00:23:21,750 --> 00:23:23,875 of taxidermy start suffering from symptoms 645 00:23:23,875 --> 00:23:26,333 like stomach problems, skin cancer, 646 00:23:26,333 --> 00:23:28,125 and their fingernails start falling off. 647 00:23:28,125 --> 00:23:29,875 There're even deaths attributed 648 00:23:29,875 --> 00:23:32,542 to arsenic poisoning from just handling the soap. 649 00:23:32,542 --> 00:23:34,500 - And that's not the only problem. 650 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:36,875 The soap is used to preserve the animal's skin, 651 00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:38,833 but if you wanna preserve the fur, 652 00:23:38,833 --> 00:23:41,208 you have to add another ingredient. 653 00:23:41,208 --> 00:23:42,208 Mercury. 654 00:23:42,208 --> 00:23:43,542 [pensive music] 655 00:23:43,542 --> 00:23:45,417 - [Negin] Today we know that handling mercury 656 00:23:45,417 --> 00:23:47,292 and arsenic is really bad for you. 657 00:23:47,292 --> 00:23:49,167 In fact, it's so bad 658 00:23:49,167 --> 00:23:53,000 that you shouldn't even handle vintage taxidermy. 659 00:23:53,875 --> 00:23:57,083 - [Lance] Museums today bag all these taxidermy specimens 660 00:23:57,083 --> 00:23:59,875 that test positive for all these dangerous chemicals, 661 00:23:59,875 --> 00:24:01,417 and they put a label on them that says, 662 00:24:01,417 --> 00:24:03,375 dangerous for human contact. 663 00:24:03,375 --> 00:24:04,875 [gentle music] 664 00:24:04,875 --> 00:24:06,375 - [Rutledge] Eventually, better, safer methods 665 00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:07,833 are used for taxidermy, 666 00:24:07,833 --> 00:24:11,542 but up until the 1980s, this is what people use. 667 00:24:11,542 --> 00:24:13,625 They just thought it was fine. 668 00:24:13,625 --> 00:24:15,708 - [Jason] In the end, it's not the deadly arsenic 669 00:24:15,708 --> 00:24:17,292 or the mind-altering mercury 670 00:24:17,292 --> 00:24:19,292 that brings an end to taxidermy. 671 00:24:19,292 --> 00:24:21,542 It's just a change in taste. 672 00:24:21,542 --> 00:24:23,042 - [Natalia] These big stuffed animals 673 00:24:23,042 --> 00:24:24,375 just fall out of fashion, 674 00:24:24,375 --> 00:24:27,250 and so taxidermy starts to lose its luster as a hobby. 675 00:24:27,375 --> 00:24:29,208 [bright music] 676 00:24:29,208 --> 00:24:32,125 - The next time you see a stuffed fox at a flea market 677 00:24:32,125 --> 00:24:33,417 and you think, "Wow, 678 00:24:33,417 --> 00:24:34,458 that would look great in my living room." 679 00:24:34,458 --> 00:24:35,833 Think twice. 680 00:24:39,958 --> 00:24:41,917 - Kids have always loved playing with toy soldiers, 681 00:24:41,917 --> 00:24:43,583 but did you know that there was a time 682 00:24:43,583 --> 00:24:45,500 when they made them at home? 683 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:48,250 It was a hot hobby for a while. 684 00:24:48,250 --> 00:24:50,208 A little too hot. 685 00:24:50,208 --> 00:24:51,500 [gentle music] 686 00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:53,417 - [Austin] In the early 1900s, 687 00:24:53,417 --> 00:24:56,875 collecting toy soldiers is a huge hobby. 688 00:24:56,875 --> 00:24:58,500 Companies are pumping out as many 689 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:02,917 as 11 million figures per year. 690 00:25:02,917 --> 00:25:06,625 - In 1931, AC Gilbert is a toy manufacturer in New York, 691 00:25:06,625 --> 00:25:07,958 and he looks at this and he thinks, 692 00:25:07,958 --> 00:25:09,708 "You know what would be an even better hobby 693 00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:13,208 than collecting toy soldiers, [lips smacking] making them." 694 00:25:13,208 --> 00:25:14,667 [gentle music] 695 00:25:14,875 --> 00:25:17,250 - [Rutledge] So he develops the AC Gilbert casting kit. 696 00:25:17,250 --> 00:25:20,125 Cast your own metal toys. 697 00:25:20,125 --> 00:25:24,167 You're gonna need an open flame to melt this metal. 698 00:25:24,167 --> 00:25:25,875 This is wild. 699 00:25:25,875 --> 00:25:27,208 [gentle music] 700 00:25:27,375 --> 00:25:28,667 - [Austin] You take your metal, you put it in the ladle 701 00:25:28,792 --> 00:25:31,667 and melt it over whatever flame you've got, 702 00:25:31,667 --> 00:25:34,042 then pour it into the mold. 703 00:25:34,042 --> 00:25:36,625 Press it tight, wait till it cools. 704 00:25:37,667 --> 00:25:40,125 It's absolutely insane. 705 00:25:40,125 --> 00:25:41,583 [bright music] 706 00:25:41,583 --> 00:25:44,083 - [Negin] The mold works a lot like a waffle iron, 707 00:25:44,083 --> 00:25:45,583 but instead of pouring batter in there, 708 00:25:45,583 --> 00:25:48,167 you're pouring in molten metal, 709 00:25:48,167 --> 00:25:49,875 which you have to heat 710 00:25:49,875 --> 00:25:53,917 to 600 degrees for it to actually liquefy. 711 00:25:53,917 --> 00:25:57,208 - [Don] This isn't happening in foundries with safety goggles 712 00:25:57,208 --> 00:25:58,833 and the leather aprons. 713 00:25:58,833 --> 00:26:02,417 This is happening in kitchens with Mom's pot holders 714 00:26:02,417 --> 00:26:04,208 as the protective gear. 715 00:26:05,375 --> 00:26:06,875 - [Negin] If it spills on you, 716 00:26:06,875 --> 00:26:09,542 you're getting third and fourth degree burns 717 00:26:09,542 --> 00:26:11,208 with nerve damage. 718 00:26:11,208 --> 00:26:12,625 [suspenseful music] 719 00:26:12,625 --> 00:26:14,458 - [Henry] Sure, kids might get a burn or two, 720 00:26:14,458 --> 00:26:16,417 but smelting your own collectibles 721 00:26:16,417 --> 00:26:18,375 does have its advantages. 722 00:26:18,375 --> 00:26:21,667 - [Kavitha] If you mess up, you can melt it down and redo it. 723 00:26:21,667 --> 00:26:24,292 - [Austin] Bad guys get melted down into good guys. 724 00:26:24,292 --> 00:26:27,833 Run out of infantry, melt down some cavalry. 725 00:26:27,833 --> 00:26:30,333 It's constantly renewable, and it's awesome. 726 00:26:30,333 --> 00:26:31,917 [gentle music] 727 00:26:31,917 --> 00:26:35,750 - [Rutledge] Today, if you heat up metal on your parents' stove, 728 00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:37,375 most moms would be like, 729 00:26:37,375 --> 00:26:40,708 "If you get anywhere near this stove, 730 00:26:40,708 --> 00:26:43,667 I will kill you in this kitchen." 731 00:26:43,667 --> 00:26:46,500 - [Henry] But in the 1950s, anything goes, 732 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:50,208 and there is another surprise hidden in that hobby kit. 733 00:26:50,208 --> 00:26:53,708 - The metal these kids are melting, it's lead. 734 00:26:53,708 --> 00:26:55,000 [pensive music] 735 00:26:55,125 --> 00:26:56,708 - [Negin] Lead was used because it melted 736 00:26:56,708 --> 00:26:58,667 at a lower temperature than steel or iron, 737 00:26:58,667 --> 00:26:59,875 so it was kind of perfect 738 00:26:59,875 --> 00:27:01,667 for casting these little soldiers. 739 00:27:01,667 --> 00:27:02,875 [dramatic music] 740 00:27:02,875 --> 00:27:04,667 - [Jason] But lead is extremely toxic. 741 00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:07,875 There is no safe level of lead exposure. 742 00:27:07,875 --> 00:27:10,708 It's especially dangerous to inhale its fumes, 743 00:27:10,708 --> 00:27:13,125 which are created when you melt it. 744 00:27:13,125 --> 00:27:14,542 [pensive music] 745 00:27:14,542 --> 00:27:16,375 - [Negin] When the kids are done, the dust that settles 746 00:27:16,375 --> 00:27:20,708 around the kitchen, that's also poisonous. 747 00:27:20,708 --> 00:27:22,042 - [Jason] Kids are handling these things, 748 00:27:22,042 --> 00:27:23,708 they're storing them in their pockets, 749 00:27:23,708 --> 00:27:25,042 they're even putting them in their mouths, 750 00:27:25,042 --> 00:27:27,875 and all the while they don't realize this metal 751 00:27:27,875 --> 00:27:29,792 is slowly building up inside their bodies. 752 00:27:29,792 --> 00:27:30,917 [dramatic music] 753 00:27:30,917 --> 00:27:32,167 - [Henry] Despite the dangers, 754 00:27:32,167 --> 00:27:35,208 the United States doesn't start banning lead 755 00:27:35,208 --> 00:27:37,042 until the 1970s. 756 00:27:37,042 --> 00:27:38,875 - [Jason] So parents finally steer their kids away 757 00:27:38,875 --> 00:27:40,708 from these metal casting kits. 758 00:27:40,708 --> 00:27:42,833 The old lead army men are now replaced 759 00:27:42,833 --> 00:27:47,833 by the green plastic ones we know and still love today. 760 00:27:48,208 --> 00:27:51,417 - [Rutledge] You know what? You keep your plastic toys. 761 00:27:51,417 --> 00:27:54,208 Give me your dangerous casting kit. 762 00:27:54,208 --> 00:27:56,708 Sure, you could burn your parents' house down 763 00:27:56,708 --> 00:28:00,042 and it's not healthy for you at all, but it is cool. 764 00:28:02,708 --> 00:28:04,917 - In the old days, creativity didn't come 765 00:28:04,917 --> 00:28:07,000 in a box with instructions. 766 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,542 Now, we didn't need much to keep ourselves busy. 767 00:28:09,542 --> 00:28:12,917 A blank page, a lump of clay, a block of wood. 768 00:28:12,917 --> 00:28:17,208 Fun was hands-on, even if it meant an occasional trip 769 00:28:17,208 --> 00:28:18,458 to the emergency room. 770 00:28:18,458 --> 00:28:19,708 [bright music] 771 00:28:19,708 --> 00:28:21,792 - [Kavitha] In the 1950s, toy store aisles 772 00:28:21,792 --> 00:28:24,000 are brimming with hobby kits, 773 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,167 model airplane kits, and paint by numbers, 774 00:28:27,167 --> 00:28:28,458 and wood burning, 775 00:28:28,458 --> 00:28:32,042 which is also known as pyrography or writing with fire. 776 00:28:32,042 --> 00:28:33,333 [bright music] 777 00:28:33,458 --> 00:28:36,792 - [Austin] Pyrography dates back into ancient times. 778 00:28:36,792 --> 00:28:39,958 There is evidence of people using fire to write 779 00:28:39,958 --> 00:28:42,208 on pieces of wood, 780 00:28:42,208 --> 00:28:46,083 but now it's used via electricity, 781 00:28:46,083 --> 00:28:48,500 and it's marketed towards kids. 782 00:28:48,500 --> 00:28:50,083 [bright music] 783 00:28:50,250 --> 00:28:52,875 - [Rutledge] In the 1950s, wood burning kids are pretty basic. 784 00:28:52,875 --> 00:28:54,875 It's got your pen, which heats up, 785 00:28:54,875 --> 00:28:56,125 and you can write with that 786 00:28:56,125 --> 00:28:57,375 on the wood plank that it comes with, 787 00:28:57,375 --> 00:28:59,125 and then it's got some designs included 788 00:28:59,125 --> 00:29:01,708 that you can use to kind of get started. 789 00:29:01,708 --> 00:29:03,292 [transition whooshing] 790 00:29:03,417 --> 00:29:06,375 - [Austin] This is an extremely popular hobby in the 1950s. 791 00:29:06,375 --> 00:29:09,625 The Boy Scouts even run articles on all the things you can 792 00:29:09,625 --> 00:29:11,042 make with your wood burning kit, 793 00:29:11,042 --> 00:29:16,083 from camp signs to coasters to name badges. 794 00:29:16,208 --> 00:29:18,375 - [Rutledge] You feel like you're a tattoo artist 795 00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:19,000 for a piece of wood. 796 00:29:19,167 --> 00:29:20,458 If you're an eight-year-old boy 797 00:29:20,625 --> 00:29:22,333 and someone hands you this pen that gets really hot 798 00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:23,875 and then it'll burn wood. 799 00:29:23,875 --> 00:29:25,542 I mean, sign me up, I'm in. 800 00:29:25,542 --> 00:29:27,042 [gentle music] 801 00:29:27,042 --> 00:29:30,667 - This is clearly marketed for kids, not for adults, 802 00:29:30,667 --> 00:29:33,125 and it was normal for parents to buy these 803 00:29:33,125 --> 00:29:37,083 for young children, but it wouldn't happen today. 804 00:29:37,083 --> 00:29:39,708 - [Henry] Today there's a limit to how hot 805 00:29:39,708 --> 00:29:42,000 items sold to children can get. 806 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,708 But in the 1950s, nothing is too hot for a kid to handle. 807 00:29:46,708 --> 00:29:50,750 - [Austin] The heating element of these pens is a nichrome wire 808 00:29:50,750 --> 00:29:51,875 through which the current is run, 809 00:29:51,875 --> 00:29:55,542 and it hits 900 degrees. 810 00:29:55,542 --> 00:29:56,833 [pensive music] 811 00:29:56,833 --> 00:29:59,250 That's like pizza oven hot. 812 00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:01,208 - [Rutledge] It's funny because parents weren't really thinking 813 00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:03,167 about what was actually happening. 814 00:30:03,167 --> 00:30:05,167 They were just thinking like, "Oh, cool, it's a project. 815 00:30:05,167 --> 00:30:07,375 It's safer than building a rocket in the garage. 816 00:30:07,375 --> 00:30:08,708 This is great." 817 00:30:08,708 --> 00:30:10,917 But it was inherently dangerous what they were doing. 818 00:30:10,917 --> 00:30:12,167 [suspenseful music] 819 00:30:12,167 --> 00:30:13,417 - [Kavitha] This pen can obviously burn 820 00:30:13,417 --> 00:30:15,292 through wood in seconds, which is helpful, 821 00:30:15,292 --> 00:30:17,375 but that also means that it can burn through your skin, 822 00:30:17,375 --> 00:30:20,250 and there are no safety measures whatsoever. 823 00:30:20,250 --> 00:30:23,167 There's no screen, there's no temperature control, 824 00:30:23,167 --> 00:30:24,542 there's not even an on/off switch. 825 00:30:24,542 --> 00:30:26,042 [suspenseful music] 826 00:30:26,042 --> 00:30:28,000 - [Austin] A heating element of that temperature 827 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:32,083 will ignite a piece of paper faster than a match. 828 00:30:32,083 --> 00:30:33,750 It will scorch, sear, 829 00:30:33,750 --> 00:30:35,042 and ignite a curtain [flame whooshing] 830 00:30:35,042 --> 00:30:38,458 before you can smell the smoke. 831 00:30:38,458 --> 00:30:40,000 [fire crackling] 832 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,000 - [Negin] Fire departments start getting calls 833 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,458 of like cinched tables 834 00:30:43,458 --> 00:30:45,333 and melting cords [electricity buzzing] 835 00:30:45,333 --> 00:30:47,375 and curtains on fire, [fire crackling] 836 00:30:47,375 --> 00:30:49,708 but wood-burning kits aren't pulled from the market. 837 00:30:49,708 --> 00:30:51,208 [gentle music] 838 00:30:51,208 --> 00:30:53,250 - [Rutledge] But pretty soon, insurers start pushing 839 00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:56,875 for more safety in kids' toys like this, 840 00:30:56,875 --> 00:30:59,000 especially things that are electric 841 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,417 and have heat as a component to them. 842 00:31:01,417 --> 00:31:03,042 And shortly after that, 843 00:31:03,042 --> 00:31:05,708 manufacturers start adding things like on/off switches 844 00:31:05,708 --> 00:31:07,292 and even heat controls. 845 00:31:07,292 --> 00:31:08,667 [gentle music] 846 00:31:08,792 --> 00:31:11,750 - [Kavitha] These days, the kits come with safety controls 847 00:31:11,750 --> 00:31:13,250 and wood-burning is still a hobby, 848 00:31:13,250 --> 00:31:16,417 but it is decidedly for adults. 849 00:31:17,458 --> 00:31:20,375 - You know, I had a wood-burning kit when I was a kid, 850 00:31:20,375 --> 00:31:22,625 and after I burnt my fingers several times, 851 00:31:22,625 --> 00:31:24,375 I left it on the shelf. 852 00:31:24,375 --> 00:31:25,125 Probably for the best. 853 00:31:29,083 --> 00:31:31,625 - World War II sparked a model plane craze in America. 854 00:31:31,625 --> 00:31:33,625 Bedrooms became mini aircraft hangers 855 00:31:33,625 --> 00:31:37,750 filled with all the parts, paint, and glue they needed. 856 00:31:37,750 --> 00:31:41,458 Fun was in the air, but so was something else. 857 00:31:41,458 --> 00:31:43,083 [dramatic music] 858 00:31:43,083 --> 00:31:45,208 - [Kavitha] After World War II, plastics 859 00:31:45,208 --> 00:31:47,208 along with injection molding 860 00:31:47,208 --> 00:31:49,917 makes model kits sturdier, more affordable, 861 00:31:49,917 --> 00:31:53,042 easier to assemble, and more realistic than ever. 862 00:31:53,042 --> 00:31:54,917 - [Adam] There was so much detail. 863 00:31:54,917 --> 00:31:57,750 You see the rivets on each plate of the wing. 864 00:31:57,750 --> 00:32:00,083 You see the bullets in the cannon 865 00:32:00,083 --> 00:32:02,208 and the attention to detail 866 00:32:02,208 --> 00:32:04,708 sort of sparked your imagination. 867 00:32:04,708 --> 00:32:06,542 - [Don] As a kid, you would do anything you could, 868 00:32:06,542 --> 00:32:07,917 mowing lawns, 869 00:32:07,917 --> 00:32:09,750 washing cars to get that little bit of money 870 00:32:09,750 --> 00:32:11,583 to go down to Bob's Hobby Shop, 871 00:32:11,583 --> 00:32:14,042 and it could take a whole Saturday to build 872 00:32:14,042 --> 00:32:15,958 one of these planes, and it was worth it. 873 00:32:15,958 --> 00:32:17,042 [gentle music] 874 00:32:17,208 --> 00:32:18,208 - [Adam] A survey of Boy Scouts asks, 875 00:32:18,208 --> 00:32:20,042 what do you like to do for fun? 876 00:32:20,042 --> 00:32:24,667 And 99% of them say model building. 877 00:32:24,667 --> 00:32:26,667 99% of them. 878 00:32:26,667 --> 00:32:29,000 - [Laurie] Parents love this because the kids are building. 879 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,542 It's educational. 880 00:32:30,542 --> 00:32:34,542 So you think, "What could possibly go wrong?" 881 00:32:34,542 --> 00:32:35,833 - [Henry] These new plastic modeling kits 882 00:32:35,833 --> 00:32:38,833 requires something new 883 00:32:38,833 --> 00:32:40,875 to hold them together. 884 00:32:40,875 --> 00:32:42,125 [gentle music] 885 00:32:42,125 --> 00:32:43,500 - [Adam] Plastic has a different type 886 00:32:43,500 --> 00:32:48,042 of bonding surface than things like paper or wood. 887 00:32:48,042 --> 00:32:51,083 So you can't really use that white Elmer's glue. 888 00:32:51,083 --> 00:32:53,833 You have to have something called modeling glue. 889 00:32:54,375 --> 00:32:56,208 - [Kavitha] This glue contains a substance called toluene, 890 00:32:56,208 --> 00:32:58,667 which is a petroleum-based solvent 891 00:32:58,667 --> 00:33:01,375 that actually creates a tiny chemical reaction. 892 00:33:01,375 --> 00:33:04,583 So the plastic melts and can fuse together. 893 00:33:04,583 --> 00:33:07,542 - And so after a time, if you're really one of these kids, 894 00:33:07,542 --> 00:33:09,875 you are in a bedroom full of models. 895 00:33:09,875 --> 00:33:11,333 They're hanging from your ceiling, 896 00:33:11,333 --> 00:33:12,583 they're up on your bookshelves, they're everywhere, 897 00:33:12,583 --> 00:33:14,708 they're little friends of yours, you know? 898 00:33:14,708 --> 00:33:16,042 You've spent so much time 899 00:33:16,042 --> 00:33:18,583 with these models understanding how they were built 900 00:33:18,583 --> 00:33:21,125 that you were organically attached to them. 901 00:33:21,125 --> 00:33:22,500 [gentle music] 902 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:23,958 - [Henry] But something doesn't smell right. 903 00:33:23,958 --> 00:33:25,167 - Kids are spending hours in their rooms 904 00:33:25,167 --> 00:33:26,917 building these cool model kits, 905 00:33:26,917 --> 00:33:28,292 and these glue fumes they're building up, 906 00:33:28,292 --> 00:33:30,875 and these kids discover the fumes. 907 00:33:30,875 --> 00:33:32,292 They have a side effect. 908 00:33:32,292 --> 00:33:33,875 - Kids are just straight up getting high. 909 00:33:33,875 --> 00:33:35,125 [dramatic music] 910 00:33:35,125 --> 00:33:36,375 They're getting lightheaded, foggy, 911 00:33:36,375 --> 00:33:38,500 dizzy, all from this glue. 912 00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:40,375 - [Don] In middle school I remember 913 00:33:40,375 --> 00:33:42,083 a little glue in the baggy 914 00:33:42,083 --> 00:33:43,667 and then it gets passed around and everybody smells, 915 00:33:43,667 --> 00:33:45,625 and I would take it and this is when I learned 916 00:33:45,625 --> 00:33:46,792 to just say no. 917 00:33:46,792 --> 00:33:48,042 [dramatic music] 918 00:33:48,042 --> 00:33:49,333 - [Jason] Eventually the model-making 919 00:33:49,333 --> 00:33:50,958 becomes secondary for some kids, 920 00:33:50,958 --> 00:33:52,792 or they completely skip it 921 00:33:52,792 --> 00:33:55,125 and just buy the glue to sniff it. 922 00:33:55,125 --> 00:33:56,458 [pensive music] 923 00:33:56,458 --> 00:33:58,000 - [Natalia] At first, there's a buzz, 924 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,875 but that quickly turns into hallucinations, mood changes, 925 00:34:01,875 --> 00:34:03,583 and brain and organ damage. 926 00:34:03,583 --> 00:34:06,375 It's no joke. And this stuff is so easy to get. 927 00:34:06,375 --> 00:34:08,292 - You can pretty much walk into any store, 928 00:34:08,292 --> 00:34:10,042 and at 15 cents, you know, 929 00:34:10,042 --> 00:34:12,417 a kid can get many tubes of this glue 930 00:34:12,417 --> 00:34:14,500 for the cost of a candy bar. 931 00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:17,042 - [Henry] And most parents are none the wiser. 932 00:34:17,042 --> 00:34:19,042 - [Adam] That is until 1959. 933 00:34:19,042 --> 00:34:20,458 [gentle music] 934 00:34:20,542 --> 00:34:22,500 When an article in the "Denver Post" talks about 935 00:34:22,500 --> 00:34:26,083 how kids are getting high from sniffing modeling glue. 936 00:34:26,083 --> 00:34:27,708 - At first, authorities just think 937 00:34:27,708 --> 00:34:29,375 these are isolated incidents, 938 00:34:29,375 --> 00:34:31,667 but stories are coming in of kids getting high 939 00:34:31,667 --> 00:34:34,458 and sniffing glue from all over the country. 940 00:34:34,458 --> 00:34:36,250 - [Adam] In the fall of 1962, 941 00:34:36,250 --> 00:34:40,833 police in Washington DC handled roughly 300 incidents 942 00:34:40,833 --> 00:34:43,208 of kids sniffing modeling glue 943 00:34:43,208 --> 00:34:45,542 to get high in just two months. 944 00:34:45,542 --> 00:34:46,792 [bright music] 945 00:34:46,792 --> 00:34:49,542 - [Henry] By the mid 1960s, every kid in school 946 00:34:49,542 --> 00:34:52,708 knows what to do if they want a buzz. 947 00:34:52,708 --> 00:34:54,083 [dramatic music] 948 00:34:54,083 --> 00:34:57,250 So glue becomes public enemy number one. 949 00:34:57,250 --> 00:34:59,417 - Schools start holding assemblies 950 00:34:59,417 --> 00:35:02,375 to like teach kids about the dangers of sniffing glue. 951 00:35:02,375 --> 00:35:04,042 - [Don] Principals tell parents 952 00:35:04,042 --> 00:35:06,375 to search their kids' rooms for tubes of glue. 953 00:35:06,375 --> 00:35:09,542 States restrict the sale of glue to minors. 954 00:35:09,542 --> 00:35:11,292 There's even public service announcements 955 00:35:11,292 --> 00:35:13,542 about the dangers of sniffing glue. 956 00:35:13,542 --> 00:35:15,042 - [Speaker] Well, here's a deadly poison 957 00:35:15,042 --> 00:35:17,583 that some young people play with for kicks, 958 00:35:17,583 --> 00:35:18,208 the glue sniffers. 959 00:35:18,208 --> 00:35:19,417 [gentle music] 960 00:35:19,417 --> 00:35:20,917 - [Brian] People like that are 961 00:35:20,917 --> 00:35:23,500 the ones that ruin model building for everybody else. 962 00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:26,292 Like suddenly, if you want to build the Enterprise, 963 00:35:26,292 --> 00:35:28,958 you're a glue huffer. 964 00:35:28,958 --> 00:35:31,250 It really sullied the reputation 965 00:35:31,250 --> 00:35:32,875 of the model-building community. 966 00:35:32,875 --> 00:35:35,875 - [Laurie] Our children were building these amazing things, 967 00:35:35,875 --> 00:35:37,542 but they were definitely doing it 968 00:35:37,542 --> 00:35:40,792 while they were a little or a lot high. 969 00:35:40,792 --> 00:35:42,542 [upbeat music] 970 00:35:42,542 --> 00:35:44,500 - [Henry] The modeling glue is allowed to stay on the market 971 00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:47,292 for a few more decades with a change 972 00:35:47,292 --> 00:35:49,375 that doesn't protect you from the toxins 973 00:35:49,375 --> 00:35:52,500 as much as it punishes you for trying to sniff 'em. 974 00:35:53,667 --> 00:35:56,042 - [Don] Manufacturers use these bitter additives. 975 00:35:56,042 --> 00:35:58,042 They're so strong that if you sniff it, 976 00:35:58,042 --> 00:35:59,500 it will make your eyes water 977 00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:02,375 and send you into a coughing and sneezing fit. 978 00:36:02,375 --> 00:36:04,708 They essentially make the experience of sniffing glue 979 00:36:04,708 --> 00:36:08,625 so awful that the high just isn't really worth it anymore. 980 00:36:08,625 --> 00:36:09,792 [gentle music] 981 00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:11,875 - [Natalia] By the 1990s, many manufacturers 982 00:36:11,875 --> 00:36:15,208 switch completely from toluene into epoxy glues. 983 00:36:15,208 --> 00:36:17,542 This makes the activity much safer. 984 00:36:17,542 --> 00:36:20,333 - [Jason] But it turns out there's an innocent victim here. 985 00:36:20,333 --> 00:36:22,583 It's good, old-fashioned school glue. 986 00:36:22,583 --> 00:36:24,333 Parents and teachers have been warning us 987 00:36:24,333 --> 00:36:26,458 about its dangers for decades. 988 00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:30,042 But as it turns out, you can't get high sniffing Elmer's. 989 00:36:30,042 --> 00:36:32,542 [bright music] 990 00:36:32,542 --> 00:36:35,208 - Once sniffing glue stopped being a thing, 991 00:36:35,208 --> 00:36:37,667 I guess kids just went back to eating paste. 992 00:36:41,833 --> 00:36:44,167 - Lots of people enjoy a nice hike up a mountain 993 00:36:44,167 --> 00:36:45,667 or a little rock climbing, 994 00:36:45,667 --> 00:36:48,500 but there was a time when thrill seekers took climbing 995 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:50,583 where it was never meant to go, 996 00:36:50,583 --> 00:36:55,667 armed with nothing but nerves of steel and a good grip. 997 00:36:55,667 --> 00:36:56,792 [bright music] 998 00:36:56,792 --> 00:36:58,333 - [Natalia] Most people look at skyscrapers 999 00:36:58,333 --> 00:36:59,875 and see an office building, 1000 00:36:59,875 --> 00:37:03,708 but for a certain kind of daredevil, they're a playground. 1001 00:37:03,708 --> 00:37:05,208 - [Hakeem] People have been climbing buildings 1002 00:37:05,208 --> 00:37:06,958 since the early 1900s. 1003 00:37:06,958 --> 00:37:09,542 It's a hobby known as buildering, 1004 00:37:09,542 --> 00:37:12,250 though today we call it urban climbing. 1005 00:37:12,250 --> 00:37:14,000 - [Henry] And the bigger the building, 1006 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,333 the bigger the payoff. 1007 00:37:15,333 --> 00:37:16,875 [dramatic music] 1008 00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:19,500 - [Jason] In the 1970s, there is a skyscraper boom, 1009 00:37:19,500 --> 00:37:21,625 the World Trade Center, the John Hancock building, 1010 00:37:21,625 --> 00:37:23,625 and the Sears Tower in Chicago. 1011 00:37:23,625 --> 00:37:25,542 These things are going up everywhere. 1012 00:37:25,542 --> 00:37:28,167 - [Hakeem] In 1977, the World Trade Center's South Tower 1013 00:37:28,167 --> 00:37:30,875 is the third tallest building in the world 1014 00:37:30,875 --> 00:37:33,542 at 110 stories tall. 1015 00:37:33,542 --> 00:37:35,375 A climbing hobbyist, George Willig, 1016 00:37:35,375 --> 00:37:38,167 decides that's what I'm gonna climb. 1017 00:37:38,167 --> 00:37:39,583 [gentle music] 1018 00:37:39,708 --> 00:37:41,208 - [Adam] So Willig does a reconnaissance mission, 1019 00:37:41,208 --> 00:37:43,667 and he notices three-inch, 1020 00:37:43,667 --> 00:37:45,875 C-shaped stainless steel channels 1021 00:37:45,875 --> 00:37:48,042 that run along the building's corners. 1022 00:37:48,042 --> 00:37:49,542 And that's his eureka moment. 1023 00:37:49,542 --> 00:37:51,667 - They're meant to be tracks for window washers, 1024 00:37:51,667 --> 00:37:54,208 but for him, they're the path to the top. 1025 00:37:54,208 --> 00:37:56,083 - [Jason] He goes into heavy DIY mode, 1026 00:37:56,083 --> 00:37:57,750 and he develops these clamps 1027 00:37:57,750 --> 00:38:00,458 that can hook into the tracks on the skyscraper itself. 1028 00:38:00,458 --> 00:38:02,333 Then he can sort of pop them off, 1029 00:38:02,333 --> 00:38:04,292 slide up and then lock them in again. 1030 00:38:04,292 --> 00:38:06,542 But there are no safety lines. 1031 00:38:06,542 --> 00:38:09,583 In fact, there was no safety equipment whatsoever. 1032 00:38:09,583 --> 00:38:14,625 So it's completely insane, but pretty marvelous as well. 1033 00:38:15,375 --> 00:38:17,708 - [Natalia] It looks good, but he can't test it. 1034 00:38:17,708 --> 00:38:19,667 It's totally illegal to climb a building. 1035 00:38:19,667 --> 00:38:21,542 So the test run is gonna be the day 1036 00:38:21,542 --> 00:38:23,000 that he actually does it. 1037 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,083 [suspenseful music] 1038 00:38:25,083 --> 00:38:28,250 - [Jason] So in the morning of May 26th, 1977, he sneaks 1039 00:38:28,250 --> 00:38:30,417 through a construction fence 1040 00:38:30,417 --> 00:38:32,542 and starts climbing the South Tower 1041 00:38:32,542 --> 00:38:34,292 of the World Trade Center. 1042 00:38:34,292 --> 00:38:36,292 [suspenseful music] [siren howling] 1043 00:38:36,292 --> 00:38:40,167 By 6:30 AM, he's already gathering a crowd. 1044 00:38:40,167 --> 00:38:42,583 - When Willig reaches the 55th floor, 1045 00:38:42,583 --> 00:38:44,583 police officers on a washing rig 1046 00:38:44,583 --> 00:38:47,833 try to get him to stop, but he won't. 1047 00:38:47,833 --> 00:38:49,708 - [Martin] I watched it on Channel 7 News, and I was like, 1048 00:38:49,708 --> 00:38:51,708 "I wonder if that guy's gonna make it." 1049 00:38:51,708 --> 00:38:53,667 - [Natalia] Just falling off the roof of your house 1050 00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:55,458 has a one in five chance of being fatal. 1051 00:38:55,458 --> 00:38:57,042 [suspenseful music] 1052 00:38:57,042 --> 00:38:59,542 Anything over 60 feet would take a miracle to survive. 1053 00:38:59,542 --> 00:39:01,417 And he's hanging off the side of a building 1054 00:39:01,417 --> 00:39:03,792 that's over 22 times higher than that. 1055 00:39:04,708 --> 00:39:07,625 - [Hakeem] Keep in mind, an error in this case means a fall 1056 00:39:07,625 --> 00:39:10,333 not from feet, but from stories. 1057 00:39:11,042 --> 00:39:12,833 - [Jason] By the time he gets close to the roof, 1058 00:39:12,833 --> 00:39:15,708 his feet are blistered, his hands are raw, 1059 00:39:15,708 --> 00:39:18,875 and he's tempting fate with every move. 1060 00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:21,458 - [Adam] At 10:05 AM, after nearly three hours 1061 00:39:21,458 --> 00:39:23,583 of hauling himself upward, 1062 00:39:24,292 --> 00:39:25,708 he finally reaches the top. 1063 00:39:25,708 --> 00:39:29,208 [crowd cheering] [crowd applauding] 1064 00:39:29,208 --> 00:39:30,375 Then they throw the book at him. 1065 00:39:30,375 --> 00:39:31,333 [gentle music] 1066 00:39:31,333 --> 00:39:32,583 Reckless endangerment, 1067 00:39:32,583 --> 00:39:35,542 disorderly conduct, criminal trespass. 1068 00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:38,875 They even slap him with a quarter-million-dollar fine. 1069 00:39:38,875 --> 00:39:40,708 - [Hakeem] But everybody thought it was the coolest 1070 00:39:40,708 --> 00:39:41,958 thing that ever happened. 1071 00:39:41,958 --> 00:39:43,833 So they dropped the charges against him, 1072 00:39:43,833 --> 00:39:47,542 and his fine was reduced to $1.10. 1073 00:39:47,542 --> 00:39:49,958 One penny for every floor he climbed. 1074 00:39:49,958 --> 00:39:51,875 - [Reporter] George, when did you first get the idea? 1075 00:39:51,875 --> 00:39:54,042 - [Henry] Other climbers aren't so fortunate. 1076 00:39:54,042 --> 00:39:55,542 [transition whooshing] 1077 00:39:55,542 --> 00:39:58,875 When Dan Goodwin tackles the John Hancock Center in 1981, 1078 00:39:58,875 --> 00:40:01,292 he gets a very chilly reception 1079 00:40:01,292 --> 00:40:03,792 from Chicago's fire department. 1080 00:40:03,792 --> 00:40:05,667 - [Martin] He reaches the 37th floor 1081 00:40:05,667 --> 00:40:08,042 and they spray water from hoses at him 1082 00:40:08,042 --> 00:40:09,583 to deter him from going higher. 1083 00:40:09,583 --> 00:40:11,917 - He's 300 feet up on the side of a building 1084 00:40:11,917 --> 00:40:14,042 and you're gonna start pummeling him with water? 1085 00:40:14,042 --> 00:40:16,292 I mean, this is probably not gonna go very well. 1086 00:40:16,292 --> 00:40:17,792 [dramatic music] 1087 00:40:18,042 --> 00:40:20,583 - [Adam] He almost comes off the building and falls to his death. 1088 00:40:20,583 --> 00:40:25,042 But somehow this wild man manages to keep going. 1089 00:40:25,042 --> 00:40:26,375 [bright music] 1090 00:40:26,375 --> 00:40:28,667 And seven hours later he reaches the top. 1091 00:40:28,667 --> 00:40:31,167 - [Natalia] I gotta have admiration for people 1092 00:40:31,167 --> 00:40:33,917 who see a skyscraper and think, "I wanna climb that." 1093 00:40:33,917 --> 00:40:36,833 There's like something pure and optimistic 1094 00:40:36,833 --> 00:40:40,208 and courageous about like man over building. 1095 00:40:40,208 --> 00:40:41,833 - [Jason] The crazy thing is you think about someone 1096 00:40:41,833 --> 00:40:43,667 doing a stunt like this today, 1097 00:40:43,667 --> 00:40:46,042 they're gonna have sponsors, they're gonna get paid for it, 1098 00:40:46,042 --> 00:40:47,667 but these guys, 1099 00:40:47,667 --> 00:40:49,542 they're not doing this for any kind of reward like that. 1100 00:40:49,542 --> 00:40:52,167 They're doing this for the love of the game. 1101 00:40:52,167 --> 00:40:56,750 - [Adam] Eventually, building owners say enough is enough. 1102 00:40:56,750 --> 00:40:59,917 They hire more security, they install cameras, 1103 00:40:59,917 --> 00:41:04,417 they put better fencing around to increase obstacles. 1104 00:41:04,417 --> 00:41:07,542 - [Jason] Architects even develop vertical prismatic glass 1105 00:41:07,542 --> 00:41:09,250 that doesn't have ledges 1106 00:41:09,250 --> 00:41:11,208 that makes it really hard for climbers 1107 00:41:11,208 --> 00:41:12,833 to even start climbing. 1108 00:41:12,833 --> 00:41:14,417 - [Hakeem] People are still climbing buildings. 1109 00:41:14,417 --> 00:41:16,542 One just happened in Taipei. [people cheering] 1110 00:41:16,542 --> 00:41:19,042 But this was a staged event with cameras, 1111 00:41:19,042 --> 00:41:21,667 and it was broadcast for the world to see. 1112 00:41:21,667 --> 00:41:24,458 So today, these climbs are much more controlled 1113 00:41:24,458 --> 00:41:26,500 and planned than in the past. 1114 00:41:26,500 --> 00:41:27,917 [dramatic music] 1115 00:41:27,917 --> 00:41:30,542 - Looking back at the hobbies that we loved, 1116 00:41:30,542 --> 00:41:33,750 it was a lot more than just a way to pass time. 1117 00:41:33,750 --> 00:41:36,208 Whether it was attaching ourselves to kites, 1118 00:41:36,208 --> 00:41:38,375 making homemade rocket fuel, 1119 00:41:38,375 --> 00:41:40,750 or smelting our own lead soldiers, 1120 00:41:40,750 --> 00:41:43,375 we let our imaginations run wild. 1121 00:41:43,375 --> 00:41:45,292 Sometimes a little too wild, 1122 00:41:45,292 --> 00:41:49,333 but that's what made our hazardous history a hobby 1123 00:41:49,333 --> 00:41:51,250 we never quite gave up. 1124 00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:52,167 [graphic whooshing] 1125 00:41:52,167 --> 00:41:54,875 [dramatic music]