1 00:00:03,795 --> 00:00:08,216 Do you remember when a safari theme park went fully feral? 2 00:00:08,217 --> 00:00:10,426 Cars are, basically, under siege. 3 00:00:10,427 --> 00:00:12,345 Like, that's the thrill. 4 00:00:12,346 --> 00:00:14,847 They actually put this right in their logo. 5 00:00:14,848 --> 00:00:17,183 Could you believe that the atomic bomb 6 00:00:17,184 --> 00:00:20,269 was once a major tourist attraction? 7 00:00:20,270 --> 00:00:21,938 They will literally sell you a ticket 8 00:00:21,939 --> 00:00:23,940 to as close to that explosion 9 00:00:23,941 --> 00:00:26,068 as the army will let you get. 10 00:00:27,319 --> 00:00:29,654 Do you remember back when a barrel 11 00:00:29,655 --> 00:00:32,155 was considered a safety device? 12 00:00:32,156 --> 00:00:33,658 Come and watch these people 13 00:00:33,659 --> 00:00:35,451 take their lives into their own hands 14 00:00:35,452 --> 00:00:37,828 and catapult themselves over the falls. 15 00:00:37,829 --> 00:00:40,331 Police do get called, but it's really just to make sure, 16 00:00:40,332 --> 00:00:42,250 "Does everyone have a good view?" 17 00:00:42,251 --> 00:00:44,877 These are the things we used to do, 18 00:00:44,878 --> 00:00:49,423 for fun, for money, or maybe out of boredom, 19 00:00:49,424 --> 00:00:51,842 that we'll never see again. 20 00:00:51,843 --> 00:00:53,427 Were they dangerous? 21 00:00:53,428 --> 00:00:54,720 Certainly. 22 00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:55,680 Deadly? 23 00:00:55,681 --> 00:00:56,681 Occasionally. 24 00:00:56,682 --> 00:00:57,890 But boy, 25 00:00:57,891 --> 00:00:59,184 wasn't it exciting? 26 00:01:09,736 --> 00:01:10,987 When I was little, 27 00:01:10,988 --> 00:01:13,948 I used to love to go to the Central Park Zoo, 28 00:01:13,949 --> 00:01:16,242 and one of the highlights was the pony ride. 29 00:01:16,243 --> 00:01:18,411 Well, you might be surprised to learn 30 00:01:18,412 --> 00:01:21,289 that a century ago in Los Angeles, 31 00:01:21,290 --> 00:01:23,499 kids had the chance to ride an animal 32 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:25,543 that was far more exotic. 33 00:01:27,796 --> 00:01:29,964 In the early 1900s, there are these three forms 34 00:01:29,965 --> 00:01:32,258 of public attractions that are becoming huge: 35 00:01:32,259 --> 00:01:35,553 zoos, circuses, and amusement parks. 36 00:01:35,554 --> 00:01:38,098 People are lining up like crazy for them. 37 00:01:39,308 --> 00:01:40,891 That's when a man named Hubert Campbell 38 00:01:40,892 --> 00:01:43,436 decides that he can get rich 39 00:01:43,437 --> 00:01:47,149 by combining all three into one attraction. 40 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:50,443 Hubert Campbell is a man on a mission. 41 00:01:50,444 --> 00:01:53,279 He wants a visitor attraction 42 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,531 that has the feel of a nature preserve, 43 00:01:55,532 --> 00:01:59,785 sort of an interactive zoo, and he hits on it. 44 00:01:59,786 --> 00:02:02,538 He's gonna open an alligator park. 45 00:02:02,539 --> 00:02:04,123 This guy's an out-there character. 46 00:02:04,124 --> 00:02:05,583 He used to perform in the 47 00:02:05,584 --> 00:02:07,376 "Buffalo Bill Wild West" show. 48 00:02:07,377 --> 00:02:10,921 He has a lifelong passion for large reptiles, 49 00:02:10,922 --> 00:02:14,134 and he's even earned the nickname Alligator Joe. 50 00:02:15,469 --> 00:02:17,803 So he gets a business partner named Francis Earnest, 51 00:02:17,804 --> 00:02:20,056 and together they decide to bring 52 00:02:20,057 --> 00:02:22,224 alligators to Southern California. 53 00:02:22,225 --> 00:02:25,895 They start the Los Angeles Alligator Farm. 54 00:02:25,896 --> 00:02:29,398 Admission is a quarter, and for that low price, 55 00:02:29,399 --> 00:02:32,943 visitors enter a world of reptilian wonder. 56 00:02:32,944 --> 00:02:34,737 This is not some little sideshow attraction 57 00:02:34,738 --> 00:02:37,948 where there's one alligator or two or even 20. 58 00:02:37,949 --> 00:02:40,076 This is Alligator Nation. 59 00:02:40,077 --> 00:02:42,870 They bring in 1,000 alligators 60 00:02:42,871 --> 00:02:47,208 who just roam freely through this barely contained park 61 00:02:47,209 --> 00:02:51,170 in the center of a residential L.A. neighborhood. 62 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:54,465 It's like Jurassic Park with worse fences. 63 00:02:54,466 --> 00:02:57,176 Now, contrary to what you might be thinking, 64 00:02:57,177 --> 00:03:00,721 gators are not super trainable, 65 00:03:00,722 --> 00:03:02,765 but somehow Alligator Joe 66 00:03:02,766 --> 00:03:05,434 works his Alligator Joe magic, 67 00:03:05,435 --> 00:03:08,437 and he has them doing little tricks and stunts, 68 00:03:08,438 --> 00:03:11,232 including going down water slides. 69 00:03:11,233 --> 00:03:12,525 Which is pretty remarkable 70 00:03:12,526 --> 00:03:13,484 when you think some of these alligators 71 00:03:13,485 --> 00:03:15,236 are, like, 15 feet long. 72 00:03:15,237 --> 00:03:17,238 They even have shows where you can watch 73 00:03:17,239 --> 00:03:19,949 some of their trainers wrestling with the alligators. 74 00:03:19,950 --> 00:03:22,535 You put that on a billboard, 75 00:03:22,536 --> 00:03:23,911 yeah, that's gonna get people to come. 76 00:03:25,247 --> 00:03:27,998 The farm even lets you handle baby alligators. 77 00:03:27,999 --> 00:03:29,917 This is where Joe is really onto something. 78 00:03:29,918 --> 00:03:33,170 He's creating his own lane, and people love it. 79 00:03:33,171 --> 00:03:36,841 Families can just mingle with the animals, 80 00:03:36,842 --> 00:03:40,594 pose freely with no barriers between them 81 00:03:40,595 --> 00:03:43,597 and one of nature's most efficient, ruthless, 82 00:03:43,598 --> 00:03:45,391 and deadly predators. 83 00:03:45,392 --> 00:03:49,812 Parents are placing toddlers on alligators for photo ops, 84 00:03:49,813 --> 00:03:51,981 and other kids are riding them. 85 00:03:51,982 --> 00:03:54,692 As a kid, I would love to see the alligators, 86 00:03:54,693 --> 00:03:58,195 but I really would like a fence. 87 00:03:58,196 --> 00:03:59,905 The gift shop even sells baby alligators 88 00:03:59,906 --> 00:04:00,906 to take home. 89 00:04:00,907 --> 00:04:02,283 They tell parents, 90 00:04:02,284 --> 00:04:03,951 "Don't worry, when they get too big 91 00:04:03,952 --> 00:04:05,077 or bitey, you can come back 92 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:06,745 and trade them in for a smaller one." 93 00:04:06,746 --> 00:04:08,414 It's unreal to imagine. 94 00:04:08,415 --> 00:04:09,623 Normally, when you go to the zoo, 95 00:04:09,624 --> 00:04:12,001 you might get a stuffed animal as a souvenir 96 00:04:12,002 --> 00:04:14,628 to remind you of the animals that you saw at the zoo. 97 00:04:14,629 --> 00:04:15,796 You don't usually get to take home 98 00:04:15,797 --> 00:04:18,799 a live animal to keep in your bathtub. 99 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,552 There's also this educational angle 100 00:04:21,553 --> 00:04:22,762 to the alligator farm. 101 00:04:22,763 --> 00:04:24,096 You can go see, like, 102 00:04:24,097 --> 00:04:25,723 the eggs and incubators. 103 00:04:25,724 --> 00:04:27,600 You can see them being hatched. 104 00:04:27,601 --> 00:04:32,062 There's even sort of a gator ER where they can see gators 105 00:04:32,063 --> 00:04:35,316 recovering from injuries, which are pretty frequent 106 00:04:35,317 --> 00:04:38,694 because alligators are wildly territorial. 107 00:04:40,322 --> 00:04:42,114 Some of those injuries were incredibly brutal 108 00:04:42,115 --> 00:04:43,365 because when they fight, 109 00:04:43,366 --> 00:04:45,451 they're taking chunks out of each other. 110 00:04:45,452 --> 00:04:48,913 Surprisingly enough, the barriers around the park 111 00:04:48,914 --> 00:04:52,166 are so shoddy that alligators are escaping 112 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:55,044 and alligators are being found in people's pools 113 00:04:55,045 --> 00:04:57,963 and backyards all the time. 114 00:04:57,964 --> 00:05:00,841 Yet for decades, no one seems to bat an eye 115 00:05:00,842 --> 00:05:05,179 at this horde of apex predators in the middle of L.A., 116 00:05:05,180 --> 00:05:08,641 but eventually disaster strikes. 117 00:05:08,642 --> 00:05:10,267 In 1925, 118 00:05:10,268 --> 00:05:12,770 Francis Earnest's seven-year-old son 119 00:05:12,771 --> 00:05:14,313 climbs into the enclosure. 120 00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:15,731 One of those gators leaps up 121 00:05:15,732 --> 00:05:18,359 and grabs Francis Jr. by the hand. 122 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,529 It takes his uncle gouging out the eyes of that gator 123 00:05:21,530 --> 00:05:23,322 to finally get the mouth to open. 124 00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:27,201 By some miracle, Francis Jr. survives this attack, 125 00:05:27,202 --> 00:05:30,704 but no one's calling for the Gator Farm to be shut down. 126 00:05:30,705 --> 00:05:33,290 Eventually, Alligator Joe's attraction 127 00:05:33,291 --> 00:05:37,711 falls victim not to lawsuits or bad press, 128 00:05:37,712 --> 00:05:39,755 but annoyed neighbors. 129 00:05:39,756 --> 00:05:41,924 In the 1950s, this part of L.A. 130 00:05:41,925 --> 00:05:44,885 starts becoming more densely populated, 131 00:05:44,886 --> 00:05:47,596 and people have had it with the park. 132 00:05:47,597 --> 00:05:50,558 They're sick of alligators roaming the neighborhood. 133 00:05:50,559 --> 00:05:52,977 Today, alligator farms do still exist, 134 00:05:52,978 --> 00:05:55,396 and you can still hold baby alligators, 135 00:05:55,397 --> 00:05:57,356 but toddlers are not allowed to ride them, 136 00:05:57,357 --> 00:05:58,816 and you definitely can't 137 00:05:58,817 --> 00:06:00,360 take one home with you. 138 00:06:02,487 --> 00:06:05,906 All right, so if alligators weren't your thing back then, 139 00:06:05,907 --> 00:06:08,367 there was a place right across town 140 00:06:08,368 --> 00:06:12,705 that gave kids a chance to hop on another exotic animal, 141 00:06:12,706 --> 00:06:15,709 one that would give them an even wilder ride. 142 00:06:17,085 --> 00:06:19,378 When the California Alligator Farm opens in 1907, 143 00:06:19,379 --> 00:06:20,921 there's another attraction 144 00:06:20,922 --> 00:06:23,424 that's been around for over a decade. 145 00:06:23,425 --> 00:06:26,010 In the 1880s, a Brit named Edwin Cawston 146 00:06:26,011 --> 00:06:27,970 imports a whole bunch of ostriches 147 00:06:27,971 --> 00:06:30,389 to his farm in South Pasadena, California. 148 00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:31,682 He's planning to get rich 149 00:06:31,683 --> 00:06:33,726 selling the feathers of these birds 150 00:06:33,727 --> 00:06:36,520 because they're really big in ladies' fashion at the time. 151 00:06:36,521 --> 00:06:38,188 Most people in South Pasadena 152 00:06:38,189 --> 00:06:40,774 have never seen an ostrich up close before. 153 00:06:40,775 --> 00:06:44,069 They're like these dinosaurs running around. 154 00:06:44,070 --> 00:06:47,865 Pretty soon, people are lining up to gawk at the ostriches, 155 00:06:47,866 --> 00:06:50,659 and he realizes he has this entirely different business. 156 00:06:50,660 --> 00:06:53,704 People will pay to see the ostriches on his farm. 157 00:06:53,705 --> 00:06:55,914 Cawston's Ostrich Farm 158 00:06:55,915 --> 00:07:00,919 opens in the city of South Pasadena in 1896. 159 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:03,255 Newspapers are soon raving about it 160 00:07:03,256 --> 00:07:06,925 as one of the nation's most fascinating attractions. 161 00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:07,843 I would go to an ostrich farm. 162 00:07:07,844 --> 00:07:08,927 I mean, 163 00:07:08,928 --> 00:07:09,970 the whole point of it is, like, 164 00:07:09,971 --> 00:07:11,138 you're seeing something 165 00:07:11,139 --> 00:07:12,806 that you would never see. 166 00:07:12,807 --> 00:07:16,560 In no world am I running into an ostrich on Staten Island. 167 00:07:16,561 --> 00:07:18,729 People are fascinated by how fast 168 00:07:18,730 --> 00:07:19,730 they can move. 169 00:07:19,731 --> 00:07:20,898 With a top speed of 170 00:07:20,899 --> 00:07:22,316 over 40 miles an hour, 171 00:07:22,317 --> 00:07:24,151 it's not long before Cawston realizes 172 00:07:24,152 --> 00:07:27,154 that if people are going to pay to pet these things, 173 00:07:27,155 --> 00:07:29,282 they will pay even more to ride them. 174 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:31,784 Cars aren't a thing. 175 00:07:31,785 --> 00:07:33,535 So for the average person, 176 00:07:33,536 --> 00:07:37,081 40 miles an hour on the back of a dinosaur with feathers 177 00:07:37,082 --> 00:07:39,583 is the thrill of a lifetime. 178 00:07:39,584 --> 00:07:42,544 Of course, if you can ride ostriches, 179 00:07:42,545 --> 00:07:44,672 that also means you can race them. 180 00:07:46,132 --> 00:07:48,842 Ostrich racing becomes a real thing on the farm, 181 00:07:48,843 --> 00:07:49,927 but it's really hard. 182 00:07:49,928 --> 00:07:51,470 You can't put a saddle on them, 183 00:07:51,471 --> 00:07:53,555 only do your best to balance 184 00:07:53,556 --> 00:07:55,808 and hang on for dear life while they take off. 185 00:07:55,809 --> 00:07:57,476 Most ostrich races finish 186 00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,562 with nobody actually on their bird anymore. 187 00:08:00,897 --> 00:08:02,481 Ostriches, in many ways, 188 00:08:02,482 --> 00:08:04,650 are the worst possible animal to pick 189 00:08:04,651 --> 00:08:08,362 for a roadside attraction because they're very aggressive. 190 00:08:08,363 --> 00:08:10,322 They're also very territorial. 191 00:08:10,323 --> 00:08:11,908 That makes them unpredictable. 192 00:08:13,076 --> 00:08:15,494 Ostriches are not really built to be ridden, 193 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:17,788 and they don't really like to be ridden, 194 00:08:17,789 --> 00:08:19,289 so there tend to be injuries. 195 00:08:19,290 --> 00:08:20,999 That's gonna happen when you have people interacting 196 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,210 with large wild animals. 197 00:08:23,211 --> 00:08:25,504 There's one incident where a male ostrich 198 00:08:25,505 --> 00:08:28,590 kicks a farm worker 15 feet and then corners him 199 00:08:28,591 --> 00:08:30,759 and starts pecking at him and attacking him, 200 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,387 and other people have to come and pull the bird off of him 201 00:08:33,388 --> 00:08:34,681 before he kills this man. 202 00:08:36,265 --> 00:08:39,143 In 1913, in the Tournament of Roses, there was a race, 203 00:08:39,144 --> 00:08:41,394 and one rider was actually 204 00:08:41,395 --> 00:08:42,354 thrown off his ostrich 205 00:08:42,355 --> 00:08:44,399 and kicked 20 feet. 206 00:08:45,358 --> 00:08:46,483 Then this ostrich just 207 00:08:46,484 --> 00:08:47,776 takes off into the crowd, 208 00:08:47,777 --> 00:08:49,528 so people are dodging it left and right, 209 00:08:49,529 --> 00:08:51,531 just having no idea what's happening. 210 00:08:52,866 --> 00:08:57,202 The Cawston Ostrich Farm closes in 1935. 211 00:08:57,203 --> 00:08:59,121 It doesn't go away 212 00:08:59,122 --> 00:09:01,040 because they are endangering the public. 213 00:09:01,041 --> 00:09:03,542 It goes away because the Great Depression comes along. 214 00:09:03,543 --> 00:09:05,170 But for a brief time, 215 00:09:05,295 --> 00:09:09,590 Cawston's Ostrich Farm provided the thrill of a lifetime. 216 00:09:09,591 --> 00:09:11,467 You have to remember, there is no internet, 217 00:09:11,468 --> 00:09:13,927 there's no TV, there's just experiences. 218 00:09:13,928 --> 00:09:16,847 So when people went to this ostrich ranch, it was amazing. 219 00:09:16,848 --> 00:09:18,724 It was getting to do this thing 220 00:09:18,725 --> 00:09:20,518 that so few people got to do. 221 00:09:22,479 --> 00:09:24,438 Today, you would be hard-pressed 222 00:09:24,439 --> 00:09:27,483 to find any place in the United States of America 223 00:09:27,484 --> 00:09:29,318 that would let you ride an ostrich, 224 00:09:29,319 --> 00:09:31,570 not just for the animal's sake, 225 00:09:31,571 --> 00:09:33,781 but nobody wants to be responsible 226 00:09:33,782 --> 00:09:36,785 for you breaking your neck riding a wild bird. 227 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:41,538 Remember those scorching summer days when you were a kid, 228 00:09:41,539 --> 00:09:46,001 and you'd give anything for a trip to a pool or the beach? 229 00:09:46,002 --> 00:09:48,629 Well, in the '60s, there was a water park 230 00:09:48,630 --> 00:09:50,964 where they would let you do anything you wanted 231 00:09:50,965 --> 00:09:52,341 to beat the heat, 232 00:09:52,342 --> 00:09:55,095 but you would take a beating in the process. 233 00:09:56,387 --> 00:09:59,306 In the late 1950s, Bob Byers owns an alfalfa farm 234 00:09:59,307 --> 00:10:01,809 along I-15 in the Mojave Desert. 235 00:10:01,810 --> 00:10:03,519 He's struggling to make ends meet, 236 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,313 but inspiration strikes him when he sees all these cars 237 00:10:06,314 --> 00:10:09,441 driving by on their way to Las Vegas. 238 00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:11,193 It's a long, hot drive. 239 00:10:11,194 --> 00:10:13,195 Temperatures can reach as high 240 00:10:13,196 --> 00:10:15,155 as 110 degrees in the summer. 241 00:10:15,156 --> 00:10:17,574 So Byers looks at his huge plot of land, 242 00:10:17,575 --> 00:10:18,617 and he thinks, 243 00:10:18,618 --> 00:10:19,952 "What if I could create 244 00:10:19,953 --> 00:10:21,703 some massive swimming pools, 245 00:10:21,704 --> 00:10:23,580 a place for families to stop, 246 00:10:23,581 --> 00:10:26,041 cool off, and break up this long drive?" 247 00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:29,837 This guy gets a backhoe and a couple of his kids 248 00:10:29,838 --> 00:10:31,505 and digs out this lake. 249 00:10:31,506 --> 00:10:32,881 He digs out these ponds. 250 00:10:32,882 --> 00:10:35,342 He creates an oasis in the middle of the desert. 251 00:10:35,343 --> 00:10:37,845 He names it after his wife, 252 00:10:37,846 --> 00:10:40,306 and Lake Dolores is born. 253 00:10:41,099 --> 00:10:42,474 By the early '70s, 254 00:10:42,475 --> 00:10:45,519 Lake Dolores grows from a roadside water oasis 255 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,230 into a full-on water park, 256 00:10:48,231 --> 00:10:50,941 complete with their own commercials. 257 00:10:50,942 --> 00:10:52,734 Good, clean, safe, fun. 258 00:10:52,735 --> 00:10:53,819 A thrill a second. 259 00:10:53,820 --> 00:10:55,154 Bring the kids. 260 00:10:55,155 --> 00:10:56,530 Byers has built this 261 00:10:56,531 --> 00:10:59,158 massive 300-acre complex 262 00:10:59,159 --> 00:11:01,827 dedicated to ultimate summer fun. 263 00:11:02,829 --> 00:11:05,164 But it's also very dangerous 264 00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:07,958 because Bob is not an engineer. 265 00:11:07,959 --> 00:11:09,209 It was slapped together. 266 00:11:09,210 --> 00:11:11,670 Wherever he found cool junkyard scrap, 267 00:11:11,671 --> 00:11:13,213 he made a ride out of it. 268 00:11:13,214 --> 00:11:15,507 This place is basically spring break 269 00:11:15,508 --> 00:11:17,467 meets a construction site. 270 00:11:17,468 --> 00:11:20,679 He builds these 200-foot speed slides 271 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:22,639 where you go down headfirst 272 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,642 and then skip onto the water at 50 miles an hour. 273 00:11:25,643 --> 00:11:28,187 Some people would actually overshoot the whole lake 274 00:11:28,188 --> 00:11:29,479 and then tear up their chests 275 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,315 on the gravel on the other side. 276 00:11:31,316 --> 00:11:34,193 The zip lines start from a 90-foot hill. 277 00:11:34,194 --> 00:11:37,321 You basically just have to hold on for dear life. 278 00:11:37,322 --> 00:11:39,198 If you let go too soon, 279 00:11:39,199 --> 00:11:42,993 you're falling from a two-story height onto gravel. 280 00:11:42,994 --> 00:11:44,286 And yet people love it. 281 00:11:44,287 --> 00:11:45,913 They cannot get enough. 282 00:11:47,165 --> 00:11:49,082 "These people can handle it. 283 00:11:49,083 --> 00:11:50,417 These people won't drown. 284 00:11:50,418 --> 00:11:52,294 Lifeguards, we got no need for you. 285 00:11:52,295 --> 00:11:54,796 These people are making choices to come here 286 00:11:54,797 --> 00:11:57,049 and have fun in a slightly dangerous manner." 287 00:11:57,050 --> 00:11:59,593 People come all the way from Frisco down here. 288 00:11:59,594 --> 00:12:01,929 Nothing like this around anywhere we live. 289 00:12:01,930 --> 00:12:04,056 But one notorious attraction 290 00:12:04,057 --> 00:12:06,434 truly stands out above the rest: 291 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:09,145 the stand-up slide. 292 00:12:10,396 --> 00:12:13,023 The stand-up slide is as crazy as it sounds. 293 00:12:13,024 --> 00:12:15,484 You slide down standing 294 00:12:15,485 --> 00:12:17,861 at a 60-degree angle. 295 00:12:17,862 --> 00:12:19,071 It's madness. 296 00:12:19,072 --> 00:12:20,906 If you fall, you could get concussed 297 00:12:20,907 --> 00:12:22,741 before you even hit the water. 298 00:12:22,742 --> 00:12:24,159 And if you happen to make it 299 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:25,786 all the way to the bottom, 300 00:12:25,787 --> 00:12:29,414 the slide spits you out 15 feet above the lake's surface. 301 00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:30,999 Imagine hitting the water 302 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,752 with the force of a small car accident, 303 00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:35,505 wearing nothing but a bathing suit. 304 00:12:36,798 --> 00:12:38,215 If they didn't break a bone, 305 00:12:38,216 --> 00:12:40,801 people were tearing skin off on the dry part 306 00:12:40,802 --> 00:12:42,761 'cause the aluminum that didn't have the water on it 307 00:12:42,762 --> 00:12:45,931 would get baking hot and you'd be like: . 308 00:12:45,932 --> 00:12:47,641 And to make matters worse, 309 00:12:47,642 --> 00:12:49,309 people aren't just standing. 310 00:12:49,310 --> 00:12:51,561 People are pulling off 360-degree 311 00:12:51,562 --> 00:12:52,896 spins as they go down. 312 00:12:52,897 --> 00:12:54,439 They're cheating death, 313 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,484 and their friends are all just cheering them on. 314 00:12:57,485 --> 00:12:59,111 There is not a place on Earth 315 00:12:59,112 --> 00:13:01,405 that would let you do that today. 316 00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:03,240 Bob had this famous quote where he said, 317 00:13:03,241 --> 00:13:04,574 "It's a little bit country." 318 00:13:04,575 --> 00:13:05,367 Which means what? 319 00:13:05,368 --> 00:13:07,202 Which means you may die. 320 00:13:07,203 --> 00:13:08,453 Despite their reputation, 321 00:13:08,454 --> 00:13:10,163 or maybe because of it, 322 00:13:10,164 --> 00:13:14,167 the stand-up slides are a huge draw, 323 00:13:14,168 --> 00:13:17,296 until the risks finally catch up with them. 324 00:13:17,297 --> 00:13:19,089 An off-duty employee decides 325 00:13:19,090 --> 00:13:21,258 he's gonna have a little fun after hours, 326 00:13:21,259 --> 00:13:24,720 and he goes down a slide into a partially-filled pool 327 00:13:24,721 --> 00:13:26,639 and ends up paralyzed. 328 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,934 He gets a settlement of $4.4 million, 329 00:13:30,935 --> 00:13:33,146 and that drives the park into bankruptcy. 330 00:13:34,605 --> 00:13:37,357 Today, if you drive out to the site of Lake Dolores, 331 00:13:37,358 --> 00:13:39,151 you'll find that it's really 332 00:13:39,152 --> 00:13:40,902 a shell of its former self. 333 00:13:40,903 --> 00:13:43,905 There's something in the American character 334 00:13:43,906 --> 00:13:45,240 that must be admired. 335 00:13:45,241 --> 00:13:46,324 This guy, Bob, 336 00:13:46,325 --> 00:13:47,868 took American ingenuity. 337 00:13:47,869 --> 00:13:49,786 He took American spirit. 338 00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:52,622 He took American disregard for some safety rules, 339 00:13:52,623 --> 00:13:53,915 and he turned it into something 340 00:13:53,916 --> 00:13:55,709 that people loved for years and years. 341 00:13:55,710 --> 00:13:57,962 I don't know, man, I think we need more Bobs. 342 00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,466 Thousands of miles to the east, 343 00:14:02,467 --> 00:14:04,551 there was another legendary park 344 00:14:04,552 --> 00:14:08,889 where thrills came first and safety a distant second. 345 00:14:10,516 --> 00:14:12,392 Action Park will always be remembered 346 00:14:12,393 --> 00:14:15,187 as the most thrilling and dangerous, 347 00:14:15,188 --> 00:14:16,563 and bonkers kids' park 348 00:14:16,564 --> 00:14:18,065 in the tri-state area. 349 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:19,566 Nothing compares to it. 350 00:14:19,567 --> 00:14:22,402 I can't wait to jump in the Tarzan pool. 351 00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:23,904 How did Action Park 352 00:14:23,905 --> 00:14:28,241 become known as the place for death-defying rides? 353 00:14:28,242 --> 00:14:31,369 It all began with the very first attraction 354 00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:35,749 when there was no park, just a struggling ski slope. 355 00:14:35,750 --> 00:14:37,292 It's 1976, 356 00:14:37,293 --> 00:14:40,212 and businessman Gene Mulvihill is in a bind. 357 00:14:40,213 --> 00:14:41,922 He used to work on Wall Street, 358 00:14:41,923 --> 00:14:45,092 but he got chased out by the SEC for breaking so many rules. 359 00:14:45,093 --> 00:14:48,512 Now he is the owner of a big, risky investment 360 00:14:48,513 --> 00:14:49,971 called the Vernon Valley 361 00:14:49,972 --> 00:14:52,432 Great Gorge Ski Resort in New Jersey, 362 00:14:52,433 --> 00:14:54,059 and he's bleeding money. 363 00:14:54,060 --> 00:14:56,353 He can't use the ski resort in the summer months 364 00:14:56,354 --> 00:14:57,687 'cause there's no snow, 365 00:14:57,688 --> 00:14:59,106 but he comes up with a plan 366 00:14:59,107 --> 00:15:01,608 to use his land all year round. 367 00:15:01,609 --> 00:15:04,402 He comes up with a bobsled-type run, 368 00:15:04,403 --> 00:15:07,239 a 2,700-foot twisting chute 369 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,825 made of the cheapest concrete you could find. 370 00:15:11,494 --> 00:15:15,789 The bobsled would be a simple plastic seat on rollers. 371 00:15:15,790 --> 00:15:18,375 A stick between your legs would be there to apply brakes 372 00:15:18,376 --> 00:15:20,127 if you went too fast. 373 00:15:20,128 --> 00:15:21,378 Maybe. 374 00:15:22,672 --> 00:15:25,215 It's called an alpine slide, 375 00:15:25,216 --> 00:15:27,134 a ride that's becoming popular 376 00:15:27,135 --> 00:15:29,803 at ski areas around the world, 377 00:15:29,804 --> 00:15:33,765 but this one is going to be unlike any other. 378 00:15:33,766 --> 00:15:37,477 Typical alpine slides have a more gradual slope. 379 00:15:37,478 --> 00:15:40,272 Mulvihill's is going to plummet 380 00:15:40,273 --> 00:15:42,691 almost 1,000 vertical feet 381 00:15:42,692 --> 00:15:45,235 in less than one minute. 382 00:15:45,236 --> 00:15:46,528 You fly down a mountain 383 00:15:46,529 --> 00:15:47,821 in your own little vehicle, 384 00:15:47,822 --> 00:15:50,365 whipping around turns, winding, twisting. 385 00:15:50,366 --> 00:15:52,534 It is pure exhilaration. 386 00:15:52,535 --> 00:15:54,202 The ride is so popular, 387 00:15:54,203 --> 00:15:57,122 Mulvihill builds Action Park around it, 388 00:15:57,123 --> 00:16:00,250 attracting over a million visitors every year. 389 00:16:00,251 --> 00:16:02,419 My kids love the rides. 390 00:16:02,420 --> 00:16:04,004 But the alpine slide 391 00:16:04,005 --> 00:16:06,173 remains its most popular attraction 392 00:16:06,174 --> 00:16:08,259 and its most perilous. 393 00:16:09,093 --> 00:16:11,094 I grew up around Action Park. 394 00:16:11,095 --> 00:16:13,722 I had a T-shirt that had the alpine slide on it. 395 00:16:13,723 --> 00:16:16,057 However, I never actually went on the alpine slide 396 00:16:16,058 --> 00:16:19,019 because it was famous for people getting hurt on it. 397 00:16:20,605 --> 00:16:21,897 There are so many problems, 398 00:16:21,898 --> 00:16:23,273 starting with the handbrake. 399 00:16:23,274 --> 00:16:25,442 First off, it's just a wooden stick, 400 00:16:25,443 --> 00:16:27,402 and they're so poorly maintained. 401 00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:28,904 It doesn't always work. 402 00:16:28,905 --> 00:16:31,698 There's also the issue that the walls of the chute 403 00:16:31,699 --> 00:16:35,535 are only about a foot high, so if anything happens, 404 00:16:35,536 --> 00:16:38,205 you go completely flying off of this apparatus 405 00:16:38,206 --> 00:16:40,290 at 40 miles an hour. 406 00:16:40,291 --> 00:16:42,042 People would get hurt, it would flip, 407 00:16:42,043 --> 00:16:43,835 people would get thrown out of it. 408 00:16:43,836 --> 00:16:45,712 I saw all this firsthand. 409 00:16:45,713 --> 00:16:48,673 Instead of the thrill of skiing without snow, 410 00:16:48,674 --> 00:16:52,052 the alpine slide becomes the thrill of surgery 411 00:16:52,053 --> 00:16:53,346 without anesthesia. 412 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,681 It looks cool and super fun, 413 00:16:56,682 --> 00:16:58,099 but injuries keep piling up. 414 00:16:58,100 --> 00:17:00,769 There's a 19-year-old employee of the facility 415 00:17:00,770 --> 00:17:03,104 who gets onto one of the 416 00:17:03,105 --> 00:17:05,607 sleds with a faulty brake. 417 00:17:05,608 --> 00:17:06,775 It fails. 418 00:17:06,776 --> 00:17:08,193 He goes flying, 419 00:17:08,194 --> 00:17:09,944 his head hits a rock, 420 00:17:09,945 --> 00:17:11,321 and he falls into a coma. 421 00:17:12,490 --> 00:17:15,825 The family sues Action Park and wins, 422 00:17:15,826 --> 00:17:19,246 but somehow the place keeps operating for another 16 years. 423 00:17:19,247 --> 00:17:21,539 The place is earning its nicknames, 424 00:17:21,540 --> 00:17:24,751 like "Accident Park," "Traction Park," 425 00:17:24,752 --> 00:17:27,127 and "Class Action Park," 426 00:17:27,128 --> 00:17:31,800 but nothing seems to be enough to earn it a shutdown. 427 00:17:31,801 --> 00:17:33,051 Finally, by the mid-'90s, 428 00:17:33,052 --> 00:17:34,469 Mulvihill has encountered 429 00:17:34,470 --> 00:17:35,720 all of these lawsuits, 430 00:17:35,721 --> 00:17:37,055 and he's in debt, 431 00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:40,433 so he's finally forced to shut down Action Park, 432 00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:42,602 and then it's converted to a real water park 433 00:17:42,603 --> 00:17:45,730 with actual safety features and guidelines. 434 00:17:48,317 --> 00:17:50,527 After Action Park was sold, 435 00:17:50,528 --> 00:17:53,363 its new owners kept the alpine slide open 436 00:17:53,364 --> 00:17:55,949 for a final season before demolishing it, 437 00:17:55,950 --> 00:17:59,745 but riders had to wear helmets and pads. 438 00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:04,666 Nowadays, if you go to any zoo or wildlife attraction, 439 00:18:04,667 --> 00:18:08,628 you will see signs that say, "Don't feed the animals," 440 00:18:08,629 --> 00:18:12,215 but back in the mid-20th century at Yellowstone, 441 00:18:12,216 --> 00:18:14,759 there could have been signs that said, 442 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,138 "The bears are hungry, and they hope you brought snacks." 443 00:18:20,224 --> 00:18:22,309 In 1872, Yellowstone in Wyoming 444 00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:24,936 becomes our first national park. 445 00:18:24,937 --> 00:18:27,147 After the Civil War, we wanted something beautiful 446 00:18:27,148 --> 00:18:29,441 that we could all take pride in. 447 00:18:29,442 --> 00:18:31,484 It's a place of amazing natural beauty: 448 00:18:31,485 --> 00:18:34,195 the hot springs, the geysers, the falls, 449 00:18:34,196 --> 00:18:35,739 but it turns out to be a place 450 00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:37,282 that's not really that easy to visit, 451 00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:39,994 and it's not getting as much attendance as was hoped. 452 00:18:41,412 --> 00:18:43,538 Yellowstone is looking like a flop. 453 00:18:43,539 --> 00:18:47,542 So in 1919, a National Park Service bigwig 454 00:18:47,543 --> 00:18:51,087 named Horace Albright has one big idea 455 00:18:51,088 --> 00:18:53,757 to breathe life into Yellowstone. 456 00:18:53,758 --> 00:18:55,008 Horace Albright decides 457 00:18:55,009 --> 00:18:56,885 that the way to get crowds to Yellowstone 458 00:18:56,886 --> 00:18:58,637 is to give them a show, 459 00:18:58,638 --> 00:19:01,806 and the bears of Yellowstone are perfect to do just that. 460 00:19:03,643 --> 00:19:06,394 And so Albright's idea is to provide 461 00:19:06,395 --> 00:19:08,438 opportunities for people to feed the bears. 462 00:19:08,439 --> 00:19:10,231 So he creates feeding stations. 463 00:19:10,232 --> 00:19:12,776 People drive into the park, roll down their windows, 464 00:19:12,777 --> 00:19:16,363 and offer food out the window to the bears, 465 00:19:16,364 --> 00:19:18,114 and the bears love it. 466 00:19:18,115 --> 00:19:19,824 Even President Warren G. Harding 467 00:19:19,825 --> 00:19:22,494 and President Calvin Coolidge visit Yellowstone 468 00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:23,663 and feed the bears. 469 00:19:24,955 --> 00:19:27,123 At first, this seems like a win-win situation. 470 00:19:27,124 --> 00:19:28,833 Park attendance is way up, 471 00:19:28,834 --> 00:19:31,086 and of course, the bears are getting fed. 472 00:19:31,087 --> 00:19:32,587 The problem is more and more garbage 473 00:19:32,588 --> 00:19:33,922 is being produced within the park, 474 00:19:33,923 --> 00:19:35,256 and the park administration needs 475 00:19:35,257 --> 00:19:36,841 to get rid of that garbage, 476 00:19:36,842 --> 00:19:39,761 and the bears will basically eat absolutely anything. 477 00:19:39,762 --> 00:19:42,555 So they decide to dump all of the park's garbage 478 00:19:42,556 --> 00:19:44,849 on a platform that the bears can approach. 479 00:19:44,850 --> 00:19:46,476 They have this sign that says, 480 00:19:46,477 --> 00:19:49,479 "Lunch counter for bears only," 481 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,482 and then they build benches so it creates a little stadium 482 00:19:52,483 --> 00:19:54,694 that people can watch just a few feet away. 483 00:19:55,569 --> 00:19:57,946 But everyone keeps forgetting, 484 00:19:57,947 --> 00:20:00,866 they're quite literally feeding a beast. 485 00:20:02,076 --> 00:20:04,285 The safety issue is quite serious. 486 00:20:04,286 --> 00:20:07,664 Grizzly bears at Yellowstone reach about 700 pounds. 487 00:20:07,665 --> 00:20:09,624 They're the apex predator in the park. 488 00:20:13,587 --> 00:20:16,631 In 1930, a Texas woman feeds a bear a candy bar, 489 00:20:16,632 --> 00:20:19,927 and the bear says, "Thank you," by mauling her arm. 490 00:20:20,845 --> 00:20:22,721 From the 1930s to the 1960s, 491 00:20:22,722 --> 00:20:25,473 an average of 48 people per year 492 00:20:25,474 --> 00:20:27,559 are injured by the bears at Yellowstone. 493 00:20:28,894 --> 00:20:31,604 Cars are attacked, tents are ripped open, 494 00:20:31,605 --> 00:20:34,524 campers get bitten and clawed. 495 00:20:34,525 --> 00:20:38,069 In 1967, the park is forced to face 496 00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:39,696 the increasing danger 497 00:20:39,697 --> 00:20:43,116 when bears kill two people at another national park. 498 00:20:43,117 --> 00:20:47,412 And the last thing Yellowstone wants is a repeat. 499 00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:49,748 This is a huge wake-up call. 500 00:20:49,749 --> 00:20:51,374 So the rangers begin a program 501 00:20:51,375 --> 00:20:54,377 to return the bears to their natural feeding habits. 502 00:20:54,378 --> 00:20:56,671 Now, instead of bear lunch counter signs, 503 00:20:56,672 --> 00:20:59,425 you see signs that say, "Don't feed the bears." 504 00:21:00,676 --> 00:21:02,886 So today, the park is much safer. 505 00:21:02,887 --> 00:21:04,429 The bears are wild again, 506 00:21:04,430 --> 00:21:07,140 but it's also difficult to see a bear in Yellowstone. 507 00:21:07,141 --> 00:21:08,558 There's a part of me that knows 508 00:21:08,559 --> 00:21:10,518 that this was irresponsible stewardship 509 00:21:10,519 --> 00:21:12,687 of a natural resource, but then there's a part of me 510 00:21:12,688 --> 00:21:15,106 that would be like, "Oh yeah, baby, sign me up." 511 00:21:15,107 --> 00:21:17,150 I would love to have seen something like this. 512 00:21:20,029 --> 00:21:22,447 So Yellowstone decided that tourists 513 00:21:22,448 --> 00:21:26,409 and predators should be separated by safe distance. 514 00:21:26,410 --> 00:21:29,496 But back in the '70s, there was a family amusement park 515 00:21:29,497 --> 00:21:31,623 that chose the opposite path. 516 00:21:33,292 --> 00:21:34,793 It's the 1970s, 517 00:21:34,794 --> 00:21:37,754 and vacations are really considered a luxury, 518 00:21:37,755 --> 00:21:39,130 and only really a privileged few 519 00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:40,799 can afford trips to Disney World 520 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:42,258 or some faraway theme park. 521 00:21:42,259 --> 00:21:44,385 So it becomes the age of the road trip. 522 00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:46,638 Families pile into station wagons 523 00:21:46,639 --> 00:21:48,389 and look for fun holiday ideas 524 00:21:48,390 --> 00:21:50,517 that are within driving distance. 525 00:21:50,518 --> 00:21:52,268 In 1972, 526 00:21:52,269 --> 00:21:55,271 plans are announced for a new amusement park 527 00:21:55,272 --> 00:21:57,524 in West Milford, New Jersey, 528 00:21:57,525 --> 00:22:02,195 that promises to be wild, thrilling, and car-friendly. 529 00:22:02,196 --> 00:22:03,905 It's a new kind of zoo 530 00:22:03,906 --> 00:22:05,657 and radically different. 531 00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:08,117 Here, the animals roam free, 532 00:22:08,118 --> 00:22:09,994 but the people aren't in mobile cages, 533 00:22:09,995 --> 00:22:11,913 they're in little family cars. 534 00:22:11,914 --> 00:22:13,414 What's more American than, like, 535 00:22:13,415 --> 00:22:15,834 "I don't even wanna experience nature 536 00:22:15,835 --> 00:22:18,628 unless it's through the windshield of my car?" 537 00:22:18,629 --> 00:22:21,297 This bold new attraction is dubbed 538 00:22:21,298 --> 00:22:22,715 "Jungle Habitat," 539 00:22:22,716 --> 00:22:26,761 and it opens to great fanfare in July of 1972. 540 00:22:26,762 --> 00:22:28,847 But this is not a petting zoo. 541 00:22:28,848 --> 00:22:30,974 These are some of the most dangerous animals in the world. 542 00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:36,897 Jungle Habitat brings in 70 lions. 543 00:22:37,815 --> 00:22:39,649 The San Diego Zoo only has nine. 544 00:22:41,026 --> 00:22:43,319 In all, over 1,500 animals 545 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:45,363 up close, unencumbered, 546 00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:47,365 and, very importantly, unfenced. 547 00:22:48,951 --> 00:22:51,202 Jungle Habitat becomes a success 548 00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:52,745 almost off the bat. 549 00:22:52,746 --> 00:22:55,790 It has 250,000 visitors in just its first three months. 550 00:22:55,791 --> 00:22:58,710 Cars are lining up for up to seven miles just to get in. 551 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:01,170 But a real African safari, 552 00:23:01,171 --> 00:23:02,797 you are with trained professionals 553 00:23:02,798 --> 00:23:05,800 in vehicles especially designed for the purpose. 554 00:23:05,801 --> 00:23:07,176 In this case, 555 00:23:07,177 --> 00:23:09,178 you're just driving through in the family car. 556 00:23:09,179 --> 00:23:11,389 Animals are walking around, 557 00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:13,099 looking at you like you're lunch. 558 00:23:13,100 --> 00:23:14,976 In this drive-through attraction, 559 00:23:14,977 --> 00:23:17,687 a vehicle is not the safe space 560 00:23:17,688 --> 00:23:19,230 visitors think it will be. 561 00:23:20,774 --> 00:23:23,860 From day one, cars are basically under siege. 562 00:23:23,861 --> 00:23:26,112 Baboons start to tear at cars. 563 00:23:26,113 --> 00:23:27,155 Lions and tigers, 564 00:23:27,156 --> 00:23:28,698 they're pawing and scratching 565 00:23:28,699 --> 00:23:30,241 at the sides of your car. 566 00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:32,744 But most people wanted the animals on their car. 567 00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:34,579 That's the thrill. 568 00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:36,706 They actually put this right in their logo. 569 00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:41,127 You have to keep the windows rolled up, 570 00:23:41,128 --> 00:23:43,796 but this is in the early '70s, 571 00:23:43,797 --> 00:23:45,548 before air conditioning 572 00:23:45,549 --> 00:23:47,592 came standard in most cars, 573 00:23:47,593 --> 00:23:51,429 which means that on, like, an 85-degree day in the summer, 574 00:23:51,430 --> 00:23:54,807 it's about 110 degrees in the car. 575 00:23:54,808 --> 00:23:57,393 These cars are dangerously hot, 576 00:23:57,394 --> 00:23:58,937 so people begin rolling 577 00:23:58,938 --> 00:24:00,313 down their windows. 578 00:24:00,314 --> 00:24:02,899 Just months after opening, 579 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:05,026 disaster strikes. 580 00:24:05,027 --> 00:24:09,447 A man has rolled the window down to call and taunt, 581 00:24:09,448 --> 00:24:11,658 and tease a lion. 582 00:24:11,659 --> 00:24:14,160 Let me just let that sink in. 583 00:24:14,161 --> 00:24:16,288 A human being is teasing a lion. 584 00:24:17,748 --> 00:24:20,166 And the lion reaches in and mauls him from the front. 585 00:24:20,167 --> 00:24:22,335 He turns around and gets him from the back, 586 00:24:22,336 --> 00:24:24,796 and somehow they manage to escape. 587 00:24:24,797 --> 00:24:27,882 Believe it or not, the guy doesn't sue the park. 588 00:24:27,883 --> 00:24:30,134 He blames himself because, you know, 589 00:24:30,135 --> 00:24:31,762 he taunted a lion. 590 00:24:32,763 --> 00:24:34,847 Most park visitors are thrilled 591 00:24:34,848 --> 00:24:37,308 by the wild interactive experience, 592 00:24:37,309 --> 00:24:40,228 but Jungle Habitat's suburban neighbors 593 00:24:40,229 --> 00:24:43,773 are not so happy with park security. 594 00:24:43,774 --> 00:24:45,858 Two wolves dig out from under a fence, 595 00:24:45,859 --> 00:24:47,944 baboons escape and send, like, 596 00:24:47,945 --> 00:24:49,904 local schools into lockdown. 597 00:24:49,905 --> 00:24:53,157 You got kangaroos and emus walking down the street. 598 00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:54,617 Nobody thinks about the neighborhoods 599 00:24:54,618 --> 00:24:56,202 around these animal parks. 600 00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:58,746 If those fences aren't done the right way, 601 00:24:58,747 --> 00:25:00,790 you got yourself a crocodile in your pool 602 00:25:00,791 --> 00:25:02,542 and a lion in your driveway. 603 00:25:04,712 --> 00:25:07,088 In addition to all of these obvious safety issues, 604 00:25:07,089 --> 00:25:09,465 it actually turns out really expensive 605 00:25:09,466 --> 00:25:10,883 to run a park like this. 606 00:25:10,884 --> 00:25:12,635 Just to feed the lions alone 607 00:25:12,636 --> 00:25:16,347 requires 1,400 pounds of horse meat per day. 608 00:25:16,348 --> 00:25:18,391 Even though they've got lots of customers coming through, 609 00:25:18,392 --> 00:25:20,268 they're actually hemorrhaging money. 610 00:25:20,269 --> 00:25:23,896 After just four years of this death trap of a zoo, 611 00:25:23,897 --> 00:25:25,815 Jungle Habitat finally closes. 612 00:25:28,193 --> 00:25:29,569 Local legend has it 613 00:25:29,570 --> 00:25:32,030 that there are still some exotic animals 614 00:25:32,031 --> 00:25:33,948 in the Jersey woods today, 615 00:25:33,949 --> 00:25:37,285 descended from the original baboons, kangaroos, 616 00:25:37,286 --> 00:25:41,123 and ostriches that made a break for it back in the '70s. 617 00:25:43,667 --> 00:25:46,627 One of childhood's greatest pleasures didn't cost a thing. 618 00:25:46,628 --> 00:25:48,546 The public swimming pool. 619 00:25:48,547 --> 00:25:51,549 Now looking back, okay, maybe it wasn't the cleanest 620 00:25:51,550 --> 00:25:53,843 or the safest, but unless you grew up 621 00:25:53,844 --> 00:25:57,305 in a certain part of Cleveland in the late '60s, 622 00:25:57,306 --> 00:26:01,100 I can almost guarantee yours wasn't the dirtiest. 623 00:26:01,101 --> 00:26:02,560 In 1967, 624 00:26:02,561 --> 00:26:05,688 Carl Stokes is elected as mayor in Cleveland, 625 00:26:05,689 --> 00:26:07,732 which is a huge milestone because he's also 626 00:26:07,733 --> 00:26:11,486 the first Black mayor in any major city in the U.S. 627 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:14,489 Riding the wave of optimism, 628 00:26:14,490 --> 00:26:17,450 he sets his sights on an ambitious goal: 629 00:26:17,451 --> 00:26:21,454 cleaning up Lake Erie so people can swim in it once again. 630 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:26,001 The problem is the river that feeds it is highly polluted. 631 00:26:27,169 --> 00:26:29,837 Decades of industrial waste plus raw sewage 632 00:26:29,838 --> 00:26:33,049 have flowed down the Cuyahoga River into the lake, 633 00:26:33,050 --> 00:26:34,967 turning it completely toxic. 634 00:26:34,968 --> 00:26:39,972 It was really this gigantic cesspool of pollution 635 00:26:39,973 --> 00:26:42,767 and was sometimes catching on fire. 636 00:26:42,768 --> 00:26:44,811 Yes, the water was catching on fire 637 00:26:44,812 --> 00:26:47,105 because all of the pollutants that were in it. 638 00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:49,690 The lake catches fire 13 times 639 00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:52,944 between 1868 and 1969. 640 00:26:52,945 --> 00:26:55,196 It's really not a particularly safe environment 641 00:26:55,197 --> 00:26:56,198 to be swimming in. 642 00:26:57,366 --> 00:27:00,326 So how do you turn a filthy, toxic lake 643 00:27:00,327 --> 00:27:01,911 into a swimming pool? 644 00:27:01,912 --> 00:27:04,455 Stokes hires an engineering firm to design this 645 00:27:04,456 --> 00:27:06,874 elaborate holding tank. 646 00:27:06,875 --> 00:27:10,545 By hanging weighted vinyl curtains from pontoons, 647 00:27:10,546 --> 00:27:12,672 they create this designated swimming area 648 00:27:12,673 --> 00:27:14,674 that's separate from Lake Erie. 649 00:27:14,675 --> 00:27:16,759 It's kind of a crazy idea, 650 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:18,678 a pool that's a part of the lake, 651 00:27:18,679 --> 00:27:20,805 but it's separate but connected. 652 00:27:20,806 --> 00:27:25,769 Then they pump the area full of 350 pounds of chlorine. 653 00:27:26,979 --> 00:27:28,396 That's 400 times the amount of chlorine 654 00:27:28,397 --> 00:27:30,106 you put in your backyard pool, 655 00:27:30,107 --> 00:27:33,359 and they're doing it every day before the grand opening. 656 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,862 On paper, this is a bad idea, 657 00:27:35,863 --> 00:27:38,197 and yet people are like, "Cool, we'll do it." 658 00:27:38,198 --> 00:27:40,616 On July 4th, 1969, 659 00:27:40,617 --> 00:27:45,079 Mayor Stokes unveils his majestic new public pool. 660 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:46,747 Amazingly, it works. 661 00:27:46,748 --> 00:27:49,125 This section of the lake is, in fact, clean. 662 00:27:49,126 --> 00:27:50,418 The kids all go crazy. 663 00:27:50,419 --> 00:27:51,752 They're excited. 664 00:27:51,753 --> 00:27:53,254 People just start jumping in to go swimming. 665 00:27:53,255 --> 00:27:55,464 Cleveland is proud of the success 666 00:27:55,465 --> 00:27:57,633 of its latest attraction, 667 00:27:57,634 --> 00:27:59,427 for one morning. 668 00:27:59,428 --> 00:28:01,762 Just a few hours after the pool opens, 669 00:28:01,763 --> 00:28:05,266 this massive storm rolls in from the northwest. 670 00:28:07,769 --> 00:28:10,354 And the nasty, dirty water from Lake Erie 671 00:28:10,355 --> 00:28:13,274 washes over into the safe swimming area, 672 00:28:13,275 --> 00:28:16,403 and the waves start ripping open the vinyl curtains. 673 00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:21,073 Suddenly, swimmers are scrambling to shore. 674 00:28:21,074 --> 00:28:23,492 It's like something out of "Jaws," 675 00:28:23,493 --> 00:28:25,119 but instead of a giant shark, 676 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:26,495 they are fleeing 677 00:28:26,496 --> 00:28:28,415 a century of toxic waste. 678 00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:32,543 By the next day, the pool is totally gone. 679 00:28:32,544 --> 00:28:36,297 Unfortunately, Mayor Stokes' vision is dead. 680 00:28:36,298 --> 00:28:38,257 It's just too expensive to try again, 681 00:28:38,258 --> 00:28:40,259 and it turns out that the chlorine 682 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:41,928 actually ended up killing a bunch of fish, 683 00:28:41,929 --> 00:28:43,888 which doesn't help with the pollution. 684 00:28:43,889 --> 00:28:46,724 But his efforts did force other factories 685 00:28:46,725 --> 00:28:49,018 to stop polluting local waters, 686 00:28:49,019 --> 00:28:52,147 and now you can actually swim in Lake Erie. 687 00:28:54,232 --> 00:28:56,859 If swimming in Lake Erie wasn't your thing, 688 00:28:56,860 --> 00:28:59,070 how about a trip to Hawaii? 689 00:28:59,071 --> 00:29:01,948 With its serene beaches, lush jungles, 690 00:29:01,949 --> 00:29:05,368 and enormous volcanoes, how could you resist? 691 00:29:05,369 --> 00:29:07,203 In fact, there was one attraction 692 00:29:07,204 --> 00:29:10,457 that was so alluring it would suck you right in. 693 00:29:11,792 --> 00:29:13,167 After World War II, 694 00:29:13,168 --> 00:29:14,126 Americans become absolutely 695 00:29:14,127 --> 00:29:15,711 fascinated with Hawaii. 696 00:29:15,712 --> 00:29:18,130 This was the era before statehood, 697 00:29:18,131 --> 00:29:19,966 and the result is the visitor 698 00:29:19,967 --> 00:29:21,550 is greeted by a wild, open, 699 00:29:21,551 --> 00:29:23,678 naturally beautiful place. 700 00:29:23,679 --> 00:29:25,304 You can climb up to sheer cliffs, 701 00:29:25,305 --> 00:29:27,556 you can walk up to the edge of a volcano. 702 00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:30,894 All of this is yours to explore with no restriction. 703 00:29:32,396 --> 00:29:35,231 One of the must-see destinations is near Honolulu 704 00:29:35,232 --> 00:29:39,402 on the island of Oahu, the Halona Blowhole. 705 00:29:41,029 --> 00:29:43,364 The blowhole was created thousands of years ago 706 00:29:43,365 --> 00:29:45,658 when lava formed a vertical tube 707 00:29:45,659 --> 00:29:47,868 right there on the shoreline. 708 00:29:47,869 --> 00:29:49,954 And when it's hit by a huge wave, 709 00:29:49,955 --> 00:29:52,832 water just shoots up outta that sucker like a geyser, 710 00:29:52,833 --> 00:29:54,500 going 30 feet in the air. 711 00:29:54,501 --> 00:29:57,087 It's like nature's fireworks, only with water. 712 00:29:58,463 --> 00:30:01,716 The Halona Blowhole is avidly promoted to tourists. 713 00:30:01,717 --> 00:30:03,718 This is Hawaii's Old Faithful. 714 00:30:03,719 --> 00:30:05,428 It has sort of all the ingredients 715 00:30:05,429 --> 00:30:07,555 of a perfect tourist attraction. 716 00:30:07,556 --> 00:30:09,390 But this isn't Old Faithful. 717 00:30:09,391 --> 00:30:11,225 It doesn't go off every hour. 718 00:30:11,226 --> 00:30:12,518 It goes off randomly, 719 00:30:12,519 --> 00:30:15,521 and so that makes it all the more dangerous. 720 00:30:15,522 --> 00:30:18,399 This is an era when cameras are just becoming huge. 721 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,444 Every consumer they're all getting dangerously close 722 00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:22,361 to get that shot. 723 00:30:23,739 --> 00:30:25,656 We see deadly things, and we're like, 724 00:30:25,657 --> 00:30:27,241 "I gotta get a picture with that." 725 00:30:27,242 --> 00:30:28,951 There's no fence, there's no barrier. 726 00:30:28,952 --> 00:30:30,202 There's not even someone saying, 727 00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:31,871 "Hey, step back a little bit." 728 00:30:31,872 --> 00:30:34,081 People have to struggle to hold their footing 729 00:30:34,082 --> 00:30:38,002 on very slippery but razor-sharp lava rock. 730 00:30:38,003 --> 00:30:39,336 And once you're in position, 731 00:30:39,337 --> 00:30:40,921 you're going to feel the 732 00:30:40,922 --> 00:30:42,882 geyser before you can see it. 733 00:30:42,883 --> 00:30:44,550 It will hit you with 734 00:30:44,551 --> 00:30:46,969 the force of a small car. 735 00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:49,138 It can launch you into the air 736 00:30:49,139 --> 00:30:53,434 or suck you into the hole and kick you out into sea. 737 00:30:53,435 --> 00:30:55,479 Either way, you're in for a bad ride. 738 00:30:56,688 --> 00:30:58,355 The worst-case scenario actually happens 739 00:30:58,356 --> 00:31:00,441 to an 18-year-old boy from California 740 00:31:00,442 --> 00:31:01,734 who thought it would be funny 741 00:31:01,735 --> 00:31:03,569 to stand directly over the blowhole. 742 00:31:03,570 --> 00:31:05,321 When the geyser comes up, 743 00:31:05,322 --> 00:31:07,406 he's launched into the air, 744 00:31:07,407 --> 00:31:10,993 and then he comes down headfirst into the hole itself. 745 00:31:10,994 --> 00:31:13,120 He's tossed around like a ragdoll, 746 00:31:13,121 --> 00:31:14,956 and then he gets sucked out to sea. 747 00:31:16,750 --> 00:31:19,835 Over the years, safety fences are added, 748 00:31:19,836 --> 00:31:22,463 but tourists don't let that ruin the fun. 749 00:31:22,464 --> 00:31:23,839 In the 2000s, a couple of people 750 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,549 make their way close to the blowhole 751 00:31:25,550 --> 00:31:27,176 and get killed while doing it. 752 00:31:27,177 --> 00:31:30,679 Ever since then, it's almost impossible to get close to it. 753 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,766 Today, we don't get to have that magnificent experience 754 00:31:33,767 --> 00:31:37,728 of feeling the power of these things 755 00:31:37,729 --> 00:31:39,480 when you're back 50 feet. 756 00:31:39,481 --> 00:31:41,065 I would love to have seen it 757 00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:42,274 before the bars were put in, 758 00:31:42,275 --> 00:31:43,776 before the viewing platform, 759 00:31:43,777 --> 00:31:46,112 shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of other tourists 760 00:31:46,113 --> 00:31:47,571 who are jockeying for position, 761 00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:49,198 to get the best possible selfie. 762 00:31:49,199 --> 00:31:51,075 I would love to have experienced it 763 00:31:51,076 --> 00:31:52,118 without all of that. 764 00:31:53,495 --> 00:31:57,164 So today you don't get that same rush anymore, 765 00:31:57,165 --> 00:32:00,376 but you also don't get sucked into the Pacific, 766 00:32:00,377 --> 00:32:01,878 which feels like a fair trade. 767 00:32:04,381 --> 00:32:06,632 We have spent billions building giant roller coasters 768 00:32:06,633 --> 00:32:09,176 and other elaborate attractions, 769 00:32:09,177 --> 00:32:13,389 but some of the most extreme thrills aren't man-made at all. 770 00:32:13,390 --> 00:32:15,474 At the dawn of the 20th century, 771 00:32:15,475 --> 00:32:19,186 one of the nation's most iconic natural wonders 772 00:32:19,187 --> 00:32:21,313 was transformed into a stage 773 00:32:21,314 --> 00:32:23,357 for a terrifying new attraction. 774 00:32:25,402 --> 00:32:28,612 Niagara Falls is this amazing natural place. 775 00:32:28,613 --> 00:32:31,866 It has 40 million gallons of water going over every minute. 776 00:32:31,867 --> 00:32:34,161 That's two Olympic pools every second. 777 00:32:35,537 --> 00:32:39,290 By the mid-1800s, it becomes a very popular attraction. 778 00:32:39,291 --> 00:32:42,459 By 1850, attendance skyrockets 779 00:32:42,460 --> 00:32:45,546 to over 80,000 visitors every year. 780 00:32:45,547 --> 00:32:49,508 But to one woman, it's more than just a natural wonder. 781 00:32:49,509 --> 00:32:52,928 She sees her chance to get rich and famous. 782 00:32:52,929 --> 00:32:54,346 In 1901, 783 00:32:54,347 --> 00:32:57,516 Annie Edson Taylor is a retired schoolteacher. 784 00:32:57,517 --> 00:32:59,476 At 62, she recently lost her husband 785 00:32:59,477 --> 00:33:02,271 and is facing abject poverty. 786 00:33:02,272 --> 00:33:04,815 Desperate for money, she draws inspiration 787 00:33:04,816 --> 00:33:06,901 from reading an article about daredevils 788 00:33:06,902 --> 00:33:09,612 who ride the rapids at the bottom of the falls. 789 00:33:09,613 --> 00:33:11,197 But what hasn't been done yet 790 00:33:11,198 --> 00:33:12,907 is going over the falls in a barrel, 791 00:33:12,908 --> 00:33:15,743 and she decides she's gonna be the first person to do it. 792 00:33:17,078 --> 00:33:18,829 It sounds nuts, but Taylor spends 793 00:33:18,830 --> 00:33:20,456 what little money she has left 794 00:33:20,457 --> 00:33:24,919 on a custom-built pickle barrel of her own design. 795 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,671 But remember, she's not a structural engineer. 796 00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:28,840 She's a music teacher. 797 00:33:29,925 --> 00:33:31,592 She lines it with mattresses, 798 00:33:31,593 --> 00:33:34,762 creates a harness to suspend her in the middle of it, 799 00:33:34,763 --> 00:33:36,847 and then runs a tube into the inside to pump air in 800 00:33:36,848 --> 00:33:38,724 so that she can breathe. 801 00:33:38,725 --> 00:33:40,517 There's a lot that can go wrong here. 802 00:33:40,518 --> 00:33:42,728 So she decides to conduct a test run, 803 00:33:42,729 --> 00:33:44,564 but decides to use her cat. 804 00:33:46,149 --> 00:33:49,109 She throws the cat down the falls, 805 00:33:49,110 --> 00:33:50,570 and the cat makes it, 806 00:33:51,613 --> 00:33:53,280 so she was just like, "All right, 807 00:33:53,281 --> 00:33:55,407 that seemed to work." 808 00:33:55,408 --> 00:33:58,035 But Annie needs one more thing 809 00:33:58,036 --> 00:34:02,706 for a successful publicity stunt: lots of publicity. 810 00:34:02,707 --> 00:34:04,416 Annie gets a promoter involved, 811 00:34:04,417 --> 00:34:07,086 and the promoter acquires a barrel 812 00:34:07,087 --> 00:34:08,879 and labels it "Queen of the Mist" 813 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:12,341 and puts it on display before the stunt takes place. 814 00:34:12,342 --> 00:34:14,343 The local papers picked it up. 815 00:34:14,344 --> 00:34:15,843 Anybody you could think of 816 00:34:15,844 --> 00:34:17,972 was talking about this woman. 817 00:34:17,973 --> 00:34:20,350 The place was absolutely packed. 818 00:34:21,393 --> 00:34:23,769 On October 24th, 1901, 819 00:34:23,770 --> 00:34:26,522 Taylor seals herself into the vessel. 820 00:34:27,983 --> 00:34:30,693 The barrel is placed into the Niagara River, 821 00:34:30,694 --> 00:34:33,861 where it bobs to the edge of the falls 822 00:34:33,862 --> 00:34:35,571 and then vanishes. 823 00:34:35,572 --> 00:34:38,117 When Annie goes over the falls, 824 00:34:38,118 --> 00:34:40,244 it's a 167-foot drop, 825 00:34:40,245 --> 00:34:45,166 and in that drop, she reaches 70 miles an hour at impact. 826 00:34:46,710 --> 00:34:49,211 She hits the bottom with the force of a car accident. 827 00:34:49,212 --> 00:34:51,504 Annie is thrown around inside 828 00:34:51,505 --> 00:34:53,632 as the barrel makes contact with the rocks. 829 00:34:54,926 --> 00:34:56,927 When the rescuers are able to fish out the barrel 830 00:34:56,928 --> 00:34:57,970 and crack it open. 831 00:34:57,971 --> 00:34:59,430 There's Annie. 832 00:34:59,431 --> 00:35:02,391 She's beat up, bruised, and has a cut on her head, 833 00:35:02,392 --> 00:35:04,143 but she's alive. 834 00:35:04,144 --> 00:35:07,062 This is the wildest part. 835 00:35:07,063 --> 00:35:10,357 She gets out of this barrel unscathed. 836 00:35:10,358 --> 00:35:13,402 I mean, she's like the first stuntwoman. 837 00:35:13,403 --> 00:35:15,487 After Taylor's maiden voyage, 838 00:35:15,488 --> 00:35:18,657 many others are all too happy to follow her lead. 839 00:35:18,658 --> 00:35:21,952 Niagara Falls is promoting this in their postcards. 840 00:35:21,953 --> 00:35:23,412 "Come and watch these people 841 00:35:23,413 --> 00:35:25,289 take their lives into their own hands 842 00:35:25,290 --> 00:35:27,875 and catapult themselves over the falls." 843 00:35:27,876 --> 00:35:28,959 Each time it's happening, 844 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,128 this is really keeping Niagara Falls 845 00:35:31,129 --> 00:35:32,963 on the forefront of what 846 00:35:32,964 --> 00:35:34,673 was then social media. 847 00:35:34,674 --> 00:35:37,384 Police do get called, but it's really just to make sure, 848 00:35:37,385 --> 00:35:39,094 "Does everyone have a good view?" 849 00:35:39,095 --> 00:35:43,515 It becomes a phenomenon, but doesn't always work out. 850 00:35:43,516 --> 00:35:46,143 One person goes over, the barrel crushes. 851 00:35:46,144 --> 00:35:48,772 Another one, they found nothing left but one arm. 852 00:35:50,065 --> 00:35:51,607 Other times, they get caught, and they roll, 853 00:35:51,608 --> 00:35:53,317 and the person drowns. 854 00:35:53,318 --> 00:35:55,027 It turns out that it's really not safe 855 00:35:55,028 --> 00:35:57,280 to go over Niagara Falls in a pickle barrel. 856 00:35:58,657 --> 00:36:00,908 Eventually, one high-profile tragedy finally 857 00:36:00,909 --> 00:36:05,412 pushes U.S. and Canadian authorities over the edge. 858 00:36:05,413 --> 00:36:09,917 In 1951, a beloved local stuntman named Red Hill 859 00:36:09,918 --> 00:36:12,836 perishes in a barrel attempt of the falls. 860 00:36:12,837 --> 00:36:15,839 Both countries impose fines 861 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:18,342 and even jail time for anyone 862 00:36:18,343 --> 00:36:20,804 who tries this crazy stunt. 863 00:36:21,805 --> 00:36:23,013 As for Annie, 864 00:36:23,014 --> 00:36:25,140 she's buried in the Niagara Falls Cemetery 865 00:36:25,141 --> 00:36:28,103 in a special section that's reserved for daredevils. 866 00:36:30,897 --> 00:36:34,525 A thundering waterfall is a thrilling attraction, 867 00:36:34,526 --> 00:36:38,321 but maybe the best souvenir was making it home in one piece. 868 00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:43,325 At its best, tourism expands our horizons, 869 00:36:43,326 --> 00:36:47,454 creates unforgettable memories that makes us feel alive. 870 00:36:47,455 --> 00:36:51,041 But in the 1950s, one attraction flipped that script 871 00:36:51,042 --> 00:36:54,128 by giving tourists an explosive preview 872 00:36:54,129 --> 00:36:55,713 of how the world might end. 873 00:36:57,549 --> 00:37:00,050 It's the mid-1950s, and people are partying hard 874 00:37:00,051 --> 00:37:02,594 at the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, 875 00:37:02,595 --> 00:37:05,889 but the real attraction comes just before dawn. 876 00:37:05,890 --> 00:37:08,142 People have been drinking and gambling all night, 877 00:37:08,143 --> 00:37:09,643 and now these boozed-up couples 878 00:37:09,644 --> 00:37:12,646 shuffle on up to these rooftop bars and terraces, 879 00:37:12,647 --> 00:37:16,650 they look to the northwest, this black sky. 880 00:37:16,651 --> 00:37:19,570 Suddenly, the horizon pulses 881 00:37:19,571 --> 00:37:23,615 and the sky is filled with a bright flash of light. 882 00:37:23,616 --> 00:37:25,951 And the coup de grace is the shockwave. 883 00:37:25,952 --> 00:37:28,162 This violent boom rattles windows 884 00:37:28,163 --> 00:37:30,622 and hits people in the chest as they gasp, 885 00:37:30,623 --> 00:37:33,834 and then they raise their glasses and cheer. 886 00:37:33,835 --> 00:37:37,838 This hard-partying Las Vegas crowd has just witnessed 887 00:37:37,839 --> 00:37:40,424 an atomic bomb explosion, 888 00:37:40,425 --> 00:37:42,384 and they love it. 889 00:37:42,385 --> 00:37:45,429 They're called dawn bomb parties, 890 00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:47,639 and they're radioactive showstoppers 891 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,225 that help build Las Vegas. 892 00:37:50,226 --> 00:37:51,685 It seems nuts now, 893 00:37:51,686 --> 00:37:53,103 but atomic bomb tests were 894 00:37:53,104 --> 00:37:54,689 the perfect opportunity 895 00:37:54,856 --> 00:37:57,442 for this young city of Las Vegas to put itself on the map. 896 00:37:58,818 --> 00:38:01,987 It's 1951, it's the height of the Cold War, 897 00:38:01,988 --> 00:38:03,405 and the United States needs to 898 00:38:03,406 --> 00:38:04,823 continue testing nuclear 899 00:38:04,824 --> 00:38:06,408 weapons as they improve them 900 00:38:06,409 --> 00:38:08,410 and make them more powerful. 901 00:38:08,411 --> 00:38:10,746 The government chooses the Nevada Test Site, 902 00:38:10,747 --> 00:38:13,749 about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, 903 00:38:13,750 --> 00:38:16,293 and they, of course, notify city officials. 904 00:38:16,294 --> 00:38:18,796 Now, you'd assume they're gonna freak out 905 00:38:18,797 --> 00:38:22,049 and say, "Not here," but the city government 906 00:38:22,050 --> 00:38:25,302 and the casino owners, they think, "Hot damn! 907 00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:28,430 We are gonna get rich." 908 00:38:28,431 --> 00:38:30,474 They lean into it so hard, 909 00:38:30,475 --> 00:38:32,476 they decide that Vegas is 910 00:38:32,477 --> 00:38:34,561 gonna be Atomic City, USA. 911 00:38:34,562 --> 00:38:36,230 And because the federal government 912 00:38:36,231 --> 00:38:37,648 gives them a schedule 913 00:38:37,649 --> 00:38:39,942 about when these tests are going to be conducted, 914 00:38:39,943 --> 00:38:42,277 they realize they can stage events around each 915 00:38:42,278 --> 00:38:43,362 and every test. 916 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:45,989 This is a massive hit. 917 00:38:45,990 --> 00:38:49,117 People are piling in to witness 918 00:38:49,118 --> 00:38:53,205 America's, like, incredible destructive power. 919 00:38:53,206 --> 00:38:56,416 Casinos organize Miss Atom Bomb beauty pageants, 920 00:38:56,417 --> 00:39:00,045 and you even have the atomic bomb cocktails at bars. 921 00:39:00,046 --> 00:39:01,421 Each detonation is bringing 922 00:39:01,422 --> 00:39:04,258 thousands of tourists to Vegas. 923 00:39:04,259 --> 00:39:07,261 The owner of the iconic Horseshoe Casino 924 00:39:07,262 --> 00:39:10,764 says that the best thing to happen to Vegas 925 00:39:10,765 --> 00:39:12,516 was the atomic bomb. 926 00:39:12,517 --> 00:39:14,184 Some people want to get closer, 927 00:39:14,185 --> 00:39:16,228 and so they will literally sell you a ticket 928 00:39:16,229 --> 00:39:17,396 to ride on a bus 929 00:39:17,397 --> 00:39:19,481 to as close to that explosion 930 00:39:19,482 --> 00:39:23,527 as the Army will let you get, which is 10 miles away. 931 00:39:23,528 --> 00:39:25,112 So you get off the tour bus 932 00:39:25,113 --> 00:39:26,905 with, like, your lawn chair and your sandwich, 933 00:39:26,906 --> 00:39:28,407 you know, kind of like a day at the beach. 934 00:39:28,408 --> 00:39:29,533 I like the lack of regulation. 935 00:39:29,534 --> 00:39:30,868 I really do. 936 00:39:30,869 --> 00:39:32,411 But, like, there is something bananas 937 00:39:32,412 --> 00:39:34,413 about going to military-grade explosions. 938 00:39:35,623 --> 00:39:39,001 Between 1951 and 1962, 939 00:39:39,002 --> 00:39:43,047 over 100 tests are run at the Nevada Proving Ground. 940 00:39:43,965 --> 00:39:46,216 Meanwhile, the city of Las Vegas 941 00:39:46,217 --> 00:39:48,553 brings in nearly $200 million, 942 00:39:49,679 --> 00:39:52,180 but it's not all fun and games. 943 00:39:52,181 --> 00:39:55,517 The military schedules the detonations 944 00:39:55,518 --> 00:39:58,061 where the wind pattern will carry the fallout 945 00:39:58,062 --> 00:39:59,938 away from the city. 946 00:39:59,939 --> 00:40:02,149 However, there are native 947 00:40:02,150 --> 00:40:04,359 communities and lots of locals 948 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:06,863 who lived in the path of grave danger. 949 00:40:08,656 --> 00:40:10,157 Homes and ranches are destroyed. 950 00:40:10,158 --> 00:40:12,200 Farm animals die. 951 00:40:12,201 --> 00:40:14,870 Tens of thousands of people develop cancer. 952 00:40:17,248 --> 00:40:20,417 In 1954, John Wayne is shooting a film 953 00:40:20,418 --> 00:40:22,920 called "The Conqueror" in nearby Utah, 954 00:40:22,921 --> 00:40:26,381 and 25 years later, half the crew has cancer, 955 00:40:26,382 --> 00:40:29,801 including John Wayne, which is what he dies of. 956 00:40:29,802 --> 00:40:31,720 By 1963, 957 00:40:31,721 --> 00:40:34,640 the deadly effects of the atomic bomb tests 958 00:40:34,641 --> 00:40:36,017 are painfully clear, 959 00:40:37,477 --> 00:40:40,395 and the government bans above-ground nuclear testing. 960 00:40:40,396 --> 00:40:43,398 Believe it or not, nuclear testing continues 961 00:40:43,399 --> 00:40:45,317 for the next three decades, 962 00:40:45,318 --> 00:40:47,110 but it usually happens 963 00:40:47,111 --> 00:40:49,029 in underground shafts, 964 00:40:49,030 --> 00:40:53,492 and it's not until 1992 that the U.S. government 965 00:40:53,493 --> 00:40:57,037 calls a moratorium on all nuclear tests. 966 00:40:57,038 --> 00:40:58,413 And ever since then, 967 00:40:58,414 --> 00:41:03,126 no atomic bomb has been detonated on American soil. 968 00:41:03,127 --> 00:41:05,045 I think that life is long, 969 00:41:05,046 --> 00:41:08,006 and I think that life is boring at times, 970 00:41:08,007 --> 00:41:11,218 and I think we all need a sense of danger, 971 00:41:11,219 --> 00:41:14,012 and they created the illusion of danger 972 00:41:14,013 --> 00:41:16,724 while also including a little real danger in it. 973 00:41:19,018 --> 00:41:22,562 Remembering the attractions that used to lure us in, 974 00:41:22,563 --> 00:41:25,273 like riding gators, feeding bears, 975 00:41:25,274 --> 00:41:28,610 or front-row seats at an atomic blast. 976 00:41:28,611 --> 00:41:32,239 Some of our excursions might have been extreme, 977 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:34,783 but risk led to reward, 978 00:41:34,784 --> 00:41:39,121 and that's why our Hazardous History was such a big draw.