WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.279 Welcome to What You Didn't Hear, the podcast 00:00:02.279 --> 00:00:04.740 that digs into the dusty corners of history to 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:08.179 uncover what got completely ignored while something 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:11.759 bigger hogged the spotlight. Sure, July 20th, 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:15.300 1969 is all about the moon landing. But did you 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:17.679 know that on that same day, the Soviet Union 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.079 crashed an unmanned probe into the moon, or that 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:23.219 a major civil rights protest happened in North 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:26.760 Carolina and barely made the news? Every time 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:30.260 history zooms in on one big story, a dozen others 00:00:30.260 --> 00:00:32.399 slip through the cracks. That's where we come 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.200 in. We're here to give the B plots of history 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:38.000 their moments in the spotlight. I'm Zane Gould 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.759 and you're about to hear what you didn't hear. 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:13.849 August 6, 1945 marks the date that the United 00:01:13.849 --> 00:01:16.709 States dropped Little Boy, the first of two atomic 00:01:16.709 --> 00:01:19.790 bombs, on Japan during the Second World War. 00:01:20.069 --> 00:01:22.489 However, throughout history, other events have 00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:26.950 taken place on this same day. In the year 258, 00:01:26.989 --> 00:01:30.510 Pope Sixtus II, the Bishop of Rome, was beheaded 00:01:30.510 --> 00:01:33.730 alongside Lawrence of Rome, making him the first 00:01:33.730 --> 00:01:36.790 Christian to be martyred by Emperor Valerian's 00:01:36.790 --> 00:01:43.500 persecution of Christians. In 1497, Italian explorer 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:46.799 and navigator John Cabot, I might not be saying 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.599 these names correctly so I apologize, returns 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:52.799 to Bristol from North America, making him the 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.060 first European to make this trip successfully 00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:58.079 since the Vikings. His expedition made landfall 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.620 in late June on either the modern day island 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:04.750 of Newfoundland or Cape Breton. Believing he 00:02:04.750 --> 00:02:07.349 had landed on the Asian continent, he claimed 00:02:07.349 --> 00:02:10.009 the land for England. The following year he would 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:12.789 attempt a return trip with a larger fleet, which 00:02:12.789 --> 00:02:15.569 would end in his death and an unsuccessful attempt 00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:18.710 to navigate across the open waters of the Atlantic 00:02:18.710 --> 00:02:24.449 Ocean. 1685, King Louis XIV gives the Code Noir 00:02:24.449 --> 00:02:26.810 Decree defining the conditions of slavery in 00:02:26.810 --> 00:02:29.430 the French colonial empire. King Louis' decree 00:02:29.430 --> 00:02:31.870 mandated that all enslaved people within the 00:02:31.870 --> 00:02:34.449 French colonial empire convert to Catholicism, 00:02:34.750 --> 00:02:37.389 put restrictions on the activities of free people 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.050 of color, and expelled all Jewish people from 00:02:40.050 --> 00:02:47.270 French colonies. Come 1806, the Holy Roman Empire 00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:50.689 is declared dissolved by Francis II. This topic 00:02:50.689 --> 00:02:52.729 alone could have an entire episode dedicated 00:02:52.729 --> 00:02:55.409 to it for a deeper dive, which may be something 00:02:55.409 --> 00:02:57.509 I would be interested in jumping into at a later 00:02:57.509 --> 00:03:00.050 date. However, for now we'll stick to events 00:03:00.050 --> 00:03:02.930 taking place on August 6th and sum it up with 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:05.990 this. The Holy Roman Empire, following a series 00:03:05.990 --> 00:03:09.310 of military defeats at the hand of Napoleon Bonaparte 00:03:09.310 --> 00:03:13.009 and Emperor Francis II, was forced to abdicate. 00:03:13.210 --> 00:03:16.430 If you would like me to do a more in -depth look 00:03:16.430 --> 00:03:19.169 at the closing of the Holy Roman Empire, please 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:25.729 let me know. On a darker but still significant 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:30.250 note, in 1890 the first person was sentenced 00:03:30.250 --> 00:03:36.840 to death by electric chair in New York. William 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:39.379 Kemmler, a vegetable peddler in New York, brutally 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:42.460 murdered his common -law wife or girlfriend, 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:48.180 Tilly Zegler, on March 29, 1889. He then went 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:50.419 to his neighbor's house and announced his crime. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.680 On May 10, he was convicted of first -degree 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.280 murder and after multiple appeals by Kemmler's 00:03:56.280 --> 00:03:58.900 defense, it was decided that he would be executed 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:04.759 by electric chair. On the morning of August 6, 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.199 William Kemmler was brought to the electric chair. 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:10.759 Upon seeing the chair, he said, gentlemen, I 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:13.300 wish you all good luck. I believe I am going 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:16.800 to a good place and I am ready to go. His last 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.639 words were, take it easy and do it properly. 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:26.360 I'm in no hurry. The first attempt was a 17 second 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:30.240 shock of 1000 volts. Kemmler was declared dead. 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:33.620 But witnesses observed him breathing. The physicians 00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:35.980 ordered another shock be delivered immediately. 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:39.079 The second shot delivered was 2 ,000 volts to 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:42.120 Kemmler. Witnesses reported a horrible odor as 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.560 his body caught fire. The New York Times ran 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.040 the headline, far worse than hanging, and George 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:51.180 Westinghouse, the inventor of the generator used 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:53.800 in the execution, stated, they would have done 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:58.899 better using an axe. This is another topic I 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:01.759 would love to go even deeper into. Other than 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.779 just the execution itself, there is a lot of 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:07.199 politics, ulterior motives, and scheming behind 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:14.620 this event. Now moving away from murders and 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:19.720 executions, on this day in 1926, Gertrude Ederl 00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:22.709 became the first female to swim across the English 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:26.509 Channel at 20 years old. Starting in Cape Grisnez 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:31.230 in France at 7 .08am and came ashore Kingsdown 00:05:31.230 --> 00:05:35.389 Kent after swimming for 14 hours and 34 minutes. 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:39.009 This set the world record for that swim, both 00:05:39.009 --> 00:05:41.949 male and female. Gertrude held the record until 00:05:41.949 --> 00:05:45.319 1950. And prior to Gertrude swimming the channel, 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:47.800 only five men had completed the swim with the 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:53.180 best time being 16 hours and 33 minutes. In 1965, 00:05:53.420 --> 00:05:55.759 Idaro would be inducted into the International 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:58.800 Swimming Hall of Fame, and later into the National 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:03.800 Women's Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2024, a biographical 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:06.660 film about her life, Young Woman and the Sea, 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:18.160 was released. On August 6, 1961, the first case 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.959 of motion sickness in space was reported and 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.699 experienced by Soviet cosmonaut German Titov 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:29.060 during the Vostok 2 mission. 1964, the world's 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:34.040 oldest tree at 4 ,862 years old is accidentally 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.240 cut down in Nevada. In 1965, President Lyndon 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.240 B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act prohibiting 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:43.800 discrimination against minorities in voting. 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:48.740 The World Wide Web debuts in 1991, when Tim Berners 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:52.139 -Lee, a computer scientist, releases files describing 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:56.480 his idea for the World Wide Web and debuts www 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:59.899 as a publicly available service on the internet. 00:07:00.379 --> 00:07:03.819 By 1995, the Internet would have an estimated 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:08.740 16 million users and reach 150 million by 1999. 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:17.740 And finally, in 1996, on August 6, the Ramones 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:20.540 would play their last concert at the Palace in 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:30.279 Hollywood, California. Anything beyond the 1990s 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:32.839 feels more like current events to me and I won't 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.600 be going that far. Additionally, this is only 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:37.720 some of what occurred throughout history on August 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:40.579 6th. There is a lot more to explore and learn 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:51.480 about. And now it's time for Blind Date Through 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:54.660 Time, the only dating show where our contestant, 00:07:54.860 --> 00:07:58.199 you, flirts with mystery and history. to find 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:15.959 a timeless connection. Here's this week's mysterious 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:20.300 profile. Age, 55. But who's counting when you're 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:23.740 eternal? Location, Rome, or wherever destiny 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:28.259 calls. Height? tall enough to command legions. 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.519 Occupation. Statesman. General. Dictator. About 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:36.639 me. They say I came. I saw. I conquered. But 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.679 there's more to me than war and wreaths. A lover 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:42.840 of poetry, politics, and passionate debates over 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:46.000 wine, I've crossed Rubicons and hearts alike. 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:49.320 If you enjoy moonlit strolls through ancient 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:52.120 forums or whispered conspiracies behind Senate 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:55.850 curtains, we just might get along. If you have 00:08:55.850 --> 00:08:58.210 a guess for who this week's mysterious figure 00:08:58.210 --> 00:09:01.610 on Blind Date Through Time is, leave your answer 00:09:01.610 --> 00:09:30.980 in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed this 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.500 brief history podcast that goes over some of 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:35.480 the other events that occurred on this day in 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:38.899 history. Please leave a review, like or comment 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:40.919 depending on what platform you're listening on 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.240 and share this episode with your friends so we 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:45.940 can continue spreading this. I appreciate you 00:09:45.940 --> 00:09:47.899 listening, so until next time.