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(narrator) A COLOSSAL WOODEN AIRPLANE
BUILT BY MILLIONAIRE AVIATOR HOWARD HUGHES
IS THE HEART OF AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY.
THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY FLY.
A BRAZEN ART HEIST
BAFFLES INVESTIGATORS
AND LEAVES A GREAT MUSEUM WITH EMPTY FRAMES
AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.
YOU'D BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND A MYSTERY
THAT'S BIGGER THAN THIS ONE.
AND A MUCH-LOVED PLAYTHING
WHOSE ORIGINS SPRING FROM THE DARKEST DAYS OF WAR.
(cannon fires)
THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE CLASSIC "EUREKA" MOMENTS.
(woman) ♪ EVERYONE WANTS A SLINKY ♪
(narrator) ACROSS THE UNITED STATES,
IN THE NATION'S MOST REVERED INSTITUTIONS
OUR CELEBRATED HISTORY IS ON DISPLAY--
WONDROUS TREASURES FROM THE PAST,
BIZARRE RELICS.
BUT BEHIND EVERY AMAZING ARTIFACT
IS ANOTHER TALE TO BE TOLD
AND A SECRET WAITING TO BE REVEALED.
THESE ARE...
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Captioned by Closed Captioning Services, Inc.
McMINNVILLE, OREGON--
INSIDE A GIANT AIRPLANE HANGAR
THE EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUM
HOUSES DOZENS OF UNIQUE AIRCRAFT
THAT TELL THE STORY OF OUR NATION'S HISTORY IN FLIGHT.
AND THIS MUSEUM'S CENTERPIECE IS A FLYING MACHINE
WHOSE SIZE AND REPUTATION DWARFS ALL OTHERS.
ITS TAIL IS BIGGER THAN A 7-STORY BUILDING.
EIGHT 3,000-HORSEPOWER ENGINES
WERE NEEDED TO PROPEL IT.
BUT THIS ASTONISHING AIRCRAFT ISN'T MADE OF METAL.
THIS IS THE LARGEST AIRCRAFT TO BE BUILT
ALMOST ENTIRELY FROM WOOD.
IT IS THE H-4 HERCULES,
BETTER KNOWN AS THE "SPRUCE GOOSE."
(woman) FROM WINGTIP TO WINGTIP OF THE SPRUCE GOOSE,
IT'S 319 FEET.
SO IF WE PUT IT ON A 50 YARD LINE
IN A FOOTBALL FIELD,
THE WINGS WOULD HIT BOTH END ZONES.
ERIN WILLISON IS THE EDUCATION COORDINATOR
AT THE EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUM.
AND IT'S HER JOB TO EXPLAIN TO VISITORS
JUST HOW EXTRAORDINARY THIS AIRCRAFT IS.
PROBABLY THE BEST PART OF WORKING HERE
IS SEEING THE AMAZEMENT ON THE KIDS' FACES
WHEN THEY COME IN.
AND THEY'RE JUST LIKE, "WOW, THAT IS SO COOL."
IRREVERENTLY DUBBED THE "SPRUCE GOOSE"
BY ITS DETRACTORS,
THIS MASSIVE MACHINE IS ACTUALLY MADE OF BIRCH.
IT WAS COMMISSIONED AS A CARGO PLANE
BY THE U.S. MILITARY IN THE 1940s
AND COULD HOLD UP TO TWO ARMORED TANKS
OR 750 SOLDIERS.
BUT THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND AIRCRAFT
NEVER FLEW A SINGLE MISSION.
IN FACT, MANY BELIEVED IT COULDN'T FLY AT ALL.
SO WHY WAS IT BUILT?
THE STORY STARTS OVER 60 YEARS AGO
IN ONE OF THE WORST CRISES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
1941--
WORLD WAR II IS RAGING,
AND THE U.S. MILITARY HAS A PROBLEM.
THEY ARE LOSING COUNTLESS TRANSATLANTIC SUPPLY SHIPS
TO GERMAN U-BOAT ATTACKS,
GREATLY AFFECTING THE ALLIES' ABILITY
TO FIGHT THE WAR IN EUROPE.
THE MILITARY NEEDS A SAFER WAY TO TRANSPORT
HUGE NUMBERS OF SOLDIERS AND GOODS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
THEY LATCH ONTO AN IDEA
TO BUILD MASSIVE CARGO AIRCRAFT
OF A SIZE NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED
THAT WOULD BYPASS THE THREAT ON THE SEA
BY TAKING MILITARY TRANSPORTS INTO THE AIR.
AND RENOWNED AVIATOR
AND AIRCRAFT ENGINEER HOWARD HUGHES
STEPS FORWARD AS THE MAN FOR THE JOB.
HOWARD HUGHES WAS A BRILLIANT AIRCRAFT DESIGNER.
HE WAS ECCENTRIC, TO SAY THE LEAST.
HE WAS ALWAYS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE,
TRYING TO GO FASTER, TRYING TO GO HIGHER,
TRYING TO GO FARTHER.
BUT THE PROJECT COMES WITH ONE CRUCIAL CONDITION.
ONE OF THEIR STIPULATIONS
WAS THAT THEY COULD NOT USE ANY METAL AT ALL,
BECAUSE THEY NEEDED THE METAL FOR THE WAR EFFORT.
SO HUGHES MAKES AN UNPRECEDENTED DECISION
TO BUILD THE 218- BY 319-FOOT
FLYING CARGO SHIP FROM WOOD.
MOST AIRPLANES IN BETWEEN WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II
WERE MADE OUT OF WOOD,
BUT THEY WERE A LOT SMALLER.
PEOPLE THOUGHT HOWARD HUGHES WAS CRAZY
BUILDING THIS AIRPLANE OUT OF WOOD.
BUT HUGHES WILL NOT BE DETERRED.
HE ATTACKS THE PROJECT WITH THE FULL FORCE
OF HIS OBSESSIVE GENIUS,
USING INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES
TO BEND AND GLUE PLANKS OF BIRCH PLYWOOD
ONTO THE FRAME
OF THE 142-TON BEHEMOTH.
THE "SPRUCE GOOSE" IS A MARVEL OF ENGINEERING.
THIS MONSTROUS AIRPLANE
IS ESSENTIALLY WOOD JUST GLUED TOGETHER.
BUT THIS REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN
TAKES FOUR YEARS
AND AN EXTRAORDINARY $25 MILLION
TO PERFECT.
WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING,
BECAUSE HOWARD HUGHES WAS A PERFECTIONIST,
EVERY LITTLE DETAIL,
ALL THE STEPS HAD TO GO THROUGH HIM.
IT DELAYED THE PROJECT IMMENSELY.
BY THE TIME THE PLANE IS ACTUALLY FINISHED,
WORLD WAR II WAS OVER.
AND THE PROJECT IS WELL OVER BUDGET.
THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO KNOW WHY THEY HAD--
HE HAD USED THEIR MONEY AND NOT FINISHED THE AIRPLANE
DURING THE WARTIME EFFORT.
THEY CALL A SERIES OF SENATE HEARINGS
TO TAKE HUGHES TO TASK FOR THE OVERRUNS.
AND I HAVE STATED SEVERAL TIMES
THAT IF IT'S A FAILURE, I'LL PROBABLY LEAVE THIS COUNTRY
AND NEVER COME BACK, AND I MEAN IT.
BUT HUGHES'S DETRACTORS
WEREN'T JUST CRITICAL OF MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT.
MANY DOUBTED THAT THIS HUGE WOODEN AIRCRAFT
WOULD EVER TAKE TO THE SKIES.
THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY FLY.
THE ONLY WAY FOR HUGHES
TO JUSTIFY THE DELAYS
AND PROVE HIS CRITICS WRONG
IS TO TEST THE PLANE.
(man) A PLANE SO SURROUNDED BY CONTROVERSY
THAT ITS TESTS ARE A HEADLINE DRAMA--
THE $25 MILLION FLYING BOAT.
MANY ASKED, "WOULD THE GIANT EVER FLY?"
(narrator) NOVEMBER 2, 1947,
LONG BEACH HARBOR, CALIFORNIA--
HOWARD HUGHES IS AT THE HELM OF THE "SPRUCE GOOSE,"
PREPARING FOR A SERIES OF TAXI TESTS
INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE JUST THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINES
AND STEERING CAPACITY.
NO ONE SUSPECTS THAT HUGHES IS GOING TO USE THESE TESTS
TO SEE IF THE "SPRUCE GOOSE" WILL FLY.
ON THE THIRD TAXI TEST, HE ASKED FOR FLAPS DOWN.
AND THAT WAS AN INDICATION
HE WAS GONNA TRY TO FLY THE AIRPLANE.
IT'S THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.
WILL THE "SPRUCE GOOSE" LIFT OFF?
(man) 200 TONS ARE AIRBORNE.
70 FEET OFF THE WATER SHE STAYS FOR A MILE.
$23 MILLION WORTH OF AIRPLANE
HAS ANSWERED A LOT OF COMMITTEE QUESTIONS.
IT CAN FLY.
IT WAS COMPLETE SHOCK AND SURPRISE,
BECAUSE NO ONE BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY FLY.
AND HOWARD HUGHES PROVED THEM ALL WRONG.
(narrator) BUT SURPRISINGLY,
THE AMAZING PLANE'S FIRST FLIGHT
IS ALSO ITS LAST.
HUGHES BUYS THE AIRCRAFT BACK FROM THE GOVERNMENT
AND STORES IT OUT OF SIGHT
AT A COST OF $1 MILLION A YEAR
UNTIL HIS DEATH 33 YEARS LATER.
SO WHY DID IT NEVER FLY AGAIN?
THERE WAS SPECULATION ON THE DAY THAT IT FLEW
THAT HOWARD HUGHES HEARD THE TAIL CRACK A LITTLE BIT,
WHICH WOULD POSSIBLY MEAN THAT THE TAIL COULD FALL OFF.
WHETHER OR NOT THE PLANE COULD FLY
FOR A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME REMAINS A MYSTERY.
WHAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT THE WAR WAS OVER.
THE CARGO CAPACITY OF THE "SPRUCE GOOSE"
WAS NO LONGER NEEDED.
AND HUGHES HAD CLEARED HIS NAME.
WHILE THE "SPRUCE GOOSE" FAILED
TO FULFILL ITS WARTIME MISSION,
ITS SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT DID SEND A MESSAGE
THAT RESONATES TO THIS DAY.
THE "SPRUCE GOOSE" IS INSPIRING BECAUSE IT PROVES
WHAT SOMEONE CAN DO WHEN THEY HAVE A DREAM,
AND WHEN THEY DON'T GIVE UP,
BECAUSE HOWARD HUGHES NEVER DID GIVE UP.
AND TODAY, HOWARD HUGHES'S MASSIVE MARVEL
OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING CONTINUES
TO INSPIRE VISITORS
AT THE EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUM
IN McMINNVILLE, OREGON.
OVER 2,000 MILES AWAY
AT THE FIELD MUSEUM IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
A DIFFERENT KIND OF GIANT
HAS RAISED A 67-MILLION-YEAR-OLD QUESTION.
WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR THE TYRANNOSAURUS REX?
COMING UP ON...
♪♪
♪♪
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS--
RISING FROM THE SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN,
THIS STUNNING METROPOLIS
IS NOT ONLY A HUB OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY,
IT'S ALSO A CENTER OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE.
AND THE FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
IS ITS STAR ATTRACTION.
EVERY YEAR, OVER 1 MILLION VISITORS
POUR THROUGH ITS DOORS.
BY FAR, MOST PEOPLE COME TO SEE THIS--
THE REMAINS OF THE LARGEST TYRANNOSAURUS REX
EVER FOUND.
WHEN YOU WALK UP TO THE SKELETON,
YOU'RE SORT OF JUST IMPRESSED BY THE SHEER SIZE
(growling)
THE SKELETON MEASURES 40 1/2 FEET
FROM THE END OF ITS NOSE TO THE TIP OF ITS TAIL.
AND COVERED IN FLESH, MUSCLE, AND FAT,
THIS T. REX WOULD HAVE WEIGHED OVER 6 TONS.
PETER MAKOVICKY,
THE MUSEUM'S CURATOR OF DINOSAURS,
IS AN EXPERT ON THESE PREHISTORIC PREDATORS.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX MEANS "TYRANT LIZARD KING."
T. REX WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE TOP MEAT-EATING ANIMAL
IN ITS ECOSYSTEM.
THERE WAS NOTHING THAT EVEN APPROACHED IT IN SIZE.
(growling)
THIS PARTICULAR SPECIMEN, NICKNAMED "SUE,"
WAS DISCOVERED BY A VOLUNTEER GEOLOGIST
NAMED SUE HENDRICKSON IN SOUTH DAKOTA
IN 1990.
ON DISPLAY AT THE FIELD MUSEUM SINCE 2000,
THIS SKELETON IS EXCEPTIONAL
NOT JUST FOR ITS ENORMOUS SIZE,
BUT BECAUSE WHEN IT WAS FOUND,
IT WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY COMPLETE.
WELL, THE DISCOVERY OF SUE HAS REALLY SORT OF BEEN
A LANDMARK IN THE STUDY OF T. REX.
WE'RE MISSING VERY LITTLE OF THAT SKELETON.
AND BECAUSE OF HER COMPLETENESS,
SHE ACTUALLY SERVES AS THIS ROSETTA STONE.
WE CAN ACTUALLY STUDY HER AND THE BIOLOGY OF T. REX
IN WAYS THAT WE CAN'T DO FOR ANY OTHER SPECIMEN.
THIS MAKES SUE THE KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
IN UNRAVELING A MYSTERY THAT HAS PUZZLED SCIENTISTS
SINCE THE VERY FIRST T. REX FOSSIL WAS DISCOVERED
BACK IN 1902--
WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE
FOR THE WORLD'S LARGEST PREHISTORIC PREDATOR?
67 MILLION YEARS AGO,
T. REX IS THE UNDISPUTED KING OF THE PREHISTORIC FOOD CHAIN.
BUT WHAT WAS ITS LIFE REALLY LIKE?
DID IT DO BATTLE WITH OTHER PREDATORS?
DID THESE ANIMALS LIVE INTO OLD AGE?
AND HOW DID THEY EVENTUALLY DIE?
THE ANSWER TO THESE AGE-OLD QUESTIONS
LIE LOCKED INSIDE THE AMAZING SKELETON
ON DISPLAY AT THE FIELD MUSEUM.
SOME OF THE TRAITS WE SEE IN THE SKELETON OF SUE
SORT OF TELL THE STORY OF HER LIFE.
FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HER BODY,
ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WE HAVE A SERIES OF THREE RIBS
THAT HAVE BEEN BROKEN AND RE-HEALED
THIS INDICATES
THAT EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN,
LIFE FOR SUE WAS NOT EASY.
AS ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES LIKES TO SAY,
SHE'S A BIT OF A TRAIN WRECK.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS PROBABLY
IS THE T. REX JUST HAD A VERY ROUGH AND TUMBLE LIFESTYLE.
THEY WERE THE TOP PREDATORS,
AND AS WE KNOW FROM LIVING PREDATORS TODAY,
IT'S NOT AN EASY LIFESTYLE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF INJURIES INCURRED.
(growling)
SUE'S VERTEBRAE ARE SO DELICATE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED
BY PLASTER CASTINGS IN THE MUSEUM DISPLAY.
BUT A CLOSE EXAMINATION
OF THE ORIGINAL BONES REVEALS ANOTHER SURPRISE.
HER SCARS WEREN'T JUST CAUSED
BY THE HARD KNOCKS OF LIFE AS A CARNIVORE.
IT SEEMS SHE ALSO SUFFERED
FROM THE AFFLICTIONS OF OLD AGE.
SO THESE ARE TWO OF SUE'S TAIL VERTEBRAE
THAT HAVE ACTUALLY FUSED TOGETHER.
IN BETWEEN THEM THEY ARE COVERED
BY THIS HUGE MASS OF VERY GNARLY-LOOKING BONE.
WE THINK THIS LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE ARTHRITIS,
DUE TO BOTH A COMBINATION OF INJURY AND OLD AGE.
THIS BEGS THE QUESTION--
EXACTLY HOW OLD WAS THIS T. REX?
TURNS OUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN FIGURE OUT
BY LOOKING AT GROWTH STRUCTURES IN THEIR BONES.
LIKE TREE STUMPS, DINOSAURS BONES
ARE MARKED BY ANNUAL GROWTH RINGS.
BY EXAMINING SPECIALLY PREPARED CROSS-SECTIONS
OF ONE OF SUE'S RIB BONES,
SCIENTISTS CAN ACTUALLY COUNT THESE RINGS
AND CALCULATE SUE'S AGE.
GIVEN THESE COUNTS, WE HAVE HER PEGGED
AS BEING 28 YEARS OLD, GIVE OR TAKE A YEAR.
AT 28, SUE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST AT THE END
OF THE NATURAL LIFE SPAN OF A T. REX.
T. REX WAS SIMPLY NOT A VERY LONG-LIVED ANIMAL.
30 YEARS WAS PROBABLY VERY CLOSE
TO THE MAXIMUM LIFE SPAN IT WOULD HAVE HAD.
ALL THESE FINDINGS PAINT A PICTURE OF A LIFE
PUNCTUATED BY PREDATORY VIOLENCE,
ILLNESS, AND INJURY.
BUT A MYSTERY REMAINS.
SUE APPEARS TO HAVE SURVIVED HER INJURIES
AND LIVED TO A RIPE OLD AGE OF 28.
SO WHAT ULTIMATELY KILLED
THIS GIGANTIC AND DEADLY PREDATOR,
LEAVING HER REMAINS PERFECTLY INTACT
TO BE DISCOVERED 67 MILLION YEARS LATER?
THE EVIDENCE POINTS TO AN UNLIKELY SUSPECT.
SHE HAS A SERIES OF OPENINGS OR HOLES
TOWARDS THE BACK OF HER JAW.
AND ASTONISHINGLY, THESE SMALL HOLES
ARE VERY POSSIBLY THE CAUSE OF SUE'S DEATH.
WE THINK THESE WERE CAUSED BY SOME TYPE OF INFECTION,
PERHAPS A FUNGUS OR A PARASITE.
AND ANY PROLONGED, PAINFUL AFFLICTION
AFFECTING SUE'S JAWS
WOULD HAVE MADE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
FOR HER TO EAT.
THIS MEANS THAT THIS 6-TON, 13-FOOT-HIGH,
BATTLE-SCARRED MONSTER
MAY HAVE SIMPLY STARVED TO DEATH.
THE REAL FANTASTIC THING ABOUT HAVING A COMPLETE SKELETON
THAT IS AS WELL-PRESERVED AS SUE'S
IS THAT WE CAN SORT OF GET A GLIMPSE OF WHAT THE LIFE
(growling)
WHILE SCIENTISTS LIKE MAKOVICKY
CONTINUE TO EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE
LOCKED INSIDE THIS SKELETON
TO RECREATE THE PREHISTORIC LIFE OF T. REX.
VISITORS WHO WANT THEIR OWN GLIMPSE
67 MILLION YEARS INTO THE PAST
NEED ONLY VISIT THE FIELD MUSEUM IN CHICAGO
TO TAKE IN THE AWESOME SPECTACLE OF SUE.
WHILE SUE'S SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE
OF A PREHISTORIC LIFE,
NOT FAR FROM CHICAGO IN CANTON, OHIO,
A SIMPLE GARMENT WITH A PERPLEXING IMPERFECTION
REVEALS A MYSTERY BEHIND A TRAGIC
AND UNTIMELY PRESIDENTIAL DEATH.
(gunshots, screaming)
THE STORY UNFOLDS NEXT ON...
♪♪
♪♪
CANTON, OHIO--
OVER 100 YEARS AGO, PRESIDENT WILLIAM McKINLEY
CALLED THIS MIDWESTERN CITY HOME.
TODAY IT HOUSES A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO HIS LIFE AND WORK
AS THE 25th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
IT IS THE WILLIAM McKINLEY
PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM.
McKINLEY IS BEST KNOWN AS A PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT
WHO SERVED AT THE DAWN OF THE 20th CENTURY.
BUT AMONG THE MUSEUM'S MEMENTOS DETAILING THIS TIME
THERE RESTS A FAR MORE INTIMATE ARTIFACT,
A NIGHTSHIRT ONCE WORN BY McKINLEY
THAT BEARS A MYSTERIOUS MARK--
A STRANGE TEAR DOWN ITS BACK.
(woman) THE TEAR IS RELATIVELY NEAT AND STRAIGHT,
BUT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE CUT.
IT APPEARS TO HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN TORN.
HOW DID THIS TEAR COME TO BE?
AND WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SIMPLE GARMENT?
THESE ANSWERS LIE WITHIN THE MYSTERY
OF PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S FINAL MOMENTS,
A TRAGIC DEMISE THAT CHANGED THE HISTORY
OF THE PRESIDENCY.
SEPTEMBER 6, 1901--
PRESIDENT McKINLEY AND HIS WIFE IDA
TOUR THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION
IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK,
A WORLD'S FAIR WITH A GROUNDBREAKING DISPLAY
OF THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGIES OF THE DAY.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED ELECTRICITY.
THERE WERE 200,000 8-WATT LIGHTBULBS ON DISPLAY.
AND OF COURSE, FOR MOST PEOPLE ELECTRICITY WAS BRAND-NEW.
BUT AMONG THE MOST EAGERLY ANTICIPATED EXHIBITS
IS ONE OF THOMAS EDISON'S LATEST MACHINES,
A DEVICE THAT CAN PEER THROUGH THE HUMAN BODY.
IT IS THE X-RAY MACHINE.
AS McKINLEY TOURS THE EXHIBITS,
HE IS UNAWARE THAT LURKING IN THE CROWD IS HIS MURDERER,
A STAUNCH ANARCHIST NAMED LEON CZOLGOSZ.
AT PRECISELY 4:07 P.M.,
McKINLEY IS GREETING A LINE OF WELL-WISHERS,
WHEN HE EXTENDS HIS HAND TO CZOLGOSZ,
(gun ***)
SECURITY AROUND McKINLEY WAS LAX BY TODAY'S STANDARDS.
TODAY IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO GET THAT CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT.
CONCEALED INSIDE THE HANDKERCHIEF
IS A DEADLY WEAPON, A .32-CALIBER IVER REVOLVER.
(gunshots, screaming)
THE FIRST BULLET STRUCK THE PRESIDENT
BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD RIB.
THE SECOND BULLET WENT INTO THE ABDOMEN
AND PIERCED THE STOMACH TWICE.
WHILE THE SHOOTER IS TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY,
THE PRESIDENT IS RUSHED
INTO THE EXPO'S EMERGENCY HOSPITAL.
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY,
THE MEDICAL TEAM IS BESET BY CHALLENGES.
THE FIRST BULLET COMES OUT EASILY,
BUT THE SECOND BULLET HAS PIERCED THE PRESIDENT'S STOMACH
AND IS LODGED
SOMEWHERE IN THE MUSCLES OF HIS LOWER BACK.
THE DEPTH OF THE WOUND,
COMBINED WITH THE PRESIDENT'S SIZABLE GIRTH,
MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE.
McKINLEY'S DOCTORS FACE A DIFFICULT DECISION--
CONTINUE SEARCHING FOR THE SECOND BULLET
AND RISK INJURING THE PRESIDENT FURTHER,
OR LEAVE THE BULLET AND HOPE THAT IT DOES NOT CAUSE
A LETHAL INFECTION.
THEY OPT TO STITCH HIS WOUNDS
AND LEAVE THE BULLET INSIDE THE PRESIDENT.
IRONICALLY, ALL THE WHILE
THOMAS EDISON'S X-RAY MACHINE,
A NEW TECHNOLOGY WITH THE POTENTIAL
TO FIND THE BULLET, IS READILY AVAILABLE.
EDISON CONTACTED THE MEDICAL TEAM
AND OFFERED THE USE OF HIS X-RAY MACHINE,
WHICH WAS ON DISPLAY AT THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION.
BUT McKINLEY'S DOCTORS
DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ANY UNNECESSARY RISKS.
IT HADN'T BEEN EXTENSIVELY TESTED,
AND CERTAINLY THEY WOULD NOT BE INTERESTED IN EXPERIMENTING
ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS,
PRESIDENT McKINLEY LIES RECOVERING IN BED,
DRESSED IN HIS MONOGRAMMED NIGHTSHIRT,
AND APPEARS TO BE MAKING A FULL RECOVERY.
BUT SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE SHOOTING,
HIS CONDITION SUDDENLY DETERIORATES.
IS THIS WHEN McKINLEY'S NIGHTSHIRT IS CUT?
WE DO BELIEVE THAT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO
WITH EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
THAT MIGHT'VE OCCURRED FROM SURGERY.
WHAT IS CERTAIN
IS THAT AT 2:15 A.M.
ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1901,
THE 25th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
DIES FROM COMPLICATIONS
RELATED TO AN ASSASSIN'S BULLET.
THE NATION GRIEVES DEEPLY.
BUT FROM THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY SOME GOOD DOES COME.
THE NEWLY FORMED SECRET SERVICE
IS MANDATED TO PROVIDE ROUND-THE-CLOCK SECURITY
FOR ALL SITTING PRESIDENTS.
AND OVER THE NEXT DECADE,
USE OF THE X-RAY MACHINE BECOMES COMMONPLACE
IN THE NATION'S HOSPITALS.
AND THE LAST REMINDER OF WHAT HAPPENED
DURING McKINLEY'S FINAL HOURS
IS THIS MONOGRAMMED NIGHTSHIRT
WITH A TEAR ALONG THE BACK,
STORED HERE
AT THE WILLIAM McKINLEY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
IN CANTON, OHIO.
IT IS A TESTAMENT TO A LIFE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED
BY THE TECHNOLOGY OF A MODERN ERA
THAT THIS PRESIDENT HELPED USHER IN.
ALMOST 90 YEARS LATER IN BOSTON,
ANOTHER SHOCKING CRIME WOULD TAKE PLACE.
THIS ONE WOULD LEAVE NO VICTIMS,
ONLY FOUR EMPTY PICTURE FRAMES AND A MYSTERY.
WHO WAS BEHIND
THE BIGGEST ART HEIST IN AMERICAN HISTORY?
NEXT ON...
♪♪
♪♪
IN BOSTON'S UPSCALE BACK BAY NEIGHBORHOOD,
THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM
IS A PERENNIAL FAVORITE FOR ART LOVERS.
THIS MANSION WAS ONCE THE OPULENT DWELLING
OF A GROUNDBREAKING COLLECTOR--
THE EPONYMOUS ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER.
IN THE LATE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURY,
GARDNER AMASSED ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE
PRIVATE ART COLLECTIONS EVER SEEN IN THIS COUNTRY.
THESE WORKS OF ART
NOW MAKE UP THE CONTENTS OF THE GARDNER MUSEUM.
YOU CAN SEE A WORK BY MICHELANGELO.
YOU CAN SEE REMBRANDTS, BOTTICELLI, MATISSE.
THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO GREAT MASTER
THAT YOU CAN'T SEE HERE.
BUT HANGING AMID THESE FANTASTIC WORKS OF ART
IS A SURPRISING DISPLAY--
FOUR EMPTY PICTURE FRAMES.
ONCE THE GILDED GUARDIANS OF TREASURED WORKS OF ART,
THESE FRAMES NOW HANG AS SYMBOLIC REMINDERS
OF A SHOCKING CRIME
AND A 20-YEAR-OLD HUNT
TO FIND OUT WHO WAS BEHIND
THE BIGGEST ART HEIST IN U.S. HISTORY.
MARCH 17, 1990, 8:00 P.M.--
THE GARDNER ART MUSEUM CLOSES ITS DOORS FOR THE NIGHT,
AND THE MUSEUM'S TWO SECURITY GUARDS
BEGIN THEIR ROUNDS.
FIVE HOURS LATER, THE GUARD STATIONED AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE
IS ALERTED BY A BUZZING INTERCOM
AT ONE OF THE MUSEUM'S SERVICE DOORS.
EXACTLY AT 1:24 A.M.,
TWO POLICE OFFICERS RANG THE BUZZER
AND SAID THAT THEY WERE RESPONDING TO A DISTURBANCE.
THE GUARD, ALMOST REFLEXIVELY, I GUESS,
HIT THE BUZZER.
WHEN THE TWO OFFICERS ENTER THE BUILDING,
THEY BEGIN ACTING STRANGELY.
ONE OF THE POLICE OFFICERS TELLS THE GUARD
WHO'S SITTING AT THE DESK, "YOU LOOK FAMILIAR TO ME.
LET ME SEE YOUR IDENTIFICATION." HE SHOWS HIM THE I.D.
AND HE SAYS, "THERE'S A WARRANT OUT FOR YOUR ARREST.
COME OUT FROM BEHIND THERE."
THE BEWILDERED GUARD COMPLIES
AND THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY HANDCUFF HIM.
BUT WHEN THE SECOND GUARD RETURNS FROM HIS ROUNDS,
THE POLICE ARREST HIM, TOO.
THE OTHER GUARD PROTESTS,
AND SAYS, "WHY AM I BEING ARRESTED?
THERE'S NO WARRANT OUT FOR ME."
WHEN THE POLICE TAKE BOTH MEN TO THE MUSEUM BASEMENT,
BIND AND GAG THEM,
IT BECOMES DEVASTATINGLY CLEAR TO THE GUARDS
WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
ONCE THE GUARDS ARE SUBDUED,
THE THIEVES INFORM THE GUARDS,
"GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A ROBBERY."
WITH THE GUARDS OUT OF THE WAY,
THE TWO THIEVES HAVE NOTHING STANDING BETWEEN THEM
AND ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE ART COLLECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.
AS THE MUSEUM'S DIRECTOR OF SECURITY,
ANTHONY AMORE HAS STUDIED
EVERY MOVE THE THIEVES MADE ON THAT FATEFUL NIGHT.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE ENTERING THE DUTCH ROOM
ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE FIRST THING THAT YOU NOTICE ARE EMPTY FRAMES
THAT HELD THE MOST VALUABLE MISSING PAINTINGS IN THE WORLD.
THE DUTCH ROOM HOUSES
SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE WORKS
IN THE GARDNER'S COLLECTION.
IT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE FIRST STOP IN THE HEIST.
IT APPEARS THAT THEY WENT
FOR "THE STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE" FIRST.
THE FRAME WAS TAKEN FROM THE WALL, DROPPED TO THE FLOOR,
AND THEY USED A VERY SHARP KNIFE
TO CUT THE CANVAS FROM THE FRAME.
TARGETING THIS FAMOUS PAINTING
BY THE 17th-CENTURY DUTCH MASTER REMBRANDT
SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT THE ROBBERS
WERE PROFESSIONAL ART THIEVES
WHO KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE AFTER.
REMBRANDTS HAVE BEEN STOLEN AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF TIMES.
AND OFTENTIMES BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK REMBRANDT EQUALS MONEY,
AND I'LL BE ABLE TO RANSOM THESE BACK THROUGH INSURANCE
OR SELL THEM ON THE BLACK MARKET,
REMBRANDT IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE TARGET FOR ART THIEVES.
THE THIEVES TAKE A TOTAL OF SIX ARTWORKS,
INCLUDING THREE REMBRANDTS, FROM THE DUTCH ROOM
BEFORE MOVING ON.
BUT SURPRISINGLY, THE WORKS OF ART THEY TARGET NEXT
SEEMED TO TOTALLY CONTRADICT THE THEORY
THAT THEY WERE SEASONED PROS.
WE'RE NOW STANDING IN THE SHORT GALLERY.
AND THE ITEMS THAT ARE TAKEN FROM THIS ROOM
ARE REALLY OFF THE BEATEN PATH.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FIVE DRAWINGS BY DEGAS.
DRAWINGS THAT HAPPENED TO BE
SOME OF THE LEAST VALUABLE PIECES IN THE ENTIRE MUSEUM.
THIS WOULD BE A HIGHLY UNUSUAL MOVE
FOR PROFESSIONAL ART THIEVES,
ESPECIALLY ONES WHO AREN'T IN A RUSH.
FROM THE TIMES THE THIEVES ENTERED THE MUSEUM
TILL THE TIME THEY LEFT 81 MINUTES ELAPSED,
WHICH IS UNPRECEDENTED IN MUSEUM THEFT HISTORY
BY A LONG SHOT.
SO WITH ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF
TO TAKE ANYTHING THEY WANT FROM THIS PRICELESS COLLECTION
OF OVER 2,500 OBJECTS,
WHY DID THESE THIEVES SEEK OUT
FIVE OF THE LEAST VALUABLE ARTWORKS
IN THE MUSEUM?
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY A PERSON
WHO HAS 80 MINUTES IN A MUSEUM
WOULD WALK BY A BOTTICELLI, TWO RAPHAELS,
TO TAKE FIVE DRAWINGS.
ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT THIEVES
WERE IN FACT SMALL-TIME CROOKS
OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE
IN THE WORLD OF HIGH-END ART.
OR COULD THIS STRANGE BEHAVIOR
ACTUALLY BE A CLUE
IN THIS PERPLEXING WHODUNIT?
THE ITEMS TAKEN FROM THIS ROOM ARE SO UNUSUAL
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WELL, THIS MUST BE THE KEY.
THIS MUST BE WHY THEY REALLY CAME.
COULD THESE ROBBERS ACTUALLY BE WORKING TO ORDER?
IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME RICH BILLIONAIRE SOMEWHERE
HAD THIS HANKERING FOR A SPECIFIC PAINTING
AND SENT OUT A COUPLE OF CAT BURGLARS
TO GO DO THIS MASTER CRIME.
BUT TO THIS DAY NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE.
ALL THAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT BY THE TIME
THE THIEVES FINISH THEIR SPREE THROUGH THE MUSEUM
AND THE SECURITY GUARDS ARE DISCOVERED
AT 8:15 THE MORNING AFTER THE ROBBERY,
THE UNTHINKABLE HAS HAPPENED.
A GRAND TOTAL OF 13 WORKS OF ART,
ALTOGETHER WORTH A STAGGERING $300 MILLION,
HAVE BEEN LIFTED IN THE BIGGEST ART HEIST
IN U.S. HISTORY.
AND THE TWO IMPOSTERS WHO PERPETRATED THE CRIME
HAVE DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE.
20 YEARS LATER,
THE CASE IS STILL UNSOLVED.
YOU'D BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND A MYSTERY
THAT'S BIGGER THAN THIS ONE,
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN SAY WITH CERTAINTY
THAT THEY KNOW WHO DID IT OR WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
EVEN A LONG-STANDING REWARD OF $5 MILLION
HAS FAILED TO TURN UP THE ROBBERS OR THE MISSING ART.
AND FOR THE STAFF AND PATRONS
OF THE GARDNER ART MUSEUM,
THIS IS THE REAL TRAGEDY
BEHIND THIS SHOCKING CRIME.
$5 MILLION IS THE LARGEST PRIVATE REWARD
EVER OFFERED FOR ANYTHING.
AND WE ARE VERY EAGER TO PAY IT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION
TO MAKE MRS. GARDNER'S COLLECTION WHOLE AGAIN.
UNTIL THAT DAY, THESE FOUR GILDED PICTURE FRAMES
WILL HANG EMPTY IN THE GARDNER MUSEUM OF ART
IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AS A REMINDER
OF THE TREASURED WORKS OF ART
THAT WERE TAKEN IN THE BIGGEST AND MOST BRAZEN ART HEIST
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
500 MILES SOUTH IN JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA,
A REMINDER OF A VERY DIFFERENT SORT LIES LOCKED AWAY.
IT IS A MEMENTO NOT OF AN AUDACIOUS CRIME,
BUT OF A DEVASTATING TRAGEDY,
ONE THAT STUNNED THE NATION OVER 120 YEARS AGO,
STILL TO COME ON...
♪♪
♪♪
JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA--
SET IN A RIVER BASIN
DEEP IN THE LUSH ALLEGHENY MOUNTAINS,
THIS SMALL CITY OF 20,000 IS A LIVING MONUMENT
TO THE BOOM AND BUSTLE OF AMERICA'S INDUSTRIAL HEYDAY.
ESTABLISHED IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,
JOHNSTOWN EXPLODED
INTO A THRIVING COAL AND STEEL TOWN
WITHIN DECADES,
BECOMING HOME TO IMMIGRANTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD,
WHO FLOCKED TO THE CITY TO MAN ITS MINES AND MILLS.
TODAY, JOHNSTOWN HAS SEVERAL MUSEUMS
DEDICATED TO PRESERVING ITS RICH CULTURAL
AND INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE.
ONE SUCH MUSEUM, A CENTURY-OLD LIBRARY,
IS HOST TO A UNIQUE ARTIFACT
FROM JOHNSTOWN'S EARLY DAYS.
IT IS A 19th-CENTURY BRASS POCKET WATCH,
A SYMBOL OF JOHNSTOWN'S GROWING PROSPERITY.
PARK RANGER DOUG RICHARDSON
HAS STUDIED THIS ARTIFACT CLOSELY.
MANY PEOPLE IN JOHNSTOWN IN 1889
HAD POCKET WATCHES LIKE THESE.
MADE BY ELGIN WATCHES OF CHICAGO,
THIS HAND-WOUND TIMEPIECE
WOULD HAVE BEEN A COMMON ACCESSORY FOR MEN OF THE TIME.
SO WHY IS IT HERE?
WHAT ROLE DID THIS SIMPLE WATCH PLAY
IN JOHNSTOWN'S EARLY HISTORY?
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE TIME
FROZEN ON THE WATCH'S FACE--
4:11,
MOMENTS AFTER AN UNPRECEDENTED TRAGEDY
WOULD SCAR JOHNSTOWN FOREVER.
MAY 31, 1889, 7:00 A.M.--
A HEAVY RAIN THAT MOVED INTO JOHNSTOWN OVERNIGHT
IS RAPIDLY BUILDING INTO A POWERFUL STORM.
FOR MANY LIVING IN THIS AREA,
(thunder crashes)
BY AFTERNOON, THE LOW-LYING PARTS OF TOWN
NEAR THE CONVERGENCE
OF THE CONEMAUGH AND STONY CREEK RIVERS
ARE STARTING TO FLOOD.
IT HAD BEEN A TERRIBLE WINTER AND A TERRIBLE SPRING,
SO BY THE END OF MAY, THE GROUND JUST LITERALLY
COULD NOT HOLD ANOTHER DROP OF WATER.
BUT A BIGGER PROBLEM
IS BREWING 14 MILES AWAY
ON A MOUNTAIN RIDGE 450 FEET ABOVE THE CITY.
THE EARTHEN DAM HOLDING BACK LAKE CONEMAUGH
IS IN SERIOUS DISTRESS.
WATER STARTED TO RISE AT LEAST AN INCH EVERY TEN MINUTES.
AND ON THE FACE OF THE DAM THERE WERE SOME PLACES
WERE LEAKS WERE STARTING TO FORM.
REBUILT ON THE SITE OF AN OLD RESERVOIR
TO CREATE A PLEASURE LAKE AND COUNTRY CLUB
FOR RICH INDUSTRIALISTS
FROM PITTSBURGH AND PHILADELPHIA,
THE SOUTH FORK DAM HAD LONG BEEN A SOURCE OF ANXIETY
FOR AREA RESIDENTS.
WHEN THE SOUTH FORK FISHING AND HUNTING CLUB
BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, THE DAM HAD A BIG HOLE IN IT.
IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED
THAT THE CLUB HAD DONE A HAPHAZARD JOB
OF REPAIRING THIS HOLE.
AND NOW WITH RECORD RAINSTORMS OVERLOADING THE LAKE,
THE POORLY REPAIRED DAM CAN NO LONGER BEAR THE WEIGHT
OF THE RISING WATER.
AND WATER STARTED TO BREAK AWAY CHUNKS OF THE STRUCTURE
THAT WOULD START TUMBLING DOWN THE FRONT.
AND THEN THE HOLE JUST STARTED GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER.
AT 3:10
ON MAY 31, 1889,
THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS.
THE DAM COLLAPSES COMPLETELY.
DOWN THE VALLEY IN JOHNSTOWN,
RESIDENTS, BUSY FIGHTING BACK THE SWOLLEN RIVERS,
HAVE NO IDEA THAT 20 MILLION TONS OF WATER
TRAVELING AT 40 MILES AN HOUR
ARE BARRELING TOWARDS THEM.
AND THERE'S AN ELEVATION DROP OF OVER 400 FEET,
SO ALMOST EVERY STEP ALONG THE WAY,
THE HEAD OF THE FLOOD BECAME LARGER AND MORE INTENSE.
AND WITH EACH PASSING MILE,
THE THUNDERING WALL OF WATER
PICKS UP DIRT, DEBRIS, ROCKS,
AND EVEN METAL.
NOW ONLY MOMENTS FROM STRIKING JOHNSTOWN,
THE RESIDENTS' ONLY WARNING OF WHAT IS HEADING THEIR WAY
IS A BONE-CHILLING RUMBLE.
MANY RECALLED FEELING
AS IF WHAT WAS COMING UPON THEM
WAS THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
THAT THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT IN SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
WHEN THE FLOOD FINALLY REACHES THE CENTER OF TOWN,
AT 4:11 P.M.,
IT IS A 36-FOOT-HIGH WALL
OF WRECKAGE AND DEBRIS.
AND WHEN IT CAME INTO TOWN,
THIS ONE LARGE WAVE SPLIT INTO THREE
AND STARTED TO COVER THE ENTIRE TOWN.
AND AS THIS DEBRIS CAME IN CONTACT WITH HOUSES
AND BUILDINGS AND BARNS,
IT JUST COMPLETELY DEVASTATED AND DESTROYED THEM.
THE ONLY PROTECTION AFFORDED THE TOWN
IS THE STONE RAIL BRIDGE WHICH REMAINS STANDING.
BUT IT'S UNMOVING PRESENCE CREATES A BOTTLENECK,
AND AS THE WATER WASHES PAST,
BODIES PILE UP AGAINST THE STONE BARRIER
ALONG WITH THE DEBRIS FROM THE TOWN.
WHEN THE WATERS RECEDE
AND THE CASUALTIES ARE COUNTED,
THE DEATH TOLL IS ASTOUNDING.
OVER 2,200 PEOPLE ARE KILLED,
INCLUDING 90 WHOLE FAMILIES
AND 400 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 10.
WHEN WORD GETS OUT ABOUT THE DEVASTATION,
THE NATION IS STUNNED.
MANY PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
IDENTIFIED WITH THE PEOPLE OF JOHNSTOWN--
THE STEEL WORKERS, THE RAILROADERS,
THE COAL MINERS,
AND THEY SENT OVER $3 1/2 MILLION
IN CASH AND GOODS TO JOHNSTOWN.
BUT DESPITE THIS MONUMENTAL OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT
FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT TAKES OVER FIVE MONTHS
TO RESTORE BASIC SERVICES TO THE TOWN,
AND EVEN LONGER TO CLEAN UP THE WRECKAGE
AND RECOVER THE DEAD.
ONE MONTH INTO THIS GRUESOME PROCESS,
RESCUERS ENTER THE MANGLED REMAINS
OF THE GENERAL STORE.
IN THE BASEMENT THEY FIND THE PROSTRATE BODY
OF A LOCAL BUSINESSMAN-- MR. ANDREW YOUNG.
NEAR HIS BODY A SHINY GOLDEN ITEM
CATCHES THEIR EYE.
IT'S HIS WATCH,
ITS HANDS STOPPED AT 4:11,
THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN MR. YOUNG AND HIS WATCH
WERE SWEPT BENEATH THE WATERS OF THE DEVASTATING FLOOD
ALONG WITH OVER 2,000 OTHERS.
OVER 120 YEARS LATER, AMONG THE VAST COLLECTIONS
DETAILING THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD,
THESE HANDS OF TIME REMAIN FROZEN,
A HAUNTING REMINDER OF THE TRAGEDY
THAT DEVASTATED A TOWN, BUT BROUGHT THE NATION TOGETHER
IN A SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO LOST EVERYTHING
IN ONE OF THE WORST FLOODING DISASTERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
58 YEARS LATER,
AMERICA WOULD BE ALL-CONSUMED WITH ANOTHER CRISIS--
THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
BUT OUT OF THIS DARK AND DEVASTATING EPISODE
AN INVENTION WOULD BE BORN,
AN OBJECT THAT WOULD BRING JOY TO MILLIONS
FOR DECADES TO COME.
THE TRUE TALE UP NEXT ON...
♪♪
♪♪
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK--
NOT FOR FROM THE SHORES OF LAKE ONTARIO
SITS A MUSEUM DEDICATED SOLELY TO THE STUDY OF PLAY.
CHRISTOPHER BENSCH
IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF COLLECTIONS
AT THE STRONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY.
THE MUSEUM HAS A HALL OF FAME,
A TRIBUTE TO TOYS THAT HAVE BECOME CLASSICS.
BUT THE ARTIFACTS
AREN'T ALL FUN AND GAMES.
ONE ITEM HERE, A CHILDHOOD FAVORITE,
WAS ACTUALLY CONCEIVED OF
DURING SOME OF THE DARKEST DAYS OF OUR HISTORY.
FROM WORLD WAR CAME A TOY
THAT WE STILL PLAY WITH TODAY.
(woman) ♪ EVERYONE WANTS A SLINKY ♪
(narrator) SO HOW WAS THE SLINKY AN ACCIDENTAL BY-PRODUCT
OF AMERICA'S INVOLVEMENT IN A GLOBAL WAR?
THE STORY STARTS OVER 60 YEARS AGO.
1943--
WORLD WAR II IS RAGING.
AT HOME AMERICANS ARE DOING THEIR PART
TO DEVELOP AND BUILD PRODUCTS TO HELP IN THE WAR EFFORT.
IT'S A MASSIVE EFFORT
THAT REACHES FROM COAST TO COAST.
IN A PHILADELPHIA SHIPYARD
AND ENGINEER IS HARD AT WORK.
HE'S BEEN HIRED BY THE U.S. NAVY
TO INVENT A STABILIZING DEVICE
FOR SENSITIVE NAVIGATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
ABOARD ITS SHIPS.
A MECHANICAL ENGINEER IN PHILADELPHIA
WAS LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO HOW TO CUSHION
MARITIME INSTRUMENTS
FROM THE KINDS OF VIBRATION AND ACTION
THAT THE OCEAN BRINGS.
THIS ENGINEER WAS A MAN NAMED RICHARD JAMES,
WHO WAS CONVINCED THAT A TORSION SPRING
WAS THE ANSWER TO THIS WARTIME PROBLEM.
BUT HIS RESEARCH WASN'T GOING WELL.
NONE OF HIS SPRINGS DID THE TRICK.
NONE OF THEM WORKED CORRECTLY.
HE FAILED DISMALLY TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.
BUT HE KEPT HIS SPRINGS ON HAND.
JAMES MAY NOT HAVE SOLVED THE NAVY'S CONUNDRUM,
BUT OUT OF HIS APPARENT FAILURE
WAS BORN INVENTION.
AND ONE DAY IN A CLASSIC MOMENT
OF INGENUITY AND CHANCE,
HE KNOCKED ONE OF THE SPRINGS
OFF OF THE SHELF ABOVE HIS DESK.
AND LO AND BEHOLD,
IT WALKED DOWN ON ITS OWN.
RICHARD IS CAPTIVATED.
THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE CLASSIC "EUREKA" MOMENTS.
IF IT HAD BEEN A CARTOON,
(bell dings)
AFTER PUSHING THE COIL OFF A STACK OF BOOKS
A FEW MORE TIMES AND GETTING THE SAME RESULT,
RICHARD KNOWS IT ISN'T A FLUKE.
FASCINATED BY THIS WALKING SPRING,
HE TAKES IT HOME TO SHOW HIS WIFE BETTY.
SHE IMMEDIATELY SUSPECTS
IT COULD BE AN EXCELLENT TOY.
SHE WAS ESPECIALLY PERSUADED
WHEN THEY SHOWED IT TO SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS,
WHO LOVED IT.
THE COUPLE DECIDES TO MAKE AND MARKET THE SPRINGS
AS A CHILDREN'S TOY.
THEIR ONLY PROBLEM--
WHAT TO CALL THIS UNUSUAL SLINKING SPRING.
BETTY BELIEVED IN IT.
SHE GOT OUT THE DICTIONARY.
SHE LEAFED ESPECIALLY THROUGH THOSE "S" PAGES
OF THE DICTIONARY,
AND THE WORD THAT SHE SEIZED ON
WAS NONE OTHER THAN "SLINKY."
THE REVOLUTIONARY TOY
HAD A WINNING DESIGN, A NAME,
AND WAS READY TO TAKE POSTWAR AMERICA BY STORM.
RICHARD AND BETTY JAMES
DECIDED TO MANUFACTURE SLINKYS ALL ON THEIR OWN.
AND DURING THE DAY RICHARD WOULD MANUFACTURE THEM.
HE'D BRING THEM HOME TO HIS WIFE BETTY
TO PACKAGE THEM.
JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 1945,
THEY DEBUTED THE NEW TOY
AT GIMBEL'S DEPARTMENT STORE IN PHILADELPHIA.
THEY GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DEMONSTRATE THE SLINKY IN THEIR TOY DEPARTMENT.
AND WITHIN 90 MINUTES OF STARTING HIS DISPLAY,
THE ENTIRE INVENTORY OF 400 UNITS IS SOLD OUT.
THE SLINKY IS A HIT.
BUT ITS SUCCESS IS TRULY ENSURED
IN THE 1960s,
WHEN CATCHY TV ADS
BEGIN BEAMING INTO AMERICAN HOMES.
TV ADVERTISING DIRECTLY TO CHILDREN
WAS KEY FOR SLINKY'S SUCCESS
IN THE 1960s,
ESPECIALLY THE CLASSIC JINGLE
THAT STILL RINGS IN MY EARS
FROM ALL THOSE EARLY SLINKY COMMERCIALS.
"WHAT WALKS DOWN STAIRS ALONE OR IN PAIRS
AND MAKES A SLINK-ITY SOUND?"
(woman) ♪ A SPRING, A SPRING, A MARVELOUS THING ♪
♪ EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S SLINKY ♪
(narrator) TODAY THE SLINKY REMAINS
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TOYS ON THE MARKET,
WITH OVER A QUARTER OF A BILLION SLINKYS
SOLD AROUND THE WORLD
SINCE ITS INVENTION IN 1943.
IT'S AN ICON. IT'S GOT LONGEVITY.
IT ENCOURAGES CREATIVE PLAY.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY POWERFUL
IN KIND OF SENDING ADULTS BACK TO THEIR OWN CHILDHOOD
WHEN THEY SEE OR FEEL OR HEAR A SLINKY.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO WONDER AT ITS CURIOUS HISTORY
AND ENJOY THE FANTASTIC FUN OF THE SLINKY,
CURATORS AT THE STRONG NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PLAY
IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, WILL GLADLY OBLIGE.
FLYING SHIPS
TO SLINKING SPRINGS,
LONG-LOST GIANTS
AND UNSOLVED CRIMES,
THESE ARE THE "MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM."