The Life and Legacy of Babe Ruth: A Quiet Story of Baseball’s Golden Age | Boring History

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What's cracking my tired little 
noodle? 

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Is it just me or was today a 
decade long? 

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Like, seriously dragging. 
Anyways, let's sit around our 

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imaginary pillow Fort and let me
tell you a story here tonight 

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where we step back into a time 
when baseball was played in the 

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afternoon sunlight, when the 
crack of a wooden bat echoed 

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through neighborhoods, and when 
one man transformed not just a 

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sport, but the very idea of what
it meant to be a hero in 

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America. 
This is the story of George 

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Herman Ruth, though the world 
would come to know him by a 

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different name entirely. 
If you're new Era, as always, 

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joining the community is super 
quick and easy. 

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Just tap, subscribe and like the
video and let me know where in 

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the world you're watching from 
and what time it is for you. 

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Now find that cold part of your 
pillow and let's start. 

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Imagine Baltimore in 1895, when 
the city's waterfront hummed 

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with the sounds of industry and 
immigrant voices mixed with the 

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calls of St. vendors selling 
everything from fresh oysters to

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yesterday's newspapers. 
The air carried the smell of 

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cold smoke, horse manure and the
briny Tang of the Chesapeake Bay

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into this world. 
On February 6th, George Herman 

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Ruth Junior was born above his 
father's saloon on Frederick St.

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in a neighborhood that polite 
society preferred to pretend 

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didn't exist. 
The Baltimore Waterfront 

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District wasn't the kind of 
place where childhood dreams 

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were supposed to flourish. 
It was rough, loud and 

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unforgiving, a place where kids 
grew up fast or didn't grow up 

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at all. 
Young George's parents, Kate and

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George Senior, ran a combination
saloon and boarding house, which

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meant their home was always 
filled with the sounds of adult 

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conversations, the clink of 
glasses, and the occasional 

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argument that spilled out onto 
the cobblestone streets. 

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For a small boy in this 
environment, normal supervision 

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was nearly impossible. 
Kate Ruth was often I'll 

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weakened by the demands of 
running a business and bearing 

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eight children, only two of whom
would survive infancy. 

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George Senior worked from dawn 
until late into the night, 

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managing a business that catered
to dock workers, sailors, and 

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the sort of customers who didn't
ask too many questions about the

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quality of the whiskey. 
Young George found himself 

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largely raising himself on those
Baltimore streets. 

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By the time he was seven, he was
spending more time in the alleys

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and corners of the waterfront 
than in school. 

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He'd skip classes to hang around
the docks, watching longshoremen

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unload cargo from ships that had
travelled from places he could 

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barely imagine. 
Sometimes he'd steal fruit from 

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vendor carts, not always because
he was hungry, but because the 

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thrill of not getting caught was
more exciting than anything 

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happening in a classroom. 
The trouble started small 

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truancy, petty theft, the kind 
of mischief that city police 

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generally ignored when it came 
from waterfront kids. 

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But it escalated. 
George had energy that seemed to

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vibrate through his small frame,
an inability to sit still that 

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drove his teachers to 
distraction on the rare 

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occasions he showed up to 
school. 

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He needed to be moving, doing, 
and challenging himself in ways 

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that the rigid structure of turn
of the century education 

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couldn't accommodate. 
His parents watched their son's 

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trajectory with the kind of 
helpless concern that comes from

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being too overwhelmed to 
intervene effectively. 

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Kate's illness worsened. 
The saloon demanded constant 

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attention. 
Their other surviving child, 

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George's younger sister Mary, 
required care. 

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Something had to give, and that 
something turned out to be young

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George's presence in their daily
lives. 

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In 19 O2. 
When George was just seven years

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old, his parents made a decision
that would alter the course of 

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American sports history, Though 
they certainly didn't know it at

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the time. 
They signed papers declaring him

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incorrigible and committed him 
to Saint Mary's Industrial 

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School for Boys, a reformatory 
and orphanage run by the 

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Catholic Severian Brothers on 
the outskirts of Baltimore. 

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You might picture this moment as
traumatic, the young boy torn 

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from his family and sent away to
an institution. 

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But the truth was more 
complicated. 

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George would later describe his 
arrival at Saint Mary's not as a

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punishment, but as the first 
real stability he'd ever known. 

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The Reformatory had rules, yes, 
but it also had structure, 

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regular meals and adults who 
actually paid attention to what 

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the boys were doing. 
Saint Mary's was enormous, 

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housing over 800 boys on a 
campus that sprawled across 

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industrial Baltimore's western 
edge. 

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The buildings were imposing red 
brick structures that look like 

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they've been designed to remind 
young boys of their 

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insignificance. 
But within those walls, George 

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discovered something that had 
been missing from his chaotic 

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life on Frederick St. 
Predictability. 

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Every day at Saint Mary's 
followed the same rhythm. 

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Wake at six. 
Morning prayers, breakfast 

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classes in reading, writing and 
arithmetic. 

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Afternoon sessions, learning 
trades, shoe making, tailoring 

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and printing. 
More prayers, dinner, evening 

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recreation, lights out. 
For a boy whose previous life 

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had been defined by chaos and 
uncertainty, this routine was 

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surprisingly comforting, like 
finally hearing a melody after 

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years of nothing but noise. 
The Zaverian brothers who ran 

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the school were stern, but not 
cruel. 

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They believed in discipline, 
hard work and the redemptive 

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power of the Catholic faith. 
They also believed in baseball. 

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Behind the main buildings, Saint
Mary's maintained several 

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baseball diamonds where boys 
could play nearly every day, 

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weather permitting. 
This was where George Herman 

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Ruth would discover the game 
that would define his existence.

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Picture those baseball fields at
Saint Mary's on a late spring 

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afternoon with the sun beginning
it's slow descent behind 

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Baltimore's skyline. 
The grass, kept reasonably well 

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by boys assigned to 
groundskeeping duties, stretched

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out in a shade of green that 
looked almost luminous in the 

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golden light. 
The base pads were hard packed 

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dirt worn smooth by hundreds of 
running feet. 

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The smell of leather gloves worn
soft with use, mixed with the 

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earthy scent of infield dust 
kicked up by sliding runners. 

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This was where young George 
found his calling, though he 

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didn't recognise it as such at 
first. 

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Baseball at Saint Mary's wasn't 
a formal sport with scholarships

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and professional scouts. 
It was recreation, a way to burn

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off the restless energy of 
hundreds of boys who needed 

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something to do besides 
contemplating their various 

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failures that had LED them to a 
reformatory. 

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At first, George was just 
another kid trying to figure out

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where he fit in the rotating 
cast of games that seemed to run

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continuously from spring through
fall. 

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Saint Mary's had multiple teams 
organised by age and ability, 

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and boys cycle through different
positions based on who showed up

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and who was serving detention 
for some infraction of the 

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school's numerous rules. 
George tried catching first, 

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squatting behind a home plate 
with a rudimentary mask and 

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chest protector that offered 
minimal protection against foul 

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tips and wild pitches. 
He discovered he liked being in 

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the middle of every play, 
calling pitches, though the 

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pitchers often ignored him, and 
occasionally throwing out 

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runners who are foolish enough 
to test his arm. 

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But it was pitching that truly 
captured his imagination. 

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One afternoon when the regular 
pitcher for his team was sick in

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the Infirmary, George 
volunteered. 

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He'd watched pitchers enough to 
understand the basic mechanics, 

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the wind up, the stride, and the
follow through. 

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What he discovered when he towed
the rubber for the first time 

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was that throwing a baseball 
hard was one of the most 

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satisfying physical experiences 
he'd ever encountered. 

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The ball left his left hand. 
He was naturally left-handed, 

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which was still considered 
vaguely suspicious in turn of 

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the century America, and sailed 
toward home plate with 

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surprising velocity. 
The batter swung and missed. 

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George felt something click into
place, like a puzzle piece he 

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hadn't known was missing, 
suddenly completing a picture. 

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Over the following months and 
years, George through and 

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through and through, he 
developed calluses on his 

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fingers from gripping the ball's
raised seams. 

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His left shoulder ached most 
evenings, A dull throb that felt

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like achievement rather than 
injury. 

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He studied the older pictures at
Saint Mary's, watching how they 

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varied their speeds, how they 
used the batter's expectations 

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against him and how they worked 
both sides of the plate to keep 

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hitters off balance. 
Brother Matthias Boutlier, the 

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school's prefect of discipline 
and unofficial athletics 

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director, noticed the skinny kid
who seemed to live on the 

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baseball diamond. 
Matthias was an imposing figure,

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over 6 feet tall and built like 
the longshoreman George 

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remembered from the waterfront. 
But unlike the rough men of 

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Baltimore's docks, Matthias 
combined physical presence with 

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genuine interest in the boys 
under his supervision. 

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Matthias took George under his 
wing in a way that the boy's 

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actual father never had. 
He taught him not just baseball 

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mechanics but also the mental 
aspects of the game, how to read

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a batter's stance, how to 
recognise when someone was 

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guessing fastball, and how to 
use the umpire's strike zone to 

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his advantage. 
More importantly, Mathias gave 

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George something he'd rarely 
experienced consistent attention

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from an adult who believed he 
might actually amount to 

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something. 
As George moved through his 

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teenage years at Saint Mary's, 
cycling in and out of the 

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institution as his father 
periodically tried to bring him 

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home before inevitably sending 
him back, baseball became as 

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constant. 
The game didn't care about his 

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rough background, or his trouble
with authority or his inability 

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to sit still in a classroom. 
Baseball rewarded his natural 

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athleticism, his surprising 
coordination, and his 

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competitive fire that burned hot
enough to make him practice long

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after other boys had gone 
inside. 

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By his mid teens, George had 
developed a reputation that 

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extended beyond Saint Mary's 
walls. 

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Local amateur teams would 
sometimes recruit Saint Mary's 

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players for weekend games, and 
George's name started appearing 

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in the sports pages of Baltimore
newspapers, usually just a line 

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or two, noting that the Saint 
Mary's picture had struck out a 

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dozen batters in some industrial
league match up. 

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He was still raw, still 
learning, still prone to the 

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kind of wildness both on and off
the field that made him 

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smultaneously exciting and 
unpredictable. 

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But something was emerging in 
the lanky teenager with the 

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round face and surprisingly 
quick reflexes, a talent that 

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would soon catch the attention 
of people who recognise 

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potential when they saw it. 
On a crisp February morning in 

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1914, 19 year old George Herman 
Ruth signed his first 

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professional baseball contract 
with the Baltimore Orioles of 

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the International League. 
The contract paid him $600.00 

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for the season, which was more 
money than George had ever 

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imagined having. 
To put that in perspective, the 

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average American worker at the 
time earned less than $400.00 

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annually. 
George was suddenly, improbably 

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well paid. 
The Orioles owner and manager, 

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Jack Dunn, had watched George 
pitch for Saint Mary's and saw 

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something that went beyond mere 
skill. 

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He saw a young man with a left 
arm that could make baseballs do

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things that defied easy 
explanation combined with an 

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enthusiasm for the game that 
bordered on childlike joy. 

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Dunn became George's legal 
guardian, a formality required 

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because George was still 
technically under Saint Mary's 

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jurisdiction, and the other 
player started calling the 

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newest addition to the team 
Dunn's new Babe. 

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The nickname stuck, though it 
would be shortened and 

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transformed in the years ahead. 
But for now, George was just 

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trying to figure out how to be a
professional baseball player, 

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which turned out to involve a 
lot more than just throwing 

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strikes. 
Professional baseball in 1914 

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bore little resemblance to the 
modern game you might watch on a

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lazy summer evening. 
Teams travelled by train, 

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staying in modest hotels where 
players doubled up in rooms that

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were stuffy in summer and frigid
in winter. 

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Uniforms were heavy wool that 
absorbed sweat and never quite 

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dried out during long road 
trips. 

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Gloves were thin leather affairs
that offered minimal protection,

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and players who didn't learn to 
catch the ball properly ended up

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with broken fingers that never 
quite healed right. 

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George threw himself into this 
life with the same enthusiasm he

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brought to everything else. 
He loved the trains, the hotels,

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and the constant motion from 
city to city. 

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After years of institutional 
confinement at Saint Mary's, the

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freedom of professional baseball
felt intoxicating. 

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00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,160
He could stay up late, eat what 
he wanted, and spend his money 

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00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:58,360
on whatever court his fancy, 
usually food. 

233
00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,440
As George had developed an 
appetite that his team mates 

234
00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,240
found simultaneously impressive 
and slightly alarming, his 

235
00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,040
pitching developed rapidly. 
Under professional coaching, 

236
00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,000
George learned to add a 
curveball to his fastball, 

237
00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,440
giving him two pitches that 
worked off each other 

238
00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,000
beautifully. 
The curve would start at a 

239
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,440
batter's shoulder and breakdown 
across the plate, while his 

240
00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,680
fastball came in straight and 
hard. 

241
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,560
Batters had to choose what they 
were looking for, and George was

242
00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:28,320
getting good enough at reading 
swings that he usually guessed 

243
00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,200
right about what they've chosen.
But George's time with the 

244
00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,960
Orioles was brief. 
The team was struggling 

245
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:37,800
financially, a common problem 
for minor league clubs, and by 

246
00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:42,720
July Jack Dunn had sold his best
young pitcher to the Boston Red 

247
00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:46,200
Sox for a sum that seemed 
enormous at the time but would 

248
00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,720
later look like one of history's
great bargains. 

249
00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,400
George Herman Ruth, just five 
months into his professional 

250
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,240
career, was heading to the major
leagues. 

251
00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,240
Boston in 1914 was a baseball 
city in a way that's hard to 

252
00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:01,920
imagine today. 
The Red Sox played their home 

253
00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,400
games at Fenway Park, which had 
opened just two years earlier 

254
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:08,120
and still smelled of fresh paint
and optimism. 

255
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,120
The park was intimate, with fans
sitting close enough to the 

256
00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,480
field that you could hear them 
commenting on your pitching 

257
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,760
mechanics between deliveries. 
George spent most of his first 

258
00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,800
season shuttling between Boston 
and their minor league affiliate

259
00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,840
in Providence, RI. 
The Red Sox weren't sure what 

260
00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,080
they had in this rough edged kid
from Baltimore. 

261
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,880
He could clearly pitch. 
His statistics left no doubt 

262
00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,880
about that. 
But he was also undisciplined, 

263
00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,600
prone to breaking curfew and 
possessed of an appetite for 

264
00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,360
nightlife that worried his more 
conservative managers. 

265
00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,520
The 1915 season marked George's 
emergence as one of baseball's 

266
00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:49,240
premier left-handed pitchers. 
He won 18 games, posted an 

267
00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,440
earned run average that placed 
him among the league's best, and

268
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:54,920
helped pitch the Red Sox into 
the World Series. 

269
00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,800
In the Fall Classic against the 
Philadelphia Phillies, George 

270
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,000
appeared in one game, pitching 
well enough that his manager 

271
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,800
trusted him with important 
innings. 

272
00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:08,400
Boston won the championship, and
19 year old George Herman Ruth 

273
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,480
received his first World Series 
ring. 

274
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,920
He celebrated with the 
enthusiasm you'd expect from a 

275
00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,480
teenager who'd gone from a 
Baltimore reformatory to the 

276
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,560
pinnacle of professional sports 
in just over a year. 

277
00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:24,920
The parties lasted for days, and
George's capacity for both 

278
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:28,360
celebration and recovery became 
legendary among his team mates. 

279
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,120
The next few seasons established
a pattern. 

280
00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:37,600
George would pitch brilliantly, 
winning 23 games in 1916 and 24 

281
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,280
in 1917, while simultaneously 
testing every rule and boundary 

282
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:46,360
his managers tried to impose. 
He'd disappear after games, 

283
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,000
showing up the next day with 
mysterious bruises and 

284
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:53,640
implausible explanations. 
He'd missed team trains, forcing

285
00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,680
managers to fine him from his 
paycheck. 

286
00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:00,040
He'd argue with umpires, fight 
with opposing players and 

287
00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,360
generally behave like someone 
who would never quite 

288
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,200
internalise society's 
expectations for professional 

289
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,240
behaviour. 
Yet he kept winning. 

290
00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,600
In the 1916 World Series against
the Brooklyn Robbins, George 

291
00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:15,560
pitched 14 innings of shut out 
baseball in Game 2, setting a 

292
00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,240
World Series record that would 
stand for decades. 

293
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,200
The Red Sox won again, giving 
George his second championship 

294
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,720
ring before his 22nd birthday. 
But something else was happening

295
00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:28,920
during these seasons, something 
that would ultimately prove more

296
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,000
significant than his pitching 
achievements. 

297
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,680
When George wasn't on the mound,
he'd occasionally play outfield 

298
00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,920
or fill in at first base, and 
when he played these positions, 

299
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:40,600
he got to bat more than the once
every four day schedule that 

300
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,760
pitchers followed. 
When George batted, remarkable 

301
00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,360
things happened. 
The ball would leave his bat 

302
00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,640
with a sound that was different 
from normal contact, a sharp 

303
00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,080
crack that seemed to carry its 
own echo. 

304
00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,160
The ball would rise on 
trajectories that looked almost 

305
00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,880
leisurely until you realised how
far they were travelling. 

306
00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,840
Home runs in the Dead Ball era 
were rare, but George was 

307
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,760
hitting them with alarming 
regularity whenever his managers

308
00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,960
let him swing the bat. 
By 1918, Red Sox management 

309
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,240
faced an unusual problem. 
Their best pitcher was also 

310
00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,640
potentially their best hitter. 
George appeared in 95 games that

311
00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:19,160
season, pitching in only 20 of 
them. 

312
00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,359
He won 13 games on the mound 
while simultaneously leading the

313
00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,599
American League with eleven home
runs, a total that would have 

314
00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:29,880
been unremarkable in later eras 
but was extraordinary for the 

315
00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,320
time. 
The baseball world was beginning

316
00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:35,080
to recognise that George Herman 
Ruth might be something 

317
00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,840
unprecedented, not just a great 
player, but someone who was 

318
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:40,720
redefining what great could 
mean. 

319
00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:46,160
Picture Boston's Fenway Park in 
late 1919, as autumn settled 

320
00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,880
over New England and the 
baseball season wound toward its

321
00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:53,680
conclusion. 
George Herman Ruth, now 24 years

322
00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:59,040
old, had just completed his most
remarkable season yet, 29 home 

323
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:04,400
runs, shattering every previous 
record for a single season. 

324
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,960
He'd effectively stopped 
pitching, playing almost 

325
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,720
exclusively as an outfielder. 
Or he could bat every day, 

326
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:13,920
rather than once every four 
games. 

327
00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:17,560
The Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee,
watched this transformation with

328
00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,400
mixed feelings. 
On one hand, Ruth's hitting had 

329
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,320
made him arguably the most 
exciting player in baseball. 

330
00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,440
On the other hand, Frazee was 
primarily A theatrical producer 

331
00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:30,800
who'd bought the Red Sox almost 
on a whim. 

332
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,680
And the team was losing money 
faster than Frazee could 

333
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,600
generate it from his Broadway 
investments. 

334
00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,120
Meanwhile, in New York, the 
Yankees were baseball's also ran

335
00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:42,040
franchise. 
They shared the Polo Grounds 

336
00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,760
with the Giants, playing second 
fiddle in their own city and 

337
00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,840
consistently finishing somewhere
in the middle of the American 

338
00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,160
League standings. 
Yankees ownership wanted to 

339
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,800
change this dynamic, and they 
had the financial resources that

340
00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,240
Frazee desperately needed. 
The negotiations happened 

341
00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:03,040
quietly, over dinner meetings in
Manhattan restaurants, where the

342
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,200
wealthy discussed business deals
over steaks and bourbon. 

343
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:11,200
Frazee needed cash to finance 
his theatrical productions and 

344
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:13,560
pay off debts that were 
threatening to sink both his 

345
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:15,960
baseball and Broadway 
enterprises. 

346
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,680
Yankees owners wanted the player
who was transforming baseball 

347
00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,560
from a game of singles and 
stolen bases into something far 

348
00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:27,560
more dramatic. 
On December 26th, 1919, the day 

349
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,520
after Christmas, when most 
Americans were still digesting 

350
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,320
holiday meals and exchanging 
gifts, the news broke. 

351
00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,600
The Boston Red Sox had sold 
George Herman Babe Ruth to the 

352
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:44,280
New York Yankees for $100,000 in
cash, plus a loan of $300,000 

353
00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,440
secured by a mortgage on Fenway 
Park. 

354
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,160
The reaction in Boston ranged 
from disbelief to fury. 

355
00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,160
Newspaper editorials condemned 
Frazee for sacrificing baseball 

356
00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,800
success to finance his 
theatrical ambitions. 

357
00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,440
Fans gathered outside Fenway 
Park in the December cold, some 

358
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,720
crying, others threatening to 
never attend another Red Sox 

359
00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,320
game. 
The term curse hadn't yet 

360
00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,160
entered the vocabulary. 
But the sense that something 

361
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,720
fundamentally wrong had occurred
was palpable. 

362
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,240
George himself learnt about the 
trade from reporters who called 

363
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,280
his apartment, waking him from 
an afternoon nap. 

364
00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,120
His initial reaction was less 
emotional than practical. 

365
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,520
He immediately called the 
Yankees owner to renegotiate his

366
00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:30,640
contract, recognising that his 
new team clearly valued him more

367
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,040
than his old one had. 
The Yankees agreed to double his

368
00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,000
salary, making George Herman 
Ruth baseball's highest paid 

369
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:43,120
player at $20,000 per year. 
New York in January 1920 felt 

370
00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:44,920
like a different planet from 
Boston. 

371
00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:50,320
The city was louder, Brasher, 
and more chaotic, more like the 

372
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,960
Baltimore waterfront of George's
childhood than the relatively 

373
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,040
restrained environment of New 
England. 

374
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,640
Broadway blazed with electric 
lights, jazz music poured from 

375
00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,040
basement clubs and Prohibition 
had just taken effect, which 

376
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,840
meant speakeasies were opening 
faster than authorities could 

377
00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,680
shut them down. 
George took to New York the way 

378
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,720
a duck takes to water. 
He discovered that the city's 

379
00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,080
nightlife suited his temperament
perfectly. 

380
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:20,800
After games, he'd hit the clubs,
order enormous meals, charm 

381
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,120
showgirls and generally behave 
like someone who'd been let out 

382
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,480
of a cage he hadn't realised 
he'd been living in. 

383
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:31,200
His appetites for food, drink, 
female company and general 

384
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,480
revelry became as legendary as 
his home runs. 

385
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,320
But what really mattered 
happened at the Polo Grounds. 

386
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,960
Between the chalk lines, 
George's first season in New 

387
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,360
York redefined what was possible
in baseball. 

388
00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,040
He hit 54 home runs, nearly 
doubling his previous record. 

389
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,800
To put this in perspective, no 
other player in the American 

390
00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:55,640
League hit more than 19. 
George alone hit more home runs 

391
00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,440
and entire teams combined. 
The style of these home runs 

392
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,840
captivated audiences in ways 
that the technical excellence of

393
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:06,680
pitching or the strategic 
complexity of manufacturing runs

394
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,720
never could. 
When George connected with a 

395
00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:13,520
pitch, the ball didn't just 
clear the fence, it soared into 

396
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:16,200
territories that seemed to 
violate the normal physics of 

397
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,000
baseball. 
Balls landed in distant 

398
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,000
bleachers, bounced onto the 
streets outside stadiums, and 

399
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,640
occasionally vanished entirely, 
presumably captured by fans as 

400
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,120
souvenirs worth more than the 
price of admission. 

401
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,480
Newspapers struggled to describe
what Ruth was doing. 

402
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,480
Sports writers exhausted their 
vocabularies, trying to convey 

403
00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,080
the arc of his home runs, the 
power and his swing, and the 

404
00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,160
childlike joy he displayed while
rounding the bases. 

405
00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,520
They started calling him the 
Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, and

406
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,840
simply the Babe, names that 
captured both his dominance and 

407
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,040
the affection that fans felt for
this oversized personality. 

408
00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,080
The Yankees recognised that they
had something unprecedented, and

409
00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,400
they began planning to build 
their own stadium. 

410
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,640
The Polo Grounds belonged to the
Giants, and Yankees ownership 

411
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,320
wanted a venue they controlled, 
one designed to showcase their 

412
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,640
most valuable asset. 
The planning and construction 

413
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,000
would take time, but the vision 
was clear. 

414
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,000
A cathedral to baseball, and 
specifically to the particular 

415
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,480
brand of baseball that Babe Ruth
represented. 

416
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,560
Imagine standing outside Yankee 
Stadium on opening day, April 

417
00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,640
18th, 1923. 
The structure rising before you 

418
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:35,440
represents the largest baseball 
stadium ever built, over 58,000 

419
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,880
seats arrayed in three decks 
that seem to reach toward the 

420
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,480
clouds. 
The facade along the roof 

421
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,320
features ornamental copper work 
that catches the spring 

422
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,360
sunlight. 
The grass looks impossibly 

423
00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:50,280
green, maintained by 
groundskeepers who treat the 

424
00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,440
field like a golf course. 
This is the house that Ruth 

425
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,040
built. 
Though technically it was built 

426
00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:00,320
for Ruth, the stadium's design 
reflected its primary purpose, 

427
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:03,120
showcasing Babe Ruth's home 
runs. 

428
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:09,000
The right field fence stood just
295 feet from home plate, a 

429
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,920
distance that seemed designed 
specifically for Ruth's 

430
00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,800
left-handed swing. 
The dimensions were 

431
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,080
asymmetrical, reflecting the 
irregular plot of land in the 

432
00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,200
Bronx where the Yankees had 
chosen to build. 

433
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,360
But those asymmetries worked in 
Ruth's favour. 

434
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,400
Ruth christened the new stadium 
in the most appropriate way 

435
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:30,560
possible with a home run in the 
first game, a three run shot 

436
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,920
that gave the Yankees a lead 
they never relinquished. 

437
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,200
The newspapers the next day 
declared that Ruth had 

438
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,880
consecrated the new venue and 
the nickname The House That Ruth

439
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,160
Built appeared in print for the 
first time. 

440
00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:46,480
The 1923 season marked the 
Yankees first World Series 

441
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:51,320
championship, with Ruth batting 
.368 in the full classic against

442
00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,560
the New York Giants. 
After nearly a decade of 

443
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:58,040
championships with the Red Sox, 
Ruth had finally delivered a 

444
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,480
title to his new team, 
validating the enormous 

445
00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,880
investment the Yankees had made 
in acquiring him. 

446
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,680
The next several years 
established a pattern that would

447
00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:08,600
define the Yankees for 
generations. 

448
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,520
Ruth would put up statistics 
that seemed to belong in fantasy

449
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:17,480
rather than reality. 
In 1927, he hit sixty home runs,

450
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,160
a total so absurd that it would 
stand as the single season 

451
00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,200
record for 34 years. 
His team mates, particularly Lou

452
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:28,480
Gehrig, batting behind him in 
the line up, benefited from the 

453
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,960
attention pitchers paid to Ruth,
forming what sports writers 

454
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,520
called Murderer's Row. 
But Ruth's impact extended 

455
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:38,760
beyond statistics. 
He transformed baseball from a 

456
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,160
regional interest into a 
national obsession. 

457
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:45,480
Radio broadcasts carried Yankees
games across the country with 

458
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,320
Ruth's at bats, creating a sense
of anticipation that built with 

459
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,920
each pitch. 
Movie newsreels featured Ruth's 

460
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,760
home runs, showing audiences in 
small town theatres what this 

461
00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:58,960
larger than life figure was 
doing in New York. 

462
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,600
Children across America started 
imitating Ruth's distinctive 

463
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,240
swing, the big leg kick, the 
powerful hip rotation, and the 

464
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,880
follow through that lifted his 
back foot off the ground. 

465
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:12,720
Youth baseball team shifted 
their emphasis from bunting and 

466
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,560
base running to swinging for the
fences, fundamentally changing 

467
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,680
how the game was taught. 
Ruth was creating a new 

468
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,680
generation of baseball fans who 
viewed home runs not as 

469
00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,720
occasional flukes, but as the 
ultimate expression of the 

470
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,560
sport. 
The money followed the success. 

471
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:34,240
Ruth's salary increased to 
$80,000 by 1930, making him 

472
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,280
better paid than President 
Herbert Hoover. 

473
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,240
When someone pointed out this 
disparity, Ruth reportedly 

474
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,760
replied that he'd had a better 
year than Hoover, a quip that 

475
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,640
captured both his ego and the 
genuine affection Americans felt

476
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,600
for him even during the 
Depression's early years. 

477
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,120
Off the field, Ruth's lifestyle 
became as legendary as his 

478
00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:57,600
hitting He'd order room service 
meals designed for four people 

479
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,520
and eat them alone. 
He'd stay out until dawn, 

480
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,960
charming reporters and fellow 
revellers with stories told in 

481
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,480
his distinctive, gravelly voice.
He'd show up to the stadium 

482
00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,840
looking like he'd slept in his 
clothes, which he sometimes had,

483
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,120
and then proceed to hit home 
runs that left fans wondering if

484
00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,440
dissipation somehow improved his
performance. 

485
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,240
His managers despaired of 
controlling him. 

486
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,480
Ruth would violate curfews, skip
team meetings and generally 

487
00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,160
behave like someone for whom 
normal rules didn't apply. 

488
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,200
In 1925, his lifestyle caught up
with him. 

489
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,360
He collapsed during spring 
training with what newspapers 

490
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,480
politely called the Bellyache 
Herd. 

491
00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,760
Around the world, though, the 
reality involved a combination 

492
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,240
of overeating, drinking, and 
general excess that landed him 

493
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:46,040
in the hospital for weeks. 
That season, Ruth's worst in the

494
00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:50,800
majors served as a warning. 
He hit just 25 home runs, and 

495
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,920
the Yankees finished in 7th 
place. 

496
00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,000
Ruth recognised that even his 
prodigious talent had limits, 

497
00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:01,200
and he moderated his behaviour 
enough to bounce back in 1926 

498
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,200
with 47 home runs and a return 
to the World Series. 

499
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:08,120
The late 1920s and early 1930s 
marked the peak of Ruth's 

500
00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:11,360
dominance. 
He won home run titles, led the 

501
00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:14,680
league in runs batted in and 
posted batting averages that 

502
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,280
would have been impressive even 
without the power numbers. 

503
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:23,960
The Yankees won championships in
19271928 and 1932 with Ruth as 

504
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:28,280
their undisputed centrepiece. 
The 1932 World Series against 

505
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:31,560
the Chicago Cubs produced what 
would become Ruth's most famous 

506
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:37,000
moment, the called shot. 
In Game three, With the score 

507
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,080
tied and Cubs players and fans 
heckling him mercilessly, Ruth 

508
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,120
stepped to the plate. 
He pointed toward the centre 

509
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,200
field bleachers or at the Cubs 
pitcher, or maybe was just 

510
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,760
gesturing generally, depending 
on which account you believe, 

511
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,160
and then hit the next pitch, 
exactly where he'd indicated A 

512
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,040
majestic home run that silenced 
Wrigley Field. 

513
00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,160
Whether Ruth actually called his
shot remains debated by 

514
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,000
historians. 
What's undeniable is that the 

515
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,040
moment perfectly captured who 
Ruth was Confident to the point 

516
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,800
of arrogance, theatrical, and 
capable of backing up even his 

517
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:14,960
most outrageous gestures with 
actual performance. 

518
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,440
The legend mattered more than 
the literal truth, and the 

519
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,320
legend was that Ruth had 
promised a home run and then 

520
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:23,640
delivered it exactly as 
advertised. 

521
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,320
As evening settles around you 
and your tea grows cooler, let's

522
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,560
pause to consider what Babe Ruth
was actually like as a person. 

523
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,120
Separate from the legend that 
grew up around his 

524
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:37,120
accomplishments, Ruth stood 6 
foot 2, which was tall for his 

525
00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:41,040
era, with a barrel chest, 
spindly legs, and a face that 

526
00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:43,360
photographers described as lived
in. 

527
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,800
He wasn't conventionally 
handsome, but his features 

528
00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,960
conveyed warmth and openness 
that made people instinctively 

529
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,240
like him. 
His nose had been broken 

530
00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,680
multiple times, testimony to his
rough upbringing and occasional 

531
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,160
propensity for bar fights in his
younger days. 

532
00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:01,720
His voice was surprisingly high 
and gravelly, the result of 

533
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:05,720
years of cigars and whiskey. 
When he laughed, which was 

534
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,240
often, it was a full body 
experience that started in his 

535
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,280
belly and emerged as a sound 
that friends described as 

536
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,560
infectious. 
People who met Ruth invariably 

537
00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,640
commented on his energy. 
He couldn't sit still, 

538
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,320
constantly fidgeting, moving and
looking for the next thing to 

539
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,920
engage his attention. 
Ruth's relationship with 

540
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,840
children revealed a side of his 
personality that the public 

541
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:31,160
especially loved. 
He'd spend hours signing 

542
00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,800
autographs for kids who waited 
outside stadiums, never seeming 

543
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,520
to tire of the attention. 
When he visited children's 

544
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,040
hospitals, which he did 
regularly, usually without 

545
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,840
inviting press coverage, he'd 
sit with sick kids, telling them

546
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:50,040
stories and making them laugh. 
These visits weren't publicity 

547
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,000
stunts. 
Ruth genuinely enjoyed making 

548
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,800
children happy in ways that 
suggested he was trying to give 

549
00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:58,840
them experiences he'd never had 
in his own difficult childhood. 

550
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,400
His generosity was legendary and
somewhat indiscriminate. 

551
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,440
Ruth would tip Waiters $50.00 
for bringing him a sandwich, 

552
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:10,920
hand $100 bills to doormen, and 
loan money to team mates who he 

553
00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:15,400
knew would never pay him back. 
This largesse wasn't entirely 

554
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,160
altruistic. 
Ruth enjoyed the feeling of 

555
00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:21,360
power that came from being able 
to help others, but it also 

556
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:24,800
reflected A genuine disinterest 
in accumulating wealth for its 

557
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,640
own sake. 
His first marriage to a woman 

558
00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,520
named Helen Woodford, whom he'd 
met while playing in Boston, 

559
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:35,040
that ended tragically when Helen
died in a house fire in 1929. 

560
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,200
Ruth remarried almost 
immediately to a former actress 

561
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,400
and model named Claire Hodgson, 
who brought a stabilising 

562
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,960
influence that Ruth's life had 
previously lacked. 

563
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,800
Claire managed Ruth's finances, 
organised his schedule and 

564
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,800
generally tried to impose order 
on the chaos that naturally 

565
00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,360
surrounded him. 
Claire also brought her daughter

566
00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,120
Julia into Ruth's life, and Ruth
embraced fatherhood with the 

567
00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,080
same enthusiasm he brought to 
everything else. 

568
00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,480
He'd play catch with Julia in 
the backyard of their apartment 

569
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:09,320
building, teacher to hit off a 
batting tee and tell her stories

570
00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,440
about his games that always made
him seem just slightly more 

571
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,240
heroic than he actually had 
been. 

572
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,280
Ruth's relationship with Lou 
Gehrig, his long time teammate, 

573
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:21,600
was complicated. 
The two men were opposites in 

574
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:26,720
almost every way, Ruth loud and 
undisciplined, Gehrig quiet and 

575
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,640
methodical. 
They produced one of baseball's 

576
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,680
most productive line up 
combinations, but personally 

577
00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,520
they maintained a distance that 
occasionally erupted into 

578
00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,760
outright hostility. 
A falling out in the early 

579
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,200
1930s, reportedly over a comment
Claire Ruth made about Gehrig's 

580
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:47,200
mother, resulted in years where 
the two barely spoke despite 

581
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,880
playing on the same team. 
As Ruth aged, his body began 

582
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,280
showing the accumulated effects 
of decades of excess. 

583
00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,520
His once powerful legs thinned, 
making him slower in the 

584
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:03,040
outfield and on the base paths. 
His reflexes, while still 

585
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,320
exceptional, no longer allowed 
him to catch up to the fastest 

586
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,800
pitches. 
By the mid 1930s, it was 

587
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,640
becoming clear that even Babe 
Ruth couldn't hit forever. 

588
00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:16,760
The Yankees, with typical 
corporate efficiency, began 

589
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,440
planning for a future without 
their greatest star. 

590
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,240
They acquired younger 
outfielders, gave Ruth fewer 

591
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,800
plate appearances, and generally
treated him like a depreciating 

592
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,400
asset rather than the man who'd 
built their dynasty. 

593
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,800
Ruth wanted to manage, believing
his baseball knowledge and 

594
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:34,960
personality would make him an 
effective leader. 

595
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:39,640
Yankees management disagreed, 
seeing Ruth's lack of discipline

596
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:42,160
as disqualifying him from a 
position that required 

597
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:46,840
organization and restraint. 
In 1935, the Yankees sold Ruth 

598
00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,200
to the Boston Braves, where he 
was promised to play a manager 

599
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,240
role that never quite 
materialised. 

600
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,520
Instead, Ruth found himself 
playing for a terrible team, 

601
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,240
struggling to connect with 
pitches that would have been 

602
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,120
routine outs just a few years 
earlier. 

603
00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:05,120
His body, after years of abuse, 
was finally giving out. 

604
00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,880
Ruth's final games as a player 
was simultaneously sad and 

605
00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:13,840
somehow fitting. 
In Pittsburgh on May 25th, 1935,

606
00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:18,000
he hit three home runs in a 
single game, the last of which 

607
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,040
cleared the right field stands 
at Forbes Field and landed 

608
00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:25,199
outside the stadium, First fair 
ball ever hit completely out of 

609
00:34:25,199 --> 00:34:27,760
that park. 
It was a reminder of what Ruth 

610
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:31,360
had been, a final flash of the 
power that had defined his 

611
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,000
career. 
Six days later, Ruth played his 

612
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,600
last game. 
He went hitless, looked slow and

613
00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,920
old, and left the field knowing 
his playing career was over. 

614
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:46,320
He officially retired on June 
2nd, 1935, ending a 22 year 

615
00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,880
career that had transformed 
American sports. 

616
00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,880
The years after retirement were 
difficult for Ruth in ways that 

617
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:53,400
his playing career never had 
been. 

618
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,080
He defined himself through 
baseball for so long that 

619
00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:00,040
existence without the daily 
rhythm of games left him feeling

620
00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:02,640
unmoored. 
The Yankees never offered him 

621
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,800
the managerial position he 
coveted, and other teams were 

622
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,960
similarly uninterested in hiring
someone they viewed as too 

623
00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:12,280
undisciplined to lead. 
Ruth tried various ventures. 

624
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,280
He coached briefly for the 
Brooklyn Dodgers, appeared in 

625
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,960
exhibition games, and took roles
in Hollywood films that required

626
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:22,680
him to essentially play himself.
But none of these activities 

627
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,400
filled the void that baseball's 
absence had created. 

628
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,000
He was like a shark that needed 
to keep moving, to breathe, 

629
00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:31,920
except now the water had been 
drained from his tank. 

630
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,520
He remained popular with the 
public, his name still capable 

631
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:37,360
of drawing crowds wherever he 
appeared. 

632
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:42,000
He'd attend charity events, sign
autographs and tell stories 

633
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,480
about his playing days that grew
more embellished with each 

634
00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:48,160
retelling. 
The real Babe Ruth was gradually

635
00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:51,960
being replaced by the legend, a 
process that Ruth himself seemed

636
00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,440
to encourage. 
World War 2 gave Ruth a renewed 

637
00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,480
sense of purpose. 
He participated in war bond 

638
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,920
drives, visited military 
hospitals and played in 

639
00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,200
exhibition games designed to 
boost morale. 

640
00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,560
Soldiers who'd grown up 
idolising Ruth got to meet their

641
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,600
hero, and Ruth seemed genuinely 
moved by their appreciation. 

642
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,960
These interactions suggested 
that Ruth's importance 

643
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:18,520
transcended baseball. 
He'd become a symbol of American

644
00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,320
vitality and confidence that 
resonated during wartime. 

645
00:36:22,720 --> 00:36:28,000
On April 27th, 1947, the Yankees
retired Ruth's number 3, making 

646
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,400
it the first number ever retired
in baseball. 

647
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,360
Over 50,000 fans packed Yankee 
Stadium for Babe Ruth Day, 

648
00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,560
celebrating the man who had made
the venue famous. 

649
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,440
Ruth already I'll with throat 
cancer, though the public didn't

650
00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:46,080
know it yet, spoke briefly to 
the crowd in a voice ravaged by 

651
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,400
disease. 
A famous photograph from that 

652
00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:53,960
day shows Ruth leaning on a bat 
for support, his body wasted by 

653
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,800
illness but his presence still 
commanding. 

654
00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:01,880
The cancer progressed rapidly. 
Ruth spent much of 1948 in and 

655
00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:05,120
out of hospitals, undergoing 
treatments that were primitive 

656
00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,520
by modern standards and largely 
ineffective. 

657
00:37:08,240 --> 00:37:12,360
He lost weight dramatically, his
once powerful frame reduced to 

658
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,600
something that friends described
as heartbreaking to witness. 

659
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,400
But even in decline, Ruth 
maintained the essential 

660
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:24,080
qualities that had defined him, 
optimism, humour and a refusal 

661
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,160
to complain about his 
circumstances. 

662
00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:31,360
On August 16th, 1948, Babe Ruth 
died at age 53. 

663
00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:35,960
His body lay in state at Yankee 
Stadium, where over 100,000 

664
00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,240
people filed paths to pay their 
respects. 

665
00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:42,760
The line stretched for blocks 
filled with people of all ages 

666
00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:46,080
who wanted one final moment with
the man who'd given them so many

667
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:49,000
memories. 
The funeral itself was held at 

668
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:53,080
Saint Patrick's Cathedral in 
Manhattan, with over 6000 people

669
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:56,000
inside and thousands more on the
streets outside. 

670
00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,000
Ruth was buried at Gate of 
Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, 

671
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:02,400
NY. 
His grave became and remains one

672
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:06,400
of the most visited sites in 
American sports, a pilgrimage 

673
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,800
destination for fans who want to
connect with baseball's past. 

674
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:13,360
Now, as you settle deeper into 
your blankets and perhaps close 

675
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,560
your eyes, consider what Ruth 
left behind. 

676
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:23,520
His lifetime statistics, 714 
home runs, a .342 batting 

677
00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:28,560
average and 2013 runs batted in 
were records that would stand 

678
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,920
for decades. 
But numbers alone don't capture 

679
00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,880
his impact. 
Ruth transformed baseball from a

680
00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:39,040
sport played primarily in small 
markets to a truly national 

681
00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,520
phenomenon. 
Before Ruth, baseball struggled 

682
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:45,640
to compete with boxing and horse
racing for public attention. 

683
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:50,760
After Ruth, baseball was 
unquestionably America's game, a

684
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:53,680
status it would maintain for the
better part of a century. 

685
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,360
He changed how the game was 
played, shifting emphasis from 

686
00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:59,480
small ball tactics to power 
hitting. 

687
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,400
Managers who had spent careers 
teaching bunts and hit and run 

688
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,480
plays suddenly found themselves 
encouraging batters to swing for

689
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,320
the fences. 
The entire architecture of 

690
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:14,000
offence was rebuilt around the 
home run, a change that Ruth 

691
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,160
essentially accomplished single 
handedly. 

692
00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:19,120
Ruth proved that athletes could 
be celebrities in ways 

693
00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,760
previously reserved for actors 
and politicians. 

694
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,280
His salary negotiation set 
precedence for athlete 

695
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,480
compensation. 
His endorsement deals created a 

696
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,880
template for how sports stars 
could leverage fame into wealth.

697
00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:36,480
His lifestyle, while excessive, 
demonstrated that public figures

698
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:39,840
could survive scandal through 
sheer charisma and performance. 

699
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:42,960
The cultural impact extended 
beyond sports. 

700
00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:47,560
Ruth became a symbol of American
possibility, the idea that 

701
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,320
someone from the worst 
circumstances could rise to the 

702
00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:55,080
absolute pinnacle of success. 
His story resonated especially 

703
00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:58,560
during the Depression years, 
when Americans needed heroes who

704
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:01,800
proved that the system could 
still work, that talent and 

705
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:05,080
determination could still 
overcome poverty and limited 

706
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,320
opportunity. 
Ruth's relationship with 

707
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:10,840
children created a template for 
how sports stars interact with 

708
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:14,040
young fans. 
The image of Ruth visiting sick 

709
00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:17,800
children, signing endless 
autographs and treating kids 

710
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:21,440
with genuine affection 
established expectations for 

711
00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:23,480
athlete behaviour that persist 
today. 

712
00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:28,440
Every modern athlete who visits 
a Children's Hospital is in some

713
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,120
way following the path Ruth 
created. 

714
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,840
His flaws were as legendary as 
his achievements, and 

715
00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:37,960
paradoxically, those flaws made 
him more beloved rather than 

716
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,440
less. 
Americans appreciated that Ruth 

717
00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:45,360
enjoyed his success, that he 
indulged appetites rather than 

718
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:49,200
pretending they didn't exist. 
There was something honest about

719
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,600
Ruth's successes that stood in 
stark contrast to the carefully 

720
00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:55,720
managed public images that other
celebrities cultivated. 

721
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:59,520
The Yankees dynasty that Ruth 
created continued for decades 

722
00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:02,560
after his retirement. 
The team won championships 

723
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:06,560
through the 1950s and beyond, 
but all of those successes built

724
00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:08,520
on the foundation Ruth had 
established. 

725
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,040
The financial resources that 
allowed the Yankees to acquire 

726
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,920
the best players came from the 
revenue streams Ruth had 

727
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,480
created. 
The winning tradition that 

728
00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:21,960
attracted top talent originated 
in Ruth's championship teams. 

729
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:24,800
Baseball itself evolved in 
Ruth's image. 

730
00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:28,680
Stadiums built after Yankee 
Stadium incorporated features 

731
00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:30,760
designed to showcase home run 
hitters. 

732
00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:35,200
Rule changes that increased 
offence and home run production 

733
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,160
reflected Ruth's influence on 
what fans wanted to see. 

734
00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:42,240
The entire aesthetic of 
baseball, the emphasis on power.

735
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,360
The celebration of individual 
achievement within a team 

736
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:49,600
context and the tolerance for 
colourful personalities all 

737
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,480
traced back to Ruth's example. 
Modern athletes earning enormous

738
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,760
salaries, negotiating 
endorsement deals and living 

739
00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,480
public lives that blur the line 
between sports and entertainment

740
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,240
are following paths that Ruth 
pioneered. 

741
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,800
He proved that athletic 
excellence could generate wealth

742
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,360
and fame that transcended the 
sport itself. 

743
00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:13,520
Every athlete who becomes a 
brand who leverages sporting 

744
00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:17,560
success into broader cultural 
influence owes something to the 

745
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:21,000
template Ruth created. 
As your eyelids grow heavier and

746
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:24,560
the day's concerns fade into the
comfortable darkness of evening,

747
00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:28,800
let's trace how Ruth's influence
continues to ripple through 

748
00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:33,200
American culture even now, 
decades after his death. 

749
00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,680
Walk into any youth baseball 
game on a Saturday morning and 

750
00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,600
you'll see Ruth's legacy in 
action. 

751
00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:42,960
Kids step to the plate and take 
mighty swings trying to hit home

752
00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,200
runs rather than simply making 
contact. 

753
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,040
Parents in the stands cheer 
loudest for the ball that clears

754
00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:51,680
the fence, even though a well 
placed single might be 

755
00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:55,600
tactically superior. 
This emphasis on power over 

756
00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:59,680
precision, on the dramatic over 
the practical, flows directly 

757
00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:02,600
from Ruth's transformation of 
baseball's aesthetics. 

758
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,280
The number three retired by the 
Yankees and sacred in baseball 

759
00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:09,960
history, appears on replica 
jerseys worn by fans who weren't

760
00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:12,360
born until decades after Ruth 
died. 

761
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:16,640
These fans may not know Ruth's 
actual statistics, might not be 

762
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,600
able to name a single team he 
played against, but they know 

763
00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:22,200
the name and understand that 
wearing it connects them to 

764
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:24,320
something important in 
baseball's story. 

765
00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:27,640
Baseball cards featuring Ruth's 
image remain among the most 

766
00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:31,840
valuable collectibles in sports,
with pristine examples selling 

767
00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:36,040
for millions of dollars. 
The T2O6 Honus Wagner card is 

768
00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,800
famous for its rarity, but Ruth 
cards are valuable because of 

769
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:41,960
who he was and what he 
represented. 

770
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:46,120
Collectors aren't just buying 
cardboard and ink, they're 

771
00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,240
acquiring pieces of the moment 
when sports became central to 

772
00:43:49,240 --> 00:43:52,920
American culture. 
The stories about Ruth, some 

773
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:56,400
true, some embellished, some 
entirely fabricated, form a 

774
00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,720
mythology that serves baseball 
the way ancient myths served 

775
00:43:59,720 --> 00:44:04,760
earlier civilizations. 
The called shot the 60 home runs

776
00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:07,720
in 1927. 
The promise to hit a home run 

777
00:44:07,720 --> 00:44:10,200
for a sick child, and then 
delivering on that promise. 

778
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:14,200
These stories teach lessons 
about confidence, performance 

779
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:17,720
under pressure and the rewards 
that come from daring greatly. 

780
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:22,120
Yankee Stadium, rebuilt in 2009 
but incorporating design 

781
00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:25,440
elements that deliberately echo 
the original, remains A shrine 

782
00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:27,080
to Ruth even though he never 
played. 

783
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:30,320
In the new version, fans 
visiting the stadium for the 

784
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:34,000
first time make pilgrimages to 
Monument Park, where a plaque 

785
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,240
commemorates Ruth's achievements
in language that borders on 

786
00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:40,920
religious reverence. 
The stadium's dimensions still 

787
00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:44,360
favour left-handed power 
hitters, a design choice that 

788
00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:47,960
acknowledges Ruth's continuing 
influence on how the Yankees 

789
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:49,680
think about constructing their 
roster. 

790
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:53,640
The phrase Ruthian has entered 
the English language as an 

791
00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:56,440
adjective, meaning exceptionally
large or powerful. 

792
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,560
When a slugger hits a 
particularly long home run, 

793
00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:01,920
announcers describe it as 
Ruthian. 

794
00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,440
When a player achieves something
that seems to transcend normal 

795
00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:08,040
boundaries, sports writers 
invoke Ruth's name. 

796
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:13,160
This linguistic immortality, the
transformation of a person into 

797
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:16,560
an adjective, is reserved for 
the very few whose impact 

798
00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:19,240
genuinely changes how we 
understand their field. 

799
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,840
Modern players who hit 40 or 50 
home runs in a season are 

800
00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:26,200
praised by comparison to Ruth, 
even though the game they're 

801
00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:28,480
playing is dramatically 
different from the 1 Ruth 

802
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:31,240
dominated. 
Pitchers throw harder now. 

803
00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:34,520
Fielders are more athletic. 
Stadiums are larger, and the 

804
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:37,840
scientific understanding of 
hitting mechanics has advanced 

805
00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:41,360
enormously. 
Yet Ruth's shadow stretches 

806
00:45:41,360 --> 00:45:45,080
across all these changes, his 
achievements serving as the 

807
00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:47,320
standard against which power is 
measured. 

808
00:45:47,720 --> 00:45:51,200
The Curse of the Bambino, The 
superstitious belief that 

809
00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,160
Boston's sale of Ruth to New 
York cursed the Red Sox 

810
00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:58,000
franchise for 86 years 
demonstrates Ruth's cultural 

811
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:02,400
penetration beyond pure sports. 
The fact that rational adults 

812
00:46:02,400 --> 00:46:05,520
could believe that a player 
transaction in 1920 affected 

813
00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:10,400
game outcomes in 2004 shows how 
deeply Ruth embedded himself in 

814
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:14,920
baseball's narrative structure. 
When the Red Sox finally won the

815
00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,160
World Series in 2004, breaking 
the alleged curse became as 

816
00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:22,120
important to the story as the 
actual athletic achievement. 

817
00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,720
Hollywood has repeatedly tried 
to capture Ruth on film, with 

818
00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:29,840
varying degrees of success. 
The challenge has always been 

819
00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,120
that Ruth's life was almost too 
eventful, too packed with 

820
00:46:33,160 --> 00:46:36,760
incident and achievement to fit 
into conventional narrative 

821
00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:40,000
structures. 
How do you dramatise someone who

822
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:42,560
actually lived larger than most 
fictional characters? 

823
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:46,680
The attempts continue, each 
generation trying to explain 

824
00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:50,360
Ruth to audiences who live in 
increasingly different worlds 

825
00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:53,560
from the 1 he inhabited. 
Children who will play baseball 

826
00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:57,280
in 2050 will still learn Ruth's 
name and still hear stories 

827
00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,840
about the Bambino who hit balls 
over buildings and ate hot dogs 

828
00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:03,960
by the dozen. 
The details may blur and the 

829
00:47:03,960 --> 00:47:08,320
context may fade, but the 
essential story, poor boy makes 

830
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:11,440
good through natural talent and 
irrepressible personality 

831
00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:15,680
remains as compelling as ever. 
Baseball historians continue to 

832
00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:17,880
debate Ruth's place in the 
sports pantheon. 

833
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:21,560
Was he the greatest player ever?
Or does that honour belong to 

834
00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:24,280
Willie Mays or Barry Bonds or 
Mike Trout? 

835
00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:28,720
These debates missed the point. 
Ruth's importance isn't about 

836
00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:30,960
being the best in some objective
sense. 

837
00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:34,360
It's about being the most 
transformative, the player who 

838
00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:37,680
changed not just how baseball 
was played, but what baseball 

839
00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:41,480
meant to American culture. 
Now, as you drift towards sleep,

840
00:47:41,800 --> 00:47:45,720
let's consider perhaps Ruth's 
most important legacy, one that 

841
00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:49,200
statistics can't capture and 
that has nothing to do with 

842
00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:53,680
championships or records. 
Ruth gave people joy, and he did

843
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:57,480
it with an enthusiasm that was 
itself joyful to witness. 

844
00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,840
Watch footage of Ruth hitting 
home runs, grainy silent film 

845
00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:04,520
that nevertheless conveys his 
obvious pleasure in the act. 

846
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:09,040
After connecting with a pitch, 
he doesn't admire his work or 

847
00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:13,080
pose for cameras. 
He simply runs a surprisingly 

848
00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:16,200
graceful trot given his bulk, 
with a smile that suggests he's 

849
00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:18,560
as delighted as the fans in the 
stands. 

850
00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:22,560
Baseball was, for Ruth, 
genuinely fun, and his enjoyment

851
00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:25,720
was contagious. 
This might seem trivial, but 

852
00:48:25,720 --> 00:48:29,240
think about what Ruth offered to
Americans during his peak years.

853
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:34,440
The 1920s brought prosperity for
some, but anxiety for many as 

854
00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:37,360
traditional social structures 
gave way to modernity's 

855
00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:41,160
uncertainties. 
The 1930s brought economic 

856
00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:46,120
catastrophe, with unemployment, 
foreclosures and the genuine 

857
00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,240
fear that American democracy 
might not survive. 

858
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:53,240
Through all of this, Ruth played
baseball with the 

859
00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:57,280
unselfconscious joy of a child, 
reminding people that pleasure 

860
00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:00,240
and delight remained possible 
even in difficult times. 

861
00:49:00,600 --> 00:49:03,160
His home runs weren't just 
athletic achievements. 

862
00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:05,560
They were permission slips for 
celebration. 

863
00:49:06,880 --> 00:49:09,680
When Ruth connected with a pitch
and the ball soared into 

864
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:13,240
impossibly distant seats, fans 
could forget their troubles. 

865
00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:16,920
For the seconds it took the ball
to travel, they could rise from 

866
00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:20,840
their seats, cheer without 
inhibition, and share a moment 

867
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:24,120
of uncomplicated happiness with 
thousands of strangers. 

868
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:27,600
Ruth never pretended to be a 
role model in the modern sense. 

869
00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:32,880
He drank, he ate to excess, he 
caroused, and he made no 

870
00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:34,760
particular effort to hide any of
it. 

871
00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:39,200
Yet somehow, this honesty about 
his appetites made him more 

872
00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:43,320
rather than less appealing. 
Americans understood that Ruth 

873
00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:47,000
was flawed, but they also 
recognise that his flaws were 

874
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:50,760
human scale, the kind that 
anyone might have if they 

875
00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:53,200
suddenly found themselves 
wealthy and famous. 

876
00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:56,800
The relationship between Ruth 
and baseball fans was genuinely 

877
00:49:56,800 --> 00:49:59,680
reciprocal. 
He loved their attention, fed 

878
00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:02,920
off their energy and performed 
better when stadiums were packed

879
00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:06,520
and roaring. 
Fans, in turn, loved him not 

880
00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:09,840
just for what he did, but for 
how obviously he loved doing it.

881
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:14,480
This mutual affection created a 
bond that transcended the usual 

882
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:16,800
relationship between athlete and
spectator. 

883
00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:20,760
Ruth's generosity with his time,
particularly toward children, 

884
00:50:21,240 --> 00:50:24,720
reflected his understanding that
his fame created opportunities 

885
00:50:24,720 --> 00:50:28,520
to bring happiness to others. 
When he visited a sick child in 

886
00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:32,160
a hospital, signing a baseball 
and telling stories, he was 

887
00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:34,960
giving that child something more
valuable than memorabilia. 

888
00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:38,000
He was giving them a story they 
could tell for the rest of their

889
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:41,280
lives, a moment when they 
mattered to someone important. 

890
00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:44,200
His team mates, even those who 
found his behaviour 

891
00:50:44,200 --> 00:50:47,760
exasperating, generally loved 
him because Ruth treated 

892
00:50:47,760 --> 00:50:49,880
baseball as play rather than 
work. 

893
00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:53,920
In an era when most professional
athletes approached their sport 

894
00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:57,640
with grim seriousness, Ruth 
maintained the perspective that 

895
00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:00,280
baseball was fundamentally a 
game. 

896
00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:03,480
This attitude didn't make him 
less competitive. 

897
00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:07,680
Ruth hated losing, but it kept 
him from the bitterness that 

898
00:51:07,680 --> 00:51:10,640
consumed players who couldn't 
separate their self worth from 

899
00:51:10,640 --> 00:51:14,040
their performance. 
The joy Ruth embodied extended 

900
00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:16,320
to his appreciation for his own 
success. 

901
00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:19,800
He didn't pretend to be humble 
or act like his achievements 

902
00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:21,680
were merely the product of hard 
work. 

903
00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:26,160
Ruth understood that he had 
extraordinary talent, and he 

904
00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:30,920
celebrated that talent openly. 
This self-awareness and lack of 

905
00:51:30,920 --> 00:51:33,600
false modesty was, in its own 
way, refreshing. 

906
00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:37,360
Ruth knew he was special, and he
saw no reason to pretend 

907
00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:39,680
otherwise. 
As sleep approaches and the 

908
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:43,640
story winds toward its close, 
consider what Ruth teaches us 

909
00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:48,120
about living fully. 
His life wasn't long. 53 years 

910
00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:51,320
is less than many of us will 
have, but it was completely 

911
00:51:51,320 --> 00:51:54,080
lived. 
He experienced more pleasure, 

912
00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:58,960
more success, more acclaim, and,
yes, more excess than most 

913
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:00,960
people could fit into twice that
time. 

914
00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:04,280
He never seemed to wonder if he 
deserved his success. 

915
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:06,720
He simply enjoyed it while it 
lasted. 

916
00:52:07,040 --> 00:52:09,600
In your last moments of 
wakefulness, picture Yankee 

917
00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:13,320
Stadium on a late summer 
afternoon, the sun casting long 

918
00:52:13,320 --> 00:52:16,760
shadows across the infield as 
another generation of players 

919
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:20,440
takes batting practice. 
The crack of the bat echoes off 

920
00:52:20,440 --> 00:52:23,320
the stands, that distinctive 
sound that has remained 

921
00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:26,840
unchanged for over a century. 
Somewhere in those stands sits a

922
00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:30,160
grandfather taking his grandson 
to his first baseball game. 

923
00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:34,560
The boy's attention wonders. 
It's the 7th inning, and the 

924
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:38,320
game has been slow. 
Then the home team's slugger 

925
00:52:38,320 --> 00:52:41,440
steps to the plate, and the 
grandfather leans close to his 

926
00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:44,360
grandson's ear. 
He tells him about another 

927
00:52:44,360 --> 00:52:49,440
slugger, the 1st and maybe the 
greatest, a man who hit balls so

928
00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:50,680
far. 
They seem to leave the 

929
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:54,160
atmosphere. 
The boy listens, not entirely 

930
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:57,280
sure if Grandpa is telling a 
story or recounting history. 

931
00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:01,120
The slugger connects with a 
pitch, and the ball rises on a 

932
00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:05,040
trajectory that every fan in the
stadium recognises instantly. 

933
00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:09,760
It clears the fence by 50 feet, 
landing somewhere in the distant

934
00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:12,200
bleachers. 
The grandfather leaps to his 

935
00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:14,800
feet. 
His knees hurt, but he doesn't 

936
00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:19,000
care, and the grandson jumps up 
beside him, caught up in the 

937
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:21,440
moment even though he doesn't 
fully understand what he's 

938
00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:24,880
witnessing. 
This is Ruth's final gift, the 

939
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:28,400
one that keeps giving decades 
after his death, the shared 

940
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:32,720
experience of baseball's most 
dramatic moment, the home run 

941
00:53:32,720 --> 00:53:36,440
that makes strangers into a 
community, that transforms an 

942
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:40,200
afternoon into a memory, and 
that connects generations 

943
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:42,720
through the simple act of 
watching someone hit a ball with

944
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:45,200
a stick. 
Every home run hit in every 

945
00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:48,480
stadium in America carries an 
echo of the ones Ruth hit in 

946
00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:52,320
stadiums that no longer exist, 
watched by fans who have long 

947
00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:56,480
since passed away. 
The game evolves, rules change, 

948
00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:58,280
and players get stronger and 
faster. 

949
00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:02,680
But the fundamental thrill, the 
ball rising against the sky, 

950
00:54:02,840 --> 00:54:06,240
arcing toward the fence and 
landing in a distant section 

951
00:54:06,240 --> 00:54:10,240
while fans roar, remains exactly
what it was when Ruth did it for

952
00:54:10,240 --> 00:54:12,960
the first time. 
Ruth's story reminds us that 

953
00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:15,400
sports matter not because 
they're important in some 

954
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:19,040
objective sense, but because 
they give us ways to connect 

955
00:54:19,040 --> 00:54:22,760
with each other, with our past 
and with the parts of ourselves 

956
00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:26,240
that remember how to play. 
The boy from Baltimore who 

957
00:54:26,240 --> 00:54:29,640
learnt to pitch on reformatory 
fields never forgot that 

958
00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:33,880
baseball was supposed to be fun,
and he spent his entire career 

959
00:54:33,880 --> 00:54:36,760
trying to share that fun with 
anyone who would watch. 

960
00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:39,960
He succeeded beyond anything his
younger self could have 

961
00:54:39,960 --> 00:54:42,920
imagined. 
The orphan who felt unwanted 

962
00:54:42,920 --> 00:54:45,720
became the most beloved figure 
in American sports. 

963
00:54:46,280 --> 00:54:48,920
The undisciplined kid who 
couldn't follow rules became the

964
00:54:48,920 --> 00:54:52,120
man who rewrote them. 
The player who was sold by one 

965
00:54:52,120 --> 00:54:54,640
team for money became the 
catalyst for a dynasty that 

966
00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:58,600
redefined sports excellence. 
But perhaps most importantly, 

967
00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:01,920
the child who grew up without 
much joy became the man who 

968
00:55:01,920 --> 00:55:05,600
created it for millions. 
Every time someone's face lights

969
00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:08,880
up watching a home run, every 
time a kid imitates a power 

970
00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:12,360
swing in a backyard, every time 
baseball brings people together 

971
00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:15,800
in shared celebration, Babe Ruth
is there, still playing the game

972
00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:18,880
he loved, still inviting 
everyone to join him in the 

973
00:55:18,880 --> 00:55:22,280
simple pleasure of hitting a 
ball as far as possible and then

974
00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:24,480
running around some bases while 
people cheer. 

975
00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:28,360
As you drift into sleep, you 
might dream of some afternoons 

976
00:55:28,360 --> 00:55:32,280
and the crack of a wooden bat, 
of balls rising against blue 

977
00:55:32,280 --> 00:55:37,000
skies, of a round faced man with
a huge smile circling the bases 

978
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,520
while a stadium full of 
strangers becomes, for a moment,

979
00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:45,680
a community united in joy. 
These dreams connect you to 

980
00:55:45,680 --> 00:55:49,120
millions of others who have 
found comfort and excitement in 

981
00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:52,880
the same images, the same 
stories, and the same 

982
00:55:52,880 --> 00:55:56,720
fundamental human desire to 
witness excellence and share in 

983
00:55:56,720 --> 00:55:59,640
celebration. 
Babe Ruth lived more than 90 

984
00:55:59,640 --> 00:56:03,920
years ago, but his gift remains 
the reminder that life is meant 

985
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:08,040
to be fully lived, that talent 
should be celebrated rather than

986
00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:12,080
hidden, and that joy shared 
multiplies while joy hoarded 

987
00:56:12,080 --> 00:56:15,600
disappears. 
Sleep well knowing that 

988
00:56:15,600 --> 00:56:18,040
somewhere, right now, someone is
hitting a home run. 

989
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:22,240
And for that moment, they are 
Babe Ruth, And Babe Ruth lives 

990
00:56:22,240 --> 00:56:24,480
again. 
The boy from Baltimore found his

991
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:28,520
way home, and in doing so, he 
helped millions of us find ours.

992
00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:33,400
On baseball diamonds, in stadium
seats, in the stories we tell 

993
00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:36,720
about the ones who came before, 
and in the simple, shared 

994
00:56:36,720 --> 00:56:39,760
pleasure of watching someone do 
something extraordinary. 

995
00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:47,200
Picture London on a warm evening
in late August 1939. 

996
00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:51,320
The sun is setting over the 
Thames, painting the sky in 

997
00:56:51,320 --> 00:56:54,920
shades of amber and rows that 
reflect off the river's surface 

998
00:56:54,920 --> 00:56:58,080
like liquid copper. 
St. lamps are beginning their 

999
00:56:58,080 --> 00:57:01,520
nightly ritual, that gentle 
flickering as they come to life 

1000
00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:05,240
one by one, creating pools of 
yellow warmth along the 

1001
00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:08,480
pavements. 
Shop windows glow with displays 

1002
00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:12,560
of summer dresses and wireless 
sets casting rectangles of light

1003
00:57:12,560 --> 00:57:16,520
onto the sidewalks where couples
stroll arm in arm, their shadows

1004
00:57:16,520 --> 00:57:19,640
long and lazy. 
In the golden hour, you can hear

1005
00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:23,560
the particular sounds of a city 
in its evening mode, the rumble 

1006
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:27,480
of red double Decker buses, the 
clip clop of delivery horses 

1007
00:57:27,480 --> 00:57:31,080
making their final rounds and 
the cheerful Ting of bicycle 

1008
00:57:31,080 --> 00:57:33,280
bells as workers pedal home for 
supper. 

1009
00:57:34,200 --> 00:57:37,800
From open windows comes the 
smell of cooking, roast dinners,

1010
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:41,680
boiled potatoes and the yeasty 
warmth of fresh bread. 

1011
00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:46,480
Radios play dance music, the 
kind with horns and steady 

1012
00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:49,280
rhythms that make your foot tap 
without thinking about it. 

1013
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:53,200
In Paris, the cafes are filling 
with their usual evening crowd. 

1014
00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,160
The Eiffel Tower stands 
illuminated against the 

1015
00:57:56,160 --> 00:58:01,120
darkening sky, it's iron lattice
outlined in electric brilliance,

1016
00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:03,200
like a piece of jewellery 
against velvet. 

1017
00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:07,760
There are neon signs advertising
aperitifs, warm light coming 

1018
00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:11,240
from restaurant interiors and 
the headlamps of Citroens and 

1019
00:58:11,240 --> 00:58:15,560
Renaults making rivers of light 
along the Champs Elysees St. 

1020
00:58:15,560 --> 00:58:17,800
Musicians play accordions on 
corners. 

1021
00:58:18,160 --> 00:58:21,280
They're cases open for coins 
that clink with a satisfying 

1022
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:24,880
metallic ring. 
Berlin, too, is bathed in light.

1023
00:58:25,480 --> 00:58:28,800
The grand buildings along 
Unterden Linden a flood lit. 

1024
00:58:29,280 --> 00:58:32,720
They're neoclassical facade, 
standing proud and imposing. 

1025
00:58:33,400 --> 00:58:36,760
The shops stay open late. 
They're windows full of goods 

1026
00:58:36,760 --> 00:58:38,680
that speak of prosperity and 
order. 

1027
00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:43,400
Electric trams hum along their 
tracks, their interiors bright 

1028
00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:46,640
and modern, filled with 
passengers reading newspapers or

1029
00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:50,600
chatting about their days. 
These cities have spent decades 

1030
00:58:50,600 --> 00:58:54,000
building their electrical 
infrastructure, stringing miles 

1031
00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:58,240
of cable, installing countless 
fixtures and creating networks 

1032
00:58:58,240 --> 00:59:01,720
of illumination that have become
as fundamental to urban life as 

1033
00:59:01,720 --> 00:59:06,000
running water or paved streets. 
The age of electric light is 

1034
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:09,880
barely 50 years old, still young
enough to feel miraculous. 

1035
00:59:10,600 --> 00:59:13,200
People who grew up with oil 
lamps and candles now flip 

1036
00:59:13,200 --> 00:59:17,040
switches without thinking, 
banishing darkness with a casual

1037
00:59:17,040 --> 00:59:19,160
gesture that would have seemed 
like sorcery to their 

1038
00:59:19,160 --> 00:59:22,960
grandparents. 
But on September 1st, 1939, 

1039
00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:26,560
everything changes. 
Germany invades Poland, and 

1040
00:59:26,560 --> 00:59:29,880
within hours Britain and France 
are making preparations that 

1041
00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:31,960
have been planned in secret for 
months. 

1042
00:59:32,720 --> 00:59:35,880
Government officials retrieve 
documents from locked safes. 

1043
00:59:36,240 --> 00:59:39,760
Civil defence workers report to 
their posts and ordinary 

1044
00:59:39,760 --> 00:59:43,160
citizens receive instructions 
that will alter the appearance 

1045
00:59:43,160 --> 00:59:46,760
of their world in ways both 
profound and peculiar. 

1046
00:59:47,360 --> 00:59:50,600
The blackout is coming. 
You might wonder why darkness 

1047
00:59:50,600 --> 00:59:52,600
would be chosen as a defence 
strategy. 

1048
00:59:53,120 --> 00:59:55,120
The logic is straightforward, 
but chilling. 

1049
00:59:55,800 --> 00:59:59,080
Bombers navigating at night need
visual reference points to find 

1050
00:59:59,080 --> 01:00:02,480
their targets. 
A city ablaze with light is as 

1051
01:00:02,520 --> 01:00:05,800
easy to spot from the air as a 
lighthouse on a dark coast. 

1052
01:00:06,480 --> 01:00:09,360
Remove that light. 
And the bombers are flying over 

1053
01:00:09,360 --> 01:00:13,080
an invisible landscape, unable 
to distinguish a munitions 

1054
01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:16,320
factory from a residential 
neighborhood or a railway 

1055
01:00:16,320 --> 01:00:19,840
junction from a park. 
So the decision is made. 

1056
01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:23,040
When night falls, the lights 
must go out. 

1057
01:00:23,800 --> 01:00:27,800
Not just some lights or most 
lights, but all lights. 

1058
01:00:28,400 --> 01:00:31,920
Every window must be covered, 
every street lamp extinguished, 

1059
01:00:32,240 --> 01:00:35,800
and every car driven with hooded
headlamps that cast only the 

1060
01:00:35,800 --> 01:00:39,680
faintest glow. 
The great cities of Europe will 

1061
01:00:39,680 --> 01:00:43,360
disappear from view, pulled 
beneath a blanket of darkness as

1062
01:00:43,360 --> 01:00:45,920
complete as any medieval village
knew. 

1063
01:00:46,640 --> 01:00:49,440
The preparations happen with 
remarkable speed. 

1064
01:00:50,040 --> 01:00:52,760
Shops sell out of black fabric 
within hours. 

1065
01:00:53,320 --> 01:00:57,840
Hardware stores run out of 
paint, tape, cardboard, anything

1066
01:00:57,840 --> 01:01:00,720
that might be used to block 
light the government has 

1067
01:01:00,720 --> 01:01:03,040
printed. 
Millions of leaflets explaining 

1068
01:01:03,040 --> 01:01:05,680
the regulations. 
And these appear in letter 

1069
01:01:05,680 --> 01:01:09,560
boxes, like strange invitations 
to a backwards party where the 

1070
01:01:09,560 --> 01:01:12,520
goal is to extinguish rather 
than illuminate. 

1071
01:01:13,200 --> 01:01:15,640
You can imagine the 
conversations happening in homes

1072
01:01:15,640 --> 01:01:17,800
across Britain that first 
weekend of September. 

1073
01:01:18,520 --> 01:01:21,240
Families standing in their 
parlours looking at their 

1074
01:01:21,240 --> 01:01:25,200
windows with new found 
assessment, calculating how many

1075
01:01:25,200 --> 01:01:28,880
yards of material they'll need, 
whether thick curtains will 

1076
01:01:28,880 --> 01:01:32,520
suffice or if they'll need 
something more substantial. 

1077
01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:37,480
There's an odd domesticity to 
these calculations, as if 

1078
01:01:37,480 --> 01:01:40,720
they're redecorating for some 
peculiar aesthetic preference 

1079
01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:44,480
rather than preparing for war. 
The instructions are specific 

1080
01:01:44,480 --> 01:01:47,680
and somewhat overwhelming. 
Windows must be covered so 

1081
01:01:47,680 --> 01:01:50,080
thoroughly that not a crack of 
light escapes. 

1082
01:01:50,600 --> 01:01:54,640
This includes skylights, glass 
doors and even the tiny windows 

1083
01:01:54,640 --> 01:01:57,600
in bathrooms. 
The penalty for showing light is

1084
01:01:57,600 --> 01:02:01,760
not insignificant, fines that 
could strain a working families 

1085
01:02:01,760 --> 01:02:05,680
budget and more importantly, the
social pressure of knowing that 

1086
01:02:05,680 --> 01:02:08,000
your carelessness might endanger
your neighbors. 

1087
01:02:08,760 --> 01:02:11,480
On September 3rd, Britain 
officially declares war on 

1088
01:02:11,480 --> 01:02:13,840
Germany. 
That evening, as darkness 

1089
01:02:13,840 --> 01:02:16,040
approaches, the blackout begins 
in earnest. 

1090
01:02:16,600 --> 01:02:20,760
It's a Sunday, traditionally a 
day of rest, the family dinners 

1091
01:02:20,760 --> 01:02:23,920
and evening strolls. 
But this Sunday evening will be 

1092
01:02:23,920 --> 01:02:26,760
different from any the nation 
has known in living memory. 

1093
01:02:27,480 --> 01:02:32,120
The sun sets at approximately 
7:30 PM on that first blackout 

1094
01:02:32,120 --> 01:02:38,280
evening in early September 1939.
As twilight deepens, you would 

1095
01:02:38,280 --> 01:02:42,440
notice something extraordinary 
happening, or rather, not 

1096
01:02:42,440 --> 01:02:45,280
happening. 
The usual sequence of lights 

1097
01:02:45,280 --> 01:02:47,800
awakening across the city simply
doesn't occur. 

1098
01:02:48,480 --> 01:02:52,200
The street lamps remain dark. 
Shop windows stay unlit. 

1099
01:02:52,920 --> 01:02:56,280
The familiar glow that typically
begins to define buildings and 

1100
01:02:56,280 --> 01:03:00,480
streets remains absent. 
Instead, there's a collective 

1101
01:03:00,480 --> 01:03:03,880
dimming, as if someone is slowly
turning down the brightness 

1102
01:03:03,880 --> 01:03:08,360
control on the entire world. 
As the last and natural light 

1103
01:03:08,360 --> 01:03:12,440
fades from the western sky, 
darkness arrives with unusual 

1104
01:03:12,440 --> 01:03:15,560
completeness. 
Not the partial darkness of a 

1105
01:03:15,560 --> 01:03:20,160
normal night punctuated by human
made illumination, but something

1106
01:03:20,160 --> 01:03:23,840
approaching the darkness of the 
countryside or wilderness, the 

1107
01:03:23,840 --> 01:03:27,160
kind of dark that city dwellers 
might encounter only on camping 

1108
01:03:27,160 --> 01:03:31,080
trips or during power outages. 
The psychological impact is 

1109
01:03:31,080 --> 01:03:35,120
immediate and disorienting. 
Human beings have an ancient, 

1110
01:03:35,120 --> 01:03:39,600
hard wired response to darkness.
We are diurnal creatures, 

1111
01:03:39,880 --> 01:03:43,720
adapted for daylight activity, 
and our nervous systems treat 

1112
01:03:43,720 --> 01:03:46,880
darkness as a signal Forrest, or
potential danger. 

1113
01:03:47,680 --> 01:03:50,880
For thousands of years, darkness
meant retreat to shelter, 

1114
01:03:51,320 --> 01:03:54,880
gathering around fires and 
ceasing productive activity 

1115
01:03:54,880 --> 01:03:58,720
until sunrise. 
Electric light changed all that,

1116
01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:02,520
extending the day artificially, 
allowing cities to function 

1117
01:04:02,520 --> 01:04:05,920
around the clock. 
Now, suddenly, that ancient 

1118
01:04:05,920 --> 01:04:09,360
relationship with darkness is 
restored, but in an urban 

1119
01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:12,080
context where it feels 
profoundly unnatural. 

1120
01:04:12,600 --> 01:04:16,200
You're surrounded by buildings 
and streets, the infrastructure 

1121
01:04:16,200 --> 01:04:19,840
of modern civilization, yet 
experiencing a darkness that 

1122
01:04:19,840 --> 01:04:24,280
belongs to a pre industrial era.
It creates a kind of temporal 

1123
01:04:24,280 --> 01:04:28,200
Vertigo, as if you've travelled 
backward in time while remaining

1124
01:04:28,200 --> 01:04:31,560
physically in the present. 
The first challenge is simply 

1125
01:04:31,560 --> 01:04:34,520
moving around. 
Walking down a familiar St. 

1126
01:04:34,520 --> 01:04:38,440
becomes an exercise in careful 
navigation, your eyes strained 

1127
01:04:38,440 --> 01:04:41,440
to distinguish shapes in the 
gloom, the outline of a pillar 

1128
01:04:41,440 --> 01:04:44,600
box, the curve of a curb, 
silhouette of another person 

1129
01:04:44,600 --> 01:04:47,560
approaching. 
Kerbs and steps become hazards. 

1130
01:04:48,240 --> 01:04:51,200
More than one person trips over 
their own doorstep in those 

1131
01:04:51,240 --> 01:04:54,600
early blackout evenings, 
misjudging distances In the 

1132
01:04:54,600 --> 01:04:59,040
absence of light, cars and buses
face even greater challenges. 

1133
01:04:59,600 --> 01:05:02,840
Vehicle headlamps must be fitted
with special covers that 

1134
01:05:02,840 --> 01:05:06,760
restrict their light to a tiny 
slit, casting only the weakest 

1135
01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:10,480
beam onto the road ahead. 
Imagine driving at walking 

1136
01:05:10,480 --> 01:05:13,880
speed, peering through your 
windshield at a street you can 

1137
01:05:13,880 --> 01:05:17,520
barely see, watching for 
pedestrians who appear as mere 

1138
01:05:17,520 --> 01:05:21,040
shadows and trying to avoid 
other vehicles that are equally 

1139
01:05:21,040 --> 01:05:25,040
difficult to spot. 
The accident rate in these early

1140
01:05:25,040 --> 01:05:29,520
blackout days spikes alarmingly 
collisions between vehicles, 

1141
01:05:29,960 --> 01:05:34,000
cars striking pedestrians, and 
people walking into lamp posts 

1142
01:05:34,000 --> 01:05:37,560
or falling into gutters. 
There's a particular comedy to 

1143
01:05:37,560 --> 01:05:40,560
some of these mishaps, though 
nobody finds them funny at the 

1144
01:05:40,560 --> 01:05:43,520
time. 
Respectable citizens stumble 

1145
01:05:43,520 --> 01:05:46,840
into hedges. 
Delivery boys cycle into parked 

1146
01:05:46,840 --> 01:05:49,240
cars. 
A Bishop walking home from 

1147
01:05:49,240 --> 01:05:52,040
evening service mistakes a 
stranger's front gate for his 

1148
01:05:52,040 --> 01:05:55,560
own and spends several confused 
minutes trying to unlock it 

1149
01:05:55,560 --> 01:05:59,240
before realising his error. 
These little disasters become 

1150
01:05:59,240 --> 01:06:03,440
part of the blackout experience,
stories to share over tea and 

1151
01:06:03,480 --> 01:06:06,640
evidence that everyone is 
struggling with the same strange

1152
01:06:06,640 --> 01:06:09,280
new reality. 
The government's Air Raid 

1153
01:06:09,280 --> 01:06:13,400
Precautions Wardens, quickly 
nicknamed ARP Wardens, begin 

1154
01:06:13,400 --> 01:06:16,200
their patrols. 
These are ordinary citizens, 

1155
01:06:16,200 --> 01:06:19,560
volunteers and part timers given
the authority to enforce 

1156
01:06:19,560 --> 01:06:22,760
blackout regulations. 
They walk the streets with 

1157
01:06:22,760 --> 01:06:27,760
masked torches, watching for any
violation, any crack of light 

1158
01:06:27,760 --> 01:06:30,840
that might betray a city's 
presence to aircraft overhead. 

1159
01:06:31,600 --> 01:06:34,960
The wardens develop a certain 
reputation for zealousness. 

1160
01:06:35,640 --> 01:06:38,520
They'll knock sharply on doors 
at the faintest glimpse of 

1161
01:06:38,520 --> 01:06:42,160
light, their voices carrying 
through the darkness with urgent

1162
01:06:42,160 --> 01:06:44,360
whispers. 
Put that light out. 

1163
01:06:44,920 --> 01:06:47,800
The phrase becomes so common it 
turns into a kind of catch 

1164
01:06:47,800 --> 01:06:52,120
phrase, repeated in music halls 
and radio comedies, A verbal 

1165
01:06:52,120 --> 01:06:54,960
symbol of the blackout's 
intrusion into private life. 

1166
01:06:55,760 --> 01:06:58,920
Inside homes, families are 
adapting to their new evening 

1167
01:06:58,920 --> 01:07:01,600
routines. 
The process of preparing for 

1168
01:07:01,600 --> 01:07:05,120
blackout becomes a nightly 
ritual, performed as twilight 

1169
01:07:05,120 --> 01:07:07,840
approaches. 
You would rise from your chair, 

1170
01:07:07,840 --> 01:07:11,680
set down your tee and begin the 
systematic covering of windows. 

1171
01:07:12,240 --> 01:07:16,080
Some families use elaborate 
curtain systems, heavy fabric on

1172
01:07:16,080 --> 01:07:19,800
tracks that slide into place. 
Others make do with simpler 

1173
01:07:19,800 --> 01:07:24,240
solutions, blankets pinned over 
frames, sheets of cardboard 

1174
01:07:24,240 --> 01:07:28,080
wedged into place and layers of 
newspaper taped to glass. 

1175
01:07:29,160 --> 01:07:31,800
The effect on interior space is 
claustrophobic. 

1176
01:07:32,440 --> 01:07:35,760
With windows covered, rooms lose
their connection to the outside 

1177
01:07:35,760 --> 01:07:38,320
world. 
You can't glance out to check 

1178
01:07:38,320 --> 01:07:41,320
the weather, can't see the 
comforting glow of neighboring 

1179
01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:44,240
houses and can't watch the moon 
rise or stars appear. 

1180
01:07:45,040 --> 01:07:48,800
Your home becomes a sealed box, 
cut off from the usual visual 

1181
01:07:48,800 --> 01:07:51,640
reference points that Orient you
in time and space. 

1182
01:07:52,400 --> 01:07:54,400
Lighting inside must be 
carefully managed. 

1183
01:07:54,400 --> 01:07:58,880
Too many families reduce their 
use of electric lights, partly 

1184
01:07:58,880 --> 01:08:03,200
from habit, saving resources for
the war effort, and partly from 

1185
01:08:03,200 --> 01:08:06,520
an almost superstitious fear 
that somehow light will escape 

1186
01:08:06,520 --> 01:08:10,920
despite their precautions. 
They rely instead on single dim 

1187
01:08:10,920 --> 01:08:14,920
bulbs or return to older 
technologies, oil lamps, candles

1188
01:08:14,920 --> 01:08:16,800
and gas light. 
Where it's still available. 

1189
01:08:17,399 --> 01:08:20,560
The quality of light changes, 
becoming warmer but weaker, 

1190
01:08:21,000 --> 01:08:24,399
creating deep shadows in room 
corners, making reading 

1191
01:08:24,399 --> 01:08:27,840
difficult, and turning evening 
hours into something quieter and

1192
01:08:27,840 --> 01:08:30,960
more subdued. 
There's an economic dimension to

1193
01:08:30,960 --> 01:08:34,240
this darkness, too. 
Electric companies reduce their 

1194
01:08:34,240 --> 01:08:38,399
output as demand plummets. 
Coal consumption drops as power 

1195
01:08:38,399 --> 01:08:41,800
stations throttle back. 
Street maintenance crews no 

1196
01:08:41,800 --> 01:08:45,680
longer need to service lamps. 
The entire infrastructure of 

1197
01:08:45,680 --> 01:08:49,560
urban illumination, built up 
over decades, sits idle. 

1198
01:08:50,120 --> 01:08:53,120
It's as if a major technological
achievement has been suddenly 

1199
01:08:53,120 --> 01:08:55,680
paused, put on hold for the 
duration. 

1200
01:08:56,479 --> 01:08:59,560
But perhaps the most striking 
aspect of these first blackout 

1201
01:08:59,560 --> 01:09:03,160
nights is the quiet. 
With activities constrained by 

1202
01:09:03,160 --> 01:09:07,160
darkness, with people staying 
indoors more, and with traffic 

1203
01:09:07,160 --> 01:09:11,840
reduced to a cautious crawl, 
cities become genuinely hushed 

1204
01:09:12,319 --> 01:09:15,319
in a way they haven't been since
the 19th century. 

1205
01:09:16,279 --> 01:09:20,680
Standing on a London St. at 9:00
on a blackout evening, you might

1206
01:09:20,680 --> 01:09:23,800
hear sounds that normally drown 
in the urban cacophony. 

1207
01:09:24,399 --> 01:09:28,520
Wind rustling through plane 
trees, the distant hoot of an 

1208
01:09:28,520 --> 01:09:32,359
owl in a park, your own 
footsteps echoing off building 

1209
01:09:32,359 --> 01:09:36,680
facades, the creak of your shoe 
leather and the whisper of your 

1210
01:09:36,680 --> 01:09:40,600
coat. 
This quiet has its own peculiar 

1211
01:09:40,600 --> 01:09:44,399
quality, different from the 
silence of the countryside or 

1212
01:09:44,399 --> 01:09:48,160
wilderness. 
It's a metropolitan quiet, the 

1213
01:09:48,160 --> 01:09:51,319
sound of millions of people 
deliberately hushing themselves,

1214
01:09:51,600 --> 01:09:55,120
suppressing their normal 
activities and existing in a 

1215
01:09:55,120 --> 01:09:58,760
state of communal restraint. 
It feels pregnant with 

1216
01:09:58,760 --> 01:10:02,800
potential, as if the city is 
holding its breath, waiting for 

1217
01:10:02,800 --> 01:10:05,160
something to happen or not 
happen. 

1218
01:10:05,880 --> 01:10:09,480
The September progresses into 
October, and October into 

1219
01:10:09,480 --> 01:10:12,200
November. 
The blackout stops being a 

1220
01:10:12,200 --> 01:10:16,440
shocking novelty and becomes 
instead the new normal. 

1221
01:10:17,160 --> 01:10:19,320
Human beings are remarkably 
adaptable. 

1222
01:10:19,320 --> 01:10:23,120
Creatures and people develop 
strategies, habits, and even 

1223
01:10:23,120 --> 01:10:25,440
preferences around their 
darkened existence. 

1224
01:10:26,040 --> 01:10:29,400
Shops adjust their hours, 
opening earlier to catch morning

1225
01:10:29,400 --> 01:10:32,000
light and closing well before 
darkness makes shopping 

1226
01:10:32,000 --> 01:10:35,000
impractical. 
The rhythm of commercial life 

1227
01:10:35,000 --> 01:10:38,720
shifts backward, becoming more 
diurnal, more aligned with 

1228
01:10:38,720 --> 01:10:42,920
natural light cycles. 
Markets bustle at dawn in ways 

1229
01:10:42,920 --> 01:10:46,680
they haven't for generations. 
Office workers arrive earlier 

1230
01:10:46,680 --> 01:10:49,560
and leave earlier, trying to 
complete their commutes while 

1231
01:10:49,560 --> 01:10:51,440
the sun still offers some 
guidance. 

1232
01:10:52,160 --> 01:10:55,640
Fashion adapts to darkness with 
unexpected creativity. 

1233
01:10:56,440 --> 01:10:59,200
People begin wearing white or 
light coloured clothing in the 

1234
01:10:59,200 --> 01:11:02,880
evenings, making themselves more
visible to others navigating the

1235
01:11:02,880 --> 01:11:06,160
gloom. 
Women carry their white handbags

1236
01:11:06,160 --> 01:11:09,840
rather than darker ones. 
Men sport white handkerchiefs in

1237
01:11:09,840 --> 01:11:13,080
their breast pockets. 
Some particularly safety 

1238
01:11:13,080 --> 01:11:16,280
conscious individuals paint 
white stripes on their clothing,

1239
01:11:16,800 --> 01:11:19,720
looking rather like zebras as 
they hurry along pavements. 

1240
01:11:20,320 --> 01:11:22,680
The practice extends to 
inanimate objects. 

1241
01:11:23,200 --> 01:11:25,640
Curbs are painted white to make 
them visible. 

1242
01:11:26,120 --> 01:11:29,480
The trunks of trees lining 
streets receive white bands. 

1243
01:11:29,920 --> 01:11:34,080
Pillar boxes get white stripes. 
Even dogs acquire white collars 

1244
01:11:34,080 --> 01:11:36,040
so they can be spotted in the 
darkness. 

1245
01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:40,480
The effect, glimpsed in whatever
dim light is available is oddly 

1246
01:11:40,480 --> 01:11:44,680
festive, as if the city has been
decorated for some backward 

1247
01:11:44,680 --> 01:11:47,360
celebration. 
Where white rather than bright 

1248
01:11:47,360 --> 01:11:51,840
colours provide the decoration, 
businesses find innovative ways 

1249
01:11:51,840 --> 01:11:54,160
to continue operating despite 
the darkness. 

1250
01:11:54,720 --> 01:11:58,440
Restaurants use dim red lights 
that supposedly don't carry as 

1251
01:11:58,440 --> 01:12:02,000
far as white light. 
Cinemas schedule more matinee 

1252
01:12:02,000 --> 01:12:04,560
showings. 
Pubs installed double door 

1253
01:12:04,560 --> 01:12:08,400
systems, small enclosed lobbies 
where patrons can enter and 

1254
01:12:08,400 --> 01:12:12,040
close one door before opening 
the second, preventing light 

1255
01:12:12,040 --> 01:12:15,640
from spilling onto the street. 
These little airlocks become 

1256
01:12:15,640 --> 01:12:19,640
social spaces in themselves, 
places where strangers pause 

1257
01:12:19,640 --> 01:12:22,840
together in compressed 
transition zones, sharing 

1258
01:12:22,840 --> 01:12:26,280
apologetic smiles in the 
darkness before one of them 

1259
01:12:26,280 --> 01:12:29,800
ventures to open the inner door.
The entertainment industry 

1260
01:12:29,800 --> 01:12:31,960
adapts with characteristic 
resilience. 

1261
01:12:32,680 --> 01:12:36,240
Radio becomes even more central 
to evening life, providing 

1262
01:12:36,240 --> 01:12:39,120
entertainment that requires no 
light beyond what's needed to 

1263
01:12:39,120 --> 01:12:42,120
see the dial. 
Families gather around their 

1264
01:12:42,120 --> 01:12:45,840
wireless sets in dimly lit 
rooms, following dramas and 

1265
01:12:45,840 --> 01:12:49,440
comedies, listening to news 
broadcasts that have taken on 

1266
01:12:49,440 --> 01:12:54,040
new urgency. 
The BBC develops new programming

1267
01:12:54,040 --> 01:12:56,760
specifically suited to blackout 
conditions. 

1268
01:12:57,320 --> 01:13:00,640
Gentle, calming content. 
For people sitting in darkened 

1269
01:13:00,640 --> 01:13:04,160
rooms, trying not to think too 
much about why they're sitting 

1270
01:13:04,160 --> 01:13:07,720
in darkened rooms, reading 
becomes more challenging. 

1271
01:13:08,200 --> 01:13:11,680
Even with curtains drawn and no 
light escaping, many people find

1272
01:13:11,680 --> 01:13:14,760
it difficult to read by the dim 
bulbs they allow themselves. 

1273
01:13:15,480 --> 01:13:18,400
Books are held closer to faces, 
causing eye strain. 

1274
01:13:19,080 --> 01:13:22,400
Some people rediscover the 
pleasure of reading aloud with 

1275
01:13:22,400 --> 01:13:25,560
partners or family members, 
taking turns performing stories 

1276
01:13:25,880 --> 01:13:27,840
or newspaper articles for each 
other. 

1277
01:13:28,520 --> 01:13:31,760
It's a practice that had largely
died out, with widespread 

1278
01:13:31,760 --> 01:13:35,480
literacy and individual reading 
lights now resurrected by 

1279
01:13:35,480 --> 01:13:38,120
necessity and turning out to be 
rather pleasant. 

1280
01:13:38,120 --> 01:13:43,040
A return to the old tradition of
communal storytelling, updated 

1281
01:13:43,040 --> 01:13:46,840
for the 20th century. 
Children adapt to the blackout 

1282
01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:50,080
with the flexibility of youth, 
though it complicates their 

1283
01:13:50,080 --> 01:13:54,000
lives in numerous ways. 
School days reorganise around 

1284
01:13:54,000 --> 01:13:56,920
available daylight evening 
activities. 

1285
01:13:57,200 --> 01:14:02,000
Scouts, Girl Guides and youth 
clubs either move to afternoon 

1286
01:14:02,000 --> 01:14:04,720
hours or take on a different 
character as participants 

1287
01:14:04,720 --> 01:14:09,000
gathering carefully blacked out 
halls, Games and activities 

1288
01:14:09,000 --> 01:14:11,800
shift toward those that don't 
require good visibility. 

1289
01:14:12,440 --> 01:14:16,760
Card games become popular, board
games experience a revival, 

1290
01:14:17,280 --> 01:14:20,480
radio quiz shows inspire living 
room competitions. 

1291
01:14:20,880 --> 01:14:24,520
The blackout creates unexpected 
opportunities for mischief, too.

1292
01:14:25,080 --> 01:14:28,600
In the darkness, it's easier to 
stay out later than your parents

1293
01:14:28,640 --> 01:14:32,640
realise, to slip away unseen, 
and to conduct the small 

1294
01:14:32,640 --> 01:14:35,760
rebellions of adolescence with 
reduced risk of detection. 

1295
01:14:36,520 --> 01:14:39,640
More than one teenager discovers
that the blackout, for all its 

1296
01:14:39,640 --> 01:14:43,200
restrictions, offers a kind of 
freedom that comes with reduced 

1297
01:14:43,200 --> 01:14:46,200
surveillance. 
For young couples, the darkness 

1298
01:14:46,200 --> 01:14:48,640
provides both challenges and 
possibilities. 

1299
01:14:49,280 --> 01:14:53,400
Traditional courtship rituals, 
evening strolls, cinema visits, 

1300
01:14:53,400 --> 01:14:58,040
Cafe dates must be reconsidered.
Walking together requires 

1301
01:14:58,040 --> 01:15:00,880
linking arms not just 
romantically but practically, 

1302
01:15:01,200 --> 01:15:05,040
for navigation and safety. 
The darkness creates a kind of 

1303
01:15:05,080 --> 01:15:09,720
intimacy by default, a closeness
born of necessity that might not

1304
01:15:09,760 --> 01:15:14,040
otherwise develop so quickly. 
First kisses happen in deeper 

1305
01:15:14,040 --> 01:15:17,000
darkness than any previous 
generation experienced, 

1306
01:15:17,480 --> 01:15:21,080
unobserved by passersby who can 
barely see their own feet. 

1307
01:15:22,080 --> 01:15:25,440
Workers in essential services 
face particular challenges. 

1308
01:15:26,040 --> 01:15:28,680
Doctors making house calls 
navigate by memory and 

1309
01:15:28,680 --> 01:15:32,120
guesswork, their medical bags 
bumping against their legs as 

1310
01:15:32,120 --> 01:15:33,800
they feel their way along 
streets. 

1311
01:15:34,760 --> 01:15:38,240
Nurses on night shifts move 
through hospital corridors lit 

1312
01:15:38,280 --> 01:15:43,000
only by shielded lamps, checking
on patients in wards kept darker

1313
01:15:43,000 --> 01:15:47,640
than anyone finds comfortable. 
Fire Brigades drill extensively 

1314
01:15:47,640 --> 01:15:51,800
for responding to emergencies in
near total darkness, developing 

1315
01:15:51,800 --> 01:15:55,360
systems of communication that 
rely on sound and touch rather 

1316
01:15:55,360 --> 01:15:59,080
than visual signals. 
The Postal Service continues 

1317
01:15:59,080 --> 01:16:02,040
it's rounds, though. 
Postmen learn to sort mail by 

1318
01:16:02,040 --> 01:16:06,000
feel as much as sight, their 
fingers developing sensitivity 

1319
01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:08,400
to different paper stocks and 
envelope sizes. 

1320
01:16:09,280 --> 01:16:13,080
Milk deliveries continue in the 
pre dawn darkness, the clink of 

1321
01:16:13,080 --> 01:16:16,400
bottles and the rattle of crates
providing a kind of alarm clock 

1322
01:16:16,880 --> 01:16:20,040
announcing the coming day to 
those awake early enough to hear

1323
01:16:20,040 --> 01:16:23,040
it. 
Public transportation becomes an

1324
01:16:23,040 --> 01:16:27,840
exercise in faith and routine. 
Bus conductors develop an almost

1325
01:16:27,840 --> 01:16:31,280
supernatural ability to 
recognise stops in the darkness,

1326
01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:35,160
calling them out with confidence
born of long familiarity. 

1327
01:16:35,800 --> 01:16:39,640
Passengers learn to count stops 
and to listen for landmarks, a 

1328
01:16:39,640 --> 01:16:42,960
particular church bell, the 
sound of the river and the 

1329
01:16:42,960 --> 01:16:46,600
change in echo as the bus passes
between buildings of different 

1330
01:16:46,600 --> 01:16:49,760
heights. 
Regular commuters developmental 

1331
01:16:49,760 --> 01:16:52,240
maps so detailed they could 
navigate their routes 

1332
01:16:52,240 --> 01:16:54,920
blindfolded. 
Which is essentially what 

1333
01:16:54,920 --> 01:16:57,440
they're doing. 
As the months progress and 

1334
01:16:57,440 --> 01:17:00,320
Britain settles into what 
becomes known as the Phony War, 

1335
01:17:00,880 --> 01:17:03,880
a period when war has been 
declared but major fighting 

1336
01:17:03,880 --> 01:17:08,280
hasn't yet reached British soil,
the blackout reveals unexpected 

1337
01:17:08,280 --> 01:17:11,520
dimensions. 
What began as an emergency 

1338
01:17:11,520 --> 01:17:15,240
measure starts to disclose 
peculiar beauties and strange 

1339
01:17:15,240 --> 01:17:18,640
pleasures that coexist with the 
anxiety and inconvenience. 

1340
01:17:19,400 --> 01:17:22,560
The night sky becomes visible in
ways that city dwellers haven't 

1341
01:17:22,560 --> 01:17:26,320
experienced in decades. 
Without the light pollution that

1342
01:17:26,320 --> 01:17:30,120
normally obscures all but the 
brightest stars, the full glory 

1343
01:17:30,120 --> 01:17:33,520
of the cosmos appears overhead 
on clear nights. 

1344
01:17:33,520 --> 01:17:36,200
Stepping outside is like 
discovering a lost artwork 

1345
01:17:36,200 --> 01:17:39,160
that's been hanging in your home
all along, hidden behind a 

1346
01:17:39,160 --> 01:17:41,160
curtain you didn't realise was 
there. 

1347
01:17:42,240 --> 01:17:46,440
You can see the Milky Way from 
central London, that cloudy band

1348
01:17:46,440 --> 01:17:50,120
of distant stars stretching 
across the darkness like a river

1349
01:17:50,120 --> 01:17:53,320
of light. 
Constellations appear not as 

1350
01:17:53,320 --> 01:17:57,600
isolated bright points but as 
part of complex star fields, 

1351
01:17:58,040 --> 01:18:02,520
patterns within patterns, depths
and layers that electric light 

1352
01:18:02,520 --> 01:18:06,640
normally renders invisible. 
The moon, when it's up, seems 

1353
01:18:06,640 --> 01:18:11,280
preposterously bright, casting 
real shadows, turning streets 

1354
01:18:11,280 --> 01:18:15,080
into silvered mazes, and making 
you understand why poets and 

1355
01:18:15,080 --> 01:18:17,280
lovers have obsessed over it for
millennia. 

1356
01:18:17,920 --> 01:18:21,160
Some people find this revelation
of the night sky almost worth 

1357
01:18:21,160 --> 01:18:22,840
the inconvenience of the 
blackout. 

1358
01:18:23,520 --> 01:18:27,560
Astronomy clubs form, taking 
advantage of viewing conditions 

1359
01:18:27,560 --> 01:18:31,680
that rival rural observatories. 
Amateur stargazers set up 

1360
01:18:31,680 --> 01:18:36,160
telescopes in parks and gardens,
sharing glimpses of Jupiter's 

1361
01:18:36,160 --> 01:18:40,360
moons, Saturn's rings and the 
craters of the moon in 

1362
01:18:40,360 --> 01:18:44,400
unprecedented detail. 
There's something hopeful about 

1363
01:18:44,400 --> 01:18:47,680
this, people looking upward at 
beauty and vastness while 

1364
01:18:47,680 --> 01:18:50,280
preparing for conflict that 
feels petty and small by 

1365
01:18:50,280 --> 01:18:53,640
comparison. 
The darkness also reveals the 

1366
01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:58,120
bioluminescence that normally 
goes unnoticed on damp nights. 

1367
01:18:58,520 --> 01:19:03,080
Decaying wood in parks glows 
with foxfire, that eerie green 

1368
01:19:03,080 --> 01:19:05,640
phosphorescence produced by 
certain fungi. 

1369
01:19:06,360 --> 01:19:10,320
People discover it by accident, 
initially alarmed by the 

1370
01:19:10,320 --> 01:19:14,640
spectral light, then fascinated 
by this natural illumination 

1371
01:19:14,920 --> 01:19:20,000
that requires no electricity. 
Some gather pieces of glowing 

1372
01:19:20,000 --> 01:19:23,920
wood, bringing them home like 
captured fairy lights, watching 

1373
01:19:23,920 --> 01:19:26,440
them pulse and fade. 
In darkened rooms. 

1374
01:19:27,040 --> 01:19:30,440
Sound takes on new prominence in
the absence of visual stimuli. 

1375
01:19:31,080 --> 01:19:34,600
Your hearing becomes more acute,
more attentive to the acoustic 

1376
01:19:34,600 --> 01:19:37,800
environment. 
You notice the different sounds 

1377
01:19:37,800 --> 01:19:41,240
that shoes make on different 
surfaces, the crisp click of 

1378
01:19:41,240 --> 01:19:45,160
leather on pavement, the softer 
scuff on dirt, and the hollow 

1379
01:19:45,200 --> 01:19:49,160
echo when crossing a bridge. 
You become aware of how sound 

1380
01:19:49,160 --> 01:19:52,760
reflects off buildings, how it 
carries differently in cold air 

1381
01:19:52,760 --> 01:19:56,360
versus warm, and how wind 
effects what you can and cannot 

1382
01:19:56,360 --> 01:19:58,880
hear. 
Music heard in the blackout 

1383
01:19:58,880 --> 01:20:02,480
takes on different qualities. 
A piano played in a darkened 

1384
01:20:02,480 --> 01:20:05,640
room, with only the faintest 
light to illuminate the keys, 

1385
01:20:06,000 --> 01:20:07,960
seems to fill the space more 
completely. 

1386
01:20:08,600 --> 01:20:11,400
The notes appear to have more 
presence, more weight. 

1387
01:20:12,160 --> 01:20:16,480
St. musicians, fewer now but 
still present, create pockets of

1388
01:20:16,480 --> 01:20:20,880
melody in the darkness, and 
pedestrians pause to listen in 

1389
01:20:20,880 --> 01:20:24,600
ways they might not in daylight.
When vision provides so many 

1390
01:20:24,600 --> 01:20:29,320
competing distractions, church 
bells continue to mark time, but

1391
01:20:29,320 --> 01:20:32,320
their sound travels differently 
through the quieted city. 

1392
01:20:32,960 --> 01:20:36,720
Without traffic noise to muffle 
them, bells carry for miles, 

1393
01:20:37,040 --> 01:20:40,000
their various tones creating 
unintended harmonies. 

1394
01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:43,560
As different churches mark the 
hours, some people begin to 

1395
01:20:43,560 --> 01:20:47,440
navigate by bell sound, using 
familiar patterns to Orient 

1396
01:20:47,440 --> 01:20:50,280
themselves even when visual 
landmarks are invisible. 

1397
01:20:51,040 --> 01:20:53,160
The blackout also amplifies 
smell. 

1398
01:20:53,640 --> 01:20:57,160
Without visual distraction, your
nose provides more information 

1399
01:20:57,160 --> 01:20:59,320
than usual. 
You become aware of the 

1400
01:20:59,320 --> 01:21:03,560
particular scent of rain on 
stone, of fog carrying hints of 

1401
01:21:03,560 --> 01:21:07,400
the river, of coal smoke from 
chimneys and of cooking from 

1402
01:21:07,400 --> 01:21:10,120
various houses, creating an 
olfactory map of your 

1403
01:21:10,120 --> 01:21:13,480
neighborhood. 
Bakeries become locatable by 

1404
01:21:13,480 --> 01:21:18,160
scent before sight, the yeasty 
warmth of fresh bread serving as

1405
01:21:18,160 --> 01:21:20,880
a beacon that draws customers 
through the darkness. 

1406
01:21:21,600 --> 01:21:24,400
But alongside these unexpected 
pleasures runs a constant 

1407
01:21:24,400 --> 01:21:28,080
undercurrent of unease. 
The darkness that reveals stars 

1408
01:21:28,080 --> 01:21:31,760
also conceals potential threats.
Every shadow could be an 

1409
01:21:31,760 --> 01:21:34,760
obstacle, and every sound might 
signal danger. 

1410
01:21:35,560 --> 01:21:39,160
The human imagination, deprived 
of visual input, tends to fill 

1411
01:21:39,160 --> 01:21:42,560
in missing information. 
With worst case scenarios, that 

1412
01:21:42,560 --> 01:21:45,680
bump in the darkness is probably
just someone's elbow making 

1413
01:21:45,680 --> 01:21:49,400
accidental contact, But for a 
moment, your heart rate spikes 

1414
01:21:49,400 --> 01:21:52,720
with more primal fear. 
Women particularly, feel 

1415
01:21:52,720 --> 01:21:55,960
vulnerable in the darkness. 
The reduced visibility that 

1416
01:21:55,960 --> 01:21:59,520
offers privacy to courting 
couples also provides cover for 

1417
01:21:59,520 --> 01:22:03,280
harassment and assault. 
Reported incidents of such 

1418
01:22:03,280 --> 01:22:06,440
crimes increase during the 
blackout, though it's unclear 

1419
01:22:06,440 --> 01:22:09,600
whether the actual rate rises or
if darkness simply enables 

1420
01:22:09,600 --> 01:22:11,360
crimes that would happen 
regardless. 

1421
01:22:12,200 --> 01:22:15,880
Many women alter their routines,
travelling only in groups, 

1422
01:22:16,160 --> 01:22:19,320
carrying whistles or other 
noisemakers, and avoiding 

1423
01:22:19,320 --> 01:22:22,040
certain areas that feel 
particularly threatening in the 

1424
01:22:22,040 --> 01:22:26,160
absence of light. 
The blackout also creates social

1425
01:22:26,160 --> 01:22:30,040
isolation in unexpected ways. 
Without being able to see into 

1426
01:22:30,040 --> 01:22:33,000
neighbors windows to note the 
comforting glow of occupied 

1427
01:22:33,000 --> 01:22:37,880
homes, people feel more alone. 
The physical proximity of urban 

1428
01:22:37,880 --> 01:22:40,720
life continues. 
You're still surrounded by 

1429
01:22:40,720 --> 01:22:43,880
thousands of other humans living
their lives just beyond thin 

1430
01:22:43,880 --> 01:22:47,640
walls, but the visual 
confirmation of that presence 

1431
01:22:47,640 --> 01:22:50,560
disappears. 
Your neighbor might be 3 feet 

1432
01:22:50,560 --> 01:22:53,400
away on the other side of a 
wall, but in the darkness and 

1433
01:22:53,400 --> 01:22:55,840
quiet, they might as well be 
muscles distant. 

1434
01:22:56,840 --> 01:23:00,160
This isolation is particularly 
hard for the elderly and infirm.

1435
01:23:00,680 --> 01:23:03,680
Those who already struggled with
mobility find the darkness 

1436
01:23:03,720 --> 01:23:07,320
actively dangerous. 
The simple act of walking to a 

1437
01:23:07,320 --> 01:23:11,280
corner shop becomes fraught with
hazard, unseen curbs to stumble 

1438
01:23:11,280 --> 01:23:15,720
over, obstacles to collide with,
and the constant possibility of 

1439
01:23:15,720 --> 01:23:18,760
becoming disoriented and lost on
familiar streets. 

1440
01:23:19,600 --> 01:23:23,440
Many older people choose to stay
home more, venturing out only 

1441
01:23:23,440 --> 01:23:27,920
when absolutely necessary, 
accepting A constricted life as 

1442
01:23:27,920 --> 01:23:31,000
preferable to the risks of 
navigating the shadowed city. 

1443
01:23:31,840 --> 01:23:34,640
Mental health professionals 
notice an increase in reports of

1444
01:23:34,640 --> 01:23:38,480
anxiety and depression. 
The darkness, combined with war 

1445
01:23:38,480 --> 01:23:42,040
stress, creates A psychological 
burden that some people struggle

1446
01:23:42,040 --> 01:23:44,960
to manage. 
Sleep patterns disrupt. 

1447
01:23:45,480 --> 01:23:49,040
Some people sleep better in the 
deeper darkness, while others 

1448
01:23:49,040 --> 01:23:53,200
lie awake, listening to every 
small sound, unable to relax 

1449
01:23:53,200 --> 01:23:56,520
into vulnerability. 
Dreams become more vivid for 

1450
01:23:56,520 --> 01:24:00,560
many, possibly because the 
darkness and quiet create fewer 

1451
01:24:00,560 --> 01:24:03,080
distractions from internal 
mental activity. 

1452
01:24:03,840 --> 01:24:07,120
Yet there's also a strange 
cosiness to it all, a sense of 

1453
01:24:07,120 --> 01:24:10,640
communal experience that 
transcends the inconvenience and

1454
01:24:10,640 --> 01:24:13,360
danger. 
Everyone is facing the same 

1455
01:24:13,360 --> 01:24:17,080
challenge, making the same 
adjustments and developing the 

1456
01:24:17,080 --> 01:24:19,920
same odd competences for 
navigating darkness. 

1457
01:24:20,400 --> 01:24:23,720
There's a camaraderie and shared
difficulty, a democratic 

1458
01:24:23,720 --> 01:24:26,960
levelling that occurs when Lord 
and Labour are alike, must feel 

1459
01:24:26,960 --> 01:24:29,120
their way along the same 
invisible St. 

1460
01:24:29,640 --> 01:24:33,880
Inside the blacked out homes of 
Britain, family life reorganises

1461
01:24:33,880 --> 01:24:36,680
itself around new limitations 
and possibilities. 

1462
01:24:37,320 --> 01:24:41,080
The blackout curtains that seal 
windows become daily fixtures, 

1463
01:24:41,480 --> 01:24:45,720
their operation as routine as 
making tea each evening. 

1464
01:24:45,920 --> 01:24:49,800
As natural light begins to fade,
someone rises to perform the 

1465
01:24:49,800 --> 01:24:53,840
ritual, drawing heavy fabric 
across windows, checking for 

1466
01:24:53,840 --> 01:24:57,120
gaps, and ensuring, no 
betrayingly, will mark the house

1467
01:24:57,120 --> 01:25:00,040
from above. 
The rooms, once sealed, feel 

1468
01:25:00,040 --> 01:25:03,720
different, smaller, somehow, 
even though their physical 

1469
01:25:03,720 --> 01:25:07,560
dimensions haven't changed. 
The absence of visual connection

1470
01:25:07,560 --> 01:25:10,520
to the outside world makes 
interior spaces feel more like 

1471
01:25:10,520 --> 01:25:16,160
caves or cocoons, enclosed, 
inward facing and separate from 

1472
01:25:16,160 --> 01:25:19,240
the larger world. 
This can be comforting or 

1473
01:25:19,240 --> 01:25:22,520
claustrophobic, depending on 
temperament and circumstance. 

1474
01:25:23,120 --> 01:25:27,280
For some, it creates a pleasant 
sense of snugness, everyone 

1475
01:25:27,280 --> 01:25:31,720
tucked safely together. 
For others, it feels confining, 

1476
01:25:32,200 --> 01:25:34,480
the nightly imprisonment in 
their own homes. 

1477
01:25:35,320 --> 01:25:38,520
Lighting becomes a subject of 
surprising complexity and 

1478
01:25:38,520 --> 01:25:41,200
importance. 
How much light is enough? 

1479
01:25:41,840 --> 01:25:45,760
2 Little strains eyes and 
hampers activities, but too much

1480
01:25:45,760 --> 01:25:50,000
feels wasteful, almost reckless.
Families develop their own 

1481
01:25:50,000 --> 01:25:53,520
standards and practices. 
Some maintain just one or two 

1482
01:25:53,520 --> 01:25:57,280
lights in the most used rooms, 
leaving hallways and lesser used

1483
01:25:57,280 --> 01:26:00,600
spaces in darkness. 
Others attempt to maintain 

1484
01:26:00,600 --> 01:26:03,960
something closer to their pre 
war lighting levels, valuing 

1485
01:26:03,960 --> 01:26:07,960
normalcy over conservation. 
The quality of light matters 

1486
01:26:07,960 --> 01:26:11,280
too. 
Incandescent bulbs cast warm 

1487
01:26:11,280 --> 01:26:14,360
yellow orange light that feels 
friendly and domestic. 

1488
01:26:15,160 --> 01:26:18,360
Gaslight, where it's still 
available, flickers slightly, 

1489
01:26:18,760 --> 01:26:22,600
creating moving shadows that 
some fine nostalgic and others 

1490
01:26:22,600 --> 01:26:26,120
find eerie. 
Candles produce beautiful light 

1491
01:26:26,160 --> 01:26:30,240
but require attention. 
Someone must trim Wicks, watch 

1492
01:26:30,240 --> 01:26:33,400
for drips and ensure nothing 
catches fire. 

1493
01:26:34,160 --> 01:26:38,160
Oil lamps smell distinctive, a 
petroleum scent that becomes 

1494
01:26:38,160 --> 01:26:41,640
associated with winter evenings,
and the crackle of the wireless 

1495
01:26:42,520 --> 01:26:45,000
mealtimes adjust to the 
blackout's rhythms. 

1496
01:26:45,560 --> 01:26:48,640
Dinner happens earlier, while 
natural light still assists with

1497
01:26:48,640 --> 01:26:52,560
cooking and table setting. 
The ritual of evening tea shifts

1498
01:26:52,560 --> 01:26:56,280
backward, too, or transforms 
into a simpler affair taken in 

1499
01:26:56,280 --> 01:26:59,600
dimly lit rooms. 
Some families find themselves 

1500
01:26:59,640 --> 01:27:03,000
eating more cold meals in the 
evening, avoiding the complexity

1501
01:27:03,000 --> 01:27:06,360
of cooking in reduced light and 
making do with sandwiches, 

1502
01:27:06,720 --> 01:27:09,280
leftover pie, cheese and 
crackers. 

1503
01:27:09,640 --> 01:27:12,440
Yet there's also an increased 
emphasis on making evening meals

1504
01:27:12,440 --> 01:27:16,280
special, a conscious effort to 
maintain normalcy and comfort 

1505
01:27:16,280 --> 01:27:20,000
despite the circumstances. 
Mothers and wives take extra 

1506
01:27:20,000 --> 01:27:23,960
care with presentation, setting 
tables nicely even if the dining

1507
01:27:23,960 --> 01:27:28,080
room is dim, using good China, 
and creating small ceremonies 

1508
01:27:28,080 --> 01:27:30,560
that assert civilizations 
continuity. 

1509
01:27:31,680 --> 01:27:34,360
These gestures matter more than 
they might seem. 

1510
01:27:34,920 --> 01:27:37,400
They're acts of resistance 
against the disruption, 

1511
01:27:37,800 --> 01:27:41,320
declarations that ordinary life 
persist despite extraordinary 

1512
01:27:41,320 --> 01:27:44,920
circumstances. 
After dinner, families gather 

1513
01:27:44,920 --> 01:27:48,760
together more than they might 
have before, with fewer options 

1514
01:27:48,760 --> 01:27:51,840
for individual entertainment. 
With darkness making it 

1515
01:27:51,840 --> 01:27:55,120
impractical to pursue separate 
activities in different rooms, 

1516
01:27:55,520 --> 01:27:59,160
people congregate in the best 
lit space, usually the sitting 

1517
01:27:59,160 --> 01:28:02,600
room or kitchen. 
This enforced togetherness 

1518
01:28:02,640 --> 01:28:06,800
recreates patterns of family 
life from earlier eras, before 

1519
01:28:06,800 --> 01:28:09,840
electric light allowed household
members to scatter to different 

1520
01:28:09,840 --> 01:28:12,040
rooms pursuing individual 
interests. 

1521
01:28:12,520 --> 01:28:16,000
The wireless becomes the 
evening's focal point, it's dial

1522
01:28:16,000 --> 01:28:19,600
glowing like a small campfire, 
gathering the family around its 

1523
01:28:19,600 --> 01:28:23,880
broadcast voices program 
structure the evening, the news 

1524
01:28:23,880 --> 01:28:28,320
at 9, followed by entertainment,
then perhaps music before bed. 

1525
01:28:29,040 --> 01:28:32,720
Listening becomes a communal 
activity, something shared and 

1526
01:28:32,720 --> 01:28:35,840
discussed, with reactions 
exchanged in real time. 

1527
01:28:36,480 --> 01:28:40,000
When something funny happens in 
a comedy program, the family's 

1528
01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:43,240
laughter mingles together in the
dim room, creating a shared 

1529
01:28:43,240 --> 01:28:46,760
memory, a small moment of joy 
amidst anxiety. 

1530
01:28:47,600 --> 01:28:50,400
Games and puzzles experience 
renaissance. 

1531
01:28:50,880 --> 01:28:54,760
Families bring out jigsaws, card
decks, and board games that have

1532
01:28:54,760 --> 01:28:56,440
been gathering dust and 
cupboards. 

1533
01:28:57,280 --> 01:29:00,600
These activities work well in 
dim light and accommodate 

1534
01:29:00,600 --> 01:29:04,600
multiple participants. 
The social dynamic shifts during

1535
01:29:04,600 --> 01:29:07,040
gameplay. 
Hierarchies flatten. 

1536
01:29:07,400 --> 01:29:10,800
Children can beat adults through
luck or skill, and everyone 

1537
01:29:10,800 --> 01:29:12,920
participates on more equal 
terms. 

1538
01:29:13,640 --> 01:29:16,760
These evening game sessions 
create their own satisfaction, 

1539
01:29:17,160 --> 01:29:19,920
simple pleasures that don't 
require technology or 

1540
01:29:19,920 --> 01:29:22,960
brightness. 
Conversation, too, becomes more 

1541
01:29:22,960 --> 01:29:26,560
central to family life. 
Without the visual stimulation 

1542
01:29:26,560 --> 01:29:30,320
of bright rooms and varied 
activities, people talk more, 

1543
01:29:30,560 --> 01:29:34,040
tell stories, and share their 
days in greater detail. 

1544
01:29:34,800 --> 01:29:37,480
Parents discuss things with 
children that might normally be 

1545
01:29:37,480 --> 01:29:41,320
postponed or abbreviated. 
Siblings, who might typically 

1546
01:29:41,320 --> 01:29:44,520
ignore each other in favour of 
separate pursuits, find 

1547
01:29:44,520 --> 01:29:47,880
themselves actually conversing, 
getting to know each other 

1548
01:29:47,880 --> 01:29:49,760
better. 
In these enforced periods of 

1549
01:29:49,760 --> 01:29:53,920
proximity, reading aloud becomes
a nightly ritual in many 

1550
01:29:53,920 --> 01:29:56,320
households. 
Father might read from the 

1551
01:29:56,320 --> 01:30:00,200
evening paper, sharing news and 
editorials, sometimes with 

1552
01:30:00,200 --> 01:30:03,160
commentary. 
Mother might read from novels, 

1553
01:30:03,560 --> 01:30:06,840
performing different voices for 
different characters, creating 

1554
01:30:06,840 --> 01:30:09,400
entertainment that doesn't 
require visual props. 

1555
01:30:10,240 --> 01:30:13,440
Older children might take turns 
reading, developing their 

1556
01:30:13,440 --> 01:30:15,480
expression and comfort with 
performance. 

1557
01:30:16,240 --> 01:30:19,560
These sessions revive an oral 
tradition that have been fading,

1558
01:30:19,960 --> 01:30:22,880
turning literature back into 
something communal rather than 

1559
01:30:22,880 --> 01:30:26,000
solitary. 
Bedtime routines simplify in 

1560
01:30:26,000 --> 01:30:28,840
some ways. 
Without bright lights, the 

1561
01:30:28,840 --> 01:30:32,240
natural drowsiness that comes 
with darkness isn't artificially

1562
01:30:32,240 --> 01:30:35,160
suppressed. 
Children get sleepy earlier, 

1563
01:30:35,520 --> 01:30:38,680
their circadian rhythms 
responding to environmental cues

1564
01:30:38,680 --> 01:30:41,040
that electric light normally 
overrides. 

1565
01:30:41,760 --> 01:30:44,240
Parents find it easier to get 
little ones to bed when the 

1566
01:30:44,240 --> 01:30:47,560
whole house is already dim and 
quiet, when there's not much 

1567
01:30:47,560 --> 01:30:51,920
exciting happening to miss. 
But the darkness also introduces

1568
01:30:51,920 --> 01:30:55,240
new nighttime fears, especially 
for children. 

1569
01:30:55,880 --> 01:30:59,440
The shadows in a dimly lit 
bedroom seem deeper, more 

1570
01:30:59,440 --> 01:31:02,720
ominous. 
The usual reassurance of there's

1571
01:31:02,720 --> 01:31:06,560
nothing there becomes harder to 
verify when you actually can't 

1572
01:31:06,560 --> 01:31:10,480
see into corners and closets. 
Some parents leave candles 

1573
01:31:10,480 --> 01:31:14,040
burning, accepting the fire risk
as preferable to childhood 

1574
01:31:14,040 --> 01:31:16,960
terror. 
Others develop new bedtime 

1575
01:31:16,960 --> 01:31:20,920
rituals, longer tucking in 
sessions, stories told in 

1576
01:31:20,920 --> 01:31:24,280
soothing tones and songs hummed 
until sleep arrives. 

1577
01:31:25,280 --> 01:31:27,680
For parents themselves, the 
blackout creates its own 

1578
01:31:27,680 --> 01:31:31,040
intimacy and distance. 
Once children are asleep, 

1579
01:31:31,040 --> 01:31:33,560
couples have the evening to 
themselves in ways they might 

1580
01:31:33,560 --> 01:31:37,400
not have before, when evening 
activities might scatter family 

1581
01:31:37,400 --> 01:31:39,360
members to various 
entertainments. 

1582
01:31:40,520 --> 01:31:44,240
Yet the darkness and quiet also 
emphasize their isolation. 

1583
01:31:44,960 --> 01:31:47,840
Two people in a sealed house on 
a darkened St. 

1584
01:31:48,440 --> 01:31:51,360
Living through history without 
knowing how the story ends. 

1585
01:31:52,080 --> 01:31:55,000
Some couples use this time for 
serious conversations. 

1586
01:31:55,000 --> 01:31:58,640
That daylight and distraction 
had allowed them to postpone 

1587
01:31:59,080 --> 01:32:03,160
discussions about money, about 
plans for possible evacuation, 

1588
01:32:03,440 --> 01:32:07,120
about fears and hopes, and about
what they'll do if the war 

1589
01:32:07,120 --> 01:32:10,760
intensifies. 
Other couples deliberately avoid

1590
01:32:10,760 --> 01:32:14,240
heavy topics, preferring to 
maintain lightness to protect 

1591
01:32:14,240 --> 01:32:17,680
their evening hours. 
As refugees from worry, they 

1592
01:32:17,680 --> 01:32:21,880
play cards, listen to music, and
simply sit together in 

1593
01:32:21,880 --> 01:32:25,880
comfortable silence, taking 
comfort from physical proximity.

1594
01:32:26,920 --> 01:32:30,240
The blackout effects married 
life in unexpected ways. 

1595
01:32:30,600 --> 01:32:34,000
The darkness provides privacy 
even in homes with thin walls 

1596
01:32:34,000 --> 01:32:37,840
and multiple inhabitants. 
Intimacy becomes easier when 

1597
01:32:37,840 --> 01:32:41,840
visual privacy is assured, when 
darkness guarantees discretion. 

1598
01:32:42,480 --> 01:32:45,200
Some couples find their 
relationship strengthened by the

1599
01:32:45,200 --> 01:32:49,080
enforced closeness and the 
shared experience of adapting to

1600
01:32:49,080 --> 01:32:52,880
strange circumstances. 
Others find the proximity 

1601
01:32:52,880 --> 01:32:56,400
without escape grating, the 
inability to retreat into 

1602
01:32:56,400 --> 01:33:00,000
separate activities, creating 
friction that might otherwise 

1603
01:33:00,000 --> 01:33:03,360
dissipate. 
Elderly family members, often 

1604
01:33:03,360 --> 01:33:05,560
living with their adult 
children, face particular 

1605
01:33:05,560 --> 01:33:08,480
challenges. 
Many older people have always 

1606
01:33:08,480 --> 01:33:12,240
relied heavily on visual cues, 
and the reduction in light makes

1607
01:33:12,280 --> 01:33:15,760
everything harder. 
Reading, knitting, even just 

1608
01:33:15,760 --> 01:33:19,280
moving around the house safely. 
Families must decide how to 

1609
01:33:19,320 --> 01:33:22,440
balance their elders needs for 
light with blackout requirements

1610
01:33:22,680 --> 01:33:26,440
and conservation concerns. 
Compromises emerge. 

1611
01:33:26,880 --> 01:33:29,800
Brighter lights in grandmother's
room, even if the rest of the 

1612
01:33:29,800 --> 01:33:32,720
house remains dim. 
Extra candles placed 

1613
01:33:32,720 --> 01:33:35,480
strategically. 
More assistance with evening 

1614
01:33:35,480 --> 01:33:37,760
tasks that darkness makes 
difficult. 

1615
01:33:38,400 --> 01:33:41,360
The blackout also reveals class 
differences in domestic 

1616
01:33:41,360 --> 01:33:44,280
experience. 
Wealthier families can afford 

1617
01:33:44,280 --> 01:33:48,000
heavier curtains, better 
blackout materials, and perhaps 

1618
01:33:48,000 --> 01:33:51,560
even specially designed blackout
systems with multiple layers. 

1619
01:33:52,080 --> 01:33:55,480
Their homes might have more 
rooms, allowing family members 

1620
01:33:55,480 --> 01:33:58,480
more privacy despite the 
enforced evening togetherness. 

1621
01:33:59,160 --> 01:34:01,920
They might maintain closer to 
normal lighting levels 

1622
01:34:02,200 --> 01:34:04,640
considering the extra 
electricity expense and 

1623
01:34:04,640 --> 01:34:08,640
acceptable cost for comfort. 
Working class families make do 

1624
01:34:08,640 --> 01:34:13,280
with cheaper solutions, blankets
nailed over windows, newspaper 

1625
01:34:13,280 --> 01:34:16,960
pasted to glass, and curtains 
sewn from whatever fabric could 

1626
01:34:16,960 --> 01:34:19,720
be afforded. 
Their smaller homes mean less 

1627
01:34:19,720 --> 01:34:23,880
privacy, more enforced proximity
and everyone living in each 

1628
01:34:23,880 --> 01:34:27,200
other's pockets. 
Even more than usual, economies 

1629
01:34:27,200 --> 01:34:29,640
in lighting hit harder when 
you're already budgeting 

1630
01:34:29,640 --> 01:34:32,960
carefully for every shilling. 
Yet there's a democratising 

1631
01:34:32,960 --> 01:34:36,000
element too. 
Rich and poor alike must darken 

1632
01:34:36,000 --> 01:34:38,800
their homes. 
The Duke in his mansion and the 

1633
01:34:38,800 --> 01:34:42,520
docker in his terrace row both 
spend their evenings in dimmed 

1634
01:34:42,520 --> 01:34:45,120
rooms. 
Both must navigate the same 

1635
01:34:45,120 --> 01:34:48,880
darkened streets. 
The blackout is one of the few 

1636
01:34:48,880 --> 01:34:51,840
wartime measures that truly 
applies equally across social 

1637
01:34:51,840 --> 01:34:55,960
strata, creating a rare moment 
of shared experience across 

1638
01:34:55,960 --> 01:35:01,280
class lines. 
As 1939 turns into 1940 and the 

1639
01:35:01,280 --> 01:35:05,160
blackout continues month after 
month, something remarkable 

1640
01:35:05,160 --> 01:35:07,680
happens. 
People stop thinking about it 

1641
01:35:07,680 --> 01:35:10,640
quite so much. 
The extraordinary becomes 

1642
01:35:10,640 --> 01:35:12,600
ordinary through sheer 
repetition. 

1643
01:35:13,280 --> 01:35:16,240
The nightly ritual of darkening 
windows transforms from a 

1644
01:35:16,240 --> 01:35:20,480
conscious process into a habit 
performed with the automaticity 

1645
01:35:20,480 --> 01:35:23,120
of brushing teeth or locking 
doors. 

1646
01:35:23,880 --> 01:35:27,520
Innovations accumulate small 
improvements that collectively 

1647
01:35:27,520 --> 01:35:29,120
make the darkness more 
manageable. 

1648
01:35:29,760 --> 01:35:33,040
Enterprising individuals develop
gadgets and solutions that 

1649
01:35:33,040 --> 01:35:35,600
spread through communities like 
helpful folklore. 

1650
01:35:36,120 --> 01:35:39,440
Someone discovers that painting 
stair edges with luminous paint 

1651
01:35:39,440 --> 01:35:44,280
makes them safer to navigate. 
The idea spreads, and soon 

1652
01:35:44,280 --> 01:35:46,240
glowing stair edges become 
common. 

1653
01:35:46,680 --> 01:35:49,840
Little safety features that cost
pennies but prevent countless 

1654
01:35:49,840 --> 01:35:52,920
falls. 
Shops begin selling specially 

1655
01:35:52,920 --> 01:35:57,160
designed blackout accessories. 
Torches with narrow beams and 

1656
01:35:57,160 --> 01:36:00,840
red filters that supposedly 
don't compromise night vision. 

1657
01:36:01,520 --> 01:36:04,560
Reflective arm bands and badges 
for pedestrians. 

1658
01:36:04,920 --> 01:36:07,520
Luminous buttons that can be 
sewn onto coats. 

1659
01:36:08,080 --> 01:36:12,080
White painted walking sticks. 
The commercial world adapts to 

1660
01:36:12,080 --> 01:36:16,160
serve the darkened consumer, 
finding profit even in darkness.

1661
01:36:16,760 --> 01:36:19,680
Fashion truly embraces the 
blackout aesthetic. 

1662
01:36:20,320 --> 01:36:23,840
Designers create clothing with 
safety features built in white 

1663
01:36:23,840 --> 01:36:28,640
piping on dark coats, reflective
threads woven into fabrics and 

1664
01:36:28,640 --> 01:36:31,960
light coloured accessories that 
serve the dual purposes of style

1665
01:36:31,960 --> 01:36:35,360
and visibility. 
Women's magazines run features 

1666
01:36:35,360 --> 01:36:39,520
on blackout beauty, suggesting 
make up and hairstyles suited to

1667
01:36:39,520 --> 01:36:42,640
dim lighting. 
The advice is practical and 

1668
01:36:42,640 --> 01:36:45,640
sometimes absurd. 
Lighter face powder is 

1669
01:36:45,640 --> 01:36:49,000
recommended because it's more 
visible, while dark lipstick is 

1670
01:36:49,000 --> 01:36:51,960
warned against, lest you become 
a pair of disembodied lips 

1671
01:36:51,960 --> 01:36:55,120
floating in the darkness. 
Restaurants and pubs develop 

1672
01:36:55,120 --> 01:36:57,760
elaborate workarounds for the 
blackout restrictions. 

1673
01:36:58,240 --> 01:37:02,520
Some establishments paint their 
windows opaque black but install

1674
01:37:02,520 --> 01:37:06,520
elaborate interior lighting, 
creating spaces that feel almost

1675
01:37:06,520 --> 01:37:10,400
normal once you're inside. 
Others embrace the dimness, 

1676
01:37:10,760 --> 01:37:14,120
installing red or blue lights 
that create atmospheric spaces 

1677
01:37:14,120 --> 01:37:16,560
while technically complying with
regulations. 

1678
01:37:17,200 --> 01:37:20,280
Nightclubs in particular find 
that dim lighting can be 

1679
01:37:20,280 --> 01:37:23,880
romantic or mysterious, 
transforming a restriction into 

1680
01:37:23,880 --> 01:37:26,360
a feature. 
The entertainment industry 

1681
01:37:26,360 --> 01:37:30,440
becomes increasingly creative. 
Cinemas develop complex 

1682
01:37:30,440 --> 01:37:34,280
procedures for seating people in
darkness, ushers with covered 

1683
01:37:34,280 --> 01:37:38,800
torches, luminous floor markers 
and spaced entry times to 

1684
01:37:38,800 --> 01:37:41,120
prevent traffic jams in the 
lightless aisles. 

1685
01:37:41,920 --> 01:37:45,280
Some theatres experiment with 
matinee only schedules, 

1686
01:37:45,680 --> 01:37:48,480
accepting reduced evening 
business rather than dealing 

1687
01:37:48,480 --> 01:37:52,560
with blackout complications. 
Others thrive precisely because 

1688
01:37:52,560 --> 01:37:55,480
they offer bright escapism 
inside while maintaining 

1689
01:37:55,480 --> 01:37:59,560
complete darkness outside. 
Radio programs evolve to suit 

1690
01:37:59,560 --> 01:38:03,520
their audiences circumstances. 
Content becomes more domestic, 

1691
01:38:03,840 --> 01:38:06,480
more suited to family listening 
in dimmed rooms. 

1692
01:38:07,000 --> 01:38:10,800
Comedy programs emphasize verbal
humour over visual gags. 

1693
01:38:11,240 --> 01:38:15,120
Dramas rely on sound effects and
voice acting to create vivid 

1694
01:38:15,120 --> 01:38:18,720
mental images. 
The BBC becomes increasingly 

1695
01:38:18,720 --> 01:38:21,880
sophisticated in its 
understanding of how to create 

1696
01:38:21,880 --> 01:38:25,520
entertainment for a population 
sitting in the dark, unable to 

1697
01:38:25,520 --> 01:38:29,800
do much else besides listen. 
Local communities develop 

1698
01:38:29,800 --> 01:38:33,760
collective coping strategies. 
Neighborhoods organise blackout 

1699
01:38:33,760 --> 01:38:37,640
socials, gatherings where people
can meet and can mingle despite 

1700
01:38:37,640 --> 01:38:41,240
the darkness. 
Churches host evening services 

1701
01:38:41,240 --> 01:38:44,120
that become social events as 
much as religious ones, 

1702
01:38:44,560 --> 01:38:47,680
providing both spiritual comfort
and human connection. 

1703
01:38:48,400 --> 01:38:52,280
Community centres run activities
specifically designed for low 

1704
01:38:52,280 --> 01:38:56,280
light conditions, music 
sessions, discussion groups and 

1705
01:38:56,280 --> 01:38:58,720
collective listening to 
important broadcasts. 

1706
01:38:59,280 --> 01:39:01,960
St. communities become more 
tight knit through the shared 

1707
01:39:01,960 --> 01:39:04,800
experience. 
Neighbors who might previously 

1708
01:39:04,800 --> 01:39:08,240
have exchanged only perfunctory 
greetings now check on each 

1709
01:39:08,240 --> 01:39:11,560
other, help each other with 
blackout preparations, and share

1710
01:39:11,560 --> 01:39:15,160
resources and solutions. 
The darkness creates a kind of 

1711
01:39:15,160 --> 01:39:19,160
frontier mentality, a sense that
you're all in this together, 

1712
01:39:19,520 --> 01:39:22,600
facing common challenges that 
require mutual support. 

1713
01:39:23,200 --> 01:39:26,880
Children, remarkably resilient, 
turn the blackout into play. 

1714
01:39:27,440 --> 01:39:31,440
They invent games suited to 
darkness, elaborate versions of 

1715
01:39:31,440 --> 01:39:35,280
hide and seek, treasure hunts 
that rely on touch and sound 

1716
01:39:35,280 --> 01:39:38,880
rather than sight, and 
theatrical performances put on 

1717
01:39:38,880 --> 01:39:41,720
in dimmed rooms where 
imagination fills in for visual 

1718
01:39:41,720 --> 01:39:45,080
spectacle. 
The blackout becomes normalised 

1719
01:39:45,080 --> 01:39:48,560
in their experience, not a 
temporary disruption but simply 

1720
01:39:48,560 --> 01:39:52,720
how the world works, as natural 
as rain or school or Sunday 

1721
01:39:52,720 --> 01:39:55,440
roast. 
Teachers adapt their lesson 

1722
01:39:55,440 --> 01:39:59,200
plans, incorporating blackout 
realities into education. 

1723
01:39:59,840 --> 01:40:02,640
Science classes discuss 
astronomy with new found 

1724
01:40:02,640 --> 01:40:05,120
relevance. 
Students can actually see what 

1725
01:40:05,120 --> 01:40:09,240
they're learning about. 
History lessons draw parallels 

1726
01:40:09,240 --> 01:40:12,720
to medieval life, helping 
children understand that most of

1727
01:40:12,720 --> 01:40:15,080
human history occurred without 
electric light. 

1728
01:40:16,000 --> 01:40:20,480
Art classes experiment with low 
light media, charcoal drawings, 

1729
01:40:20,720 --> 01:40:24,320
shadow puppets, and projects 
that work despite limited 

1730
01:40:24,320 --> 01:40:27,800
visibility, physical 
coordination improves across the

1731
01:40:27,800 --> 01:40:30,920
population as people develop 
better spatial awareness. 

1732
01:40:31,720 --> 01:40:34,920
Your Proprioception, that 
internal sense of where your 

1733
01:40:34,920 --> 01:40:39,880
body is in space, sharpens when 
visual input becomes unreliable.

1734
01:40:40,600 --> 01:40:43,800
People learn to move more 
carefully, more consciously, 

1735
01:40:44,320 --> 01:40:47,480
developing a kind of bodily 
intelligence that modern life 

1736
01:40:47,480 --> 01:40:51,480
had allowed to atrophy. 
The simple act of walking 

1737
01:40:51,480 --> 01:40:55,120
becomes more mindful, more 
present, and less the 

1738
01:40:55,120 --> 01:40:57,760
unconscious automatic process it
had been. 

1739
01:40:58,480 --> 01:41:02,000
Health effects emerge, both 
positive and negative. 

1740
01:41:02,680 --> 01:41:05,440
Accident rates from the darkness
remain elevated. 

1741
01:41:05,960 --> 01:41:09,800
People continue to trip, collide
and stumble into objects. 

1742
01:41:10,480 --> 01:41:12,720
But there are unexpected 
benefits, too. 

1743
01:41:13,360 --> 01:41:16,560
The earlier evening schedules 
mean people get more sleep, and 

1744
01:41:16,560 --> 01:41:19,600
their circadian rhythms are more
aligned with natural light dark 

1745
01:41:19,600 --> 01:41:22,880
cycles. 
The reduction in artificial 

1746
01:41:22,880 --> 01:41:25,960
light at night might be 
improving sleep quality, though 

1747
01:41:25,960 --> 01:41:28,840
nobody's conducting formal 
studies to verify this. 

1748
01:41:29,360 --> 01:41:32,400
The enforced indoor evenings 
mean less exposure to cold and 

1749
01:41:32,400 --> 01:41:35,800
damp for some, potentially 
reducing winter illness. 

1750
01:41:36,360 --> 01:41:38,920
Seasonal variations in the 
blackout create different 

1751
01:41:38,920 --> 01:41:42,640
challenges and experiences. 
Summer evenings, with their late

1752
01:41:42,640 --> 01:41:46,920
sunsets, require shorter periods
of blackout, perhaps just three 

1753
01:41:46,920 --> 01:41:50,200
or four hours. 
People can enjoy long twilight 

1754
01:41:50,680 --> 01:41:54,040
and extended time outdoors while
it's still light enough to see. 

1755
01:41:54,720 --> 01:41:57,720
Picnics and garden parties adapt
to earlier schedules. 

1756
01:41:58,120 --> 01:42:00,760
Wrapping up before darkness 
makes them impractical. 

1757
01:42:02,000 --> 01:42:05,720
But winter brings longer 
blackout periods, sometimes 16 

1758
01:42:05,720 --> 01:42:07,760
hours or more, of required 
darkness. 

1759
01:42:08,360 --> 01:42:10,760
The psychological weight of this
is considerable. 

1760
01:42:11,240 --> 01:42:14,840
Waking in darkness, working 
through short daylight hours, 

1761
01:42:15,200 --> 01:42:18,960
returning home to more darkness.
It feels oppressive. 

1762
01:42:19,480 --> 01:42:24,120
Endless Seasonal affective 
disorder, though not yet named 

1763
01:42:24,120 --> 01:42:26,640
or officially recognised, surely
effects many. 

1764
01:42:27,800 --> 01:42:32,280
The lack of light combines with 
war anxiety to create periods of

1765
01:42:32,280 --> 01:42:37,360
genuine depression. 
For some, December 1939 brings 

1766
01:42:37,360 --> 01:42:39,680
the blackouts. 
First winter holiday season 

1767
01:42:40,320 --> 01:42:42,400
Christmas presents unique 
challenges. 

1768
01:42:42,840 --> 01:42:46,600
How do you maintain festive 
cheer in compulsory darkness? 

1769
01:42:47,240 --> 01:42:50,200
Families rise to the challenge 
with determination that borders 

1770
01:42:50,200 --> 01:42:53,640
on defiance. 
Christmas lights, those strings 

1771
01:42:53,640 --> 01:42:57,080
of coloured bulbs that normally 
decorate windows and trees, must

1772
01:42:57,080 --> 01:42:59,360
be abandoned or drastically 
modified. 

1773
01:42:59,880 --> 01:43:03,520
Some people create elaborate 
interior displays, decorating 

1774
01:43:03,520 --> 01:43:07,480
trees in rooms with completely 
blacked out windows, creating 

1775
01:43:07,480 --> 01:43:10,920
private festivals of light that 
can't be seen from outside. 

1776
01:43:12,320 --> 01:43:14,920
Carol singing adapts to blackout
conditions. 

1777
01:43:15,440 --> 01:43:18,640
Groups carry covered lanterns as
they move from house to house, 

1778
01:43:18,920 --> 01:43:22,280
their voices rising in the 
darkness, creating moments of 

1779
01:43:22,280 --> 01:43:25,320
beauty and connection that feel 
more precious for the 

1780
01:43:25,320 --> 01:43:28,840
surrounding gloom. 
The ancient hymns about light 

1781
01:43:28,840 --> 01:43:31,440
coming Into Darkness take on new
resonance. 

1782
01:43:32,080 --> 01:43:35,360
Silent Night feels especially 
appropriate when nights are so 

1783
01:43:35,360 --> 01:43:39,640
profoundly silent and dark. 
Gift giving focus is on 

1784
01:43:39,640 --> 01:43:41,840
practical items suited to 
blackout life. 

1785
01:43:42,320 --> 01:43:46,680
Torches, luminous paint, warm 
clothing and books for reading 

1786
01:43:46,680 --> 01:43:49,120
aloud. 
But there are frivolous gifts 

1787
01:43:49,120 --> 01:43:53,040
too, deliberate assertions of 
normalcy and joy despite 

1788
01:43:53,040 --> 01:43:56,000
circumstances. 
Dolls and toy soldiers for 

1789
01:43:56,000 --> 01:44:00,600
children, perfume and stockings 
for wives, and pipes and tobacco

1790
01:44:00,600 --> 01:44:03,360
for husbands. 
These gestures matter 

1791
01:44:03,360 --> 01:44:06,200
enormously. 
Small defiances against the 

1792
01:44:06,200 --> 01:44:10,200
walls restrictions declarations 
that life and pleasure continue.

1793
01:44:10,720 --> 01:44:14,040
New Year's Eve presents its own 
strange circumstances. 

1794
01:44:14,680 --> 01:44:17,960
The traditional celebrations, 
gathering in public squares, 

1795
01:44:17,960 --> 01:44:21,280
watching for midnight and the 
explosion of noise and light as 

1796
01:44:21,280 --> 01:44:24,360
the new year arrives, must be 
reimagined. 

1797
01:44:25,120 --> 01:44:28,520
People celebrate in darkened 
homes, listening for church 

1798
01:44:28,520 --> 01:44:32,520
bells, gathering around wireless
sets for special broadcasts. 

1799
01:44:33,200 --> 01:44:36,880
When midnight comes, they might 
step outside Into Darkness, 

1800
01:44:37,360 --> 01:44:40,600
hearing distant voices, calling 
greetings they cannot see, 

1801
01:44:40,960 --> 01:44:44,320
feeling connected to invisible 
neighbors through sound alone. 

1802
01:44:45,360 --> 01:44:48,560
The turn to 1940 brings renewed 
determination. 

1803
01:44:49,200 --> 01:44:52,280
The blackout will continue, but 
people have learnt to live with 

1804
01:44:52,280 --> 01:44:55,080
it. 
The initial shock has worn off, 

1805
01:44:55,720 --> 01:44:58,040
replaced by practised 
competence. 

1806
01:44:58,680 --> 01:45:01,160
You know how to navigate your 
street in darkness. 

1807
01:45:01,520 --> 01:45:03,680
You know how long your blackout 
preparations take. 

1808
01:45:04,040 --> 01:45:06,920
You know which activities work 
in dim light and which don't. 

1809
01:45:07,360 --> 01:45:10,720
The learning curve has been 
climbed and what remains is 

1810
01:45:10,720 --> 01:45:14,720
simply persistence. 
The blackout continues through 

1811
01:45:14,720 --> 01:45:19,080
1940 and beyond, lasting in 
various forms until September 

1812
01:45:19,080 --> 01:45:23,920
1944, when regulations finally 
relax as the threat of bombing 

1813
01:45:23,920 --> 01:45:26,520
diminishes. 
But even before official 

1814
01:45:26,520 --> 01:45:30,120
relaxation, the blackout evolves
and becomes less absolute. 

1815
01:45:30,960 --> 01:45:34,800
As military technology improves 
and bombing strategies change. 

1816
01:45:35,360 --> 01:45:37,880
The strict requirements loosen 
slightly. 

1817
01:45:38,560 --> 01:45:41,480
Dim lights become permissible in
some circumstances. 

1818
01:45:42,160 --> 01:45:45,600
The complete darkness of those 
first months gradually lightens 

1819
01:45:45,600 --> 01:45:49,400
to a more manageable gloom. 
The first relaxations are 

1820
01:45:49,400 --> 01:45:54,520
tentative, almost apologetic. 
Regulations allow heavily 

1821
01:45:54,520 --> 01:45:56,640
shielded St. lighting in some 
areas. 

1822
01:45:57,120 --> 01:46:01,160
Not the full illumination of pre
war years, but enough to prevent

1823
01:46:01,160 --> 01:46:04,400
the worst accidents and to make 
navigation possible without 

1824
01:46:04,400 --> 01:46:08,000
constant hazard. 
These new lights cast pools of 

1825
01:46:08,000 --> 01:46:12,360
dim radiance that seem 
extraordinarily bright after 

1826
01:46:12,360 --> 01:46:16,160
years of complete darkness, even
though they're actually quite 

1827
01:46:16,160 --> 01:46:20,160
faint by historical standards. 
People's reactions to these 

1828
01:46:20,160 --> 01:46:24,240
first returns of public lighting
reveal how much the darkness has

1829
01:46:24,240 --> 01:46:27,760
affected them. 
Some feel immediate relief and 

1830
01:46:27,760 --> 01:46:30,000
easing of tension. 
They hadn't quite realised they 

1831
01:46:30,000 --> 01:46:33,600
were carrying the simple ability
to see where you're walking, to 

1832
01:46:33,600 --> 01:46:35,800
recognise faces, to Orient 
yourself. 

1833
01:46:35,800 --> 01:46:40,480
Visually, these feel like 
luxuries, gifts restored after 

1834
01:46:40,480 --> 01:46:44,360
long deprivation. 
Others feel oddly uncomfortable 

1835
01:46:44,360 --> 01:46:47,680
with the lights return. 
After years of darkness, even 

1836
01:46:47,680 --> 01:46:50,440
dim lighting can feel exposing 
and vulnerable. 

1837
01:46:51,120 --> 01:46:53,800
Some people have grown 
accustomed to the anonymity that

1838
01:46:53,800 --> 01:46:57,320
darkness provides, the sense of 
being unseen as you move through

1839
01:46:57,320 --> 01:47:00,920
public spaces. 
The return of light, however 

1840
01:47:00,920 --> 01:47:04,120
faint, removes that protective 
invisibility. 

1841
01:47:04,800 --> 01:47:08,200
The gradual restoration 
progresses through 1944. 

1842
01:47:08,200 --> 01:47:12,320
As Allied forces push across 
Europe and the threat to Britain

1843
01:47:12,320 --> 01:47:17,600
recedes, more lights return, 
regulations relax further, and 

1844
01:47:17,600 --> 01:47:21,120
the familiar glow of evening 
civilization begins to rebuild. 

1845
01:47:21,800 --> 01:47:25,680
Shop windows light up, first 
just modestly, but enough to 

1846
01:47:25,680 --> 01:47:28,360
display goods and to create 
welcoming spaces. 

1847
01:47:29,160 --> 01:47:31,920
Then St. lamps return to more 
normal operation. 

1848
01:47:32,360 --> 01:47:35,160
They're familiar yellow orange 
light painting pavements and 

1849
01:47:35,160 --> 01:47:38,200
facades for those who remember 
the change. 

1850
01:47:38,440 --> 01:47:40,960
And by this point, young 
children have lived their entire

1851
01:47:40,960 --> 01:47:43,200
conscious lives under blackout 
conditions. 

1852
01:47:43,760 --> 01:47:46,680
The restoration of light feels 
almost magical. 

1853
01:47:47,200 --> 01:47:50,840
Streets that have been navigated
by memory and faith suddenly 

1854
01:47:50,840 --> 01:47:54,400
reveal themselves in detail. 
Buildings show their full 

1855
01:47:54,400 --> 01:47:58,080
architectural character. 
Faces become readable from a 

1856
01:47:58,080 --> 01:48:01,000
distance. 
The urban landscape recovers its

1857
01:48:01,000 --> 01:48:04,520
visible complexity. 
The psychological impact of 

1858
01:48:04,520 --> 01:48:07,640
restored lighting is profound 
and multifaceted. 

1859
01:48:08,320 --> 01:48:12,520
There's certainly celebration, 
relief and joy at this tangible 

1860
01:48:12,520 --> 01:48:15,960
symbol of the wars waning. 
But there's also a strange 

1861
01:48:15,960 --> 01:48:20,000
sadness, an unexpected nostalgia
for something that everyone 

1862
01:48:20,000 --> 01:48:22,280
complained about constantly 
while it was happening. 

1863
01:48:23,040 --> 01:48:26,680
The blackout years, for all 
their difficulty, had created a 

1864
01:48:26,680 --> 01:48:31,000
kind of fellowship, a shared 
experience that had bound 

1865
01:48:31,000 --> 01:48:34,640
communities together. 
With the return of light comes 

1866
01:48:34,640 --> 01:48:38,480
the return of normal urban 
anonymity, the dissolution of 

1867
01:48:38,480 --> 01:48:42,440
that intense mutual dependence. 
Some of the innovations and 

1868
01:48:42,440 --> 01:48:46,400
adaptations developed during the
blackout persist even after 

1869
01:48:46,400 --> 01:48:50,000
they're no longer necessary. 
People who learn to navigate by 

1870
01:48:50,000 --> 01:48:52,280
sound and memory retain those 
skills. 

1871
01:48:52,920 --> 01:48:55,640
Families who discovered they 
enjoyed evening read aloud 

1872
01:48:55,640 --> 01:48:58,360
sessions continue them even when
bright lights would permit 

1873
01:48:58,360 --> 01:49:01,440
individual reading. 
Communities that drew together 

1874
01:49:01,440 --> 01:49:04,560
in darkness maintain some of 
that closeness, those 

1875
01:49:04,560 --> 01:49:07,760
relationships that formed during
shared difficulty. 

1876
01:49:08,480 --> 01:49:11,080
The physical traces of the 
blackout persist, too. 

1877
01:49:11,640 --> 01:49:15,080
White painted curbs and tree 
trunks remain, their purpose 

1878
01:49:15,080 --> 01:49:17,160
obsolete, but their presence 
continuing. 

1879
01:49:17,960 --> 01:49:20,440
Blackout curtains stay up in 
many homes. 

1880
01:49:20,840 --> 01:49:24,040
Why take them down when they're 
already installed, when they're 

1881
01:49:24,040 --> 01:49:27,800
useful for privacy, when they're
a reminder of survival? 

1882
01:49:28,840 --> 01:49:32,880
Architectural features designed 
for the blackout era, Those 

1883
01:49:32,880 --> 01:49:36,480
double door entries on pubs, The
carefully positioned lighting 

1884
01:49:36,480 --> 01:49:40,640
fixtures remain as fossils of a 
particular historical moment. 

1885
01:49:41,520 --> 01:49:44,520
Ecological effects of the 
blackout years gradually reverse

1886
01:49:45,120 --> 01:49:48,840
as artificial light returns. 
The night sky slowly disappears 

1887
01:49:48,840 --> 01:49:51,400
again behind its veil of urban 
glow. 

1888
01:49:51,920 --> 01:49:54,240
The stars fade from easy 
visibility. 

1889
01:49:54,640 --> 01:49:57,960
The Milky Way withdraws. 
The darkness that had revealed 

1890
01:49:57,960 --> 01:50:01,160
celestial beauty is pushed back 
by human illumination. 

1891
01:50:01,840 --> 01:50:05,600
Some people mourn this loss, 
realising that the blackout had 

1892
01:50:05,600 --> 01:50:09,120
given them a gift they'll never 
receive again, the regular sight

1893
01:50:09,120 --> 01:50:10,760
of the universe above their 
heads. 

1894
01:50:11,360 --> 01:50:14,240
The generation that lived 
through the blackout carries 

1895
01:50:14,240 --> 01:50:16,640
memories that shape their 
relationship with light and 

1896
01:50:16,640 --> 01:50:18,440
darkness for the rest of their 
lives. 

1897
01:50:19,120 --> 01:50:22,040
Those who are children during 
the blackout often develop 

1898
01:50:22,080 --> 01:50:25,680
either a strong preference for 
darkness, finding comfort in the

1899
01:50:25,680 --> 01:50:28,920
night time environment they knew
as children, or an equally 

1900
01:50:28,920 --> 01:50:31,880
strong preference for abundant 
light, a kind of 

1901
01:50:31,960 --> 01:50:35,320
overcompensation for years of 
enforced dimness. 

1902
01:50:36,720 --> 01:50:40,160
The blackout leaves its mark on 
British culture in subtle ways. 

1903
01:50:40,720 --> 01:50:43,520
A certain comfort with dimmer 
lighting persists. 

1904
01:50:44,000 --> 01:50:46,920
British homes and public spaces 
tend toward more modest 

1905
01:50:46,920 --> 01:50:51,000
illumination than their American
counterparts, a preference that 

1906
01:50:51,000 --> 01:50:54,120
may trace partially to this 
period of enforced darkness. 

1907
01:50:54,720 --> 01:50:58,680
The idea that too much light is 
wasteful, even slightly vulgar, 

1908
01:50:59,000 --> 01:51:01,520
becomes embedded in aesthetic 
sensibility. 

1909
01:51:02,320 --> 01:51:05,080
The historical memory of the 
blackout carries multiple 

1910
01:51:05,080 --> 01:51:07,640
meanings. 
It becomes a symbol of British 

1911
01:51:07,640 --> 01:51:11,200
resilience, of the homefront's 
contribution to the war effort, 

1912
01:51:11,520 --> 01:51:14,200
and of collective sacrifice for 
a common cause. 

1913
01:51:15,160 --> 01:51:18,560
Politicians and cultural 
commentators invoke the blackout

1914
01:51:18,560 --> 01:51:21,640
as an example of what a society 
can endure when properly 

1915
01:51:21,640 --> 01:51:24,920
motivated, when united by shared
purpose. 

1916
01:51:25,640 --> 01:51:28,840
But the blackout also serves as 
a reminder of wars, intrusion 

1917
01:51:28,840 --> 01:51:32,320
into civilian life, of how 
conflict transforms ordinary 

1918
01:51:32,320 --> 01:51:34,840
existence in ways both large and
small. 

1919
01:51:35,480 --> 01:51:38,680
It demonstrates that warfare is 
not just distant battles fought 

1920
01:51:38,680 --> 01:51:43,040
by soldiers, but also the 
accumulated small deprivations 

1921
01:51:43,040 --> 01:51:47,200
and adjustments that everyone 
must make, the nightly ritual of

1922
01:51:47,200 --> 01:51:51,440
darkening windows, the cautious 
navigation of familiar streets 

1923
01:51:51,800 --> 01:51:54,800
and the adaptation of every 
evening routine to accommodate 

1924
01:51:54,800 --> 01:51:58,480
the absence of light. 
For modern observers, the 

1925
01:51:58,480 --> 01:52:02,080
blackout offers a peculiar 
window into a world that's 

1926
01:52:02,080 --> 01:52:04,920
simultaneously recognisable and 
alien. 

1927
01:52:05,680 --> 01:52:10,760
The Britain of 1939 had 
electricity, radio, automobiles 

1928
01:52:11,040 --> 01:52:14,800
and cinema, all the 
technological fixtures of modern

1929
01:52:14,800 --> 01:52:20,160
life, yet the deliberate removal
of just one element, artificial 

1930
01:52:20,160 --> 01:52:24,520
light after dark, transformed 
daily experience in ways that 

1931
01:52:24,520 --> 01:52:28,240
connected people backward to pre
industrial patterns of living. 

1932
01:52:28,640 --> 01:52:31,560
There's something almost 
meditative about contemplating 

1933
01:52:31,560 --> 01:52:34,920
the blackout years, this period 
when millions of people 

1934
01:52:34,920 --> 01:52:38,960
deliberately darken their world,
sitting in dimmed rooms, 

1935
01:52:39,360 --> 01:52:43,480
navigating shadowed streets, and
learning to experience their 

1936
01:52:43,480 --> 01:52:46,320
environment through senses other
than sight. 

1937
01:52:47,360 --> 01:52:51,480
In our current era of constant 
illumination, when light 

1938
01:52:51,480 --> 01:52:55,320
pollution is so pervasive that 
many children grow up never 

1939
01:52:55,320 --> 01:52:59,200
seeing the Milky Way, when 
cities glow so brightly that 

1940
01:52:59,200 --> 01:53:02,280
they're visible from space, 
there's something oddly 

1941
01:53:02,280 --> 01:53:05,800
appealing about this historical 
moment of chosen darkness. 

1942
01:53:06,680 --> 01:53:09,360
The blackout reminds us that our
relationship with light and 

1943
01:53:09,360 --> 01:53:12,760
darkness is not fixed or 
natural, but historically 

1944
01:53:12,760 --> 01:53:17,160
constructed, shaped by 
technology, regulation, and 

1945
01:53:17,160 --> 01:53:20,400
social practice. 
For most of human history, 

1946
01:53:20,400 --> 01:53:23,600
darkness was inevitable. 
You made the best light you 

1947
01:53:23,600 --> 01:53:27,880
could with fire or oil, but 
ultimately night meant darkness.

1948
01:53:28,880 --> 01:53:32,760
Electric light changed this, 
pushing darkness back and 

1949
01:53:32,760 --> 01:53:37,720
extending the day artificially. 
The blackout briefly reversed 

1950
01:53:37,720 --> 01:53:41,080
this transformation, restoring 
darkness not through 

1951
01:53:41,080 --> 01:53:44,840
technological failure but 
through deliberate choice. 

1952
01:53:45,560 --> 01:53:49,560
As you lie here now, warm and 
comfortable in a room where 

1953
01:53:49,560 --> 01:53:52,880
light is available at the flick 
of a switch, it's worth 

1954
01:53:52,880 --> 01:53:56,800
contemplating what the blackout 
reveals about human adaptability

1955
01:53:56,800 --> 01:54:00,480
and resilience. 
The people of Britain in 1939 

1956
01:54:00,480 --> 01:54:03,720
didn't know how long the war 
would last, whether the blackout

1957
01:54:03,720 --> 01:54:07,040
would be needed for weeks or 
years, or whether their cities 

1958
01:54:07,040 --> 01:54:11,160
would survive or be destroyed. 
Yet they adapted, persevered, 

1959
01:54:11,480 --> 01:54:14,560
and found moments of beauty and 
connection amidst the enforced 

1960
01:54:14,560 --> 01:54:17,400
darkness. 
The blackout demonstrates 

1961
01:54:17,400 --> 01:54:21,280
something essential about human 
communities, that we can endure 

1962
01:54:21,280 --> 01:54:25,160
significant disruption to normal
life when we understand the 

1963
01:54:25,160 --> 01:54:28,640
purpose behind it, when we 
believe we're contributing to 

1964
01:54:28,640 --> 01:54:31,160
something larger than our 
individual comfort. 

1965
01:54:32,320 --> 01:54:35,480
The nightly ritual of darkening 
windows became a form of 

1966
01:54:35,480 --> 01:54:40,200
participation, A tangible action
that connected each household to

1967
01:54:40,200 --> 01:54:43,400
the national effort. 
There's something deeply human 

1968
01:54:43,400 --> 01:54:46,840
about gathering in darkened 
rooms, about families coming 

1969
01:54:46,840 --> 01:54:50,440
together around dim lights, 
about community supporting each 

1970
01:54:50,440 --> 01:54:54,480
other through shared difficulty.
These patterns recur throughout 

1971
01:54:54,480 --> 01:54:58,880
human history, around ancient 
campfires, in medieval great 

1972
01:54:58,880 --> 01:55:02,880
halls lit by rush light, and in 
pioneer cabins on winter 

1973
01:55:02,880 --> 01:55:05,840
evenings. 
The blackout temporarily 

1974
01:55:05,840 --> 01:55:09,320
restored these older patterns, 
patterns using modern technology

1975
01:55:09,320 --> 01:55:11,600
to recreate pre modern 
conditions. 

1976
01:55:12,320 --> 01:55:16,160
The sensory richness of the 
blackout experience, the visible

1977
01:55:16,160 --> 01:55:20,280
stars, the amplified sounds, the
heightened awareness of smell 

1978
01:55:20,280 --> 01:55:24,360
and touch suggests that our 
normal brightly lit existence 

1979
01:55:24,360 --> 01:55:27,640
may diminish certain forms of 
awareness and experience. 

1980
01:55:28,280 --> 01:55:32,120
We gain practical benefits from 
abundant light, certainly, but 

1981
01:55:32,120 --> 01:55:35,040
we may lose other kinds of 
perception, other ways of 

1982
01:55:35,040 --> 01:55:37,160
experiencing our environment and
each other. 

1983
01:55:37,640 --> 01:55:41,120
The blackouts in force slow down
it's requirement for more 

1984
01:55:41,120 --> 01:55:44,960
careful movement, more 
deliberate action, and more time

1985
01:55:44,960 --> 01:55:47,360
spent in quiet domestic 
settings. 

1986
01:55:47,920 --> 01:55:50,760
These create a quality of life 
that many people found 

1987
01:55:50,760 --> 01:55:54,400
surprisingly satisfying despite 
the circumstances. 

1988
01:55:54,960 --> 01:55:59,600
The frantic pace of modern life,
the constant visual stimulation,

1989
01:55:59,960 --> 01:56:03,480
the ability to pursue individual
activities in separate rooms 

1990
01:56:03,480 --> 01:56:07,600
with independent lighting, all 
these innovations have costs as 

1991
01:56:07,600 --> 01:56:11,080
well as benefits. 
Consider how the blackout change

1992
01:56:11,080 --> 01:56:14,800
social interaction. 
In darkness, you couldn't judge 

1993
01:56:14,800 --> 01:56:17,280
people by their appearance quite
so readily. 

1994
01:56:17,880 --> 01:56:21,240
Conversations happened without 
the constant visual feedback we 

1995
01:56:21,240 --> 01:56:23,960
normally rely on. 
People learnt to listen more 

1996
01:56:23,960 --> 01:56:27,240
carefully, to pay attention to 
voice, tone and word choice 

1997
01:56:27,240 --> 01:56:29,760
rather than facial expressions 
and body language. 

1998
01:56:30,400 --> 01:56:33,400
This created different kinds of 
intimacy and different patterns 

1999
01:56:33,400 --> 01:56:36,480
of connection. 
The democratising effect of the 

2000
01:56:36,480 --> 01:56:40,640
blackout, the way it affected 
rich and poor alike, created a 

2001
01:56:40,640 --> 01:56:43,840
rare moment of genuinely shared 
experience across social 

2002
01:56:43,840 --> 01:56:46,640
classes. 
The Duke and the Doctor both 

2003
01:56:46,640 --> 01:56:50,880
navigated the same darkened 
streets, both sat in dimmed 

2004
01:56:50,880 --> 01:56:54,640
rooms, and both faced the same 
challenges of maintaining normal

2005
01:56:54,640 --> 01:56:57,040
life despite abnormal 
conditions. 

2006
01:56:57,800 --> 01:57:00,800
This shared experience 
contributed to the social 

2007
01:57:00,800 --> 01:57:04,480
solidarity that characterised 
Britain during the war years. 

2008
01:57:05,240 --> 01:57:07,800
The blackout also reveals 
something about the relationship

2009
01:57:07,800 --> 01:57:11,880
between freedom and security. 
The regulations represented a 

2010
01:57:11,880 --> 01:57:14,360
significant restriction of 
personal liberty. 

2011
01:57:14,920 --> 01:57:17,920
You couldn't light your own home
as you wished, couldn't move 

2012
01:57:17,920 --> 01:57:21,280
freely at night without risk, 
and face penalties for 

2013
01:57:21,280 --> 01:57:24,880
violations. 
Yet most people accepted these 

2014
01:57:24,880 --> 01:57:28,840
restrictions as legitimate and 
necessary, a reasonable trade 

2015
01:57:28,840 --> 01:57:32,840
off for collective safety. 
The balance between individual 

2016
01:57:32,840 --> 01:57:36,960
freedom and common security is 
never simple, never permanent. 

2017
01:57:37,320 --> 01:57:40,960
It must be constantly negotiated
and renegotiated. 

2018
01:57:41,720 --> 01:57:44,360
The innovations and adaptations 
that emerged during the 

2019
01:57:44,360 --> 01:57:48,400
blackout, the luminous paint, 
the white marked curbs, the 

2020
01:57:48,400 --> 01:57:52,640
hooded headlamps, the double 
door entries represent human 

2021
01:57:52,640 --> 01:57:54,920
creativity responding to 
constraint. 

2022
01:57:55,880 --> 01:57:59,560
Necessity truly does mother 
invention, and the blackout 

2023
01:57:59,560 --> 01:58:02,600
years produce countless small 
solutions to the problems that 

2024
01:58:02,600 --> 01:58:06,280
darkness created. 
These innovations demonstrate 

2025
01:58:06,280 --> 01:58:10,640
that restrictions can inspire 
rather than merely limit, that 

2026
01:58:10,640 --> 01:58:13,800
working within constraints can 
generate creativity. 

2027
01:58:14,600 --> 01:58:17,600
The return of light after years 
of darkness must have felt like 

2028
01:58:17,600 --> 01:58:21,280
emerging from a long tunnel. 
The familiar world revealed 

2029
01:58:21,280 --> 01:58:24,960
again the simple pleasure of 
seeing clearly, of moving 

2030
01:58:24,960 --> 01:58:28,960
without constant caution, of 
windows that connect rather than

2031
01:58:28,960 --> 01:58:32,160
seal. 
Yet along with this relief came 

2032
01:58:32,160 --> 01:58:36,760
the loss of something too that 
peculiar intimacy that darkness 

2033
01:58:36,760 --> 01:58:41,280
had created, that sharpened 
awareness, that sense of shared 

2034
01:58:41,280 --> 01:58:44,400
endurance for those who lived 
through it. 

2035
01:58:44,680 --> 01:58:47,880
The blackout becomes one of 
those formative experiences that

2036
01:58:47,880 --> 01:58:51,440
shape perception for a lifetime.
They carry memories of 

2037
01:58:51,440 --> 01:58:55,440
navigating darkness, the 
families gathered in dim rooms 

2038
01:58:55,760 --> 01:58:59,640
of stars brilliant overhead, and
of the particular quality of 

2039
01:58:59,640 --> 01:59:02,880
silence that descended on cities
designed for noise. 

2040
01:59:03,760 --> 01:59:08,600
These memories become stories, 
then history, then legend, part 

2041
01:59:08,600 --> 01:59:11,240
of the narrative that nations 
tell themselves about their 

2042
01:59:11,240 --> 01:59:13,760
past. 
As we come to the end of our 

2043
01:59:13,760 --> 01:59:16,960
journey through the blackout 
years, as your eyelids grow 

2044
01:59:16,960 --> 01:59:20,280
heavier and your breathing 
slows, let's gather the gentle 

2045
01:59:20,280 --> 01:59:23,600
lessons that this history offers
for your own rest tonight. 

2046
01:59:24,840 --> 01:59:28,080
The blackout teaches us that 
darkness is not necessarily 

2047
01:59:28,080 --> 01:59:31,880
something to fear, but rather a 
natural state that humans lived 

2048
01:59:31,880 --> 01:59:34,680
with for millennia before 
electric light became common. 

2049
01:59:35,240 --> 01:59:38,720
Those wartime Britons learnt to 
find comfort and even beauty in 

2050
01:59:38,720 --> 01:59:42,800
darkness, the visible stars, the
heightened awareness of sound 

2051
01:59:42,800 --> 01:59:46,720
and smell, and the cosiness of 
dimly lit rooms where families 

2052
01:59:46,720 --> 01:59:50,280
gathered close. 
As you prepare for sleep, you're

2053
01:59:50,280 --> 01:59:53,360
participating in the same 
ancient human practice, 

2054
01:59:53,880 --> 01:59:58,040
voluntarily entering darkness, 
trusting it to hold you safely 

2055
01:59:58,040 --> 02:00:01,520
while your consciousness dims. 
The darkness of sleep is 

2056
02:00:01,520 --> 02:00:06,000
restorative, necessary, and a 
gift rather than a threat. 

2057
02:00:06,720 --> 02:00:10,720
Like those blackout nights, it 
offers a time of rest, of 

2058
02:00:10,720 --> 02:00:14,400
withdrawal from the constant 
stimulation of waking life and 

2059
02:00:14,400 --> 02:00:17,320
of renewal that comes through 
quiet and absence of light. 

2060
02:00:17,920 --> 02:00:21,120
The blackout families who learn 
to slow down, to move more 

2061
02:00:21,120 --> 02:00:24,440
carefully, to pay attention to 
senses beyond sight. 

2062
02:00:24,960 --> 02:00:28,760
They discovered rhythms that 
sleep requires, too the winding 

2063
02:00:28,760 --> 02:00:33,000
down, the gradual dimming, the 
shift from activity to 

2064
02:00:33,000 --> 02:00:36,320
stillness. 
These transitions matter. 

2065
02:00:36,920 --> 02:00:40,600
They prepare body and mind for 
the darkness of sleep, just as 

2066
02:00:40,600 --> 02:00:44,360
blackout preparations readied 
homes for the darkness of night.

2067
02:00:45,080 --> 02:00:48,080
The resilience of those blackout
years reminds us that humans can

2068
02:00:48,080 --> 02:00:52,320
adapt to almost anything and can
find peace and even pleasure in 

2069
02:00:52,320 --> 02:00:55,000
circumstances that initially 
seem impossible. 

2070
02:00:55,600 --> 02:00:58,720
If they could learn to thrive in
darkened cities, you can 

2071
02:00:58,720 --> 02:01:02,280
certainly trust yourself to the 
darkness of your bedroom, to the

2072
02:01:02,280 --> 02:01:05,680
natural process of sleep that 
your body knows how to perform. 

2073
02:01:06,360 --> 02:01:09,040
The community and connection 
that emerged from the shared 

2074
02:01:09,040 --> 02:01:12,280
blackout experience suggests 
something about the importance 

2075
02:01:12,280 --> 02:01:16,520
of letting go, of accepting 
limitations, and of working with

2076
02:01:16,520 --> 02:01:18,520
rather than against 
circumstances. 

2077
02:01:18,960 --> 02:01:21,080
Sleep requires the same 
surrender. 

2078
02:01:21,520 --> 02:01:25,960
You cannot force it, only create
conditions that welcome it, like

2079
02:01:25,960 --> 02:01:29,040
those families dimming their 
lights and settling into evening

2080
02:01:29,040 --> 02:01:31,600
quiet. 
You prepare the space and then 

2081
02:01:31,600 --> 02:01:33,720
allow the darkness to do its 
work. 

2082
02:01:34,480 --> 02:01:38,520
Those visible stars during the 
blackout, the celestial beauty 

2083
02:01:38,520 --> 02:01:42,160
that emerged when artificial 
light withdrew, remind us that 

2084
02:01:42,160 --> 02:01:44,840
darkness reveals as well as 
conceals. 

2085
02:01:45,680 --> 02:01:50,920
In sleep's darkness, dreams 
emerge, unconscious processes do

2086
02:01:50,920 --> 02:01:55,520
their necessary work, and the 
mind sorts and files and heals 

2087
02:01:55,520 --> 02:01:58,000
in ways that can't happen in 
waking light. 

2088
02:01:59,040 --> 02:02:01,960
Trust the darkness to show you 
what you need to see. 

2089
02:02:02,680 --> 02:02:05,760
The gradual adaptation to the 
blackout, the way fear 

2090
02:02:05,760 --> 02:02:09,120
transformed into competence and 
then comfort, mirrors the 

2091
02:02:09,120 --> 02:02:11,400
journey into sleep that you make
each night. 

2092
02:02:12,120 --> 02:02:14,520
At first, letting go of 
consciousness can feel 

2093
02:02:14,520 --> 02:02:19,720
vulnerable, even frightening. 
But with practice, with trust, 

2094
02:02:20,240 --> 02:02:22,880
it becomes natural, even 
welcome. 

2095
02:02:23,640 --> 02:02:28,280
The darkness becomes familiar, 
safe, and a friend rather than a

2096
02:02:28,280 --> 02:02:31,360
threat. 
As the blackout eventually 

2097
02:02:31,360 --> 02:02:34,960
lifted and light returned, so 
too will you wake tomorrow to 

2098
02:02:34,960 --> 02:02:39,040
light an activity. 
But for now, like those wartime 

2099
02:02:39,040 --> 02:02:42,560
families settling into their 
dimmed homes, you can embrace 

2100
02:02:42,560 --> 02:02:46,840
this time of darkness and quiet.
Let your eyes close like 

2101
02:02:46,840 --> 02:02:51,280
blackout curtains drawing shut. 
Feel your awareness dim like 

2102
02:02:51,280 --> 02:02:54,680
lights turning down. 
Allow yourself to sink into 

2103
02:02:54,680 --> 02:02:58,400
stillness, like a city going 
quiet under the night sky. 

2104
02:02:59,560 --> 02:03:02,680
The people of the blackout years
survived not through constant 

2105
02:03:02,680 --> 02:03:07,160
vigilance, but through 
acceptance, adaptation, and the 

2106
02:03:07,160 --> 02:03:10,280
ability to find peace in altered
circumstances. 

2107
02:03:10,960 --> 02:03:14,080
They learned that darkness could
be endured, that it brought 

2108
02:03:14,080 --> 02:03:17,880
gifts along with its challenges,
and that life continued and even

2109
02:03:17,880 --> 02:03:21,760
flourished under its cover. 
Your sleep tonight is your 

2110
02:03:21,760 --> 02:03:26,920
personal blackout, a time of 
chosen darkness, of withdrawal 

2111
02:03:26,920 --> 02:03:30,680
from the world's demands of rest
and restoration. 

2112
02:03:31,440 --> 02:03:34,720
Like those wartime Britons, you 
don't know exactly what tomorrow

2113
02:03:34,720 --> 02:03:37,960
will bring, but you can trust 
that this period of darkness 

2114
02:03:37,960 --> 02:03:40,240
will prepare you for whatever 
light reveals. 

2115
02:03:40,920 --> 02:03:43,880
The last lesson of the blackout 
is perhaps the most important 

2116
02:03:44,480 --> 02:03:47,480
that sometimes the most valuable
thing we can do is simply stop, 

2117
02:03:48,000 --> 02:03:53,200
darken our world, and rest not 
as defeat or retreat, but as 

2118
02:03:53,200 --> 02:03:55,520
necessary preparation for 
continuing. 

2119
02:03:56,600 --> 02:03:59,440
Those nightly blackout rituals 
weren't just safety measures. 

2120
02:04:00,000 --> 02:04:02,680
They were acknowledgments that 
activity must balance with 

2121
02:04:02,680 --> 02:04:06,640
stillness, that light needs 
darkness as a counterpoint, and 

2122
02:04:06,640 --> 02:04:09,760
that life requires periods of 
quiet and rest. 

2123
02:04:10,160 --> 02:04:14,320
So let yourself rest now. 
Let the darkness hold you as it 

2124
02:04:14,320 --> 02:04:18,000
held those millions of people 
through their blackout years, 

2125
02:04:18,440 --> 02:04:23,000
safely, gently preparing you for
whatever tomorrow's light will 

2126
02:04:23,000 --> 02:04:25,480
bring. 
Your eyes are growing heavy. 

2127
02:04:26,160 --> 02:04:29,560
Your breath is slowing. 
The darkness around you is 

2128
02:04:29,560 --> 02:04:32,600
peaceful, protective, and 
appropriate. 

2129
02:04:33,240 --> 02:04:36,360
Sleep well knowing that you're 
participating in one of 

2130
02:04:36,360 --> 02:04:39,160
humanity's oldest and most 
natural practices. 

2131
02:04:39,880 --> 02:04:43,400
The darkness is your friend 
tonight, just as it became the 

2132
02:04:43,400 --> 02:04:46,440
friend of those who learnt to 
live through the great blackout.

2133
02:04:46,760 --> 02:04:51,120
Rest easy, rest deep, rest well,
and when morning comes, when 

2134
02:04:51,120 --> 02:04:53,640
light returns, you'll wake 
refreshed as those blackout 

2135
02:04:53,640 --> 02:04:58,080
families woke to another day, 
resilient, adapted and ready to 

2136
02:04:58,080 --> 02:05:00,880
continue. 
For now though, just darkness. 

2137
02:05:01,040 --> 02:05:04,400
Just quiet. 
Just rest, Sleep well. 

2138
02:05:07,360 --> 02:05:09,640
Let me tell you about a boy who 
would grow up to touch the 

2139
02:05:09,640 --> 02:05:11,800
ceiling of the most famous 
Chapel in the world. 

2140
02:05:12,400 --> 02:05:15,760
Imagine yourself relaxing in a 
cosy chair on a calm evening. 

2141
02:05:16,800 --> 02:05:21,800
He was born on March 6th 1475 in
the small hillside town of 

2142
02:05:21,800 --> 02:05:25,320
Caprese, where the morning mist 
clung to old stone houses like 

2143
02:05:25,320 --> 02:05:28,240
slumbering cats. 
His name was Michelangelo 

2144
02:05:28,240 --> 02:05:31,000
Buonarotti, but his friends just
called him Michelle. 

2145
02:05:31,440 --> 02:05:34,000
Do you know how certain things 
appeal to certain kids? 

2146
02:05:34,760 --> 02:05:37,040
While some people chase 
butterflies and others adore 

2147
02:05:37,040 --> 02:05:39,920
books, young Michelle had a 
peculiar obsession. 

2148
02:05:40,440 --> 02:05:43,440
He was gathering pebbles and 
examining their shapes, turning 

2149
02:05:43,440 --> 02:05:46,400
them over in his tiny hands as 
if they were secrets, while 

2150
02:05:46,400 --> 02:05:48,680
other 6 year olds were playing 
with wooden toys. 

2151
02:05:49,440 --> 02:05:52,200
His father, Lodovico, was a 
local magistrate. 

2152
02:05:52,600 --> 02:05:54,800
Think of him as the town's 
official paper pusher. 

2153
02:05:55,280 --> 02:05:58,040
And he had grand plans for his 
son that definitely didn't 

2154
02:05:58,040 --> 02:05:59,680
involve getting dusty with the 
rocks. 

2155
02:06:00,440 --> 02:06:03,640
When Michelle was little, the 
family relocated to Florence, 

2156
02:06:03,920 --> 02:06:06,840
which would later serve as both 
his inspiration and playground. 

2157
02:06:07,600 --> 02:06:10,680
In the 1480s, Florence was more 
than just a city. 

2158
02:06:11,160 --> 02:06:13,800
It was like living inside a 
jewellery box, with ideas and 

2159
02:06:13,800 --> 02:06:17,400
art glistening on every surface.
The Medici family ruled there as

2160
02:06:17,400 --> 02:06:20,080
wealthy patrons who collected 
artists in the same way that 

2161
02:06:20,080 --> 02:06:23,640
some people collect rare coins. 
But they were not kings. 

2162
02:06:24,200 --> 02:06:26,840
When Michelle was just six years
old, his mother, Francesca, 

2163
02:06:26,840 --> 02:06:29,680
passed away. 
Children are shaped by loss. 

2164
02:06:30,040 --> 02:06:32,920
Sometimes it pushes them towards
something bigger, and other 

2165
02:06:32,920 --> 02:06:34,560
times it makes them retreat 
inward. 

2166
02:06:35,120 --> 02:06:36,760
It appeared to do both for 
Michelle. 

2167
02:06:37,160 --> 02:06:40,080
He grew quieter and more 
perceptive, spending hours 

2168
02:06:40,080 --> 02:06:42,680
observing stonemason's fixed 
structures because he was 

2169
02:06:42,680 --> 02:06:45,520
captivated by their ability to 
bend hard marble. 

2170
02:06:46,160 --> 02:06:48,760
In an attempt to guide him 
toward a respectable career in 

2171
02:06:48,760 --> 02:06:51,960
banking or government, his 
father enrolled him in grammar 

2172
02:06:51,960 --> 02:06:54,760
school. 
Michelle, however, had different

2173
02:06:54,760 --> 02:06:57,320
plans. 
He would doodle in the margins 

2174
02:06:57,320 --> 02:07:01,040
of his books instead of focusing
on Latin conjugations, creating 

2175
02:07:01,040 --> 02:07:04,040
intricate drawings of hands, 
faces and the way light fell 

2176
02:07:04,040 --> 02:07:07,360
across a window sill. 
Michelle couldn't help himself. 

2177
02:07:07,680 --> 02:07:11,360
But his teachers weren't amused.
For him, creating art was more 

2178
02:07:11,360 --> 02:07:13,520
than just a hobby, it was a way 
of life. 

2179
02:07:14,600 --> 02:07:18,400
At the age of 13, Mitchell 
joined Domenico Guillandajo, 1 

2180
02:07:18,400 --> 02:07:21,480
of Florence's most prosperous 
painters, as an apprentice, 

2181
02:07:21,920 --> 02:07:25,520
defying his father's wishes and 
likely amid some heated family 

2182
02:07:25,520 --> 02:07:28,080
disputes. 
You can appreciate Lodovico's 

2183
02:07:28,080 --> 02:07:30,680
horror if you can picture your 
adolescent today declaring 

2184
02:07:30,680 --> 02:07:33,200
they're dropping out to pursue a
career as a street artist. 

2185
02:07:33,640 --> 02:07:37,120
However, as is often the case 
with future geniuses, Michelle 

2186
02:07:37,120 --> 02:07:39,920
was obstinate. 
The Gill and IO workshop 

2187
02:07:39,920 --> 02:07:41,920
resembled an art factory from 
the Renaissance. 

2188
02:07:42,280 --> 02:07:45,640
Apprentices prepared canvases, 
ground pigments, and picked up 

2189
02:07:45,640 --> 02:07:47,840
skills by imitating the masters 
methods. 

2190
02:07:48,400 --> 02:07:51,640
For Michelle, painting was a bit
confining, but most boys were 

2191
02:07:51,640 --> 02:07:54,600
excited to eventually paint a 
small portion of a larger piece.

2192
02:07:55,400 --> 02:07:57,960
Because of the three-dimensional
challenge of bringing life from 

2193
02:07:57,960 --> 02:08:01,440
inanimate stone, he continued to
gravitate towards sculpture. 

2194
02:08:02,000 --> 02:08:05,160
His story takes an intriguing 
turn at this point in his 

2195
02:08:05,160 --> 02:08:07,920
gardens. 
Lorenzo de Medici, also known as

2196
02:08:07,920 --> 02:08:11,040
Lorenzo the Magnificent, had 
established a sort of art 

2197
02:08:11,040 --> 02:08:13,400
Academy. 
Young artists could study 

2198
02:08:13,400 --> 02:08:16,560
classical sculpture and receive 
instruction from the best at 

2199
02:08:16,560 --> 02:08:20,600
this experimental school. 
Michelle was invited to join 

2200
02:08:20,600 --> 02:08:22,440
after Lorenzo scouts saw his 
work. 

2201
02:08:23,160 --> 02:08:25,920
The boy who had been gathering 
pebbles was now touching marble 

2202
02:08:26,200 --> 02:08:28,800
that had been carved before the 
birth of Christ and strolling 

2203
02:08:28,800 --> 02:08:31,640
through gardens brimming with 
statues from ancient Rome. 

2204
02:08:32,160 --> 02:08:34,360
It was like winning the 
Renaissance lottery to live in 

2205
02:08:34,360 --> 02:08:37,920
the Medici household. 
Ideas crackled in the air like 

2206
02:08:37,920 --> 02:08:41,560
logs on a fire. 
Poets recited new verses and 

2207
02:08:41,560 --> 02:08:43,880
philosophers debated at the 
tables where you ate. 

2208
02:08:44,480 --> 02:08:47,440
Even though Michel was only 15 
and still developing his lanky 

2209
02:08:47,440 --> 02:08:50,720
frame, he was taking in 
everything, the art, the 

2210
02:08:50,720 --> 02:08:53,520
conversations and the 
realisation that people could 

2211
02:08:53,520 --> 02:08:55,600
make beautiful things that would
last. 

2212
02:08:56,240 --> 02:08:59,080
He once carved a sleeping Cupid 
that was so realistic and 

2213
02:08:59,080 --> 02:09:02,520
expertly done that someone 
proposed artificially ageing it 

2214
02:09:02,840 --> 02:09:05,120
and marketing it as an antique 
Roman item. 

2215
02:09:06,200 --> 02:09:09,520
The strategy was successful 
until the buyer realised the 

2216
02:09:09,520 --> 02:09:11,600
fraud. 
The collector, however, was 

2217
02:09:11,600 --> 02:09:14,960
impressed rather than incensed. 
Who was this young person 

2218
02:09:14,960 --> 02:09:16,760
capable of deceiving 
professionals? 

2219
02:09:17,280 --> 02:09:20,440
At that moment, Michelle became 
aware of a significant aspect of

2220
02:09:20,440 --> 02:09:22,960
himself. 
He was not merely talented, but 

2221
02:09:22,960 --> 02:09:26,800
exceptionally so. 
This type of talent only occurs 

2222
02:09:26,800 --> 02:09:30,360
perhaps once every generation. 
Like learning you can fly, but 

2223
02:09:30,360 --> 02:09:31,760
not being sure you want to take 
off. 

2224
02:09:32,040 --> 02:09:34,240
It was both exhilarating and 
terrifying. 

2225
02:09:34,880 --> 02:09:38,080
As you go to sleep tonight, 
visualize that young man 

2226
02:09:38,080 --> 02:09:42,200
standing among marble statues in
those Medici gardens, his hands 

2227
02:09:42,200 --> 02:09:46,200
already smeared with stone dust,
his mind racing with ideas he 

2228
02:09:46,200 --> 02:09:50,240
had not yet been able to grasp. 
When Michelle was 21 years old 

2229
02:09:50,240 --> 02:09:54,320
and packing his few possessions 
for Rome in 1496, he felt as 

2230
02:09:54,320 --> 02:09:55,920
though the world was waiting for
him. 

2231
02:09:56,440 --> 02:09:59,360
His school had been Florence, 
but Rome? 

2232
02:10:00,440 --> 02:10:02,880
Rome was the birth place of 
legends in the making of 

2233
02:10:02,880 --> 02:10:05,880
reputations. 
Imagine him travelling toward 

2234
02:10:05,880 --> 02:10:09,120
the city that had ruled the 
world on that dusty Rd., most 

2235
02:10:09,120 --> 02:10:12,440
likely on a borrowed horse, with
his sketchbook securely tucked 

2236
02:10:12,440 --> 02:10:15,840
away in his saddlebag. 
In the late 1400s, Rome 

2237
02:10:15,840 --> 02:10:19,080
resembled a huge archaeological 
site where people continue to 

2238
02:10:19,080 --> 02:10:21,840
live and work. 
There were pieces of the ancient

2239
02:10:21,840 --> 02:10:25,640
empire everywhere you looked, 
walls constructed from stones 

2240
02:10:25,640 --> 02:10:28,480
that had seen Caesar's 
victories, marble statues 

2241
02:10:28,480 --> 02:10:31,680
without arms but still exuding 
strength, and broken columns 

2242
02:10:31,680 --> 02:10:35,000
supporting Tavern roofs. 
It was like entering paradise 

2243
02:10:35,000 --> 02:10:37,680
for an artist who was enamoured 
with classical beauty. 

2244
02:10:38,040 --> 02:10:40,840
A French cardinal who wanted 
something unique for his tomb 

2245
02:10:41,240 --> 02:10:43,680
gave Michelle his first 
significant Commission. 

2246
02:10:44,800 --> 02:10:48,160
The young sculptor proposed a 
pietar, Mary holding the dead 

2247
02:10:48,160 --> 02:10:51,760
Christ, and spent months 
sketching, studying anatomy and 

2248
02:10:51,760 --> 02:10:53,960
preparing for what would become 
his masterpiece. 

2249
02:10:54,520 --> 02:10:57,160
The problem with marble, 
however, is that it is not 

2250
02:10:57,160 --> 02:11:01,040
forgiving of errors. 
A bad cut cannot be repaired or 

2251
02:11:01,040 --> 02:11:04,240
erased. 
Each chisel stroke is a tiny act

2252
02:11:04,240 --> 02:11:06,440
of faith. 
He spent whole days in the 

2253
02:11:06,440 --> 02:11:09,880
workshop working on the Pietar 
like a man possessed, coming out

2254
02:11:09,880 --> 02:11:12,680
with marble dust under his 
fingernails and in his hair. 

2255
02:11:13,400 --> 02:11:16,080
The tenderness of the sculpture 
he made was revolutionary. 

2256
02:11:16,680 --> 02:11:19,280
Mitchell carved Mary in Christ 
as though they were actual 

2257
02:11:19,280 --> 02:11:22,880
people, caught in a moment of 
great sorrow and grace, in 

2258
02:11:22,880 --> 02:11:25,920
contrast to the conventional 
mediaeval style that made 

2259
02:11:25,920 --> 02:11:27,720
figures appear rigid and 
symbolic. 

2260
02:11:28,560 --> 02:11:31,280
However, something annoying 
occurred when the piece was 

2261
02:11:31,280 --> 02:11:33,800
revealed. 
After admiring it, visitors 

2262
02:11:33,800 --> 02:11:37,160
would inquire who carved this 
and shake their heads 

2263
02:11:37,160 --> 02:11:39,720
incredulously when informed that
it was a young man from 

2264
02:11:39,720 --> 02:11:42,640
Florence. 
One night, Michelle did 

2265
02:11:42,640 --> 02:11:44,640
something he would never do 
again in his career. 

2266
02:11:45,040 --> 02:11:48,280
He sneaked back and carved his 
name directly on Mary's sash, 

2267
02:11:48,560 --> 02:11:53,160
saying Michelangelo Bonnarotti. 
Florentine made this like a 

2268
02:11:53,160 --> 02:11:55,360
Renaissance graffiti artist 
claiming credit. 

2269
02:11:55,760 --> 02:11:58,640
It's funny to imagine this 
future universe master sneaking 

2270
02:11:58,640 --> 02:12:01,280
around Saint Peter's Basilica in
the dark with his chisel. 

2271
02:12:01,760 --> 02:12:05,040
However, it was successful. 
Everyone in Rome was suddenly 

2272
02:12:05,040 --> 02:12:08,240
aware of Michelangelo's identity
after the Pietai established his

2273
02:12:08,240 --> 02:12:11,200
reputation. 
He also produced his well known 

2274
02:12:11,200 --> 02:12:15,120
sculpture of the Roman wine God 
Bacchus around this period. 

2275
02:12:16,000 --> 02:12:19,000
Now the majority of artists 
depicted Bacchus as a God like 

2276
02:12:19,000 --> 02:12:21,760
and dignified figure. 
But Michelle had a different 

2277
02:12:21,760 --> 02:12:24,440
vision. 
His Bacchus has the soft body of

2278
02:12:24,440 --> 02:12:27,280
someone who's had too much good 
living and he appears to be a 

2279
02:12:27,280 --> 02:12:29,440
little inebriated, swaying a 
little. 

2280
02:12:30,040 --> 02:12:33,040
It was witty and clever, 
demonstrating that Michelle was 

2281
02:12:33,040 --> 02:12:36,200
aware of human nature even when 
he was portraying gods. 

2282
02:12:36,920 --> 02:12:39,080
The achievement presented new 
difficulties. 

2283
02:12:39,600 --> 02:12:42,840
Rich customers started vying for
his attention by paying 

2284
02:12:42,840 --> 02:12:45,200
progressively higher prices for 
his sculptures. 

2285
02:12:45,960 --> 02:12:48,560
Michelle, however, was picky 
about his commissions. 

2286
02:12:49,040 --> 02:12:51,880
He desired projects that would 
challenge his abilities and 

2287
02:12:51,880 --> 02:12:54,640
allow him to test the limits of 
what marble could accomplish, 

2288
02:12:54,960 --> 02:12:58,640
not just financial gain. 
Representatives from Florence 

2289
02:12:58,640 --> 02:13:00,800
showed up one day with an 
interesting proposal. 

2290
02:13:01,320 --> 02:13:04,160
A huge block of marble that had 
been there for decades was in 

2291
02:13:04,160 --> 02:13:06,800
the city. 
After a few attempts earlier, 

2292
02:13:06,800 --> 02:13:09,760
sculptors had abandoned it, 
claiming it was defective and 

2293
02:13:09,760 --> 02:13:12,560
useless. 
The Florentines pondered whether

2294
02:13:12,560 --> 02:13:15,440
Michelle would want to look. 
The block would have to be moved

2295
02:13:15,440 --> 02:13:18,360
back to Florence because it was 
so big, 17 feet high. 

2296
02:13:19,080 --> 02:13:21,600
Like a physician examining a 
patient, Michelle studied the 

2297
02:13:21,600 --> 02:13:24,240
marble. 
He walked around it, felt its 

2298
02:13:24,240 --> 02:13:26,960
surface with his hands, and 
examined the cuts and grain. 

2299
02:13:27,520 --> 02:13:29,960
He saw potential where other 
sculptors saw problems. 

2300
02:13:30,320 --> 02:13:32,600
He could already picture the 
figure imprisoned inside, 

2301
02:13:32,600 --> 02:13:36,000
awaiting release. 
In his imagination, this 

2302
02:13:36,000 --> 02:13:39,800
Commission would become David. 
It wasn't just any Commission. 

2303
02:13:40,840 --> 02:13:42,840
Months passed during the 
negotiations. 

2304
02:13:43,320 --> 02:13:46,160
Michelle desired A suitable 
workspace, sufficient 

2305
02:13:46,160 --> 02:13:49,160
compensation, and total creative
control. 

2306
02:13:50,000 --> 02:13:53,320
The city officials agreed to 
everything, possibly believing 

2307
02:13:53,320 --> 02:13:55,400
that someone would solve their 
marble problem. 

2308
02:13:56,000 --> 02:13:58,280
They were unaware that they were
commissioning the world's most 

2309
02:13:58,280 --> 02:14:01,320
well known sculpture. 
Michelle took a final stroll 

2310
02:14:01,320 --> 02:14:03,720
through the historic streets of 
Rome as he got ready to head 

2311
02:14:03,720 --> 02:14:06,560
back to Florence. 
He was departing as a master, 

2312
02:14:06,800 --> 02:14:08,720
having arrived as a budding 
young artist. 

2313
02:14:09,280 --> 02:14:11,800
He had learned from the Eternal 
City that beauty could endure 

2314
02:14:11,800 --> 02:14:14,480
centuries of conflict and 
turmoil, that art could 

2315
02:14:14,480 --> 02:14:18,000
transcend empires, and that a 
talented hand could transform 

2316
02:14:18,000 --> 02:14:20,240
stone into a language that would
endure forever. 

2317
02:14:20,880 --> 02:14:23,840
As you drift off to sleep 
tonight, picture Michelle 

2318
02:14:24,040 --> 02:14:27,640
already seeing David's face in 
his dreams, loading that massive

2319
02:14:27,640 --> 02:14:31,160
block of marble onto a cart. 
Those times when everything in 

2320
02:14:31,160 --> 02:14:33,840
your life falls into place, when
all of your knowledge and 

2321
02:14:33,840 --> 02:14:36,640
abilities come together to work 
on the ideal project at the 

2322
02:14:36,640 --> 02:14:39,200
ideal moment, have a certain 
allure. 

2323
02:14:39,760 --> 02:14:44,000
That moment for Michelle, who is
now 26 and back in Florence, was

2324
02:14:44,000 --> 02:14:47,080
when he first saw the enormous 
block of marble that would 

2325
02:14:47,080 --> 02:14:50,280
eventually become David. 
The marble had a fascinating 

2326
02:14:50,280 --> 02:14:53,600
back story. 
Decades before it had been taken

2327
02:14:53,600 --> 02:14:56,960
from Carrara and used to make a 
sculpture of David for Florence 

2328
02:14:56,960 --> 02:14:59,440
Cathedral. 
Two previous sculptors had 

2329
02:14:59,440 --> 02:15:03,040
attempted it, Agostino di Duccio
had started carving but 

2330
02:15:03,040 --> 02:15:06,040
abandoned it, and Antonio 
Rossellino had been commissioned

2331
02:15:06,040 --> 02:15:09,560
to continue but also gave up. 
By 15 O1. 

2332
02:15:09,560 --> 02:15:12,640
The block, which the locals 
called the giant, had devolved 

2333
02:15:12,640 --> 02:15:16,040
into a public disgrace akin to a
costly piece of exercise 

2334
02:15:16,040 --> 02:15:17,960
equipment collecting dust in a 
corner. 

2335
02:15:19,000 --> 02:15:22,000
In order to safeguard his work 
and his privacy, Michelle 

2336
02:15:22,000 --> 02:15:24,360
constructed a wooden shelter 
around the marble in the 

2337
02:15:24,360 --> 02:15:27,160
cathedral courtyard where he set
up his workshop. 

2338
02:15:27,920 --> 02:15:30,200
This was his world for the next 
three years. 

2339
02:15:30,720 --> 02:15:33,240
He would get there before the 
sun came up and work until it 

2340
02:15:33,240 --> 02:15:35,520
went out, frequently skipping 
meals. 

2341
02:15:36,080 --> 02:15:39,000
City officials defended their 
investment despite complaints 

2342
02:15:39,000 --> 02:15:42,080
from the neighbors about the 
continuous tapping of a chisel 

2343
02:15:42,080 --> 02:15:44,720
on stone. 
They had a sneaking suspicion 

2344
02:15:44,720 --> 02:15:47,520
that something extraordinary was
taking place behind those wooden

2345
02:15:47,520 --> 02:15:50,360
walls. 
Reimagining a well known tale 

2346
02:15:50,360 --> 02:15:52,720
was more important to David's 
creation than technical 

2347
02:15:52,720 --> 02:15:55,560
proficiency. 
Earlier, artists had depicted 

2348
02:15:55,560 --> 02:15:58,120
David standing over Goliath's 
severed head following his 

2349
02:15:58,120 --> 02:16:00,760
victory. 
Michelle, however, saw things 

2350
02:16:00,760 --> 02:16:03,360
differently. 
His David is shown just before 

2351
02:16:03,360 --> 02:16:07,120
the fight, his muscles tensed, 
his gaze fixed on the 

2352
02:16:07,120 --> 02:16:10,880
approaching giant, a young man 
mustering the will to fight an 

2353
02:16:10,880 --> 02:16:14,320
impossible battle. 
David represented everyone who'd

2354
02:16:14,360 --> 02:16:17,480
ever had to overcome 
insurmountable odds, which in 

2355
02:16:17,480 --> 02:16:20,520
plague stricken, war-torn 
Renaissance Italy, meant almost 

2356
02:16:20,600 --> 02:16:23,520
everyone. 
The physical difficulties were 

2357
02:16:23,520 --> 02:16:26,240
tremendous. 
The marble weighed more than 6 

2358
02:16:26,240 --> 02:16:30,720
tons and stood 17 feet tall. 
Michelle had to climb ladders 

2359
02:16:30,720 --> 02:16:33,920
and scaffolding, constantly 
changing his perspective in 

2360
02:16:33,920 --> 02:16:37,520
order to check his proportions. 
He devised a method for creating

2361
02:16:37,520 --> 02:16:40,440
tiny wax models and then 
enlarging them, applying 

2362
02:16:40,440 --> 02:16:43,639
mathematical ratios to translate
his concepts onto the enormous 

2363
02:16:43,639 --> 02:16:45,920
stone. 
There were disadvantages to 

2364
02:16:45,920 --> 02:16:48,760
working alone. 
On some days when a certain 

2365
02:16:48,760 --> 02:16:52,000
muscle wouldn't look right or 
the marble showed an unexpected 

2366
02:16:52,000 --> 02:16:54,760
floor, doubt would creep in like
morning fog. 

2367
02:16:55,520 --> 02:16:58,680
At times, Michelle would 
dedicate whole days to carving 

2368
02:16:58,680 --> 02:17:01,680
and recarving a single finger 
until it reached the level of 

2369
02:17:01,680 --> 02:17:05,000
perfection he had imagined. 
His hands were permanently 

2370
02:17:05,000 --> 02:17:08,559
discoloured, his back hurt from 
looking up all the time, and he 

2371
02:17:08,559 --> 02:17:11,240
became known for being 
antisocial, though this was 

2372
02:17:11,240 --> 02:17:13,799
partially due to the fact that 
he simply had no time for 

2373
02:17:13,799 --> 02:17:16,840
socializing. 
It was a slow breakthrough. 

2374
02:17:17,400 --> 02:17:20,520
Months went by and David's shape
appeared on the stone like a 

2375
02:17:20,520 --> 02:17:24,559
sunrise cresting hills. 
The fundamental form came first,

2376
02:17:24,959 --> 02:17:27,719
followed by the definition of 
the muscles and features, and 

2377
02:17:27,719 --> 02:17:30,719
lastly the amazing detail that 
gave the appearance of living 

2378
02:17:30,719 --> 02:17:33,920
flesh to marble. 
Michelle focused particularly on

2379
02:17:33,920 --> 02:17:37,400
David's eyes, which still appear
to track movement, and his 

2380
02:17:37,400 --> 02:17:40,240
hands, which were large, to 
highlight his humanity and 

2381
02:17:40,240 --> 02:17:43,320
resolve. 
By 15 O four, word had gotten 

2382
02:17:43,320 --> 02:17:45,799
out that something extraordinary
was taking place in that 

2383
02:17:45,799 --> 02:17:48,600
workshop in Florence. 
The response was swift and 

2384
02:17:48,600 --> 02:17:50,840
overwhelming. 
When David was finally unveiled 

2385
02:17:50,840 --> 02:17:54,600
by officials, crowds of citizens
gathered merely to gaze. 

2386
02:17:55,120 --> 02:17:58,680
To learn the technique, artists 
travelled from all over Italy. 

2387
02:17:59,200 --> 02:18:01,879
Even people who knew nothing 
about art could sense they were 

2388
02:18:01,879 --> 02:18:04,160
seeing something that would 
outlive them all. 

2389
02:18:05,120 --> 02:18:06,840
But then came a delightful 
problem. 

2390
02:18:07,240 --> 02:18:09,879
Where to put a 17 foot naked 
man? 

2391
02:18:10,520 --> 02:18:12,480
David was supposed to be 
positioned high on the 

2392
02:18:12,480 --> 02:18:15,879
cathedral, but the sculpture was
too magnificent to be concealed 

2393
02:18:15,879 --> 02:18:18,559
on a rooftop. 
The placement was discussed by a

2394
02:18:18,559 --> 02:18:21,680
Commission of citizens and 
artists, including Leonardo da 

2395
02:18:21,680 --> 02:18:25,799
Vinci, who had his own views as 
a representation of the power of

2396
02:18:25,799 --> 02:18:28,280
the Republic. 
Some wanted David to stand in 

2397
02:18:28,280 --> 02:18:31,400
front of the Platts of Echio, 
others favoured a more secure 

2398
02:18:31,400 --> 02:18:33,920
area. 
The topic of politics came up. 

2399
02:18:34,480 --> 02:18:37,680
Like David and Goliath, Florence
was a Republic encircled by 

2400
02:18:37,680 --> 02:18:40,879
hostile territories. 
The sculpture came to represent 

2401
02:18:40,879 --> 02:18:43,120
democratic principles opposing 
oppression. 

2402
02:18:44,000 --> 02:18:46,600
When David was eventually 
erected in front of the Platts 

2403
02:18:46,600 --> 02:18:49,320
of Echio, it was both an 
artistic and a political 

2404
02:18:49,320 --> 02:18:51,920
statement. 
The installation was a feat of 

2405
02:18:51,920 --> 02:18:54,520
engineering. 
Using an intricate system of 

2406
02:18:54,520 --> 02:18:58,080
ropes and wooden rollers, 40 men
moved David the half mile from 

2407
02:18:58,080 --> 02:19:01,320
the workshop to the Piazza over 
the course of four days. 

2408
02:19:01,799 --> 02:19:04,639
The procession turned into an 
unplanned celebration of civic 

2409
02:19:04,639 --> 02:19:06,879
pride as people gathered in the 
streets to watch. 

2410
02:19:07,639 --> 02:19:11,320
Michelle, who is now 29, had 
given Florence an icon in 

2411
02:19:11,320 --> 02:19:14,480
addition to a sculpture. 
In addition to his artistic 

2412
02:19:14,480 --> 02:19:17,559
accomplishments, David embodied 
the Renaissance belief that 

2413
02:19:17,559 --> 02:19:20,400
anyone could achieve anything 
with talent, bravery, and 

2414
02:19:20,400 --> 02:19:23,120
willpower. 
As you fall asleep, imagine the 

2415
02:19:23,120 --> 02:19:26,959
moment when the scaffolding was 
finally taken down and David was

2416
02:19:26,959 --> 02:19:30,000
standing there in all his 
splendor, prepared to take on 

2417
02:19:30,000 --> 02:19:33,360
any giants the world might send.
Something happens that 

2418
02:19:33,360 --> 02:19:35,920
completely upends everything you
believe to be true about 

2419
02:19:35,920 --> 02:19:38,879
yourself, just when you think 
life is settled into a 

2420
02:19:38,879 --> 02:19:42,160
comfortable pattern. 
Pope Julius the Second, who 

2421
02:19:42,160 --> 02:19:44,520
combined the artistic 
aspirations of Lorenzo de 

2422
02:19:44,520 --> 02:19:47,959
Medici, the temperament of a 
Renaissance warlord, and the 

2423
02:19:47,959 --> 02:19:50,920
spiritual authority of the 
papacy, was the source of that 

2424
02:19:50,920 --> 02:19:54,560
disruption for Michelle. 
In order to design and sculpt a 

2425
02:19:54,560 --> 02:19:57,240
massive tomb that would rival 
the monuments of the ancient 

2426
02:19:57,240 --> 02:19:59,840
emperors, Julius had called 
Michelle to Rome. 

2427
02:20:00,720 --> 02:20:03,320
With dozens of figures adorning 
the three story marble 

2428
02:20:03,320 --> 02:20:06,080
masterpiece, Mitchell spent 
months making models and 

2429
02:20:06,080 --> 02:20:08,240
drawings. 
His sculpture legacy would be 

2430
02:20:08,240 --> 02:20:12,400
the work of a lifetime. 
Then Julius had second thoughts.

2431
02:20:12,960 --> 02:20:16,000
Imagine Michelle's annoyance. 
Your guests decide they would 

2432
02:20:16,000 --> 02:20:18,400
rather have pizza after you've 
prepared the perfect dinner 

2433
02:20:18,400 --> 02:20:20,440
party. 
Purchased all the necessary 

2434
02:20:20,440 --> 02:20:24,400
supplies and begun cooking. 
The Pope was the guest in this 

2435
02:20:24,400 --> 02:20:27,160
instance, though, and you 
couldn't exactly dispute papal 

2436
02:20:27,160 --> 02:20:29,800
authority. 
Julius came up with a novel 

2437
02:20:29,800 --> 02:20:32,240
idea. 
He wanted Michelle to paint the 

2438
02:20:32,240 --> 02:20:35,360
Sistine Chapel's ceiling. 
Michelle objected. 

2439
02:20:35,760 --> 02:20:38,480
But I'm a sculptor. 
And he was correct. 

2440
02:20:38,840 --> 02:20:41,560
He had little experience 
painting, and he'd never tried 

2441
02:20:41,600 --> 02:20:45,600
anything as large as Julius had 
in mind. 68 feet above the 

2442
02:20:45,600 --> 02:20:49,040
ground, the Sistine Chapel's 
ceiling covered more than 5000 

2443
02:20:49,040 --> 02:20:52,440
square feet of curved surface. 
Lying on your back would be like

2444
02:20:52,440 --> 02:20:54,240
painting the interior of a 
cathedral. 

2445
02:20:55,240 --> 02:20:57,360
Michel's worries didn't interest
Julius. 

2446
02:20:57,840 --> 02:21:00,680
Discussions were short, and 
obedience was expected when the 

2447
02:21:00,680 --> 02:21:04,040
Pope made a request. 
According to some historians, 

2448
02:21:04,400 --> 02:21:07,400
Bramante, the Pope's architect, 
suggested Michelle for the 

2449
02:21:07,400 --> 02:21:10,880
project despite the fact that it
was all but impossible, possibly

2450
02:21:10,880 --> 02:21:13,320
in the hopes that the sculptor 
would falter and withdraw from 

2451
02:21:13,320 --> 02:21:17,120
the race for Julius's favour. 
If that's the case, they 

2452
02:21:17,120 --> 02:21:18,800
misjudged Michelle's 
stubbornness. 

2453
02:21:19,640 --> 02:21:24,600
In 15 O 8, Michelle was 33 years
old and looking up at a ceiling 

2454
02:21:24,600 --> 02:21:27,880
that seemed to go on forever, 
trying to figure out how to turn

2455
02:21:27,880 --> 02:21:31,120
plain plaster into the most 
amazing painted surface in 

2456
02:21:31,120 --> 02:21:33,640
Christian art. 
He would have to come up with 

2457
02:21:33,640 --> 02:21:36,360
ways to paint above without 
getting blinded by paint 

2458
02:21:36,360 --> 02:21:39,360
dripping in his eyes, designed 
scaffolding that wouldn't 

2459
02:21:39,360 --> 02:21:42,440
collapse, and somehow come up 
with a cohesive composition that

2460
02:21:42,440 --> 02:21:46,280
made sense from 68 feet below. 
The topic was just as 

2461
02:21:46,280 --> 02:21:49,880
intimidating. 
Julius wanted prophets, Sybils, 

2462
02:21:50,120 --> 02:21:53,440
and hundreds of other characters
to surround scenes from Genesis,

2463
02:21:53,680 --> 02:21:56,880
such as the creation of the 
world, Adam and Eve, and Noah's 

2464
02:21:56,880 --> 02:21:58,840
flood. 
It was more than just a 

2465
02:21:58,840 --> 02:22:00,640
painting. 
It was a comprehensive 

2466
02:22:00,640 --> 02:22:03,760
theological program that had to 
function as both separate scenes

2467
02:22:03,800 --> 02:22:06,760
and a cohesive whole. 
Reasoning that he would begin 

2468
02:22:06,760 --> 02:22:09,680
the story chronologically, 
Michelle started with the flood 

2469
02:22:09,680 --> 02:22:12,120
scene. 
However, it was extremely 

2470
02:22:12,120 --> 02:22:14,680
challenging to work overhead 
while lying on scaffolding. 

2471
02:22:15,480 --> 02:22:18,200
His neck ached from the awkward 
position, paint dripped 

2472
02:22:18,200 --> 02:22:21,480
continuously, and the figures he
thought were flawless up close 

2473
02:22:21,480 --> 02:22:23,320
looked warped down from floor 
level. 

2474
02:22:23,840 --> 02:22:26,400
He struggled for weeks before 
scraping everything off and 

2475
02:22:26,400 --> 02:22:29,240
starting over. 
This time working backward 

2476
02:22:29,240 --> 02:22:31,400
through Genesis, he started with
God. 

2477
02:22:31,400 --> 02:22:35,160
Distinguishing between light and
darkness, He created clever 

2478
02:22:35,160 --> 02:22:38,600
methods such as thickening his 
paint mixtures to minimise 

2479
02:22:38,600 --> 02:22:41,800
dripping, making cartoon 
templates to project designs 

2480
02:22:41,800 --> 02:22:45,120
onto the ceiling, and modifying 
proportions to take the viewing 

2481
02:22:45,120 --> 02:22:48,680
angle into consideration. 
Most significantly, he 

2482
02:22:48,680 --> 02:22:51,440
discovered that the ceiling was 
an architectural space that 

2483
02:22:51,440 --> 02:22:54,120
could give the impression of 
depth and movement, rather than 

2484
02:22:54,120 --> 02:22:57,040
a flat surface. 
The work took up all of his 

2485
02:22:57,040 --> 02:22:59,080
time. 
During his four years as a 

2486
02:22:59,080 --> 02:23:01,920
painter, he frequently worked by
himself in the Chapel after 

2487
02:23:01,920 --> 02:23:04,680
dark, using only candles for 
illumination. 

2488
02:23:05,600 --> 02:23:08,600
Every brush stroke of those 
magnificent figures was created 

2489
02:23:08,600 --> 02:23:11,720
by his hand, but his assistants 
prepared the paints and 

2490
02:23:11,720 --> 02:23:14,560
cartoons. 
His own lamentable poem about 

2491
02:23:14,560 --> 02:23:16,920
becoming a hunchback from 
looking up all the time 

2492
02:23:17,240 --> 02:23:20,360
describes the chronic neck and 
back pain he developed that 

2493
02:23:20,360 --> 02:23:22,120
would follow him for the rest of
his life. 

2494
02:23:22,800 --> 02:23:25,360
Psychological pressure matched 
the physical toll. 

2495
02:23:25,920 --> 02:23:29,280
Julius would show up out of the 
blue, scaling the scaffolding to

2496
02:23:29,280 --> 02:23:32,000
check on progress and give 
unsolicited advice. 

2497
02:23:32,600 --> 02:23:35,720
The Pope was impatient, 
constantly asking when the work 

2498
02:23:35,720 --> 02:23:38,360
would be finished. 
Michelle almost got hit with 

2499
02:23:38,360 --> 02:23:41,280
Julius's walking stick for his 
well known reply when it's 

2500
02:23:41,280 --> 02:23:44,240
finished. 
But over time, magic occurred. 

2501
02:23:44,720 --> 02:23:47,760
Figures of amazing beauty and 
strength started to emerge from 

2502
02:23:47,760 --> 02:23:50,360
the ceiling. 
His God wasn't the distant 

2503
02:23:50,360 --> 02:23:54,240
symbolic deity of medieval art, 
but a dynamic creator sweeping 

2504
02:23:54,240 --> 02:23:55,960
through space with cosmic 
energy. 

2505
02:23:56,920 --> 02:24:00,000
The most well known gesture in 
art history is Adam's awakening 

2506
02:24:00,000 --> 02:24:02,600
touch. 
The flat ceiling became a vision

2507
02:24:02,600 --> 02:24:06,280
of heaven as the prophets and 
Sybils appeared to occupy actual

2508
02:24:06,280 --> 02:24:09,920
architectural spaces. 
The way all of these components 

2509
02:24:09,920 --> 02:24:12,400
came together was the most 
amazing accomplishment. 

2510
02:24:13,040 --> 02:24:16,040
Visitors could follow the 
creation story while being awed 

2511
02:24:16,040 --> 02:24:19,120
by the individual figures 
exquisite beauty as they read 

2512
02:24:19,120 --> 02:24:21,680
the ceiling from the Chapel 
floor, which resembled a huge 

2513
02:24:21,680 --> 02:24:25,160
illuminated manuscript. 
Tonight, as you close your eyes,

2514
02:24:25,400 --> 02:24:28,840
picture Michelle standing atop 
that scaffolding, exhausted and 

2515
02:24:28,840 --> 02:24:31,960
covered in paint, producing 
pictures that will awe future 

2516
02:24:31,960 --> 02:24:34,360
generations. 
Every great endeavour has a 

2517
02:24:34,360 --> 02:24:37,560
turning point when you take 
stock and discover that you've 

2518
02:24:37,560 --> 02:24:40,120
produced something that even you
were surprised by. 

2519
02:24:41,040 --> 02:24:43,800
When the scaffolding was 
eventually taken down in October

2520
02:24:43,800 --> 02:24:47,720
1512, Michelangelo was able to 
see the finished Sistine Chapel 

2521
02:24:47,720 --> 02:24:49,360
ceiling. 
For the first time, from the 

2522
02:24:49,360 --> 02:24:52,480
ground floor, just like any 
other visitor who might happen 

2523
02:24:52,480 --> 02:24:56,120
to wander in from the Roman 
streets, the unveiling was a 

2524
02:24:56,120 --> 02:24:58,400
combination of religious 
ceremony, political. 

2525
02:24:58,400 --> 02:25:01,960
Theatre and art exhibition as 
one might anticipate from a 

2526
02:25:01,960 --> 02:25:05,960
papal event in Renaissance Rome.
In their finest robes, Cardinals

2527
02:25:05,960 --> 02:25:09,280
and diplomats assembled, artists
travelled from all over Italy to

2528
02:25:09,280 --> 02:25:12,520
observe what everyone knew would
be unprecedented, and 

2529
02:25:12,520 --> 02:25:15,440
inquisitive Romans flocked 
outside to catch a glimpse of 

2530
02:25:15,440 --> 02:25:17,240
what their city's master had 
achieved. 

2531
02:25:17,680 --> 02:25:20,720
There was an instantaneous and 
profound silence as those heavy 

2532
02:25:20,720 --> 02:25:22,880
wooden doors opened and the 
crowd filed in. 

2533
02:25:23,720 --> 02:25:25,880
And something is so exquisite 
that it leaves people 

2534
02:25:25,880 --> 02:25:27,600
speechless. 
Do you know what I mean? 

2535
02:25:28,160 --> 02:25:29,800
That's precisely what took 
place. 

2536
02:25:30,480 --> 02:25:33,400
Standing with their necks craned
back and their mouths open, 

2537
02:25:33,880 --> 02:25:36,920
grown men who had lived their 
entire lives surrounded by art 

2538
02:25:36,920 --> 02:25:38,880
attempted to take in what they 
were witnessing. 

2539
02:25:40,120 --> 02:25:43,160
The ceiling had been turned into
a window to heaven, not just 

2540
02:25:43,160 --> 02:25:45,600
painted. 
Michelle had created an 

2541
02:25:45,600 --> 02:25:48,880
architectural illusion so 
convincing that visitors felt 

2542
02:25:48,880 --> 02:25:52,280
they were looking up through 
actual stone frameworks at real 

2543
02:25:52,280 --> 02:25:54,320
figures inhabiting celestial 
space. 

2544
02:25:54,880 --> 02:25:59,280
Each scene, God sweeping the 
cosmos, Adam waking up, Eve 

2545
02:25:59,280 --> 02:26:03,040
emerging from Adam's side, was 
flawless on its own, but they 

2546
02:26:03,040 --> 02:26:05,120
all came together like the 
movements of a Symphony. 

2547
02:26:05,920 --> 02:26:08,360
Of course, Pope Julius was 
victorious. 

2548
02:26:08,920 --> 02:26:11,400
He'd commissioned the peace for 
political as well as artistic 

2549
02:26:11,400 --> 02:26:14,280
reasons, demonstrating to the 
world that papal Rome was 

2550
02:26:14,280 --> 02:26:17,080
capable of creating wonders on 
par with those of classical 

2551
02:26:17,080 --> 02:26:19,640
antiquity. 
However, Julius appeared 

2552
02:26:19,640 --> 02:26:21,840
astonished by the 
accomplishments of his erratic 

2553
02:26:21,840 --> 02:26:24,400
sculptor. 
Undoubtedly the ceiling was 

2554
02:26:24,400 --> 02:26:27,960
propaganda, but it was 
propaganda of such sublime 

2555
02:26:27,960 --> 02:26:30,760
beauty that it took on a much 
higher significance. 

2556
02:26:31,400 --> 02:26:33,960
As usual, Michelle was already 
planning his next endeavour. 

2557
02:26:34,440 --> 02:26:37,160
He was still essentially A 
sculptor, even though the four 

2558
02:26:37,160 --> 02:26:39,440
years of painting had been an 
unusual diversion. 

2559
02:26:40,160 --> 02:26:42,640
He desired to go back to the 
marble statues that had been 

2560
02:26:42,640 --> 02:26:45,360
patiently waiting in Julius's 
workshop to his tomb. 

2561
02:26:46,000 --> 02:26:48,400
But like Pope's, Julius had 
other ideas. 

2562
02:26:48,920 --> 02:26:50,880
The relationship between 
Michelle and Julius was 

2563
02:26:50,880 --> 02:26:54,480
fascinating to observe. 
Both of them had strong wills 

2564
02:26:54,680 --> 02:26:57,880
for ardent art lovers and were 
completely confident in their 

2565
02:26:57,880 --> 02:27:00,640
own abilities. 
Their arguments were legendary. 

2566
02:27:00,960 --> 02:27:03,640
At one point, Michelle actually 
left Rome and had to be brought 

2567
02:27:03,640 --> 02:27:06,960
back by papal apologies. 
However, they were able to 

2568
02:27:06,960 --> 02:27:09,280
understand one another in the 
way that challenging people 

2569
02:27:09,280 --> 02:27:13,160
occasionally do. 
Despite his complaints, Michelle

2570
02:27:13,160 --> 02:27:16,160
flourished under the pressure of
impossible commissions, and 

2571
02:27:16,160 --> 02:27:18,120
Julia saw genius where he saw 
it. 

2572
02:27:18,960 --> 02:27:21,680
Michelle likely believed that he
would finally be able to work on

2573
02:27:21,680 --> 02:27:24,560
his own projects after Julius's 
death in 1513. 

2574
02:27:25,360 --> 02:27:28,320
Michelle had been raised in the 
Medici family, so it should have

2575
02:27:28,320 --> 02:27:30,920
been good news that he was now 
dealing with the new Pope, Leo 

2576
02:27:30,920 --> 02:27:35,520
the 10th, who was a Medici. 
But Leo had his own artistic 

2577
02:27:35,520 --> 02:27:39,720
vision and his own favorite 
artists, including Raphael, who 

2578
02:27:39,720 --> 02:27:41,960
was painting the papal 
apartments while Michelle was 

2579
02:27:41,960 --> 02:27:43,800
working overhead in the Sistine 
Chapel. 

2580
02:27:44,360 --> 02:27:47,520
The rivalry with Raphael gives 
Michelle's story a humorous side

2581
02:27:47,520 --> 02:27:50,000
plot. 
Charming, tactful, at ease 

2582
02:27:50,000 --> 02:27:53,160
around customers, and capable of
running sizeable workshops, 

2583
02:27:53,480 --> 02:27:55,640
Raphael was everything Michelle 
wasn't. 

2584
02:27:56,280 --> 02:27:59,320
Raphael was hosting elegant 
dinner parties and graciously 

2585
02:27:59,320 --> 02:28:02,040
accepting Commission after 
Commission, while Michelle was 

2586
02:28:02,040 --> 02:28:05,280
up on scaffolding, covered in 
paint, complaining about papal 

2587
02:28:05,280 --> 02:28:07,800
meddling. 
Nonetheless, the two artists 

2588
02:28:07,800 --> 02:28:11,520
valued one another's creations. 
Although he would never publicly

2589
02:28:11,520 --> 02:28:14,440
acknowledge it, Michelle valued 
Raphael's compositional 

2590
02:28:14,440 --> 02:28:17,480
abilities and technical 
innovations, and Raphael used 

2591
02:28:17,480 --> 02:28:19,960
elements he had learned from 
studying Michel's ceiling in his

2592
02:28:19,960 --> 02:28:22,680
own paintings. 
It was the kind of high level 

2593
02:28:22,680 --> 02:28:25,520
professional rivalry that 
motivates both sides to achieve 

2594
02:28:25,520 --> 02:28:28,280
more. 
Leo the 10th wanted Michelangelo

2595
02:28:28,280 --> 02:28:31,440
to be involved in the facade 
design of Saint Peter's Peter's 

2596
02:28:31,440 --> 02:28:33,800
Basilica because he had big 
plans for it. 

2597
02:28:34,760 --> 02:28:37,200
One of the most frustrating 
periods in Michel's career 

2598
02:28:37,200 --> 02:28:40,440
resulted from this years of 
building architectural models 

2599
02:28:40,440 --> 02:28:43,520
and drawings, visiting marble 
quarries, and setting up 

2600
02:28:43,520 --> 02:28:46,760
workshops, only to have the 
project shelved when papal funds

2601
02:28:46,760 --> 02:28:49,440
ran out. 
Michelle had made promises, 

2602
02:28:49,680 --> 02:28:53,200
signed contracts, and hired 
staff, and all of that vanished 

2603
02:28:53,200 --> 02:28:55,160
overnight due to politics at the
Vatican. 

2604
02:28:55,840 --> 02:28:58,480
Michelle learned a valuable 
lesson about the risky nature of

2605
02:28:58,480 --> 02:29:00,920
artistic patronage from these 
papal let downs. 

2606
02:29:01,440 --> 02:29:05,080
Money vanished, priorities 
shifted, and popes passed away. 

2607
02:29:05,600 --> 02:29:08,440
He needed to choose projects 
more carefully and guard against

2608
02:29:08,440 --> 02:29:11,600
the whims of influential patrons
if he hoped to produce work that

2609
02:29:11,600 --> 02:29:14,400
would last. 
But his reputation was set in 

2610
02:29:14,400 --> 02:29:18,000
stone by the Sistine ceiling. 
People travelled from all over 

2611
02:29:18,000 --> 02:29:20,760
Europe to witness it. 
It was the subject of intense 

2612
02:29:20,760 --> 02:29:23,080
study by other artists who 
sought to comprehend his 

2613
02:29:23,080 --> 02:29:25,880
methods. 
Poets started writing about it. 

2614
02:29:26,280 --> 02:29:28,440
Michelle had accomplished 
something that goes beyond 

2615
02:29:28,480 --> 02:29:32,320
typical artistic achievement. 
He had produced art that people 

2616
02:29:32,320 --> 02:29:34,480
would travel great distances to 
view. 

2617
02:29:34,880 --> 02:29:38,440
Asleep draws near tonight. 
Imagine those first viewers in 

2618
02:29:38,440 --> 02:29:42,600
the Sistine Chapel, their faces 
lit by candlelight, looking up 

2619
02:29:42,600 --> 02:29:45,760
in awe at pictures that seem to 
make Genesis come to life. 

2620
02:29:46,400 --> 02:29:49,160
Mastery in one area frequently 
leads to unexpected 

2621
02:29:49,160 --> 02:29:52,440
opportunities in other areas, a 
lesson that life has a way of 

2622
02:29:52,440 --> 02:29:55,800
imparting to us. 
Michelle experienced this lesson

2623
02:29:55,800 --> 02:29:59,240
dramatically in his later years.
New challenges that would push 

2624
02:29:59,240 --> 02:30:02,480
him well beyond his comfort zone
and uncover talents he was 

2625
02:30:02,480 --> 02:30:06,880
unaware he possessed came as he 
approached his 50s old age by 

2626
02:30:06,880 --> 02:30:10,320
Renaissance standards. 
When Pope Clement the 7th asked 

2627
02:30:10,320 --> 02:30:12,920
him to design a library, it was 
the first surprise. 

2628
02:30:13,400 --> 02:30:16,240
The Laurentian Library in 
Florence, a ground breaking 

2629
02:30:16,240 --> 02:30:18,920
facility that would house the 
Medici family's priceless 

2630
02:30:18,920 --> 02:30:21,760
manuscript collection, was not 
just any library. 

2631
02:30:22,200 --> 02:30:25,040
Similar to his approach to 
sculpture, Michelle viewed 

2632
02:30:25,040 --> 02:30:27,880
architecture as an expression of
the fundamental character of a 

2633
02:30:27,880 --> 02:30:30,520
building rather than as 
ornamentation. 

2634
02:30:31,080 --> 02:30:35,120
His design was audacious. 
With its rows of wooden reading 

2635
02:30:35,120 --> 02:30:38,040
desks and well proportioned 
windows that let in soft light, 

2636
02:30:38,560 --> 02:30:41,280
the reading room resembled the 
serene hull of a ship. 

2637
02:30:41,800 --> 02:30:44,960
However, his true genius was 
displayed in the vestibule at 

2638
02:30:44,960 --> 02:30:47,480
the entrance. 
With steps that curved and 

2639
02:30:47,480 --> 02:30:49,920
divided in ways that gave the 
impression that stone was 

2640
02:30:49,920 --> 02:30:53,240
liquid, he constructed A 
staircase that appeared to flow 

2641
02:30:53,240 --> 02:30:56,760
like frozen lava. 
Even now, visitors still stop on

2642
02:30:56,760 --> 02:30:59,640
those stairs, feeling as though 
they're viewing architecture as 

2643
02:30:59,640 --> 02:31:02,360
sculpture. 
It was both happy and sad to 

2644
02:31:02,360 --> 02:31:05,400
work in Florence once more. 
The city of his youth had 

2645
02:31:05,400 --> 02:31:09,880
changed, political upheavals had
scattered old friends, and the 

2646
02:31:09,880 --> 02:31:13,240
optimistic humanism of his early
years had been tempered by war, 

2647
02:31:13,320 --> 02:31:15,160
plague, and religious 
reformation. 

2648
02:31:15,800 --> 02:31:18,960
Mikkel's interest in poetry 
grew, and he began penning 

2649
02:31:18,960 --> 02:31:21,560
verses that showed a more 
reflective side of himself. 

2650
02:31:22,120 --> 02:31:25,440
His poems weren't masterpieces, 
but they were deeply personal, 

2651
02:31:25,680 --> 02:31:29,040
exploring themes of aging, 
faith, and the meaning of 

2652
02:31:29,040 --> 02:31:33,040
artistic creation. 
Victoria Colonna, A remarkable 

2653
02:31:33,040 --> 02:31:36,760
woman who was a poet, religious 
reformer, and intellectual force

2654
02:31:36,760 --> 02:31:39,920
in her own right, became one of 
his most significant friends 

2655
02:31:39,920 --> 02:31:43,040
during this time. 
Their deep spiritual bond, 

2656
02:31:43,040 --> 02:31:46,080
founded on a mutual interest in 
poetry, art, and religious 

2657
02:31:46,080 --> 02:31:49,920
issues, was unique for its time.
Few people ever faced the 

2658
02:31:49,920 --> 02:31:52,600
intellectual challenges that 
Michelle faced from Victoria, 

2659
02:31:53,040 --> 02:31:56,200
and their correspondence shows a
gentle, thoughtful side of the 

2660
02:31:56,200 --> 02:31:59,760
great artist. 
When Victoria died in 1547, 

2661
02:32:00,040 --> 02:32:04,160
Michelle was devastated at 72, 
when most men of his age had 

2662
02:32:04,160 --> 02:32:07,120
long since passed away. 
He was grieving the loss of a 

2663
02:32:07,120 --> 02:32:10,360
person who had recognized his 
art and his inner turmoil. 

2664
02:32:10,760 --> 02:32:14,080
He was questioning everything at
the time of her death, including

2665
02:32:14,080 --> 02:32:17,640
his faith, his artistic legacy, 
and the significance of his 

2666
02:32:17,640 --> 02:32:20,840
worldly success, which had 
brought him fame but not 

2667
02:32:20,840 --> 02:32:24,240
necessarily peace. 
Pope Paul the Third asked him to

2668
02:32:24,240 --> 02:32:26,360
paint a scene of The Last 
Judgement on the Sistine 

2669
02:32:26,360 --> 02:32:28,680
Chapel's altar wall. 
During this depressing time, 

2670
02:32:29,320 --> 02:32:32,080
Michelle was hesitant because 
the Chapel already held his best

2671
02:32:32,080 --> 02:32:34,240
painting. 
He was a sculptor first and 

2672
02:32:34,240 --> 02:32:37,320
foremost, and the subject matter
required him to confront 

2673
02:32:37,320 --> 02:32:41,240
uncomfortable personal themes of
death and divine justice. 

2674
02:32:41,960 --> 02:32:45,240
However, his most emotionally 
impactful painting turned out to

2675
02:32:45,240 --> 02:32:48,200
be The Last Judgement. 
The hopeful humanism of the 

2676
02:32:48,200 --> 02:32:51,080
ceiling had vanished, to be 
replaced by a more sombre 

2677
02:32:51,080 --> 02:32:53,800
picture of humanity being held 
ultimately responsible. 

2678
02:32:54,160 --> 02:32:56,920
His Christ figure is a strong 
judge whose gesture separates 

2679
02:32:56,920 --> 02:33:00,440
the saved from the damned, not 
the kind Redeemer of traditional

2680
02:33:00,440 --> 02:33:04,560
art with figures rising towards 
salvation or falling toward 

2681
02:33:04,560 --> 02:33:07,120
damnation. 
In a cosmic drama that filled 

2682
02:33:07,120 --> 02:33:10,040
the entire wall, the composition
whirls with movement and 

2683
02:33:10,040 --> 02:33:12,560
emotion. 
The painting immediately sparked

2684
02:33:12,560 --> 02:33:15,400
controversy. 
His figures, according to some 

2685
02:33:15,400 --> 02:33:19,120
critics, were too intense, too 
muscular and too nude for a 

2686
02:33:19,120 --> 02:33:22,640
place of worship. 
Michelle's strong humanistic 

2687
02:33:22,640 --> 02:33:25,560
vision was becoming outdated. 
As the counter reformation got 

2688
02:33:25,560 --> 02:33:28,560
under way, the new restrictions 
were placed on religious art. 

2689
02:33:29,200 --> 02:33:32,440
He became known as the underwear
painter because later artists 

2690
02:33:32,440 --> 02:33:34,800
would actually paint draperies 
over some of his figures. 

2691
02:33:35,280 --> 02:33:37,280
The criticism didn't matter to 
Michelle. 

2692
02:33:37,600 --> 02:33:40,320
He painted not for the acclaim 
of the day, but for God and 

2693
02:33:40,320 --> 02:33:43,920
future generations. 
His mature view of human nature 

2694
02:33:43,920 --> 02:33:45,680
was embodied in The Last 
Judgement. 

2695
02:33:46,200 --> 02:33:49,080
He was profoundly aware of both 
human potential and human 

2696
02:33:49,080 --> 02:33:52,160
frailty, without being cynically
pessimistic or naively 

2697
02:33:52,160 --> 02:33:54,720
optimistic. 
Having been named chief 

2698
02:33:54,720 --> 02:33:58,920
architect in 1547, he was also 
supervising the building of the 

2699
02:33:58,920 --> 02:34:03,320
new Saint Peter's Basilica. 
Creating a structure that would 

2700
02:34:03,320 --> 02:34:06,360
represent Christianity while 
resolving massive engineering 

2701
02:34:06,360 --> 02:34:09,120
and design issues was possibly 
his biggest architectural 

2702
02:34:09,120 --> 02:34:12,320
challenge. 
His solution, a huge Dome that 

2703
02:34:12,320 --> 02:34:15,360
would dominate the Roman skyline
and serve as an inspiration for 

2704
02:34:15,360 --> 02:34:17,360
cathedral builders for 
centuries, was 

2705
02:34:17,360 --> 02:34:20,760
characteristically audacious. 
His last years were spent 

2706
02:34:20,760 --> 02:34:23,560
working on Saint Peter's. 
He approached the project with 

2707
02:34:23,560 --> 02:34:25,960
the commitment of someone who 
knew it would be his last 

2708
02:34:25,960 --> 02:34:30,080
masterpiece and refused payment,
believing it to be a service to 

2709
02:34:30,080 --> 02:34:32,320
God. 
By fusing traditional 

2710
02:34:32,320 --> 02:34:35,520
proportions with cutting edge 
engineering, the dome's design 

2711
02:34:35,520 --> 02:34:38,640
produced a building that was 
both technically outstanding and

2712
02:34:38,640 --> 02:34:41,840
spiritually uplifting. 
As you drift off to sleep, 

2713
02:34:42,280 --> 02:34:45,720
picture Michelle in his 70s, 
still scaling scaffolding, 

2714
02:34:46,040 --> 02:34:48,920
pushing the envelope, and 
finding new ways to use paint 

2715
02:34:48,920 --> 02:34:51,520
and stone to further his endless
creative vision. 

2716
02:34:52,880 --> 02:34:56,400
Seeing a great artist face their
own mortality while continuing 

2717
02:34:56,400 --> 02:34:59,840
to create with unwavering 
passion is incredibly moving. 

2718
02:35:00,520 --> 02:35:03,720
This is precisely the story that
Michelle's last decades tell. 

2719
02:35:04,360 --> 02:35:08,000
A man in his 70s and 80s who 
never slowed down, who continued

2720
02:35:08,000 --> 02:35:11,000
to push boundaries despite his 
body reminding him every day 

2721
02:35:11,000 --> 02:35:15,800
that he was, after all, human. 
Michelle was 75 years old by 

2722
02:35:15,800 --> 02:35:19,360
1550, which is nearly 
unthinkable for a person born in

2723
02:35:19,360 --> 02:35:22,800
the 15th century. 
His peers were mostly long dead.

2724
02:35:23,520 --> 02:35:27,920
Rafael had passed away in 1520 
and Leonardo in 1519. 

2725
02:35:28,480 --> 02:35:31,280
In addition to his artistic 
competitors, Michelle had 

2726
02:35:31,280 --> 02:35:35,680
outlived entire generations of 
admirers, critics, and patrons. 

2727
02:35:36,440 --> 02:35:39,680
Nevertheless, he kept up his 
work on Saint Peter's Basilica 

2728
02:35:39,920 --> 02:35:41,920
with the vigor of a man half his
age. 

2729
02:35:42,440 --> 02:35:45,640
His last obsession, and what an 
obsession it was, was the Dome 

2730
02:35:45,640 --> 02:35:48,240
of Saint Peter's. 
Not only was he designing a 

2731
02:35:48,240 --> 02:35:51,160
roof, but he was also building 
what would become Rome's most 

2732
02:35:51,160 --> 02:35:55,160
iconic silhouette, a building so
precisely proportioned that it 

2733
02:35:55,160 --> 02:35:57,920
appears to hover over the 
Vatican like a visible prayer. 

2734
02:35:58,480 --> 02:36:01,560
How to support that much weight 
at that height while designing 

2735
02:36:01,560 --> 02:36:05,440
an interior space that inspires 
rather than intimidates was a 

2736
02:36:05,440 --> 02:36:09,440
huge engineering challenge. 
As usual, Mitchell came up with 

2737
02:36:09,440 --> 02:36:12,600
a creative solution. 
He created a double shell Dome 

2738
02:36:12,840 --> 02:36:16,040
with an outer Dome that would 
form the external profile and an

2739
02:36:16,040 --> 02:36:18,560
inner Dome that guests would see
from inside the basilica. 

2740
02:36:19,200 --> 02:36:22,080
This enabled him to maximize the
architectural impact on the 

2741
02:36:22,080 --> 02:36:25,000
outside as well as the spiritual
experience within. 

2742
02:36:25,760 --> 02:36:30,240
Despite the domes 452 foot 
elevation, it feels cozy and 

2743
02:36:30,240 --> 02:36:32,720
protective from within rather 
than intimidating. 

2744
02:36:33,320 --> 02:36:35,800
Delegating, more than Michelle 
had ever felt comfortable with, 

2745
02:36:35,800 --> 02:36:38,040
was necessary to work on such a 
large project. 

2746
02:36:38,040 --> 02:36:41,880
In his last years, he had to 
entrust assistance with details 

2747
02:36:41,880 --> 02:36:44,440
that he would have insisted on 
carving himself earlier in his 

2748
02:36:44,440 --> 02:36:46,720
career. 
For someone who had always felt 

2749
02:36:46,720 --> 02:36:49,280
that only his own hand could 
accomplish the perfection he 

2750
02:36:49,280 --> 02:36:52,760
desired, this was both 
challenging and freeing. 

2751
02:36:53,520 --> 02:36:56,560
While others took care of the 
execution, he could concentrate 

2752
02:36:56,560 --> 02:36:59,560
on the big picture. 
During these years, his poetry 

2753
02:36:59,560 --> 02:37:01,560
increased in frequency and 
intimacy. 

2754
02:37:02,120 --> 02:37:04,600
For him, writing verses was 
similar to sketching. 

2755
02:37:05,080 --> 02:37:08,040
It allowed him to process 
thoughts and feelings without 

2756
02:37:08,040 --> 02:37:10,160
the physical strain of painting 
or carving. 

2757
02:37:10,680 --> 02:37:13,680
His poems show a man struggling 
with issues that success was 

2758
02:37:13,680 --> 02:37:17,280
unable to resolve, such as what 
happens to people when they die?

2759
02:37:17,760 --> 02:37:21,400
Given eternity, what purpose do 
accomplishments on earth serve? 

2760
02:37:21,840 --> 02:37:24,840
How does an artist get ready to 
abandon incomplete pieces? 

2761
02:37:25,400 --> 02:37:28,120
One of his most poignant final 
poems questions his art, 

2762
02:37:28,120 --> 02:37:31,520
directly asking whether all of 
his painted scenes and marble 

2763
02:37:31,520 --> 02:37:35,120
figures were merely A diversion 
from deeper spiritual issues or 

2764
02:37:35,120 --> 02:37:38,360
if they were actually prayers. 
This was no pretence. 

2765
02:37:38,880 --> 02:37:41,280
Michelle truly questioned 
whether his life's work had made

2766
02:37:41,280 --> 02:37:44,400
him more or less like God. 
Ironically, some were 

2767
02:37:44,400 --> 02:37:47,280
acknowledging his work as 
possibly the greatest artistic 

2768
02:37:47,280 --> 02:37:50,680
accomplishment in human history.
While Michelle was doubting its 

2769
02:37:50,680 --> 02:37:53,800
spiritual worth, people 
travelled from all over Europe 

2770
02:37:53,800 --> 02:37:56,600
to view his artwork. 
His methods were assiduously 

2771
02:37:56,600 --> 02:37:59,520
studied by young artists. 
While he was still alive, 

2772
02:37:59,520 --> 02:38:02,320
authors started writing 
biographies, treating him as a 

2773
02:38:02,320 --> 02:38:04,840
living legend. 
This attention was both 

2774
02:38:04,840 --> 02:38:06,600
rewarding and taxing for 
Michelle. 

2775
02:38:07,040 --> 02:38:09,600
Always a recluse who felt more 
at ease with marble than with 

2776
02:38:09,600 --> 02:38:12,400
people, he was suddenly expected
to play the part of a 

2777
02:38:12,400 --> 02:38:15,760
Renaissance master for a never 
ending parade of admirers. 

2778
02:38:16,360 --> 02:38:19,680
He became known for being rough 
with guests, but those who knew 

2779
02:38:19,680 --> 02:38:22,640
him well saw this as shyness 
rather than conceit. 

2780
02:38:23,920 --> 02:38:27,000
Three weeks before his 89th 
birthday, on February 18th, 

2781
02:38:27,000 --> 02:38:30,840
1564, Michelle passed away 
quietly at home in Rome. 

2782
02:38:31,400 --> 02:38:34,000
Even though he'd been feeling 
ill for a few days, he had 

2783
02:38:34,000 --> 02:38:36,120
nearly finished the 
architectural drawings for Saint

2784
02:38:36,120 --> 02:38:38,680
Peter's. 
Witnesses claim that his final 

2785
02:38:38,680 --> 02:38:40,520
remarks discussed finishing the 
Dome. 

2786
02:38:40,840 --> 02:38:43,360
Even as he was dying, he was 
contemplating unfinished 

2787
02:38:43,360 --> 02:38:45,560
business. 
He had completely changed 

2788
02:38:45,560 --> 02:38:48,040
Renaissance culture, as 
evidenced by the immediate 

2789
02:38:48,040 --> 02:38:51,040
reaction to his death as a 
church Prince. 

2790
02:38:51,440 --> 02:38:54,480
Pope Pius the 4th wanted him to 
be buried in Saint Peter's. 

2791
02:38:55,040 --> 02:38:57,600
His body was ordered to be 
returned to his birthplace by 

2792
02:38:57,600 --> 02:39:01,400
the city of Florence in Rome. 
Artists started organising 

2793
02:39:01,400 --> 02:39:04,640
ornate funeral rituals. 
An era came to an end with 

2794
02:39:04,640 --> 02:39:07,360
Mitchell's passing. 
He was no longer just an artist,

2795
02:39:07,360 --> 02:39:10,680
but a cultural force. 
His impact goes well beyond art 

2796
02:39:10,680 --> 02:39:13,120
history. 
You can see Michelle's legacy 

2797
02:39:13,120 --> 02:39:15,840
every time you see a government 
building with a classical Dome 

2798
02:39:16,320 --> 02:39:19,080
he helped create, the concepts 
that are echoed whenever someone

2799
02:39:19,080 --> 02:39:21,680
discusses the divine spark of 
creativity. 

2800
02:39:22,280 --> 02:39:25,560
Artists are always imitating him
when they refuse to sacrifice 

2801
02:39:25,560 --> 02:39:29,520
their vision for financial gain.
As you fall asleep, visualise 

2802
02:39:29,520 --> 02:39:32,080
Michel's Dome rising over Rome 
in the evening light. 

2803
02:39:32,560 --> 02:39:34,920
A monument to one man's 
conviction that people are 

2804
02:39:34,920 --> 02:39:37,720
capable of producing art that 
endures for centuries. 

2805
02:39:38,080 --> 02:39:40,800
Monuments that bridge the gap 
between earthly craft and 

2806
02:39:40,800 --> 02:39:44,320
eternal aspiration and beauty 
that surpasses empires. 

2807
02:39:45,680 --> 02:39:52,880
Dream, sweet dreams Frederick 
Chopin's story begins in the 

2808
02:39:52,880 --> 02:39:57,360
modest village of Gelazova Wola,
Poland, where he was born around

2809
02:39:57,360 --> 02:40:00,320
March 1st, 1810. 
Though some documents note 

2810
02:40:00,320 --> 02:40:04,280
February 22nd, the region was 
steeped in cultural richness and

2811
02:40:04,280 --> 02:40:07,320
political upheaval, with Warsaw 
nearby in the territory under 

2812
02:40:07,320 --> 02:40:08,720
the shadow of the Russian 
Empire. 

2813
02:40:09,320 --> 02:40:12,720
Chopin's father, Nicholas. 
Was a Frenchman teaching 

2814
02:40:12,720 --> 02:40:14,760
language and manners to Polish 
nobility. 

2815
02:40:15,200 --> 02:40:18,480
While his mother, Justina was a 
Polish gentlewoman whose calm 

2816
02:40:18,480 --> 02:40:21,960
sense of tradition anchored 
their household in that setting,

2817
02:40:22,320 --> 02:40:25,360
Polish folklore mingled with 
European musical forms. 

2818
02:40:25,840 --> 02:40:29,280
Even in infancy, Chopin absorbed
these influences, as if the 

2819
02:40:29,280 --> 02:40:32,360
rhythmic footsteps of villagers 
and distant folk melodies wove 

2820
02:40:32,360 --> 02:40:35,160
into his subconscious. 
Though unremarkable at first 

2821
02:40:35,160 --> 02:40:39,040
glance, the family's small home 
resonated with reverence for 

2822
02:40:39,040 --> 02:40:42,040
art. 
The piano, a battered upright, 

2823
02:40:42,440 --> 02:40:44,840
became young Frederick's first 
beloved companion. 

2824
02:40:45,280 --> 02:40:48,800
Opening onto imaginative worlds,
he'd conjuring quiet mornings 

2825
02:40:49,400 --> 02:40:52,160
around six. 
Chopin's prodigious talent drew 

2826
02:40:52,160 --> 02:40:54,760
attention from family, friends 
and local aristocrats. 

2827
02:40:55,280 --> 02:40:59,120
In a society that revered salon 
culture, A gifted child at the 

2828
02:40:59,120 --> 02:41:02,000
piano was mythic. 
He played short pieces at 

2829
02:41:02,000 --> 02:41:06,040
gatherings, shyly but assuredly 
winning over curious onlookers 

2830
02:41:06,040 --> 02:41:09,720
who watched in mild disbelief. 
Even then, his playing 

2831
02:41:09,720 --> 02:41:14,000
transcended mere youthful charm.
He displayed a depth that hinted

2832
02:41:14,000 --> 02:41:17,920
at hidden wells of sensitivity. 
His teacher, Voiczek Zivny, 

2833
02:41:18,320 --> 02:41:21,360
noted the boy's special 
relationship with melody, which 

2834
02:41:21,360 --> 02:41:24,040
seemed to flow through him 
without the stiffness typical of

2835
02:41:24,040 --> 02:41:27,080
child prodigies. 
Beyond his domestic sphere, 

2836
02:41:27,440 --> 02:41:30,320
Poland itself was navigating A 
fragile identity. 

2837
02:41:30,840 --> 02:41:33,360
The Napoleonic Wars had left 
scars across Europe. 

2838
02:41:33,840 --> 02:41:36,360
Although too young to grasp 
politics, Chopin. 

2839
02:41:36,360 --> 02:41:39,240
Sensed the patriotism and 
longing carried by adults around

2840
02:41:39,240 --> 02:41:41,320
him. 
Through his mother's lullabies 

2841
02:41:41,320 --> 02:41:44,440
and whispered family stories, 
the notion of a lost homeland 

2842
02:41:44,760 --> 02:41:47,120
became a melodic thread weaving 
through his emerging 

2843
02:41:47,120 --> 02:41:50,720
consciousness. 
Chopin's sister Ludwika often 

2844
02:41:50,720 --> 02:41:54,040
joined him at the piano. 
Family duets turned into moments

2845
02:41:54,040 --> 02:41:57,080
of shared creativity, honing 
Frederick's ability to 

2846
02:41:57,080 --> 02:42:00,760
communicate through sound. 
Here his earliest compositions 

2847
02:42:00,760 --> 02:42:04,560
took shape, short, sometimes 
clumsy preludes to the refined 

2848
02:42:04,560 --> 02:42:06,200
expressions he would later 
craft. 

2849
02:42:06,840 --> 02:42:08,920
Yet these embryonic works 
already displayed what would 

2850
02:42:08,920 --> 02:42:13,000
become his hallmark, graceful 
lines and a certain bittersweet 

2851
02:42:13,040 --> 02:42:17,200
tension between major and minor.
He performed publicly for the 

2852
02:42:17,200 --> 02:42:20,080
first time around age 7, playing
a concert in Warsaw. 

2853
02:42:20,440 --> 02:42:23,640
Though such appearances could be
dismissed as novelty, Chopin 

2854
02:42:23,640 --> 02:42:26,320
avoided the fate of child 
prodigies who fade once the 

2855
02:42:26,320 --> 02:42:29,320
novelty wanes. 
He possessed A seriousness and 

2856
02:42:29,320 --> 02:42:31,160
poetic restraint rare in 
children. 

2857
02:42:31,720 --> 02:42:35,080
Observers began to regard him as
a symbol of Poland's hopes, A 

2858
02:42:35,080 --> 02:42:39,040
delicate, steadfast light for a 
land overshadowed by external 

2859
02:42:39,040 --> 02:42:42,080
forces. 
Despite the growing acclaim, the

2860
02:42:42,080 --> 02:42:44,400
shop and household valued 
stability. 

2861
02:42:44,920 --> 02:42:48,080
Nicholas and Justina refused to 
exploit their son's talent, 

2862
02:42:48,520 --> 02:42:50,920
allowing only select 
performances while ensuring A 

2863
02:42:50,920 --> 02:42:55,560
rigorous academic education. 
Literature, history, and 

2864
02:42:55,560 --> 02:42:58,520
language formed the backdrop to 
Chopin's musical studies. 

2865
02:42:59,160 --> 02:43:02,200
Broadening his imagination and 
refining his sensibilities, 

2866
02:43:02,720 --> 02:43:05,920
piano practice remained 
constant, punctuating daily 

2867
02:43:05,920 --> 02:43:08,640
life. 
Occasionally he would present a 

2868
02:43:08,640 --> 02:43:12,280
short polonaise or mazurka at 
family gatherings, each piece 

2869
02:43:12,280 --> 02:43:15,600
tinged with local rhythms 
reframed through his evolving 

2870
02:43:15,600 --> 02:43:18,440
style. 
Youthful curiosity led him 

2871
02:43:18,440 --> 02:43:21,360
beyond his surroundings. 
Brief visits to Warsaw 

2872
02:43:21,360 --> 02:43:23,800
introduced a more cosmopolitan 
musical scene. 

2873
02:43:24,400 --> 02:43:26,840
Though still young, he 
encountered professional 

2874
02:43:26,840 --> 02:43:29,960
musicians, aristocrats and 
intellectuals and salons. 

2875
02:43:30,560 --> 02:43:33,000
These glimpses of city life left
a strong impression. 

2876
02:43:33,480 --> 02:43:36,400
He realized that an artistic 
future might extend beyond 

2877
02:43:36,400 --> 02:43:40,480
village confines, yet he 
retained a deep tie to Poland's 

2878
02:43:40,480 --> 02:43:44,400
cultural soul. 
This duality, rooted in Poland's

2879
02:43:44,400 --> 02:43:47,200
provincial heart while edging 
toward Europe's wider 

2880
02:43:47,200 --> 02:43:49,400
possibilities, would shape his 
entire. 

2881
02:43:49,400 --> 02:43:53,200
Career for the moment. 
Though he was just a boy at the 

2882
02:43:53,200 --> 02:43:56,400
piano, enthralled by the promise
of music that echoed far beyond 

2883
02:43:56,400 --> 02:44:00,320
any single room, whispers about 
this gentle prodigy stirred 

2884
02:44:00,320 --> 02:44:03,160
questions. 
Could he be Poland's next great 

2885
02:44:03,160 --> 02:44:06,520
musical figure, a voice of 
national identity wrapped in 

2886
02:44:06,520 --> 02:44:10,960
delicate harmonies? 
Only time and Chopin's unfolding

2887
02:44:10,960 --> 02:44:15,720
genius would reveal the answer. 
In these formative years, no one

2888
02:44:15,720 --> 02:44:18,480
could anticipate the complex 
trajectory that lay ahead. 

2889
02:44:19,320 --> 02:44:22,840
But in the whispers of the local
gatherings, where merchants and 

2890
02:44:22,840 --> 02:44:26,800
travelling performers converged 
and unspoken consensus emerged, 

2891
02:44:27,280 --> 02:44:30,400
young Frederick was different. 
Far from the typical parlour 

2892
02:44:30,400 --> 02:44:33,560
show off, he conveyed A delicate
empathy through his keyboard 

2893
02:44:33,800 --> 02:44:36,200
that spoke to people's private 
joys and sorrows. 

2894
02:44:36,760 --> 02:44:39,280
Each note he played seemed to 
carry a gentle sense of 

2895
02:44:39,280 --> 02:44:42,920
yearning, as though bridging the
gap between ephemeral childhood 

2896
02:44:42,920 --> 02:44:45,640
and the adult complexities 
lurking beyond the horizon. 

2897
02:44:46,280 --> 02:44:49,160
His parents, though pleased by 
the modest celebrity he 

2898
02:44:49,160 --> 02:44:51,160
garnered, were deeply 
protective. 

2899
02:44:51,760 --> 02:44:55,480
Those who watched felt stirred 
in his recitals, as if Poland 

2900
02:44:55,480 --> 02:44:59,240
spoke through his hands. 
Chopin's teenage years were 

2901
02:44:59,240 --> 02:45:02,520
marked by a widening world, one 
in which he began to see the 

2902
02:45:02,520 --> 02:45:04,800
possibilities and pressures that
came with his growing 

2903
02:45:04,800 --> 02:45:07,680
reputation. 
By the time he was in his early 

2904
02:45:07,760 --> 02:45:11,760
teens, Warsaw itself had become 
a kind of secondary classroom. 

2905
02:45:12,280 --> 02:45:15,200
He frequented the city more 
often, absorbing the salon 

2906
02:45:15,200 --> 02:45:18,280
culture in ways that surpassed 
mere piano demonstrations. 

2907
02:45:18,760 --> 02:45:22,240
He observed how aristocrats, 
intellectuals, and artists 

2908
02:45:22,240 --> 02:45:25,640
interacted not just in the 
formal sense of performance, but

2909
02:45:25,640 --> 02:45:28,760
in their private, candid 
conversations about politics, 

2910
02:45:28,960 --> 02:45:32,040
literature, and the future of 
the nation perpetually under 

2911
02:45:32,040 --> 02:45:34,800
watch. 
In these salon gatherings, 

2912
02:45:34,960 --> 02:45:39,080
Chopin was at first a curiosity,
an unassuming, somewhat delicate

2913
02:45:39,080 --> 02:45:42,400
figure who produced music that 
seemed too profound for his 

2914
02:45:42,400 --> 02:45:45,880
youthful appearance. 
But as he refined his style, he 

2915
02:45:45,880 --> 02:45:49,040
earned respect as a musician 
rather than just a novelty. 

2916
02:45:49,640 --> 02:45:53,800
His performances, often intimate
affairs, displayed a sensitivity

2917
02:45:53,800 --> 02:45:56,520
that was starting to take shape 
in his original compositions. 

2918
02:45:57,080 --> 02:45:59,280
While still shaped by the 
classical frameworks he'd 

2919
02:45:59,280 --> 02:46:03,360
studied, his work also blended 
Polish musical elements with a 

2920
02:46:03,360 --> 02:46:06,640
new harmonic language. 
This evolution thrilled those 

2921
02:46:06,640 --> 02:46:10,080
who heard him, and the novelty 
of his youth gave way to genuine

2922
02:46:10,080 --> 02:46:14,720
admiration of his craft. 
By 1826, Chopin enrolled at the 

2923
02:46:14,720 --> 02:46:17,200
Warsaw Conservatory under Joseph
Elsner. 

2924
02:46:17,760 --> 02:46:21,080
Elsner, the composer of some 
renown, recognized the 

2925
02:46:21,080 --> 02:46:23,480
uniqueness of his students 
musical instincts. 

2926
02:46:24,040 --> 02:46:27,400
Rather than imposing rigid 
expectations, Elsner fostered a 

2927
02:46:27,400 --> 02:46:30,880
gentle discipline, guiding 
Chopin toward an understanding 

2928
02:46:30,880 --> 02:46:33,680
of form and counterpoint that 
would serve as the backbone for 

2929
02:46:33,680 --> 02:46:38,080
his stylistic experimentation. 
In so doing, Elsner fulfilled 2 

2930
02:46:38,080 --> 02:46:41,040
crucial roles. 
He acted both as a guardrail 

2931
02:46:41,440 --> 02:46:44,080
preventing Chopin from drifting 
into mere fanciful 

2932
02:46:44,080 --> 02:46:48,160
improvisations, and as a doorway
encouraging the young musician 

2933
02:46:48,160 --> 02:46:50,120
to trust his own artistic 
impulses. 

2934
02:46:50,920 --> 02:46:53,760
Yet Chopin's life in Warsaw was 
not all about study. 

2935
02:46:54,320 --> 02:46:58,480
He mingled with peers, engaged 
in spirited debates, and, 

2936
02:46:58,800 --> 02:47:01,920
according to some letters, even 
enjoyed the light hearted 

2937
02:47:01,920 --> 02:47:06,400
distractions typical of youth 
dances, outdoor excursions, late

2938
02:47:06,400 --> 02:47:09,240
night banter. 
This balance between earnest 

2939
02:47:09,240 --> 02:47:12,080
scholarship and playful 
socializing kept him grounded. 

2940
02:47:12,760 --> 02:47:15,560
Friends who remembered him from 
that time recalled A gentle, 

2941
02:47:15,560 --> 02:47:19,280
witty personality who could draw
out laughter just as easily as 

2942
02:47:19,280 --> 02:47:23,520
tears with his piano playing. 
Still, a restlessness stirred 

2943
02:47:23,520 --> 02:47:26,200
within him. 
Poland's political situation 

2944
02:47:26,200 --> 02:47:29,760
seemed forever precarious, and 
he felt a tug to experience life

2945
02:47:29,760 --> 02:47:34,320
beyond Warsaw's boundaries. 
A trip to Berlin in 1828 offered

2946
02:47:34,320 --> 02:47:36,480
a hint of what awaited him 
outside his homeland. 

2947
02:47:37,000 --> 02:47:39,880
Though brief, it introduced him 
to broader circles of culture 

2948
02:47:39,880 --> 02:47:42,400
and music, sparking a sense of 
wanderlust. 

2949
02:47:42,720 --> 02:47:46,000
Upon returning, he began 
formulating plans to travel more

2950
02:47:46,000 --> 02:47:48,920
extensively, both for artistic 
growth and for practical 

2951
02:47:48,920 --> 02:47:51,200
reasons. 
Warsaw, supportive though it 

2952
02:47:51,240 --> 02:47:54,240
was, could only offer so much in
terms of career prospects. 

2953
02:47:54,600 --> 02:47:58,600
In 1829, he journeyed to Vienna,
the Austrian capital. 

2954
02:47:58,600 --> 02:48:00,440
With its illustrious musical 
lineage. 

2955
02:48:00,680 --> 02:48:04,200
Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert was 
a magnet for ambitious young 

2956
02:48:04,200 --> 02:48:06,640
composers. 
Chopin found himself in a 

2957
02:48:06,640 --> 02:48:09,440
bustling hub where concerts and 
operas were daily fare. 

2958
02:48:09,920 --> 02:48:13,600
Overwhelmed yet inspired, he 
tested his mettle by giving 

2959
02:48:13,600 --> 02:48:16,960
performances, each carefully 
arranged to capitalize on the 

2960
02:48:16,960 --> 02:48:20,000
city's appetite for novelty. 
Although he was met with 

2961
02:48:20,000 --> 02:48:23,760
critical approval, he also 
confronted the reality that 

2962
02:48:23,760 --> 02:48:27,320
audiences here were accustomed 
to spectacle and virtuosity on a

2963
02:48:27,320 --> 02:48:30,920
grand scale. 
Chopin's style, intimate and 

2964
02:48:30,920 --> 02:48:33,640
subtly shaded, was unusual by 
comparison. 

2965
02:48:34,200 --> 02:48:37,400
Nonetheless, local critics 
praised his nuanced touch and 

2966
02:48:37,400 --> 02:48:40,800
originality. 
Encouraged, he contemplated 

2967
02:48:40,800 --> 02:48:44,080
making Vienna his base for a 
longer stretch, but events in 

2968
02:48:44,080 --> 02:48:46,000
Poland soon demanded his 
attention. 

2969
02:48:46,520 --> 02:48:49,880
Rumours of upheaval floated 
through Europe, hinting that the

2970
02:48:49,880 --> 02:48:53,040
Polish struggle for autonomy 
might erupt into open conflict. 

2971
02:48:53,600 --> 02:48:56,720
Torn between an ambition to 
explore foreign stages and 

2972
02:48:56,720 --> 02:49:00,200
loyalty to his homeland, Chopin 
briefly returned to Warsaw in 

2973
02:49:00,200 --> 02:49:03,280
late 1830. 
Around that time, the November 

2974
02:49:03,280 --> 02:49:07,280
Uprising, an armed rebellion 
against Russian rule, shattered 

2975
02:49:07,280 --> 02:49:09,200
the foundations of Polish 
society. 

2976
02:49:09,600 --> 02:49:12,880
While Chopin debated his next 
steps, friends and family urged 

2977
02:49:12,880 --> 02:49:16,240
him to secure his future abroad,
believing that fulfilling his 

2978
02:49:16,240 --> 02:49:19,240
musical potential would serve 
Poland's cultural pride just as 

2979
02:49:19,240 --> 02:49:22,880
effectively as taking up arms. 
Thus began the departure that 

2980
02:49:22,880 --> 02:49:28,440
would define his life. 
In the autumn of 1830, Chopin 

2981
02:49:28,440 --> 02:49:31,440
left Poland for Vienna, once 
again carrying with him a small 

2982
02:49:31,440 --> 02:49:34,720
box of box of earth from his 
native soil, an emblem of his 

2983
02:49:34,720 --> 02:49:38,920
deep attachment to his homeland.
As he travelled, he felt a swirl

2984
02:49:38,920 --> 02:49:41,920
of emotions, excitement, 
trepidation, sorrow. 

2985
02:49:42,520 --> 02:49:45,800
He watched the landscapes shift 
as he crossed borders, his piano

2986
02:49:45,800 --> 02:49:48,680
improvisations echoing the 
uncertainties of a life in 

2987
02:49:48,680 --> 02:49:52,120
transit. 
Yet at this point, few realized 

2988
02:49:52,120 --> 02:49:54,840
how profoundly this step would 
echo in Chopin's life. 

2989
02:49:55,920 --> 02:49:59,520
By the early 1830s, Paris had 
emerged as the glittering 

2990
02:49:59,520 --> 02:50:03,120
epicentre of European art, 
intellect, and revolution. 

2991
02:50:03,640 --> 02:50:06,680
For Frederic Chopin, who 
recently arrived from Poland in 

2992
02:50:06,680 --> 02:50:10,240
turmoil, the city felt both 
overwhelming and inviting. 

2993
02:50:10,800 --> 02:50:13,840
He entered a community of 
writers, painters, and fellow 

2994
02:50:13,840 --> 02:50:16,200
composers, all converging in the
capital. 

2995
02:50:16,200 --> 02:50:18,000
Salons. 
Those vibrant. 

2996
02:50:18,160 --> 02:50:19,880
Often. 
Unpredictable hives of 

2997
02:50:19,880 --> 02:50:23,040
conversation and performance to 
a young exile. 

2998
02:50:23,040 --> 02:50:26,520
Burden by homesickness, Paris 
offered both a refuge and a 

2999
02:50:26,520 --> 02:50:29,120
blank canvas on which to shape 
his public identity. 

3000
02:50:29,640 --> 02:50:33,120
Almost immediately, Chopin 
sensed the city's dual nature. 

3001
02:50:33,600 --> 02:50:36,200
It was as much a whirlwind of 
self promotion and social 

3002
02:50:36,200 --> 02:50:38,600
maneuvering as it was a Crucible
of high art. 

3003
02:50:39,240 --> 02:50:42,760
Hostesses of these gatherings 
vied for intriguing guests, and 

3004
02:50:42,760 --> 02:50:46,080
initially Chopin's Polish 
origins and refined keyboard 

3005
02:50:46,080 --> 02:50:48,080
approach made him a sort after 
novelty. 

3006
02:50:48,720 --> 02:50:52,040
Yet he soon learned that success
in Paris demanded more than raw 

3007
02:50:52,040 --> 02:50:54,200
talent. 
It required a flair for 

3008
02:50:54,200 --> 02:50:57,040
presentation and the ability to 
navigate cliques. 

3009
02:50:57,400 --> 02:50:59,600
Determined to avoid being 
overshadowed by showier 

3010
02:50:59,600 --> 02:51:02,960
performers, he maintained his 
intimate style while allowing 

3011
02:51:02,960 --> 02:51:05,680
curious audiences to glimpse his
romantic mystique. 

3012
02:51:06,320 --> 02:51:08,760
Fortunately, his music spoke on 
his behalf. 

3013
02:51:09,320 --> 02:51:12,280
Listeners were entranced by the 
delicate interplay of melody and

3014
02:51:12,280 --> 02:51:14,600
harmony that defined his early 
works. 

3015
02:51:15,000 --> 02:51:18,880
Paris, still reeling from the 
July Revolution and swept up in 

3016
02:51:18,880 --> 02:51:22,680
a romantic fervor, was primed to
celebrate emotion in art. 

3017
02:51:23,240 --> 02:51:27,640
Chopin's pieces, simultaneously 
subtle and impassioned, fit this

3018
02:51:27,640 --> 02:51:30,760
cultural moment. 
Amid the murmur of conversation 

3019
02:51:30,760 --> 02:51:34,440
in cramped drawing rooms, he 
introduced A distinctly Polish 

3020
02:51:34,440 --> 02:51:37,240
flavour through his mazurkas and
polonaises. 

3021
02:51:37,760 --> 02:51:41,720
These forms, coloured by folk 
rhythms and patriotic longing, 

3022
02:51:42,320 --> 02:51:45,280
offered a window into a homeland
many prisons knew little about. 

3023
02:51:45,800 --> 02:51:49,280
However, achieving financial 
stability was not an effortless 

3024
02:51:49,280 --> 02:51:52,240
task. 
Chopin turned to teaching piano,

3025
02:51:52,640 --> 02:51:55,480
an enterprise he approached with
meticulous care. 

3026
02:51:56,080 --> 02:51:59,320
Unlike typical drills, his 
lessons emphasized musical 

3027
02:51:59,320 --> 02:52:02,360
poetry, guiding students to hear
the emotional undercurrent in 

3028
02:52:02,360 --> 02:52:05,320
every phrase. 
News of his abilities as an 

3029
02:52:05,320 --> 02:52:08,560
instructor spread, and soon 
wealthy families sought him out.

3030
02:52:09,200 --> 02:52:12,440
Teaching, though time consuming,
ensured a steady income that 

3031
02:52:12,440 --> 02:52:15,040
freed him from the strain of 
large scale concertizing, a 

3032
02:52:15,040 --> 02:52:19,400
format he never fully embraced. 
Indeed, Chopin's preferred venue

3033
02:52:19,400 --> 02:52:23,000
was not the grand concert hall, 
but the intimate salon where he 

3034
02:52:23,000 --> 02:52:25,600
could sense the subtle reactions
of a small audience. 

3035
02:52:26,280 --> 02:52:29,720
His approach, sometimes 
described as whisper like, asked

3036
02:52:29,720 --> 02:52:32,000
listeners to lean in rather than
lean back. 

3037
02:52:32,480 --> 02:52:35,720
Critics who anticipated bravura 
criticized him for his lack of 

3038
02:52:35,720 --> 02:52:38,080
force. 
Yet among the growing group of 

3039
02:52:38,080 --> 02:52:41,480
admirers, there was consensus 
that force was never his aim. 

3040
02:52:41,920 --> 02:52:45,200
In a near enthralled but or 
personal expression, Chopin's 

3041
02:52:45,200 --> 02:52:48,360
delicate phrasing offered a 
different kind of power, one 

3042
02:52:48,360 --> 02:52:51,920
that was internal, reflective, 
and quietly revolutionary. 

3043
02:52:52,600 --> 02:52:56,920
During these formative years in 
Paris, he forged relationships 

3044
02:52:56,920 --> 02:53:00,200
that would shape his legacy. 
One such bond developed with 

3045
02:53:00,200 --> 02:53:04,360
Franz Liszt, a flamboyant 
Hungarian pianist whose colossal

3046
02:53:04,360 --> 02:53:07,280
sound and stage theatrics 
contrasted sharply with the 

3047
02:53:07,280 --> 02:53:10,440
Chopin's reserve. 
Nevertheless, the two men found 

3048
02:53:10,440 --> 02:53:13,320
common ground, admiring each 
other's artistry and 

3049
02:53:13,320 --> 02:53:16,480
occasionally playing together. 
Their contrasting styles 

3050
02:53:16,480 --> 02:53:20,040
reflected the diversity of 
Romantic music lists, dramatic 

3051
02:53:20,040 --> 02:53:22,920
scale balanced by the Chopin's 
interior landscapes. 

3052
02:53:23,560 --> 02:53:26,680
Chopin also crossed paths with 
figures like Hector Berlioz, 

3053
02:53:27,080 --> 02:53:29,600
whose sweeping symphonies 
embodied the era's thirst for 

3054
02:53:29,600 --> 02:53:31,840
grandeur. 
While their creative. 

3055
02:53:31,840 --> 02:53:34,960
Visions diverged. 
These encounters deepened 

3056
02:53:34,960 --> 02:53:37,720
Chopin's understanding of 
music's many possibilities. 

3057
02:53:38,360 --> 02:53:42,240
In a city teeming with restless 
minds, he soaked up discussions 

3058
02:53:42,240 --> 02:53:45,000
of aesthetics, politics and 
philosophy. 

3059
02:53:45,560 --> 02:53:48,720
Late night gatherings could 
spark friendships or feuds, but 

3060
02:53:48,720 --> 02:53:51,320
for Chopin they offered 
continual insight into the 

3061
02:53:51,320 --> 02:53:53,040
forces shaping contemporary 
thought. 

3062
02:53:53,720 --> 02:53:56,320
Yet under the polished routine 
of teaching and performing, 

3063
02:53:56,680 --> 02:53:58,840
Chopin carried the weight of 
displacement. 

3064
02:53:59,400 --> 02:54:02,400
Letters reveal his lingering 
sorrow over Poland's struggles, 

3065
02:54:02,760 --> 02:54:05,960
an ache that wove itself into 
his most poignant compositions. 

3066
02:54:06,480 --> 02:54:09,520
Even as he gained acclaim in 
Paris, he wrestled with guilt at

3067
02:54:09,520 --> 02:54:13,320
having left his homeland. 
This tension between a new life 

3068
02:54:13,320 --> 02:54:16,760
of opportunity and an old world 
in turmoil fuelled his artistic 

3069
02:54:16,760 --> 02:54:18,960
spirit. 
Ultimately, it was this 

3070
02:54:18,960 --> 02:54:21,800
confluence of exile and 
acceptance, longing and 

3071
02:54:21,800 --> 02:54:24,680
fulfilment, that birthed his 
most enduring works. 

3072
02:54:25,160 --> 02:54:28,240
In the midst of this growing 
success, however, Chopin had no 

3073
02:54:28,240 --> 02:54:31,440
inkling that a dramatic personal
relationship would soon reshape 

3074
02:54:31,440 --> 02:54:34,200
his life in ways even his music 
could barely foretell. 

3075
02:54:35,120 --> 02:54:38,400
It was within these circles of 
artists and intellectuals that 

3076
02:54:38,400 --> 02:54:42,040
Chopin encountered the writer 
George Sand, a presence as 

3077
02:54:42,040 --> 02:54:44,600
paradoxical and complex as the 
city itself. 

3078
02:54:45,080 --> 02:54:48,160
Born a Roar du Pere, she'd 
already garnered both fame and 

3079
02:54:48,160 --> 02:54:51,520
notoriety for her unconventional
lifestyle, adopting a man's 

3080
02:54:51,520 --> 02:54:54,080
attire and openly criticizing 
social norms. 

3081
02:54:54,480 --> 02:54:57,760
Their first meeting, arranged by
mutual friends, was anything 

3082
02:54:57,760 --> 02:55:00,800
but. 
Ideal San's boldness startled 

3083
02:55:00,800 --> 02:55:03,320
Chopin. 
Likewise, his delicate demeanour

3084
02:55:03,320 --> 02:55:06,360
struck her as a feat. 
Yet beneath this awkward first 

3085
02:55:06,360 --> 02:55:10,480
impression, a shared sensibility
lingered, hinting that fate had 

3086
02:55:10,480 --> 02:55:12,440
set them on a path of 
entanglement. 

3087
02:55:13,120 --> 02:55:14,960
Though their initial 
interactions were marked by 

3088
02:55:14,960 --> 02:55:18,520
tension, curiosity eventually 
eroded wariness. 

3089
02:55:19,080 --> 02:55:21,480
At salons. 
San listened to Chopin's 

3090
02:55:21,480 --> 02:55:24,880
performances with quiet 
intensity, fascinated by the 

3091
02:55:24,880 --> 02:55:27,760
subtle passion woven into his 
knock turnings and preludes. 

3092
02:55:28,280 --> 02:55:31,480
For her part, Chopin discovered 
in San's writing a candor that 

3093
02:55:31,480 --> 02:55:33,560
both unsettled and intrigued 
him. 

3094
02:55:34,200 --> 02:55:37,520
She wrote with emotional force, 
challenging societal 

3095
02:55:37,520 --> 02:55:40,400
expectations. 
In a way he, a more introverted 

3096
02:55:40,400 --> 02:55:43,000
figure, could only express 
through music. 

3097
02:55:43,720 --> 02:55:47,480
In time, this mutual fascination
evolved into a relationship that

3098
02:55:47,480 --> 02:55:51,320
defied easy classification. 
Some saw it as scandalous, 

3099
02:55:51,760 --> 02:55:55,680
others romanticized it, 
envisioning 2 rebellious souls 

3100
02:55:55,680 --> 02:56:00,040
uniting under the banner of art.
Sand's familial obligations, she

3101
02:56:00,040 --> 02:56:03,360
was a mother with complex ties 
to past lovers, clashed with 

3102
02:56:03,360 --> 02:56:06,400
Chopin's need for a stable, 
tranquil environment. 

3103
02:56:06,840 --> 02:56:10,280
Yet for several years they 
carved out a shared existence, 

3104
02:56:11,080 --> 02:56:14,880
spending summers at Sands Estate
in Nihon, where Chopin found the

3105
02:56:14,880 --> 02:56:17,160
kind of peace impossible to 
attain in Paris. 

3106
02:56:18,040 --> 02:56:21,080
The manor's sprawling gardens 
and rustic atmosphere gave him 

3107
02:56:21,080 --> 02:56:23,840
the space to compose, free from 
urban pressures. 

3108
02:56:24,840 --> 02:56:28,080
Meanwhile, Sand continued to 
write feverishly, fueling her 

3109
02:56:28,080 --> 02:56:31,720
own literary output. 
In parallel, this period yielded

3110
02:56:31,720 --> 02:56:33,960
some of Chopin's most refined 
compositions. 

3111
02:56:34,400 --> 02:56:36,800
He built upon his previous works
deepening. 

3112
02:56:36,800 --> 02:56:40,160
Their emotional range. 
While drawing further on Polish 

3113
02:56:40,160 --> 02:56:44,920
influences, especially in his 
mazurkas, the synergy with Sand 

3114
02:56:44,920 --> 02:56:48,480
took a curious form. 
She stoked his creative fires by

3115
02:56:48,480 --> 02:56:51,560
allowing him solitude yet 
providing companionship when he 

3116
02:56:51,560 --> 02:56:54,560
needed it. 
The letters from that era reveal

3117
02:56:54,560 --> 02:56:58,280
a mixture of affection and 
exasperation as they attempted 

3118
02:56:58,280 --> 02:57:01,080
to reconcile 2 strong willed 
temperaments with distinct world

3119
02:57:01,080 --> 02:57:03,880
views. 
Chopin's health, already 

3120
02:57:03,880 --> 02:57:06,320
delicate, showed further signs 
of strain. 

3121
02:57:06,960 --> 02:57:10,040
He suffered from persistent 
coughing fits and fevers, likely

3122
02:57:10,040 --> 02:57:11,840
tied to a chronic pulmonary 
ailment. 

3123
02:57:12,240 --> 02:57:14,640
The exact nature of his 
condition remains debated, 

3124
02:57:14,960 --> 02:57:17,840
though tuberculosis is the 
commonly suggested culprit. 

3125
02:57:18,400 --> 02:57:22,600
At no hand, San took on the role
of caregiver even as she juggled

3126
02:57:22,600 --> 02:57:24,320
her responsibilities to her 
children. 

3127
02:57:25,200 --> 02:57:27,880
The tranquil setting was both 
therapeutic and creatively 

3128
02:57:27,880 --> 02:57:31,080
stimulating. 
However, the underlying tensions

3129
02:57:31,080 --> 02:57:33,120
in their partnership never fully
disappeared. 

3130
02:57:33,640 --> 02:57:36,720
Despite these strains, they 
managed to maintain a semblance 

3131
02:57:36,720 --> 02:57:39,880
of harmony, returning to Paris 
for the social season and 

3132
02:57:39,880 --> 02:57:42,960
hosting a circle of admirers, 
including artists who found 

3133
02:57:42,960 --> 02:57:46,400
their alliance captivating. 
Rumours and speculations made 

3134
02:57:46,400 --> 02:57:49,880
the rounds, some exaggerated. 
Others tinged with envy. 

3135
02:57:50,360 --> 02:57:53,800
Chopin, quieter by nature, often
let sand handle social 

3136
02:57:53,800 --> 02:57:56,240
negotiations. 
Her judgement, free nature and 

3137
02:57:56,240 --> 02:57:59,800
ability to navigate bohemian 
society made her well suited to 

3138
02:57:59,800 --> 02:58:02,000
do so. 
During their years together, 

3139
02:58:02,080 --> 02:58:04,200
Chopin continued to refine his 
technique. 

3140
02:58:04,880 --> 02:58:09,120
His works from this phase, 
nocturnes, waltzes, impromptu's,

3141
02:58:09,440 --> 02:58:12,480
resonate with a delicate balance
between introspection and 

3142
02:58:12,480 --> 02:58:15,280
theatrical flair. 
He pushed the boundaries of 

3143
02:58:15,280 --> 02:58:19,320
harmony, exploring key changes 
that felt as subtle as shifting 

3144
02:58:19,320 --> 02:58:22,560
moods. 
Audiences in Paris, who by then 

3145
02:58:22,560 --> 02:58:25,800
revered him as a singular voice 
on the piano, embraced these 

3146
02:58:25,800 --> 02:58:29,440
developments eagerly. 
However, when personal conflicts

3147
02:58:29,440 --> 02:58:32,640
flared, the same artistic 
brilliance that flowed in times 

3148
02:58:32,640 --> 02:58:34,680
of peace could also come to a 
halt. 

3149
02:58:35,320 --> 02:58:38,520
Gradually, the relationship 
showed signs of fracture. 

3150
02:58:39,080 --> 02:58:42,680
Sand's practicality clashed with
Chopin's artistic fragility, 

3151
02:58:43,280 --> 02:58:46,400
especially as financial and 
familial burdens multiplied. 

3152
02:58:46,920 --> 02:58:49,080
Their differing life 
philosophies became harder to 

3153
02:58:49,080 --> 02:58:52,080
reconcile. 
Sand championed unconstrained 

3154
02:58:52,080 --> 02:58:55,360
freedom, while Chopin yearned 
for emotional security. 

3155
02:58:56,000 --> 02:58:57,800
Friends noticed simmering 
tension. 

3156
02:58:58,280 --> 02:59:00,120
Chopin's circle worried about 
his health. 

3157
02:59:00,120 --> 02:59:02,320
Sand's acquaintances questioned 
her choices. 

3158
02:59:02,880 --> 02:59:04,920
Neither could ignore the 
gathering clouds. 

3159
02:59:05,160 --> 02:59:08,400
Still, for a while longer, they 
sustained A delicate 

3160
02:59:08,400 --> 02:59:12,240
equilibrium, each day a tapestry
of quiet idols and small 

3161
02:59:12,240 --> 02:59:15,600
quarrels softened by the hush of
the French countryside. 

3162
02:59:16,240 --> 02:59:19,000
Their bond gave birth to 
cultural ripples that extended 

3163
02:59:19,000 --> 02:59:22,880
beyond their personal story, the
fusion of literary boldness and 

3164
02:59:22,880 --> 02:59:25,360
musical nuance. 
Sparked curiosity in those who 

3165
02:59:25,360 --> 02:59:28,080
orbited their world. 
The question was not if their 

3166
02:59:28,080 --> 02:59:31,720
union would end, but how the 
inevitable parting would unfold,

3167
02:59:32,240 --> 02:59:35,920
and what toll it would take on 
the Chopin's spirit, which had 

3168
02:59:35,920 --> 02:59:38,560
grown accustomed to Sand's 
presence as both muse and 

3169
02:59:38,560 --> 02:59:42,760
caretaker. 
As the 18. 40s advanced tensions

3170
02:59:42,760 --> 02:59:46,680
between Chopin and George Sand 
deepened conflicting needs 

3171
02:59:46,680 --> 02:59:50,160
frayed, their once productive 
coexistence culminating in 

3172
02:59:50,160 --> 02:59:52,680
disagreements that seemed 
trivial to outsiders but. 

3173
02:59:52,680 --> 02:59:56,600
Deeply impacted their bond. 
Financial strains became more 

3174
02:59:56,600 --> 02:59:59,120
pronounced. 
Although Chopin was still giving

3175
02:59:59,120 --> 03:00:02,800
private lessons and occasionally
performing, his medical expenses

3176
03:00:02,800 --> 03:00:06,200
increased and his capacity to 
maintain the rigorous schedule 

3177
03:00:06,200 --> 03:00:07,880
of a sought after musician 
waned. 

3178
03:00:08,520 --> 03:00:10,600
Sand's responsibilities piled 
higher. 

3179
03:00:11,040 --> 03:00:13,600
She was not just an acclaimed 
novelist, but also a mother 

3180
03:00:13,800 --> 03:00:15,720
whose children demanded her 
attention. 

3181
03:00:16,360 --> 03:00:18,920
Their seasonal retreats to 
Nahant were initially meant to 

3182
03:00:18,920 --> 03:00:21,680
be restorative. 
Yet the countryside that once 

3183
03:00:21,680 --> 03:00:24,560
soothed them now became a 
backdrop for brooding silences 

3184
03:00:24,560 --> 03:00:28,000
and unspoken resentments. 
Chopin, increasingly plagued by 

3185
03:00:28,000 --> 03:00:30,480
ill health, found it difficult 
to cope with the emotional 

3186
03:00:30,480 --> 03:00:33,440
upheavals. 
Sand, for her part, struggled to

3187
03:00:33,440 --> 03:00:35,880
reconcile her desire for 
independence with the role of 

3188
03:00:35,880 --> 03:00:39,960
caregiver and mediator, the 
earlier idol of two artists 

3189
03:00:39,960 --> 03:00:43,080
inspiring each other. 
Gave way to a fragile peace held

3190
03:00:43,080 --> 03:00:46,720
together by habit and reluctance
to confront the inevitable by 

3191
03:00:46,720 --> 03:00:49,600
1846. 
Arguments over the upbringing of

3192
03:00:49,600 --> 03:00:53,520
Sand's children, particularly 
her daughter Solange, magnified 

3193
03:00:53,520 --> 03:00:56,720
the couple's disparities. 
Sand believed Chopin was 

3194
03:00:56,720 --> 03:01:00,440
overstepping his boundaries. 
He, in turn felt marginalised in

3195
03:01:00,440 --> 03:01:03,480
a household he'd come to 
consider partly his own, as from

3196
03:01:03,480 --> 03:01:06,000
this period paint a picture of 
two individuals trying to 

3197
03:01:06,000 --> 03:01:08,920
salvage a relationship that had 
lost its guiding clarity. 

3198
03:01:09,760 --> 03:01:12,800
The closeness that once nurtured
Chopin's compositions and 

3199
03:01:12,800 --> 03:01:16,520
fuelled Sand's writing now felt 
stifling, each partner 

3200
03:01:16,520 --> 03:01:19,120
perceiving the other as a 
barrier to personal freedom. 

3201
03:01:20,000 --> 03:01:23,600
When the final break came, it 
was less an explosive rupture 

3202
03:01:23,600 --> 03:01:26,520
than a slow unravelling. 
They were practically living 

3203
03:01:26,520 --> 03:01:30,840
apart by 1847. 
Their friends, once enchanted by

3204
03:01:30,840 --> 03:01:34,600
the bohemian aura of their 
union, looked on with sympathy 

3205
03:01:34,800 --> 03:01:38,360
or weary resignation, depending 
on whose side they took. 

3206
03:01:39,000 --> 03:01:42,200
Though not bitterly acrimonious,
the separation left Japan 

3207
03:01:42,200 --> 03:01:45,480
emotionally drained at a time 
when he most needed stability. 

3208
03:01:46,240 --> 03:01:49,120
And then broader European unrest
intervened. 

3209
03:01:49,680 --> 03:01:52,440
The year 1848 ushered in 
revolutions across the 

3210
03:01:52,440 --> 03:01:55,440
continent. 
France, Austria and various 

3211
03:01:55,440 --> 03:01:59,040
Italian states erupted in anti 
monarchical fervour. 

3212
03:01:59,760 --> 03:02:03,480
Paris was engulfed by turmoil, 
with barricades springing up and

3213
03:02:03,480 --> 03:02:05,320
many aristocratic families 
fleeing. 

3214
03:02:05,880 --> 03:02:09,160
Chopin's student base shrank 
dramatically, intensifying his 

3215
03:02:09,160 --> 03:02:12,120
financial worries. 
Weakened and anxious, he began 

3216
03:02:12,120 --> 03:02:15,480
to consider leaving the city 
when a British admirer, Jane 

3217
03:02:15,480 --> 03:02:19,400
Sterling, invited him to London.
Promising new opportunities for 

3218
03:02:19,400 --> 03:02:23,400
performance and patronage, 
Chopin decided to accept despite

3219
03:02:23,400 --> 03:02:26,560
reservations about travel. 
With his frail health, London 

3220
03:02:26,560 --> 03:02:29,120
welcomed him with a mix of 
curiosity and scepticism. 

3221
03:02:29,560 --> 03:02:33,400
In a musical scene dominated by 
large scale concerts, Chopin's 

3222
03:02:33,400 --> 03:02:35,560
subtle approach found 
appreciative audiences. 

3223
03:02:35,840 --> 03:02:37,880
But did not. 
Ignite A mainstream frenzy. 

3224
03:02:38,480 --> 03:02:41,280
He gave a handful of 
performances, enough to dazzle 

3225
03:02:41,280 --> 03:02:44,440
connoisseurs and uphold his 
reputation, though the city's 

3226
03:02:44,440 --> 03:02:47,760
bustling pace and cold, damp 
climate took a toll. 

3227
03:02:48,320 --> 03:02:51,520
Searching for respite, he 
travelled N to Scotland, where 

3228
03:02:51,520 --> 03:02:53,800
patrons offered lodging in their
country homes. 

3229
03:02:54,040 --> 03:02:57,360
The bleak landscapes, while 
novel, did little to alleviate 

3230
03:02:57,360 --> 03:03:00,880
his mounting exhaustion. 
Letters from this period reveal 

3231
03:03:00,880 --> 03:03:04,240
his despair over deteriorating 
health and the emotional wounds 

3232
03:03:04,240 --> 03:03:07,280
of separation from sand. 
He was haunted by memories of 

3233
03:03:07,280 --> 03:03:09,760
earlier, more optimistic days in
Paris. 

3234
03:03:10,120 --> 03:03:13,640
The sense of exile he once felt 
upon leaving Poland now returned

3235
03:03:13,640 --> 03:03:17,200
with even greater poignancy. 
Ironically, he was closer 

3236
03:03:17,200 --> 03:03:20,800
geographically to his homeland 
than ever before, yet felt more 

3237
03:03:20,800 --> 03:03:24,840
spiritually adrift. 
His performances, though still 

3238
03:03:24,840 --> 03:03:27,920
meticulous, lack the spark of 
earlier years. 

3239
03:03:28,480 --> 03:03:31,440
Composing came in fits and 
starts, yielding a few 

3240
03:03:31,440 --> 03:03:34,680
remarkable late works, but each 
effort drained his waning 

3241
03:03:34,680 --> 03:03:38,160
strength. 
By late 1848, Chopin concluded 

3242
03:03:38,160 --> 03:03:40,200
that London could not be a 
permanent refuge. 

3243
03:03:40,800 --> 03:03:43,920
He returned to Paris early the 
following year, an ailing figure

3244
03:03:43,920 --> 03:03:47,640
who could no longer rely on 
teaching or concerts to sustain 

3245
03:03:47,640 --> 03:03:50,320
himself. 
Friends rallied to his aid, 

3246
03:03:50,760 --> 03:03:53,120
offering financial support and 
companionship. 

3247
03:03:53,720 --> 03:03:56,480
Still, each passing week saw him
grow weaker. 

3248
03:03:56,920 --> 03:04:00,400
Confined mostly to his 
apartment, occasional visitors 

3249
03:04:00,400 --> 03:04:03,280
recalled the quiet dignity with 
which he faced his final 

3250
03:04:03,280 --> 03:04:05,920
decline. 
Maintaining a gentle politeness 

3251
03:04:05,920 --> 03:04:09,160
and concern for others comfort, 
he clung to whatever creative 

3252
03:04:09,160 --> 03:04:12,440
impulses remained, sometimes 
improvising a few notes at the 

3253
03:04:12,440 --> 03:04:15,680
piano, though coughing fits 
often cut these sessions short. 

3254
03:04:16,160 --> 03:04:19,320
Aware of the seriousness of his 
condition, Chopin is said to 

3255
03:04:19,320 --> 03:04:22,280
have asked for Mozart's Requiem 
to be performed at his funeral. 

3256
03:04:22,880 --> 03:04:28,160
The end came on October 17th, 
1849, when he died at age 39. 

3257
03:04:28,680 --> 03:04:31,440
Mourners gathered at the Church 
of the Madeleine to pay tribute.

3258
03:04:31,840 --> 03:04:34,920
His sister Ludwika, who had 
journeyed from Poland to be with

3259
03:04:34,920 --> 03:04:39,080
him, arranged for his heart to 
be returned to Warsaw, a final 

3260
03:04:39,080 --> 03:04:41,280
testament to the love he bore 
for his homeland. 

3261
03:04:41,880 --> 03:04:44,600
The rest of his remains were 
interred at Pere La Cher's 

3262
03:04:44,600 --> 03:04:48,040
cemetery in Paris. 
In the hush that followed, those

3263
03:04:48,040 --> 03:04:51,120
who knew him contemplated the 
delicate threads he wove between

3264
03:04:51,120 --> 03:04:55,920
Poland, France and the universal
language of music, a tapestry 

3265
03:04:55,920 --> 03:04:59,840
that now, with his passing, felt
both achingly complete and 

3266
03:04:59,840 --> 03:05:03,720
painfully unfinished in the days
and weeks after Chopin's death. 

3267
03:05:04,160 --> 03:05:06,880
Parisian Society. 
Buzzed with reminiscences. 

3268
03:05:07,200 --> 03:05:09,320
Myths and debates over his true 
nature. 

3269
03:05:09,840 --> 03:05:12,840
Was he the epitome of the 
Romantic, willing to sacrifice 

3270
03:05:12,840 --> 03:05:15,840
his health for the sake of art? 
Or was he a more measured 

3271
03:05:15,840 --> 03:05:19,000
figure, quietly shaping the 
course of piano music without 

3272
03:05:19,000 --> 03:05:22,000
fanfare? 
His friends, former lovers and 

3273
03:05:22,000 --> 03:05:25,040
students offered conflicting 
portraits, a mosaic of 

3274
03:05:25,040 --> 03:05:28,400
impressions that underscored the
complexity of a life lived in 

3275
03:05:28,400 --> 03:05:31,640
the margins between public 
scrutiny and private longing. 

3276
03:05:32,160 --> 03:05:35,240
Already, fellow composers and 
critics were assessing his 

3277
03:05:35,240 --> 03:05:38,000
legacy. 
Franz Liszt, who had championed 

3278
03:05:38,000 --> 03:05:40,800
Chopin's works, penned a 
biography that blended 

3279
03:05:40,800 --> 03:05:43,160
admiration with the certain 
poetic license. 

3280
03:05:43,760 --> 03:05:47,240
Hector Berlioz credited him with
renewing the expressive power of

3281
03:05:47,240 --> 03:05:49,960
the piano. 
Robert Schumann, based in 

3282
03:05:49,960 --> 03:05:53,320
Germany, had long praised 
Chopin's gift for capturing 

3283
03:05:53,320 --> 03:05:55,720
entire worlds of feeling in 
miniature forms. 

3284
03:05:56,360 --> 03:05:58,960
While the scope of Chopin's 
output was modest compared to 

3285
03:05:58,960 --> 03:06:03,280
symphonists or opera composers, 
it's influence proved outsized, 

3286
03:06:03,800 --> 03:06:06,800
a testament to the intimacy he 
brought to every bar of music. 

3287
03:06:07,400 --> 03:06:10,360
Pianists marvelled at the 
technical innovations embedded 

3288
03:06:10,360 --> 03:06:12,840
in his Etudes, preludes, and 
nocturnes. 

3289
03:06:13,520 --> 03:06:16,520
Chopin transformed the piano 
into an instrument of whispered 

3290
03:06:16,520 --> 03:06:18,960
confidence rather than a 
bombastic display. 

3291
03:06:19,880 --> 03:06:23,640
His approach to fingering, pedal
usage, and phrasing forced 

3292
03:06:23,640 --> 03:06:26,080
performers to abandon purely 
mechanical methods. 

3293
03:06:26,560 --> 03:06:29,800
Instead, they were compelled to 
inhabit the emotional core of 

3294
03:06:29,800 --> 03:06:33,320
each piece, a requirement that 
to maid playing Chopin both a 

3295
03:06:33,320 --> 03:06:37,440
challenge and a revelation. 
Yet not everyone grasped his 

3296
03:06:37,440 --> 03:06:41,040
significance immediately. 
Some critics, particularly those

3297
03:06:41,040 --> 03:06:44,640
captivated by grand orchestral 
works, perceived his Hoover as 

3298
03:06:44,640 --> 03:06:47,360
devoid of grandeur. 
They questioned whether these 

3299
03:06:47,360 --> 03:06:50,080
delicate sketches deserve the 
same reverence accorded to 

3300
03:06:50,080 --> 03:06:53,120
symphonies. 
Over time, however, that 

3301
03:06:53,120 --> 03:06:56,440
perspective evolved. 
Younger generations of composers

3302
03:06:56,440 --> 03:06:59,840
recognise that Chopin's genius 
lay precisely in his ability to 

3303
03:06:59,840 --> 03:07:03,080
convey epic feeling through 
slender forms. 

3304
03:07:03,600 --> 03:07:05,680
The. 
Preludes, each a miniature 

3305
03:07:05,680 --> 03:07:09,960
universe, gained a particular 
acclaim for their structural and

3306
03:07:09,960 --> 03:07:13,120
harmonic daring. 
Even Liszt's transcriptions of 

3307
03:07:13,120 --> 03:07:15,800
Chopin's works could not 
replicate the subtlety that 

3308
03:07:15,800 --> 03:07:19,760
defines Chopin's own playing. 
In Poland, still grappling with 

3309
03:07:19,760 --> 03:07:23,160
political subjugation, Chopin's 
music became a beacon of 

3310
03:07:23,160 --> 03:07:26,640
cultural identity. 
His polonaises, with their regal

3311
03:07:26,960 --> 03:07:31,520
March like rhythms and mazurkas 
echoing the rustic dance forms 

3312
03:07:31,520 --> 03:07:35,160
of rural Poland, resonated with 
those yearning for national 

3313
03:07:35,160 --> 03:07:38,360
dignity. 
Over time, entire generations of

3314
03:07:38,360 --> 03:07:41,600
Poles would point to Chopin as 
the embodiment of a spirit. 

3315
03:07:41,600 --> 03:07:46,640
Unbroken by foreign rule. 
In this sense, his legacy took 

3316
03:07:46,640 --> 03:07:50,040
on a patriotic dimension, 
turning him into a symbolic 

3317
03:07:50,040 --> 03:07:53,120
guardian of the Polish soul. 
While he spent much of his 

3318
03:07:53,120 --> 03:07:57,040
adulthood in Paris, his heart, 
both literally and figuratively,

3319
03:07:57,320 --> 03:08:00,600
remained in Warsaw, ensuring 
that his reputation at home was 

3320
03:08:00,600 --> 03:08:02,560
burnished by an almost holy 
reverence. 

3321
03:08:03,240 --> 03:08:06,280
Beyond Poland's borders, 
Chopin's influence quietly 

3322
03:08:06,280 --> 03:08:08,240
seeped into the DNA of Western 
music. 

3323
03:08:08,680 --> 03:08:12,680
Claude Debussy and Gabriel 
Foray, major French composers of

3324
03:08:12,680 --> 03:08:16,560
the late 19th and early 20th 
centuries, drew upon his nuanced

3325
03:08:16,560 --> 03:08:19,640
approach to harmony. 
Even Russian composers like 

3326
03:08:19,640 --> 03:08:22,200
Alexander Sriabin found 
inspiration in Chopin's 

3327
03:08:22,200 --> 03:08:24,640
coloristic chords. 
In the realm of piano 

3328
03:08:24,640 --> 03:08:27,960
performance, his legacy 
manifested in the demand that 

3329
03:08:27,960 --> 03:08:30,600
interpretation be a delicate R 
of shading and personal 

3330
03:08:30,600 --> 03:08:33,600
expression. 
Pianists from across Europe and 

3331
03:08:33,800 --> 03:08:37,200
eventually the world travelled 
to Paris or Warsaw to study 

3332
03:08:37,200 --> 03:08:41,040
Chopin's style first hand. 
One of the more intriguing 

3333
03:08:41,040 --> 03:08:44,160
aspects of his posthumous fame 
was the almost hallowed aura 

3334
03:08:44,160 --> 03:08:47,920
surrounding his personal relics.
Beyond the fame transport of his

3335
03:08:47,920 --> 03:08:50,640
heart to Warsaw, people 
preserved his letters. 

3336
03:08:51,000 --> 03:08:53,640
Locks of his hair and even the 
pianos he played. 

3337
03:08:54,160 --> 03:08:57,960
Memorials and statues appeared, 
especially after political 

3338
03:08:57,960 --> 03:09:00,840
shifts allowed Poland to honour 
its favorite son openly. 

3339
03:09:01,360 --> 03:09:04,640
Festivals sprang up celebrating 
his birthday and revisiting his 

3340
03:09:04,640 --> 03:09:07,600
repertoire. 
A certain romantic mystique 

3341
03:09:07,600 --> 03:09:09,480
enveloped his image. 
The. 

3342
03:09:09,520 --> 03:09:12,720
Frail, poetic exile whose life 
and death paralleled the 

3343
03:09:12,720 --> 03:09:16,600
vulnerable beauty of his music. 
Yet for all the mythologizing, 

3344
03:09:17,000 --> 03:09:19,640
Chopin's legacy rests squarely 
on the strength of his 

3345
03:09:19,640 --> 03:09:22,640
compositions. 
They remained staples in concert

3346
03:09:22,640 --> 03:09:25,760
halls and teaching studios, 
prized not only for their 

3347
03:09:25,760 --> 03:09:28,520
emotive power but also for their
technical demands. 

3348
03:09:29,000 --> 03:09:32,600
Students labour over the 
waltzes, nocturnes, and etudes, 

3349
03:09:32,880 --> 03:09:35,920
learning to tell stories through
roboto and carefully weighted 

3350
03:09:35,920 --> 03:09:38,440
chords. 
Seasoned performers returned to 

3351
03:09:38,440 --> 03:09:41,800
them repeatedly, finding fresh 
nuance with each pass. 

3352
03:09:42,480 --> 03:09:45,480
In every corner of the world, 
from grand theatres in major 

3353
03:09:45,480 --> 03:09:49,240
capitals to modest community 
recital spaces, Chopin's notes 

3354
03:09:49,240 --> 03:09:54,680
continue to ring out, bridging 
gaps in language, culture and 

3355
03:09:54,680 --> 03:09:56,800
time. 
Through it all, the composer 

3356
03:09:56,800 --> 03:09:58,920
retains an aura of intimate 
mysticism. 

3357
03:09:59,480 --> 03:10:02,280
His music, often described as 
capturing the soul's gentle 

3358
03:10:02,280 --> 03:10:05,560
confessions, remains deeply 
personal to each interpreter. 

3359
03:10:06,120 --> 03:10:08,840
And that may be his greatest 
gift to posterity, the 

3360
03:10:08,840 --> 03:10:11,840
invitation to find our own 
unspoken yearnings mirrored in 

3361
03:10:11,840 --> 03:10:16,800
his quietly revolutionary idiom.
He left no grand manifesto, no 

3362
03:10:16,800 --> 03:10:20,400
flamboyant stage persona, but 
rather a carefully wrought 

3363
03:10:20,400 --> 03:10:23,720
tapestry of sound that persists 
in reminding us how powerful the

3364
03:10:23,720 --> 03:10:26,240
softest voice can be when it 
speaks of truth. 

3365
03:10:26,920 --> 03:10:29,720
In the modern age, Chopin's 
significance endures, 

3366
03:10:30,160 --> 03:10:32,840
transcending the boundaries of 
Poland and France to captivate 

3367
03:10:32,840 --> 03:10:36,080
listeners worldwide. 
Yet the way we understand him 

3368
03:10:36,080 --> 03:10:39,120
today has expanded well beyond 
the initial Romantic framework. 

3369
03:10:39,720 --> 03:10:42,640
Scholars delve into his 
manuscripts, tracing the 

3370
03:10:42,640 --> 03:10:44,760
evolution of harmonic 
progressions and fingering 

3371
03:10:44,760 --> 03:10:47,000
patterns. 
Historians consider the 

3372
03:10:47,000 --> 03:10:50,200
political and social Milieu's 
that shaped him, noting how 

3373
03:10:50,200 --> 03:10:52,640
exile sharpened his sense of 
cultural identity. 

3374
03:10:53,160 --> 03:10:55,800
At international piano 
competitions, from Warsaw's 

3375
03:10:55,800 --> 03:10:58,680
prestigious Chopin Competition 
to events in Asia and the 

3376
03:10:58,680 --> 03:11:01,960
Americas, contestants vie to 
interpret his works with the 

3377
03:11:01,960 --> 03:11:03,840
perfect. 
Blend of fidelity and personal 

3378
03:11:03,840 --> 03:11:06,880
insight. 
In Poland, Chopin remains a 

3379
03:11:06,880 --> 03:11:09,960
national treasure. 
Streets, airports and music 

3380
03:11:09,960 --> 03:11:14,000
schools bear his name. 
The annual festivals dedicated 

3381
03:11:14,000 --> 03:11:17,560
to his music attract visitors 
from every continent, turning 

3382
03:11:17,560 --> 03:11:20,360
the performance of nocturnes and
ballads into a communal 

3383
03:11:20,360 --> 03:11:24,080
pilgrimage. 
His heart, encased in a pillar 

3384
03:11:24,080 --> 03:11:26,960
at the Church of the Holy Cross 
in Warsaw, is a poignant 

3385
03:11:26,960 --> 03:11:30,840
reminder of his last wishes. 
Locals and tourists alike pause 

3386
03:11:30,840 --> 03:11:35,000
there, reflecting on a life 
that, despite its brevity, 

3387
03:11:35,360 --> 03:11:39,280
resonates across centuries. 
The Poles see in Chopin a symbol

3388
03:11:39,280 --> 03:11:43,360
of resilience, a testament that 
beauty can thrive even under 

3389
03:11:43,360 --> 03:11:45,680
oppression. 
In France, his long time 

3390
03:11:45,680 --> 03:11:48,840
adoptive home, Chopin's legacy 
flourishes as well. 

3391
03:11:49,480 --> 03:11:52,800
Visitors to Paris can pay homage
at Pear Lachaise Cemetery, where

3392
03:11:52,800 --> 03:11:56,000
he rests among luminaries such 
as Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.

3393
03:11:56,560 --> 03:12:00,120
In the city's music academies 
and concert halls, his name is 

3394
03:12:00,120 --> 03:12:03,040
spoken with a reverence reserved
for those who shaped an era. 

3395
03:12:03,560 --> 03:12:07,400
His image, the elegantly dressed
yet fragile composer forever 

3396
03:12:07,400 --> 03:12:10,400
perched at a piano, persists in 
cultural memory. 

3397
03:12:11,000 --> 03:12:14,920
Each year, recitals commemorate 
his arrival in Paris, recalling 

3398
03:12:14,920 --> 03:12:18,120
the sense of astonishment he 
once sparked in those crowded 

3399
03:12:18,120 --> 03:12:20,920
salons. 
Meanwhile, interpretations of 

3400
03:12:20,920 --> 03:12:23,440
his music have branched in 
countless directions. 

3401
03:12:23,960 --> 03:12:28,360
The early decades of the 20th 
century saw pianists like Ignasi

3402
03:12:28,360 --> 03:12:32,120
Jan Padarowski champion his work
with a grand Romantic flourish. 

3403
03:12:32,880 --> 03:12:35,920
Later, Archer Rubenstein 
emphasized an elegant 

3404
03:12:35,920 --> 03:12:39,080
simplicity, stripping away 
sentimental excess. 

3405
03:12:39,520 --> 03:12:42,600
Contemporary virtuosos, 
bolstered by historically 

3406
03:12:42,600 --> 03:12:46,360
informed performance techniques,
debate over pedal usage and 

3407
03:12:46,360 --> 03:12:49,200
tempo. 
Robarto chasing an elusive 

3408
03:12:49,280 --> 03:12:52,320
authenticity that might 
approximate Chopin's own sound. 

3409
03:12:53,120 --> 03:12:55,600
Yet the essence of his 
composition resists rigid 

3410
03:12:55,600 --> 03:12:58,400
definition. 
Each generation finds something 

3411
03:12:58,400 --> 03:13:01,920
new in them, an unexpected 
harmonic pivot or a melodic 

3412
03:13:01,920 --> 03:13:03,880
gesture that resonates with 
modern ears. 

3413
03:13:04,440 --> 03:13:07,720
While classical music circles 
Revere Chopin, other genres 

3414
03:13:07,720 --> 03:13:11,160
occasionally claim him, too. 
Jazz pianists adapt his 

3415
03:13:11,160 --> 03:13:14,960
harmonies, weaving his chordal 
language into improvisations. 

3416
03:13:15,200 --> 03:13:18,320
Film composers borrow snippets 
of his melodic style to evoke 

3417
03:13:18,320 --> 03:13:22,400
nostalgia or refined emotion. 
Even pop and rock musicians have

3418
03:13:22,400 --> 03:13:25,760
paid tribute in their ways, 
sampling themes or referencing 

3419
03:13:25,760 --> 03:13:27,720
him as a beacon of artistic 
integrity. 

3420
03:13:28,240 --> 03:13:31,560
That a 19th century Polish 
expatriate continues to surface 

3421
03:13:31,560 --> 03:13:35,040
in such varied contexts 
underscores the universal pull 

3422
03:13:35,040 --> 03:13:38,040
of his sound. 
At the same time, fresh 

3423
03:13:38,080 --> 03:13:41,800
biographical insights continue 
to surface, historians of 

3424
03:13:41,800 --> 03:13:44,240
unearthed letters and Diaries 
that shed light on his 

3425
03:13:44,240 --> 03:13:48,120
experiences in exile, his 
struggles with illness, and his 

3426
03:13:48,120 --> 03:13:51,680
sometimes overlooked humor. 
Discussions of his personal 

3427
03:13:51,680 --> 03:13:54,600
relationships, particularly his 
partnership with George Sand, 

3428
03:13:54,920 --> 03:13:58,280
have shifted from scandalized 
whispers to nuanced examinations

3429
03:13:58,280 --> 03:14:01,160
of how 2 creative forces can 
both nurture and wound each 

3430
03:14:01,160 --> 03:14:03,480
other. 
Modern scholarship probes the 

3431
03:14:03,480 --> 03:14:06,560
idea that Chopin's poor health 
was not merely A tragic backdrop

3432
03:14:06,920 --> 03:14:10,000
but a driving factor in his 
artistry, compelling him to 

3433
03:14:10,000 --> 03:14:14,360
distill profound emotion into 
concise forms. 1 cannot overlook

3434
03:14:14,360 --> 03:14:16,840
the importance of nostalgia and 
memory in Chopin's ongoing 

3435
03:14:16,840 --> 03:14:19,520
allure. 
His Nocturnes, Waltz's, and 

3436
03:14:19,520 --> 03:14:22,200
mazurkas possess a wistful 
quality that resonates with 

3437
03:14:22,200 --> 03:14:26,200
anyone who's experienced love 
and loss, yearns for home, or 

3438
03:14:26,200 --> 03:14:28,480
contemplates the transient 
nature of life. 

3439
03:14:29,080 --> 03:14:32,640
That sense of longing, so 
central to the Romantic era, 

3440
03:14:32,960 --> 03:14:35,880
feels surprisingly fresh in a 
world where technology often 

3441
03:14:35,880 --> 03:14:40,520
accelerates our daily existence.
Through Chopin's music, many 

3442
03:14:40,520 --> 03:14:43,520
listeners find a space to 
breathe, to contemplate subtler 

3443
03:14:43,520 --> 03:14:46,000
shades of emotion less easily 
expressed in words. 

3444
03:14:46,560 --> 03:14:49,640
In a sense, the Chopin story is 
a bridge between epochs. 

3445
03:14:50,200 --> 03:14:52,800
He lived in the age of candle 
lit salons and quill penned 

3446
03:14:52,800 --> 03:14:56,480
letters, yet his art continues 
to find renewed relevance. 

3447
03:14:57,040 --> 03:15:00,960
Grand competitions see young 
pianists from Seoul, Buenos 

3448
03:15:01,040 --> 03:15:03,960
Aires, Cape Town and beyond 
interpret his schools with 

3449
03:15:03,960 --> 03:15:07,960
riveting originality, proving 
that music transcends geography 

3450
03:15:07,960 --> 03:15:10,560
and time. 
The constant re imagination of 

3451
03:15:10,560 --> 03:15:13,600
his work through performance, 
scholarship, and even casual 

3452
03:15:13,600 --> 03:15:16,680
listening testifies to the 
enduring power of a gentle soul 

3453
03:15:16,960 --> 03:15:19,800
who spoke most eloquently when 
seated before a piano. 

3454
03:15:20,320 --> 03:15:24,600
From Zellasova Wola to Paris and
back again, Chopin's journey 

3455
03:15:24,600 --> 03:15:28,440
resonates as a narrative of 
exile, creativity, love, and 

3456
03:15:28,440 --> 03:15:30,960
loss. 
He remains a figure both deeply 

3457
03:15:30,960 --> 03:15:34,360
cherished and endlessly debated,
his spirit woven into the 

3458
03:15:34,360 --> 03:15:36,080
collective memory of Western 
culture. 

3459
03:15:36,680 --> 03:15:40,560
Each generation rediscovers him 
on its terms, drawn in by music 

3460
03:15:40,560 --> 03:15:42,800
that whispers truths about the 
human condition. 

3461
03:15:43,320 --> 03:15:47,360
And thus Frederic Chopin lives 
on, a quiet but potent force, 

3462
03:15:47,800 --> 03:15:50,600
reminding us that even the 
softest voice can reverberate 

3463
03:15:50,600 --> 03:15:55,280
through history. 
Imagine yourself sitting 

3464
03:15:55,280 --> 03:15:58,360
comfortably in what would have 
been Africa 6,000,000 years ago,

3465
03:15:58,840 --> 03:16:01,040
but now it's just a lovely 
neighborhood with plenty of 

3466
03:16:01,040 --> 03:16:04,440
trees and no property taxes. 
Like the first parkour 

3467
03:16:04,440 --> 03:16:08,040
enthusiasts in nature. 
Your distant relatives, I mean 

3468
03:16:08,400 --> 03:16:10,960
really distant, like the kind 
you only see at evolutionary 

3469
03:16:10,960 --> 03:16:14,480
reunions, are having the time of
their lives swinging from branch

3470
03:16:14,480 --> 03:16:17,120
to branch. 
Your early ancestors had it 

3471
03:16:17,120 --> 03:16:19,680
worked out. 
Trees offered food cover, 

3472
03:16:19,680 --> 03:16:22,960
defence against large teeth and 
a great place to observe how 

3473
03:16:22,960 --> 03:16:27,120
other primates swung up there in
the canopy where the only big 

3474
03:16:27,120 --> 03:16:30,240
decisions were which fruit 
looked the ripest and if it was 

3475
03:16:30,240 --> 03:16:32,840
worth investigating that 
rustling in the next tree over. 

3476
03:16:33,080 --> 03:16:37,160
Life was good then, however, 
something began to occur that 

3477
03:16:37,160 --> 03:16:40,440
would alter everything. 
The atmosphere started to 

3478
03:16:40,440 --> 03:16:43,560
change, much like when your 
favorite restaurant gradually 

3479
03:16:43,560 --> 03:16:47,200
alters its menu until you can no
longer recognise anything on it.

3480
03:16:47,920 --> 03:16:50,640
After millions of years, the 
verdant forests began to 

3481
03:16:50,640 --> 03:16:54,680
disappear like houses in a 
suburban development that became

3482
03:16:54,680 --> 03:16:58,360
a bit too ambitious with the lot
sizes, trees became less common 

3483
03:16:58,360 --> 03:17:01,200
and more dispersed. 
You understand the issue your 

3484
03:17:01,200 --> 03:17:04,120
ancestors faced if you have ever
attempted to move from one tree 

3485
03:17:04,120 --> 03:17:06,640
to another when they're slightly
too far apart. 

3486
03:17:07,200 --> 03:17:09,960
It's like attempting to cross a 
Creek from one stone to another,

3487
03:17:10,240 --> 03:17:12,960
only instead of getting wet 
feet, you run the risk of 

3488
03:17:12,960 --> 03:17:16,400
becoming someone's lunch. 
When the next hand hold was 20 

3489
03:17:16,400 --> 03:17:19,280
feet away through open 
grassland, the traditional swing

3490
03:17:19,280 --> 03:17:21,200
and grab technique wasn't 
working so well. 

3491
03:17:21,760 --> 03:17:24,160
Thank you very much. 
Some of your relatives have 

3492
03:17:24,160 --> 03:17:27,280
chosen to continue living in the
woods, doubling down on their 

3493
03:17:27,280 --> 03:17:30,440
arboreal lifestyle. 
For example, they insist on 

3494
03:17:30,440 --> 03:17:32,560
using flip phones because they 
are reliable. 

3495
03:17:33,040 --> 03:17:35,520
It's actually good for them that
these became the ancestors of 

3496
03:17:35,520 --> 03:17:37,800
modern apes. 
They stayed in their niche. 

3497
03:17:38,280 --> 03:17:41,600
However, others, your specific 
branch of the family tree if you

3498
03:17:41,600 --> 03:17:44,080
will, began to spend more time 
on the ground. 

3499
03:17:44,600 --> 03:17:47,680
Initially, this was most likely 
merely A practical requirement. 

3500
03:17:48,520 --> 03:17:51,320
A short walk across the 
increasingly common grasslands 

3501
03:17:51,320 --> 03:17:54,080
was the only way to get from 
this patch of trees to that 

3502
03:17:54,080 --> 03:17:56,600
patch of trees. 
It wasn't particularly 

3503
03:17:56,600 --> 03:17:59,600
effective, but it was manageable
to crawl across open ground. 

3504
03:18:00,200 --> 03:18:02,520
Imagine attempting to crawl 
across a parking lot. 

3505
03:18:02,880 --> 03:18:06,080
You can do it, but it will take 
some time and you will draw 

3506
03:18:06,080 --> 03:18:09,480
strange looks. 
Furthermore, you could only see 

3507
03:18:09,480 --> 03:18:11,760
what was right in front of your 
nose while you were down in the 

3508
03:18:11,760 --> 03:18:15,360
grass, which could be anything 
from a pleasant patch of Clover 

3509
03:18:15,640 --> 03:18:18,240
to something that thought of you
as a walking appetizer. 

3510
03:18:19,000 --> 03:18:22,240
When the solution began to take 
shape, it was both sophisticated

3511
03:18:22,280 --> 03:18:25,040
and a little absurd. 
Getting to your feet. 

3512
03:18:25,480 --> 03:18:30,600
Simply getting to your feet like
a meerkat that chose to adopt it

3513
03:18:30,600 --> 03:18:33,560
as a way of life instead of 
merely a fast lookout tactic. 

3514
03:18:34,160 --> 03:18:36,400
Naturally, this was not an 
impulsive choice. 

3515
03:18:36,840 --> 03:18:40,640
Contrary to what some cartoons 
may portray, evolution does not 

3516
03:18:40,640 --> 03:18:43,840
operate in that manner. 
It was more akin to a very slow 

3517
03:18:43,840 --> 03:18:46,800
experiment that occurred over 
hundreds of thousands of years, 

3518
03:18:47,160 --> 03:18:50,280
making it perhaps the longest 
running trial period in history.

3519
03:18:51,480 --> 03:18:54,640
No one woke up 1 morning and 
thought, you know what, I'm 

3520
03:18:54,640 --> 03:18:58,040
going to try this walking thing.
The initial attempts at upright 

3521
03:18:58,040 --> 03:19:00,880
walking were likely as graceful 
as a toddler skating on ice, 

3522
03:19:01,240 --> 03:19:04,520
uncertain, wobbly, and involving
a lot of falling. 

3523
03:19:04,880 --> 03:19:08,320
However, there were benefits to 
even those early, uncomfortable 

3524
03:19:08,320 --> 03:19:10,640
steps. 
You could see over the grass, 

3525
03:19:10,880 --> 03:19:13,800
identify opportunities and 
threats from a greater distance,

3526
03:19:13,800 --> 03:19:17,240
and appear much more impressive 
to potential mates if they were 

3527
03:19:17,240 --> 03:19:20,160
attracted to someone who was 
constantly falling over, which 

3528
03:19:20,160 --> 03:19:22,600
they apparently were. 
Really, Your ancestors were 

3529
03:19:22,600 --> 03:19:24,760
pioneers. 
They were trying something 

3530
03:19:24,760 --> 03:19:28,480
entirely different, something no
primate had ever tried on a 

3531
03:19:28,480 --> 03:19:32,480
regular basis since they were 
the first to try eating cheese. 

3532
03:19:32,920 --> 03:19:35,920
It seemed strange and dangerous,
but it ended up being a really 

3533
03:19:35,920 --> 03:19:38,440
smart move. 
You were there, or more 

3534
03:19:38,440 --> 03:19:41,280
accurately, your grandparents 
were there, making their first 

3535
03:19:41,280 --> 03:19:43,840
hesitant forays into the world 
of bipedalism. 

3536
03:19:44,320 --> 03:19:46,840
And believe me when I say that 
those initial steps were more 

3537
03:19:46,840 --> 03:19:50,440
like please don't let me fall on
my face again than giant leap 

3538
03:19:50,440 --> 03:19:53,400
for mankind. 
The problem with standing up 

3539
03:19:53,400 --> 03:19:55,720
though, is that you start to 
realise how beneficial it is 

3540
03:19:55,720 --> 03:19:57,720
once you start doing it on a 
regular basis. 

3541
03:19:58,320 --> 03:20:00,640
It's similar to realising you've
been living in a soft focus 

3542
03:20:00,640 --> 03:20:02,560
world and finally cleaning your 
glasses. 

3543
03:20:03,600 --> 03:20:06,280
The scenery suddenly opened up. 
You could track where your 

3544
03:20:06,280 --> 03:20:09,280
family members had gone, find 
the best roots to those strewn 

3545
03:20:09,280 --> 03:20:12,680
trees and spot predators from a 
distance instead of just seeing 

3546
03:20:12,680 --> 03:20:14,680
grass and the occasional 
antelope ankle. 

3547
03:20:15,440 --> 03:20:18,880
Although the visual advantage 
was enormous, the learning curve

3548
03:20:18,880 --> 03:20:21,520
was as steep as the hiking trail
of a mountain goat. 

3549
03:20:22,120 --> 03:20:25,320
It's like going from riding a 
bicycle with training wheels to 

3550
03:20:25,320 --> 03:20:28,920
performing in Cirque du Soleil. 
Your ancestors had to learn how 

3551
03:20:28,920 --> 03:20:33,040
to balance on 2 feet instead of 
four, the amazing little organ 

3552
03:20:33,040 --> 03:20:35,920
that prevents you from falling 
over when you stand up too fast.

3553
03:20:36,200 --> 03:20:39,280
The inner ear had to recalibrate
itself from the ground up. 

3554
03:20:39,920 --> 03:20:42,760
As you read this, consider all 
the small muscles and movements 

3555
03:20:42,760 --> 03:20:44,680
your body performs to keep you 
standing. 

3556
03:20:45,240 --> 03:20:48,440
Like a driver on an icy Rd., 
your brain is continuously 

3557
03:20:48,440 --> 03:20:51,680
making micro corrections, 
swerving into tiny skids that 

3558
03:20:51,680 --> 03:20:54,760
you aren't even aware of. 
All of this was something your 

3559
03:20:54,760 --> 03:20:57,960
ancestors had to create from the
ground up, making what was 

3560
03:20:57,960 --> 03:21:01,160
basically a full time job of not
falling down into something that

3561
03:21:01,160 --> 03:21:03,800
just happened. 
It was a revolutionary hands 

3562
03:21:03,800 --> 03:21:06,560
free advantage. 
Your hands are essentially prime

3563
03:21:06,560 --> 03:21:09,920
real estate, taken up by the 
unglamorous task of moving when 

3564
03:21:09,920 --> 03:21:12,920
you're knuckle walking. 
But when you get up, your hands 

3565
03:21:12,920 --> 03:21:15,760
are free to do other things. 
Instead of eating the food right

3566
03:21:15,760 --> 03:21:18,360
away, like some sort of 
prehistoric fast food 

3567
03:21:18,360 --> 03:21:20,920
experience, you could take it 
home to your family. 

3568
03:21:21,360 --> 03:21:23,880
Humanity's first step toward 
becoming the creatures that 

3569
03:21:23,880 --> 03:21:26,640
would eventually collect 
everything from stamps to old 

3570
03:21:26,640 --> 03:21:30,080
lunch boxes was likely the 
ability to pick up and examine 

3571
03:21:30,080 --> 03:21:33,520
interesting objects. 
The use of tools was made 

3572
03:21:33,520 --> 03:21:35,640
possible in previously 
unimaginable ways. 

3573
03:21:36,040 --> 03:21:39,280
Chimpanzees can fish termites 
out of a mound with a stick, but

3574
03:21:39,280 --> 03:21:41,560
they are unable to transport an 
entire tool kit. 

3575
03:21:42,440 --> 03:21:45,200
Humanity's first mobile 
workshops were made possible by 

3576
03:21:45,200 --> 03:21:48,240
your upright ancestors ability 
to gather practical objects like

3577
03:21:48,240 --> 03:21:51,600
sturdy sticks and rocks. 
They were similar to prehistoric

3578
03:21:51,600 --> 03:21:54,440
handymen, but instead of 
building kitchen cabinets, they 

3579
03:21:54,440 --> 03:21:58,080
worked on survival projects. 
Another unanticipated advantage 

3580
03:21:58,080 --> 03:22:01,320
was the cooling system. 
It may seem counter intuitive to

3581
03:22:01,320 --> 03:22:03,080
stand upright in the African 
sun. 

3582
03:22:03,520 --> 03:22:06,560
After all, it exposes more 
surface area to the heat. 

3583
03:22:07,240 --> 03:22:09,480
Even though they weren't aware 
of it consciously, your 

3584
03:22:09,480 --> 03:22:11,040
ancestors were smarter than 
that. 

3585
03:22:11,600 --> 03:22:14,480
They increased their exposure to
cooling breezes and decreased 

3586
03:22:14,480 --> 03:22:17,280
their exposure to the direct 
overhead sun by standing up. 

3587
03:22:18,000 --> 03:22:20,200
If you didn't mind looking a 
little goofy while it was in 

3588
03:22:20,200 --> 03:22:23,080
use, it was similar to having an
integrated climate control 

3589
03:22:23,080 --> 03:22:25,600
system. 
In order to accommodate this new

3590
03:22:25,600 --> 03:22:28,720
way of life, hairstyles even 
began to shift. 

3591
03:22:29,360 --> 03:22:32,680
A natural sun hat was created by
the body hair remaining thicker 

3592
03:22:32,680 --> 03:22:35,520
on top of the head, but becoming
less dense overall. 

3593
03:22:36,120 --> 03:22:39,280
Practical, Efficient, and 
establishing trends that would 

3594
03:22:39,280 --> 03:22:42,160
eventually result in some 
genuinely dubious hairstyles. 

3595
03:22:42,160 --> 03:22:45,680
Throughout human history, it was
evolutions take on functional 

3596
03:22:45,680 --> 03:22:48,680
fashion. 
The biggest shift, though, might

3597
03:22:48,680 --> 03:22:51,960
have been psychological. 
Your ancestors appeared larger, 

3598
03:22:51,960 --> 03:22:54,760
more impressive and more 
substantial when they stood up. 

3599
03:22:55,400 --> 03:22:58,400
This was no small advantage in a
world where being a formidable 

3600
03:22:58,400 --> 03:23:01,040
person could mean the difference
between being left alone or 

3601
03:23:01,040 --> 03:23:03,880
being someone's dinner. 
It was the ancient equivalent of

3602
03:23:03,880 --> 03:23:05,560
dressing nicely for a job 
interview. 

3603
03:23:06,040 --> 03:23:08,800
It didn't alter your identity, 
but it did alter how other 

3604
03:23:08,800 --> 03:23:11,320
people saw you. 
The challenge of surviving in a 

3605
03:23:11,320 --> 03:23:14,160
changing world was the occasion,
and your ancestors were 

3606
03:23:14,160 --> 03:23:15,720
literally rising to the 
occasion. 

3607
03:23:16,280 --> 03:23:19,440
Every shaky step, every 
successful tree to tree 

3608
03:23:19,440 --> 03:23:22,840
crossing, every successful 
moment of avoiding falling was 

3609
03:23:22,840 --> 03:23:25,720
leading to something never seen 
before in the history of life on

3610
03:23:25,720 --> 03:23:28,440
earth. 
Now, you might assume that the 

3611
03:23:28,440 --> 03:23:31,200
difficult part was over once 
your ancestors learned the 

3612
03:23:31,200 --> 03:23:34,160
fundamentals of standing up. 
You'd be mistaken. 

3613
03:23:34,640 --> 03:23:36,960
It's like assuming you're 
prepared for the Tour de France 

3614
03:23:36,960 --> 03:23:38,720
once you learn how to ride a 
bicycle. 

3615
03:23:39,160 --> 03:23:41,600
There was a lot of trial and 
error involved in the transition

3616
03:23:41,600 --> 03:23:45,280
from technically possible to 
actually practical with a focus 

3617
03:23:45,280 --> 03:23:48,560
on the latter over hundreds of 
thousands of years. 

3618
03:23:48,560 --> 03:23:51,400
Significant skeletal changes 
were necessary for full time 

3619
03:23:51,400 --> 03:23:54,280
berpedalism. 
In order to distribute weight 

3620
03:23:54,280 --> 03:23:57,840
evenly when standing erect, your
ancestors spines had to grow 

3621
03:23:57,840 --> 03:24:01,560
curves they'd never had before 
forming AS walking upright 

3622
03:24:01,560 --> 03:24:04,160
without these curves would have 
been like attempting to balance 

3623
03:24:04,160 --> 03:24:06,600
a pile of books as someone 
continued to add more to the 

3624
03:24:06,600 --> 03:24:09,000
top. 
There was a complete renovation 

3625
03:24:09,000 --> 03:24:12,440
of the pelvis if you will. 
Apes have long, narrow pelvises 

3626
03:24:12,440 --> 03:24:15,640
that are ideal for supporting A 
horizontal body, but dreadfully 

3627
03:24:15,640 --> 03:24:17,680
inadequate for supporting a 
vertical one. 

3628
03:24:18,160 --> 03:24:21,080
In order to accommodate internal
organs arranged vertically 

3629
03:24:21,080 --> 03:24:24,720
rather than horizontally, your 
ancestors evolved wider bowl 

3630
03:24:24,720 --> 03:24:28,560
shaped pelvises after choosing 
to live on the walls rather than

3631
03:24:28,560 --> 03:24:30,800
the floors. 
It was similar to moving all the

3632
03:24:30,800 --> 03:24:34,200
furniture around the house. 
Leg bones realigned and became 

3633
03:24:34,200 --> 03:24:36,680
stronger. 
The knees were able to properly 

3634
03:24:36,680 --> 03:24:39,480
align under the centre of 
gravity of the body because the 

3635
03:24:39,480 --> 03:24:42,680
thigh bone formed an angle that 
would make any geometry teacher 

3636
03:24:42,680 --> 03:24:45,160
proud. 
In order to absorb the shock of 

3637
03:24:45,160 --> 03:24:48,440
heel to toe walking feet change 
from being flexible grasping 

3638
03:24:48,440 --> 03:24:50,760
appendages to rigid platforms 
with arches. 

3639
03:24:51,240 --> 03:24:54,040
Your ancestors were literally 
starting over from scratch. 

3640
03:24:54,520 --> 03:24:57,120
This is where things start to 
get interesting and a little 

3641
03:24:57,120 --> 03:24:59,160
awkward. 
Humans still have to make 

3642
03:24:59,160 --> 03:25:01,160
trade-offs as a result of all 
these changes. 

3643
03:25:01,520 --> 03:25:04,240
That slender pelvis that allowed
for upright walking. 

3644
03:25:04,920 --> 03:25:07,440
It also greatly increased the 
difficulty and risk of 

3645
03:25:07,440 --> 03:25:10,120
childbirth. 
Your female ancestors were 

3646
03:25:10,120 --> 03:25:12,880
effectively making a trade off 
between mobility and ease of 

3647
03:25:12,880 --> 03:25:15,720
reproduction, which would have 
long term effects on our 

3648
03:25:15,720 --> 03:25:18,280
species. 
In addition to effectively 

3649
03:25:18,280 --> 03:25:21,680
distributing weight, the curved 
spine produced weak spots that 

3650
03:25:21,680 --> 03:25:24,880
continue to cause issues. 
People have been complaining of 

3651
03:25:24,880 --> 03:25:27,040
lower back pain for millions of 
years. 

3652
03:25:27,560 --> 03:25:30,160
It's not just a modern 
occurrence brought on by desk 

3653
03:25:30,160 --> 03:25:33,240
work and bad posture. 
Although they most likely 

3654
03:25:33,240 --> 03:25:36,480
weren't aware of this specific 
first, your ancestors were 

3655
03:25:36,480 --> 03:25:38,720
pioneers in the field of chronic
back problems. 

3656
03:25:39,280 --> 03:25:42,400
In the meantime, the feet that 
had become so good for walking 

3657
03:25:42,680 --> 03:25:44,760
turned into awful ones for 
climbing. 

3658
03:25:45,400 --> 03:25:48,840
For grasping branches, those 
inflexible arches and straight 

3659
03:25:48,840 --> 03:25:51,480
toes that were ideal for 
covering ground were 

3660
03:25:51,480 --> 03:25:54,200
ineffective. 
Evolutionarily speaking, your 

3661
03:25:54,200 --> 03:25:56,720
ancestors were burning their 
bridges by settling for a 

3662
03:25:56,720 --> 03:26:00,440
terrestrial lifestyle with fewer
and fewer tree backup plans. 

3663
03:26:01,120 --> 03:26:03,800
Without a doubt, there were many
spectacular failures during the 

3664
03:26:03,800 --> 03:26:06,760
learning process. 
Imagine attempting to flee from 

3665
03:26:06,760 --> 03:26:09,720
a predator after you've only 
just learnt how to walk upright.

3666
03:26:10,320 --> 03:26:13,040
Imagine trying to negotiate 
uneven ground while your 

3667
03:26:13,040 --> 03:26:15,120
balancing system is still in 
beta testing. 

3668
03:26:15,760 --> 03:26:18,920
In essence, your ancestors were 
relearning how to use their 

3669
03:26:18,920 --> 03:26:22,080
bodies, much like someone 
recuperating from a serious 

3670
03:26:22,080 --> 03:26:25,440
injury, only the injury was 
caused by millions of years of 

3671
03:26:25,440 --> 03:26:28,600
quadrupedal evolution. 
During this time of transition, 

3672
03:26:28,840 --> 03:26:30,920
children must have been 
especially entertaining. 

3673
03:26:31,440 --> 03:26:34,400
If you've ever seen a human 
toddler learn to walk, imagine 

3674
03:26:34,400 --> 03:26:37,600
how unsteady they were. 
Then add in the fact that the 

3675
03:26:37,600 --> 03:26:40,240
adults weren't much more stable.
Like a group. 

3676
03:26:40,240 --> 03:26:43,080
Expedition led by people who had
never gone hiking before. 

3677
03:26:43,440 --> 03:26:46,320
Families most likely moved very 
slowly and fell a lot. 

3678
03:26:46,800 --> 03:26:49,680
However, they continued because 
the benefits were becoming 

3679
03:26:49,680 --> 03:26:52,760
indisputable. 
In this honest business, each 

3680
03:26:52,760 --> 03:26:55,800
generation was marginally 
superior to the previous one. 

3681
03:26:56,280 --> 03:26:59,800
Offspring with stronger spines, 
improved balance, or more 

3682
03:26:59,800 --> 03:27:03,040
effective walking patterns had a
higher chance of surviving and 

3683
03:27:03,040 --> 03:27:06,160
procreating. 
Those who were able to learn 

3684
03:27:06,160 --> 03:27:08,920
this strange new way of moving 
through the world were rewarded 

3685
03:27:08,920 --> 03:27:12,040
by natural selection. 
Better balance, control, and 

3686
03:27:12,040 --> 03:27:15,280
spatial awareness were being 
developed by the brain in tandem

3687
03:27:15,280 --> 03:27:18,960
with these physical changes. 
That vital part of the brain 

3688
03:27:18,960 --> 03:27:22,400
that controls movement, the 
cerebellum, was being thoroughly

3689
03:27:22,400 --> 03:27:24,280
exercised and improving as a 
result. 

3690
03:27:24,840 --> 03:27:27,680
As they learned to use their 
newly acquired abilities, your 

3691
03:27:27,680 --> 03:27:30,360
ancestors were literally growing
into their new bodies. 

3692
03:27:30,920 --> 03:27:33,840
Your ancestors had become fairly
proficient at this standing up 

3693
03:27:33,840 --> 03:27:36,560
business by this point. 
They weren't particularly 

3694
03:27:36,560 --> 03:27:40,680
elegant, yet think functional 
rather than elegant, but they 

3695
03:27:40,680 --> 03:27:43,920
made real progress by being able
to move from point A to point B 

3696
03:27:43,920 --> 03:27:46,080
without constantly embarrassing 
themselves. 

3697
03:27:47,160 --> 03:27:50,200
The desire to see what lay 
beyond the next hill, which 

3698
03:27:50,200 --> 03:27:53,520
would forever define humanity, 
came along with this new found 

3699
03:27:53,520 --> 03:27:56,600
mobility. 
Because your ancestors became 

3700
03:27:56,600 --> 03:27:59,200
the ultimate tourists. 
This is where your family 

3701
03:27:59,200 --> 03:28:01,080
history becomes really 
fascinating. 

3702
03:28:01,520 --> 03:28:05,160
However, they were exploring 
completely new continents and 

3703
03:28:05,160 --> 03:28:08,360
establishing the human presence 
in places no premate had ever 

3704
03:28:08,360 --> 03:28:11,160
seen before. 
Rather than snapping photos and 

3705
03:28:11,160 --> 03:28:15,200
purchasing trinkets, walking had
become so efficient that long 

3706
03:28:15,200 --> 03:28:18,080
distance travel was no longer 
just feasible, but also 

3707
03:28:18,080 --> 03:28:21,040
necessary. 
The world begins to appear as 

3708
03:28:21,040 --> 03:28:23,880
though it is just waiting for 
you to explore it. 

3709
03:28:24,280 --> 03:28:27,200
Once you're able to move quickly
and steadily, carry your 

3710
03:28:27,200 --> 03:28:30,400
supplies and food with you, and 
improve your teamwork skills. 

3711
03:28:31,400 --> 03:28:33,160
This wasn't just a weekend 
getaway. 

3712
03:28:33,600 --> 03:28:36,600
Your ancestors started the first
major human migration out of 

3713
03:28:36,600 --> 03:28:38,960
Africa. 
In the end, this multi 

3714
03:28:38,960 --> 03:28:42,120
generational journey would 
disperse humanity throughout the

3715
03:28:42,120 --> 03:28:44,480
world. 
Since walking was their new 

3716
03:28:44,480 --> 03:28:47,560
superpower, they travelled by 
foot from Africa to the Middle 

3717
03:28:47,560 --> 03:28:51,280
East, Asia, and finally 
Australia and the Americas. 

3718
03:28:52,480 --> 03:28:54,680
By today's standards, the pace 
was slow. 

3719
03:28:55,160 --> 03:28:57,600
In a good year, these groups 
might travel a few miles, 

3720
03:28:57,920 --> 03:29:01,160
stopping wherever resources were
plentiful, making temporary 

3721
03:29:01,160 --> 03:29:04,800
settlements and then continuing 
on when necessity or curiosity 

3722
03:29:04,800 --> 03:29:07,680
demanded it. 
It resembled the world's slowest

3723
03:29:07,680 --> 03:29:10,760
and longest treasure hunt more 
than a planned expedition, with 

3724
03:29:10,760 --> 03:29:13,280
the treasure being simply 
finding what was around the next

3725
03:29:13,280 --> 03:29:16,000
corner. 
Their ability to walk upright 

3726
03:29:16,000 --> 03:29:19,120
was further honed by the new 
challenges presented by each new

3727
03:29:19,120 --> 03:29:21,960
setting. 
They learned endurance and how 

3728
03:29:21,960 --> 03:29:24,720
to move effectively over sand 
and stone in the desert. 

3729
03:29:25,440 --> 03:29:27,640
Their sure footedness and 
balance were developed in 

3730
03:29:27,640 --> 03:29:30,560
mountainous areas. 
They were exposed to walking on 

3731
03:29:30,560 --> 03:29:34,520
a variety of surfaces in coastal
areas, including sand, rocks and

3732
03:29:34,520 --> 03:29:37,520
tide pools, all of which 
required minor adjustments to 

3733
03:29:37,520 --> 03:29:40,600
their balance and gait. 
Walking's social components 

3734
03:29:40,600 --> 03:29:42,760
gained equal weight with its 
physical ones. 

3735
03:29:43,280 --> 03:29:46,360
Better communication systems had
to be developed in order for 

3736
03:29:46,360 --> 03:29:48,120
groups to coordinate their 
movements. 

3737
03:29:48,760 --> 03:29:51,760
When you needed to say something
like there's a river three days 

3738
03:29:51,760 --> 03:29:54,760
walk N that has excellent 
fishing, but watch out for the 

3739
03:29:54,760 --> 03:29:58,360
cranky hippopotamuses, you 
couldn't just grunt and point. 

3740
03:29:59,320 --> 03:30:01,880
Language became crucial for 
exchanging navigational 

3741
03:30:01,880 --> 03:30:05,360
information, discussing route 
options and organising stops. 

3742
03:30:06,160 --> 03:30:09,000
Walking in groups also meant 
creating systems of cooperation 

3743
03:30:09,000 --> 03:30:13,000
and social hierarchy. 
Who determines the speed without

3744
03:30:13,000 --> 03:30:16,320
abandoning the slower walkers? 
How can you make accommodations 

3745
03:30:16,320 --> 03:30:18,760
for them? 
When someone is hurt, what do 

3746
03:30:18,760 --> 03:30:21,200
you do? 
The idea of group travel, with 

3747
03:30:21,200 --> 03:30:24,360
all the associated logistical 
difficulties, was essentially 

3748
03:30:24,360 --> 03:30:26,120
being invented by your 
ancestors. 

3749
03:30:26,720 --> 03:30:29,600
They developed increasingly 
advanced and specialised tools 

3750
03:30:29,600 --> 03:30:33,520
for their nomadic way of life. 
Heavy one time use tools were 

3751
03:30:33,520 --> 03:30:36,720
preferred over lightweight, 
portable, multifunctional items.

3752
03:30:37,240 --> 03:30:39,960
They continuously improved their
equipment to strike a balance 

3753
03:30:39,960 --> 03:30:41,880
between portability and 
functionality. 

3754
03:30:42,200 --> 03:30:46,280
Much like prehistoric hikers. 
A good walking stick became 

3755
03:30:46,280 --> 03:30:49,880
useful not only for stability 
but also as a measuring tool, a 

3756
03:30:49,880 --> 03:30:52,480
testing ground probe and a reach
extension. 

3757
03:30:53,040 --> 03:30:55,760
When they lived mostly in trees,
the weather became a constant 

3758
03:30:55,760 --> 03:30:57,960
factor in ways that it had never
been before. 

3759
03:30:58,600 --> 03:31:01,480
Their bodies were more exposed 
to wind, rain and temperature 

3760
03:31:01,480 --> 03:31:03,480
fluctuations when they were 
walking upright. 

3761
03:31:04,080 --> 03:31:06,800
They had to learn how to read 
weather patterns, plan their 

3762
03:31:06,800 --> 03:31:09,840
routes around seasonal changes, 
and devise strategies for 

3763
03:31:09,840 --> 03:31:11,720
travelling in various weather 
conditions. 

3764
03:31:12,320 --> 03:31:14,920
They developed extraordinary 
navigational skills. 

3765
03:31:15,320 --> 03:31:17,920
They learned to read landscapes 
like books without the use of 

3766
03:31:17,920 --> 03:31:21,160
maps, GPS, or even written 
language. 

3767
03:31:21,640 --> 03:31:25,320
Mountain shapes, river flows, 
vegetation patterns, and animal 

3768
03:31:25,320 --> 03:31:28,440
behaviour all contributed to the
development of a complex system 

3769
03:31:28,440 --> 03:31:30,280
for navigating uncharted 
territory. 

3770
03:31:31,080 --> 03:31:33,880
By establishing patterns of 
curiosity and movement that 

3771
03:31:33,880 --> 03:31:36,960
would eventually take their 
descendants to every part of the

3772
03:31:36,960 --> 03:31:40,120
planet, your ancestors were 
penning the first chapters of 

3773
03:31:40,120 --> 03:31:43,440
human exploration. 
With only their ability to walk 

3774
03:31:43,440 --> 03:31:46,400
upright, they're developing 
intelligence and an apparently 

3775
03:31:46,400 --> 03:31:49,520
insatiable desire to see what 
lay beyond the next horizon. 

3776
03:31:49,920 --> 03:31:53,720
They were the first pioneers. 
Even your ancestors probably 

3777
03:31:53,720 --> 03:31:56,360
didn't anticipate the intriguing
turn your family history is 

3778
03:31:56,360 --> 03:31:58,720
about to take. 
Their brains were being 

3779
03:31:58,720 --> 03:32:03,280
remarkably impacted by all of 
this walking, carrying, tool use

3780
03:32:03,520 --> 03:32:05,400
and acclimating to new 
surroundings. 

3781
03:32:06,080 --> 03:32:08,560
It was similar to a very long 
term, very slow fitness 

3782
03:32:08,560 --> 03:32:11,800
programme, but it was building 
intelligence rather than muscle.

3783
03:32:12,400 --> 03:32:15,280
One of the most graceful 
feedback loops in evolution is 

3784
03:32:15,280 --> 03:32:18,200
the connection between brain 
development and upright walking.

3785
03:32:18,760 --> 03:32:22,360
Your ancestors ability to walk 
on 2 feet allowed them to use 

3786
03:32:22,360 --> 03:32:24,360
their hands for more difficult 
tasks. 

3787
03:32:24,840 --> 03:32:27,560
They needed more advanced hand 
eye coordination than they had 

3788
03:32:27,560 --> 03:32:31,480
ever needed before in order to 
use tools, make tools, and carry

3789
03:32:31,480 --> 03:32:35,040
several objects at once. 
The really clever part though is

3790
03:32:35,040 --> 03:32:37,800
that the parts of the brain that
govern precise hand movements 

3791
03:32:38,120 --> 03:32:41,320
are located directly adjacent to
those that govern language and 

3792
03:32:41,320 --> 03:32:44,160
abstract thought. 
Ideas tend to flow back and 

3793
03:32:44,160 --> 03:32:46,760
forth, much like when your 
office and workshop are 

3794
03:32:46,760 --> 03:32:49,080
adjacent. 
Your ancestors were 

3795
03:32:49,080 --> 03:32:52,000
unintentionally creating the 
neural infrastructure that would

3796
03:32:52,000 --> 03:32:55,360
eventually enable sophisticated 
communication and problem 

3797
03:32:55,360 --> 03:32:58,600
solving as they improved their 
motor control for using tools. 

3798
03:32:59,160 --> 03:33:02,840
The actual brain was enlarging, 
but not at random to meet the 

3799
03:33:02,840 --> 03:33:06,440
new demands of bipedal life. 
Certain areas were growing 

3800
03:33:07,120 --> 03:33:09,800
already, exerting extra effort 
to control balance and 

3801
03:33:09,800 --> 03:33:12,280
coordination. 
The cerebellum kept growing. 

3802
03:33:12,880 --> 03:33:15,600
The frontal cortex, which is in 
charge of planning and making 

3803
03:33:15,600 --> 03:33:18,960
decisions, grew to accommodate 
the intricate decisions required

3804
03:33:18,960 --> 03:33:22,280
for group coordination, tool 
use, and navigation. 

3805
03:33:23,160 --> 03:33:25,920
Consider the activities that 
your ancestors engaged in on a 

3806
03:33:25,920 --> 03:33:28,400
daily basis. 
They had to make and maintain 

3807
03:33:28,400 --> 03:33:31,800
tools, remember where resources 
were, plan routes through 

3808
03:33:31,800 --> 03:33:35,240
uncharted territory, coordinate 
group movements and solve 

3809
03:33:35,240 --> 03:33:37,480
problems that their tree 
dwelling relatives had never 

3810
03:33:37,480 --> 03:33:39,880
faced. 
It was similar to enrolling in a

3811
03:33:39,880 --> 03:33:43,120
full time multi year university 
course on how to solve real 

3812
03:33:43,120 --> 03:33:45,760
world problems. 
Their developing brains were 

3813
03:33:45,760 --> 03:33:48,760
especially taxed by the social 
components of their new way of 

3814
03:33:48,760 --> 03:33:51,400
life. 
Cooperation and group travel 

3815
03:33:51,400 --> 03:33:54,800
required not only knowing what 
you had to do, but also knowing 

3816
03:33:54,800 --> 03:33:57,200
what other members of your group
were planning and thinking. 

3817
03:33:57,720 --> 03:34:00,080
The ability to comprehend that 
other people have their own 

3818
03:34:00,080 --> 03:34:02,240
thoughts, intentions and 
knowledge. 

3819
03:34:02,640 --> 03:34:06,520
What psychologists now refer to 
as theory of mind had to be 

3820
03:34:06,520 --> 03:34:09,400
developed. 
The importance and 

3821
03:34:09,400 --> 03:34:11,240
sophistication of language were 
growing. 

3822
03:34:11,640 --> 03:34:14,920
Their lifestyle now required 
complex coordination and simple 

3823
03:34:14,920 --> 03:34:17,000
gestures and warning calls were 
insufficient. 

3824
03:34:17,680 --> 03:34:20,120
The water source they had 
discovered yesterday, the 

3825
03:34:20,160 --> 03:34:23,240
hazardous terrain ahead, and the
travel plans for tomorrow were 

3826
03:34:23,240 --> 03:34:25,880
among the things they needed to 
discuss that weren't immediately

3827
03:34:25,880 --> 03:34:28,560
available. 
Thinking abstractly was turning 

3828
03:34:28,560 --> 03:34:31,800
into a survival tactic. 
Additionally, your ancestors had

3829
03:34:31,800 --> 03:34:34,440
to contend with a wider range of
difficult circumstances. 

3830
03:34:34,760 --> 03:34:37,080
Every new habitat they came 
across had its own set of 

3831
03:34:37,080 --> 03:34:39,960
challenges. 
In a desert, how can one locate 

3832
03:34:39,960 --> 03:34:44,280
water in a new area? 
What is safe to eat in a climate

3833
03:34:44,280 --> 03:34:47,240
that is colder than anything you
have ever experienced? 

3834
03:34:47,600 --> 03:34:50,760
How do you stay warm in essence?
Each. 

3835
03:34:50,760 --> 03:34:53,880
Obstacle overcome served as a 
teaching tool for innovative 

3836
03:34:53,880 --> 03:34:56,480
problem solving. 
There was an acceleration of the

3837
03:34:56,480 --> 03:34:58,880
feedback loop between mental 
development and physical 

3838
03:34:58,880 --> 03:35:02,200
capabilities. 
More sophisticated tasks were 

3839
03:35:02,200 --> 03:35:05,600
made possible by better tools, 
which in turn required even 

3840
03:35:05,600 --> 03:35:08,480
better brains. 
Better group coordination, made 

3841
03:35:08,480 --> 03:35:11,400
possible by more advanced 
communication, allowed them to 

3842
03:35:11,400 --> 03:35:14,680
take on increasingly difficult 
situations that required more 

3843
03:35:14,680 --> 03:35:17,000
complex planning and problem 
solving skills. 

3844
03:35:17,880 --> 03:35:20,680
Most significantly, though, they
were acquiring what we might 

3845
03:35:20,680 --> 03:35:24,120
refer to as cognitive 
flexibility, the capacity to 

3846
03:35:24,120 --> 03:35:27,520
modify their way of thinking in 
response to novel circumstances.

3847
03:35:28,080 --> 03:35:30,840
Your ancestors were always 
facing new problems that needed 

3848
03:35:30,840 --> 03:35:33,240
new answers. 
Unlike their relatives who were 

3849
03:35:33,240 --> 03:35:36,040
discovered and remained in 
successful ecological niches, 

3850
03:35:36,640 --> 03:35:40,200
they were evolving into the best
generalists, able to survive in 

3851
03:35:40,200 --> 03:35:42,960
nearly any setting. 
Their bodies and minds were 

3852
03:35:42,960 --> 03:35:47,120
becoming uniquely intertwined. 
Their improved vocal control due

3853
03:35:47,120 --> 03:35:49,680
to their erect posture aided in 
the development of their 

3854
03:35:49,680 --> 03:35:52,920
language skills. 
The production of sophisticated 

3855
03:35:52,920 --> 03:35:55,920
tools made possible by their 
freed hands promoted the growth 

3856
03:35:55,920 --> 03:35:58,480
of their brains. 
They were able to plan and 

3857
03:35:58,480 --> 03:36:01,360
coordinate better thanks to 
their enhanced brains, which 

3858
03:36:01,360 --> 03:36:03,640
increased the effectiveness of 
their bipedalism. 

3859
03:36:04,400 --> 03:36:07,520
Everything was interconnected 
and as one advancement led to 

3860
03:36:07,520 --> 03:36:09,920
another, the capabilities 
increased. 

3861
03:36:10,520 --> 03:36:12,880
Through intelligence, 
collaboration and cultural 

3862
03:36:12,880 --> 03:36:16,640
innovation, your ancestors were 
essentially evolving into a new 

3863
03:36:16,640 --> 03:36:20,000
kind of creature that could 
adapt to nearly any environment 

3864
03:36:20,280 --> 03:36:22,880
without the need for specialised
physical evolution. 

3865
03:36:23,560 --> 03:36:26,280
They were laying the groundwork 
for all subsequent stages of 

3866
03:36:26,280 --> 03:36:30,160
human development by exchanging 
biological specialisation for 

3867
03:36:30,160 --> 03:36:33,440
mental adaptability. 
Your ancestors had been walking 

3868
03:36:33,440 --> 03:36:36,000
upright for well over a million 
years by this time in your 

3869
03:36:36,000 --> 03:36:38,640
family's history. 
They had also become quite 

3870
03:36:38,640 --> 03:36:42,000
proficient at it. 
However, in evolutionary terms, 

3871
03:36:42,000 --> 03:36:45,040
being good at it meant that they
had figured out the fundamental 

3872
03:36:45,040 --> 03:36:46,960
issue of not toppling over all 
the time. 

3873
03:36:47,600 --> 03:36:50,560
They now had to deal with the 
subtler optimization problems, 

3874
03:36:50,800 --> 03:36:54,080
like how to walk more 
effectively, longer, better and 

3875
03:36:54,080 --> 03:36:55,840
under more difficult 
circumstances. 

3876
03:36:56,400 --> 03:36:59,240
Human walking became truly 
remarkable at this point. 

3877
03:36:59,920 --> 03:37:02,800
Your ancestors were becoming the
most proficient long distance 

3878
03:37:02,800 --> 03:37:07,200
walkers the world had ever seen.
Not just proficient bipeds, they

3879
03:37:07,200 --> 03:37:10,760
were evolving into the best 
hiking experts able to go far on

3880
03:37:10,760 --> 03:37:13,440
little effort. 
They created truly amazing 

3881
03:37:13,440 --> 03:37:16,560
mechanics. 
When done correctly, human 

3882
03:37:16,560 --> 03:37:18,680
walking is basically a 
controlled fall. 

3883
03:37:19,160 --> 03:37:22,560
You lean forward a little, catch
yourself with your other leg and

3884
03:37:22,560 --> 03:37:24,800
then use the momentum to keep 
moving forward. 

3885
03:37:25,400 --> 03:37:28,200
It functions similarly to a 
perpetual motion machine driven 

3886
03:37:28,200 --> 03:37:30,000
by muscle coordination and 
gravity. 

3887
03:37:30,880 --> 03:37:33,480
Walking had become an art form 
for your ancestors. 

3888
03:37:33,960 --> 03:37:37,000
However, endurance walking was 
the most advanced development. 

3889
03:37:37,480 --> 03:37:41,120
Your ancestors were able to keep
up a steady pace for hours, days

3890
03:37:41,360 --> 03:37:44,840
or even weeks, whereas other 
animals might be faster in short

3891
03:37:44,840 --> 03:37:47,280
bursts. 
They learnt how to walk long 

3892
03:37:47,280 --> 03:37:50,800
distances with heavy loads, 
negotiate challenging terrain 

3893
03:37:51,080 --> 03:37:53,680
and keep up this pace for 
extended periods of time. 

3894
03:37:54,320 --> 03:37:57,520
They resembled infinite range 
biological all terrain vehicles.

3895
03:37:58,120 --> 03:38:01,160
This was supported by remarkable
physical adaptations. 

3896
03:38:01,560 --> 03:38:04,640
Their leg muscles became 
incredibly efficient, able to 

3897
03:38:04,640 --> 03:38:08,040
contract repeatedly for extended
periods of time without becoming

3898
03:38:08,040 --> 03:38:11,720
tired during prolonged activity.
Their cardiovascular systems 

3899
03:38:11,720 --> 03:38:14,240
developed exceptional 
capabilities to sustain 

3900
03:38:14,240 --> 03:38:18,240
consistent oxygen delivery. 
Their feet evolved into highly 

3901
03:38:18,240 --> 03:38:21,320
advanced propulsion and shock 
absorption mechanisms. 

3902
03:38:21,880 --> 03:38:24,440
The control of temperature 
became especially complex. 

3903
03:38:25,000 --> 03:38:28,120
Your ancestors capacity to sweat
effectively while sustaining 

3904
03:38:28,120 --> 03:38:31,560
constant activity levels is the 
most sophisticated cooling 

3905
03:38:31,560 --> 03:38:33,320
mechanism in the mammalian 
world. 

3906
03:38:34,040 --> 03:38:36,840
In hotter climates they could 
walk all day whereas other 

3907
03:38:36,840 --> 03:38:38,800
animals needed to take cover 
from the heat. 

3908
03:38:39,400 --> 03:38:41,760
The more they worked, the more 
effective the built in air 

3909
03:38:41,760 --> 03:38:44,560
conditioning became. 
Long distance walking 

3910
03:38:44,560 --> 03:38:47,160
psychological effects were 
equally as significant as its 

3911
03:38:47,160 --> 03:38:49,960
physical ones. 
Your ancestors possessed 

3912
03:38:49,960 --> 03:38:53,400
exceptional mental endurance, 
which is the capacity to stay 

3913
03:38:53,400 --> 03:38:56,640
motivated and focused during 
long periods of repetitive work 

3914
03:38:56,640 --> 03:38:59,920
such as hours or days. 
They developed the ability to 

3915
03:38:59,920 --> 03:39:03,720
pace themselves, find rhythm and
flow in prolonged movement and 

3916
03:39:03,720 --> 03:39:06,120
keep the group cohesive during 
lengthy travels. 

3917
03:39:06,960 --> 03:39:09,360
Modern explorers would be 
impressed by the level of 

3918
03:39:09,360 --> 03:39:13,080
navigation skills attained. 
They were able to plan multi day

3919
03:39:13,080 --> 03:39:16,320
routes through unfamiliar 
territory, remember and return 

3920
03:39:16,320 --> 03:39:20,160
to specific locations after long
absences, and maintain direction

3921
03:39:20,160 --> 03:39:23,200
across featureless terrain 
without the use of any tools 

3922
03:39:23,200 --> 03:39:26,440
other than their own senses. 
They gained an intuitive 

3923
03:39:26,440 --> 03:39:29,720
awareness of seasonal 
variations, natural navigational

3924
03:39:29,720 --> 03:39:33,680
markers and landscape patterns. 
Group long distance travel 

3925
03:39:33,680 --> 03:39:35,960
required extraordinary social 
coordination. 

3926
03:39:36,480 --> 03:39:39,560
Throughout possibly weeks of 
travel, groups had to coordinate

3927
03:39:39,560 --> 03:39:43,160
rest periods, share the load of 
carrying supplies, keep their 

3928
03:39:43,160 --> 03:39:45,400
unity and synchronise their 
pace. 

3929
03:39:45,920 --> 03:39:48,440
In essence, they were creating 
the ideas of expedition 

3930
03:39:48,440 --> 03:39:50,320
management, teamwork and 
logistics. 

3931
03:39:50,920 --> 03:39:53,600
They developed an extremely 
complex relationship with the 

3932
03:39:53,600 --> 03:39:55,720
terrain. 
They acquired the ability to 

3933
03:39:55,720 --> 03:39:59,080
read various ground types and 
modify their stride for maximum 

3934
03:39:59,080 --> 03:40:03,280
effectiveness on grass, mud, 
rock or sand. 

3935
03:40:04,000 --> 03:40:06,680
They created methods for safely 
traversing through dense 

3936
03:40:06,680 --> 03:40:10,240
vegetation, crossing streams and
walking on steep slopes. 

3937
03:40:10,920 --> 03:40:13,520
Every kind of terrain turned 
into a puzzle that needed to be 

3938
03:40:13,520 --> 03:40:16,920
solved using walking technique. 
Their walking lifestyle was 

3939
03:40:16,920 --> 03:40:18,960
supported by the evolution of 
tool use. 

3940
03:40:19,480 --> 03:40:22,400
Walking sticks evolved into 
multifunctional tools for 

3941
03:40:22,400 --> 03:40:26,880
testing the ground, determining 
depth, reaching objects, and 

3942
03:40:26,880 --> 03:40:28,800
offering leverage on challenging
terrain. 

3943
03:40:29,280 --> 03:40:31,120
They were no longer only used 
for balance. 

3944
03:40:31,560 --> 03:40:34,520
More advanced carrying systems 
that efficiently distributed 

3945
03:40:34,520 --> 03:40:37,040
weight for long distance 
transportation were developed. 

3946
03:40:37,760 --> 03:40:41,000
Most significantly though, your 
ancestors were acquiring what we

3947
03:40:41,000 --> 03:40:44,960
might refer to as walking 
wisdom, an innate sense of 

3948
03:40:44,960 --> 03:40:48,760
rhythm, pace, endurance and 
efficiency that would later come

3949
03:40:48,760 --> 03:40:51,720
to define humanity. 
In addition to learning how to 

3950
03:40:51,720 --> 03:40:55,440
walk, they were also learning 
how to walk far, walk well, and 

3951
03:40:55,440 --> 03:40:58,000
make walking a long term 
sustainable lifestyle. 

3952
03:40:58,600 --> 03:41:01,120
They were producing something 
that had never been seen before 

3953
03:41:01,120 --> 03:41:04,280
in Natural History thanks to 
their unique blend of physical 

3954
03:41:04,280 --> 03:41:08,400
prowess, mental stamina, social 
coordination, and technical 

3955
03:41:08,400 --> 03:41:10,520
proficiency in bipedal 
locomotion. 

3956
03:41:10,960 --> 03:41:13,200
In addition to being animals 
with the ability to walk 

3957
03:41:13,200 --> 03:41:15,880
upright, your ancestors were 
developing into the most 

3958
03:41:15,880 --> 03:41:18,880
proficient long distance drivers
the world had ever seen. 

3959
03:41:19,480 --> 03:41:22,240
Millions of years later, you are
most likely sitting and reading 

3960
03:41:22,240 --> 03:41:25,400
this, which would have perplexed
your early ancestors who had to 

3961
03:41:25,400 --> 03:41:28,040
go to such lengths to get you 
upright in the 1st place. 

3962
03:41:28,680 --> 03:41:31,400
The beauty of the whole story, 
however, is that your ancestors 

3963
03:41:31,400 --> 03:41:33,520
learned to do more than just 
stand up and walk. 

3964
03:41:34,080 --> 03:41:36,520
They learnt to do it so well 
that you now have the freedom to

3965
03:41:36,520 --> 03:41:39,240
decide when to use the amazing 
skills they acquired. 

3966
03:41:40,160 --> 03:41:43,640
In the end, becoming proficient 
at bipedalism involved much more

3967
03:41:43,640 --> 03:41:45,960
than simply moving from one 
location to another. 

3968
03:41:46,520 --> 03:41:49,320
It turned into the cornerstone 
of everything that makes people 

3969
03:41:49,320 --> 03:41:52,360
special. 
Upright posture, improved vocal 

3970
03:41:52,360 --> 03:41:56,360
tract configuration and breath 
control which contributed to the

3971
03:41:56,360 --> 03:41:59,160
development of language. 
Hands were released from 

3972
03:41:59,160 --> 03:42:02,120
locomotion, allowing for the use
of complex tools. 

3973
03:42:02,760 --> 03:42:05,120
Because group travel and 
coordination required advanced 

3974
03:42:05,120 --> 03:42:08,240
planning and communication 
skills, social cooperation 

3975
03:42:08,240 --> 03:42:10,840
developed. 
Millions of years of walking 

3976
03:42:10,840 --> 03:42:12,600
have left their mark on your 
brain today. 

3977
03:42:13,120 --> 03:42:15,920
Numerous generations of 
ancestors who had to negotiate 

3978
03:42:15,920 --> 03:42:18,560
difficult terrain while 
remaining upright shaped the 

3979
03:42:18,560 --> 03:42:21,440
neural pathways that govern 
balance, coordination, and 

3980
03:42:21,440 --> 03:42:24,320
spatial awareness. 
The ongoing difficulties of 

3981
03:42:24,320 --> 03:42:27,680
group coordination and long 
distance travel extended the 

3982
03:42:27,680 --> 03:42:29,920
areas in charge of planning and 
problem solving. 

3983
03:42:30,560 --> 03:42:33,280
Even the skills your ancestors 
acquired through the pedalism 

3984
03:42:33,280 --> 03:42:35,080
are essential to your current 
way of life. 

3985
03:42:35,760 --> 03:42:38,520
You use skills developed over 
millions of years of upright 

3986
03:42:38,520 --> 03:42:40,080
walking. 
When you move through a crowded 

3987
03:42:40,080 --> 03:42:43,600
area, keep your balance on a 
moving bus, or coordinate your 

3988
03:42:43,600 --> 03:42:46,440
movements while carrying 
multiple objects, you have 

3989
03:42:46,440 --> 03:42:49,000
skills that you probably don't 
think about much but use all the

3990
03:42:49,000 --> 03:42:50,440
time. 
Because of your ancestors 

3991
03:42:50,440 --> 03:42:53,960
extensive training and staying 
vertical, your ancestors 

3992
03:42:53,960 --> 03:42:56,800
endurance manifests itself in 
unexpected ways. 

3993
03:42:57,480 --> 03:43:00,360
Among the animal kingdom's top 
long distance runners are still 

3994
03:43:00,360 --> 03:43:03,040
humans. 
Running marathons, hiking and 

3995
03:43:03,040 --> 03:43:05,800
other endurance sports activate 
muscles that were evolved for 

3996
03:43:05,800 --> 03:43:09,840
survival, not sport. 
You possess the genetic heritage

3997
03:43:09,840 --> 03:43:12,240
of the greatest walkers in the 
history of evolution. 

3998
03:43:12,920 --> 03:43:15,800
Human interaction is still 
influenced by the social aspects

3999
03:43:15,800 --> 03:43:17,760
of your ancestors walking 
lifestyle. 

4000
03:43:18,440 --> 03:43:21,560
All human social organization is
built on the Co operation, 

4001
03:43:21,880 --> 03:43:25,200
communication and group Co 
ordination skills they acquired 

4002
03:43:25,200 --> 03:43:28,800
for successful group travel. 
The skills that your ancestors 

4003
03:43:28,800 --> 03:43:31,400
developed while attempting to 
travel together across ancient 

4004
03:43:31,400 --> 03:43:35,480
landscapes are used in every 
team project, coordinated effort

4005
03:43:35,720 --> 03:43:40,240
and successful group endeavour. 
Even in our GPS enabled world, 

4006
03:43:40,480 --> 03:43:42,880
your relationship with the 
landscape and navigation 

4007
03:43:43,160 --> 03:43:46,360
reflects skills your ancestors 
developed out of sheer need. 

4008
03:43:47,080 --> 03:43:49,600
Millions of years of 
evolutionary development in land

4009
03:43:49,600 --> 03:43:52,920
navigation have given humans the
ability to read terrain, 

4010
03:43:53,200 --> 03:43:55,400
comprehend spatial 
relationships, and maintain 

4011
03:43:55,400 --> 03:43:58,200
direction. 
Perhaps most astonishingly, 

4012
03:43:58,200 --> 03:44:02,200
however, your ancestors ability 
to walk on 2 feet allowed humans

4013
03:44:02,200 --> 03:44:05,480
to flourish in nearly any 
terrestrial setting, something 

4014
03:44:05,480 --> 03:44:07,400
no other species has been able 
to do. 

4015
03:44:08,200 --> 03:44:11,800
Because your ancestors acquired 
such amazing walking skills and 

4016
03:44:11,800 --> 03:44:14,880
the intelligence to use them 
efficiently, humans are able to 

4017
03:44:14,880 --> 03:44:19,000
adapt and survive in a variety 
of environments, from the Arctic

4018
03:44:19,000 --> 03:44:22,200
tundra to the tropical 
rainforest, from mountain tops 

4019
03:44:22,200 --> 03:44:25,240
to the ocean shores. 
Being able to stand up straight 

4020
03:44:25,240 --> 03:44:27,960
was not only a physical 
accomplishment, it marked the 

4021
03:44:27,960 --> 03:44:32,200
start of human civilization, 
culture, technology, and 

4022
03:44:32,200 --> 03:44:35,200
language. 
The foundation your ancestors 

4023
03:44:35,200 --> 03:44:37,920
laid when they first got up and 
made the decision to remain that

4024
03:44:37,920 --> 03:44:41,080
way is the basis for all human 
achievements, from the invention

4025
03:44:41,080 --> 03:44:43,840
of the first stone tools to 
space exploration. 

4026
03:44:44,240 --> 03:44:47,000
Take a moment to appreciate the 
incredible journey that led you 

4027
03:44:47,000 --> 03:44:48,840
to this point. 
The next time you stand up, 

4028
03:44:49,360 --> 03:44:52,880
really stand up. 
With your head high, hands free,

4029
03:44:53,120 --> 03:44:57,040
spine curved just right, and 
your weight balanced on 2 feet, 

4030
03:44:57,480 --> 03:44:59,480
you're the offspring of 
creatures that took one of the 

4031
03:44:59,480 --> 03:45:02,760
most unlikely risks in the 
history of the natural world and

4032
03:45:02,760 --> 03:45:06,480
made it work remarkably well. 
You're the result of millions of

4033
03:45:06,480 --> 03:45:08,640
years of evolutionary 
experimentation. 

4034
03:45:09,200 --> 03:45:12,400
The ability to stand tall in the
world, both literally and 

4035
03:45:12,400 --> 03:45:14,960
figuratively, is a gift from 
your ancestors. 

4036
03:45:15,520 --> 03:45:18,240
They evolved into beings that 
made upright walking their 

4037
03:45:18,240 --> 03:45:21,640
defining trait, rather than 
creatures that occasionally 

4038
03:45:21,640 --> 03:45:24,760
stood up to gain a better view. 
They transformed a last ditch 

4039
03:45:24,760 --> 03:45:27,560
effort to adapt to changing 
conditions into the greatest 

4040
03:45:27,560 --> 03:45:31,280
adventure in human history. 
You can now sleep soundly 

4041
03:45:31,280 --> 03:45:33,400
knowing that you will be taking 
part in one of the most 

4042
03:45:33,400 --> 03:45:36,480
successful evolutionary 
innovations in the history of 

4043
03:45:36,480 --> 03:45:39,240
life on Earth when you wake up 
and walk for the first time 

4044
03:45:39,240 --> 03:45:42,200
tomorrow. 
Good walks and sweet dreams.