In 1971, a mysterious man known as D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane, extorted a hefty ransom from the US Government, and then once the goods were secured, jumped from the aircraft vanishing without a trace. Today on Found Objects, we take a look at one of aviation's most captivating mysteries and dive into the history of “skyjacking.”

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SOURCES:

99pi. “Skyjacking.” 99% Invisible, 23 June 2014,9 9percentinvisible.org/episode/skyjacking/.

“D.B. Cooper Hijacking.” FBI, FBI, 18 May 2016, www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking.

Donovan, Lauren. “New Evidence Discovered in DB Cooper Skyjacking Case.” FOX Weather, Fox Weather, 5 Jan. 2024, www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/new-evidence-d-b-cooper-skyjacking-case.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “D.B. Cooper.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/D-B-Cooper. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

Morton, Ella. “Who Was D.B. Cooper?” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/news/who-was-d-b-cooper. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

Natale, Michael. “7 People Have Confessed to Being D.B. Cooper. A Twist in the Case Says One Told the Truth.” Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2024, www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a46788110/db-cooper-confession-new-evidence-identity/.

News, ABC. “The Possible Pittsburgh Connection in the Case of DB Cooper.” WTAE, WTAE, 5 Jan. 2024, www.wtae.com/article/db-cooper-pittsburgh/46297731.

Have you ever wondered who created the “I love New York” advertising campaign? Whose idea was it for flight attendants in the ’60’s to wear custom Emilio Pucci designer outfits? The woman (and advertising genius) behind these ideas was Mary Wells Lawrence. And today on Found Objects, I’ll tell you her story.

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SOURCES:

“A 70-Year-Old Cereal Mascot Suddenly Is More Relevant than Ever.” Tony the Streamer (Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes) | Work | Leo Burnett, 2024, leoburnett.com/work/tony-the-streamer2024.

“Craftsmen of Creativity: Mary Wells and the End of the Plain Plane.” YouTube, Advertising Week, 30 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ciu6PVvRHM.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Mary Wells Lawrence.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2024, www.britannica.com/money/Mary-Wells-Lawrence.

Henneke. “What Makes Copy Truly Persuasive?” Enchanting Marketing, 11 Aug. 2022, www.enchantingmarketing.com/david-ogilvy-rolls-royce-advert/.

Lions. “Mary Wells Lawrence | Lion of St. Mark 2020.” YouTube, 13 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbTRz5ftBGk.

McFadden, Robert. “Mary Wells Lawrence, High-Profile Advertising Pioneer, Dies at 95.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 May 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/business/mary-wells-lawrence-dead.html.

Michals, Debra. “Biography: Betty Friedan.” National Women’s History Museum, 2017, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/betty-friedan.

Pollack, Judann. “Mary Wells Lawrence, Iconic Advertising Creative, Dies at 95.” Ad Age, 13 May 2024, adage.com/article/agency-news/mary-wells-lawrence-iconic-advertising-creative-dies-95/2560126.

“Why Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger Is the Greatest Cereal Mascot of All Time.” PopIcon.Life, 4 June 2023, popicon.life/frosted-flakes-tony-the-tiger-greatest-cereal-mascot/.

“‘at 60 Miles an Hour’ Rolls-Royce Ad by David Ogilvy.” Swipedco, swiped.co/file/rolls-royce-ad-by-david-ogilvy/. Accessed 2 July 2024.

The story of the Titanic's sinking is a tragic tale to say the least. But it is one that has entranced the minds of so many. That is why it is still talked about so extensively to this day, AND why so many conspiracy theories exist about what ‘actually’ happened on board to cause its sinking. Today we are debunking popular Titanic conspiracy theories.

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SOURCES:

Hsu, Tiffany, and Sapna Maheshwari. “The Titanic Truthers of TikTok.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 June 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/06/16/business/titanic-tiktok-misinformation.html.

Little, Becky. “The Craziest Titanic Conspiracy Theories, Explained.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Nov. 2018, www.history.com/news/titanic-sinking-conspiracy-myths-jp-morgan-olympic.

Mikkelson, David, and Barbara Mikkelson. “Did a Cursed Mummy Sink with the Titanic?” Snopes, Snopes.com, 9 Oct. 1999, www.snopes.com/fact-check/mummy-titantic/.

Ruehl, Franklin. “Did a German U-Boat Sink the Titanic?” HuffPost, HuffPost, 10 June 2012, www.huffpost.com/entry/-did-a-german-uboat-sink_b_1413770.

Tikkanen, Amy. “Olympic.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Olympic. Accessed 25 June 2024.

Tikkanen, Amy. “Titanic.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 18 June 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.

Wallace, Lorna. “10 Wild Conspiracy Theories about the Sinking of the ‘Titanic.’” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 2 Feb. 2024, www.mentalfloss.com/posts/titanic-conspiracy-theories.

The earliest renditions of the Olympics featured a whole lot of running and a whole lot of nudity. Today, there may be a little less nakedness, but running still remains a pillar of the modern Olympic Games. So it’s only fitting that we unpack one of the most bizarre events in the history of the games - the 1904 Marathon in St. Louis. Today on Found Objects, we will also delve into the origins of the games in Ancient Greece and their long awaited return in 1896. You will soon learn that the events may have modernized, but the tradition lives on. Just in time for us to celebrate the start of the 33rd Olympiad!

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SOURCES:

10 Amazing Ancient Olympic Facts, History Channel, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7vuvHuPic.

Abbott, Karen. “How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 Aug. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-1904-marathon-became-one-of-the-weirdest-olympic-events-of-all-time-14910747/.

“Ancient Olympic Games.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 July 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games.

History.com Editors. “First Modern Olympic Games | April 6, 1896.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-modern-olympic-games. Accessed 18 July 2024.

History.com Editors. “The Olympic Games: Locations, Facts, Ancient & Modern.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Jan. 2010, www.history.com/topics/sports/olympic-games.

Little, Becky. “When Young Ancient Greek Women Raced at Olympia.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 8 July 2024, www.history.com/news/ancient-greek-girls-women-heraia-race-olympia.

Nelsen, Matt. “Twelve of the Biggest Athletes to Watch at Paris 2024.” Paris 2024, 8 July 2024, olympics.com/en/news/twelve-popular-athletes-ready-to-leave-their-mark-paris-2024.

Olympic History - from the Home of Zeus in Olympia to the Modern Games, International Olympic Committee, olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games/history. Accessed 18 July 2024.

Sakavitsi, Kalliopi. “The History of the Olympic Games.” Paris 2024, 11 Jan. 2024, olympics.com/en/news/the-history-of-the-olympic-games.

Voigt, Robin. “The Evolution of the Early Olympics*.” International Society of Olympic Historians, isoh.org/cause-view/the-evolution-of-the-early-olympics/. Accessed 18 July 2024.

The hoaxes that you are probably most familiar with today are tied to legends. They are a means to justify an end. Think of the famous grainy photo of the Loch Ness Monster which was falsified to prove the monster's existence. Similarly, think of the sketchy video of Big Foot which was also tampered with to prove that Sasquatch was real. But what of the hoaxes that stand alone? The hoaxes that confuse or mislead even the most intelligent minds. These are where the juicy stories can be found. Today, on Found Objects, I share a story or two (or several lol) about hoaxes that will make you stop in your tracks and consider the validity of even the most seemingly legitimate tales.

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Sources:

“6 Hoaxes People Actually Believed.” YouTube, Mental Floss, 2 Nov. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3x-lsqynRI.

Dardenne, Robert. “Hoax.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/hoax. Accessed 18 June 2024.

Irving, Rob, and Peter Brookesmith. “Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 15 Dec. 2009, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/crop-circles-the-art-of-the-hoax-2524283/.

Kort, Alicia. “Did Mary Toft Give Birth to Rabbits?” Electric Literature, 26 Nov. 2019, electricliterature.com/did-mary-toft-give-birth-to-rabbits/#:~:text=Now%2C%20in%20Dexter%20Palmer’s%20historical,London’s%20top%20surgeons%20in%201726.

Lyons, Stephen. “The Beast of Loch Ness | Birth of a Legend.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Nov. 2000, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lochness/legend.html.

“Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/. Accessed 17 June 2024.

Pollock, Niki. “The Curious Case of Mary Toft.” University of Glasgow, Aug. 2009, www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/month/aug2009.html.

“Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0010826. Accessed 17 June 2024.

Serena, Katie. “How a Bored Reporter Thought up One of the Greatest Literary Hoaxes of All Time.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 15 Dec. 2017, allthatsinteresting.com/naked-came-the-stranger.

“When Spaghetti Grew on Trees: The BBC’s Legendary April Fools’ Day Hoax.” Royal Examiner, 31 Mar. 2024, royalexaminer.com/when-spaghetti-grew-on-trees-the-bbcs-legendary-april-fools-day-hoax/.

“‘Legend of Bigfoot.’” Washington State Military Department, mil.wa.gov/the-legend-of-bigfoot. Accessed 17 June 2024.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201705/the-psychology-hoaxing

Did the heiress murder her friend? And, did the butler murder her?!

The historically wealthiest families in the United States may sound familiar to you. Consider the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Waltons, the Hearsts... But, you probably don’t immediately consider the Duke family, who pioneered the Tobacco industry. James Duke’s only daughter Doris Duke was a woman wrought with scandal throughout her life, and today on Found Objects, we will tackle all that AND the mysterious death of Doris’ long-time friend and employee, Eduardo Tirella. This was either the biggest murder cover up of the 1960s, or the most unfortunate case of the wrong place at the wrong time…

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Sources:

“6 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Doris Duke.” Newport Restoration Foundation, 24 Jan. 2024, www.newportrestoration.org/6-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-doris-duke/.

Amore, Samson. “How America’s Most Famous Heiress Got Away with Killing Her Gay Confidant.” Advocate.Com, Advocate.com, 24 Jan. 2024, www.advocate.com/crime/doris-duke-eduardo-tirella#toggle-gdpr.

Colacello, Bob. “Doris Duke’s Final Mystery: Vanity Fair.” Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive, Vanity Fair, 1 Mar. 1994, archive.vanityfair.com/article/1994/3/doris-dukes-final-mystery.

“Doris Duke - Facts, Death & Mansion.” Biography.Com, 2024, www.biography.com/celebrities/doris-duke.

“Duke University’s Endowment and the Duke Endowment.” Giving To Duke, Duke University, 12 Nov. 2020, giving.duke.edu/endowment/duke-universitys-endowment-and-the-duke-endowment/.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “James Buchanan Duke.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2024, www.britannica.com/money/James-Buchanan-Duke.

Lance, Peter. “The Doris Duke Cold Case Reopens: The Only Known Eyewitness Speaks.” Vanity Fair, 5 Aug. 2021, www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/the-doris-duke-cold-case-reopens-eyewitness-speaks.

Phillip Franklin, vice president of the White Star Line, famously said: “There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable.” But as we know, the ‘unsinkable ship’ did in fact sink. And on board that fateful voyage, was one particular ‘famous’ couple of the time: Billionaire JJ Astor and his wife Madeleine, who was 5 months pregnant. From swirling rumors in Gilded Age society of the couple’s ‘fateful lust’ and mass disapproval of the union, to the ultimate fate of the couple when the ship went down in 1914. All of this and more in today’s episode!

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SOURCES:

www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/john-jacob-astor.html.

www.bbc.com/future/article/20120402-the-myth-of-the-unsinkable-ship.

www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/madeleine-talmage-astor.html.

www.mentalfloss.com/posts/madeleine-astor-titanic-widow.

www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic.

Buckle up! Today we're going driving. We'll be uncovering some curious truths involved in the history of car safety - and I promise, it won't be boring. Spoiler alert: one very useful feature used in cars today was invented by a blind man, windshield wipers have come a LONG way, and... cadavers were once used as test dummies. All of this + more in today's episode of Found Objects!

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SOURCES:

www.forbes.com/sites/douglasbell/2019/08/13/60-years-of-seatbelts-volvos-great-gift-to-the-world/?sh=562d272e22bc.

www.volvogroup.com/en/about-us/heritage/story-of-volvo.html.

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/three-point-seatbelt-inventor-nils-bohlin-born. Accessed 11 May 2024.

lemelson.mit.edu/resources/mary-anderson

www.invent.org/inductees/mary-anderson#:~:text=The%20lever%2C%20with%20a%20counterweight,clearing%20device%20to%20be%20effective.

lemelson.mit.edu/resources/nils-bohlin.

www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/ralph-r-teetor/

magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/auto-history/a-seat-belt-history-timeline/

magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/auto-history/the-history-of-crash-test-dummies/.