Places of Legend

Who dreamt up the stunt of going over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Through the 1800s, countless daredevils and would-be heroes attempted all sorts of stunts at the Falls and in the rapids below. But the first to go over the Falls—and survive—did not fit the usual mold of a thrill-seeking daredevil. She was a 63-year-old music teacher named Annie Edson Taylor, who quickly became a national celebrity. Niagara Falls is many things: a heart-pounding source of power, an old-fashioned honeymoon destination, a tacky tourist mecca, and a seemingly magnetic attraction for daredevils of all kinds. The Canadian and American falls have seen their share of hoaxer, hucksters, and heroes—especially barrel riders, who attracted crowds as they bobbed down the roaring Niagara River and evoked oohs and ahs from the crowd on the shore as they were carried over the Falls. If they died, the crowds dispersed and the stunt became even more thrilling for the next attempt. If they survived, the barrel riders became immediate, national celebrities—at least for a while. In the next episode we will tell the bizarre tale of the first successful barrel jumper in history, a person who survived the vertical drop over the falls in 1901. Her name was Annie Edson Taylor, who at 63 years old resembled a stern schoolmarm because she was one. But that just one of many unexpected details in the story of her odyssey from the school house to an ingeniously padded barrel and into Niagara Falls immortality. Music and FX Credits antique-sawmill-01, dcsimon, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/dcsimon/sounds/135839/ Durand’s Valse no. 1, Op. 83, performed by Markus Staab, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/24948-valse-no-1-op-83/ Die Walküre, WWV 86B – Fantasie, performed by the US Marine Band, Public domain Sukellus, hyppy veteen / Dive, jump to the water, by YleArkisto, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/278223/ Deep rapids/river flowing, by alanmckinney, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/alanmckinney/sounds/145229/ Crowd Cheering, by SoundsExciting, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/SoundsExciting/sounds/365132/ Chopin Scherzo no. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31. Performed by Alice Hwang, Public domain, https://musopen.org/music/139-scherzo-no-2-in-b-flat-minor-op-31/ Gunshot, distant, A, by InspectorJ, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/417345/ “Cat, Screaming, A.wav” by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/415209/ The Crash, by sandyrb, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/sandyrb/sounds/95078/ Joplin’s Kismet Rag, performed by Tony Wilkenson, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/43170-kismet-rag/

The great explorer Henry Hudson was determined to discover a Northwest Passage to the riches of Asia through the frigid bay in North America that still bears his name. Hudson’s voyages of exploration are viewed as pioneering triumphs. But in this episode, we’ll tell the tale of his last, fateful mission—a dangerous and obsessive expedition into uncharted waters that ended in terror, violence, and mutiny—and an enduring mystery. In the Great Age of Discovery, the frigid waters of Hudson’s Bay in northern Canada were believed to lead directly to a sea route to the riches of the Spice Isles of Southeast Asia—and unparalleled commercial wealth for the first nation to discover and lay claim to it. The search for a shorter, northern route from Europe to the Pacific was Henry Hudson’s lifelong obsession. Though he is best known for his voyages along the east coast of North America and up the great river that now bears his name, Hudson’s arctic and sub-arctic voyages were far more courageous. They confronted him and his crewmen with more fearful terrors than those faced in usual transatlantic crossings. Icebergs and huge pods of whales that could easily smash a fragile wooden hull—and barren shores that yielded few provisions—led Hudson and his men to panic and on the brink of starvation. In this episode, we’ll explore an even more chilling aspect of his last, fateful mission: violent mutiny and Hudson’s mysterious disappearance. Music and FX Credits on a wooden ship at sea 02.wav, by LXX.70, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/LXX.70/sounds/91072/ Lachrimae, or Seven Tears – 1. Lachrimae Antiquae, performed by I Solipsisti, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/43281-lachrimae-or-seven-tears/ Canadian loons, chancemedia, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/chancemedia/sounds/330792/ Canzona ‘La Fina’ (For 2 Trumpets and 2 Trombones – Rondeau), performed by Michel Rondeau, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/33103-canzona-la-fina/ Pirate Crew, by Ross Bugden copyright 2014, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVBgKCYrI-c North Sunderland, UK – arctic tern colony, by David m, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://archive.org/details/aporee_33163_38116 Lachrimae, or Seven Tears – 11. The King of Denmark’s Galliard, performed by I Solipsisti, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/43281-lachrimae-or-seven-tears/ Seven Bells,Ship Time.wav, by Benboncan, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/77696/ Lachrimae, or Seven Tears – 12. The Earl of Essex Galliard, performed by I Solipsisti Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/43281-lachrimae-or-seven-tears/ Pirate Crew, by Ross Bugden copyright 2014, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVBgKCYrI-c Lachrimae, or Seven Tears – 4. Lachrimae tristes, performed by I Solipsisti, Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license, https://musopen.org/music/43281-lachrimae-or-seven-tears/ Heaven & Hell by Donnie Drost (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/donniedrost/25502 Ft: Gurdonark