Apr 21, 2014
The 1850s saw a strange experiment in the American West: The
U.S. Army imported 70 camels for help in managing the country's
suddenly enormous hinterland. In this week's episode of the
Futility Closet podcast we'll see how the animals acquitted
themselves in an unfamiliar land under inexperienced human
masters.
We'll also learn a surprising theory regarding the origin of zebra
stripes; follow the further adventures of self-mailing ex-slave
Henry "Box" Brown; ask whether a well-wrought piano can survive
duty as a beehive, chicken incubator, and meat safe; and present
the next Futility Closet Challenge.