1 00:00:04,254 --> 00:00:06,005 Do you remember when delivering pizza 2 00:00:06,006 --> 00:00:07,715 in 30 minutes or less 3 00:00:07,716 --> 00:00:10,843 was a dangerous way to make some dough? 4 00:00:10,844 --> 00:00:14,055 If it's not delivered in 30 minutes, it's free? 5 00:00:14,056 --> 00:00:16,807 People are rooting against the delivery guy. 6 00:00:16,808 --> 00:00:18,768 They want them to fail. 7 00:00:18,769 --> 00:00:21,145 You were definitely like, "Let's try to order pizza 8 00:00:21,146 --> 00:00:24,524 maybe when it's icy or when there's a snowstorm." 9 00:00:24,525 --> 00:00:26,400 Or when you could earn a nice living 10 00:00:26,401 --> 00:00:29,904 digging up the bodies of those no longer living. 11 00:00:29,905 --> 00:00:32,365 They're transporting bodies in wheelbarrows, 12 00:00:32,366 --> 00:00:34,242 throwing them over their shoulder. 13 00:00:34,243 --> 00:00:36,410 They're putting 'em on horseback. 14 00:00:36,411 --> 00:00:41,082 A well-preserved, recently dug up body would get you $700. 15 00:00:41,083 --> 00:00:44,585 That is a lot more than most people would make in a month. 16 00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:46,837 Or when dam workers risked it all 17 00:00:46,838 --> 00:00:49,590 to make some damn good money. 18 00:00:49,591 --> 00:00:51,676 They placed dynamite into that wall. 19 00:00:51,677 --> 00:00:54,762 They light the fuse and swing away, 20 00:00:54,763 --> 00:00:58,516 and do the process over and over all day for hours. 21 00:00:58,517 --> 00:01:00,977 This used to be how American men were. 22 00:01:00,978 --> 00:01:03,688 Get me a rope, a plank, and pay me seven bucks, 23 00:01:03,689 --> 00:01:05,231 and I'll get that done for you. 24 00:01:05,232 --> 00:01:07,858 These are the things we used to do, 25 00:01:07,859 --> 00:01:10,319 for fun, for money, 26 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:12,405 or maybe out of boredom, 27 00:01:12,406 --> 00:01:14,824 that we'll never see again. 28 00:01:14,825 --> 00:01:16,409 Were they dangerous? 29 00:01:16,410 --> 00:01:17,743 Certainly. 30 00:01:17,744 --> 00:01:18,578 Deadly? 31 00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:19,745 Occasionally. 32 00:01:19,746 --> 00:01:22,373 But boy, wasn't it exciting? 33 00:01:33,051 --> 00:01:35,261 Some say the ultimate way to get rich quick 34 00:01:35,262 --> 00:01:37,763 was the gold rush of the 1840s. 35 00:01:37,764 --> 00:01:41,434 But a century later, Americans were in a frenzy 36 00:01:41,435 --> 00:01:44,478 to get their hands on something else valuable, 37 00:01:44,479 --> 00:01:46,689 something that, it turns out, 38 00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:49,359 was a really bad thing to put your hands on. 39 00:01:50,861 --> 00:01:53,946 In the late 1940s, there's this new resource 40 00:01:53,947 --> 00:01:55,781 that everyone is talking about. 41 00:01:55,782 --> 00:01:57,241 And it's just out there, 42 00:01:57,242 --> 00:01:59,452 in the American West, waiting to be discovered. 43 00:01:59,453 --> 00:02:01,579 If you can find it, you're gonna get rich quick. 44 00:02:01,580 --> 00:02:02,913 And what is it? 45 00:02:02,914 --> 00:02:04,081 It's uranium. 46 00:02:06,043 --> 00:02:07,418 Now the US government's been relying 47 00:02:07,419 --> 00:02:09,669 on imports of uranium from places like Canada 48 00:02:09,670 --> 00:02:11,213 and the Belgian Congo. 49 00:02:11,214 --> 00:02:13,883 But after the war, with an increase in nuclear testing, 50 00:02:13,884 --> 00:02:17,136 all of a sudden the US needs a lot more uranium, 51 00:02:17,137 --> 00:02:18,347 and they need it now. 52 00:02:19,806 --> 00:02:23,100 So the federal government could build a big prospecting 53 00:02:23,101 --> 00:02:25,895 and mining operation, but they do something else. 54 00:02:25,896 --> 00:02:27,897 Instead, the Atomic Energy Commission 55 00:02:27,898 --> 00:02:29,899 basically says to the American people, 56 00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:33,194 "Get outside and find us some uranium." 57 00:02:33,195 --> 00:02:36,322 The Commission starts running ads in magazines, 58 00:02:36,323 --> 00:02:39,367 trying to say, "Hey, we will pay you good money 59 00:02:39,368 --> 00:02:42,203 if you go mine this ore for us." 60 00:02:42,204 --> 00:02:44,246 For every pound of uranium you find, 61 00:02:44,247 --> 00:02:46,457 the government's gonna pay you $3.50, 62 00:02:46,458 --> 00:02:48,709 or that's effectively $50 today. 63 00:02:48,710 --> 00:02:51,212 If you can find a whole deposit of uranium, 64 00:02:51,213 --> 00:02:56,218 there's a $10,000 bonus, equivalent to 150 grand today. 65 00:02:57,010 --> 00:02:59,053 So people are motivated. 66 00:02:59,054 --> 00:03:01,722 Do you need a special permit or license to do this? 67 00:03:01,723 --> 00:03:02,765 No, you don't. 68 00:03:02,766 --> 00:03:04,225 But the government did say, 69 00:03:04,226 --> 00:03:08,020 "Hey, if you're looking, here's 350 million acres, 70 00:03:08,021 --> 00:03:11,482 basically a quarter of the size of the continental US, 71 00:03:11,483 --> 00:03:13,192 where you should go look for this stuff, 72 00:03:13,193 --> 00:03:14,985 'cause we're pretty sure it's here." 73 00:03:14,986 --> 00:03:17,655 It's an official government-backed treasure hunt, 74 00:03:17,656 --> 00:03:20,366 and Americans jump right in. 75 00:03:20,367 --> 00:03:22,535 Prospecting is really grueling work, 76 00:03:22,536 --> 00:03:25,079 but some people make a fortune doing it. 77 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:26,956 There's this one man, Charles Steen, 78 00:03:26,957 --> 00:03:29,750 who lived in this very modest shack in Utah. 79 00:03:29,751 --> 00:03:33,712 In 1952, he stumbles upon one of the largest deposits ever. 80 00:03:33,713 --> 00:03:36,425 It's worth $6 billion today. 81 00:03:37,551 --> 00:03:41,846 By the 1950s, America has gone uranium crazy. 82 00:03:41,847 --> 00:03:44,723 Even comedic superstar Lucille Ball 83 00:03:44,724 --> 00:03:46,892 has an episode in one of her TV specials 84 00:03:46,893 --> 00:03:49,353 where she becomes a uranium prospector. 85 00:03:49,354 --> 00:03:50,271 Honey! 86 00:03:50,272 --> 00:03:51,439 Honey, you did it! 87 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:52,273 I knew it! 88 00:03:52,274 --> 00:03:53,190 You did it! 89 00:03:53,191 --> 00:03:54,733 I knew I'd find uranium! 90 00:03:54,734 --> 00:03:56,777 The idea of prospecting uranium 91 00:03:56,778 --> 00:03:59,322 has become part of the pop culture. 92 00:04:00,449 --> 00:04:01,991 By the late '60s, 93 00:04:01,992 --> 00:04:04,577 people have brought the government so much uranium. 94 00:04:04,578 --> 00:04:08,497 It's actually almost 350 million pounds, 95 00:04:08,498 --> 00:04:12,168 which is twice the amount of steel weight 96 00:04:12,169 --> 00:04:14,128 that's in the Golden Gate Bridge. 97 00:04:14,129 --> 00:04:15,588 In exchange for this work, 98 00:04:15,589 --> 00:04:19,175 the government has paid out $3 billion to citizens, 99 00:04:19,176 --> 00:04:21,886 which is almost $35 billion in today's money. 100 00:04:21,887 --> 00:04:24,848 That is more than NASA's current annual budget. 101 00:04:26,183 --> 00:04:28,476 But there's this one minor difference between this 102 00:04:28,477 --> 00:04:32,313 and the gold rush a century earlier, or silver, or even oil. 103 00:04:32,314 --> 00:04:36,192 And that is that those things aren't radioactive. 104 00:04:36,193 --> 00:04:38,694 This stuff is very, very hazardous. 105 00:04:38,695 --> 00:04:40,780 And you've got all these people rushing out 106 00:04:40,781 --> 00:04:44,158 and handling it without any protection at all. 107 00:04:44,159 --> 00:04:46,619 Today uranium is handled very differently. 108 00:04:46,620 --> 00:04:48,704 People are wearing, first of all, protective gear. 109 00:04:48,705 --> 00:04:50,039 They're wearing gloves, 110 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,041 they're wearing hazardous material suits. 111 00:04:52,042 --> 00:04:54,710 But the '50s are like this time of blissful ignorance 112 00:04:54,711 --> 00:04:57,838 about radioactivity or any environmental hazard. 113 00:04:57,839 --> 00:04:59,840 There's even this atomic industry film 114 00:04:59,841 --> 00:05:02,802 where a guy is opening up a can of crushed uranium 115 00:05:02,803 --> 00:05:04,762 and then getting it all over his fingers 116 00:05:04,763 --> 00:05:07,097 like he's playing with sand at the beach. 117 00:05:07,098 --> 00:05:08,432 But not surprisingly, 118 00:05:08,433 --> 00:05:10,226 people working most closely with uranium, 119 00:05:10,227 --> 00:05:13,563 prospectors, truckers, miners, they start getting sick. 120 00:05:14,731 --> 00:05:16,774 As lung cancer and respiratory disease 121 00:05:16,775 --> 00:05:19,401 ripple through uranium mining towns, 122 00:05:19,402 --> 00:05:22,279 the evidence becomes impossible to ignore. 123 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:25,574 In 1974, the Atomic Energy Commission shuts down. 124 00:05:25,575 --> 00:05:27,701 And later, Congress institutes 125 00:05:27,702 --> 00:05:30,037 the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, 126 00:05:30,038 --> 00:05:32,665 providing billions for the people who got sick 127 00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:34,416 and their families. 128 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:35,292 There are still people looking for 129 00:05:35,293 --> 00:05:36,877 uranium today. 130 00:05:36,878 --> 00:05:39,046 The big difference is the government is 131 00:05:39,047 --> 00:05:40,548 not encouraging it, 132 00:05:40,549 --> 00:05:42,716 nor are they incentivizing it. 133 00:05:42,717 --> 00:05:44,218 And hopefully those people 134 00:05:44,219 --> 00:05:46,721 are taking some amount of safety into account here. 135 00:05:48,390 --> 00:05:51,600 Uranium hunters were encouraged to chase a fortune 136 00:05:51,601 --> 00:05:53,686 and paid a steep price. 137 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:56,438 But decades earlier, there was another job 138 00:05:56,439 --> 00:05:58,691 that offered great upward mobility, 139 00:05:58,692 --> 00:06:00,360 straight up the side of a building. 140 00:06:01,653 --> 00:06:02,987 In the early 1900s, 141 00:06:02,988 --> 00:06:05,739 American cities are action-packed places. 142 00:06:05,740 --> 00:06:07,366 As a result of the development of concrete, 143 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,201 we have skyscrapers. 144 00:06:09,202 --> 00:06:11,704 The cities are getting taller, they're getting bigger, 145 00:06:11,705 --> 00:06:14,874 they're thriving, and they're exciting. 146 00:06:14,875 --> 00:06:16,625 Banks, hotels, businesses, 147 00:06:16,626 --> 00:06:19,044 they're all competing for the public's attention. 148 00:06:19,045 --> 00:06:21,505 And this gives rise to what we call ballyhoo, 149 00:06:21,506 --> 00:06:23,591 these great spectacular events 150 00:06:23,592 --> 00:06:25,259 that capture the public attention 151 00:06:25,260 --> 00:06:26,886 all to draw attention to the name 152 00:06:26,887 --> 00:06:28,762 on the front of the building. 153 00:06:28,763 --> 00:06:30,848 So a new class of daredevils arises 154 00:06:30,849 --> 00:06:33,100 in order to bring attention to these businesses, 155 00:06:33,101 --> 00:06:36,437 by climbing up the side of buildings, for a fee, 156 00:06:36,438 --> 00:06:37,980 with no safety equipment. 157 00:06:37,981 --> 00:06:40,024 Sometimes these guys, by the way, 158 00:06:40,025 --> 00:06:41,734 they just dressed like they were going to the office. 159 00:06:41,735 --> 00:06:44,570 They would wear business shoes and a suit, 160 00:06:44,571 --> 00:06:45,738 so it looked like 161 00:06:45,739 --> 00:06:47,072 they were just crawling out of the building, 162 00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:48,574 which is actually a pretty good hook. 163 00:06:48,575 --> 00:06:51,076 Some of these climbers really understand 164 00:06:51,077 --> 00:06:54,580 showmanship, so they'll often do various dramatic poses as they 165 00:06:54,581 --> 00:06:57,041 climb, really milking the attention factor, 166 00:06:57,042 --> 00:06:58,876 getting the crowd completely into it. 167 00:06:58,877 --> 00:07:00,294 In general, if someone's doing something 168 00:07:00,295 --> 00:07:01,879 that looks to be crazy, 169 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:03,589 where you feel that pumping in your heart 170 00:07:03,590 --> 00:07:04,923 because you think it's dangerous, 171 00:07:04,924 --> 00:07:05,883 you're gonna stand and look. 172 00:07:05,884 --> 00:07:07,343 I would. 173 00:07:07,344 --> 00:07:08,677 These climbers 174 00:07:08,678 --> 00:07:10,596 are eventually given the nickname human flies 175 00:07:10,597 --> 00:07:12,723 because of the way they seem to defy gravity 176 00:07:12,724 --> 00:07:14,642 while clutching to the outside of the building. 177 00:07:14,643 --> 00:07:17,478 This starts out as a handful of, like, promotional stunts, 178 00:07:17,479 --> 00:07:19,355 but it starts to become a phenomenon 179 00:07:19,356 --> 00:07:21,857 that spreads from city to city. 180 00:07:21,858 --> 00:07:24,443 These climbers find that not only are businesses 181 00:07:24,444 --> 00:07:25,861 eager to get it on it, 182 00:07:25,862 --> 00:07:28,530 but it's actually fairly easy to get city approval. 183 00:07:28,531 --> 00:07:30,074 If someone was climbing a building today, 184 00:07:30,075 --> 00:07:32,868 they would have a security perimeter around the site. 185 00:07:32,869 --> 00:07:35,204 Back then, that's not the case. 186 00:07:35,205 --> 00:07:36,622 The spectators are encouraged 187 00:07:36,623 --> 00:07:39,291 to gather around at the base of the building. 188 00:07:39,292 --> 00:07:41,126 The famous human fly was George Polley. 189 00:07:41,127 --> 00:07:42,711 And he was not only a great climber, 190 00:07:42,712 --> 00:07:45,005 but he also was a great showman. 191 00:07:45,006 --> 00:07:48,759 He would get halfway up and then pretend to fall. 192 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,594 And the crowd would . 193 00:07:50,595 --> 00:07:52,930 And then he would just laugh and keep going. 194 00:07:52,931 --> 00:07:54,973 He climbs a building in Massachusetts. 195 00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:57,601 And it's so dangerous that some people can't watch it, 196 00:07:57,602 --> 00:07:58,811 they hide their eyes, 197 00:07:58,812 --> 00:08:00,396 'cause he's just hanging on by his fingertips. 198 00:08:00,397 --> 00:08:01,980 But when he makes it to the top, 199 00:08:01,981 --> 00:08:05,025 he rides his bicycle around the edge of the building 200 00:08:05,026 --> 00:08:06,068 as a finale. 201 00:08:08,780 --> 00:08:10,114 This was a profession. 202 00:08:10,115 --> 00:08:12,199 They got paid like 200 bucks a climb, 203 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,576 which is what other people made in about a month. 204 00:08:14,577 --> 00:08:15,703 So a guy could literally be like, 205 00:08:15,704 --> 00:08:17,996 "Honey, I'll be back later," 206 00:08:17,997 --> 00:08:21,083 go to work, crawl up, catch 200 bucks. 207 00:08:21,084 --> 00:08:22,793 Living the high life. 208 00:08:22,794 --> 00:08:25,504 Crowds loved to watch these daredevils for hire 209 00:08:25,505 --> 00:08:26,964 push their luck. 210 00:08:26,965 --> 00:08:30,218 But sometimes that luck runs out. 211 00:08:31,344 --> 00:08:34,138 In 1923, a human fly named Harry Young 212 00:08:34,139 --> 00:08:38,016 climbs the 16-story Hotel Martinique in Manhattan 213 00:08:38,017 --> 00:08:41,186 for a hundred dollar fee in order to promote a movie. 214 00:08:41,187 --> 00:08:43,731 Throughout his climb, he pretends several times 215 00:08:43,732 --> 00:08:46,817 to slip his foot just to create dramatic effect 216 00:08:46,818 --> 00:08:48,402 and give the people a show. 217 00:08:48,403 --> 00:08:51,864 At the 11th floor, he does another foot slip, 218 00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:55,284 except this time it's not a gag. 219 00:08:55,285 --> 00:08:56,160 His foot actually slips and he falls 220 00:08:56,161 --> 00:08:58,287 off the building. 221 00:08:58,288 --> 00:09:00,080 He hits a part of the building's facade 222 00:09:00,081 --> 00:09:01,790 and then plummets down. 223 00:09:01,791 --> 00:09:04,918 The policemen has to force a bunch of women off the sidewalk 224 00:09:04,919 --> 00:09:06,670 to keep them from getting hit. 225 00:09:06,671 --> 00:09:09,548 Young is killed pretty much instantly. 226 00:09:09,549 --> 00:09:12,426 There are more fatal falls just like that one, 227 00:09:12,427 --> 00:09:15,137 and officials start putting their foot down. 228 00:09:15,138 --> 00:09:17,056 New York City becomes one of the first places 229 00:09:17,057 --> 00:09:18,057 to crack down. 230 00:09:18,058 --> 00:09:19,725 The police start denying permits. 231 00:09:19,726 --> 00:09:21,935 Then the Great Depression hits 232 00:09:21,936 --> 00:09:24,563 and advertising budgets dry up. 233 00:09:24,564 --> 00:09:27,357 And eventually the profession of human fly 234 00:09:27,358 --> 00:09:29,193 disappears forever. 235 00:09:29,194 --> 00:09:31,361 If somebody does an event like this today, 236 00:09:31,362 --> 00:09:32,780 it's under so much safety 237 00:09:32,781 --> 00:09:36,116 that it really doesn't feel raw and exciting 238 00:09:36,117 --> 00:09:39,495 the way that it must have felt to people a century ago. 239 00:09:39,496 --> 00:09:42,082 That's something that's gone the way of the dodo. 240 00:09:43,041 --> 00:09:45,417 Everyone wants to get to the top. 241 00:09:45,418 --> 00:09:48,088 Human flies just took the direct route. 242 00:09:50,882 --> 00:09:52,508 We've all seen signs on job sites 243 00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:54,802 that say "X days without an accident." 244 00:09:54,803 --> 00:09:58,555 Now imagine a job where they couldn't get past 19. 245 00:09:58,556 --> 00:10:01,642 And that's not 19 without an accident. 246 00:10:01,643 --> 00:10:04,187 I mean 19 without a death. 247 00:10:05,522 --> 00:10:07,981 In the early 1930s, the Colorado River 248 00:10:07,982 --> 00:10:10,651 is completely unpredictable. 249 00:10:10,652 --> 00:10:14,613 Some years, it's completely arid and crops fail. 250 00:10:14,614 --> 00:10:17,282 Other years, the snowfall is so intense 251 00:10:17,283 --> 00:10:20,035 it washes away entire harvests 252 00:10:20,036 --> 00:10:22,329 throughout Arizona and California 253 00:10:22,330 --> 00:10:24,081 and kills townspeople. 254 00:10:24,082 --> 00:10:25,999 The government decides to fix this problem 255 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:27,876 by going really big. 256 00:10:27,877 --> 00:10:29,628 They set out to construct 257 00:10:29,629 --> 00:10:33,924 a massive concrete wall 60 stories high. 258 00:10:33,925 --> 00:10:35,467 Not only that, 259 00:10:35,468 --> 00:10:36,885 they're gonna have this wall generate electricity, 260 00:10:36,886 --> 00:10:40,305 which will feed millions of homes in the southwest. 261 00:10:40,306 --> 00:10:43,267 This wall is the Hoover Dam. 262 00:10:43,268 --> 00:10:44,643 Construction begins on the dam, 263 00:10:44,644 --> 00:10:47,396 and the working conditions are tough. 264 00:10:47,397 --> 00:10:49,523 People drown in the Colorado River, 265 00:10:49,524 --> 00:10:52,776 they're hit by moving trucks, objects fall on them. 266 00:10:52,777 --> 00:10:55,362 It's incredibly dangerous. 267 00:10:55,363 --> 00:10:57,573 But the most treacherous job of all 268 00:10:57,574 --> 00:11:01,493 is what's called a high scaler. 269 00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:02,828 The high scaler's job 270 00:11:02,829 --> 00:11:05,664 is to clear the canyon walls of any loose rock 271 00:11:05,665 --> 00:11:09,585 so that the dam can be built onto smooth, stable bedrock. 272 00:11:09,586 --> 00:11:11,879 So that means loading yourself up with gear 273 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,673 and then climbing down the canyon walls. 274 00:11:14,674 --> 00:11:16,967 The only thing standing between these men 275 00:11:16,968 --> 00:11:20,846 and an 800 foot drop is a single rope 276 00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:22,973 and a whole lot of nerve. 277 00:11:22,974 --> 00:11:24,224 Once they're down, 278 00:11:24,225 --> 00:11:26,059 a jackhammer has to be lowered to them 279 00:11:26,060 --> 00:11:27,895 to clear away loose rocks, 280 00:11:27,896 --> 00:11:31,440 but they also have to drill holes into the wall. 281 00:11:31,441 --> 00:11:34,234 And then they place dynamite into that wall. 282 00:11:34,235 --> 00:11:37,738 They light the fuse and swing away at just the right time 283 00:11:37,739 --> 00:11:40,532 so that the dynamite can explode and they don't get hurt. 284 00:11:40,533 --> 00:11:42,159 And then they go and do the process 285 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,037 over and over all day for hours. 286 00:11:45,038 --> 00:11:46,955 No safety, no anything. 287 00:11:46,956 --> 00:11:49,750 Like, this used to be how American men were. 288 00:11:49,751 --> 00:11:51,251 "You need to clip some of that? 289 00:11:51,252 --> 00:11:54,421 Yeah, get me a rope, a plank, and pay me seven bucks, 290 00:11:54,422 --> 00:11:55,547 and I'll get that done for you." 291 00:11:55,548 --> 00:11:57,883 Could you imagine that today? 292 00:11:57,884 --> 00:11:59,801 No way. 293 00:11:59,802 --> 00:12:02,054 But they're not just getting the job done, 294 00:12:02,055 --> 00:12:03,639 they're putting on a show. 295 00:12:05,767 --> 00:12:07,392 Tourists drive from all over the place 296 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,520 to watch these men who, at this size and distance, 297 00:12:10,521 --> 00:12:12,231 look like insects. 298 00:12:12,232 --> 00:12:15,317 Journalists marvel at the three-ring circus 299 00:12:15,318 --> 00:12:18,612 that is the Hoover Dam being built. 300 00:12:18,613 --> 00:12:20,530 They have little contests with each other. 301 00:12:20,531 --> 00:12:22,491 Some of them decide to push out from the wall 302 00:12:22,492 --> 00:12:24,117 as far as they can on their rope. 303 00:12:24,118 --> 00:12:26,203 They're daring each other to outdo one another. 304 00:12:26,204 --> 00:12:28,830 And the fact that safety foreman are few and far between 305 00:12:28,831 --> 00:12:32,000 means there's really no one there to tell them to stop. 306 00:12:32,001 --> 00:12:34,294 But as construction moves along, 307 00:12:34,295 --> 00:12:38,465 the glamour of being a high scaler begins to fade. 308 00:12:38,466 --> 00:12:40,509 The work is nonstop. 309 00:12:40,510 --> 00:12:43,679 They work eight hours a day, seven days a week, 310 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:44,930 all year long. 311 00:12:44,931 --> 00:12:46,556 You're gonna get mentally tired, 312 00:12:46,557 --> 00:12:48,600 and that's gonna lead to errors. 313 00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:51,395 Fatigue makes it easy to lose your wits, 314 00:12:51,396 --> 00:12:53,855 raising the chances that you won't anchor yourself properly, 315 00:12:53,856 --> 00:12:56,566 plummeting 800 feet to your death. 316 00:12:56,567 --> 00:12:58,652 Oh, and you can also get blown up by the dynamite 317 00:12:58,653 --> 00:13:00,320 if you aren't careful. 318 00:13:00,321 --> 00:13:02,656 By today's construction standards, 319 00:13:02,657 --> 00:13:06,201 the final death toll is stunning. 320 00:13:06,202 --> 00:13:09,913 96 deaths are officially accounted for 321 00:13:09,914 --> 00:13:12,040 in the construction of the dam, 322 00:13:12,041 --> 00:13:15,544 but some experts think that's actually an under count. 323 00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:18,213 Regardless, it's a staggering amount of lives 324 00:13:18,214 --> 00:13:21,009 and amounts to about one death every 19 days. 325 00:13:22,427 --> 00:13:25,470 It's always easy to look back on times that have 326 00:13:25,471 --> 00:13:27,681 gone by and judge them from a modern perspective. 327 00:13:27,682 --> 00:13:29,308 And I think that's a mistake. 328 00:13:29,309 --> 00:13:33,020 The dam had to get built for America. 329 00:13:33,021 --> 00:13:34,438 They took pride in their work. 330 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:36,315 They were taking pride in their country. 331 00:13:36,316 --> 00:13:39,943 There was a work ethic that just isn't really around today 332 00:13:39,944 --> 00:13:40,736 in the same way. 333 00:13:43,197 --> 00:13:45,699 It just goes to show that some careers 334 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,451 didn't come with a safety net. 335 00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:50,787 And in other jobs, you just had to go with the flow, 336 00:13:50,788 --> 00:13:54,751 even if that meant you were heading right toward the rapids. 337 00:13:56,210 --> 00:13:58,879 In the late 19th century, America is absolutely 338 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,047 exploding in every possible way, 339 00:14:00,048 --> 00:14:02,132 population-wise, industrialization. 340 00:14:02,133 --> 00:14:06,053 And all of those things lead to a huge demand for wood. 341 00:14:06,054 --> 00:14:07,387 And the biggest concentration of lumber 342 00:14:07,388 --> 00:14:08,847 is in the Upper Midwest, 343 00:14:08,848 --> 00:14:12,351 where there's just vast, seemingly inexhaustible forests. 344 00:14:13,603 --> 00:14:15,062 Of course cutting down the trees 345 00:14:15,063 --> 00:14:17,064 is only half the equation. 346 00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:18,774 There's still this small matter 347 00:14:18,775 --> 00:14:21,359 of moving them across the country. 348 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:22,652 Railroads haven't gotten there yet. 349 00:14:22,653 --> 00:14:23,904 They don't have roads. 350 00:14:23,905 --> 00:14:25,864 But rivers are a great path. 351 00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:28,200 Every winter crews cut down millions of trees, 352 00:14:28,201 --> 00:14:30,327 stack them along the sides of the rivers. 353 00:14:30,328 --> 00:14:32,287 In the spring, when the river opens up, 354 00:14:32,288 --> 00:14:33,663 they dump these logs into the river 355 00:14:33,664 --> 00:14:35,665 and just float them downstream. 356 00:14:35,666 --> 00:14:37,000 But this lumber 357 00:14:37,001 --> 00:14:38,627 can't be left to just float on its own. 358 00:14:38,628 --> 00:14:41,588 Even one stuck log can stop the flow, 359 00:14:41,589 --> 00:14:44,925 shutting down mills a hundred miles away. 360 00:14:44,926 --> 00:14:46,760 That's where these log drivers come in, 361 00:14:46,761 --> 00:14:50,139 or, as they like to call themselves, river pigs. 362 00:14:51,390 --> 00:14:54,935 So these river pigs are basically like lumberjacks 363 00:14:54,936 --> 00:14:56,978 wearing spiked boots. 364 00:14:56,979 --> 00:14:59,189 They've got this big lever called a peavey. 365 00:14:59,190 --> 00:15:02,025 And the idea is that when they see logs stuck together, 366 00:15:02,026 --> 00:15:04,027 they'll jam it in there, they'll pry them apart, 367 00:15:04,028 --> 00:15:06,780 and they keep the logs moving going down the river, 368 00:15:06,781 --> 00:15:10,283 which also means they're going down the river. 369 00:15:10,284 --> 00:15:11,743 These guys have to be strong enough 370 00:15:11,744 --> 00:15:13,161 to actually handle the lumber, 371 00:15:13,162 --> 00:15:15,997 but they also have to be nimble and agile enough 372 00:15:15,998 --> 00:15:18,959 to balance on the logs and hop from log to log 373 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,379 as these logs are spinning in the water. 374 00:15:22,964 --> 00:15:25,715 River pigs are some of the highest paid men 375 00:15:25,716 --> 00:15:26,843 in the industry. 376 00:15:28,052 --> 00:15:30,679 The notoriety of the river pigs is for real. 377 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,098 I mean, people will come from miles and miles 378 00:15:33,099 --> 00:15:36,184 just to watch them do their job. 379 00:15:36,185 --> 00:15:39,312 If I told you that there's a bunch of dudes 380 00:15:39,313 --> 00:15:42,566 who can ride logs down a river, 381 00:15:42,567 --> 00:15:45,652 I think even in the 21st century you kind of wanna watch. 382 00:15:45,653 --> 00:15:47,529 I wanna watch it right now. 383 00:15:47,530 --> 00:15:50,824 Some of them do headstands, they do somersaults, 384 00:15:50,825 --> 00:15:52,659 they jump from log to log. 385 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:55,328 They're deeply, deeply badass. 386 00:15:55,329 --> 00:15:56,955 If you're a kid at this time, 387 00:15:56,956 --> 00:15:58,874 you know there's not Evel Knievel yet. 388 00:15:58,875 --> 00:16:01,251 These guys are daredevils. 389 00:16:01,252 --> 00:16:02,711 But rolling on the river 390 00:16:02,712 --> 00:16:05,046 is not all fortune and glory. 391 00:16:05,047 --> 00:16:06,631 It sounds exciting, but it's actually 392 00:16:06,632 --> 00:16:07,966 quite grueling. 393 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:10,969 These log drives can last for weeks at a time. 394 00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:12,846 People are working maybe 16 hours a day. 395 00:16:12,847 --> 00:16:15,640 You know, the river doesn't stop, the logs don't stop. 396 00:16:15,641 --> 00:16:17,684 The living conditions are not great, 397 00:16:17,685 --> 00:16:20,812 even the kitchen floats downstream along with you. 398 00:16:20,813 --> 00:16:23,064 And everything is just wet all the time, 399 00:16:23,065 --> 00:16:26,401 so there's mold and vermin everywhere. 400 00:16:26,402 --> 00:16:27,569 But that's nothing compared 401 00:16:27,570 --> 00:16:29,321 to the real risks these men are facing. 402 00:16:29,322 --> 00:16:31,823 They're running around on undulating logs all day. 403 00:16:31,824 --> 00:16:34,242 One false step and you can fall in. 404 00:16:34,243 --> 00:16:35,285 The logs are heavy. 405 00:16:35,286 --> 00:16:37,078 They can weigh up to 4,000 pounds. 406 00:16:37,079 --> 00:16:38,706 So you might get crushed between them 407 00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:41,958 or you might get trapped beneath them in the freezing water. 408 00:16:41,959 --> 00:16:44,169 There's a really high chance that if you go 409 00:16:44,170 --> 00:16:46,755 under, you might never be seen again. 410 00:16:46,756 --> 00:16:48,465 Now keep in mind this is pre-OSHA. 411 00:16:48,466 --> 00:16:49,883 Like, people don't know 412 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:52,886 about workplace health standards at all. 413 00:16:52,887 --> 00:16:54,054 So it's really just like, 414 00:16:54,055 --> 00:16:55,597 "Oh, yeah, did John show up for lunch? 415 00:16:55,598 --> 00:16:56,640 I guess he's still alive. 416 00:16:56,641 --> 00:16:58,808 Cool, good job." 417 00:16:58,809 --> 00:16:59,936 Like, that was it. 418 00:17:01,479 --> 00:17:04,396 Eventually the end comes for river pigs, 419 00:17:04,397 --> 00:17:07,107 but not because it's too dangerous. 420 00:17:07,108 --> 00:17:09,193 Road and automotive technology develops 421 00:17:09,194 --> 00:17:12,280 and trucks become the primary way to haul logs. 422 00:17:12,281 --> 00:17:14,866 And many of the old growth forest are cut down. 423 00:17:14,867 --> 00:17:16,116 With all these changes, 424 00:17:16,117 --> 00:17:17,993 the river pig as an occupation is gone, 425 00:17:17,994 --> 00:17:21,623 and with it, the heroism, the bravado, the risk taking, 426 00:17:21,624 --> 00:17:24,126 and the cool factor that was associated with them. 427 00:17:25,752 --> 00:17:28,046 Sometimes if you wanna make a living, 428 00:17:28,047 --> 00:17:30,299 you gotta be willing to go in over your head. 429 00:17:33,052 --> 00:17:35,136 Some jobs aren't for everyone, 430 00:17:35,137 --> 00:17:36,763 which you may know if you've ever worked a night shift. 431 00:17:36,764 --> 00:17:38,390 That was certainly true in the old days 432 00:17:38,391 --> 00:17:42,018 when one occupation gave the dead of night 433 00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:43,479 a whole new meaning. 434 00:17:44,981 --> 00:17:48,400 By the early 1800s, medicine is really becoming a 435 00:17:48,401 --> 00:17:50,235 field in a more official sense. 436 00:17:50,236 --> 00:17:51,695 And some of the innovations 437 00:17:51,696 --> 00:17:53,238 that they come up with at that time 438 00:17:53,239 --> 00:17:54,739 are things we still use today. 439 00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:57,200 Take the stethoscope, anesthesia. 440 00:17:57,201 --> 00:17:59,160 This explosion in medical research 441 00:17:59,161 --> 00:18:02,330 leads to more people enrolling in medical schools. 442 00:18:02,331 --> 00:18:03,873 Now, the medical schools 443 00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:07,002 can't provide effective instruction without cadavers. 444 00:18:07,003 --> 00:18:09,671 At this period, life expectancy is up, 445 00:18:09,672 --> 00:18:11,506 executions are down. 446 00:18:11,507 --> 00:18:13,383 All of that means that there are fewer bodies 447 00:18:13,384 --> 00:18:15,385 available for study. 448 00:18:15,386 --> 00:18:18,555 Medical schools turn to grave robbers, 449 00:18:18,556 --> 00:18:22,559 or the way cooler name, resurrection men. 450 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,853 Resurrection men work in crews 451 00:18:24,854 --> 00:18:27,731 with a simple business model: dig up bodies, 452 00:18:27,732 --> 00:18:31,067 sell them to medical schools, collect the cash. 453 00:18:31,068 --> 00:18:34,362 These crews are extremely professional. 454 00:18:34,363 --> 00:18:37,240 They're not just going and digging up corpses, 455 00:18:37,241 --> 00:18:40,535 they're getting the freshest bodies as quickly as possible. 456 00:18:40,536 --> 00:18:42,579 But it's not like the old like Frankenstein 457 00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:43,663 where they were digging the bodies 458 00:18:43,664 --> 00:18:45,081 and there's a big pile of dirt. 459 00:18:45,082 --> 00:18:47,042 These guys wanted to be efficient. 460 00:18:47,043 --> 00:18:49,961 So what they did was they dug like a strip 461 00:18:49,962 --> 00:18:52,339 at the top of the grave six feet down, 462 00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:55,675 broke through to the coffin, put hooks under the armpits, 463 00:18:55,676 --> 00:18:58,219 and then hoisted them right up in the grave. 464 00:18:58,220 --> 00:19:00,138 I mean, they were in and out of that cemetery 465 00:19:00,139 --> 00:19:01,556 25 minutes tops. 466 00:19:01,557 --> 00:19:03,266 And then they would try to fill it in 467 00:19:03,267 --> 00:19:05,644 and even put the flowers back on 468 00:19:05,645 --> 00:19:07,771 so that nobody would catch 'em. 469 00:19:07,772 --> 00:19:09,105 These grave robbers 470 00:19:09,106 --> 00:19:12,400 have to get these bodies from the grave site 471 00:19:12,401 --> 00:19:13,610 to the medical school, 472 00:19:13,611 --> 00:19:15,945 and they have all sorts of ways of doing that. 473 00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:17,989 They're transporting bodies in wheelbarrows. 474 00:19:17,990 --> 00:19:19,240 They're putting them in sacks 475 00:19:19,241 --> 00:19:21,076 and throwing them over their shoulder. 476 00:19:21,077 --> 00:19:23,536 They're putting 'em on horseback. 477 00:19:23,537 --> 00:19:25,622 Sometimes they would just dress them up, 478 00:19:25,623 --> 00:19:27,207 put a big coat on 'em, put a hat on 'em, 479 00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:29,209 and put 'em next to him in a wagon, 480 00:19:29,210 --> 00:19:30,919 and just start clapping through the city. 481 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,254 And everybody just thinks, "Oh, his buddy's drunk." 482 00:19:33,255 --> 00:19:35,548 Meanwhile, he's traipsing around town with a corpse. 483 00:19:35,549 --> 00:19:37,218 It's like "Weekend at Bernie's." 484 00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:40,220 This is a very lucrative business. 485 00:19:40,221 --> 00:19:43,640 A well-preserved, recently dug up body in 1800 486 00:19:43,641 --> 00:19:45,433 would get you $25. 487 00:19:45,434 --> 00:19:48,186 That's $700 in today's money. 488 00:19:48,187 --> 00:19:51,523 That is a lot more than most people would make in a month, 489 00:19:51,524 --> 00:19:52,899 certainly more than the guy 490 00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:54,943 who dug that grave to begin with. 491 00:19:54,944 --> 00:19:57,779 But while resurrection men are busy digging, 492 00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:02,868 grieving families decide to fight back with a little help. 493 00:20:03,536 --> 00:20:05,120 Inventors realized 494 00:20:05,121 --> 00:20:07,122 that there's real possibility here for innovation. 495 00:20:07,123 --> 00:20:09,958 And so they invent some accessories, if you will, 496 00:20:09,959 --> 00:20:12,085 to make these graves more secure. 497 00:20:12,086 --> 00:20:14,379 And those are booby traps. 498 00:20:14,380 --> 00:20:17,298 One invented in the 1870s is called the 499 00:20:17,299 --> 00:20:19,468 coffin torpedo. 500 00:20:20,469 --> 00:20:21,678 It's actually just a loaded shotgun 501 00:20:21,679 --> 00:20:24,097 cradled around the deceased's arms 502 00:20:24,098 --> 00:20:29,311 that when the coffin lid opens, bam, goodbye, grave robber. 503 00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:31,896 Other coffin booby traps are right in the soil, 504 00:20:31,897 --> 00:20:33,273 like almost a landmine. 505 00:20:33,274 --> 00:20:34,983 So if you dug too close to the body, 506 00:20:34,984 --> 00:20:36,985 they would explode and kill you too. 507 00:20:36,986 --> 00:20:38,236 I guess that's why resurrection men 508 00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:39,530 worked in teams. 509 00:20:39,655 --> 00:20:40,989 'Cause if somebody went down in the field, 510 00:20:40,990 --> 00:20:42,616 hey, that's an easy night of work. 511 00:20:43,868 --> 00:20:45,493 But the money is too good, 512 00:20:45,494 --> 00:20:48,413 so it doesn't stop until someone really snatches 513 00:20:48,414 --> 00:20:49,749 the wrong body. 514 00:20:50,499 --> 00:20:52,709 In 1878 in Ohio, 515 00:20:52,710 --> 00:20:55,044 there's a congressman, John Scott Harrison, 516 00:20:55,045 --> 00:20:57,380 whose body is snatched from his grave. 517 00:20:57,381 --> 00:20:59,507 Not only is he a congressman, 518 00:20:59,508 --> 00:21:01,384 he is the son of former president 519 00:21:01,385 --> 00:21:02,927 William Henry Harrison, 520 00:21:02,928 --> 00:21:05,847 and the father of future president Benjamin Harrison. 521 00:21:05,848 --> 00:21:08,516 Now a very powerful family has fallen victim 522 00:21:08,517 --> 00:21:11,978 to the resurrection men and they're very angry about it. 523 00:21:11,979 --> 00:21:13,897 Soon after, it becomes illegal, 524 00:21:13,898 --> 00:21:15,815 and now there are legal pipelines 525 00:21:15,816 --> 00:21:18,193 for obtaining cadavers, 526 00:21:18,194 --> 00:21:20,278 through unidentified bodies 527 00:21:20,279 --> 00:21:21,988 that they get from hospitals, 528 00:21:21,989 --> 00:21:24,866 prisons, and almshouses. 529 00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:26,201 It's the end of an era, 530 00:21:26,202 --> 00:21:28,995 no more corpses riding shotgun 531 00:21:28,996 --> 00:21:30,914 on a horse and carriage through the streets, 532 00:21:30,915 --> 00:21:33,082 which is kind of something I'd actually like to see. 533 00:21:33,083 --> 00:21:35,251 No more "Weekend at Bernie's" shenanigans. 534 00:21:35,252 --> 00:21:38,214 Another promising trade just dries up. 535 00:21:39,507 --> 00:21:41,800 Back then, the dead were just another way 536 00:21:41,801 --> 00:21:42,801 to make a living. 537 00:21:42,802 --> 00:21:44,719 But if you think that was unpleasant, 538 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,058 there was another 19th century job that truly stank. 539 00:21:50,476 --> 00:21:52,227 In the late 1800s, 540 00:21:52,228 --> 00:21:54,479 American cities' populations are booming. 541 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,190 But a lot of people also means a lot of something 542 00:21:57,191 --> 00:22:00,528 that nobody wants to deal with, human waste. 543 00:22:01,946 --> 00:22:03,571 Most people that could not afford indoor plumbing 544 00:22:03,572 --> 00:22:06,074 used what we would call an outhouse. 545 00:22:06,075 --> 00:22:11,162 It's sort of a cabin with a wooden plank in it to be a seat, 546 00:22:11,163 --> 00:22:12,539 it's got a hole in it, 547 00:22:12,540 --> 00:22:14,874 and it goes to a pit called the privy. 548 00:22:14,875 --> 00:22:17,752 How do cities deal with getting rid of all this waste? 549 00:22:17,753 --> 00:22:19,379 Well, they didn't use pipes. 550 00:22:19,380 --> 00:22:20,964 They used people. 551 00:22:20,965 --> 00:22:23,925 There is a job known as the night soil crew. 552 00:22:23,926 --> 00:22:25,844 At night, when everyone's asleep, 553 00:22:25,845 --> 00:22:28,513 the crew comes out with their carts and their dippers 554 00:22:28,514 --> 00:22:30,515 and they scoop out the human waste, 555 00:22:30,516 --> 00:22:32,433 so when everybody wakes up in the morning, 556 00:22:32,434 --> 00:22:35,311 they can start all over refilling the latrines. 557 00:22:35,312 --> 00:22:37,480 The job is vital for cities to function, 558 00:22:37,481 --> 00:22:40,401 but for the workers, it's the pits. 559 00:22:41,610 --> 00:22:45,655 A professional would go to where the tank is 560 00:22:45,656 --> 00:22:50,118 and they would ladle the human waste 561 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:51,786 into a bucket. 562 00:22:51,787 --> 00:22:55,790 And then they would haul it away bucket by bucket. 563 00:22:55,791 --> 00:22:59,294 However, larger residences or tenement blocks 564 00:22:59,295 --> 00:23:04,132 might have a tank that was 20 feet deep, 565 00:23:04,133 --> 00:23:08,845 which means that a ladder would have to go into the tank. 566 00:23:08,846 --> 00:23:11,764 A human being would go down that ladder 567 00:23:11,765 --> 00:23:15,768 and haul up months and months of excrement 568 00:23:15,769 --> 00:23:18,438 one bucket at a time. 569 00:23:18,439 --> 00:23:19,689 You know, the one bright spot 570 00:23:19,690 --> 00:23:21,816 is these guys got paid pretty well. 571 00:23:21,817 --> 00:23:23,526 They weren't the richest dudes. 572 00:23:23,527 --> 00:23:25,820 They would also get a bottle of gin, 573 00:23:25,821 --> 00:23:29,657 which they needed to be drunk to do the job. 574 00:23:29,658 --> 00:23:31,951 And down on the foul smelling muck, 575 00:23:31,952 --> 00:23:34,329 invisible dangers lurk. 576 00:23:34,330 --> 00:23:37,749 These privy vaults are deep and unventilated, 577 00:23:37,750 --> 00:23:41,085 and that means that the gases from the human waste build up. 578 00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:43,671 We're talking poisonous gases like methane, 579 00:23:43,672 --> 00:23:45,089 hydrogen sulfide. 580 00:23:45,090 --> 00:23:46,674 So if a human being is in there 581 00:23:46,675 --> 00:23:49,469 and these poisonous gases have displaced the oxygen, 582 00:23:49,470 --> 00:23:50,595 they could pass out. 583 00:23:50,596 --> 00:23:51,721 And what happens next? 584 00:23:51,722 --> 00:23:53,848 They fall into the waste and drown, 585 00:23:53,849 --> 00:23:55,516 in human waste. 586 00:23:55,517 --> 00:23:57,185 What a way to go. 587 00:23:57,186 --> 00:23:58,937 But wait, it gets worse. 588 00:23:58,938 --> 00:24:02,815 Hazardous gases can also cause explosions in the pits. 589 00:24:02,816 --> 00:24:05,610 And there's this huge risk of disease and infection 590 00:24:05,611 --> 00:24:09,197 just from being around human waste all the time. 591 00:24:09,198 --> 00:24:12,909 Toxic gases, explosions, drowning in waste; 592 00:24:12,910 --> 00:24:15,912 eventually governments get the hint. 593 00:24:15,913 --> 00:24:17,830 By the 1890s, New York and Brooklyn 594 00:24:17,831 --> 00:24:21,000 actually create a sewage system. 595 00:24:21,001 --> 00:24:22,293 There's like pipes in the ground. 596 00:24:22,294 --> 00:24:25,838 So there is finally a place for all of this, 597 00:24:25,839 --> 00:24:28,425 you know, prodigious poop to go. 598 00:24:29,635 --> 00:24:32,637 History flushes away the privy, the outhouse, 599 00:24:32,638 --> 00:24:35,682 and the livelihoods of the night soil workers. 600 00:24:35,683 --> 00:24:38,267 But we forever are grateful for their service, 601 00:24:38,268 --> 00:24:39,978 for their selflessness, 602 00:24:39,979 --> 00:24:42,856 and for truly answering the call of duty. 603 00:24:44,733 --> 00:24:48,736 So indoor plumbing eventually put the night soil men 604 00:24:48,737 --> 00:24:50,196 out of business. 605 00:24:50,197 --> 00:24:52,950 I've gotta think it was partially a relief. 606 00:24:55,536 --> 00:24:57,328 It has never been easier to keep up with current events. 607 00:24:57,329 --> 00:24:58,871 With a swipe of a finger, 608 00:24:58,872 --> 00:25:01,749 your phone brings you up on the latest. 609 00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:04,043 But there was a time when delivering the news 610 00:25:04,044 --> 00:25:06,714 was practically an extreme sport. 611 00:25:07,923 --> 00:25:11,259 In the 1950s, every morning around 5:00 AM, 612 00:25:11,260 --> 00:25:13,636 you hear the whirr of a bicycle chain, 613 00:25:13,637 --> 00:25:14,929 and thump after thump 614 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:18,099 as something lands on neighborhood porches. 615 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:20,643 Moving from block to block is a kid with a bike 616 00:25:20,644 --> 00:25:22,103 and a bag of newspapers, 617 00:25:22,104 --> 00:25:24,481 a worker as common as any mailman, 618 00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:27,859 a paperboy. 619 00:25:27,860 --> 00:25:31,112 And even though it means waking up before dawn, 620 00:25:31,113 --> 00:25:35,366 in those days, it's a job lots of kids want. 621 00:25:35,367 --> 00:25:37,243 As a former paperboy, I have to tell you, 622 00:25:37,244 --> 00:25:38,828 there is something to being like, 623 00:25:38,829 --> 00:25:40,663 "Hey, man, I have responsibility. 624 00:25:40,664 --> 00:25:43,291 Like, I am a business person." 625 00:25:43,292 --> 00:25:46,419 I was 10 years old when I started being a paperboy. 626 00:25:46,420 --> 00:25:49,172 And you're getting paid real money, 627 00:25:49,173 --> 00:25:51,758 usually between 3 and $7 a week, 628 00:25:51,759 --> 00:25:53,260 which doesn't sound like much, 629 00:25:53,385 --> 00:25:56,387 but in today's money, that's about 40 to a hundred dollars. 630 00:25:56,388 --> 00:25:58,140 That makes you the man. 631 00:25:59,558 --> 00:26:01,726 I was walking around like making it rain on people. 632 00:26:01,727 --> 00:26:02,977 "Hey, you want some pizza? 633 00:26:02,978 --> 00:26:03,811 I'm getting you some pizza. 634 00:26:03,812 --> 00:26:04,645 You want a comic book? 635 00:26:04,646 --> 00:26:06,105 I got it." 636 00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:07,356 You were the most popular kid in the neighborhood. 637 00:26:07,357 --> 00:26:09,275 Paperboy isn't just a job, 638 00:26:09,276 --> 00:26:11,486 it's an American institution. 639 00:26:11,487 --> 00:26:13,863 By 1950, a half a million American kids 640 00:26:13,864 --> 00:26:14,864 are running a paper route. 641 00:26:14,865 --> 00:26:17,575 By 1980, it's over a million. 642 00:26:17,576 --> 00:26:19,786 The paperboy becomes iconic, 643 00:26:19,787 --> 00:26:22,830 becomes as American as baseball and apple pie. 644 00:26:22,831 --> 00:26:25,792 They're on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. 645 00:26:25,793 --> 00:26:27,752 They're on TV shows like "Leave It to Beaver." 646 00:26:30,547 --> 00:26:33,926 But is the job as romantic as we remember? 647 00:26:35,135 --> 00:26:37,470 I have memories of terrible weather conditions 648 00:26:37,471 --> 00:26:39,514 and going out in the winter, in the rain. 649 00:26:39,515 --> 00:26:40,723 And you had a responsibility 650 00:26:40,724 --> 00:26:43,476 to get this product to the customer. 651 00:26:43,477 --> 00:26:45,561 They're almost like the US Mail, 652 00:26:45,562 --> 00:26:47,772 rain, sleet, hail, those papers gotta get out, 653 00:26:47,773 --> 00:26:49,482 and you're in a bike, baby, 654 00:26:49,483 --> 00:26:52,485 with a 50-pound bag slung over your back, 655 00:26:52,486 --> 00:26:54,237 and you're in a snowstorm. 656 00:26:54,238 --> 00:26:56,364 And you know if you don't get it to Mrs. Crabapple's house, 657 00:26:56,365 --> 00:26:59,242 she's gonna scream at you the next time you're there. 658 00:26:59,243 --> 00:27:00,576 Not only do you have a weather, 659 00:27:00,577 --> 00:27:02,036 not only do you have a 50-pound bag, 660 00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:03,746 you also have people driving to work in the morning, 661 00:27:03,747 --> 00:27:06,208 bleary-eyed, not paying attention to the road. 662 00:27:07,626 --> 00:27:08,960 Remember, there's not a lot of light in those days. 663 00:27:08,961 --> 00:27:10,628 It's kind of pitch black. 664 00:27:10,629 --> 00:27:13,756 A kid on a bike is hard for drivers to see. 665 00:27:13,757 --> 00:27:15,299 And these boys are not wearing helmets. 666 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:17,677 There are no bicycle helmets for all intents and purposes. 667 00:27:17,678 --> 00:27:20,931 So you can get hit by a car and suffer tremendous injury. 668 00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:23,891 So you get a lot of kids with broken bones, 669 00:27:23,892 --> 00:27:25,434 a lot of concussions, 670 00:27:25,435 --> 00:27:27,895 and the government classifies these workers 671 00:27:27,896 --> 00:27:30,189 as independent contractors. 672 00:27:30,190 --> 00:27:32,817 That's how they get around child labor laws. 673 00:27:32,818 --> 00:27:35,611 They're working every day with none of the protections 674 00:27:35,612 --> 00:27:38,197 that are afforded to working people. 675 00:27:38,198 --> 00:27:40,116 No helmet, no benefits, 676 00:27:40,117 --> 00:27:43,871 and often seemingly no end to the route. 677 00:27:45,247 --> 00:27:48,374 Suburban sprawl is everywhere by the late 1960s. 678 00:27:48,375 --> 00:27:50,626 And a route that used to be just a few blocks 679 00:27:50,627 --> 00:27:53,796 suddenly covers miles of looping streets 680 00:27:53,797 --> 00:27:57,008 in these developments, sometimes even across highways. 681 00:27:57,009 --> 00:27:58,259 So no longer is it a 682 00:27:58,260 --> 00:28:00,595 45-minute job early in the morning, 683 00:28:00,596 --> 00:28:03,139 it's a much bigger job that is sort of outpacing 684 00:28:03,140 --> 00:28:05,725 what a typical paperboy might be able to do. 685 00:28:05,726 --> 00:28:08,603 The paperboy kind of falls by the wayside, 686 00:28:08,604 --> 00:28:12,231 to be replaced by an adult in an automobile. 687 00:28:12,232 --> 00:28:13,691 So we lost the paperboy. 688 00:28:13,692 --> 00:28:15,443 You lost the work ethic part of it. 689 00:28:15,444 --> 00:28:17,987 You lost the independence of a kid. 690 00:28:17,988 --> 00:28:20,239 What is better than being on your bike, 691 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,033 riding through, and your friends would come with you, 692 00:28:22,034 --> 00:28:23,618 and you deliver papers? 693 00:28:23,619 --> 00:28:25,453 I mean, you can't even get kids out of the house anymore, 694 00:28:25,454 --> 00:28:28,040 let alone on their own doing business. 695 00:28:29,583 --> 00:28:31,667 The paper route proved a kid with a bike 696 00:28:31,668 --> 00:28:33,669 could make serious money, 697 00:28:33,670 --> 00:28:35,755 but what about the teenager with a car 698 00:28:35,756 --> 00:28:39,800 and a job that rewarded them for driving like a maniac? 699 00:28:41,303 --> 00:28:42,803 In the 1960s, 700 00:28:42,804 --> 00:28:45,348 the idea of getting pizza delivered to your home 701 00:28:45,349 --> 00:28:49,393 is an alien concept to most of America. 702 00:28:49,394 --> 00:28:54,023 Pizza is looked at as a dine-in restaurant kind of food. 703 00:28:54,024 --> 00:28:57,109 In Michigan, a scrappy little pizza chain 704 00:28:57,110 --> 00:29:01,447 is born in the ashes of a restaurant called Dominic's, 705 00:29:01,448 --> 00:29:03,991 and it becomes Domino's. 706 00:29:03,992 --> 00:29:08,329 And in 1979, they create a delivery campaign 707 00:29:08,330 --> 00:29:10,498 that is nothing short of revolutionary. 708 00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:15,127 Your pizza will arrive in 30 minutes or it's free. 709 00:29:15,128 --> 00:29:16,545 One call from you 710 00:29:16,546 --> 00:29:18,798 sets Domino's Pizza in motion. 711 00:29:18,799 --> 00:29:21,676 As you can imagine, people went nuts. 712 00:29:21,677 --> 00:29:24,637 If it's not delivered in 30 minutes, it's free? 713 00:29:24,638 --> 00:29:28,099 Like, this was revolutionary. 714 00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:30,893 I remember when they came out with this guarantee, 715 00:29:30,894 --> 00:29:32,561 it was exciting. 716 00:29:32,562 --> 00:29:35,690 You're like, okay, you've ordered, and it is 6:05. 717 00:29:35,691 --> 00:29:37,483 And then if they show up at 6:20, 718 00:29:37,484 --> 00:29:40,695 you're like, "Oh, damn it, we have to pay for this." 719 00:29:40,696 --> 00:29:44,240 On the strength of the new campaign, sales soar, 720 00:29:44,241 --> 00:29:47,118 and Domino's grows rapidly in the '80s. 721 00:29:47,119 --> 00:29:49,537 But delivering everywhere in 30 minutes 722 00:29:49,538 --> 00:29:53,582 requires some outside-the-box driving. 723 00:29:53,583 --> 00:29:57,378 Each store has to make and box the pizza in 10 minutes, 724 00:29:57,379 --> 00:30:00,715 leaving 20 minutes to get to your location. 725 00:30:00,716 --> 00:30:03,426 And that's regardless of your address. 726 00:30:03,427 --> 00:30:07,430 You may be at the complete edge of the delivery zone. 727 00:30:07,431 --> 00:30:10,516 Drivers, who are mostly teenagers and college kids, 728 00:30:10,517 --> 00:30:13,728 they're running red lights, speeding through intersections, 729 00:30:13,729 --> 00:30:16,230 driving in weather they should not be driving in, 730 00:30:16,231 --> 00:30:17,899 anything to make this delivery. 731 00:30:19,234 --> 00:30:21,986 Some people are rooting against the delivery guy. 732 00:30:21,987 --> 00:30:24,238 They want them to fail. 733 00:30:24,239 --> 00:30:27,491 They deliberately give the driver wrong directions. 734 00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:30,202 They don't answer the door right away. 735 00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:32,121 If you had a Domino's in your area, 736 00:30:32,122 --> 00:30:34,331 you were definitely like, "Let's try to order a pizza 737 00:30:34,332 --> 00:30:37,418 maybe when it's icy or when there's a snowstorm." 738 00:30:37,419 --> 00:30:40,087 It's like trying to game out how you can make sure 739 00:30:40,088 --> 00:30:42,089 it was gonna take them 30 minutes. 740 00:30:42,090 --> 00:30:46,469 Domino's does what it can to mitigate these hazards. 741 00:30:46,470 --> 00:30:50,097 The franchisee manual says, in all caps, 742 00:30:50,098 --> 00:30:52,099 fast delivery does not come 743 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:54,144 from speeding or reckless driving. 744 00:30:55,395 --> 00:30:57,313 I think back then, if I had been old enough, 745 00:30:57,314 --> 00:30:59,940 I would've been a Domino's delivery driver. 746 00:30:59,941 --> 00:31:01,484 I would've loved it. 747 00:31:01,485 --> 00:31:04,779 That would've just been another notch to the racing resume. 748 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:07,907 If they can't meet that 30 minute window, 749 00:31:07,908 --> 00:31:10,576 that location has to eat the cost. 750 00:31:10,577 --> 00:31:13,245 In terms of a marketing ploy, it's brilliant. 751 00:31:13,246 --> 00:31:14,705 But in terms of running a business, 752 00:31:14,706 --> 00:31:17,292 it is a wildly unforgiving proposition. 753 00:31:18,835 --> 00:31:22,296 By 1989, there are over 20 delivery fatalities 754 00:31:22,297 --> 00:31:24,381 nationwide. 755 00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:28,469 And in St. Louis, a $79 million award 756 00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:30,763 is given to a woman who was injured 757 00:31:30,764 --> 00:31:32,891 by a driver running a red light. 758 00:31:34,226 --> 00:31:35,976 So the company, they can't continue the policy. 759 00:31:35,977 --> 00:31:39,105 Founder Tom Monaghan, he calls a press conference 760 00:31:39,106 --> 00:31:42,108 and lets everyone know the 30-minute guarantee 761 00:31:42,109 --> 00:31:43,818 has come to an end. 762 00:31:43,819 --> 00:31:48,739 Now, today, globally, Domino's is still the dominant 763 00:31:48,740 --> 00:31:51,033 name when it comes to pizza delivery. 764 00:31:51,034 --> 00:31:54,495 It is still getting to you pretty quickly, 765 00:31:54,496 --> 00:31:56,038 but it's getting to you safely 766 00:31:56,039 --> 00:31:58,332 and it's keeping the public safe. 767 00:31:58,333 --> 00:32:00,042 But even though it got out of control, 768 00:32:00,043 --> 00:32:03,546 that 30-minute guarantee made pizza delivery 769 00:32:03,547 --> 00:32:05,047 like combat sport. 770 00:32:05,048 --> 00:32:06,215 It was exciting. 771 00:32:06,216 --> 00:32:08,425 Every time you ordered a pizza, 772 00:32:08,426 --> 00:32:10,428 something magical could happen. 773 00:32:12,097 --> 00:32:14,849 So the next time you order delivery from an app, 774 00:32:14,850 --> 00:32:18,895 remember the trailblazing pizza drivers of the 1980s. 775 00:32:21,606 --> 00:32:23,774 In the era of silent films, 776 00:32:23,775 --> 00:32:26,152 Hollywood knew that thrilling visuals were everything. 777 00:32:26,153 --> 00:32:28,362 But decades before CGI, 778 00:32:28,363 --> 00:32:31,282 the danger wasn't just part of the story, 779 00:32:31,283 --> 00:32:32,784 it was part of the job. 780 00:32:34,202 --> 00:32:37,037 In the 1920s, Americans have become obsessed 781 00:32:37,038 --> 00:32:38,455 with Hollywood movies. 782 00:32:38,456 --> 00:32:41,667 There are now 20,000 movie theaters in the country. 783 00:32:41,668 --> 00:32:44,545 That has doubled the amount of public high schools. 784 00:32:44,546 --> 00:32:45,963 The studios in Hollywood, they have one 785 00:32:45,964 --> 00:32:48,841 important job, and that is they have to feed that beast. 786 00:32:48,842 --> 00:32:50,593 They have to churn out movies. 787 00:32:50,594 --> 00:32:53,013 And to do that, they need actors. 788 00:32:54,306 --> 00:32:56,807 Aspiring actors flock to Los Angeles, 789 00:32:56,808 --> 00:32:59,268 and what they find is an industry 790 00:32:59,269 --> 00:33:02,897 that prizes spectacle above all else. 791 00:33:02,898 --> 00:33:05,191 This is the silent film era. 792 00:33:05,192 --> 00:33:07,234 There's no dialogue. 793 00:33:07,235 --> 00:33:11,488 So to draw an audience, films have to be larger than life. 794 00:33:11,489 --> 00:33:13,991 That means a lot of stunts. 795 00:33:13,992 --> 00:33:15,910 Today, before any action-packed scene happens, 796 00:33:15,911 --> 00:33:19,163 all these experts weigh in on how to make a scene safe. 797 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:21,290 And typically there is a trained stunt man 798 00:33:21,291 --> 00:33:23,126 to step in for the actor to do it. 799 00:33:24,502 --> 00:33:27,087 Back then, movie makers really have to put actors 800 00:33:27,088 --> 00:33:28,923 in these real situations. 801 00:33:28,924 --> 00:33:32,051 They could be dangling from cliffs or in a fire, 802 00:33:32,052 --> 00:33:33,719 jumping from a train. 803 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,889 And there's no CGI at this time, so you can't fake anything. 804 00:33:36,890 --> 00:33:39,058 It is as dangerous as it gets. 805 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,231 In the 1920s, safety standards effectively 806 00:33:45,232 --> 00:33:46,649 did not exist. 807 00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:48,484 Producers and directors are sort of making things up 808 00:33:48,485 --> 00:33:49,902 as they go along. 809 00:33:49,903 --> 00:33:51,403 They're just like, 810 00:33:51,404 --> 00:33:53,405 "No, someone's gotta jump off this moving horse. 811 00:33:53,406 --> 00:33:54,240 It's gonna be you." 812 00:33:54,241 --> 00:33:55,574 Plain and simple. 813 00:33:57,994 --> 00:33:59,620 In 1928, "Steamboat Bill Jr," 814 00:33:59,621 --> 00:34:01,997 one of the most iconic film scenes of all time, 815 00:34:01,998 --> 00:34:04,959 Buster Keaton stands in front of a two-story house 816 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:08,087 whose front is blown over by a cyclone, 817 00:34:08,088 --> 00:34:10,089 and it topples perfectly over, 818 00:34:10,090 --> 00:34:13,759 slotting him through an open window unscathed. 819 00:34:16,554 --> 00:34:18,973 But that was the real front of a building 820 00:34:18,974 --> 00:34:21,934 falling over the real Buster Keaton. 821 00:34:21,935 --> 00:34:24,602 No one had ever seen anything like it before. 822 00:34:24,603 --> 00:34:26,397 I mean, they only had one shot at it. 823 00:34:26,398 --> 00:34:27,315 And it worked. 824 00:34:28,565 --> 00:34:30,859 But playing fast and loose with stunts 825 00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:33,071 doesn't always have a Hollywood ending. 826 00:34:34,531 --> 00:34:37,157 In 1925, during the filming of the movie "Ben-Hur," 827 00:34:37,158 --> 00:34:38,951 a wheel came off one of the chariots 828 00:34:38,952 --> 00:34:40,536 and the driver was killed. 829 00:34:41,788 --> 00:34:43,914 In 1928, during the filming of "Noah's Ark," 830 00:34:43,915 --> 00:34:47,042 600,000 gallons of water were released 831 00:34:47,043 --> 00:34:49,045 and three extras are drowned. 832 00:34:50,547 --> 00:34:54,216 Between 1925 and 1930, there are 10,000 incidents 833 00:34:54,217 --> 00:34:56,343 of people being injured on movie sets. 834 00:34:56,344 --> 00:34:58,804 There are actually 55 deaths. 835 00:34:58,805 --> 00:34:59,847 If there's an accident on a set, 836 00:34:59,848 --> 00:35:01,515 it's just like, 837 00:35:01,516 --> 00:35:03,267 "Okay, well, we're gonna need a different person to do that. 838 00:35:03,268 --> 00:35:04,768 Let's move on, all right?" 839 00:35:04,769 --> 00:35:06,604 The show must go on. 840 00:35:06,605 --> 00:35:08,314 Even after the silent era, 841 00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:10,525 Hollywood keeps playing with fire. 842 00:35:11,610 --> 00:35:13,777 In "The Wizard of Oz," 1939, 843 00:35:13,778 --> 00:35:15,154 Margaret Hamilton, 844 00:35:15,155 --> 00:35:16,739 who's playing the Wicked Witch of the West, 845 00:35:16,740 --> 00:35:18,282 she's got her famous line where she says, 846 00:35:18,283 --> 00:35:21,578 "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too." 847 00:35:23,079 --> 00:35:24,997 And then she's supposed to spin around in a puff of smoke, 848 00:35:24,998 --> 00:35:27,291 disappear, and then there's an explosion. 849 00:35:27,292 --> 00:35:29,501 The crew accidentally sets off the explosions 850 00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:31,045 before she's out of harm's way, 851 00:35:31,046 --> 00:35:33,714 and her costume catches on fire. 852 00:35:33,715 --> 00:35:38,762 To make matters worse, her iconic green makeup is toxic. 853 00:35:39,888 --> 00:35:41,680 If it burns, it will melt to her skin. 854 00:35:41,681 --> 00:35:45,893 So crew members frantically try to, one, put out the flames, 855 00:35:45,894 --> 00:35:48,771 and two, scrub her of the makeup 856 00:35:48,772 --> 00:35:51,148 so she doesn't get further injured. 857 00:35:51,149 --> 00:35:54,903 She does survive, but walks away with third degree burns. 858 00:35:55,987 --> 00:35:57,488 Over the decades, 859 00:35:57,489 --> 00:36:00,908 Hollywood just starts to take safety more seriously. 860 00:36:00,909 --> 00:36:04,078 Accidents still occur, injuries, even some deaths, 861 00:36:04,079 --> 00:36:05,664 but they are far less common. 862 00:36:07,123 --> 00:36:09,625 Some of the scenes that Buster Keaton shot 863 00:36:09,626 --> 00:36:11,001 and some of these guys shot, 864 00:36:11,002 --> 00:36:14,254 a hundred years later, they're still amazing 865 00:36:14,255 --> 00:36:18,467 and captivating to watch because it's all real. 866 00:36:21,596 --> 00:36:24,598 I can tell you, every actor today 867 00:36:24,599 --> 00:36:27,184 owes something to those early pioneers. 868 00:36:27,185 --> 00:36:28,811 They filmed in black and white 869 00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:31,314 and they went home black and blue. 870 00:36:34,067 --> 00:36:36,276 Did you know that there was a time 871 00:36:36,277 --> 00:36:37,778 when giving blood wasn't a donation, 872 00:36:37,779 --> 00:36:38,862 it was a paycheck. 873 00:36:38,863 --> 00:36:40,572 And while it sounded like easy money, 874 00:36:40,573 --> 00:36:42,450 it could take a lot out of you. 875 00:36:43,743 --> 00:36:45,994 Innovation often comes out of war. 876 00:36:45,995 --> 00:36:48,914 And during World War II, blood transfusions are used 877 00:36:48,915 --> 00:36:51,417 in a widespread way for the first time. 878 00:36:51,418 --> 00:36:53,043 After the war ends, 879 00:36:53,044 --> 00:36:55,671 blood transfusions then become a common medical procedure 880 00:36:55,672 --> 00:36:57,798 used on civilians. 881 00:36:57,799 --> 00:36:59,383 But here's the problem. 882 00:36:59,384 --> 00:37:02,469 Blood transfusions only work if somebody donates blood. 883 00:37:02,470 --> 00:37:03,887 And after the war ends, 884 00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:06,056 people are way less motivated to donate, 885 00:37:06,057 --> 00:37:08,058 and so there's just a lot less available. 886 00:37:08,059 --> 00:37:10,602 The supply is not meeting the demand. 887 00:37:10,603 --> 00:37:13,565 So the solution is simple, throw money at the problem. 888 00:37:14,774 --> 00:37:16,525 Across the country, commercial blood banks 889 00:37:16,526 --> 00:37:20,654 and clinics open up, offering cash for a pint. 890 00:37:20,655 --> 00:37:24,032 A man might make a quick $5 just by rolling up his sleeve, 891 00:37:24,033 --> 00:37:25,617 maybe even 10. 892 00:37:25,618 --> 00:37:29,079 That's $145 in today's money for something that your body 893 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,415 just automatically keeps making. 894 00:37:31,416 --> 00:37:32,958 How easy is that? 895 00:37:32,959 --> 00:37:35,961 And thus is born a new job 896 00:37:35,962 --> 00:37:38,882 called the professional blood donor. 897 00:37:40,216 --> 00:37:43,010 If I'm getting paid $150 for my blood, I would take it, 898 00:37:43,011 --> 00:37:44,595 you know what I mean? 899 00:37:44,596 --> 00:37:47,806 Like, I can see why people jumped on this bandwagon. 900 00:37:47,807 --> 00:37:49,725 And once the cash starts flowing, 901 00:37:49,726 --> 00:37:51,643 so does the blood. 902 00:37:51,644 --> 00:37:55,022 There are some rules about how often you can donate, 903 00:37:55,023 --> 00:37:56,857 but donors try to slip under the radar 904 00:37:56,858 --> 00:37:59,610 by going to different clinics to keep the cash rolling in. 905 00:37:59,611 --> 00:38:01,236 And even when they get busted, 906 00:38:01,237 --> 00:38:03,405 some blood banks like to look the other way 907 00:38:03,406 --> 00:38:05,073 to keep the supply flowing. 908 00:38:05,074 --> 00:38:07,910 There's some pro donors that end up going every week, 909 00:38:07,911 --> 00:38:10,454 sometimes even every few days, 910 00:38:10,455 --> 00:38:12,664 because in their mind it's like, what's the problem? 911 00:38:12,665 --> 00:38:14,375 My body's gonna make more. 912 00:38:15,376 --> 00:38:17,127 Donating blood multiple times a week, 913 00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:19,922 it's terrible for your body. 914 00:38:19,923 --> 00:38:22,800 Modern guidelines say wait at least eight weeks 915 00:38:22,801 --> 00:38:25,052 in between blood donations. 916 00:38:25,053 --> 00:38:28,138 So if you're giving blood multiple times a week, 917 00:38:28,139 --> 00:38:29,640 even once a week, 918 00:38:29,641 --> 00:38:32,267 you can imagine you're like a video game character 919 00:38:32,268 --> 00:38:33,560 and your health meter 920 00:38:33,561 --> 00:38:36,731 just keeps running lower and lower and lower. 921 00:38:37,816 --> 00:38:39,858 Low blood supply means low iron, 922 00:38:39,859 --> 00:38:41,985 and that means constant fatigue. 923 00:38:41,986 --> 00:38:43,362 So you've got donors 924 00:38:43,363 --> 00:38:45,239 who are sometimes so weak that they're fainting 925 00:38:45,240 --> 00:38:46,949 when they go to give more blood. 926 00:38:46,950 --> 00:38:49,827 But there's also some really weird symptoms that happen, 927 00:38:49,828 --> 00:38:51,745 like restless leg syndrome, 928 00:38:51,746 --> 00:38:56,834 or really brittle nails, or the urge to eat ice. 929 00:38:56,835 --> 00:38:58,585 Isn't that weird? 930 00:38:58,586 --> 00:39:01,755 People with low iron have pica, 931 00:39:01,756 --> 00:39:06,093 and people with pica crave weird things like dirt. 932 00:39:06,094 --> 00:39:09,471 So they will end up going into their own backyards 933 00:39:09,472 --> 00:39:12,766 and just grabbing a handful of dirt and just eating it. 934 00:39:12,767 --> 00:39:16,812 And they know it's crazy, but their body is craving it. 935 00:39:16,813 --> 00:39:19,147 The other big issue is the lack of sterilization. 936 00:39:19,148 --> 00:39:21,608 I mean, today, we have disposable needles, 937 00:39:21,609 --> 00:39:23,402 disposable tubes, disposable bags. 938 00:39:23,403 --> 00:39:26,321 Anything associated with blood is like a one-time use. 939 00:39:26,322 --> 00:39:29,241 But in the '50s, a lot of the gear is getting reused. 940 00:39:29,242 --> 00:39:31,493 And so you've got glass, you've got rubber, 941 00:39:31,494 --> 00:39:34,538 and they get washed, but not always perfectly. 942 00:39:34,539 --> 00:39:35,914 And if it doesn't get properly sterilized, 943 00:39:35,915 --> 00:39:38,750 there's just this massive risk of infection. 944 00:39:38,751 --> 00:39:40,878 But at least the donors are cashing in 945 00:39:40,879 --> 00:39:43,046 on bleeding themselves dry. 946 00:39:43,047 --> 00:39:45,424 But what's in it for the blood recipients 947 00:39:45,425 --> 00:39:47,843 are some things they didn't sign up for. 948 00:39:49,178 --> 00:39:51,930 It's important to be able to screen this blood 949 00:39:51,931 --> 00:39:54,808 to make sure that you are not unintentionally giving 950 00:39:54,809 --> 00:39:58,186 a disease to the person who's already in a bad place 951 00:39:58,187 --> 00:39:59,897 and needs a blood transfusion. 952 00:39:59,898 --> 00:40:02,441 But the major problem is in the '50s and '60s, 953 00:40:02,442 --> 00:40:05,819 we can't test for a lot of these diseases. 954 00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:08,238 At this time, there's only one that we can test for, 955 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:09,531 which is syphilis. 956 00:40:09,532 --> 00:40:10,908 So that's good. 957 00:40:10,909 --> 00:40:13,201 But what about all the other things? 958 00:40:13,202 --> 00:40:15,329 Doctors know there's risk of other diseases, 959 00:40:15,330 --> 00:40:17,706 like hepatitis, but they don't have tests for them. 960 00:40:17,707 --> 00:40:20,167 So all they can do is just ask the donor, 961 00:40:20,168 --> 00:40:21,877 "Hey, do you have hepatitis?" 962 00:40:21,878 --> 00:40:24,922 And hope that they know and tell you the truth. 963 00:40:24,923 --> 00:40:27,633 They're not gonna say, "Yes, I have this thing. 964 00:40:27,634 --> 00:40:28,717 Don't take my blood. 965 00:40:28,718 --> 00:40:30,719 Don't give me money." 966 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,306 In the '50s and '60s, there's about a 17% chance 967 00:40:34,307 --> 00:40:36,642 that you will transmit hepatitis B 968 00:40:36,643 --> 00:40:38,853 to somebody who greatly needs that blood. 969 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,982 By the late 1960s, it's too hard to ignore 970 00:40:43,983 --> 00:40:46,526 that this blood trade is risky business, 971 00:40:46,527 --> 00:40:50,238 so they decide to stop the bleeding. 972 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:52,908 The federal government steps up in 1972. 973 00:40:52,909 --> 00:40:55,494 The FDA puts much more restrictive regulations 974 00:40:55,495 --> 00:40:56,954 on blood banks. 975 00:40:56,955 --> 00:40:59,373 It mandates more thorough testing for disease. 976 00:40:59,374 --> 00:41:01,375 It limits the amount people can donate. 977 00:41:01,376 --> 00:41:04,962 Today, that's about every 56 days, about six times a year. 978 00:41:04,963 --> 00:41:08,215 And most importantly, a new government policy 979 00:41:08,216 --> 00:41:10,717 prohibits paying for whole blood. 980 00:41:10,718 --> 00:41:13,262 In other words, no more blood money. 981 00:41:14,847 --> 00:41:16,723 Sure, the old ways to make a buck 982 00:41:16,724 --> 00:41:18,517 were a little unorthodox. 983 00:41:18,518 --> 00:41:21,061 Whether you were dangling off a skyscraper, 984 00:41:21,062 --> 00:41:23,313 riding logs through the rapids, 985 00:41:23,314 --> 00:41:25,899 or draining your veins for cash, 986 00:41:25,900 --> 00:41:27,818 the math was always the same. 987 00:41:27,819 --> 00:41:30,404 The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. 988 00:41:30,405 --> 00:41:33,407 And maybe that's what made our hazardous history 989 00:41:33,408 --> 00:41:34,992 worth every penny.