The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - 80 - The Hollow Earth

Episode Date: May 15, 2015

Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds examine the Hollow Earth Theory and its effect on American science exploration. SOURCESTOUR DATESREDBUBBLE MERCHPATREON

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American history. Each week I read a story from American history to my friend Gareth Reynolds who has no idea what the topic is about. Anything else to say? I'm grumpy and tired. God do you want to look who to do? I'll do one bottle. People say this is funny. Not Gary Gareth. Stay okay. Someone or something is tickling people. Is it for fun? And this is not going to become a tickly podcast. Okay. You are queen fakie of made-up town. All hail Queen Shit of Liesville. A bunch of religious virgins go to mingle and do my thing. Hi, Gary. Edmund Haley. Do you want to just start with the dating shot again? It is known for his insights into the nature of comets, recognizing their

elliptical periodicity. And precisely identifying the cyclical nature of one that now bears his name. That's Haley's comet. We already did one about that. But it was in 1691 that Haley came up with a theory about the earth. He deduced that the earth's magnetic field changes because the earth was hollow. And he thought hollow earth beings lived in the middle of our planet. Oh, whoa. What buddy? What? This is, there's no, there's no foreplay on this one. You're just jamming her in. We are right into her. Jesus, you thought the earth was like one of those weird chocolate Dutch eggs? Yeah, and hopefully there's chocolate in there too.

People, okay. Like Fraggle Rock. Yeah, it's a lot like Fraggle Rock. Sure. Haley said the earth consisted of a hollow shell about 500 miles thick. I love that he just came up with that number. Like there's no, I mean, there's no evidence of any of this, but then to like top it off with these weird details. No, it's 500 miles and then it's all in there. It's all just hollow. Scientology's taught us one thing. It's the specificity is what hooks them. So then there's two inner concentric shells at an innermost core about the diameters of the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Okay, so he's just totally out of his tits. He's going for it. Yeah, but he's,

I mean, like you just alluded to, there's no proof. I think a big part of science is just going for it. Totally go for it. Shoot first, ask questions last. He said atmospheres separated the shells and each shell had its own magnetic pole and the spheres rotated at different speeds. So inside the earth, there's other planets that are spinning and going different speeds. Well, what was the movie Guillermo del Toro did with the giant robots fighting in the oceans? Oh, I don't remember. But yeah, I know your time. Pacific Rim. Pacific Rim. But those things came from inside the earth. They were living in

there. Oh, okay. So well, he's validated. Well, that's, I think that's science. Yeah, that's definitely science. The idea of a hollow earth persists through the next centuries, despite scientific proof of any kind. Haley's idea of a race of rational beings, rational also. Yeah. So, so they're better than us already. Right. Populating the hollow or hollow space of the earth resonated with people throughout the 19th century. So people, a lot of people like this is a fucking great idea. This is right. This sounds good. You know what? This guy's not just comets. This guy also knows what's inside of earth's guts. Okay, so he called the

comet which he could see and then he also said a bunch of stuff he couldn't see. This guy can't miss. He's on fire right now with these concepts. Holy shit, you guys. Haley's going for it. Hey, guys. Do you hear what bread is? It's a dog. Look at Haley. Much of this belief was due to God. It was presumed that all planets that circle a sun must support sentient life. What? Like earth. God did nothing without purpose and it was clear therefore that God would have placed life on other planets so that they would be inhabited in the same way as our own. Oh, well, yeah. Okay. Can you find any holes? No. You know, look, it's such an

easy cuz God. That's just an easy ask anything cuz God. God wouldn't put us here if he wasn't gonna put other people on other planets. Why would he do it? Cuz God. Hey, now. Huh? Enter Cleves Sims Jr. Cleves. The name's so good they had to name another child. I mean, I assume it's Cleves. It's like Steve's. It's spelled like Steve's with. There's not really a better version. Cleves? I like Cleves. It just sounds better. Cleves. He was born in 1779 to a well-known family. His uncle was a delegate to the Congressional Congress, fought in the Revolutionary War and served on the New Jersey Supreme Court. So he's coming from a family. Sure.

A fucking some hot shit. Some ballers. John Cleves Sims Jr. added junior to his name so he wouldn't be confused with his uncle, John. Oh, well, can I? Sure. So he he's not actually a junior. Right. But since he had the same name as his uncle he was like, well, I just call myself junior. Sure. You can do that. And who would want to be confused with this super respected famous guy? Well, dude, you don't want to get any of that heat. Come on now. John joined the military at 1802 at the age of 22. He was very successful in his military career unlike almost everyone else we have done a dollop about. Right. During the War of 1812 he served as a captain.

He fought and won a duel. How about that? Yeah. Well, we know that's no easy task. He learned French and Spanish and married Marianne Longwood. Oh, this is a good story. Man Longwood Jr. Mm hmm. That should become to know. Everybody had to become a junior in the family. Yep. In 1816 he left the army and settled in St. Louis to trade with the Fox Indians. So that's he's like, I'm going out to the frontier. I'm just trade some beaver pelts for some squaws or whatever you do. Yep. Beaver pelts for squaws. His uncle. Oh, I already did that. I'm okay. Okay. Do you need? John was a radical thinker and a pseudo scientist. Pseudos tough there. Well, he

read a lot of books. So that's I mean, I you know, like, I feel like he's gonna go for it. I could have I could read two books on guitars. I wouldn't say I'm a pseudo guitarist. I'd say I read two books on guitar. I think back then you were a I'm the world's best guitar player. You could do that back then. No one was calling you on any shit. That was a better time. In December 1817, John saw a comet explode in a way that he interpreted as indicating it was not only hollow but also open at its poles. It's actually just a meteor. But he called it a comet. Comments don't come down explode. But so he saw it

explode. So he saw a meteor explode. And he looked at it and he said, Well, the way that exploded, there's must be hollow and open at the end. Yeah. Okay. See what this is going? Oh boy. He then extrapolated that all planets were hollow. Oh, no. And had holes at the end. And were filled with smarter people. In 1818, a handbill announcing itself as circular number one began appearing in letter boxes throughout the United States. Okay. It was addressed quote to all the world exclamation point. Oh, Jesus Christ. That's a lot of printing. Yeah. And proclaimed an original and wholly American theory of the earth structure

and geography. I'm nervous. I declare the earth is hollow and habitable within containing a number of solid concentric spheres one within the other and that it is open at the polls. Wait. I pledge my life in support of this truth. And I am ready to explore the hollow if the world will support and aid me in the undertaking. Signed John Cleave signs of Ohio. Signed Google. I like noodles and bikes. Signed spaghetti's good. So yeah, he thinks it's like one of those Russian dolls, right? Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Right? Yeah, for sure. And okay, to the world is a great way to

address it. I have ready for the press a treatise on the principles of matter. Where in? I show proofs of the above positions account for various phenomena and disclose Dr. Darwin's golden secret. My terms are the patronage of this and new worlds I dedicate to my wife and her 10 children. My wife and her 10 children? I don't know what happened there. I know she had been previously married. I don't know if she came with 10 kids and if she did. How did she? That's a lot of baggage. Jesus. So he seems like he might be a saint. Her 10, I mean, who marries a lady with 10 kids. I mean the way if you're the lady, the way you've got to bring

that up, it just has to be a set. You have to be a pseudoscientist. So because you start date four with like, there's something I have to tell you, I actually have a kid, you know, he's like, Oh, okay. Times. Yeah, okay. And then, you know, you go another four days ago. I haven't been totally honest. My daughter has a brother. And, and he has a brother. And he has a brother. So I have three kids. And then when you get them to meet, you just bring out seven. Oh, did I not mention? Oh, I'm sorry. You got three left in the closet. They, they keep splitting. There's just, there's splitting. Another one. They're Adam's moses. Excuse me. Yep. And then once you

fornicate, just have the other three come in. Oh, yeah. After you fornicate. So you're saying that once he gets the action, he's like, Yeah, 10s cool. Well, this is a different time, you know, this is like a guy, a guy would, you know, yeah, he'd have to walk miles. I ask 100. He didn't just have an app on his phone to go ahead. All right, you ready for his ask? Yeah, I ask 100 brave companions well equipped. I'm asking for 100 fucking idiots. Well equipped to start from Siberia in the fall season with reindeer and sleighs on the ice of the frozen sea. We're gonna fly there, gentlemen. And anyone who gives a shit gets cold. I

engage. We find a warm and rich land stocked with elves stock with thrifty vegetables and animals. If not men on reaching one degree northward of latitude 62. We will return the succeeding spring. So he's got a plan. Yeah, just dipping the earth for a little while. Come back out. 100 bros. Go down there, get some veggies. 100 bros live, maybe bring back a rabbit or another dude, whatever's down there. I can go and make some presents inside Earth. Yeah. John printed 500 copies of his circular. It set them to philosophical societies, colleges, foreign rulers and governments, American politicians and natural

philosophers throughout the United States and Europe. I just love it. Some guy in Bulgaria is like, uh, what? What do you want us to you? You go center? He lives like Santa Claus. He says like Santa Claus then goes inside the earth. He says vegetables. Lots of vegetables. Potato. Potatoes are lovely. He also attached to each copy a certificate attesting to his sanity. Well, Dave, we all know that you're in a good place when you have to attach a I'm not crazy letter. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's you know, you're sending out something that's taken a pretty big step. I am not a crazy person. Yeah. When you have to

attach a certified letter. Now, I know what you're thinking. This guy sounds fucking crazy. Right. Because I'm not crazy. Okay. If you see the attached newsletter, do you'll see that I'm not actually crazy. Right. You're crazy for thinking that I'm crazy. But here, just let me give you a sure. I'd like to counter that and then you do have the note from a doctor saying you are saying. Yes. But then you sent out a crazy letter with it. No, no, no. Not a crazy letter. Okay. No, no, no. That is a letter of my intentions. Right. And then to prove that I'm not crazy. Right. If you look on the back there, you'll see

a letter that says, what does it say? It says you're not crazy. Thank you. This whole letter says you're crazy. If you look on the back, there's another letter. Right. I see that one. Okay. I'm just saying they cancel each other out a little bit. Listen, I'd love for you to come. What's in the middle of earth? Yeah. Lots of great produce. Great deli. It's like a great supermarket. Unfortunately, his circular was met with overwhelming ridicule. I'm sorry, we must have missed something because it sounds like you're still talking about him and there's no way he was ridiculed. But that did not deter John. He continued to promote his

theory relentlessly over the next decade. In 1820, he moved to Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, which was at that point an emerging outpost of American science. There, John devoted himself completely to promoting the hollow earth theory. Jesus. He toured the country giving speeches about this terrific news. His speaking fees and donations from supporters covered his travel and lecture expenses, but not much else. This left the family 10 kids. Yeah. This left the family in great debt. What about he had 10 kids and then came up with the theory to get out of the fucking house? Oh, what about, oh

my god, what have I married into? Yeah. This will take me on the road. Yeah. I'll just say the inside of earth's hollow and off we go. Earth's a ping-pong ball. So his family just scraped by on rents from farms inherited from his famous uncle and his brother Peyton would kick in a little cash now and then to help him out. John was said to be an intelligent, informed, and tireless researcher who was 100% convinced of his theory. He was also completely immune to shame and ridicule and critiques of his theory. He never blamed his critics for failing to see the truth. Instead, he assumed it was his fault for failing to communicate his

theory clearly. So this is the kind of thing where people will be like, well, it's not actually hollow because of the way it spins and we can see the other planets and it's not, and there's no holes at the end and he would go, oh, you're not hearing me. You're not hearing me. I'm saying it's hollow. Right. And we're saying that if you look at the science, it's not hollow. Okay. But there's holes at the end and it's hollow. Nope. That's where you're wrong. Everything you just said is inaccurate. Okay. So you're not hearing me correctly. I'm going to explain it correctly. Just let me talk. Just let me talk. So it's hollow. Yeah,

you've already said all this shit and I've already read your letter that says you're not crazy. Right. Yeah, you're crazy. Okay. So then there's holes at the end. All right, buddy. Great to see you. That's great to see. I feel like that's a conversation. He kind of sounds like a shitty comic. I was totally thinking that when I was right. He's kind of like this guy who's like got a bunch of shitty bits. And then like even when he's explaining them stands by the fact that the explanation makes them good. Yeah, everyone's like, no. I'm just saying, dude, the go ahead. The first reference to his theory is found in a letter to his step

son, Anthony, dated August 17th, 1817. This is to his step son, Anthony, who probably thought his dad was crazy quote. From the curious formation of Saturn, I infer that all planets and globes are hollow. He does not elaborate anymore. And he must have written some terrific letters to his family members. Wait, what? That's all he said. That was his letter. That was the letter. He didn't explain more as to why he just wrote it down. So it was real. Right. Now he mentioned Saturn because Jean-Jacques de Marien had a theory about Saturn's rings. He hypothesized that the ring was a remnant of an outer shell that had

broken into pieces and fallen to the Earth's surface. So that's what some guy theorized, which is a horrible thing. If you're looking at a ring, if you look at a ring around a planet, say, well, that must be that was probably a one point of bigger sphere shell that cracked open because I'm looking at a yo, I can't figure out in my little stupid 19th century brain how there could be a ring. Yeah. So I just thought it was engaged to Pluto. It just looks like there's so. Pluto put a ring on it. Pretty much all astronomers dismissed the idea, but John was like, that's it, the Saturn idea. Bingo. He then proposed that

the Appalachian mountains were the remnants of a collapsed ring that once encircled the Earth. Oh, well, that's not hard to picture. What? The mountains were formed because of a shell? Yep. Yep. Find a dandy. Go with that. Very good with that. Very good with that. John was also adamant that he had come up with this theory on his own, despite Haley, Benjamin Franklin's proposal that the Earth was filled with gas, Swiss mathematician, Leonardo Euler, and an aboriginal mythology that also says it's. But other than all those outside of that, other than those, he was like mine. Yeah, I did this. John pretty much took

every fact that he ran across and jammed it into his theory, including descriptions of clouds, the aurora borealis, components of magnetic variation, temperature distributions, patterns of wind and ocean currents, aboriginal hunting practices, animal migrations, the distribution of driftwood on the shores of Nova Zelmia. Sorry. Zemla. Zemlil. What is this list? These are all things that he that he would take and go, oh, this fits into my my hollow theory. So he just had like a Frankenstein hollow theory? Any time, basically any time anybody would bring something up, he would go, oh, that works

with my with my hollow Earth theory. Yeah. It doesn't matter what it was. Yeah. Okay. He would just be like, that's a yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Marmalade. Yeah, part of Earth is marmalade. Every single thing that he ran across to help prove the Earth was hollow. He also believed that since bones and feather quills were hollow, then so was the Earth. Okay. You know, two plus two equal equals four means, right? Uh huh. That's what we're talking about. That feels a little more dense than that. Science. That's not. John pinpointed. I'm not crazy. I'm not. I said a letter. Here's a letter. John pinpointed that would be great if the

people opened up the sanity letter before they opened up the other letter, or they just didn't get the other letter. What is this? I'm not crazy. I'm just going to start sending those out. Hello. My name's Gareth Reynolds. Now I'm not crazy. John pinpointed the exact location of the polar openings using patterns of isotherms, vegetation and ice distribution. But what is it? It's just for what like? Well, they they move. They have movements, all those things and vegetation grows in certain places and ice is just distributed. But it's not proving in different because of stuff. Okay. Isotherms. I'm not crazy. I move on

through. Listen to me and listen good. He said the southern opening was larger than the northern opening. Mmm. Sure. Why not? Why not get down to that sort of bullshit? It's like my butthole and penis. Can we talk to you over here for a second? I'm in the middle of a goddamn speech. There were some obvious problems with his theory. First, vegetables need light to grow and need warmth. Sure. On the vegetable front, John said that there's a lot of dense atmosphere in the poles, which would cause light refraction, bending the light rays and allowing it to be a nice light and warm in the middle of the earth. That's no

brainer. Okay. So the atmosphere is do you understand what's happening? The atmosphere is dense. There's a lot of particles. Yeah. No, I understand. We have light inside of the earth. Particles. The vegetables because there's particles in it. Yeah. Light would hit the particles and then it would bend, bend it into the middle of the earth. That's what I mean. Like a mirror. Right. Exactly. But at this point, it's warm in there. Okay. You keep going. Go ahead. Well, that's just bullshit. It's just there's no like at some point, you know, it's just like if someone's telling you an elaborate lie. No, he figured out the vegetable thing.

No, I don't think that he did. When people pointed out there wouldn't be gravity in the middle of the earth so people couldn't live there, John just said Newton was wrong about gravity. Oh, no, Newton's way off. Newton's way off on this one. No, Newton's were wrong on this. There's gravity inside of the earth. There's good food, good times, great music, and Newton's an idiot. Reactions. Does Newton have a letter that says that he's not crazy? No, he doesn't. Well, I do. It's right here. Okay, I'm gonna. I'd like you to read it. I'm reading. I'm not crazy. Reactions in the scientific community were not the greatest, though

the occasional big scientists would encourage him. The reaction. Hey, keep going dumbass. The reaction of natural historian Thomas Lay was more than norm. Quote, the partial insanity of this man is of a singular nature. It caused him to pervert the supporting of an evidently absurd theory, all the fact which he has been able to collect from a vast number of authorities. He appears conversant with every work of travels from herds to humbolts, and there is not a fact to be found in these which he does not manage with considerable ingenuity to bring to the support of his favorite theory. In listening to the expositions

of the concovity of our globe, we felt that interest which is inevitably awakened by the aberration of an unregulated mind. So that's his way of saying. It's interesting when you go to the scientific community for validation and you're almost there study. Like the way he's like talking about him. Yeah, come on in here. We're gonna talk to you. You know, he's a fascinating case. Honest travels, John met and became friends with Major Thomas H. Long, who was the first who was on the first leg of his exploration of the Northwest Territory. Major Long was one of those who responded positively to the theory.

While John was mostly being ridiculed in papers in the media, he was gaining in popularity in the West, where he was spending much of his time. His personality was engaging and his writings were beginning to gain respect. Cincinnati first became a stronghold for John. His lecture tours were received positively and he started getting favorable press reports by. Yeah, I'm shaking my head. By 1823, John's enthusiasts were hosting benefits and even began organizing the logistics of Captain Sam's Polar Expedition. I'm sorry. What? What was that? They're organizing the logistics of his. They're getting ready to go into the

earth. They're organizing the logistics of his Polar Expedition to find the hole to get into the earth. So he's finally found some people who are dumb enough to try to crawl inside of Earth's butthole. In Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, people were petitioning Congress to fund the mission. John's biggest and most important convert was an Ohio newspaper editor named Jeremiah Reynolds. Reynolds became so obsessed with the Polar Exploration that he became John Simon's protege and the bearer of his legacy. Reynolds realized John's theory would have to be accepted by the East and particularly the people

in the cities for ships to set sail to find the hole in the pole. To find the pole hole? Pole hole. Ships. I mean, what are they gonna? It's not like a fucking bathtub drain. Reynolds convinced John to go on a tour of the East Coast. At first it was not going well. But then it began to pick up steam as it moved through Virginia and Pennsylvania. People came out to see the crazy man lecture but because of his personality, they left wondering if maybe he could be right. Oh God. While on the tour, they learned that Count Romanov, Chancellor of Russia under Tsar Alexander, was planning a polar expedition. He had heard of John's

theory and wanted John to be part of the journey. Oh God. But John passed and used the information to rile up audiences in Philadelphia. He told people he would go with Romanov unless his fellow countrymen sent him north on their own account. We're gonna let the Ruskies get inside of Earth, saying his first. I don't think so. The ploy tapped into America, American nationalism. He suddenly had a new legitimacy and attendance greatly increased at his lectures. I mean, you could just picture that. You could just picture the Fox News of it. Oh God. Oh God. Yeah. We're so fucking stupid. Then Reynolds and John had a fight because

Reynolds publicly acknowledged that maybe people couldn't live in the middle of the earth. Oh, can you imagine? So, um, that's betrayal. What the fuck happened out there? I just, I said, they asked me if maybe it's a possibility that people couldn't live in the middle. Yeah, I heard what happened. I'm asking you what happened. Well, they just asked the question and I answered honestly that's a possibility. People can live inside of Earth. We have great vegetables and fruit in there. Light bends. Okay. Newton's a fucking idiot. Okay. I am not crazy. They both went to New York, or they had arguments through the press. Oh, that's

fun. They finally made up. Well, why don't you tell him, okay, that that theory, and I am air quoting theory. He's standing right next to you. They finally made up, but the partnership was done. John left on tour in New England and Canada while Reynolds stayed in New York and promoted his own polar expedition. Oh Jesus. Yeah, I'm going there fast. Yeah. Yeah. Now John Symes was getting respect he had never had before. Students at Harvard embraced his theory of a hollow Earth with animals living inside of it. Animal, I mean, to the alarm of the faculty. Yeah, okay, good. Thank God. Someone was like, why did we let these people in? The

faculty held special lecture lectures to try to talk the students out of their madness. And John was also catching on at other colleges as well. Respectful and enthusiastic press coverage followed. John wherever he went now and public interest in the polls was greatly increasing. In late 1827, Sims chronic stomach problems became much worse. He returned to New Jersey where friend and relatives cared for him. And in February 1929, he died. His dream of a polar expedition to find the hollow Earth over. When he passed the public's interest in his theories did wane. But his impact was only the beginning. Reynolds still

carried the flag of the polar holes and a hollow Earth. In 1828, before John's death, he met with President Quincy Adams. Oh my God, Secretary of the Navy, Samuel Southward. With their support, he lobbied Congress. I'm sorry. There's support. Okay, so in the 1820s, a man went into the White House and sat down with the President of the United States and the Secretary of the Navy. And he told them that the Earth is hollow and that their vegetables in there and light and maybe and animals, animals, maybe people and smarter people, perhaps, and their response was, let's get on this. And it went well. Let's get on. It went

well. It was a good meeting. It was a good, everybody at the end was nodding their head shaking hands. There weren't, there weren't, nobody was texting each other during the meeting. Yeah. Talking into their, we got to get this guy out of here. Hey, guys, we got a fucking job in the Oval. How do we get this? How does this not get through here? But is it just am I just talking to you? Yeah, it's just me. Well, what the fuck? Who is this? Isn't this supposed to go to someone else? That's the 1800s. We don't have any communication. Oh, that's right. We're just talking in our collar shirts. Okay. Congress said the president could send

one of the Navy ships to explore the South Pacific to explore. I mean, what the fuck are they looking for a big fucking hole? Yeah, a portal. They're looking for a stargate for a hole into the thing. Okay. All right. Reynolds was appointed sort of a human colonic Reynolds was appointed a special agent of the Navy to oversee the journey. But in the early 1829 political infighting in the Navy killed the trip. Reynolds was not deterred. Good. He had to find the holes that led to the middle of the hollow planet. He approached the private sector and was successful. The South Sea fur company and exploring expedition paid

for a private venture. Now, the only reason that they would do that is because they think they're gonna get rich. Yeah, they think you're gonna find a bunch of shit in there. Yeah, they think they're gonna go find super cows. And there's a fur company. Yeah, because they're gonna get all the pills. Yeah, they're gonna get all these minks that live inside of Earth's fucking dickhole. How many earth minks do you think are there? Oh my God, they might be bigger minks. Oh, I can't even go there. I can't even think about it yet. I think that little minks can survive on on the top of the earth, but the big minks are in the middle. You know

in that expedition too, there were times where it was just like some guy like, Hey man, when we get inside Earth's ass, what are you gonna do? He's like, man, first thing I'm gonna do. Well, drink me some of that cow milk they got in there, man. It's supposed to be sweeter than any milk we got here on the outside of the shell. You ain't never tasted anything like it. You ain't never tasted anything like it. Really? Because I'm gonna marry a Middle Earth woman. Oh man. Get my citizenship to live inside of Earth's belly. Three ships set sail for the South Pacific in October. The Nina, the Pinta, I'm not fucking crazy. And holy shit, what

are we doing? October 1829, it did not go well. Oh, right. The crew's mutiny and the ships returned to New York. Reynolds was left in Chile. They just dumped him off in Chile, where he wandered about for two years. Whoa. Yeah, he finally returned home in 1834 and quickly set about trying to make the expedition to the South Pole happen. Jesus. In 1836, Reynolds gave an impassioned speech to the house of representatives. To a room of cats. For another journey to the holes. The holes. A bill was passed. Oh God. And it was supported by President Jackson. Oh my God. In 1838, the Great United States Exploring Expedition set sail under the

command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. Reynolds stayed behind. For over four years, the ship surveyed the South Pacific. They found nearly 300 islands and 1500 miles of coastal Antarctica, establishing that it was a continent. They did not find a hole in the pole that led to the middle of the planet. The U.S. was now established as a country that could make world-class scientific contributions and a precedent was set for scientific exploration and research in America. John Simpson, America's. Sorry. How was not every baby named that after 9-11? Did people just didn't know that was an option? America's? This is

America's and freedom-tistic. And these are our twins. Tower one. America's remained devoted to his father's theory and pushed it as far as his father had. In 1871, Charles F. Hall was setting out on the ill-fated Polaris expedition to reach the North Pole. This is 1871. Uh-huh. At a reception before his departure, Hall shocked members of the American Geographical Society by announcing his belief in John Simpson's theory, and then he was determined to find the entrance to the middle of the earth. What the fuck? They were like, this is gonna be great. We're finally going to the North Pole. Gentlemen, I have one

more thing to say. I'm gonna find the middle of this fucker. Picture what they thought the inside of the earth looked like. I mean, they just thought that it was just like, like that's really all that the, I mean, just so many of the dollops are really just about people having a crazy vision of something that isn't there. Can you just picture him sitting in his house doodling pictures all the time? Yeah, just doodling like him, yeah, like him with like nine women. Like just like in like gold with like a crown on. I think there also might be a beaver man. Yeah, yeah. Half beaver, half man. I mean, why not? It happened on

Saturn, right? Also, there's dinosaurs inside. Probably. Mm-hmm. Nice ones. In October, the men were wintering on the shore of northern Greenland, making preparations for the trip to the pole. Hall returned to the ship for an exploratory sledging journey and promptly fell ill. Before he died, he accused members of the crew of poisoning him. An exclamation of his body in 1968 revealed that he had ingested a large quantity of arsenic in the last two weeks of his life. So he probably was killed. Well, yeah, he was eating something he shouldn't have been. The ship did go on to make it further north than any previous ship. Then

19 men got separated and were lost for six months on an ice flow before they were rescued. The Polaris was run aground in Greenland. The remaining men were rescued the next summer. They did not find the hole into the middle of the earth. They didn't. So it's still there. The idea of a hollow planet. Just got to find that cork. The idea of a hollow planet remained alive in a small segment of the population and it continues today with those on the fringe recently having caught on with many on the internet. There is now an international society for a complete earth which uses photographs of sims globe in its logo.

Also two expeditions, one using a chartered Russian icebreaker and the other a specially outfitted seaplane are currently planned to find polar openings into the inner world. In the end, John Sims insane theory that he pretty much just made up ended up firing up imaginations and paved the way for the emergence of the United States as a decent contributor to the world of scientific knowledge and discovery. Yeah that really put us on the map. Now look just because we went there to find a hole doesn't mean what we found was an important discovery. We did find the Antarctic. Sure. So we found shit. Yeah

that seems to be how most things happen. Well look if you're if you're going somewhere to find something does it matter what you find? Yeah. I would say that it does matter. Here's another idea. Why don't you lift up the Antarctic? Yeah no just like a rug. Just lift it up like it's a dirty little rug. Maybe it's a cap. Yeah it might be a cap. Who knows? Maybe it's a cat. We don't know. I know one thing. I'm not crazy. Okay. 2016 let's pop the cap. Come on guys get your bottle openers out. We're on quark and earth. Or cat. Or cat whatever it is. Big minks. Yeah. Oh man you got to see the camels here. They have three humps. What?

Women have one breast. Upside down is downside up. Hello's goodbye. You're gonna love it. The whole lake made out of chocolate. Young is old. Old is young. Willy Wonka runs it all. Cats are dogs. Cats are dogs. Dogs are cats. Mice are rats. Rats are mice. It's just like a Dr. Seuss. It's just the Dr. Seuss novel. Novel. Man is this some dense material. Holy shit I gotta re-read that sentence. I'm sorry. What did he will not eat them in a van? I can't get through this cat in the head business. It's a long slog. I'm doing my thesis on the Who's a Whoville and it is just hard. It's hard to crack. I got three quarters

the way through. We have to cite everything. Have you tried to read Yurtle the Turtle? No way. It's just so in-depth and it's so dense. It's too much. It's dense. It is dense. It's dense. It's not. It's like I don't have a degree in Turtles. No. You know. So it's hard reading. No look. I have a degree on the wall. It just says that I'm not crazy. Good afternoon gentlemen. I am not crazy. Now let's talk about the Hollow Earth. Yes I'm pissing my pants.