A Grand Tour

Summary

Podcast Summary: Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities

Episode Title: A Grand Tour
Date: June 18, 2026
Host: Aaron Mahnke
Producer: iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

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Episode Overview

In "A Grand Tour," Aaron Mahnke guides listeners through two fascinating, little-known stories from history—a hair-raising test of endurance at the South Pole and the extraordinary diplomatic journey of an Ethiopian prince. Both tales explore human limits and the unexpected ripples of historical events, tying them into today's curiosities.

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Segment 1: The Antarctic 300 Club Challenge

[00:35–06:17]

Main Theme

How researchers at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station face isolation, extremity—and devise a legendary, dangerous tradition to cope: the "300 Club."

Key Discussion Points

• Life at the South Pole

  • Antarctica has only temporary residents: about 1,000 scientists spread among 39 research stations ("...some of the most competitive positions on Earth, with fewer than a thousand slots spread across a continent larger than Europe...").
  • Especially challenging for "winterovers": those who stay during the sunless, six-month polar night, cut off from the world.

• Invention of the 300 Club

  • A game born from monotony and cabin fever. Scientists dares each other to survive a 300-degree swing in temperature—hence the “300 Club.”

Step-by-Step: The 300 Club Challenge

1. Sauna Phase:
   • Spend 10 minutes in a 200°F sauna, crammed with colleagues, sweating and risking fainting or heatstroke.
2. Naked Sprint:
   • Upon completion, dash outside into the -100°F Antarctic night, wearing only standard issue boots and a neck gaiter.
   • Must reach the ceremonial South Pole, about 100 feet away, and return before the cold becomes deadly.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the extremity of the challenge:

  • “It's hard to appreciate how cold that really is. It's the temperature at which carbon dioxide becomes dry ice. It's impossible for human beings to survive more than a few minutes outside. And it's cold enough that every breath feels like needles in your lungs.” —Aaron Mahnke [03:51]

• On accomplishment:

  • “There are roughly 8 billion people on this planet, but these folks are the rare handful who can say they've stood at the bottom of the world stark naked at minus 100 degrees.” —Aaron Mahnke [06:09]

Memorable Moment

• The rush back to the sauna after nearly freezing, reuniting with fellow scientists in celebration and relief, sharing beers—emphasizing camaraderie and euphoria after survival.

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Segment 2: The Grand Tour of Tafari Makonnen

[07:56–13:02]

Main Theme

The remarkable journey of Tafari Makonnen—a.k.a. Haile Selassie—Crown Prince of Ethiopia, whose historic diplomatic tour of Europe changed not only his nation but inspired a global movement.

Key Discussion Points

• Tafari’s Background

  • Born in Ethiopia in 1892, prince and later regent to his cousin, the Empress. Ethiopia was unique—Africa’s only nation to remain uncolonized by Europe in the 1800s.

• Diplomatic Mission of 1924

  • Tafari led a massive entourage (including a pack of lions as gifts!) across France, Italy, and England to secure a trading route to the sea.
  • France’s offer: only to lease land at exorbitant costs.
  • Italy, led by Mussolini, offered to build a railway into Ethiopia—posing a threat of Italian control.
  • England’s king refused to greet Tafari, though he accepted the lion; Britain returned a previously stolen Ethiopian crown as consolation.

• Outcomes and Impact

  • None of the major powers offered substantial help. But Tafari’s intelligence, diplomacy, and presence impressed Europe.
  • In 1928, the Empress was compelled to cede the throne; Tafari became Ethiopia’s ruler.

• The Rastafarian Connection

  • Tafari’s coronation as Emperor echoed across the Atlantic, especially in Jamaica, where he was seen as the prophesied black king—a messiah figure.
  • This led to the founding of the Rastafari movement (notably followed by Bob Marley), despite Tafari himself never claiming spiritual status.

• Haile Selassie’s Later Life

  • Ousted and exiled during World War II, returned after Italian defeat, but struggled with economic development. Murdered during a communist coup in 1975.
  • Remains an iconic figure, seen as a symbol of black pride and African sovereignty.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Tafari’s mission:

  • "He traveled with a large entourage, including a pack of lions, that he planned to gift to the leaders of Europe." —Aaron Mahnke [08:52]

• On becoming a symbol:

  • "They came to believe that he was the Second Coming of Christ and would deliver them from their colonial oppressors. And so they called him the Ethiopian word for Prince—'Ras'—and because his name was Tafari: Rastafari." —Aaron Mahnke [12:10]

• On lasting impact:

  • "The bravery he showed when he was just Prince echoes on to this very day and it inspires formerly colonized nations all around the world." —Aaron Mahnke [12:57]

Memorable Moment

• Tafari gifting a lion to European monarchs and negotiating with Mussolini and a dismissive British monarch—images rich in both absurdity and gravity.

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Additional Information

• Show Credits: Created and narrated by Aaron Mahnke, written by Grim & Mild team, produced by Jesse Fung.
• Further Reading:
  • Find more at Grim & Mild.
  • Official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover, ebook, and audiobook available.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:35] — Introduction to life at the South Pole and the 300 Club
• [04:30] — Description of the 300 Club naked sprint
• [06:09] — Reflection on the significance of the 300 Club
• [07:56] — Introduction to Tafari Makonnen’s early life and mission
• [08:52] — Tafari’s diplomatic practices (traveling with lions)
• [12:10] — Rise of the Rastafarian religion and cultural repercussions
• [12:57] — Final thoughts on Tafari’s legacy

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Tone and Presentation

Aaron Mahnke’s measured storytelling balances reverent curiosity with gentle wit and a knack for painting vivid scenes. Listeners are guided through not only shocking facts but also the emotional undercurrents of each story.

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For New Listeners

This episode encapsulates what Cabinet of Curiosities does best: unveils the surreal and inspiring moments often hidden in history, showing how small acts can shape cultures and echo through generations. Whether it's risking one’s life on a frozen continent or sparking a religious movement, these stories invite us to stay curious.

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff or Georgia Hardstark]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

I turned off news altogether.

[Erin Menke]

I hate to say it, but I

[Karen Kilgariff or Georgia Hardstark]

don't trust much of anything.

[Erin Menke]

It's the rage bait.

[American Public University Sponsor Voice]

It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[Erin Menke]

We got clear facts. Maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America. Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and mild. Our world is full of the unexplainable. And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. The sauna is packed, cramped, full of dozens of researchers pressed against one another. For four months, they've only had each other as company. The Amundsen Scott Research Station is already cramped, but this takes closeness to a whole new level. Everyone in the cedar box is dripping with sweat, struggling to breathe the hot, humid air.

[American Public University Sponsor Voice]

But just as their heart rates skyrocket

[Erin Menke]

and skin flushes deep red, the station's heavy doors creak open and a biting chill works its way in. Every survival instinct in their bodies screams in protest. And that's only the beginning, because what I'm describing right now is one of the most extreme athletic challenges on Earth, and only a handful of people have even tried to complete it. At any given moment, about 4.8 billion people live in Asia. Another 1.5 billion live in Africa, and a billion in the Americas, 750 million in Europe and 50 million in Oceania. But in Antarctica, the seventh continent, that number is zero. Well, technically, the number is closer to 1,000. While Antarctica has no permanent residents per SE, it hosts 39 research stations where scientists spend up to two years studying the bottom of the world. These residencies are some of the most competitive positions on Earth, with fewer than a thousand slots spread across a continent larger than Europe and twice the size of Australia. But while the chance to live at the South Pole is rare, the chance to thrive is even more rare. It's tough to unwind from a stressful day at work when you can never actually leave the office. There are no movie theaters, no restaurants, and certainly no front yard games of catch. Researchers spend their lives in a loop, working at a desk, then retreating to a cramped dormitory to relax before doing it all over again. And that is in the summer. Only the most committed scientists, known as winterovers, stay for the off season at the Ahundsen Scott Research Station. The Southernmost point on the globe. Winter brings six months of total darkness called the polar night. And during this time, the station is effectively cut off from the world. Frequent blizzards and lack of light mean it's too dangerous for planes to land. So what do three dozen super committed scientists do for fun in a frozen, empty landscape devoid of most human interaction? They challenge each other to dares, most famously the 300 Club. To qualify, a resident must survive a staggering 300 degree swing in temperature. And all in a Single afternoon. First 10 minutes in the station's sauna cranked up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Cramped, sweaty, humid, it becomes an oven. And participants risk fainting, dehydration and heatstroke to stay inside the full 10 minutes. When their time is up, though, they race out of the sauna and into the minus 100 degree Antarctic night. It's hard to appreciate how cold that really is. It's the temperature at which carbon dioxide becomes dry ice. It's impossible for human beings to survive more than a few minutes outside. And it's cold enough that every breath feels like needles in your lungs. About 100ft from the doors of the Amundsen Scott South Pole station is an actual pole, a small barber pole surrounded by the flags of countries who were first to sign the Antarctic Treaty. Participants, still sweating from their sauna experience, sprint out of the station and into the unbearably cold darkness toward the ceremonial pole. And they aren't wearing their usual thermal research gear. Participants are allowed to wear a pair of standard issue boots and a neck gaiter to prevent their windpipes from freezing. But that's it. Other than that, they are completely naked in the dark. Antarctic winter cold. At minus 100 degrees, it doesn't take long for sweat to freeze against their skin. And while the aurora might be shining green and purple overhead, no one stops to take in the view. Every breath feels like needles in their lungs and the participants can't afford to stop for even a second. The run back from the pole is a blur. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping anyone going. Frozen skin becomes numb and a fog descends over the brain as the body begins to shut down. A couple of seconds mean the difference between discomfort and and long term damage. The moment they're back inside, the station doors close and the celebration begins. The sauna, a welcome sight after all that cold, I imagine, is full of scientists thrilled to celebrate the accomplishment. And of course, enough beer to warm even the coldest of hearts. I would have to imagine that that feeling of euphoria is unreal the relief of survival, the much needed change of pace from endless work and monotony and the pride of accomplishing a challenge. All of it must be exhilarating. After all, There are roughly 8 billion people on this planet, but these folks are the rare handful who can say they've stood at the bottom of the world stark naked at minus 100 degrees.

[American Public University Sponsor Voice]

This show is sponsored by American Public University. The future won't wait and neither should you. That's why American Public University offers Master's programs Design for Momentum. Affordable, high quality and flexible. So you keep moving forward with career relevant programs in business, healthcare, education, IT and more. You can gain skills you can use right away and the confidence to power your next move. American Public University made for what's next? Learn more at apu. Apus.

[Karen Kilgariff or Georgia Hardstark]

Edu Hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder.

We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.

Want the full story? Take a list.

Hetty. She starts dating Howard Hughes, the aviation tycoon. Do you know a lot about him?

I mean, I watch the Aviator, so I know everything Leonardo DiCaprio has allowed me to know about him. But incredible innovator, right?

She says he's a, quote, very strange man. But they do get along really well.

Give us examples.

I know they do get along intellectually and in fact, she helps him design a faster plane. She takes a look at what he's designed. It's got these square wings and she's like, that doesn't make sense. And. And so she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of like, what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamarr and Billie Jean King.

Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Goodbye.

[Erin Menke]

Tafari was born in Ethiopia in 1892. Depending on who you ask, his birth was just like any other. Or it heralded major change for the country. Or even that it meant a new savior had been born to mankind. It's a fact that he was no ordinary man. He was, after all, a prince. And before he ever became a king, he went on a journey that made him famous all over the world. By 1924, Tafari was crown prince regent to his cousin, the Empress. There was a constant tug of war for power between the two of them, and he wanted to show the world that he was the true leader of Ethiopia. Ethiopia was the only African nation that managed to avoid colonization by a European power in the 1800s. Tafari's father actually helped prevent the Italians from conquering the country in 1896, and Tafari wanted to push that success further by negotiating some kind of trade route with France that would allow Ethiopia access to the sea and through the French colony of djibouti. He traveled with a large entourage, including a pack of lions, that he planned to gift to the leaders of Europe. It was not too dissimilar to a situation in that Eddie Murphy comedy coming to America, at least in that Tafari was an African prince out of his element in the western world. He arrived in Paris after about a month of travel, gifting one of the lions and trying to show France that he was firm when it came to protecting Ethiopia's independence, but also hopeful that the two nations could be allies. But the French only seemed interested in exploiting the situation. They would only offer to lease Ethiopia some land at an exorbitant price. Tafari went next to Italy, his country's old nemesis. He met with none other than Benito Mussolini, who offered to build a railroad from the Italian coastal colony of Eritrea into northern Ethiopia. But again, this wasn't acceptable. It would give Italy dangerous access to his country, and so he had to continue his tour. Tafari next went to England, where he was received even more poorly. The king didn't even greet him, despite the fact that he had brought a lion for him. The monarch did accept the gift, however, and in exchange, returned an Ethiopian imperial crown that the British had stolen decades earlier. But when Tafari met with a prime minister, he found him uninterested in helping Ethiopia gain access to the sea. And so Tafari returned to France, determined to try one more time in securing their help. But he found the country even more intractable than ever. The various political and business interests of the nation were all at cross purposes with Tafari. They all feared what a more successful, powerful Ethiopia might mean for their various colonies and businesses in africa. Tafari visited many smaller nations on the rest of his tour, Impressing various European leaders with his lions and his sense of diplomacy. He was fluent in French and very passionate about modernizing his country. So in a sense, the tour was successful. Even though it didn't achieve his primary goal. Tafari proved that he was Ethiopia's one true leader. He returned home, and by 1928, his cousin, the empress, was finally forced to crown him the one true ruler of Ethiopia. And that was actually the beginning of the most curious part of Tafari's story. All the way across the globe in the English colony of Jamaica, the impoverished black people of that nation heard that a black king was crowned in Africa and that he was respected by the white rulers of Europe. They came to believe that he was the second Coming of Christ and would deliver them from their colonial oppressors. And so they called him the Ethiopian word for Prince Ross, and because his name was Tafari Ross Tafari, they became Rastafarians. It's a religion that still exists to this day and was followed most famously by the musician Bob Marley. It's an especially curious bit of history, given that Tafari himself was an orthodox Christian and never believed that he was any kind of spiritual savior. And his rule had many ups and downs, including the Italians invading in the years leading up to World War II, which drove him into exile. After his return, he remained adept at diplomacy but bad at economic development, and his people suffered multiple famines. Tafari Makinen was murdered in 1975 in a communist coup, but the bravery he showed when he was just Prince echoes on to this very day and it inspires formerly colonized nations all around the world. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. The show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in part partnership with iHeart podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and Mild team and produced by Jesse Fung. Learn more about the show and the people who make it [e-mail] curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up [e-mail] grimandmild and until next time, stay curious.

[American Public University Sponsor Voice]

This show is sponsored by American Public University. The future won't wait and neither should you. That's why American Public University offers Master's programs designed for momentum, affordable, high quality and flexible. So you keep moving forward. With career relevant programs in business, healthcare, education, IT and more. You can gain skills you can use right away and the confidence to power your next move. American Public University made for what's next? Learn more at Apu Apus Edu this

[Karen Kilgariff or Georgia Hardstark]

is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.