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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.
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Lowe's.
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We help you save valid through 7 8, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. See Lowes.com for more details. Visit your nearby Lowe's. 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. I talked to Vice President Agnew in Palm Springs three weeks ago and expressed my concern for our country. The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc. Do not consider me as their enemy or as they call it, the establishment. I call it America and I love it, sir. I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. These words were scrawled in messy cursive on American Airlines stationery as if they'd been written in haste while a plane was touching down and this strange letter set into motion a surreal encounter between two giants of the era. It was 1970, and the establishment and the counterculture couldn't be further apart from the Vietnam War raged, and the young were taking to the streets to protest. But Elvis Presley wasn't thinking in those terms. He was more concerned with the drug epidemic that he believed was destroying a generation. He believed that with the aid of a powerful man, he could help put an end to it. And so one evening in a Los Angeles hotel, Elvis sat down and wrote a desperate plea to Richard Nixon, the President of the United States. He framed himself to the president as a particularly unique bridge between youth culture and the establishment, one who could travel into drug rings and communes that perhaps more square federal agents wouldn't have access to. He sketched it out. He'd carry a gun and wear a badge, using his fame to access and expose the counterculture. He'd even get rid of his own drug paraphernalia as proof of his dedication to the cause. Strangely enough, the White House agreed to a meeting. And so, on December 21st of 1970, Elvis arrived at the White House using a side door so that the press corps would not notice his arrival. He wore his signature white jumpsuit, his cape, and an oversized crucifix and he came bearing a particular gift, a custom Colt.45 pistol with ivory grips, which was engraved for the President. The atmosphere was, needless to say, to intense. The Secret Service was wary of the rock star and the rest of the White House staff was baffled by the situation. It didn't grow less strange once the King walked into the Oval Office. Here were symbols of two very different Nixon, a calculating politician whose days were rigidly scheduled and who kept a firm grasp of control. And then there was Elvis, who helped to spark the very counterculture that the President was now fighting against. We know the details of the meeting through the notes taken by Nixon's chief of staff. During the half hour meeting, Elvis spoke on addiction, the dangers it posed to the upcoming generation, and his deep desire to lend a hand in the war on drugs. He also showed the President his collection of guns and various badges. Nixon gamely played along, recognizing a rare opportunity to use one of counterculture's icons toward his own ends. He agreed to appoint Elvis as a marshal, not, of course, in a serious role in law enforcement, but as a more symbolic gesture. The photo they took at the end of the half hour meeting would become one of the most requested images in the National Archives. In it, the President and the King stand next to each other, stiff smiles on their faces. A strange moment frozen in time. Elvis got the badge that he came for, a sort of costume of authority that he would treasure until his death. And Nixon got his photo op proving his credentials to America's youth. It was a moment where the lines between rebellion and conformity were blurred. Elvis Presley walked out of the White House with a badge and a gun, but his victory was hollow. The cultural divide widened, and the man who wanted to save America did very little in the drug war he so desperately wanted to fight. In the end, all that came of it was a strange photo of the time that a rock star walked into the Oval Office to ask the President to make him a hero. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We talk about mental health a lot more openly these days, which is definitely a good thing. But asking for help can still feel hard, and BetterHelp's latest research confirms it. BetterHelp's 2026 State of Stigma report surveyed 2,000Americans and revealed that 85% of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing so. Those numbers highlight the problem, don't they? There seems to be a gap between believing in mental health support and actually seeking it out. A gap that we should be working hard to close. And that's where BetterHelp comes in. BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences and their industry leading match fulfillment rate means they typically get it right the first time. And with over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 6 million people globally. And it works too, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews. Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off@betterhelp.com curiosities that's betterhelp.com curiosities hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made 50 $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is busy. See terms. The cultural memory of the First World War is a singular one. When we tend to think of that war, it's easy to immediately jump to one very specific corner of it the hopeless, grueling trench warfare in Western Europe. Even the exceptions, such as the Arab revolt and the Adventures of T.E. lawrence, occupy a different place in the popular imagination. A general picture of World War I in history books is one of mud and desolate landscapes and barbed wire. Almost as common, though, are tales of German U boat attacks in the Atlantic. You see, in early 1917, Germany was directing unrestricted warfare against enemy ships in the ocean, attacking from beneath with U boats and torpedoes. Neutral ships as well were considered a target when fighting the British Empire, the greatest navy in history, Germany was prepared to show no quarter. But strangely, the most interesting naval encounter of the era didn't come from under the waves, but from far, far above them. It happened on the 23rd of April in 1917, 85 miles off the coast of Denmark. A Norwegian ship called the Royal was sailing for the United Kingdom when they saw something unexpected overhead. It was a zeppelin flying Imperial German colors and it was heading right for them. The Zeppelin proceeded to drop a bomb across the bow at the and the Norwegian crew panicked. This was, after all, a cargo ship. It had no weapons or defenses. The sailors hurried for the lifeboats just as the zeppelin hovered near them, likely preparing for her next attack. They didn't drop another bomb, however. Instead, it drifted down to sea level and launched a dinghy carrying a handful of German sailors and an officer. And these sailors boarded the Royal. The officer in charge of them demanded to know if there was any contraband on board the Royal. They searched the hold, and it wasn't long before they found timber that was destined for England to aid in army engineering projects. Norway was neutral at the time, so transporting the cargo to England was considered illegal. In response, the Zeppelin's commander, Ludwig Backholt, took possession of the Royal, leaving behind three sailors to conduct her to Germany as a prize of war. The action was an uncharacteristically daring one. Zeppelins were used for bombing and reconnaissance runs, but the boarding and capturing of an enemy ship wasn't in their playbook. It was a sensation back home as well. Paper after paper published glowing accounts of the action. German morale needed the boost. Although the United States had officially entered the war earlier that month, their troops had yet to reach Europe. Germany was gaining ground against the French, but suffering dangerous losses on other fronts. So a freshly captured ship that was taken without a drop of blood spilt was just the sort of thing the people of Germany needed, even if ultimately the ship was of little military value. Oddly enough, though, Captain Bockholt was reprimanded harshly for needlessly endangering Zeppelin L23. He had been on a reconnaissance mission after all, not an air raid. And eventually, that June, he would be relieved as captain of the vessel and given a different zeppelin to command. This wound up being a blessing in disguise, too. Because Zeppelin L23 was shot down in August of that year, not a single member of its crew survived. In the grand scope of the Great War, the career of Zeppelin L23 was barely a blip. 51 missions from April to August. But for an airship that only flew for five months, it gained a unique legacy. Many paintings have been made of the Zeppelin capturing the ship, and it looks like something out of a Jules Verne science fiction novel. An old world sailing vessel next to the enormous body of a dirigible. The sort of sight that would never be seen in military history before or since. By capturing a ship, this zeppelin captured our imaginations as well. Not bad for a single curious act of piracy. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and Mild team and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people who make it over@grimandmild.com 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 also all the same stories but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up over@patreon.com grimandmild and until next time, stay curious.
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