Buzzkill

Summary

Summary of “Buzzkill” Episode | Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities

Episode Information:

• Title: Buzzkill
• Host/Author: Aaron Mahnke, iHeartPodcasts, and Grim & Mild
• Release Date: July 22, 2025
• Description: Delving into the unbelievable and bizarre, this episode explores intriguing historical tales that remain shrouded in mystery and innovation.

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Introduction

Aaron Mahnke welcomes listeners to another episode of Cabinet of Curiosities, a storytelling podcast that uncovers the unexplainable and bizarre tales from history. This episode, titled “Buzzkill,” delves into two interconnected stories surrounding the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881 and the innovative yet ultimately unsuccessful attempts to save his life.

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First Tale: Alexander Graham Bell and the Elusive Bullet

Timestamp: [01:26]

Overview: On July 2, 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station. The aftermath of the shooting presented a perplexing medical mystery: doctors struggled to locate the bullet lodged inside Garfield’s body, which threatened to poison him with lead over time.

Key Points:

• Alexander Graham Bell’s Involvement:

  • Living near the White House and having installed the telephone there, Bell was deeply affected by the news of Garfield’s shooting.
  • Bell perceived the challenge not just as a medical issue but an engineering one, drawing parallels to earlier problems he faced with his telephone invention.

• Development of the Induction Balance Phone:

  • [04:30] Bell recalled a device called the induction balance device, which his team had used to minimize static interference in telephone lines by equalizing metal interference.
  • Leveraging this concept, Bell attempted to create a machine that could detect metal (i.e., the bullet) within Garfield’s body by amplifying the electromagnetic signals rather than canceling them out.

• Initial Attempts and Challenges:

  • Bell’s first machine produced a “faint buzz” indicating metal presence but failed to locate the bullet precisely [05:20].
  • Dr. Willard Bliss, Garfield’s head physician, dismissed Bell’s equipment prematurely, preventing further medical investigation.

• Final Efforts and Outcomes:

  • After refining the machine with reduced sensitivity, Bell successfully detected a bullet in a volunteer, proving its efficacy [05:50].
  • Upon a second examination of Garfield on August 2, the machine showed no buzz, suggesting the bullet was elsewhere. Bliss remained skeptical and declined further use of the device.

• Garfield’s Death and Aftermath:

  • Garfield succumbed to infections exacerbated by unsanitary medical procedures [06:10].
  • The bullet was eventually found in a different location than initially suspected, likely missed due to interference from metal springs in the mattress.
  • Bell’s machine, though technically functional, couldn’t alter the President’s fate due to medical malpractice.

Notable Quote:

• “This wasn't just a medical problem, it was an engineering problem. And in a way, he had already solved it.” — Alexander Graham Bell [04:00]

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Second Tale: The Early Attempt at Air Conditioning in the White House

Timestamp: [08:02]

Overview: Revisiting the events surrounding Garfield’s assassination from a different angle, the second story sheds light on an early, albeit flawed, attempt to introduce an air conditioning-like system to the White House to improve the President’s comfort amidst the sweltering Washington summer.

Key Points:

• Mission of the Naval Engineer:

  • Tasked with devising a cooling solution for the White House, the naval engineer faces the challenge of combating extreme humidity and heat without the benefit of modern air conditioning technology.

• Innovative Contraption:

  • The team constructed a bulky apparatus incorporating stolen ice, water, and salt to create slush, which was then used to cool terry-cloth-covered screens through a steam-powered fan.
  • [10:30] This system managed to reduce the room temperature significantly, providing a brief respite for Garfield.

• Limitations and Inefficiencies:

  • The cooling machine consumed an exorbitant amount of ice—four tons per day—rendering it impractical for widespread use.
  • Despite the initial success, the system couldn’t sustain the cooling needs required to preserve Garfield’s life.

• Historical Significance:

  • Although the device was ultimately ineffective in saving the President, it is recognized as a nascent form of modern air conditioning.
  • This early attempt highlighted the potential for mechanical cooling systems, laying the groundwork for future advancements despite its immediate failure.

Notable Quote:

• “When history turns up the heat, necessity really is the mother of invention.” — Narrator [11:50]

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Conclusions and Insights

The “Buzzkill” episode intertwines two narratives that illustrate the intersection of innovation, perseverance, and the tragic limitations of 19th-century technology and medical practices. Alexander Graham Bell’s earnest efforts to save a life with his technological prowess underscore both the potential and the constraints of inventive thinking when faced with critical human needs. Similarly, the ambitious but flawed attempt to create an early air conditioning system reflects the enduring human drive to engineer solutions, even in the face of overwhelming challenges.

These stories collectively highlight how history often remembers not just the successes but also the valiant attempts and lessons learned from failures. They serve as reminders of the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and the need for collaboration between different fields—be it engineering and medicine—to address complex problems effectively.

Notable Quote:

• “It just goes to show that when history turns up the heat, necessity really is the mother of invention.” — Narrator [11:50]

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Closing Remarks

Aaron Mahnke wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to stay curious and appreciate the obscure and fascinating stories that history holds. The “Buzzkill” episode serves as a testament to the intriguing, albeit somber, chapters that continue to captivate and educate us about the past’s mysterious and inventive spirits.

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Note: This summary omits promotional content, advertisements, and non-essential segments to focus solely on the core narratives and insights presented in the episode.

Transcript

[Matt Rogers]

This is an iHeart podcast. This is Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds are for those who don't conform to the standard. Yeah, I mean if you want to get into some touchscreen technology, how about the smart charging case clear sound? These are not standard things. You're only going to get them with the JBL Tour Pro 3 baby. And I love the sound of JBL and goes. These earbuds are packed with innovation because you can't stand out following others Touchscreen Smart charging case for one touch control, instant EQ customization, true adaptive noise canceling and the one of a kind audio transmitter which can plug and play with everything from game consoles to in flight entertainment. What more could you want? First doesn't follow. Grab a [e-mail] welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Bowen Yang]

And Grim and mild.

[Aaron Manke]

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.

[Bowen Yang]

On July 2nd of 1881, the world famous inventor Alexander Graham Bell was working at his Lab in Washington, D.C. when he received some shocking news. President James A. Garfield had just been shot in the back at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station while waiting for a train. The assassin was a man named Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. Furious that Garfield hadn't rewarded him with a cushy government job, Guiteau was immediately arrested and Garfield was rushed to the White House for treatment. Alexander Graham Bell, who lived just a stone's throw from the White House and had personally installed a telephone there a few years earlier. Earlier followed the story with rabid interest. He was disturbed by reports that the President's doctors couldn't find the bullet lodged in his body. Days after the shooting, they were still probing around in his wounds with their fingers, and if they didn't get the bullet out soon, the President would die of lead poisoning. Lying awake one night, Bell had a realization. This wasn't just a medical problem, it was an engineering problem. And in a way, he had already solved it. Flashback a few years to 1877, Bell had just patented the world's first practical telephone. But as his team rolled out that technology to the world, they ran into a frustrating issue. When telephone conductors were installed next to telegram wires, the signal became garbled with static. It seems that the Metal in the telegram wires was interfering with the electromagnetic fields that Bell's telephone system relied on, rendering them far less useful. As a clever workaround, Bell and his team installed something called an induction balance device. It equalized any interference from metal, cutting down on the static. Now, as President Garfield lay dying in the White House, Bell realized that the same principle could actually work in reverse. Rather than canceling out the interference from metal, he could amplify it. And so he got to work cobbling together parts from his telephone and the induction balance device. Early tests were promising, too. When the machine passed over metal, it emitted a distinct buzzing sound. When no metal was present, there was silence. Bell tested the machine by firing bullets into planks of wood and hiding them inside slabs of raw meat. Each time, the machine found the metal with ease. Once he was satisfied, Bell contacted the White House and offered his help. Dr. Willard Bliss, the President's head physician, was skeptical. But Bell's reputation gave him enough credibility to warrant a try. When he got to the White House, he found Garfield lying on his left side. Bliss had already determined that the bullet was somewhere on the President's right and didn't want to move him, so Bell was instructed to restrict his search area to that spot. As he ran his machine over Garfield's body, it emitted a faint buzz, indicating the presence of metal. But the signal was weak, and Bell couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the bullet. Before he had the chance to troubleshoot, though, Dr. Bliss hurried in, telling him to come back when the machine actually worked. Bell, understandably, was frustrated, but he didn't give up. Back at his lab, he made adjustments to reduce the machine's sensitivity to interference, and he ran more tests. A Civil War veteran volunteered to be examined, and when Bell's machine pinpointed a bullet lodged inside him, Bell was convinced that it worked. On August 2, he returned to the White House and examined the President for the second time. Only now there was no buzz, just agonizing silence. For Bell, this could only mean one the bullet wasn't where they were looking. He suggested moving the President for a more comprehensive search, but Bliss was fed up. He dismissed the inventor, indicating that his help was no longer needed. A few weeks later, on September 19, President Garfield died from the infection. The autopsy revealed what Bell already suspected. The bullet was lodged in his left side, exactly where Bell had been told not to look. The buzzing in his first examination was probably triggered by the metal springs in Garfield's mattress. If Bliss had just been willing to move the president, Bell would have been able to find the bullet. Even if he had, though, it might not have changed anything, because the bullet isn't what killed Garfield. The real culprit was infection, introduced by doctors poking around in his wounds with unwashed hands years after antiseptic methods had become standard practice in Europe. So while he was shot by Charles Guiteau, many historians argue that he was actually killed by his doctors, chief among them Dr. Bliss. Alexander Graham Bell was heartbroken, but he took solace in the fact that his invention worked. It just needed a new name. You see, Induction Balance Phone didn't exactly roll off the tongue, so it's remembered today instead that as a metal detector.

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[Aaron Manke]

This show is sponsored by American Public University. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates, and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters, too. APU offers the Opportunity Grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 24. 7 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu.

[Bowen Yang]

Stories often have multiple entry points, like a big room with many entrances. So for our second tale today, I want to revisit our first only from a different angle. But to do it, I'm going to need you to use your imagination. It's July of 1881, and you're a naval engineer stationed in Washington, DC. One typical sticky afternoon, you're huddled over some Blueprints. When an urgent message arrives, you're wanted at the White House immediately for a top secret project involving matters of national security and indoor cooling that makes you raise an eyebrow. But hey, it's July in Washington and the city is infamous for its brutal humidity. Swampy doesn't even begin to cover it. The Capitol becomes a human oven every summer, which is why so many presidents have historically fled town to escape the heat. So maybe the current Commander in Chief is choosing a different tactic by bringing in the big guns. Meaning you. You press for more details, but all they tell you is that the request came straight from the top. And the top is uncomfortably warm. So you grab your team and your tools and you head over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, brainstorming ways to cool the President's quarters while he works. Now, electric fans haven't been invented yet, but steam powered ones do exist. They're just annoyingly cumbersome and noisy. Probably not something the President wants to hear during his meetings. But the moment you enter the White House, it's clear that this is no comfort project. A grim mood hangs over the building as stone faced staffers rush about, barely even speaking. You're escorted down a hall and into a room that smells faintly of alcohol and blood. And there he is. President James A. Garfield is lying on a mattress in the middle of the room, surrounded by a small army of doctors. Briefly, they fill you in on the critical details. The President was waiting for a train when he was shot from behind at point blank range. The bullet was still inside him, but the doctors haven't been able to find it yet. They have, however, called for a specialist whose unique skills might be able to help. But that's not your concern. You just have to cool down the room enough to keep him comfortable and conscious. Easier said than done. But the President is burning up from the heat and probably fever from an infection. So you get to work. Over the next few days, your team assembles a contraption the likes of which the world has never seen. The main component is a bulky iron chest holding dozens of screens with terry cloth stretched over them. Above this, you rig a large tank holding a half ton of shaved ice, water and salt. As the slush melts, it drips down onto those screens, freezing them within seconds. And the final piece is a steam powered fan which blows air from the open window through the screens and out into the room. When it's all up and running, you watch the temperature drop first by 5 degrees, then 10 and then 20. Soon the room is comfortably cool and a heck of a lot less humid on his sticky mattress, President Garfield breathes a sigh of relief while his doctors silently applaud you. It's a small victory, but everyone in the room can use a win at the moment. And as you stand in the corner listening to your machine hum away, you can't help but think about its potential beyond the White House. Imagine if hospitals, factories, or even ordinary homes could stay this cool in the summer, but unfortunately, that's not happening anytime soon. The system you just created is wildly inefficient, devouring four tons of ice each day just to cool a single room. No expense is too great to save the life of a president, but ordinary citizens? No, it'll never happen. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to save the president. Garfield dies in September after months of expensive cooling and prodding from the doctors. After he passes, you return to the White House and quietly disassemble your machine, recalling the delightful sensation of chilled air sweeping through the room. And you can't help but feel that for the briefest moment, you touched the future. Today, historians look back on that crude contraption as an early precursor to modern air conditioning. Almost half a century would pass before mechanical cooling began appearing in commercial buildings, and decades more before it reached everyday homes. But the seed had been planted. So the next time you're lying back in an air conditioned room on a hot summer day, sipping a cold drink and appreciating the breeze from that venture, take a moment to toast President James A. Garfield, not just for his service, but for sweating through one of the toughest moments in the history of indoor cooling. It just goes to show that when history turns up the heat, necessity really is the mother of invention.

[Aaron Manke]

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting curiositiespodcast.com the show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show, and you can learn all about it [e-mail] and until next time, stay curious. This show is sponsored by American Public University. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates, and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus they provide career services and 24. 7 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu.

[Matt Rogers]

This is an iHeart podcast.