The US Camel Corps, Part One: Several People With A Really Weird Dream

Summary

Ridiculous History: The US Camel Corps, Part One: Several People With A Really Weird Dream

Released on March 4, 2025 by iHeartPodcasts

Introduction

In the premiere episode of "Ridiculous History," hosts Ben Bolan and Noel Brown embark on an extraordinary journey into the lesser-known and utterly peculiar chapter of American military history: the United States Camel Corps. Joined by special guest Jonathan Strickland, the trio delves deep into the ambitious yet bizarre attempt by the US Army in the mid-19th century to integrate camels into military logistics.

Setting the Stage: Camels in Modern Times

The episode opens with Ben and Noel humorously discussing their experiences with camels, setting a lighthearted tone for the historical exploration. Noel remarks from Doha, Qatar, where they are attending the Web Summit, highlighting the camel's unique presence:

Noel Brown [04:20]: "It's like 90% fat and apparently you put it in stews and it just... all that good fat just dissolves and gives it a real ooh my me."

Ben adds an affectionate yet comedic observation about camels' physical features:

Ben Bolan [04:50]: "They store delicious fat. Let's be honest."

Historical Context: The Need for Desert-Adapted Pack Animals

Transitioning from personal anecdotes to historical analysis, the hosts explain the logistical nightmares faced by the US during westward expansion in the 1830s. The traditional pack animals—mules and horses—struggled against the harsh desert climates, prompting military officers to seek alternatives better suited to arid environments.

Noel Brown [12:36]: "They're sassy boys."

Major George H. Crosman and the Birth of an Idea

Central to the narrative is Major George H. Crosman, whose fascination with camels leads him to propose the establishment of the Camel Corps. Ben narrates Crosman's obsession and dedication:

Ben Bolan [14:07]: "This guy gets super into camels... On his own, of his own volition, he creates a cartoonishly thorough study about camels in the United States in 1836."

Despite initial skepticism and administrative indifference, Crosman's persistence lays the groundwork for future developments.

Henry C. Wayne and the Expansion of the Camel Corps

The story progresses to 1855, seven years after Crosman's initial proposal, when Henry C. Wayne takes up the mantle. Targeting Senator Jefferson Davis, Wayne secures $30,000 (equivalent to over $1 million today) from Congress to purchase 33 camels. The hosts highlight the logistical challenges of transporting camels across the Atlantic and the rigorous training required for soldiers to handle these unconventional pack animals.

Noel Brown [23:17]: "US$30,000 in 1855 would be $1,088,293.10 in 2025. Wow. Okay, not too bad."

Logistical Hurdles and Transportation

Ben and Noel detail the Herculean task of shipping camels from the Middle East to Texas aboard the USS Supply. Jonathan adds a poignant moment about the hardships faced during the crossing:

Jonathan Strickland [45:14]: "We had some losses, obviously. We also had some gains along that."

Despite losing one camel during the voyage, the mission results in a net gain with the birth of six camels onboard, bringing the total to 34 upon arrival.

Cultural and Practical Adaptations

The hosts explore the cultural exchanges and practical adaptations required to integrate camels into the US Army. From modifying ships to accommodate the animals to training soldiers in camel handling, the episode underscores the innovative yet unconventional nature of the Camel Corps initiative.

Noel Brown [19:57]: "They are like an anthropomorphic succulent."

Anecdotes and Humorous Interludes

Throughout the episode, Ben, Noel, and Jonathan infuse humor and personal stories, such as Ben's childhood experiences with camels at "Twitty City" and Jonathan's Renaissance festival camel ride. These interludes provide a relatable and entertaining contrast to the historical discourse.

Noel Brown [39:58]: "Wow."

Conclusion and Tease for Part Two

As the episode wraps up, the hosts tease the continuation of the story with promises of more adventures and the enigmatic "Legend of the Red Ghost." They extend gratitude to their guest, Jonathan Strickland, and hint at the intricacies of the Camel Corps' future endeavors.

Ben Bolan [47:18]: "And in business, that's what we call a cliffhanger, folks. This is part one of the US Camel Corps."

Notable Quotes

• Noel Brown [04:20]: "It's like 90% fat and apparently you put it in stews and it just... all that good fat just dissolves and gives it a real ooh my me."
• Ben Bolan [14:07]: "This guy gets super into camels... On his own, of his own volition, he creates a cartoonishly thorough study about camels in the United States in 1836."
• Noel Brown [23:17]: "US$30,000 in 1855 would be $1,088,293.10 in 2025. Wow. Okay, not too bad."
• Jonathan Strickland [45:14]: "We had some losses, obviously. We also had some gains along that."
• Noel Brown [19:57]: "They are like an anthropomorphic succulent."
• Ben Bolan [47:18]: "And in business, that's what we call a cliffhanger, folks. This is part one of the US Camel Corps."

Final Thoughts

"The US Camel Corps, Part One" serves as a captivating introduction to a forgotten facet of American history, blending thorough research with engaging storytelling and humor. Ben, Noel, and Jonathan skillfully navigate the complexities of military logistics, cultural exchanges, and the eccentricities of integrating camels into the US Army, setting the stage for an intriguing continuation in the next episode.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow Ridiculous historians. Thank you as always, so much for joining us. Let's give a big shout out to our super guest producer, Matt the Madman Stillo.

[Noel Brown]

Ooh la la.

[Ben Bolan]

Now we are live in a new land for us.

[Noel Brown]

Indeed.

[Ben Bolan]

And you're Noel Brown.

[Noel Brown]

Yes. Dizzak.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm Ben Bolan.

[Noel Brown]

Tis you.

[Ben Bolan]

And we're doing something extra special today, Noel. We are exploring a very strange story that doesn't often get talked about and is somewhat thematically apropos for us, wouldn't you say?

[Noel Brown]

I would say so. In relation to a different land, but there are some crossovers here in terms of the type of pack animal in question.

[Ben Bolan]

There we go. There we go. And speaking of crossovers, we are and animals. And absolute animals. We are joined with a very special guest that usually just shows up to ruin the show at the end. We couldn't be more happy, reluctantly. So to welcome today's special guest, the man, the myth, the legend. Legend. The notorious Jonathan Strickland, AKA well, hold.

[Noel Brown]

On a second now. I'm hoping that we could just get Jonathan as Jonathan.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right. If you say the name, it's like it's Beetlejuice.

[Ben Bolan]

Actually. Have you heard that? That's how we refer to it.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I had not heard that, but it makes perfect sense. Hi, I'm Jonathan.

[Noel Brown]

Hey, Jonathan.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Hi. I'm really excited. I hope we're talking about Drum Dairies.

[Noel Brown]

Yes. Yes, indeed.

[Ben Bolan]

Indeed.

[Matt Stillo]

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[Eric Andre]

Hey, what's up, y'all? This is Eric Andre. Well, I made a podcast called Bombing about absolutely tanking on stage. I tell gnarly stories and I talk to friends about their worst moments of bombing in all sorts of ways. Bombing on stage, bombing in public, bombing in life. I want to know what's the worst way they've ever bombed? Or have they ever performed way too drunk or high? Or was there ever a time where they thought they were going to crush and they Stunk it up. Listen to Bombing with Eric Andre on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Bolan]

Bombing. Bombing with Eric Andre.

[Maria Trimarchi]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Trimarchi]

Each season we explore a new theme, from poisoners to art thieves.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Trimarchi]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

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Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Damien Hirst]

Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?

[Ben Bolan]

Ow. Goes lower.

[Damien Hirst]

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[Noel Brown]

Apparently the hump of the dromedary is in some parts of the world, including the one we're in currently, which is Doha, Qatar. Quite the delic.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Noel Brown]

It's like 90% fat and apparently you put it in stews and it just. All that good fat just dissolves and gives it a real ooh my me.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Oh, wow.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. It's also true that there's a long standing myth about our dromedary friends. They do not store water in the hump. They store. As you were saying, Noel, delicious fat. Let's be honest. And let's come from a place of great affection, which is, by the way.

[Noel Brown]

Doha, Qatar, where we are with great effect. Don't know if we mentioned that or not. We are at Web Summit Qatar. We have been invited by the lovely folks at iheart to help do some educational tracks about podcasting here with some Middle Eastern creators. Everyone we've met thus far. We just did our first session, by the way. I think it went smashingly well.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Everyone's so incredibly popular. You at standing room only.

[Noel Brown]

I was a little taken aback in the best possible way and everyone's been super kind. We stuck around, answered a lot of questions and I'm really proud of us, Ben.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm proud of the crowd for sure. Crowd proud, crowd proud, first and foremost. And thank you, of course, Jonathan, for being our plant, being our random, random man in the audience. What do you think, sir?

[Noel Brown]

What is it? What is it? That, what's his name? Darren Brown, you know, the mentalist. He says there are no stooges involved. You were our stooge.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah, no, I was, I was extra stoogey mostly, but due to sleep deprivation and jet lag.

[Noel Brown]

You just arrived yesterday. Yes, well, we have had the pleasure and privilege of being here for a couple of days. I feel just about normal.

[Ben Bolan]

And here's. Here's what we're exploring today, guys. If you never saw, imagine you lived your whole life. Fellow ridiculous historians who had never seen a camel. Nary a picture, nary an iconographic rendering.

[Noel Brown]

What a freaky beast.

[Ben Bolan]

One day you saw one, your first thought would probably be, camels are wacky looking, skinny ass, legs. I say this with great affection. It's like the first time I saw an alpaca or a llama or a giraffe, to be fair, my first question was, huh? What? Why? How?

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

And then it spit right in your mouth.

[Ben Bolan]

So look, I mean, they got that wonky. They got that wonky sinuous neck. We'll get to that. That's foreshadowing.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Oh, cool.

[Noel Brown]

You know, it's funny though, Ben, I always. You ever seen like there's this guy on Instagram who creates artistic renderings of drawings that his small child has done?

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Noel Brown]

That is what a camel looks like.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yeah. There's the wonky sinuous neck, the odd one or two humps. Yeah. And what's the deal with that?

[Noel Brown]

What gives you one versus two the breed thing?

[Ben Bolan]

I personally, I will share this anecdote later. I am more a fan of the Bactrian camel, which is the double hump.

[Noel Brown]

I want the double hump because it makes for a natural saddle.

[Ben Bolan]

It makes for a natural saddle and I think they have a better attitude in general.

[Noel Brown]

Little less mouth spitting.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Have you ever ridden one?

[Noel Brown]

Yes, only when I was very small. When I was very small, all three of us. I'm hoping that we can do it whilst we're out here. They have these desert safaris where you can hire a camel that will take you around.

[Ben Bolan]

Well, you hire the person who's the came camel, human body camel handler. You don't straight up hire the camel.

[Noel Brown]

No, that's true. Well, I just, I just mean sort of like hiring a car.

[Ben Bolan]

Like the way British people say Correct. I hire a car.

[Noel Brown]

Indeed.

[Ben Bolan]

So they also have feet that look like straight up clown shoes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yep.

[Ben Bolan]

Just. This is like a Friars Club roast.

[Jonathan Strickland]

They got knobby knees.

[Ben Bolan]

They got knobby knees.

[Noel Brown]

Always be knocking.

[Ben Bolan]

And for some reason. Maybe I'm anthropomorphizing. These goofy little guys always look like they're smirking.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, they look like Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam and the Jeremy video.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I don't know. I call them little, but I know they're big fellas.

[Ben Bolan]

They are. But it's weird because all of the stuff we just described as a roast of the camel is in fact a marvel of evolution.

[Noel Brown]

Boy, is it ever.

[Ben Bolan]

Highly adapted to one of the most unforgiving biomes on the planet. They can not just survive, but thrive.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, they're like an anthropomorphic succulent.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So why are we talking about camels? I mean, yes, I agree they are wonders of the natural world, but. But what is it that is particularly ridiculous and historical about them?

[Noel Brown]

Because they also have their own genre of music, and it's called Camel Corps.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

There's also a great southern culture on the skids song called Camel Walk.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we'll do other references that I can't think of right now, but the rule of three, we will hold sacrosanct. Here's the thing, and here's the answer. Jonathan's question. Back in the 1800s, some pretty innovative, slightly weird guys in the US army.

[Noel Brown]

Thinking outside the box.

[Ben Bolan]

Thinking outside the box, thinking atop the hump. They looked around the US and thought, holy smokes, look at this. We got some deserts, too. This is the story of the United States Camel Corps.

[Noel Brown]

Camel Corps.

[Ben Bolan]

Camel Corps. And spoiler, we have an extra special cryptid thrown in for good measure, which I just. I waited till you were really sleep deprived, Jonathan, and then told you what we were going to do.

[Noel Brown]

Is it the squonk? Is it? Tell me it's the squonk.

[Ben Bolan]

It's got a. It's got a squonk vibe. Okay. Yeah, a little bit. So, okay, let's. Let's set the stage. Noel, can we. Can we get a beginning of the camel corps?

[Noel Brown]

I prefer to start in the middle.

[Ben Bolan]

Immediate, indeed.

[Noel Brown]

No, no, no, it's true. As you mentioned, Ben, at this point in the mid-1800s, we're not even yet a century into the bold experiment that is these or those United States. We are not currently there. The first modern democracy in the Western hemisphere, the US is, of course, has its roots in imperialism, despite, you know, Being against those imperialists, the British. And they were very into expanding those territories and those lands that they owned.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. And there were a lot of ethically fraught conquest and some sticky historical things.

[Noel Brown]

That did not age well.

[Ben Bolan]

Dark night of the soul. Many times over, over the course of these, what corporate America call big ups and downs. Big ups, corporate America and various, let's be honest, war crimes, genocides and other stuff that wasn't bad. All the slow jazz. The nation grows and it encompasses a variety of unique, distinct ecosystems, including these massive swaths of desert. What will we do with the desert? Say a lot of still European forces expanding into a place where they are not familiar with the desert.

[Noel Brown]

Well, and Jonathan, at this point we do have the railroads, which is such an important innovation for that expansionism. But they don't really work super well in the dunes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right. And also you have this issue with logistics.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, yeah.

[Jonathan Strickland]

With the United States Army. Right, right.

[Noel Brown]

So the army moving troops.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Troops and supplies. Right, Supplies. Supply chain is the king, is absolutely everything. And you have a lot of conflicts in the United States. Now, obviously we're going to be working our way to the 1860s and the Civil War, but even before that we have conflicts. And this is what gives rise to a particular officer in the US army who comes up with the idea of perhaps using the camel to tackle some of these supply chain challenges you face when you need to move large amounts of stuff across desert environments.

[Ben Bolan]

Indeed. Yeah. These people are going on sojourns. Right. Civilians alike with far fewer resources than old Uncle Sam. And you can go to places like armyhistory.org and you can get these picturesque quotes. One of them being. In the 1830s, America's westward expansion was being severely curtailed by the inhospitable terrain and climate faced by pioneers and settlers. This was particularly the case in the Southwest, where arid deserts, mountain peaks and impassable rivers were proving to be an almost insurmountable obstacle to men and animals alike. Which is what we just said, but a little less conversation.

[Noel Brown]

Very, very highfalutin. I would say too, that the animals in question here are things like pack mules and horses, which are great and they can take a lot of punishment, but they are not particularly well suited to the desert climes and terrain.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right. The strengths of the horse are one thing. Right. Camel strengths are another, where they're not a one to one replacement, as the army would discover. But if you do need a pack.

[Ben Bolan]

Animal that can need something.

[Jonathan Strickland]

If you do need something you shouldn't, don't Please don't. If you're a Bene Gesserit and you.

[Noel Brown]

Need to get across, travel without moving, what is it? The wormwalk.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Fear is the mind killer, that's for sure. Let's. But as I'm going through every Frank Herbert reference I can think of. But no, no, it's. It was clear that pack animals are not universally suited for every single environment and that, unfortunately, you still have the need to get supplies across those environments. So what do you do? Well, you don't just throw more horses and donkeys because they're gonna die. They're gonna die, or at the very least, they're going to suffer terribly. And it's not gonna be an efficient way for you to get your stuff across. You need to find an alternative, and you need someone who thinks outside the box to push that alternative to higher ups who will probably not listen to us.

[Noel Brown]

Yes. Right. Classic tale as old as time.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. That is where we encounter another struggle. A guy named Major George H. Crossman. He is the reason the notion of camels in the American desert, or the US desert, dates back as far as the 1830s. He got like, have you ever. Of course the three of us have. And probably you listening along at home, folks. Have you ever gotten super obsessive in a rabbit hole of something? I think it's sort of our whole thing.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I was about to say, Ben, we built careers on it.

[Noel Brown]

We built this city on rabbit holes.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Well done. And so this guy gets super into camels. We don't know what was going on in his life at the time. Let's.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Let's reword that.

[Ben Bolan]

This guy gets. This guy becomes camel intrigued by the potential functionalities of the cattle and their.

[Noel Brown]

Lovely lady who humps.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I think the jet lag is really starting to kick in, y'all.

[Noel Brown]

Yes, man.

[Ben Bolan]

So, okay, so ride it out.

[Noel Brown]

Ride that train all the way to Belho.

[Ben Bolan]

He does a Renaissance man kind of thing, and he. On his own, of his own volition, he creates a cartoonishly thorough study about camels in the United States in 1836. He sends it to his bosses. Their response is lost to history. But we can tell you, they probably said something like, hot dog, George. You're wild for this one. Good job. We're going to put this no for Me dog right on the fridge.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Now, I will say, because I looked into Crosban further out of curiosity. He had a long and decorated career in the military.

[Noel Brown]

Absolutely.

[Jonathan Strickland]

He actually received very high honors, even though he was never really, like, front of line battle. He Was more again, on the supply chain side, but because of his contributions in managing supply chains and logistics, he.

[Noel Brown]

He carried weight.

[Jonathan Strickland]

He carried weight, yes.

[Noel Brown]

So is he retired at this point?

[Jonathan Strickland]

No, he would. He would continue to.

[Ben Bolan]

Right now he's dead, though.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Now he's dead. But in the point of our story, he is not. No, actually he would still be technically in service during the Civil War.

[Ben Bolan]

He was active for a while.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

So he, for some reason, this just strikes me as the kind of thing like we're going to pull him out of retirement to help solve the desert.

[Ben Bolan]

Last job.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Last job. Getting supplies to the Union troops. Yeah. As we will discover, it's not the Union that really gets into the whole camel thing.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, yeah. So he is our predecessor and he does bring expertise and weight to this idea, which in this case just means that he essentially was able to send the study and got the meeting and then they ignored him. But he wouldn't have gotten that far had he not been so obsessed already with the brutal poetry of logistics. It's not until, like 1848 that someone else starts taking the idea seriously. This is where we meet another military man, Henry C. Wayne, Also a bit of a logistics guy himself.

[Will Ferrell]

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[Ben Bolan]

Constantly.

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[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah, both of these guys were quartermasters, and so they were in charge of supplies and supply chains and figuring out how to get the stuff that soldiers needed to them in conditions that, let's say, were mercurial and dangerous.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, yes, yes, quite Literally mercurial. Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Sometimes quite literally.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Noel Brown]

Could we also just point out that the precedent for the use of camels dates back a very, very long time?

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, sure.

[Noel Brown]

They are thought to have been first domesticated by human beings in Somalia or Arabia, very close to the region that we are currently sitting in, during the third millennium BC also in the Bactrian in Central Asia, around 2500 BC.

[Ben Bolan]

Those are the double humps.

[Noel Brown]

Tried and true. Thank you very much, Ben. Correct.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I also would like to just remind us, because it's easy, at least for me, I don't want to speak for you, but easy for me to forget that, you know, horses are not native to North America.

[Ben Bolan]

No.

[Jonathan Strickland]

They were introduced in the 16th century.

[Ben Bolan]

Right.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So while the thought of camels being introduced can seem to us to be somewhat ridiculous and foreign, we had already done that with horses, and horses ended up flourishing in North America. So I'm sure there were people who say, why not camels?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Or just like, you know, narco bosses a little further south said, why not hippos.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Also true. And I mean, we also just take a second to appreciate what a perfect adaptation the camel is compared to the horse when it comes to the desert. Those knobby knees and skinny legs.

[Ben Bolan]

Clown shoe.

[Noel Brown]

And the clown shoes. Great at not sinking into the sand, helping stabilize, you know, those little points like in the knees, they're essentially like shock absorbers. Right.

[Ben Bolan]

That's part of why they're always smirking. So, like, you're having a hard time out in the water on you. You got a hard time.

[Noel Brown]

And then whatever. Whether the water's stored in the hump or not, we do know that they are able to store a.

[Ben Bolan]

A lot of caloric energy.

[Noel Brown]

A lot of caloric energy. That's the most important part. Less about the water.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So we've got a couple different people coming forward taking these suggestions, but so far, we're still not quite at the point where the US army is ready.

[Noel Brown]

Let's give it a go.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. You need a patriot. And this is where Henry C. Wayne is contacting a guy who was at the time Senator of Mississippi. His name, Jefferson Davis. Wayne pitches to Davis based on Crossman's work, and he has an even more thorough study. And he's going, jeffy, baby, help me buy some camels. Let's make this official. And Wayne is targeting Jefferson Davis for this pitch specifically because Davis, who goes on to do a couple of other things.

[Noel Brown]

Not great stuff.

[Ben Bolan]

Not, you know, not great stuff, but he goes on to do a couple Other things. And he, Davis had previous firsthand experience in the Mexican American War, which had just ended. It had started two years ago, it had just ended. And he had been in the desert. He had seen that harsh, unforgiving caliche.

[Noel Brown]

He know. Yeah. That hard caliche.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Sorry, that's from no country for Old Men. That's where that comes from. Very Cormac McCarthyan. Love you, Ben. But this dude knows the merits of what is being pitched. He understands like where this is coming from, that it's not just a harebrained scheme.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. But he's doing that thing where someone has a good idea amid a crisis. Because at this point, his pitches to his colleagues on the congressional sphere, they are unsuccessful because Congress already is very sensitive to a fell win. You know, the north and south are increasingly reaching serious loggerheads on multiple fronts. Economic disagreements, ideological differences, slavery, and the great sin of chattel slavery.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right. Yes. So we've all heard the phrase necessity is the mother of invention.

[Noel Brown]

We certainly have.

[Jonathan Strickland]

We get to a point in history where it looks like there may be a pressing need to come up with some supply chain solutions.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. And to get one up on the opposition.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Exactly. So there's your motivation. Like if you, if you need to get your harebrained scheme funded, wait until your, your money bags is in a desperate situation and you're more likely to.

[Noel Brown]

Get it happen 100%.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, so we're, we're absolutely right. Seven years later, 1855. Right. Davis, finally, due to this growing need, persuades Congress to shell out US$30,000. Can we?

[Noel Brown]

Can we, can we, dad?

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, geez, geez.

[Noel Brown]

Inflation calculator. Sorry. I miss Max. We really like Matt, though. But he's not the same as Max. If Max were here, he would have said a boop boop.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, but now we have Jonathan joining us in this.

[Noel Brown]

Can you give us a boop, Jonathan?

[Ben Bolan]

Sure.

[Noel Brown]

And a boop.

[Ben Bolan]

Boop.

[Noel Brown]

Okay, great.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay. You're really good at this.

[Noel Brown]

US$30,000. 1855 by today's inflation calculation would be.

[Ben Bolan]

$1,088,293.10 in 2025. Wow. Okay, not too bad.

[Noel Brown]

What were they going to use that cashola for, Ben?

[Ben Bolan]

Well, they were going to use it, Noel, to buy a.

[Noel Brown]

A boop ton.

[Ben Bolan]

A boatload.

[Noel Brown]

A boatload of camels.

[Ben Bolan]

I like a boop tun.

[Noel Brown]

A boop tun's good. A lot of camels you can get for a million bones.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Now, interestingly, the military would continue, or at least people in the military would Continue to spend a lot of money on Camels. But in that case, I think I'm talking specifically about the cigarettes.

[Ben Bolan]

This is perfect. This is.

[Noel Brown]

You would get issued them, wouldn't you?

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Noel Brown]

It was part of your ration.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. It's still in a couple of militaries. There's still. I'm not going to name names, but the MREs.

[Noel Brown]

No name names.

[Ben Bolan]

No, I collect them. You know what I mean?

[Noel Brown]

Oh, yeah, I know you do.

[Ben Bolan]

They will still have for a long time. France would have one cigarette as part of your breakfast ration.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, there's also the Finnish breakfast, which I believe is a shot of vodka, an espresso and a single cigarette.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Super healthy. Right?

[Noel Brown]

It's good stuff.

[Ben Bolan]

And so think of it this way. It still feels very blue sky brainstorm mode. It's like if you and your homies are partying or. Right. Like in college maybe. And you know you have an exam coming up soon. That would be the Civil War in this case, where you're still in the long weekend right before the exam.

[Noel Brown]

You're taking your PSATs.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. So you're just sort of. You're brainstorming. Anything's possible. I'll have one more beer. But Senator Davis gets this money. Jeffy D. Jeffy D. He follows up with his own study in 1857, and he's at least partially motivated just to prove this is a real thing and that it's not the 1800s version of someone and getting blitzed and watching Discovery Channel.

[Noel Brown]

Gotta be scalable guys to use corporate speak, you know?

[Ben Bolan]

So.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah, well, I mean, like, again, getting back to logistics, like, how do you. Yes.

[Noel Brown]

Camel.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Camels would be ideal. But they're not. Camels are us. They're not native to North America. You're not going to go to the camel store. So good round here.

[Noel Brown]

Right. You got to reach out to the contacts abroad.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. I mean, at this point. I love that. I love that because at this point, it's kind of like if we were in a situation where we said, you know what would be perfect right now? A rock from the moon.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right.

[Ben Bolan]

It would solve our problems. Right.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Like, that's great. Let's get that way.

[Ben Bolan]

Way. So they have to. This is like actu of a heist film. You raise the point that they have to go somewhere else. So Major Wayne. Not to get conspiratorial. Major Wayne also happens to know that there's a fellow Camel nut named David Dixon Porter, which makes me wonder if there's this cottage community or this circle.

[Noel Brown]

Camel enthusiasts.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Of people who are friends entirely based on their enthusiasm for camels.

[Noel Brown]

Well, I mean the Camel Lovers Society.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Okay.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh yeah, the cls.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So Porter, Porter was the son of like an ambassador, wasn't it? A diplomat.

[Noel Brown]

Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

And so he actually had spent time in the Midd east, which means that he had seen camels firsthand. And my guess is that the love of camels is somewhat based upon their very foreign appearance to people of the, you know, from Western countries who had never been exposed to it. And you have that initial reaction of well, what the hell is that damn thing over there?

[Ben Bolan]

Wacky looking Orientalism. Exoticism.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yes, that's true. And so. So part of it is probably that one. You have that element of. This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it. Then you also have the element of WTF as well. But also you see how the indigenous peoples are able to make use of the creatures in ways that no other creature would be able to withstand.

[Noel Brown]

Perfect adaptation.

[Ben Bolan]

And then there's that power of nostalgia, like you're saying, right.

[Noel Brown]

They sort of commission a study. Right. Or at the very least a paper, a proposal.

[Ben Bolan]

They start brainstorming because now, fast forward. Porter is the commander of a ship called the USS Supply. A little bit on the nose.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I also love that this story has involved so far three major studies and a major.

[Noel Brown]

A major, major.

[Jonathan Strickland]

A major one of those stories actually from a major. But three. Three massive studies into the possibility of bringing camels over. It's. I just love that it's spanned multiple decades and studies and still didn't have.

[Noel Brown]

It all figured out.

[Jonathan Strickland]

The very first study was saying, hey, this would be a good idea, do two more.

[Ben Bolan]

And then, well, that's bureaucracy for you.

[Noel Brown]

It is the most recent one, by the way, as you point out, Ben, in a burst of creativity was titled Purchase of Camels for the Purpose of Military Transportation.

[Ben Bolan]

And so, you know, I think we're also being very generous with the word study. I don't think there were a ton of.

[Noel Brown]

This was more of a proposal, Right.

[Ben Bolan]

This was more of a Daddy May I? You know, that's at least on some level. Now these guys were bringing expertise to the field. They were able to objectively, it was a sales pitch. Three studies in the making. And so Major Wayne, through the Camel Lover Society contacts Porter, we could only imagine and says, hey man, where go? Yeah. And they, they say, okay, cool. From what I remember about camels, they're kind of big. So let's take a look at the boat.

[Noel Brown]

We're Going to Noah's Ark. These bad boys, right?

[Ben Bolan]

And we got to figure out how we get them across the Atlantic.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Then through the east coast, then I go over land, through non desert, through a lot of non desert and don't kill them on the way.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah, yeah. And it's a lot more complicated than just making sure those humps match up with each other so that you can stack them exactly like IKEA chairs.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, you would think you'd just get em to lay down.

[Jonathan Strickland]

No, I mean like we're joking. But obviously this is a non trivial matter.

[Noel Brown]

I mean logistics, right.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Mid 19th century. Crossing the Atlantic alone is already a Herculean effort. And then you still, as you said Ben, you still have, I don't know, almost all of North America to cross before you start getting to the desert part.

[Noel Brown]

Well, and in the same way that the, the horses and pack mules were not suited to the desert, these ships of the desert were not suited to the route getting them, the ships to the ships. 100%.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah. This is where our story, if you are an animal lover like me, gets a little sad.

[Ben Bolan]

It gets massive sad osity in some ways because we know. Okay, so Porter is already doing stuff with his ship, the USS Supply and Major Wayne just hops aboard as an add on a bonus buddy. And the supply is going to an unrelated mission to Italy. During this trip the Major just pops away. He just says okay, you know ttyl, thanks for the ride. I'm gonna learn about camels. He went hardcore on camel journey of discovery. Sounds like such an awesome job actually.

[Noel Brown]

A little bit. Yeah. And he does his homework for sure.

[Ben Bolan]

There's a gap in your resume, sir? Oh yes, I was.

[Jonathan Strickland]

That was my camel year.

[Ben Bolan]

Studying. That was my camel year. Sort of a gap between the humps.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Exactly.

[Ben Bolan]

Of a career.

[Noel Brown]

So how does he go about this? He's got to visit a bunch of different places.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, let's name him.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. Pisa, where he hangs out with a camel caravan. He goes to Paris where he has a little hang with a French colleague about the French camel corps, which I believe was run by the French Foreign Legion. Or at the very least there was use of camels by the French Foreign. Correct. Exactly. So these are used in imperialist activities. This is also considered an off the books a bit hush hush meeting for.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Reasons I have to admit that if I have to research anything, Paris is way up on my list of places to research stuff. Even if it has nothing to do with whatever I'm looking into.

[Ben Bolan]

Cool place.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. Interesting history. Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Well, we're going to be honest with you folks. I don't want to call you guys out. I want to speak for you, but I have at multiple times tried to pull kind of a Major Wayne to Paris move with our own own. With our own bosses over at iheart. You know what would be awesome for this? There is a world expo in Osaka and I think we could get some great shows out of it. Okay, that's my next one by the way. I'm pitching that if you guys.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Well, it's also sometimes, sometimes our company comes to us and say, hey guys, would you like to be part of a group that we're sending to Qatar, the web summit? And we're like, that's incredible. So yeah, it works both ways.

[Ben Bolan]

It does.

[Jonathan Strickland]

But in this case. So then we get the reunited.

[Ben Bolan]

And it feels so good.

[Jonathan Strickland]

And it feels so good between Porter and Wayne.

[Noel Brown]

Can I just say, so I stop thinking about. Every time I read Major Wayne, I think of Major Pain starring Marlon Waynes.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm not your brother.

[Noel Brown]

That's exactly right. Sorry. I just had to say it out loud so that maybe it would get out of my head.

[Jonathan Strickland]

But fair enough.

[Noel Brown]

Carry on.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So we get Wayne and Porter getting back together. They're still not done with their fact finding mission.

[Ben Bolan]

Right.

[Jonathan Strickland]

They want to go a few more places, learn as much as they can. Honestly, while I was joking about all the different studies, et cetera, the fact that they're taking this so seriously is. Is a good thing.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, well, I mean, it's also. They're protecting their investment. You know, this is a million dollars by today's math. So they did not want.

[Jonathan Strickland]

They want to get it right.

[Noel Brown]

They did not want to lose their cargo, their precious cargo.

[Ben Bolan]

They also need firsthand accounts of military experience with camels supply chain. So they go to Crimea, they visit Egypt, Malta. Like you were saying, Noel, some of the North African areas where the camel has been a part of life for a long time, they go to Turkey. And while in Crimea, Major Wayne meets up with these British officers. Picture the stereotypes of your favorite British officer at the time and then say, oh, you know, tell me old bean, about your experience with camels in the Crimean War. And I'm being a little bit glib with that, but it is important to your point, Jonathan, because it. They need someone who can say this word.

[Noel Brown]

Yep.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right. Because otherwise they're going to. If things go south.

[Ben Bolan]

Right.

[Jonathan Strickland]

If things go south. Okay. I'm not trying to be.

[Noel Brown]

They are ultimately going south.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I'm not trying to foreshadow. Here, like, but if things go south and they did not do this, this part of the fact finding mission, then obviously they're going to be held accountable for making a terrible decision. But if they said no, we spoke with multiple people who have used camels and supply chains in the past. It worked. That's why we continued forward with this.

[Ben Bolan]

And they're being very honest because before these fact finding missions, part of the reason I would argue they're so thorough before they set upon this adventure. These guys loved camels, but they didn't know the first thing about actual camels.

[Will Ferrell]

Hey, Will, do you ever get overwhelmed by how much science happens these days?

[Ben Bolan]

Constantly.

[Nathan King]

I'm like, ah, there's so much science, I can't keep track of it all.

[Will Ferrell]

Then it's a good thing. Our podcast, Part Time Genius is counting down the 25 greatest science ideas from the past 25 years.

[Nathan King]

That's right, Mango. We're talking animals in a paper called.

[Will Ferrell]

Quote, chickens prefer beautiful humans.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Right.

[Will Ferrell]

This was actually the title of the paper. They all discovered that much like humans, chickens are attracted to symmetrical faces.

[Ben Bolan]

Got it.

[Will Ferrell]

We're talking medical miracles.

[Nathan King]

He's an endocrinologist who found a way to stimulate insulin producing cells using, wait for it, the saliva of a Gila monster.

[Will Ferrell]

There's no way to make that not sound crazy.

[Nathan King]

We even talked to some of the experts behind these breakthroughs. It's a week full of fact packed stories you won't want to miss. So listen to the Part Time Genius countdown down of the 25 greatest science ideas of the past 25 years, starting Monday, March 3rd on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Bolan]

The reports, anecdotes, nostalgia. They had kind of a vibe, you know what I mean?

[Noel Brown]

Bit of a vibe check. Yeah, like the film, the masterpiece that is Vibes, starring Cyndi Lauper and Jeff Goldblum.

[Ben Bolan]

Vibes. Yeah. Thank you. Please check it out. I'm pointing to someone outside of the studio. Hello. Vibes is an amazing movie from the 1980s.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Oh, amazing is a strong word.

[Noel Brown]

Hot take, better than Ghostbusters.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, amazing means a lot of things.

[Noel Brown]

I've ruined our careers. It's a movie that exists and it's worth your time. It is a product of the time in which it was created. But these fact finding missions are all in all a success. They're about ready to drop this cash on some camels. About 30,000.

[Jonathan Strickland]

The question I have for you then is you're mid 19th century. You got 30 grand. How many camels does that buy?

[Ben Bolan]

I'm so glad you asked. And this is why we have fun at parties together. It will purchase 33 camels. But wait, as Billy Mays was wont to say, there's more. You. With that, you get a price break. You also get some saddles.

[Noel Brown]

They throw them in some crops, the thingies, the little whippy things.

[Ben Bolan]

They also are able to use some money to get some drivers, some trainers. This doesn't cost them 30 grand. They get all this for. Get this, folks, the low, low price of $8,000 US.

[Noel Brown]

Why, that's a steal.

[Ben Bolan]

It sure is.

[Noel Brown]

I'll take two. Wait, wait, I'm sorry. What'd the rest of the money go?

[Jonathan Strickland]

I was about to say, do they pocket the rest?

[Noel Brown]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, guys, we're not taking questions at this point.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Fair enough.

[Ben Bolan]

Moving on. So I love saying we're not taking questions anyway. Yeah. So they don't just get one kind of camel, right? They get the Bactrian. They get the single hump camel. We already talked about some of the differences. Now let's talk some anecdotes because, Jonathan, you said something interesting that we're. I'm not gonna let it go. You asked us if we had ridden camels.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

And you said that you have.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I have.

[Ben Bolan]

Would you like to tell us about that on the record?

[Jonathan Strickland]

Sure. I rode a camel when my parents took me to a Renaissance festival in the state of Georgia where there were camels that would take children on a very slow, methodical circle around the field.

[Noel Brown]

Don't they still do that at the Rey Fair?

[Jonathan Strickland]

They do it now, yes. I thought I'd seen it. So for many years they didn't. They had. Instead they had ponies and not as cool. The little pony carousel, essentially. Like for realsies.

[Ben Bolan]

Sure.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Putting the poles through them was just heartbreaking, but they, they have, they now have. They've had. They've had camels on and off over the last several years.

[Noel Brown]

Got it.

[Ben Bolan]

I. I went. I was able to have a similar experience for a long time. You guys know the musician Conway Twitty?

[Noel Brown]

Of course.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yes.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, good. Because otherwise the. Well, it doesn't matter. But Conway Twitty for some was it.

[Noel Brown]

At a Twitty show.

[Ben Bolan]

He had, he, he had a big compound. Your folks were a Twitty head in the state of Tennessee and he turned this into like a Christmas themed fair every year called Twiddy City Twitty. The only. Wait, wait, wait.

[Noel Brown]

That's fine.

[Ben Bolan]

That's fine. Hollywood thing with arguably off the Books branding from Tweety Bird. So it was Twitty City.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I don't think there was any arguing about that.

[Noel Brown]

Wow.

[Ben Bolan]

And they had. The big draw was I could get my camel license riding in a methodical circle as long as it was renewed each year. And I was convinced for way too long that I really was qualified to ride a camel.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Like you had a legit.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, they told you this?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, they told you this. And my parents went along with it and they would tell me, you know, we've got to go back because your camel license will expire.

[Noel Brown]

Expiring. That'd be a real shame.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Ben finally learned the real truth at age of 32.

[Ben Bolan]

At 32, when they would no longer let me into the now long closed Twitty City. And the caretaker said, you know, with a little bit of pity.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, you experienced pity in Twitty City?

[Jonathan Strickland]

Was the back of your neck getting dirty and gritty?

[Noel Brown]

Oh, geez Louise.

[Ben Bolan]

It was a hot time in the city.

[Noel Brown]

Guys. All I recall, my only recollection of my camel experience is back when I was a small German boy and it was at stadium, some sort of fun fair in Deutschland.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, that's awesome. So you have also encountered, and to be clear, other than Porter, most people have not had any of the experiences we're naming in the US or in Germany. Honestly.

[Noel Brown]

Very, very true. And there are of course, things that even their fact finding mission perhaps held back, which is the somewhat cantankerous nature of these. These creatures.

[Ben Bolan]

They're sassy boys.

[Noel Brown]

They're sassy boys.

[Ben Bolan]

So, all right, they get these five camel drivers and these guys are functioning as trainers. The idea is we can teach us soldiers how to train, ride and care for these animals. That will be completely new to them. And then they also said, yeah, we've got to really modify our ship. We got to do some serious improvements because like you said, they can't just stack them. Them horizontally.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Playing Tetris with camels.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah. So they, they retrofit the supply, so the supply becomes the camel supply. And I love that you have in here, in your, in your notes here, Ben, about the ventilation system they made, which sounds to me like that was something that should have been necessary on a lot of ships of the time.

[Noel Brown]

Absolutely.

[Jonathan Strickland]

But was not.

[Noel Brown]

They are chonky and stanky.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah. So they used the sails to redirect wind down into the hold in order to provide some ventilation campsite thing.

[Ben Bolan]

And they also. This is an interesting point. Okay, I'm going somewhere with this. We know how in descriptions of sea monsters or naval battles. Sea monsters. Especially the.

[Noel Brown]

In the margins of old maps.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Here be serpents. Spurpants. Here be serpents.

[Jonathan Strickland]

So the these or Spurpants or Spurpants.

[Ben Bolan]

You'Re not going to let me know? Okay, great, great.

[Jonathan Strickland]

No, Spurpants is too good. It's fun to say. Listen, we're all tired. It's okay.

[Noel Brown]

No, I'm loving it.

[Ben Bolan]

Tell us if Spurpants lands and define what a Sperpant is for us, we'll open that door.

[Noel Brown]

It has lovely lady. Luscious lady humps.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Well, here's the reason why it. Why some of those giant squid, which are a real thing or colossal squid, I should say.

[Noel Brown]

Davy Jones giant squid.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, yes. Wait, which one is that?

[Noel Brown]

It's the Michael Bolton Lonely. This is the song of Jack Sparrow.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. So they looked bigger. And some of those paintings were not as inaccurate as they may seem because the ships are much smaller than we imagined in them. The ships you see in Pirates of the Caribbean are incredibly rare in the historical world.

[Noel Brown]

I didn't know that.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

So these are more like little schooners.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I mean, you would have like galleons and stuff in the Spanish Armada, which were truly massive.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Strickland]

But not everyone was using galleons.

[Ben Bolan]

And that's exactly why this supply ship has to rebuild itself, rebuild its deck to allow these camels in.

[Noel Brown]

I had a little moment of confusion myself, so I'm just going to remind the listeners at home, this is a supply ship. Ship that is called the supply. Yes.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah. Well, I had to look at our notes like five times because then I saw that the supply ship left Smyrna and that's like, north of Atlanta.

[Noel Brown]

It is indeed. It is a suburb of Atlanta.

[Ben Bolan]

Where we are. Where we are.

[Noel Brown]

Isn't it? Also, is it in Greece?

[Jonathan Strickland]

Turkey.

[Noel Brown]

Turkey or Turkey.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Thank you.

[Ben Bolan]

Thank you. And so on May 4th. Oh, they have to. There's one Bactrian camel so big they just give up. And they say, okay, we're going to cut a hole in the deck. Everybody just be careful.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Just walk around the hump.

[Ben Bolan]

Just walk around the hump.

[Noel Brown]

Mind the gap.

[Ben Bolan]

Mind the gap. Mind the hump. May 14, 1856. They arrive at Indianola, Texas, with 34 total camels.

[Noel Brown]

But wait, 33. We started with 33. At the very least, I would have thought we'd maybe have lost a few on rude.

[Ben Bolan]

What happened? This is what Jonathan was telling us, Noel, about how this. This is the part that's not great for animal lovers.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Okay.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Specifically, it's not great for camels something.

[Noel Brown]

Of a trigger warning here.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Yeah, so we had some losses, obviously. We also had some gains along that. But as I said, crossing the Atlantic, herculean effort, mid 19th century, it took a long time to do it is not something that one does not simply cross the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean. So we have start with 33. One of the camels does not survive the crossing. So we're down to 32. But we have six camels born during the crossing.

[Noel Brown]

Okay. The circle of life.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Only two of which survive. Oh, yeah, bummer, right? All right, so that's what brings us up to the 34 in total.

[Ben Bolan]

Which. Which is a net gain.

[Noel Brown]

That's true.

[Jonathan Strickland]

That is a net gain.

[Noel Brown]

That is true. But then don't they decide they still need more?

[Jonathan Strickland]

They do decide they still need more. It turns out that you can't solve all your supply chain issues with just 34 camels.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, okay. Well, yeah. Again, early days, right? Brainstorming, no wrong answers. This is where we see the brass considering this a cost effective success. Right.

[Noel Brown]

They're counting the beans.

[Ben Bolan]

They are giving the thumbs up, counting the camels. And remember, remember, the entire time these guys are coming back from the Atlantic, the tensions in the United States are ratcheting up. So there is an increased concern, which means an increased budget. And thus it comes to pass that they land. And the US Government tells old Porter, great job, buddy. Good hustle. Turn around. Like today, Go back to the Middle east, buy more camels. Just like that. We need more cowbell sketch.

[Noel Brown]

Did they re up the budget as well? They gave them a few more shekels.

[Ben Bolan]

They didn't even spend all the.

[Noel Brown]

That's right.

[Ben Bolan]

They did really well.

[Noel Brown]

They got good camel deals, so they.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Were able to go on back. And this time they decide they're going to be even more ambitious. They don't just buy 33 Camels, they go up to 41. One short of the answer to life, the universe and everything.

[Ben Bolan]

And in the business, that's what we call a cliffhanger, folks. This is part one of the US Camel Corps. We couldn't, could not be more pleased that you joined us. We are going to be returning later this week with part two and the Legend of the Red Ghost.

[Noel Brown]

Ugh. So, Metal Camelcore and the Red Ghosts.

[Ben Bolan]

And big, big thanks to you fellow ridiculous historians. Also big, big thanks to our guest, super producer, Matt the Madman Stillo. Matt, I should have checked with you before giving you that nickname, but we're in it now. That's not him.

[Noel Brown]

Nicknames work.

[Ben Bolan]

We're in It.

[Noel Brown]

They're bestowed upon you. You don't get it.

[Jonathan Strickland]

You didn't hear what I said about him in my introduction. I mean, I gave him monikers.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. No, and speaking of monikers, big, big thanks, of course, to the one and only Jonathan Baby J. Strickland. Thanks for coming on the show. I know that's one of your least favorites.

[Jonathan Strickland]

Oh, we. There's a. There's a video on YouTube from the old house stuff works days if you want to see my reaction to that.

[Noel Brown]

John has cookie.

[Jonathan Strickland]

I'm gonna get you. Yeah, no. Thanks so much for having me on. Also, spoiler alert. We have already recorded part two.

[Noel Brown]

Stop it.

[Jonathan Strickland]

We're coming back from the future.

[Noel Brown]

How's that possible?

[Ben Bolan]

Just like Looper.

[Jonathan Strickland]

It's just like Looper, Ben. And I have to say, this might have been the most fun I've had on the show.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, it was a good time. And by the way, we are also technically coming to you from the future, because where we sit in Doha, Qatar, we're eight hours ahead of where we live in Atlanta, Georgia.

[Jonathan Strickland]

And it looks like Blade Runner outside.

[Noel Brown]

It does look like Blade Runner outside.

[Ben Bolan]

It's wild here. You know, I think one of the people we're riding with from the airport hears that all the time because there's one building in particular that is quite angular and it's like a gigantic triangle. Like a sword? Yeah, yeah, like an anime sword on Final Fantasy. And they said, wow, it looks just like Blade Runner. And the guy was driving said, yep. So that's like when someone says, have you been bullied lately? But we do have have some more people to thank, of course, thanks to Christopher Odis, the legendary Jeff Coates here in spirit. And who else?

[Noel Brown]

Oh, gosh, Jonathan Strickland, AKA the Quizzter, who also exists in human form currently and sits before me corporeally. I love it. It's been a pleasure having you, sir. As well as Max Williams, our super producer. Long suffering thanks for the hot edits on this one from afar. We really appreciate you. And of course, also, also Alex Williams, who composed this bang and bop, we call it theme.

[Ben Bolan]

Big. Big thanks, of course, to the rude dudes over a ridiculous crime. Big thanks to everybody who made this possible. And I just want to get in front of this because it's very personally important. Big thanks to Saeed, man. Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

And camels in general. Camel kind.

[Ben Bolan]

Big thanks to Sayeed. I think we're on the way.

[Noel Brown]

I think so.

[Jonathan Strickland]

No one's gonna know what that is until part two.

[Ben Bolan]

That's Right. That's why I'm like, there's a method laying the groundwork.

[Jonathan Strickland]

It's like looper.

[Ben Bolan]

It's just like looper.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Strickland]

We're going to make that reference as many times as we can.

[Noel Brown]

We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Eric Andre]

Hey, what's up, y'all? This is Eric Andre. Well, I made a podcast called Bombing about absolutely tanking on stage. I tell gnarly stories and I talk to friends about their worst moments of bombing in all sorts of ways. Bombing on stage, bombing in public, bombing in life. I want to know what's the worst way they've ever bombed? Or have they ever performed way too drunk or high? Or was there ever a time where they thought they were going to crush and they stunk it up? Listen to Bombing with Eric Andre on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast guests.

[Ben Bolan]

With Eric Andre.

[Maria Trimarchi]

Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Trimarchi.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Trimarchi]

Each season we explore a new theme, from poisoners to art thieves.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Trimarchi]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Damien Hirst]

Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here?

[Ben Bolan]

Ow. Go slower.

[Damien Hirst]

From Blumhouse TV, iHeart podcasts and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi and what's the way to find a missing person. Sleep with everyone he knew? Obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Noel Brown]

I'm Mark Seale. And I'm Nathan King. This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Ben Bolan]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Noel Brown]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seale's best selling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire, and many others. Yes, that was a real horse's head. Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.