Another Banger

the primeval atom. This theory came about in the year and just two years later Edwin Hubbell confirmed that the universe and the galaxies within were indeed drifting apart. But what if I were to tell you that le Metra was not the first to propose such a theory, or that the first person to do so was actually better known, someone perhaps a little more grounded in science than we might think, known far and wide as one of the

greatest writers to have ever lived. This poet and storyteller also dabbled in the sciences, and it's within that world, rather than literature, that we can find one of his lesser known works. He himself categorized it as a prose poem, but it has more or less confounded people for years. He called it Eureka, after the legendary exclamation uttered by Greek inventor Archimedes after he discovered a method for testing

the purity of gold. This work of nonfiction clocks in at a healthy forty thousand words, and it was actually the last bit of writing this man composed just before his untimely death. After spending years composing it, he ended up delivering it as a speech on a blusty winter night in front of an audience of about sixty people. Yet it remains one of the most curious works of an already curious writer, given the incredible scientific merit found

within it, despite its sheer lack of scientific proof. Among the massive theories contained within this work of genius are theories of what happens to the soul after the body dies, and how all things are composed of the same materials, the body, the spirit, and even the cosmos, and that at the end of everything, all consciousness will collapse into

a singular mass. Now, if that sounds in any way convoluted or out there, rest assured that it has been analyzed and cross analyzed in the years since his death. And let's say that there is much more merit in this fantastical work then you might expect. All throughout his life, this writer explored the ideas of life after death, so it's not all that outlandish to think that he explored

them in a more scientific capacity as well. Oh and there was one other major theme that he explored in his final piece, a theme that George le Metra got it for coining in ven You see, it was in Eureka that we first hear about the possibility of an expanding universe, a theory that's, according to modern science, didn't exist until yet here. It was written out on the

page eighty years earlier in eighteen forty eight. And he saw beyond just the expansion as well, proposing that the universe expanded and contracted like massive eternal heartbeats, something that science has found evidence of in the decades since. Yeah, this particular man is rarely mentioned in many conversations about

the cosmos. Critics of Eureka have complained that while he did touch on many scientific ideas that are all but accepted today, he did so without any scientific backing whatsoever, no proof which apparently discredits all of those truths entirely. But while many questioned the scientific merit of his piece, the author himself never did. He referred to it as his greatest work, and rather modestly said that his proposal

was more important than the discovery of gravity. In fact, upon completing it, he told his mother in law, I have no desire to live since I have done Eureka. I could accomplish nothing more, And true to form, he died the following year, barely forty years old. Whatever the case, even if he hadn't already proven himself something of a genius for his groundbreaking writings in the world of horror and the macabre, this crowning exploration of the universe sets

him apart from his contemporaries forevermore. And the name of this writer turned man of science, Edgar Allan Poe. Conservation is so important to the survival of our planet, from preserving our natural resources to rescuing the animal kingdom, we need to do all we can to save what remains after generations have lost. Deforestation, climate change, and the industrial revolution have all decimated countless acres of land, spewed smog and chemicals into our air and forced thousands of species

to go extinct. Many of the animals that have survived, though, have done so by adapting. After World War Two, for example, American soldiers returning home, we're getting married and moving out of the city to raise their families. Mass housing was being built in previously undeveloped areas, along with shopping centers

and highways. In other words, the end of World War Two led to the beginning of the era of the suburb, and with it came the destruction of millions of habitats across the United States, which either pushed out or wiped out the animal populations that once lived there. But one of the most prominent areas where development affected the local animal population happened to be McCall, Idaho. McCall had been established in eighteen eighty nine by Thomas and Louisa McCall.

For over fifty years, it was home to a few major industries, including lumber and mining. Over that time, McCall drew all kinds of people to work and play there. Recreational sailors enjoyed taking their boats out on the lake, and the turn of the century saw an explosion of tourism brought on by new hotels and resorts. But after World War Two, McCall became a hot destination for married

couples and entrepreneurs looking to settle down. Newlywed's flocked there to build homes and start families, while business owners from the northern town of Lewiston came to open lodges, doctors, offices, and social clubs. Now while all of this expansion brought a lot of money to the town, those who were already living there weren't very happy about it. New construction had infringed on the habitats of McCall's native beaver population.

With nowhere else to go and maybe a bit of resentment, the beavers began taking their anger out on their new neighbors. They started cutting down trees with their sharp teeth, not carrying where those trees fell. The damns they built wound up, flooding yards and destroying crops. After all, just because humans have moved into their territory didn't mean the beavers were going to stop being beavers. Naturally, the new homeowners and

business owners wanted them gone. Idaho's Fish and Game Department took up the call. They didn't see the beavers as annoying rodents with a vindictive streak. They knew the animals served a very specific purpose within their ecosystem. They helped improve the quality of the water and streams and brooks. They created habitats for other creatures, and they were responsible for keeping the wetlands well. Wet Fish and game employees wouldn't kill them, no matter how much the town's residents

wanted them to. Instead, they decided to move all seventy six of the offending beavers elsewhere. They've done it before, back in the nineteen thirties under similar circumstances, but the job was tough on both the people transporting them and the beavers themselves. It started with the beavers being trapped

and by before getting loaded onto a truck. That truck would then take them to a conservation officer who would watch them overnight, then load them onto yet another truck, and that truck would carry the boxes to a nearby area where the beavers would be released, at which point their carriers would be fastened to horses and mules and hauled the rest of the way. Many beavers didn't survive the journey due to intense heat and dehydration. Also, the pack.

Animals didn't love carrying angry beavers, because who would, so it was up to Idaho Fish and Game employee Elmo W. Header to figure out a better way. First, he designed special boxes in which to carry the beavers. They were wooden with holes drilled in the side, and they would open when they touched the ground. He also had the perfect new home ready for them in the Chamberlain Basin two miles away, but that was a long haul and

it wasn't really accessible by truck or car. Even using mules and horses would have been really tricky, so instead, Head he used an abundant resource that was left over from World War Two parachutes. Yes, Elmo Header wanted to parachute the beavers into Chamberlain Basin, and he did it, and after a series of tests with an older male beaver, he put his plan into motion. On August fourteenth, Header filled eight crates worth of beavers and transported them by

plane over the basin. Almost every beaver made it, save for one who chewed his way out of the box while still seventy five ft above the ground. But once the rest safely landed, their boxes automatically opened up and the beavers were free to start living their new lives. Oh and that older beaver that header used to test his new box design. He gave it the perfect name, Geronimo. 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 Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky 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 over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious. Yeah,