Dressed for Failure

this is a pretty silly question. Rain is the color of water, and water sometimes has a tint based on the particles that it picks up along the way, or if you step back and look at it atmospherically, you might argue that rain looks gray or cumulatively a sort of muted white. But when rain has an actual color, something very strange as happening between the clouds and the earth. The Indian States of Corolla has been a frequent side of strange rainstorms on the southwest coast of the country.

It's home to over thirty three million people, and in the summer of two thousand and one, a number of villages located among the mountains there experienced a rainstorm that puzzled scientists all around the world. Between July and September, of that year, dark red water poured from the sky, staining clothing pink and turning the streets into red rivers. In other parts of Kerala, the rain was yellow, or green or black, but the most prominent color was that red.

This alarming meteorological event puzzled the locals, but it didn't shock as much as you might assume, because it wasn't the first time that it had happened on and off. For decades, red rain had fallen in this region, some say as early as the nineteen fifties, with other sources pointing even further back than that, as early as eighteen ninety six. Now, according to locals, the strange rainfall began with a flash of light, and then the red downpour began.

The area that it covered was sometimes alarmingly localized, so that normal rainfall would only be a few kilometers away. After that two thousand and one rainstorm, local scientists gathered enough of the rain to finally run some proper tests on it and determine what could cause a sudden explosion of dark red precipitation. At least fifty thousand kilograms of the stuff had fallen during this storm, and much of it seemed to be made up of strange particles in

the rain. The theories abounded. Was it volcanic ash, was it red sand? Or maybe dust in the air. On closer examination, scientists saw cell like structures in the red rain, but they were completely absent of any DNA. The leading theory early on was a dramatic one. The red rain had been caused by an exploding meteor in the upper atmosphere. The red particles were extraterrestrial in origin, and this theory seemed to be supported by the local anecdotes about the rain,

which was always preceded by a flash. But the more they studied the cells, the less likely the extraterrestrial theory became. It turns out the cells were mostly made of carbon and oxygen, with amino acids and a neutral pH Essentially, it was far more likely that these particles came from Earth than space based on their chemical composition. Later studies also seemed to contradict the early claim that they lacked DNA,

pointing more firmly toward a terrestrial origin. What's more, strange red rainstorms continued sporadically throughout the two thousands, with the most recent being in the early twenty tens. Does this mean that we're haunted by the mystery of this colored rain to the present day. Fortunately no. Along the way, scientists backed by the Indian government found the real origin of Kerala's strange rain. It definitely was not from a meteor burst or from a volcano. The red coloring came

from spores, specifically spores coming from local algae. Essentially, heavy rainfall inspired lichen to grow all around the area, which then released their spores, and those spores got caught in the subsequent storms, a simple causal relationship between this specific climate and its plants. However, the government report didn't seem to know how the red rain had dispersed so widely

across the state of Kerala. For that to happen, it would require all of the lichen in the area to release spores all at once, which is possible but not likely. Subsequent studies have posited that the spores weren't local at all, but carried that way from Europe by heavy winds. And I find myself thinking of that old sailing adage, red sky at morning, sailors take warning, red sky at night sailor's delight, Except nobody says what we're supposed to do

if the storm turns the color of blood. In the long history of England, there have been a number of notorious rulers in politicians. Take William the Conqueror, for example, whose brutal suppression of any resistance led to the deaths of thousands. Or maybe you're thinking of Oliver Cromwell, whose

tyrannical reign included murderous military campaigns in Ireland. But if we turn our eyes toward more modern times, one twentieth century politician sticks out not simply for his actions, but for what horrors could have been had he actually risen to power. Sir Oswald Mosley was born into the aristocracy at the end of the nineteenth century and was an energetic, charming man who showed great promise at the beginning of

his career. He was first elected to Parliament at just twenty one years old, making him the youngest member in nineteen eighteen. He began as a Conservative, but as the UK sunk into economic despair after the World War, he lost faith in his party and he joined the Labor Party, but his growing disdain for the establishment led him to resign in nineteen thirty and he founded the New Party. After that failed to gain traction, he decided to look

elsewhere for a new model of governance to support. He found what he was looking for in Italy, where one Benito Mussolini and his Fascist movement had taken firm control of the government. It seems that in fascism, Mostly saw a future for the United Kingdom, and that he would sit atop that government, and so in nineteen thirty two he founded the British Union of Fascists or BUF, modeled

after what he saw in Italy. Mostly became known for his fiery speeches, his populist rhetoric, and his followers, who clad in black shirts and using the Roman salute better known these days as the Nazi salute. They were the brutal enforcement arms of his party. Although he began with a message of just economic populism, the toxic nature of his moveant soon became very clear. The BUF proved itself to be deeply anti Semitic, blaming Britain's Jewish population for

the nation's economic failings. His black shirts caused numerous bloody public brawls in the streets, the most famous being the nineteen thirty six Battle of Cable Street. Where the anti fascist movement blocked a street where the BUF was holding

a march. A bloody riot ensued. Such hateful rhetoric and rising violence began to slowly wear away public support for Moseley and his Black Shirts, and alluming war with Germany's Nazis forced the British government to move against the threat of domestic fascism, and so in the spring of nineteen forty individuals suspected of being a threat to national security were put in jail. This included thousands of suspected fascists as well as Oswald Moseley himself, who was arrested and

held without trial. Throughout his detention, he was moved to various locations and saw the insides of Welsh prison camps and even the Tower of London. The British Union of Fascists was banned in the UK and Moseley's metioric rise was cut short. His movement was not only no longer popular, but it was looked upon by the public as downright treasonous, and so he sat in confinement for the next three years, and when he was finally released in nineteen forty three,

it was under the strictest of conditions. Although politics was done with Oswald Mosley, Oswald Mosley was not done with politics. Immediately upon his release, he began to plan his big comeback. Five years later, in nineteen forty eight, he made his move, founding the Union Movement and calling for a monolithic europe a nation policy that would unite the entire continent under

a central fascist government. This was, he stated, the only way to push back against Soviet communists and American capitalists. But after a lengthy war against fascist regimes, there was a lingering hostility toward the far right. The devastation had been too great, cost too terrible. Fascism was a dead end,

as was Moseley's career. The Union Movement had failed to catch on, and his campaigns to re enter government in nineteen fifty nine and nineteen sixty six were met with a deafening lack of support, and so he retreated to the fringes from where he came. He remained virulently antisemitic and deeply racist. He was a fierce advocate for African

apartheid and was a vocal Holocaust denier. In the end, he was considered a laughing stock and deserted the United Kingdom permanently, spending his last years living in France, where

he died in complete obscurity. To this day, he remains one of the most notorious British politicians of the twentieth century, exposing the violent streak of fascism that ran through British society before the war cut it out like a cancer, and yet his shadow still haunts the UK, showing how the allure of authoritarianism can become a real test of democracies strength and perseverance. I hope you enjoyed today's guided

tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me Aaron Mankey 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 at Grimandmild dot com slash Curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosity's hardcover book, available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an

ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories, but without the interruption. For a small monthly fee, learn more and sign up over at patreon dot com. Slash Grimandmild, and until next time, stay curious,