Mind's Eye

the Nazi movement originated from occult teachings. As time pressed on, however, spell books and pentagrams took a backseat to good old reliable firepower and spies. Spies played an integral part in

dismantling regimes and changing the geopolitical landscape. Nikolai cole Cloth had been a KGB agent during the nineteen fifties, getting his start as a member of the People's Commissari Yot for Internal Affairs a decade earlier as a member of the n k v D. Koklof had gone undercover as a Nazi officer in Belarus and participated in several assassination missions. Now an agent with a KGB, he'd been tasked with

assassinating the leader of an anti communist group in Frankfurt. However, rather than use a standard pistol or poison to take out his target, he opted for something a bit more theatrical, a cigarette pack that fired hollow nose bullets coated in potassium cyanide. But by this time Koklof had grown tired of his trade. Instead of killing the man, he instead warned him that Russia had put a hit out on him. After that, the former assassin had no choice but to

abandon his old life. He left his family behind and fled to America, where he spoke to newspapers and television reporters about his work with the KGB. He spilled all sorts of details about the work they were doing, an active treason that almost resulted in his own murder, but Koklov survived and decided to use his second chance to go back to school. He registered at Duke University, where he majored in psychology. It was a whole new world

for him, sort of. A professor at the school, Joseph Banks Ryan, had been studying the far reaches of the psychological profession, namely e sp clairvoyance, and telepathy. Koklov had some experience with these subjects. Back in Russia, the Soviets had also turned to the paranormal to assist in their agenda, successfully enabling a subject of view something happening elsewhere on the planet using only their mind. Ryan and Koklov parted

ways after the former KGB agent graduated. He soon moved to the West Coast to teach psychology at California State University, where he continued studying Paris psychology, publishing papers on the subject, and giving interviews to various media outlets. Eventually, though, Kolklav's former life caught up with him, but not in the way he'd expected. The KGB didn't come calling, but the

CIA did. Around nineteen seventy two, he was asked to help the United States government with the new program they were starting up, one in which US soldiers would undergo various mind bending experiments. It was called the Black Project. The goal was simple, exposed soldiers to substances such as cannabis, oil, and L S D as a way to facilitate remote viewing, the same method of long distance site the Soviets had

allegedly perfected years earlier. It sounds silly that Congress would approve and fund an operation in which the American government would drug its own military personnel to trigger telepathic powers, but the reports being sent to Washington. We're promising over twenty years of study, about twenty five people were a part of the Black Project. Their focus had been on

spine on the Soviets from miles away. For example, if there was a site occupied by Russian forces but no clear way for the Americans to get inside, the Black Project team was brought in to offer assistance. A remote viewer might get a vague picture of what would be on the other side, such as large containers filled with an unknown substance, which could prove the presence of biological weapons.

One subject had repeated success with remote viewing. Joe mcgonagal predicted the construction of a new class of Soviet submarine, long before anyone outside the project knew about it. Of course, the government experiments didn't stop only at enhancing the mind. There was also an emphasis on honing the body's capabilities. Scientists broke down prisoners of war until they were willing to cooperate, training them to focus their energy into something

called the death touch. The idea was to do an incredible amount of damage to an enemy with very little effort. There was no record of the touch being used on human subjects, but a goat during those tests had been reportedly killed by something akin to a bullet traveling through the animals ubcage. No entrance or exit wound was detected. Did the death touch really work We may never know, but it's clear the government will go to great lengths to protect itself from an ever evolving enemy. And one

thing is certainly true. When the CIA comes calling, no goat is safe. The call of fame and fortune is attempting one. We see it every day in viral online videos and talent competitions on TV. Everyone believes they could be a household name, if only someone would give their dreams a chance. Unfortunately, not everyone is welcomed in the spotlight. Sometimes they fall into obscurity and go back into their

daily lives. Other times they persist, grabbing a hold of anything they can to pull themselves up to the top. For the Cherry sisters, stardom came at a cost, one they seemed only too happy to pay. Elizabeth Jesse, Addie, Effie, and Ella Cherry were born to Laura and Thomas Cherry in the mid nineteenth century. Iowa. Their parents died in the eighteen nineties, and their brother Nathan disappeared around the

same time. This left the remaining sisters with few options, but rather than get jobs to pay the bills, they took a more creative route. They formed a group an act meant to entertain and inspire. Calling themselves the aptly named Cherry Sisters, they started putting on performances for their neighbors. They wrote parodies of popular songs at the time, as well as original songs of their own, with Elizabeth and

Jesse accompanying the others on piano and bass drum. They wrote skits about religion and politics, and read essays to the crowd they'd written themselves. Their neighbors were supportive of them, although they had to be they lived close by. When the sisters auditioned for an agent in Chicago, he brought them on almost immediately. But it wasn't because they were talented now. It was because they were so very, very

bad and they had to be seen by others. The agent booked the Cherry Sisters on a tour of the Midwest, where crowds didn't clap politely or provide constructive feedback. No They heckled them, they booed, They lobbed tomatoes and rotten vegetables at them as they performed. One time, an audience member climbed on stage with a fire extinguisher and sprayed it directly in their faces. Soon enough, the Cherry Sisters had to perform behind wire mesh to keep from getting attacked.

You might think that that was the end of their roller coaster career, but the Sisters were resilient. They pressed on performing for people who didn't just dislike the act. They seemed to resent the Sisters themselves, well, everyone except one person. Willie Hammerstein, new York theater owner, was struggling to keep his new olymp A music hall afloat. He tried all kinds of acts to fill the seats, but nothing seemed to work. No matter how big a star

he found, the crowds wouldn't show up. Then he found the Cherry Sisters. He brought their show to the East Coast, and, despite the New York Times calling them four freaks from Iowa, Willie's plan worked. He saved his theater with an act too bad to be true. The Sisters, though, didn't care much for New York. They wouldn't attend any party they were invited to, and refused to visit Coney Island so

they wouldn't have to see women in bathing suits. Their self righteous moralism wasn't just an act either, They practiced what they preached as they toward the country. Reviewers from local newspapers continued to write incendiary things about the sisters. One newspaper in Iowa wrote a particularly scathing review that described their singing as and I quote, the wailing of damned souls, and their appearance as that of three creatures

surpassing the witches in Macbeth. In general hideousness, unkind, to say the least. Another paper, the des Moines Leader, reprinted that article. The Jerry sisters could handle Heckler's and the occasional head of lettuce thrown towards them, but they felt what the papers had said was beyond the pale. They sued both papers for libel for a total of fifteen

thousand dollars in damages. The sisters fought the papers in court, even going so far as to perform in the middle of the courtroom as evidence that what had been printed was false. The judges did not agree. Instead, he ruled that a newspaper editor had the rights and the duty to report the truth, no matter how harsh it might be. The sisters courtroom performances didn't seem to help their case. However, the sisters did leave a mark on the world, even

if their act had faded into obscurity. Jerry v. Des Moines Leader is still used today as a precedent where the press is sued for printing honest criticism. No matter how offensive a review. Maybe it cannot be considered bible if the claims can be backed up. Their legacy is bitter sweet, an act so terrible everyone tried to forget it, and a landmark court case that has helped protect the

First Amendment for generations. It's just like the name they came up with for their act, Something Good, Something Sad. 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, ye