RIP

into a wine with a twelve percent alcohol content. When the government started poisoning ethel alcohol so it couldn't be used to make bootleg booze, some people hired chemists to draw the poison back out and make the alcohol drinkable again. When it comes to wine, beer, and all manner of adult beverages, human ingenuity cannot be contained. And such ingenuity had presented itself in the early sixteenth century as England's

rapid expansion had devastated its national forests. Trees had been used to build ships, weapons, and fuel fires, but that seemingly endless supply was suddenly in danger of running out. A different kind of prohibition was about to begin, as King James the first decreed in sixteen fifteen that would could only be used for what he deemed necessary. That meant burning wood for fire, especially for the purpose of making decorative objects such as glass, was now out of

the question. Then, in sixteen sixty two, Sir Christopher Merritt published a paper that copy eyes of wine drinkers all over England. Merritt had dabbled in a lot of things. He was a historian, physician, and spent much of his time learning about the larger world as a member of the Royal Society. In his paper he described a new kind of drink, one made with large amounts of sugar

and molasses that, when fermented, created a bubbling sensation. The Frey called their version Champagne, named for the region of France where it was produced. There was just one problem with this new sparkling wine. It couldn't be contained when bottled. The carbonation inside built up to such a pressure that it would either eject the cork or break the bottle.

A stronger type of glass was required, As it so happened, King James ban On wood for making glass had lasted decades, and that time craftsman had turned to an alternative fuel source, coal which burned hotter and produced glass that was thicker and stronger than anything made in a wood fire. This more resilient glass was perfect for the new bubbly wine coming out of England, and because it was better for the bottles of old, both the drink and the vessel

it was stored in became synonymous with wealth. Now, if you visit Champagne in France, you might hear the story of a famous Benedictine monk named Don Perion. Perion had been dealing with a big problem brought on by the refermentation of his wine. Reef Fermentation occurs when the fermentation process started in one vessel, like a large steel tank, and then continued in a different container, such as an oak barrel. In Perion's case, refermentation was carried out in

many small bottles within his abbey. As the weather got colder, fermentation stopped, but any unconverted sugars still inside the bottle started to carbonate the wine. Then, in the spring, as the pressure from the yeast inside built back up, the pressure would either pop the cork or destroy the bottle. When a bottle exploded, the shock wave rippled out, triggering all the other bottles to shatter and sudden glass flying everywhere. Perion did his best to prevent refermentation in his wine,

but he wasn't always successful. A myth eventually formed around Perion. According to eyewitness accounts, the monk took a sip of champagne from an unbroken bottle and exclaimed, come quickly, I am tasting the stars. The Dom Perion company used this quite extensively in its advertising in the eighteen hundreds, but there's no proof Perion himself ever even said it. In fact, much of the legend surrounding the man was thanks to

Dom Grussar, who had succeeded Perryon at the abbey. He'd been the one to claim his predecessor had invented champagne, all in an effort to make the church and it's town a little more famous. Then it worked, even though England had been producing sparkling wine for years before Perryon entered the scene. Many people today believe the drink originated

in France. However, if it hadn't been for the English craftsmen and their need for a new way to make fire, Perryon might have been forgotten as just another monk in the abbey. It wasn't until the eighteenth century, when France began using coal to make glass bottles, and they weren't good enough to hold their bubbling concoctions until the Industrial Revolution reached their country. England had the market cornered for

roughly one fifty years. So the next time you toast a pair of newly weds or celebrate that special occasion, remember the folks who made the moment possible, not the Benedictine monk in the abbey, but the glassmakers who found a way to bottle the stars. Because that's an achievements. We can all raise a glass too. Death is inevitable. We don't know when or where it will happen, but it will come for each one of us one day, perhaps when we least expect it. Humanity has been trying

to cheat death for thousands of years. For example, in the sixth century BC, an ancient Sanskrit medical text advise people to consume a diet of root powder, gold, honey, and butter if they wanted to live longer. Ancient Egyptian ruler Cleopatra was said to have bathed in donkey's milk as a way of preserving her skin's youth and beauty.

And the infamous Countess Elizabeth Boundery was said to have soaked herself in the blood of hundreds of servant girls that she tortured and killed in the seven teenth century. It might not be true, but it's certainly attractive. But nobody ever tried old RiPPs technique for immortality. RiPP lived in Eastland County, Texas. In Dallas was bigger, sure, but a hundred and thirty miles away, and Eastland was growing, and because of this growth, the town needed a new courthouse.

After construction was completed, a ceremony was held to commemorate the building's dedication. The cornerstone of the courthouse had been hollowed out as a kind of time capsule where objects from town could be placed inside until the stone was opened much later. A Bible was put inside, as were

other papers and official documents. Oh and rip. He just climbed in and took a rest inside the cornerstone before it was sealed off, and then his body remained inside the Eastland Courthouse cornerstone while the rest of the town went about their daily lives. By eight they had almost forgotten about him, that is, until February of that year. By then, the town had owned considerably and the thirty year old courthouse was in desperate need of an upgrade.

But rather than expanded, the existing building was torn down and the cornerstone time capsule was opened up. Inside were the Bible, the documents, and all the proclamations from town and the seemingly deceased Rip. After all, he was covered in dust and he wasn't moving, but then he woke up. It was a miracle. For thirty one years Old Rip had slumbered inside a block of marble. His survival made national news, and he toured the country, meeting with people

from all walks of life. He even visited the White House and met with President Calvin Coolidge. Then, eleven months after his miraculous resurrection, Old Rip passed away. The papers said it was pneumonia. His body was embalmed and placed in a velvet line casket before being moved to the Eastland Courthouse lobby. Folks from all over town and beyond came to say goodbye to the hometown hero. In n To John Connolly, who was running for governor at the time,

paid a visit to Old Rip. He picked him up by his leg for a quick photo, although he didn't count on the leg breaking off in the nineteen seventies, RiPP was stolen from his perch before being returned without a scratch on him a few days later. Eventually, though, Ripp's body was moved to a glass display case at City Hall where he couldn't be harmed any further. Now you might be wondering how a man could have survived thirty one years entombed in a Texas courthouse. But Old

Rip wasn't a man, you see. He was a horn toad, named after that famous Washington Irving character, Rip van Winkle. Will Wood was just a boy when he caught Rip. His father, a justice of the piece, had brought Will to the dedication ceremony of that original courthouse and strangely enough, encouraged the boy to place the toad inside the stone. Everyone had forgotten about Ripped by the time the old courthouse came down, but when he was found alive inside,

he became an instant celebrity. Wood was an adult in and he took his former pet on tour. His fame prompted Eastland Gas stations to start giving away toads as souvenirs to tourists. By the time he got to Dallas, though Wood was served a lawsuit by the town, which alleged that he had breached contract by taking old rips so far from his home. The toad was brought to the county jail before he and Wood traveled back to Eastland. After that, Rip traded a life on the road for

a goldfish bowl filled with sand. But, as we discussed before, his retirement was cut short just a year after his release from the stone. But don't worry. He's still remembered today with a celebration called rip Fest, which is held every fall in the town of Eastland, and on the anniversary of his discovery inside the Cornerstone, children today can go to the courtroom of Eastland County Judge Rex Fields to swear that the legend is true. No one, not

even a miraculous horn toad, can escape death forever. But his survival is a reminder to us to make the most to our lives and to leave a lasting impression on the people closest to us, because sooner or later we're all going to croak. 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