The Oyster’s Secret

to chomp on some carrots. A lot of what we learn about how food affects our bodies, like the advice that I just gave you, traces back to old wives tales. And while these so called facts don't always stand up to scientific scrutiny, a lot of them have a kernel of truth. Chicken soup is not a super cure, but it does have vitamins, nutrients, and keeps you hydrated, all of which helps colds feel better. Chocolate isn't to blame for every pimple, but scientists think there may be a

link between eating sugar and growing zits. As for carrots, they actually do do a lot for your eyes. They contain beta carotene, which can be broken down into vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary for your body to see in low light conditions. In fact, people with a vitamin A deficiency will have a harder time seeing at night and could suffer from night blindness. Still, that doesn't mean crunching

on carrots will make your peepers superpowered. Eating carrots when you have low vitamin A can improve your night vision, but it only affects people with limited or damaged eye sights. It won't ever make seen at night like seeing during the day. The popular myth that carrots can make you see in the dark comes from an unlikely source. English World War II propit. In nineteen forty, the Nazis were attacking England directly. During the Blitz, a prolonged bombing campaign

against key cities in England. German pilots would fly under cover of darkness and drop their payload of bombs over ports, factories, and government buildings. So to confuse the Germans and make it harder to hit their targets, England mandated citywide blackouts. Every light was doused and every window was covered without a lit target in the pitch black night, it was much harder for the Germans to do real damage. It was also much harder for the Royal Air Force to

find German planes. Pilots eyes and instruments were no match for the British blackouts, which meant new methods were needed. At this time, the RAF began experimenting with airborne interception radar. Radar had been used successfully on the ground to identify approaching enemies, but it was limited in scope. It couldn't really reach high enough to give a clear picture of German planes. By mounting radar on a fighter planeilots could

track enemy flyers with precision. So on the night of November nineteenth, nineteen forty John Cat's Eyes Cunningham became the first pilot to shoot down a plane using airborne radar. Not wanting the Germans to catch on to their new technology, the British War Ministry decided to use Cunningham as a distraction. The next day, they published dozens of news stories claiming Cunningham's superhuman night vision was all thanks to a steady diets of vitamin A rich carrots. Now it's not clear

whether the carrot story ever fooled the Germans. There are anecdotes of German commanders upping their pilot's carrot rations, but it's never confirmed if this was the case. Regardless, Germany would develop its own version of airborne radar soon after. But what the kat's eye story did do was cause a huge carrot craze in war torn England. Propaganda posters declared that carrots would help citizens see during the mandatory blackouts. The governments encourage people on the home front to plant

victory gardens stock full of carrots. Radio shows would encourage home cooks to make putting cake and pie out of the starchy treats to replace sugar which had been rationed during the war. And on top of that, Disney animators even created anthropomorphic carrot characters who extolled the virtues of the root vegetables to British children. The carrot messaging worked. By nineteen forty two, Britain had a one hundred thousand ton surplus of carrots after the war ended. The myth

that carrots make you see in the dark persisted. At first glance, there is some truth to it, especially with how vitamin A can help damaged eyesight, but when it comes to carrots and night vision, What you see is what you get. When Thomas Downing arrived in eighteen nineteen, New York City had no fine dining scene to speak of. The food culture that did exist was barely recognizable from

what we have today. There was no pizza, no street dogs. Cheesecake, and bagels wouldn't be associated with the city for many years. In their place, one dish reigned supreme as New York City's street food of choice, oysters, before overfishing in population devastated New York Harbor. It was home to some of the richest oyster beds in the world. The mollusks were harvested by predominantly black oystermen and sold from street cars and crowded dining cellars for as little as six cents

a dozen. New Yorkers couldn't get enough. The city consumed roughly a million oysters each day, and it was the oysters that brought Thomas Downing to New York in the first place. A free black man and the son of formerly enslaved parents, he learned to fish and harvest oysters in his home state of Virginia. He knew the business backwards and forwards, and had an eye for picking out the mollusks with the best meat, but he wasn't interested in simply selling oysters out of a cart like so

many other oystermen. When he arrived in New York City, he saw an opportunity no one else had. In eighteen twenty five, he opened Downing's Oyster House on Broad Street, at the center of the city's financial district. It was the first restaurant of its kind, a high class, fine dining establishment that catered to wealthy businessmen who worked at

the nearby Customs House. Crystal chandeliers and expensive curtains set it apart from the dingy cellars where working class New Yorkers got their fix, and Downing always sold the best oysters the city had to offer. The combination of the good food, great location, and high class environment proved to

be a massive hit with the city's elites. Downing's Oyster House was consistently full to bursting with bankers, merchants, politicians, lawyers and dignitaries, and businessmen even brought their wives and children along, both of whom had until that point traditionally been steered clear of eating at restaurants. Imitators were obviously quick to follow Downing's lead. The next year, more high end restaurants opened nearby. Soon enough, the city was home

to a vibrant fine dining scene. Meanwhile, Thomas Downing's meteoric success continued. He opened more restaurants and eventually expanded into a catering business. He even started filling mail orders, shipping crates of oysters to Europe and around the world. Despite everything on his plate, though, he continued to manage the Oyster House on Broad Street, where he rubbed shoulders with the most powerful people in New York City. He became

extremely popular among the city's businessmen. When he died in eighteen sixty six at the age of seventy five, the Chamber of Commerce closed for the day so that merchants could attend Downing's funeral. After that, his eldest son, George, continued to run the Oyster House, and he also continued his father's lesser known activities, because ever since Downing's Oyster House opened its doors, the Oyster King had been hiding

something else, and it wasn't pearls. You see, his restaurant was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, a network which helped over one hundred thousand enslaved people to freedom. Escape slaves freeing from Southern plantations regularly stayed in Downing's basement until they could be smuggled out of the city and across the border to Canada. They slept amidst the restaurants supplies and equipment, listening to the sounds of aristocrats

dining just over their heads. I think it's fair to say that none of Downing's wealthy customers ever guessed what he was hiding, nor could they have known that by enjoying a lunch of New York City's finest oysters, they were helping fund the growing abolition movement. Downey never forgot where he came from, and while he worked tirelessly to ensure that his customers always left his restaurant full, he wasn't so easily satisfied. Not even single handedly creating New

York City's fine dining scene was enough for him. Downing wanted freedom, justice for his people, and he worked towards that goal the best way he could, one shuck at a time. 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 Mankey

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 Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.