Mark Twain & Johnny Appleseed

He planted orchards across multiple states. What you're doing is kind of just littering. Well, Elliott, you're reminding me of our other historical figure. But I gotta tell you, Mark Twain's lectures were a lot more fun than yours. Sorry, maybe a little theme music will help. Well, they do say music helps plants grow. Come on, pudding tree. Oh goodness, Eric, please play the theme song? What do you think you

know the greatest? The game is on. To get some energy and buckle up your brain, because it's time to play whose Podcast. Because it's time to play who Live from Time the Land or so called SoCal Los Angeles. Welcome to Who Was the history quick show that gives contestants the chance to win mega prizes and podcast glory.

I'm b your announcer with the most announcer, and here's your host, the man whose letter you never got because he actually we're not to stamp it Allia Kalin, Thank you be, and welcome everyone to the Who Was Podcast. You know this show is like Jeopardy, only with surprise guests, silly games, and a wicked cool water slide wi. Our contestants were sent who Was books about two great figures from history. Now they're here to show off their knowledge

in hopes of winning fantastic prizes, prizes prizes. Today we're discussing two household names who don't use their real names, Mark Plaine and Johnny Applesey. But before we get to know them, let's get to know our contestants. First up, we have August August. Please introduce yourself. Hi, my name is August, and yes, many I was born in August, but I was named after my great grandfather. Oh wow, so you're born in August. I think that makes you a vio um. August. You love the spotlight and are

you sort of bossy? I'm not bossy, but I do love the spotlight. Okay, are you a performer? Do you do like any um like plays in school or anything like that. Well, I did it. I did a few, you know, acting things back, but I haven't done it since COVID hit though. Oh okay, yeah, I mean I feel like we're all kind of you know, feeling that in the biz. Um. Great, Well, we're excited to have you on the show today, August. Thank you. And up next we have Brady. Brady, please introduced yourself. Uh hi,

my name is Brady. Um a fun fat Probably I played travel soccer. Oh wow, okay, what position do you play? Uh? Mostly striker, So you're out there scoring goals? Yeah, basically I had one today. Actually that's great. I have a question. I've never played travel soccer. Is that that you go somewhere to play soccer or do you play it while you're traveling, like in the aisle of an airplane or on a bus. No? No, no, It's like you travel and end play. Okay, okay, so the traveling and the

soccer are separate. It's not like you're on a train and one goal is on one end of the train and the other goals on the other. End of the train. Well maybe try it could be fun. Windows could be broken. Yeah, that's trupid Elliott. I like the sound of this. It could be uh the next big sports crazy. Well, thank you both of you for me here, and thank you to Eric, our musician, for providing that lovely live Meet the Contestants music. So that's who is Brady and August.

Now let's find out who was Johnny Appleseed with four fast facts prospects. Johnny Appleseed was born in seventeen seventy four and died in eighteen forty five. Johnny Appleseed traveled through Ohio and Pennsylvania, planting apple trees and preaching the Christian gospel. In the theories of Swedish philosopher Emmanuel Swedenborg, he helped pioneering settlers state claims on new lands by showing them how to grow orchards. He was a vegetarian

and advocated for fair treatment for animals. Fool prospects. All right, now, Brady and August, I'm gonna get ahead of this a little bit and let you know that um our host Elliott doesn't really like fruit? What why why he doesn't my fruit? I wish I wish the audience could have seen the shock on August's face. In particular, it was as if a ghost had jumped out the moment you said that. Now, look, I know I'm not I'm not a role mottle. Kids should eat fruit. It's very healthy,

it's good for them. I just happened to not like it. What do you not like about it? Sometimes it's really sticky. Sometimes I don't like the way it smells. My kids love fruit, and they go through so many apples. Specifically, we never go to the doctor because we don't have to. They just eat so many apples. We're going through bags of apples a day. I don't have to call too much attention to the fact that I think fruit is no good and I don't like to eat it. Brady

is so now, Brady is the shocked one. August has accepted this information and is rolling with it. Brady, Brady, you look like you just found out that the earth was falling into the sun. Are you gonna be okay? I'm not going to be able to cover So, Brady, what's your favorite fruit? Apples? Well? All right, ready to ready to jump the gun with that? And what's your what's your favorite way to have apples is it just

like just little many slices. Sometimes I have mole, but most of the times I just slic Okay, and August, what about you, I mean you can say apples don't don't feel pressured too. I think mine would probably be between peaches and strawberries. Okay, they're both really good. I like actually every fruit. All right, Well, so the balance of the universe is restored because Brady likes mostly every fruit and Elliott does not like mostly everything. So I

think we're I think we're coming out win win here. Oh, as long as long as there's balance. All this talk is making me hungry, Johnny Apple, that's me, the o G boss of apples, saw coming to you thanks to the who was app who you want to be? The who was app never fails to connect us with the past. Y'all mind if I take the seat. The dogs are barking, well, of course, Johnny, feel free to take your shoes off too. That's just my feet. I'm not a shoe guy myself.

I like to feel nature between my toes. You know. Oh sorry, I mean gross? Well quite kidding, went well quick, Grady, Well, as long as we have you Johnny, would you like to help us with our first game? But don't get your feet anywhere. Oh, don't worry, my friends, it would be an honor. The honor is all ours. Eric. Let's have that true or false intro? Please? True? False? Is it false? Or is it true? Is the truth that it is false? It was true? Or true? True or false? Okay,

here's how this game works. Johnny Applesey will read a statement and you'll tell us whether it's true or false. You guessed, yeah, And since it's our first game, each question is worth one point. August, you'll be going first. True or false. During my travels, settlers would offer me a place to stay over, not nash your love, sleeping in a nice warm bed. False. That's right, it's false. Johnny loved sleeping outside. He'd cover himself with a blanket

of leaves to stay warm. And if the weather was bad, well he construct a small hut or sleep in a hollow tree. We call that the raccoon's sweet. Okay. The next question is for braining true or false in order to get apple seeds for my orchards. I've eat six the apples a week. That's eight point five seven apples. A day to keep all the doctors awake. False. You got him from shire mills. Yeah, I'm gonna tell you

all about it. You're right, can go okay trying cider mills and many towns would match their leftover apples to make apple cider and just throw away the apple cores. Johnny considered this a waste because cores contains seeds. The good news is, since the mills consider them trash, Johnny could have the seeds for free, proving once again the old saying, multiple cider mills trash is a barefoot man's treasure. It's an old saying. Lots of people say it. Right,

you've heard it before. That's definitely not you've never heard that before. No, that's my life. Well you heard it now. The next question here is for August, so listen up agus true or false. Back in my day, farmers did not fertilize their land. By day was a while ago, but I assume you kids still love farmer trivia. That's right, it's true. After several seasons of crops, soil loses its richness.

Today we use fertilizer to maintain the soil. But back then people would just move on and look for fresh land to farm on, leaving that soil behind them. The next question is for Brady, true or false. I'd only work on my orchards for a month or two, and the rest of the year I just put the feet up and let the money roll in. False. That's right, it's false. Johnny's orchards kept him busy year round. In the fall, he'd go to sider mills and collect those

precious apple seeds we heard about. In the winter, he'd fix his orchard fences, and these helped keep animals from using his trees as food. In spring and summer, he tended the orchards, clearing the land and planting seeds. And he was also a traveling salesman, selling apple seeds and seedlings to settlers. Selling apple seeds and seedlings to seedlings to settlers. Try saying that three times fast. Talk about a multitasker. Yeah, no, kidding, Elliott, No typer tunk twisters.

It's the end of the game. True. You know, people used to say it was hard to know what was true and what was false about me because there are always so many stories going around. I'm really impressed with how well you kids did. Absolutely that was a great round. Yeah, well, folks, this was real fun. But you know me, I don't stay in one place too long, So why opt to get Mosey and Johnny? Wait before you go, we'd love to know what your favorite Apple product is? Why the

I pod Nano? Of course, he's fellow travelers j apple Seed Oppens. And here I thought we were only having one humorist on the show today. Yeah, yeah, everybody is a comedian, including me. We're all gut risks today. So let's plant ourselves right here because we'll be checking in with producer Jane for our scores after this break. Eric, please play us some napping in a hollow dream music. Please. I'm just a little squirrel. Welcome back to the Who

Was Podcast? And you learn all about who was Johnny Apples and you was Mark Quayne. And now back to your host, Ellie Kylin. Thank you be. Now let's hear from the apple of everyone's eye producer Jane with the scores. Oh yeah, that's so nice of you to say, and it's also fun to say that August and Brady folk have two points. That's right. So far it's a tie game. August and Brady are neck and neck. So let's move on and find out who was Mark Twain with four

fast facts. Mark Twain was born in eight and died in n team to end. He is known as the father of American literature. Many of his stories, like the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, came from his own boyhood adventures growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, and he has a patent on an unsuccessful history of trivia game called Memory Builders. That's right, Mark Twain tried to do his own Who was Quiz show and it didn't work out. This is the only way in which

we are way better than Mark Twain. Take that Mark Twain. Yeah, it was, But to be fair, it was before a podcast our adventure. That's true. That's true. It's very hard to do a podcast back then. So August Brady, are you readers? Do you like reading books? Love reading? Actually? Um, I read the Adventure of Tom Sawyer and they ad Mention of Huckleberry Finn. Did you really what did you

think of them? I liked both books, and I think as it kind of talked about in the book of Mark Twain, he really went in depth with the Adventures of Huckleberry fin and dolving topics like race, is hum and greed. He was someone who he was a great storyteller and he liked to tell jokes too. But yeah, he have a lot on his mind about what was going on in the America that he was living in and what ways it could be better, what and what ways people at the time didn't see what was going

on around them that maybe they could change. And that's something that I really admire about him. Also, that he wore this totally white suit all the time and it never seems to have gotten dirty. Yeah, I have no idea how that happened. But yeah, Brady is holding up the cover of the Who Was Mark Twain book? He's wearing this all white suit and he looks impeccably clean. I just I know the minute I put that suit on,

it would be covered in dust. And of course, I'm sure you're both very familiar with one of my favorite books, The Powerbroker by Robert Carroll, the story of how Robert Moses became one of the most powerful men in the world of New York City constructions. In August, Brady, even when we're doing a quick show not about authors, Elliott will bring up this book, so feel free to tell

him you haven't read it. Let's just say it's the most exciting eleven pages of of serious history writing you'll ever ready, Why not, I'll tell you what read page a day and it'll only take you about four years to get through the book. Easy. Al Right, Well, we talked about some great books. Be we should go to the library after the show and check them out. What do you think? Oh, I think that's a great idea. In fact, there's a book back right here that we

could take with us heavy. You know. Another word for book bag is backpack, and I bet my bicycle it's so hefty. Because it's time for our next game, Backpack from the Past, from the Best Baby, we have a backpack contains some of Mark Twain's own personal objects that he owned from his own person. We will describe those objects for our contestants and the listeners at home. Contestants, you will choose which multiple choice answer best describes it

and it's importance in his life. Since this is our second game, each question is worth two points. Brady, this first object is for you, all right. I'd like to hear that I found the helm were a steering wheel of a boat. Why would that be in Mark Twain's backpack? Is it because A he was once a pirate name captain mustache, or be he was once a steamboat pilot.

Be he wants a steamboat pilot, and he got into an accident with one of his brothers, Henry, and he didn't want to do it again, but he kept steamboat sailing. That's right. The answer is b. As a young man, Mark Twain decided if he wanted to live his childhood

dream of being a steamboat pilot. As you mentioned, though, being a steamboat pilot didn't really work out from Mark Twain, but he did love the life on the river so much that he changed his name from Samuel Clemens to Mark Twain, which means mark two fathoms and the fathom is a measurement for depth. Yeah, it's used to signify a safe safe depth for steamboats to travel. If it's Bible two knocks, that means you're almost in danger but not yet. Good. That's good. So anyone listening who wants

to be a steamboat pilot, this is good information. You should be writing this down. Okay. The next object in the backpack is for August. WHOA, it's a can of blasting powder. Kind of wish we'd known this was in here before be dropped the backpack on the table. ASTO would have done it. I lived dangerously. That's very true, and it scares me. Did Mark Twayne need this because A he became a prospector or B he decided to

build a fireworks factory? A? Right, the answer is a. At one point, Mark Twaine lived in Nevada, where one of the world's largest silver deposits, called the Comstock Load, was found in eighteen fifty nine. Mark hoped to find his fortune there, saying that he succumbed and grew as frenzied as the craziest. Unfortunately, he would not find his silver lining and soon left prospecting behind him. Now let's see what this next object has in store for Brady.

All right, Elliott grabbed the backpack for me, which I mean, this thing is stuck here? One, two, three, Gosh, it's the parthenon. You really found an Athens today? It was tucked to wait in Mark Twain's backpack. Was he going to a going to remodel it for an h G TV show called Flipping History? Or be working as a travel writer. I think I'm gonna use process of elimination here.

Then I'm gonna go A. I'm so sorry. The answer is B. The answer is B. Mark love to write and he loved to travel, so I'm sure he was a happy camper when three newspapers sponsored his trip to Europe and the Middle East, paying him twenty dollars for each travel letter he sent them. One of the many landmarks he wrote about was the Parthenon from Greece, and we should really get a selfie in front of it, be before we have to send it back. That's pretty amazing, August.

This next object is all about you. Okay, it's all for you. Hey, check it out. It's a microphone. Okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna try it out. Thank you, Thank you very much. Check one. Check too. On your left, you'll see the Statue of Liberty. That's this microphone stuff that spends people saying on my acrophones. I'm sure it's clear why I would need a microphone, But why would Mark Twain? Was it because A he started a band called Tom Sawyer and the Fence Painters, or B he

gave lectures. B. I think that's correct. The answer is d So before TV and movies, people went to lectures for information and entertainment. Mark friends thought he would be a great lecturer and suggested he give it a try. He was very nervous, but Mark discovered he was not only great at it, but he liked it too. And just to be clear, Mark Twain lived in the time before microphones were invented, but the backpacks from the past

sometimes speaks to us through the magic of metaphor. And kids, remember a metaphor is one less than a metaphive from the past. Baby, Okay, we're gonna take a quick break while Jane calculates the scores. Eric, please play us some traveling music if you would. Yeah, there's no room in the overhead, Sally, who was there? Marie cry You may remember me from winning multiple Nobel prizes, or perhaps from my episode of The Worst Podcast where I played myself. I wanted to take a moment to read one of

my favorite reviews about the Whos podcast. This is from Shaken Bay and it reads loved this Me and my little sister love this show more. Please our faith is Rietman. If you want to hear your review right on the air. Make sure to subscribe, like and review to the worst podcast in the I Heart Radio up or wherever you get your podcasts revoir or should I stay abbiat? Well, go back to the Luma's podcast today, Ruler name, who was Johnny Appleseed? Ellie? Who was Mark Wade? And now

back to your host, Elliott Celin. Thanks be and now without further ado, let's go to producer Jane for the current scores. Thank you Elliott. It's still very close with Brady four points and August six. Boy howdy, both of you contestants are really sharp. Oh, they sure are. And it reminds me of something my music teacher used to say, always be sharp, which also reminds me that I never did change my name. In your defense, that's a lot

of paperwork, you know what. Last name reminds me that it's time for our last game, and that game is Converge of Greatness. In this multip will choice game, we'll explore how Johnny Appleseed and Mark Twain connect, overlap or converge, choose the best answer for each question. And because we're dealing with double the history, each question will be worth

triple the points. That's right, three points each. Ready. The first question goes to August B. Biro and ready, alright, August, Mark Twain and Johnny Appleseed are both pseudonyms or names other than their real names. What was Johnny Appleseed's real name? Was it a John Chapman b Johnny Storm or see Jonnifer J Appleseed the third that's right, The answer is a John Chapman. John earned the nickname Johnny Appleseed because he planted thousands, that's right, thousands of apple seeds in

America's Midwest. He'd become a legend in his own lifetime due to this accomplishment, and as we all know, legends get cool names, just like me, Elliott the Rock Kalin. The next question is for you, Rady. Mark and Johnny each loved the outdoors. What did Mark call his childhood home of Hannibal, Missouri? Was it a a place where plans come together? Be a town like any other? Or see a Boy's Paradise? She that's right. The answer is see a Boy's Paradise. Mark and his friends would fish, swim,

and pretend to be pirates. Unfortunately, Mark almost drowned in the river nine times. Even paradise has its dangers, which is kind of the thing he would write about in the future. Because he played hooky from school. M he was what we would call a bad kid, but he became a great writer. Now he wasn't really a bad kid. He was a good kid. Yeah, he was good a spelling. Can you imagine how important it would be to know how to spell in the days before your computer would

correct your spelling for you? You know how hard that is? Yeah? If if you wrote it wrong on a piece of paper, the paper wouldn't put a red squiggly line underneath to tell you that the word was spelled wrong. You just never know anyway, The balls in your court August these questions for you. Mark and Johnny were both known as storytellers. While Johnny most sleep told stories to the settlers he sold apple seeds and seedlings to. Mark was known on

a larger scale. His first break as a writer was working for his brother Orian as a a a plumber b writer's assistant on the Amazing World of Gumball or see a reporter for the Hannibal Journal. I believe if I remember correctly, it's c that's right. The answer is ce. Mark Twain wrote humor pieces, poems, and local news stories for the journal, and his work helped sell more copies of the paper. However, Orion didn't like that Mark stretched

and sometimes invented the news. Orion felt journalism should be fact, not fiction. Perhaps Mark Twain should have worked for j. Jonah Jameson instead, Then he could have written about what a menace that spider Man is? Okay, Brady, the final question? The game is yours? Mark Maid and Johnny apple Seed, like a lot of people, didn't find immediate success. Mark had many jobs that didn't work out before becoming a beloved writer, and Johnny found that the market for apples

wasn't very it In the first town he settled. What was the name of that town? Was it a Orange, New Jersey, B Warren, Pennsylvania, or C New York City, which has only been known as the Big Apple since nineteen seventy four. Are you answering B or are you telling B something? B? Wait? Is that you're saying be his name or the answer being okay? They answer yes, Well, you're right, the answer is B Warren, Pennsylvania. Johnny made his later Warren, only to find out that it wasn't

much of a town. At the time. It turned out it was a single log cabin inhabited by a land salesman. Within a year, Johnny planted another orchard fifty miles away in the town of Franklin. Settlers passed through Franklin all the time on their way west, and it was a much better market, and Johnny worked there for several years. Like the saying goes, it takes a long time to become an overnight success planting and selling apples all over America.

That's the full saying. You can't just make up sayings. I mean, I'm saying them. It kind of becomes a saying if I say it, Well, I've got a couple of a Ian Clemens is right here telling me I can't. I can't stretch the truth and make up stories. I guess I'll go to leave and write some novels. Then that's the end of Converge of Greatness. Oh, the end of that game, and the end of everyone telling me I can't make up sayings means it's just about the end of the show. While James Tali is the score,

I'd love to hear from our contestants. First, Okay, what was something that you were surprised to learn about Mark Twain and Johnny Appleseed. Was there something kind of special or memorable or that really surprised you about either of these two figures from history, August, let's start with you. Well, it's kind of sad, but something stuck up for me that three of his four children and his wife all

predeceased him. But he still powered through that and was able to write numerous very famous, witty novels that were very powerful. Yeah, that's this's this is Mark Twain we're talking about. Yeah. He he suffered a lot of tragedy in his life, and he lost a number of members of his family. And in a way, I wonder if finding out what he had to say about the world and writing it was a way that he could figure out his emotions about those things too and kind of

work his way through them. And we're all better off for him being able to push through it, because we have this amazing books that we can still read today. And there's something exciting about that that he wrote them so long ago, but you read them today and you're like, this is still an amazing book. This is still really powerful.

That's great. And Brady, was there something about either march Wain or Johnny apple See that really stuck out to you, Probably Johnny acts he would stuck out was probably how he never had a wife. It can be hard to find someone to partner with you when you want to live inside of hollowed logs and just travel the country planting trees and not wearing shoes. Yeah, that's what happened in my last relationship. I'm always about those hollow trees. Yeah.

B is really dedicated to hashtag Applesea of life, and it can be hard to find a partner that that feels the same way about it. Like the animal that I am named after. I like living in a tree swinging off branch, you know, just like in a hive. What can you do? Nothing? Nothing? Just makes it hard to find somebody who understands that maybe your your husband should be Donny, Oh you know what, I like that idea. Maybe I'll go, Maybe I'll go call Johnny apple Seed

and called up who was that? Well. This has been a very surprisingly emotional and surprisingly powerful moment of talking to our contestants about these two historical figures. Now it's time, though, for the big moment. Jane, will you please announce our winner. Oh, Elliott and b It was so close for so long. But in the end, August at twelve points Brady ten August is our winner. It's a close game. You both

played great. Congratulations August. We found out shortly before the game that August and Brady had wagered some sour Patch kids on this match. But you know what, you both played so well. I think you both deserve to have some alright, August, that's our patch kid. I'll send you and you'll network after the show. August, you did a great job. You have to ten seconds for shoutouts. Go for it. Who would you like to thank for your

victory today? My family, Brady for being a really good competitive contestant with me anytime a guy, and my books really and my teachers and everyone who's kind of guiding me at on this path. That's great. That what a sweet way to put it. That's fantastic, and and and and now my teachers will get bucks. That's true. That's true because our winner in the library of their choice

receiving a selection of who was books. And I'm going to give a shout out to intern Zach Jane, Eric Sanjay Row for being our Johnny Appleseed and of course to be And a big thank you to both of our contestants who played a fantastic game today. And most of all, thank you to you at home or wherever you are for listening. Next week join us again as we found out who Was? Two more amazing figures from history.

Until then, this is Elliott not actually the rocket. Please don't assume you the real Rock Kalin saying we are history. Go bye, everybody. Thank you. Got a question for any of our famous figures, send us a voice memo at the who Was hunt asked at gmail dot com. It

might just end up on the show. Who Was podcast is produced by Radio Point I Heart Media and Penguin Workshop and is based on the best selling who h Q series published by Penguin, hosted by Elliott Palin, with co host Megan O'Neil as b also starring Jane Baker as Producer, Jane, Eric Shackney as Eric, and son Jay Rao as Johnny Epissy. Executive producers are Richard Corson, Alex Boch, Elliott Calin, Megan O'Neil, Daniel Powell, and Houston Snyder, Executive

producer for Penguin Workshop. Is Francesco Sadita. Executive producer for Iaheart Media is Lindsay Hoffman. Written by Elliott Calin, Megan O'Neil, Jane Baker and Devin Coleman, Produced by Bernie Kominsky and Taylor Kowalski. Our talent producer is Jane Baker. The theme song and the music were composed and performed by Eric Shackney, edited and mixed by Cape Moldenhower, Recorded by Joanna Samuel's Special thanks to Zach Timpson, Charlotte Dianda and Michael Lewis Howard.

Sound services provided by Great City Post. Because it's standard flavor who works hand, fears who has