Smarticus Tells History
What we likely all once knew about history, has likely been forgotten. Here, at Smarticus Tells History, we move around the timeline picking up some of the most interesting and sometimes downright weird stories. Stories such as the Rabbit Queen, or how Cleopatra wasn't Egyptian, the Black Plague and many more.They are all true, no matter how quacky and quirky some may seem. We keep them short and mostly to the point. So put your listening ears on, have a beer or two, and learn a thing or two!!!
Smarticus Tells History
Episode 54: A Four-Legged War Hero and a Taste of Wartime Culinary Ingenuity
Ever wondered about the unsung heroes and quirky tales hidden in the folds of history? Buckle up and join us, Smarticus and Phoenix, as we bring to light the incredible saga of Juliana the Great Dane, a four-legged combatant who sniffed out her spot in World War II history not once, but twice — all with the help of her bladder! This episode isn't just another walk through the history park; it's a gallop alongside the most unexpected of war heroes.
Strap in for a time-traveling taste test too, as we reminisce over a wartime dish that's as strange as it is scrumptious, marrying the comfort of grilled cheese with the custardy charm of French toast. It's a culinary relic from a time when rationing turned the kitchen into a battleground of creativity. As we munch on the past, Juliana's tail-wagging bravery reminds us that courage comes in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes, the most extraordinary stories are found on four legs, with a wagging tail, standing by a disarmed bomb. Join us for a heartwarming, hunger-inducing episode that's sure to leave you hungry for more — both in terms of history and snacks!
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Recipe:
Welcome to Smartacus.
Speaker 2:Tells.
Speaker 1:History. Alright, enough with the echo and fanfare. You're here for history, right, and not that boring crap you learned in high school. This stuff's actually interesting, like things you've never heard about the Civil War, cleopatra, automobiles, monopoly, the Black Plague and more Fascinating stories, interesting topics and some downright weird facts from the past. It's a new twist on some stories you may know and an interesting look at some things you may have never heard. So grab a beer, kick back and enjoy. Here's your host, smarticus.
Speaker 2:Hello, dear listeners, and welcome back to another exciting episode of Smarticus Tells History. I am your host, smarticus, accompanied by my co-host, as always, phoenix. Hello, and today we have a remarkable story that went relatively untold and forgotten until an auction in 2013, which brought it back to light. Today's tale takes us back to the harrowing days of World War II, but with roots that go back before the First World War. Join us in exploring the extraordinary story of Juliana the Great Dane, who was awarded not just one, but two Blue Cross medals for acts of bravery.
Speaker 3:But first food we are eating today, a World War II kind of staple that's kind of like a mix-up of a grilled cheese and French toast. What do you think?
Speaker 2:It was actually pretty good, yeah, Ooh that is good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, that is good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean yours probably tastes better because, like I said, I used shredded cheese as a recipe called out. But if I had regular American cheese or Kraft cheese or whatever in here, regular sliced cheese, I should say it would probably taste a lot better.
Speaker 3:It would probably taste a lot better. I like how the egg definitely acted as a binder to make the whole thing stay together. I also added bacon to mine. I'm sorry, I'm just bragging a little bit because I'm quite proud of myself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's all right. Bacon Bacon. Yeah, that's all right, bacon. Yeah, but I mean it's not very hard. It took me a whole five minutes. It's literally French toast and cheese grilled cheese sandwich. It's, you know, two pieces of bread, egg, milk and cheese.
Speaker 3:Yep. That's the whole recipe Because, you have to remember, rations during wartime were slim pickings, right, but everybody had milk. Well, milk, everybody had milk, eggs, bread and a little bit of cheese and you can always spare to make a sandwich for that.
Speaker 2:Right, yep, so yeah, and I mean I guess that's it. Yeah, so yeah, and uh, I mean I guess that's it. I mean it was nothing, nothing fancy, nothing, you know, super simple. I guess we should just uh, I guess you just want to move on, sure, I mean, there's nothing exciting to talk about this one so it's very simple yeah, so, alright.
Speaker 2:So World War 2, as we discussed in our other episodes, was a tumultuous time, marked by acts of bravery and all sorts of fronts that are often forgotten about. Amidst the chaos, animals often found themselves caught in the crossfire and their stories remain hidden gems.
Speaker 3:As Smarticus mentioned before, Julianna's story was lost to time until one of her blue crosses was found at a property clearance auction with a beautiful watercolor portrait of the Great Dane herself. It was expected to sell for 60 pounds, but actually ended up selling for 1,100 pounds. A little plaque recounted the tale of her disarming a bomb by urinating on it.
Speaker 2:Oh gross.
Speaker 3:Oh, she was a clever girl.
Speaker 2:She didn't know what she was doing.
Speaker 3:She probably had no clue, but she saved the whole family.
Speaker 2:It could have ended very differently.
Speaker 3:I would have hoped at this point that she would have been potty trained, but who knows?
Speaker 2:As anyone who's watched TV and movies with bombs in them should know, explosive ordnance disposal is a delicate business. It requires intelligence, a mental toughness and discipline that is indisputable, and exceptionally steady hands. In past decades, a plethora of animal species have been used to help detect bombs, but it has always been the human part of the duo that has deactivated it. On record, we only know of one dog who disarmed a bomb herself.
Speaker 3:During the Blitz, for two years, britain was showered by near-constant air raids by Nazi Germany. The Nazis focused on industrial targets, towns and cities such as London. In April 1941, an incendiary bomb tore through the roof of a house. Amazingly, it didn't go off, but it did burn, which was naturally just as dangerous, only in a slower fashion, though no less terrifying. Juliana, hardly phased, walked over, straddled the device and let nature take its course.
Speaker 2:Juliana, hardly phased, walked over straddled the device and let nature take its course. Amazingly, it was just three years later, in 1944, that she saved her family again. Her owner's family ran a shoe shop and a fire broke out. She alerted them to the situation and got them out in time before they were engulfed by the smoke and fire.
Speaker 3:For each of these brave actions, the Great Dane was awarded a Blue Cross medal. Sadly, in 1946, this wonderful good girl was killed because a stranger slipped something probably yummy but certainly poisoned through the mail slot of her home.
Speaker 2:Juliana ate it and died shortly after Her actions were forgotten over time until the auction of her portrait and medal. Something important to note is that the Blue Cross has been around since 1897 and it was a charity founded in London, uk. It was founded over the name and I'm sure some of you are going to hate this Our Dumb Friends League, or ODFL.
Speaker 3:For clarification. What they mean by dumb is non-speaking creatures, not stupid. The word dumb had a very different meaning and connotation back in the day. That's why, if you see articles or letters talking about someone like Helen Keller, for instance, she was reported as deaf and dumb, but incredibly intelligent and blind.
Speaker 2:What she was. All three, wasn't she?
Speaker 3:Deaf, dumb and intelligent.
Speaker 2:Deaf, dumb and blind.
Speaker 3:Dumb as can't speak.
Speaker 2:Right, but she was also blind, wasn't she?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she was all three. I think yeah, and she was somehow surprisingly intelligent. I mean you lose all three of those. Well, I mean you lose all three of those. Well, I mean, you lose all three of those. I mean, how are you going to learn? How are you not walking around, you know, making random baby sounds, you know? I mean, Well, she was for a long long time, until what was her name?
Speaker 3:Mary? Something or other came along and started trying to teach her how to do sign.
Speaker 2:She got a degree in something I think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and she got cause she was able to be. It would be taught Braille so she could read.
Speaker 2:Um ODFL was an advocate for the welfare and fair treatment of working horses Originally. It quickly started handing out awards and grants to organizations that were showing great care and kindness to a bigger group of animals in the domesticated field, which really means that they were more celebrating people and their good behavior rather than actual animals themselves.
Speaker 3:It wasn't until 1918 when the Blue Cross Fund Committee created a badge called the Order of Merit. It was designed and awarded to military horses that participated in World War I for keeping their wits about them amidst gun and cannon fire. I bet the horses felt so honored. Anyway, the first non-human to receive the actual Blue Cross medal was not a horse, or even Juliana. It was a French dog named Le Cloche, in 1940 who saved his seafaring captain when he fell overboard his steamer, the SS McNess. When it was torpedoed off Portland the Clochish's owner couldn't swim, but the good boy could. The first cat to receive the Blue Cross was in 1942. His name was Jim. He was a 19-year-old kitty and he alerted his owners that their house was on fire and helped them to escape.
Speaker 2:Good kitty, good kitty. We find it's endearing to hear about these good boys and girls Getting rewarded for loving their families During hard and terrifying times. We hope you've enjoyed a lighter side of history. Thank you for joining us today. If you have any historical questions or topics You'd like us to explore in the future episodes, don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you for joining us and if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review. We'll be back with more stories from the past. Until then, keep exploring.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Smarticus Tells History. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to rate and review and make sure to subscribe. And be sure to follow the show at facebookcom slash smarticustellshistory, or just click the link in the show at facebookcom slash smarticus tells history, or just click the link in the show description. Thanks again for listening. See you next time.