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I'm Jane Lindholm.
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Why are jellyfishes made of jelly?
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Find But Why wherever you get your podcasts.
And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Gather round, ladies and gentlemen, gather round.
We're almost at the end of the walking tour of Bumpsmore Castle, but I've saved my favorite room for the end.
Very exciting.
Follow me, please.
Psst.
Hey, smarty pants.
I'm in England, taking a walking tour of a really cool, really old medieval castle.
And I must say, the tour guide is quite a character.
His name is Sir Winston Shropshire Hasselback Potatoe.
I know.
It's pretty out there.
Who knows if that's even his real name.
He might have made it up for the tourists.
But believe you me, I will get answers.
Voila!
My favorite room of the castle.
Behold, the armory.
This is where all the weapons were kept.
As you can see, it's filled with suits of armor.
Bows and arrows. and a great many swords.
Everyone feel free to take a look around, but please, no stabbing, slashing, or smashing.
Oh, wow.
Smarty Pants, I've never seen so many swords in one place.
At one time, it's like an episode of Sword Hoarders.
Quite an impressive array, are they not?
They are.
They are!
But...
But?
Sir Winston, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about these swords?
And one about your name?
Um, sure.
But try to make it snappy.
The tour's almost over.
Right.
Any chance maybe the Smarty Pants and I can get a private tour?
A private tour?
Smarty Pants?
Um, this is highly irregular.
I'll pay extra.
Well, why didn't you say so?
You got it.
As for the rest of you, tour's over.
Thanks for coming.
Leave your tips in this medieval helmet here and be sure to check out the gift shop.
Okay, it's just us.
What questions do we have?
I hope they're sharp.
That's a little sword humor for you.
Right.
I usually make the bad jokes.
Anywho, first things first.
How does a sword differ from, say, a knife?
Aren't all swords just big knives?
Also, you said something about stabbing, slashing and smashing swords, so am I to believe there are different sword types?
Uh-huh.
Anything else?
Yes.
Why did people used to fight in duels?
So many questions for not that much money.
Right this way, narrator.
You're about to become America's next top sword expert.
On guard, smarty pants.
It's time for a pointed whiff of science and history on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
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Or history?
Listen up!
Everyone, we make smarting lots of fun on Who Smarted?
Say, Sir Winston, what part of the castle are we in now?
Looks like we're about to walk into a really fancy, um, outhouse.
Don't be ridiculous.
This is a time machine.
Oh, a time machine.
Reserved for private tours only.
Strap in...
You know, we could have just taken mine.
Hang on.
Okay, a little bumpier than my time machine app, but definitely effective.
So, where are we?
We're in medieval times.
Oh, the theme restaurant with huge turkey legs and jousting tournaments.
No.
The time period between 450 to 1500 CE.
Oh, of course.
Swords were a really big deal during this period.
So, what do you think, Smarty Pants?
Do you think swords were invented during the medieval times?
The answer is... Goodness, no.
Swords are much, much older.
Swords were developed in the Bronze Age with some of the oldest swords dating back to 3300 BCE.
Wow, that's over 5,000 years ago.
Smarty Pants, where do you think the world's oldest swords were discovered?
Is it A, Japan, B, England, or C, Turkey?
If you said Turkey, you're right.
So, Sir Winston, if swords were discovered during the Bronze Age, does that mean they were made of bronze?
They were indeed.
The first swords were made of something called arsenical copper.
That's when arsenic and copper are combined, resulting in bronze.
However, swords have come a long way since then.
Oh yeah?
You see, bronze isn't nearly as strong as some other metals.
Well, we definitely know it isn't as good as gold or silver.
Sorry, that was a little Olympics joke.
As I was saying, it wasn't uncommon for early swords to bend easily.
In fact, the dagger actually came before the sword.
Ooh, smarty pants.
Do you know what a dagger is?
A dagger is just a much shorter sword.
But the extra length of the sword combined with a weak metal meant... More bending.
More bending indeed.
And a bendy sword is not what you want or need in battle.
Whoa.
Luckily, by about the 13th century, swords were made of iron instead of bronze.
Iron was easier to come by and it was quicker to make an iron sword than a bronze one.
So for the first time ever, you could now equip an entire army with swords.
But wait, isn't a sword really just a big knife?
A sword is most certainly not just a big knife.
Let's break it down.
As I previously said, swords came from daggers.
However, the difference is a knife is only sharp on one side, but a dagger is sharp on both sides.
Well, it's the same with swords.
As daggers evolved and grew into swords, sword makers started designing different sword types for different uses.
Oh yeah?
Like what?
For example, a rapier is a straight sword with a pointed tip and is used for stabbing your opponent.
This type of sword is called a thrusting sword.
On the other hand, a sword like a cutlass or the Japanese katana sword is curved and would be used in military warfare to slash through your army's flesh.
It was especially effective when attacking from atop a horse.
Another variation is the large, heavy Viking sword known as the Ulfbert sword, named after the sword's famous maker, which were good for smashing down through enemies' armor.
Wow, who knew there were so many types of swords?
I did.
Right.
So who mostly used swords?
I'm guessing knights, warriors, Japanese samurai, Vikings, and other soldiers going to battle.
Would that be accurate?
Smarty Pants, what do you think?
Were swords used by A. Everyone, B. Only soldiers, or C. Soldiers and the nobility?
The answer is... It depends.
Uh, that's not really one of the answers?
Well, in that case all three answers are right, depending on when in history we're talking about swords.
Before the 16th century, swords were pretty much only used by armies going into battle.
But eventually, they became popular with the nobility, too, as well as the upper classes.
Smarty Pants, why do you think swords became more popular with noblemen and rich folks?
Was it A, in case intruders invaded their mansions?
B, it was common for noblemen to go into battle?
Or C, because they were fashionable?
If you said C, you're right.
Yep, it was the passion for fashion.
The nobility and upper classes just loved having a fancy sword to carry around.
Wait, so if they were for fashion, are you saying they just carried them around?
Like, as an accessory?
That's right.
Seems like a heavy accessory.
It was, but this too was a different type of sword.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, when swords as fashion accessories really hit their stride, the sword of choice was the small sword.
It was indeed smaller than many other swords, usually about 24 to 30 inches or 61 to 76 centimeters in length, although some could be as long as three feet or a meter, and noblemen just carried them around.
Yes, slung into a holster on their waist.
In those days, it was common for an upper-class gentleman to wear a sword hanging from his waist every single day.
Think of it as a really big piece of jewelry.
The ladies had earrings bracelets, necklaces and bows in their hair, and gentlemen had shiny intricate, elaborately decorated swords.
Swords became status symbols.
Maybe I should start walking around with a sword.
Well, before you do, let me ask you this, trusty narrator.
If a bunch of rich men walk around every day all carrying swords, what do you think is going to happen?
I think they might start using them.
Bingo!
With everyone suddenly having a sword, dueling became common among the gentleman class.
En garde!
I see.
Smarty Pants, do you know what a duel is?
Well, in case you don't, you'll find out right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
This show is sponsored by IXL.
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Slash smarted.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
Okay, Smarty Pants, we were talking about duels.
But what is a duel?
A duel is a sword fight between two people, the intention of which was not to kill but to restore one's honor.
Just like swords, honor was a big deal back then.
Uh-huh.
So what sort of things did people duel over?
All kinds of disputes or disagreements.
During the medieval period, people fought what were called judicial duels.
This meant people would duel to settle the dispute, and it would be overseen by a judge.
The duel would last until one of the combatants couldn't fight back anymore.
Yikes!
Eventually, when swords became a fashion accessory, dueling turned into more of a game between gentlemen.
But it still had to do with honor.
And even though the intent wasn't to kill anyone, people did sometimes die.
Because we're talking about sword fighting.
And folks were just okay with possibly dying during a duel?
Actually, no.
Even back then people weren't too keen on the possibility of an accidental duel death, so duels became illegal from as far back as the early 17th century.
But, in spite of that, people still dueled right up into the late 19th century.
Luckily, around that same time, this dangerous game of playing with swords turned into an actual game, a proper sport that still exists to this day.
Smarty Pants, which sport do you think dueling evolved into?
Is it A, lacrosse, B, fencing, or C, pole vaulting?
If you said B, fencing, you're right.
Swordsmanship similar to fencing had already existed since the 1300s, but it really didn't develop into a sport until the 1700s.
I suppose people figured since we can't stop anyone from wanting to duel, let's at least make it a sport, add lots of rules and eliminate the you-might-die component.
Good call.
Now, the sword used in fencing is the rapier.
It's a thrusting sword, which if you recall is...
A stabbing sword, not a slashing or smashing sword.
Well done.
Although one of the new rules, now that dueling became the very proper sport of fencing, was that there was no actual stabbing allowed.
The goal is for your sword to make contact with your opponent to score points, but you don't stab them.
Plus, everyone wears protective gear, which happens to look quite chic.
So now that dueling evolved into fencing, did dueling for honor stop?
Eventually, yes.
But while carrying swords and sword duels fell out of favor, a new weapon took its place.
Instead of dueling with swords, they began to use pistols.
Oh, great.
So dueling got even more dangerous.
I'm afraid so.
If you've ever seen a Western movie, you've probably seen or heard of a gun duel.
But eventually, that went away too.
Thank goodness.
And what about all those gentlemen from the 1700s carrying around swords as fashion accessories?
I guess they just stopped doing that?
They did.
Instead, they began carrying around something similar in shape, but way less dangerous.
A cane or walking stick.
And the fancier the cane, the more status you had.
Only now you wouldn't stab anyone.
Precisely.
Well, I gotta say, the Smarty Pants and I have learned a lot about swords today.
But there's still one answered question on my mind.
Yes?
Is your name really Sir Winston Shropshire Hasselback Potato?
Why, of course it is.
You think I just made that up because I give tours of a medieval castle?
Well, I wasn't sure.
The Shropshire Hasselback Potatoes are a proud lineage.
How dare you insult my family's honor.
En garde!
Hey, wait a second.
I was just asking a question.
Besides, I don't even have a sword or know how to use one.
I'm kidding.
I'm kidding.
Besides, my real name is Steve.
Don't tell anyone.
A dual shout-out to Ruth and Tova in Los Angeles California, who love listening to Who Smarted over breakfast at the start of their homeschool day.
We're so happy to have you smarting with us.
Keep up the great work.
This episode's words was written by Jousting Phil Jeremy and voiced by Taya En Garde Garland and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh, to the hilt, Han.
Our associate producer is Max the Blade Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Longsword Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Dagger Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
