Hey, Brooklyn.
I'm over here by the surf shack.
Gnarly swimsuit, my dudette.
Thanks.
We are far away from home.
Why did you want to meet in Hawaii?
Well, after I told you about my tubular story of swimming in Hawaii.
That was totally in our last episode.
Totally.
I was like, whoa.
We should totally learn to be lifeguards, specifically in the Pacific specifically, specifically on the beach at Waikiki.
You and I both love to swim and we've been lucky to have so many sick lifeguards keeping an eye out for us over the years.
Sick means awesome in surfer speak, by the way.
So why not learn to guard some lives ourselves, am I right?
I'd love to become a lifeguard, paying it forward.
Let's get up on that super tall chair and start guarding.
Cowabunga!
Whoa, babbling Brooklyn!
We can't just jump in.
We need more righteous instruction.
So I signed us up for lifeguard training.
Oops, I got ahead of myself there.
No worries, Brooklyn Bridge is falling down.
Now let's see if we have everything we need.
Sunscreen?
Rad.
Visor?
Rad.
Fanny pack?
Rad.
Are those dummies behind you?
Whoa, Brooklyn.
Language.
Sorry, those two plastic fake people with no arms or legs?
Oh, right, those.
Yeah, they are all part of the plan.
I have rope, jaggedy check, but I can't find the most important item.
Hmm, chewing gum?
A whistle.
A lifeguard is nothing without it, dude.
Slow your roll.
I don't think you can just have a whistle.
I'm sure you've got to earn it.
Whistle!
Whoa, why did you do that?
It's my makeshift whistle noise until I earn one.
Well, what are you waiting for?
Let's hang ten.
Come on!
Brooklyn, no running next to the water.
It's not safe.
Whistle!
Whistle!
Whistle!
Whistle!
Hello and welcome to Forever Ago from APM Studios.
I'm Joy Dolo.
And I'm Brooklyn.
Okay, Joy, I think my ears have finally recovered from your, uh, whistle?
It's got to be loud.
That's the point.
I need those kids who are roughhousing in the pool to be able to hear me.
I can't wait.
For real?
No, I'm just kidding.
But I am stoked about the chance to learn some new skills, to rock this new red swimsuit and to spend the summer keeping people safe while they have fun in the water.
I got a few questions for you, Brooklyn, that are water-related.
What do you think of when you hear the word lifeguard?
I think of those donut-shaped life preservers.
Oh, yeah, yeah, those big round ones.
Cool, cool.
Yeah, I like those too.
Have you ever helped someone that needed some help by the beach or by the pool?
No, I have not.
That's perfect, because today we're going to learn so much about how to help people and now we're going to have like, so many skills.
Yeah, that's going to be fun.
It's going to be cool, yeah.
Speaking of cool, what's the coolest thing about lifeguards, you think?
The fact that they save lives is pretty awesome to me.
Yeah, yeah.
They're like lifesavers.
Did you know they're candy lifesavers?
Yeah, lifesavers and like lifeguards.
Yeah.
Yeah, they used to be lifesavers, now they're lifeguards.
So lifeguards are totally the coolest.
They get to sit up in that tall chair, constantly scanning the horizon for danger or lightning, and everybody has to listen to them, even the grownups.
And if somebody does need rescuing, they get to dive in and help.
Who wouldn't want to be a lifeguard?
They're amazing.
Yes, lifeguards are amazing.
How do you do, fellow humans?
Um, Brooklyn?
Do you also see this giant robot that just walked up to us on the beach?
I do, but I have no idea what's going on.
Beautiful day to do human things like swimming and digesting food and having emotions and being alive.
Right?
Um, I don't think you're alive.
What do you mean?
I can move.
I can dance.
I can think deep thoughts.
Is your head supposed to be smoking and shooting out sparks?
Yes.
Doesn't yours?
Fine.
Yes.
I am a robot.
What gave it away?
Maybe the fact that you're totally made of metal?
Or that giant glowing screen where your face should be?
Or the clanking sound you just made coming out of the surf shack?
Or the... Okay, okay.
That is enough.
I get it.
Someday I'll be able to fool a human person.
But today is not that day.
Allow me to introduce myself.
I am the Freethbot Freethousand, an android with all the abilities, memories and can-do spirit of the original lifeguard, George Freeth.
And I am your lifeguard instructor.
What do you mean, the original lifeguard?
Yeah, who's George Freeth?
George Freeth is the man who helped make the job of lifeguard what it is today.
He's the brain behind famous lifeguard-y things like the red swimsuits, the flotation devices, the rigorous training, the computer chip in your brain that lets you turn your feet into propellers.
Wait, what?
Oh wait, that last one is just me.
But the rest were all George's ideas.
And I have all of his wisdom programmed into my robot brain.
So I am basically him with propeller feet.
What about the whistles?
George did not invent those, but they are a great addition to the lifeguard toolkit.
Yes, there have been many innovations since George the human one started lifeguarding in the early 20th century.
That's really cool.
But did you say you started lifeguarding in the early 20th century, like a hundred years ago?
Sure did.
Now let's meet your other instructor.
He's just inside here at Duke's Surf Shack.
Hey, Duke, come on out and say hi.
Aloha, friends who are also human like me.
A human?
Another robot!
Aw, man.
How'd you know?
These two are very smart.
I think I know who you're supposed to be.
Is it... Duke Kahanamoku?
The one and only.
Olympic gold medalist, surfing legend, sheriff of Honolulu for 29 years and star of movies and television, Duke Kahanamoku.
That's me.
Or, well, I mean, I am a robot programmed with all his memories and skills.
I can talk just like him, surf just like him, and I have a shave ice machine built into my chest just like him.
Pretty sure that last part is wrong.
You all know that the real Duke and George go way back, right?
Long before Duke was famous and George started modern lifeguarding, those two learned to surf together right here on Waikiki Beach.
And me and Free Spot go way back, too.
All the way back to about three weeks ago, when we were built right here on this very beach.
So you guys are going to be learning from the best.
And we'll be getting a whistle, right?
When you graduate.
Yes.
Before we get started with the actual instruction, we're going to begin your training today with a video about the history of life-saving.
After all, there weren't always people in very official tank tops standing by the water.
Cool.
Got any movie snacks?
Yes.
I literally told you I have a shave ice machine in my chest.
Let me do the honors.
Ooh, my favorite.
I'll take pineapple.
Thank you.
Wait, what's shave ice?
It's kind of what you mainlanders call a snow cone, but it's better.
It's flavored syrup over thinly shaved ice, and you eat it with a spoon.
Here, I made you a lychee one.
Yum.
Okay, I'll just pop the projector out of my shoulder socket here and...
Get it all queued up and doot.
Got that movie screen ready?
On the way, bro.
Cool!
It just came right out of his head like a transformer.
Robots are all right.
Shh, the movie is starting.
So, you want to be a lifeguard?
Amazing.
Of course you do.
Becoming a lifeguard means joining a tradition of excellence service, courage and, of course, fun in the sun.
But it's not all a day at the beach.
I see what he did there.
That was a good one.
Respect.
You may be wondering, how did lifeguards even become a thing?
People have been swimming for thousands of years, and that means they also had to learn how to be safe in the water long before the job of lifeguard existed.
Lots of people swam in the oceans and rivers.
The ancient Romans even built some of the first public swimming pools.
Swimming in Toga sounds a little difficult to me.
In case you're wondering about Romans swimming in their togas, don't worry.
They all swam in the nude.
What?
It's okay, Brooklyn.
Attitudes towards being naked in public were pretty different back then.
How did he know your name?
Pure coincidence, Joy.
Uh, this is weird.
In ancient times, many people believed that drowning was a result of angering the gods.
So they wore special amulets to protect them.
The British Museum's Ancient Egypt Collection has some beautiful gold and turquoise charms shaped like tilapia fish.
The charms were attached to the end of a child's braid to remind them to stay away from the water.
Did that work?
Uh, maybe?
I thought you were supposed to be the expert on this stuff.
Hey, it was a long time ago.
I wasn't there.
Okay, fair.
The ancient Greeks were famous for their seafaring ways, but drowning was also a common occurrence both in historical records and in mythology.
But Greeks had some friends in the ocean.
There are numerous accounts of drowning sailors being rescued by dolphins.
For real?
Dolphins are like nature's lifeguards.
Whoa!
If I were rescued by a dolphin, I'd have to learn to say thanks in dolphin language.
I think it goes something like...
Joy, I'm not going to tell you what you actually said in Dolphin, but let's just say that a dolphin won't be saving you a second time.
Oops.
Anywho, black and brown people all over the world have historically been swimmers.
If you listened to the swimming episode of Forever Ago, you'd already know that.
Uh, we made that episode.
Wait, you did?
Yeah, get up to speed, my man.
Okay, so you also know that the native people in North America were good swimmers, too.
And so were the people in Polynesia, a huge area of islands in the Pacific.
Oh, yeah, like in the movie Moana?
Exactly, Brooklyn.
What's your favorite song from Moana?
Well, of course I loved how far I'll go, but I might have to give it to your welcome.
I mean, the rock is just so charming, and why am I having this conversation with you again?
Ah, never you mind.
But I do believe he prefers to be called Dwayne Johnson these days.
Did you know that his mother is from Samoa, which is part of Polynesia?
So he's probably got a great swimming tradition in his family history, too.
I'm pretty sure he was in that movie about lifeguards.
What was it?
Ocean observation?
Sea surveying?
Do you mean Baywatch?
Nope, never heard of it.
Oh...
Sailors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries got special tattoos that some believed would keep them from drowning.
A rooster on the top of the right foot and a pig on the top of the left.
Why a rooster and a pig?
Those animals were usually kept in wooden crates on ships, and the crates would float, which meant the animals were most likely to survive in case of a shipwreck.
So the rooster and the pig became good luck symbols.
Side note, did you know that the word tattoo is also from Samoa?
Just like the rock.
Samoa has given us so much.
So as we see, people had many theories about how to stay safe in the water.
But no one was being specifically trained to save lives.
Then, in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, doctors became interested in how to revive people who had apparently drowned.
And one invention in particular was commonly used.
And let me warn you, it's a little cheeky.
What do you mean?
Well, it's a kit containing some tubes and hoses, along with the bellows.
You know, a device with an airbag that you squeeze together with two handles?
Kind of like an accordion.
But what's cheeky about that?
When someone was pulled unconscious out of the river or lake, the bellows was connected to a tube which was then put between the victim's uh cheeks.
You mean their mouth?
Uh, other cheeks.
Oh.
Yeah, those cheeks.
And the doctor used the bellows to blow tobacco smoke into the drowned person's, um... Butt.
You can just say butt.
It's okay.
Oh, narrating educational films is a highbrow job, they said.
You'll be teaching people important ideas, they said.
So wait, they blew smoke up a drowned person's butt to wake them up?
Yes.
Yes, they did.
Did that work?
Maybe once in a while.
Probably just by coincidence.
But we know now that there's no science behind it.
And we have actually effective ways of helping someone who's stopped breathing.
And they have nothing to do with the butt, thankfully. you'll be learning in your training.
So, as you see, for centuries people worried about drowning, but they didn't have a special type of person who could help keep swimmers safe.
You'll hear how that came to be in your next lesson.
So remember, we don't have kindly dolphins or magic amulets to save lives.
We have you, our lifeguards in training.
It's a job for the brave, the strong, the ones who show grace under pressure and who remember to reapply sunscreen regularly.
Your training continues.
Go forth and make yourselves worthy of the red suit.
So you see, people wanted ways to be safe in the water for a long time, but they didn't have the kind of life-saving experts we have today.
Wow, that made me even more stoked to lifeguard.
The people need us.
They demand us.
Yeah, I want to learn how to swim out to someone with one of those floaties and bring them back to shore.
And then everybody on the beach starts applauding.
And I get free shave ice for life because I was so awesome.
I like how you're thinking.
But before we get into that, how about a little...
It's the game where we try to put things in order from oldest to newest.
And today's items are seatbelts, fire extinguishers, and CPR.
Okay, now we have to guess Brooklyn, which one came first, which one came second and which came most recently in history?
What do you think?
I think it was CPR and then it was fire extinguishers.
And then I think it was the seatbelts.
Oh, really?
I think seatbelts were like the newest one.
Seatbelts were the newest one in history?
Yeah.
And what about CPR?
Why do you think that came first?
I don't know.
I just have a good feeling about it.
Sometimes you just got to follow your gut.
But it does seem like it could be something that was from like ancient times maybe.
Like there could have been like a version of CPR that they used maybe.
Yeah, maybe.
Yeah.
And then fire extinguishers second.
That just seems like you got to make all the doodads that go with it.
You know, like plastic and metal.
Yeah, I just think that seatbelts are like cars, and I think cars came newer.
Oh, yeah, that's a really good point.
Cars would be newer.
That's a really good guess.
Well, I'm going to go with you.
I think you're right.
But we'll hear the answers in just a bit.
The present is part of history too, because for people in the future, our right now will be their way back when.
So we're building a time capsule to show what our time is like.
And we want to know, what would you put in our time capsule?
Maybe it's your favorite swimsuit or your favorite floatie.
Record yourself telling us about the item you have in mind and why you want to save it and send it to us at foreveragoorg slash contact.
So Brooklyn, what would you put into the time capsule this week?
I think I'd put in the life preservers.
Life preservers, yeah.
Do you think that they'd be different in the future?
Like they might look different?
Oh, maybe.
Like, maybe they have, like, new technology.
Maybe if, like a life preserver, like caught onto somebody and then it like squeezed them and like adjusted to, like where they're at so that they can like I don't know, so it could be easier and it's tight on their body.
Yeah, yeah, so they just kind of fit to them.
That's cool.
That's a cool idea.
We'll hear what more listeners would put in the time capsule at the very end of the show, after the credits.
Send us your recording at foreverago.org slash contact.
We can't wait to hear what you come up with.
More Forever Go in just a moment.
Don't go anywhere.
All right, Brooklyn, let's reveal which of our first things first is actually the oldest.
So before, what did we say?
We said CPR, fire extinguishers, and seatbelts.
And the answer is...
Oh man, fire extinguisher was first in history.
Yeah, isn't that interesting?
That's cool.
So the first known fire extinguisher was invented in the 1720s by Ambrose Godfrey, a German chemist who lived in London.
They were attached to the walls and each had a fuse on them.
If there was a fire, it lit the fuse and the extinguisher exploded, releasing the liquid inside that was supposed to put out the fire.
Throughout the centuries, scientists have tried putting different chemicals in fire extinguishers to see what snuffs out fires best.
And then next up, you'll never guess.
It's seatbelts.
Oh my gosh.
I know.
I was so on board with you in the car situation.
Seatbelts date back to the 1850s.
One of the very first was created by Sir George Cayley in England.
He had his coachman test a very early aircraft known as a glider.
The first patent for a seatbelt in the United States was in 1885, to keep people from being thrown from New York City taxis, which were drawn by horses at the time.
Still, seatbelts didn't become common in the air or in cars until much later, like the 1950s and 60s.
And then most recent in history is CPR.
Seriously?
That's... Yeah, isn't that nuts?
CPR is from the 1960s.
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
That's when you press on someone's chest and sometimes breathe into their mouth to help them to breathe and get their heart beating again on their own.
Learning how to do this is an important part of lifeguard training.
The procedure was invented in 1960 when doctors Kalinovin, Safar, and Jude combined mouth-to-mouth breathing with chest compressions to help patients when their hearts stopped beating.
Whoa, dude.
So what do you think about that?
That's pretty cool, right?
Yeah, I never knew that.
What surprised you the most?
Maybe that the seatbelts, that the seatbelts were like, just like they were like the second ones.
Yeah, yeah.
I was totally on board with the car situation.
I was like, that's when they were invented.
But I guess they were invented with gliders, with planes, which is kind of cool to think about.
Yeah.
And then the fire extinguishers first.
I did not see that coming at all.
At all.
Yeah.
That was nuts.
I also really like the idea of like them being attached to the walls.
And then, like they have this stuff in there, that in like the 1720s, that they can just kind of blow around.
And it just seems pretty neat.
Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
And then, of course, CPR, that's something that like we hear the term all the time.
But it's interesting to know that, you know, it's just been around for less than like 60 years.
Oh, really?
That's a good number, right?
Yeah.
That's a long time.
I mean, it's a long time, but it's not a long time.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Coolio.
Coolio.
And now we're back with more Forever Ago.
I'm Joy.
And I'm Brooklyn.
Okay, trainees, are you ready to get back to work?
I feel like we've barely gotten started.
Where's my life preserver?
When do I get to jump in a Russian river to save a sweet old lady?
Come on, put me in coach.
Joy, I'm not sure either of us are quite ready for that.
Affirmative, Brooklyn.
Wait, we haven't learned how to run across the sand in slow motion yet.
I hear that's a crucial lifeguard skill.
That is a very advanced lesson, Joy.
We'll hit that up later.
But for now, we're going to learn about how the sport of surfing is connected to our modern idea of lifeguards.
Surfing?
That's how lifeguarding started?
Sort of, but not right away.
You see, people have been surfing in Hawaii for at least 1500 years and George and Duke were a huge part of its popularity spreading around the world.
The human versions of us were both born right here on Oahu.
And when we started showing tourists our incredible water moves, lots of people wanted to learn.
Want to check out my board?
It's made of koa wood.
Isn't she a beaut?
It's gorgeous and huge.
Sixteen feet.
Over twice as tall as me.
Duke I mean the human one started the Hui Nalu Club at Waikiki to get more native Hawaiians like himself into surfing.
And we taught some mainlanders on the side to make money.
Duke and I put on surfing demonstrations for visitors, too.
We always drew a big crowd with those.
I mean, it's pretty amazing to see somebody do a handstand on a surfboard.
What?
George, you can do that?
It's just a little trick I worked up to impress the tourists.
Want to see me and Duke Bot do it?
Do I?
You got it.
Surf mode engaged.
Handstand!
Backflip!
Sidestand!
Spinning thing!
Jump rope!
Slam thrower!
Dabbing!
Show stopping ending!
Wow, fireworks out of their hands?
How did they both just take off from the water and fly through the air on their boards like that?
Not bad, eh?
Uh, that was amazing.
We added a few tricks that our human counterparts couldn't do.
Why bother being a surfing robot if you can't zhuzh it up a little, huh?
So that was super fun.
But what does it have to do with lifeguarding?
Well, eventually George and Duke got so famous through their surfing shows that George got a job offer to work in Southern California.
There was a gentleman who was building some new beach resorts there and he thought surfing might be a great way to attract visitors.
These places included huge hotels where families could come vacation by the shore.
And funny enough, big swimming pools right next to the beach.
Why would someone build a pool at the beach?
The water's right there.
Because they thought the ocean was too dangerous for swimming.
A group of locals had started a volunteer lifeguard group.
But unfortunately, one of those lifeguards drowned during a training exercise.
It was a tragic accident. and it almost spelled the end for the resort.
Oh, my goodness.
That's awful.
What happened next?
That's when George Freeth came to save the day.
You see, many of the rescuers weren't good swimmers themselves, so they often used a small boat to paddle out to someone who was struggling.
But getting a boat into the water takes time, and that's time you don't have in an emergency.
So George knew the first step was making sure all the Lifesavers had excellent water skills, both for their safety and the safety of others.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaking of which, we need to make sure you two can both swim with the best of them.
We've got a training pool here at Duke's Surf Shack, and it's time for you two to show me how you can tread water.
That is when you use your arms and legs to stay afloat vertically in the water.
Oh, I can totally do that.
Here I...
Wait for me, Joy.
While you are practicing, let me tell you about how the job of lifesaver, or lifeguard as it came to be known, grew after George's time.
Two groups organized volunteer lifesavers to work in their communities.
One was the Young Men's Christian Association.
That's the YMCA.
That's where I practice swimming, too. and the American Red Cross.
They trained lifeguards to spot swimmers in distress and how to use tools like flotation devices and the rescue board.
That was Duke's invention.
A rescue board shaped like a surfboard but with some handles to make it easier to maneuver in the water.
I've seen those.
These days, lifeguards have a lot of gear they can use like first aid kits that include remedies for injuries from marine life, such as jellyfish and stingrays.
Or spine boards with straps to help secure someone with a back or neck injury.
What about the whistles?
Those are absolutely key, Joy.
Thank you for remembering.
Lifeguards also had to learn CPR.
That's Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
A way to help someone who stopped breathing by breathing directly into their mouth and putting pressure on their chest.
Sounds better than smoke up the butt.
And it is more effective, too.
These days, every public swimming pool and every public beach has professional lifeguards keeping an eye on the swimmers.
And ready to dive in.
I can make jokes.
That was a pun.
Ready to dive in whenever they are needed.
That's amazing.
George, are we done treading water now?
Yeah.
We must have been doing this for like an hour already.
It's been a whole two minutes, but that's a good start.
You can get out.
Woo!
That is not easy.
You are right.
But it is important to learn how to keep your head above water when you can't touch the bottom.
Uh, do you all see that person out there in the ocean waving really big?
Is he in trouble?
Oh, my.
That does look like someone having a problem.
Quick, get the rescue reel.
Excuse me, duty calls.
Wow, he runs fast.
What's the rescue reel?
It's George's invention.
See that big wheel with all the cable wound around it?
George is pulling it down the beach so it's in front of that struggling swimmer.
Now he's grabbing the big torpedo-shaped flotation device attached to the end of the cable and pulling it with him as he's swimming out.
So when he gets to the person who needs help, the lifeguards back at the beach can just reel them both in.
He swims fast, too.
He's almost there.
Wait, what's happening?
It looks like the drowning guy just stood up.
Oh, wow.
Well, that was exciting.
Turns out he thought the water was a lot deeper than it actually was and started to panic.
But luckily, he was only in ankle-deep water.
I told him to come for swim lessons later today Because he needs it.
George, that was amazing to watch.
So confident.
That confidence is a result of lots of time spent in the water, Joy.
What's your biggest tip for us as lifeguards in training?
The water can be a powerful enemy, but it can also be a powerful friend.
You must respect the water and never underestimate it.
With the right skills though, humans and robots can live in harmony with the water.
And it is so much fun.
Wow, we've learned so much on our first day of lifeguard training.
Yeah, we heard different ways people tried to keep safe in the water in olden times.
We learned how a surfer from Hawaii came to California and started modern lifeguarding.
And we even saw someone get rescued from several inches of water.
I'd say we're ready for those whistles.
Oh, you've got a lot of skills to work on before you are whistle-worthy.
Like first aid keeping the pool area safe, maintaining the pool water, cleaning the locker rooms, looking cool in sunglasses pointing to the no running sign, doing a rescue dive monitoring splash fights for when they turn ugly.
Oh, man.
It's okay, Joy.
And hey, we're on the beach in Hawaii, hanging out with two very cool robots.
Not a bad way to spend the day.
Would some shave ice make you feel better?
Yeah, I guess it would.
Blender chest powers activate!
It's so cool how he does that.
Seriously, robots are so cool, it makes me wanna... Whistle!
Still got it, Joy.
Oh, thanks.
This episode was written by Tara Anderson and produced by Manika Wilhelm, Molly Bloom and Sandin Totten, with additional production support from Kalaysha Toddy and Anna Goldfield.
Sound design by Eduardo Perez.
Theme music by Mark Sanchez.
Beth Perlman is our executive producer.
Voice acting by Mark Sanchez and Sandin Totten.
We had engineering help from Jess Berg and Derek Ramirez.
The executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavadi, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert.
Special thanks to Tracy and Miguel Malcolm.
Now it's time to add some cool stuff to our time capsule.
Let's see what you got this week.
Hi, my name is Luke and my time capsule idea is to put a globe in because the continents could look different in the future.
My idea for the time capsule is to put a dictionary in so people would know how we talked, and to put a mask in so people would know what COVID was like.
Thanks to Luke and Catherine for those very smart ideas.
If you have an object you'd like to see added to the time capsule, send it to us at foreveragoorg slash contact.
Your answer could be played on a future episode.
Next week, we're going way back to get the lowdown on pirates.
Thanks for listening.
