And now, it's time for Who Smarted?
Psst, hey, smarty pants!
Right now, I'm at a historic war reenactment in an old military fort.
It's so cool. There's people dressed as soldiers, archers firing arrows from towers, and there's even cannons!
In fact, I'm standing right next to an active cannon.
You might want to back up a bit there, pal.
I'm coming in hot. Wouldn't you know it?
It's an active talking cannon.
The name's Big Bertha.
Hi, Big Bertha. I'm the trusty narrator.
Wonderful. I love names with adjectives in them.
Now, trusty, trust me.
You're going to want to stand back.
This is going to be a big one.
And that's the end of the reenactment.
Phew. I am pooped. Gonna wheel myself over into the shade and have a refreshing gazpacho.
Come join me. I'd love to.
That was so cool, Big Bertha.
Boy, oh boy, do I love forts.
Yep, this fort is my place of work.
And my home. I probably need to get out more.
But who really wants a cannon randomly showing up at a party?
Good point, Bebe. But hey, forts are pretty impressive, with all the towers and parapets and, um, you know, other fort -ish stuff.
Say, Big Bertha, what actually makes a fort a fort?
And how is a fort different than, say, a castle?
And do they still build forts today?
And what about the famous forts?
Smartypants, can you think of any famous forts?
Wowzers. Lots of questions.
Guess I can kiss my gazpacho goodbye.
Alright, back out we go.
Time to learn all about Forts.
Wheel me this way, will ya?
With pleasure. Smartypants looks like we're in for another big whiff of science and history on… Who's smarted?
Who's smarted? Who's smart?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science? Or history?
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Wow, I just put my ear to the wall of the fort and I could practically hear the history.
Um, you might want to have that checked out.
Okay, okay, you know what I mean.
But speaking of walls, what makes a fort a fort and not just a bunch of walls?
Hey, is this guy gonna just keep on slapping me all day?
Whoops, sorry, fort wall.
I gotta say, it is not easy navigating a world where everything can talk.
To answer your question, trustee, the first thing you have to understand is that fort is a shortened form of another word. Ooh, smarty pants.
See if you can guess what that is.
Is fort short for A, fortitude, B, fortnite, or C, fortress?
The answer is C, fortress.
And a fortress is a defensive wall or series of walls built to protect a place from invaders.
No, not space invaders, human invaders.
Forts usually involve a military component, with weapons and people strategically positioned to both defend against and launch an attack.
Gotcha. So a fort or fortress is a protected spot from which you can attack.
Exactly! And while many early civilizations were contained within fortresses as a way to protect them and their inhabitants, the main difference between a fort and a castle is that forts are not residences.
Forts are used for both battles and war, not as homes.
In the United States, forts were also used a lot during the Western Expansion and the Civil War.
Smarty Pants, how many forts do you think there are right now in the USA?
Around 100, around 300, or around 500?
The answer is between 450 to 500.
They are used as military bases, and every state has at least one.
Whoa. So how do forts work, Bertha?
How are they built, and what's inside of them?
Well, early forts, like medieval forts, were fairly simple.
They were built from stone, and sometimes wood, and were built tall.
They were used to house soldiers and store weapons and ammunition.
Many had towers for greater visibility, and little slits in the walls from which people could shoot arrows down at the invaders.
They had other clever features built in too, to help with attacks.
Like what? My favorite feature of medieval forts is the machicolation.
The machica -what? Smarty Pants, what do you think a machicolation is?
Is it A, a special kind of battering ram?
B, an opening in the floor?
Or C, a walkway covered in sharp spikes?
If you said an opening in the floor, you're right.
Wow, I definitely thought I thought it would be one of the other, scarier ones.
Oh, you haven't heard what it is yet, trustee.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Uh, what is it? A machicolation is an opening in the floor of a part of the fort that juts out beyond the walls of the fort.
Sort of like a platform.
form. The opening is used to pour down sand, rocks, boiling water, or even boiling oil on unsuspecting invaders.
Ouch! Suddenly a battering ram doesn't sound so bad.
Yeah, folks had to get creative in those early forts since they didn't have much in the way of advanced weaponry.
There were arrows, of course, and also catapults.
Aside from that, they just had to hope nobody Nobody would climb over the walls or break through the front door.
And things were pretty much unchanged until something new came along.
Hmm, Smarty Pants, what new form of weaponry was a game changer for forts?
I'll give you a hint.
I'm very close to this answer.
So, what are you thinking of right now, Smarties?
Are you thinking of a cannon?
If so, you're right.
Not to brag, but the cannon was a total game changer for forts.
That's right, but how so?
Well, after gunpowder was invented, cannons became the most commonly used weapon of the day, and were great at obliterating forts.
Cannons were first invented in the 12th century.
A cannon like me packs quite a punch. And early forts were simply not constructed in a way that could handle...
THE POWER OF A CANNON!
Whoa, easy there, Bertha.
Sorry, I get excited talking about my ancestors.
That's cool. Say, what's actually fired out of a cannon anyway?
Smarty Pants, do you know?
I heard a lot of you saying a cannonball, but is that accurate?
Yes, sort of. The most common ammunition fired from a cannon were spherical projectiles, usually made of stone or iron.
These projectiles did a lot of damage when being propelled by powerful gunpowder.
And these spherical projectiles were known as cannonballs, right?
Not quite. Their official name is roundshot, but essentially, roundshot is what you think of when you picture a cannonball.
Gotcha. Looks like we all learned a new word just now.
Anyhoo, when the cannon became the weapon of choice for taking down forts en route to conquering territory, forts had to be built differently to adapt.
The tall stone walls of most forts were pretty thin, and cannon fire would topple them fairly easily.
I see. And here. So what changed in fort construction?
The main thing is that forts had to be built much lower, with the walls being sunk into ditches.
This would help absorb the shock of a cannon attack.
But that alone wasn't enough.
The shape of forts also changed.
Literally. Forts had to be built in a very specific shape to withstand the blows of cannon attacks.
Hey, smarty pants. What new shape do you think forts had to be built in?
Was it A, a triangle, B, a pyramid, or C, a star?
If you said a star shape, you got it.
Yep, star forts, also known as bastion forts, became the name of the game.
But what made a starshape so great?
Well, the starshape made sure there were no blind spots, and they were built atop low, sloping hills that would absorb the impact of cannon fire.
Then, on the points of the starshape, these things called ravelins were built.
A ravelin is a triangular fortification that would further help absorb the shock of a cannon attack.
Not to mention, they made the forts look really pretty.
Pretty? That's... interesting.
Hey, smarty -pants, after the episode, have an adult help you do an image search of a Starfort or Bastionfort to see what Big Bertha is describing.
She's not lying. They really are quite breathtaking.
So, what came after the Starforts?
Well, here's the thing about forts, trusty narrator.
There's a reason they aren't still being built.
Every time there were advances in weaponry and warfare, Forts had to keep up until eventually they couldn't.
With faster and more powerful weapons of war, particularly aerial warfare, that means attacking from the air, forts became very easy to destroy.
From the 20th century onward, they basically became obsolete.
That makes sense. Kind of sad though.
Like you said, some of them really are beautiful pieces of architecture.
Oh, don't you worry.
Lots of forts are still standing.
All over the world, in fact.
And many of them are important historic sites.
Some are even very famous.
No doubt. Smarty Pants will hear all about the most famous forts in the world right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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And we're back, smarty pants.
So, Big Bertha, what are some famous forts and what makes them so famous?
Well, let's start things off with an American classic.
Do you remember the Alamo?
Of course I remember the Alamo.
But why should we remember the Alamo?
The Alamo is located in San Antonio, Texas.
It was built in the 1700s and was originally a Roman Catholic mission.
But even before it was a fortress, walls were erected around the mission to protect it, as local attacks from nearby tribes had began happening.
Eventually, it was abandoned and didn't become known as the Alamo until the 1800s.
Smarty pants, true or false?
The name Alamo comes from cottonwood trees that grew nearby, which in Spanish are called Alamo.
The answer is true.
And once the Alamo became the Alamo, it was further fortified by me.
Well, not me specifically, but cannons.
This is all very interesting, Bertha, but what makes the Alamo famous?
Famous. Cool your gunpowder, trustee.
I'm getting to it. On February 23, 1836, the famous Battle of the Alamo took place between a small band of Texan volunteers and the Mexican army.
It's been reported that between 1 ,800 and 6 ,000 Mexican soldiers laid siege on just 200 or so defenders.
For 13 days, they battled on until the Mexican army finally busted their way in and laid siege on the Alamo and annihilated everyone inside.
Oh, wow. I'm guessing a lot of the Alamo was destroyed.
You got that right.
But remember, the Alamo became a rallying cry as Texas fought and won its independence from Mexico.
ago. Later on in the 1800s, during the Mexican -American War, the Alamo was repaired, parts were rebuilt, and it was used as military offices and storerooms. Today, the original church from the Alamo still stands and belongs to the people of Texas.
Nice. Any other famous forts you're fond of, Bertha?
Oh, sure. One of my personal faves is the Marood Hinehira in India.
Ooh, that sounds interesting.
What's so special about this fort?
Well, first of all, it's an entire fortified island.
It was built in the 17th century, and unlike a lot of forts, it's never been defeated.
And plenty of folks have tried.
The British, the Dutch, and the Portuguese, to be exact.
But none of them could take it down.
It remains the only unconquered fort on the whole west coast of India.
Impressive. Then, of course, there's one of the most famous forts of all, the Tower of London.
Wait, the Tower of London is a fort?
Sure. In fact, the Tower of London has been many things throughout its history, and fort is definitely one of them.
It was built in 1078, originally to be used as a castle and residence.
But because there was so much unrest during its long history, it was fortified many times over.
It had moats, arrow slits, and a bell tower to sound the alarm in case of an attack.
And was it attacked?
What do you think, smarty pants?
True or false, the Tower of London has never been attacked?
The answer is... False.
It's been attacked lots of times.
The last time it was used as a fortification was as late as the 20th century during World War II.
Today, it still stands loud and proud as one of the biggest tourist attractions in England.
Wow, I have learned so much about forts today.
Thanks, Big Bertha.
My pleasure, trustee.
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for the next military reenactment, and I've got some round shots that aren't going to fire themselves.
Remember the Alamo.
And I have to remember to bring earplugs next time.
Loud. A big shout out to superfan Glenn and his Smartie family in Slidell, Louisiana.
Thanks so much for listening to Who Smarted?
We're so glad you love learning about all the fun topics.
And we're thrilled your teacher, parent, loves listening too and even uses our episodes in their classroom.
Now that's what we call textbook smarting.
This episode, Forts, was written by Phil, The Fortress of Solitude, Jeremy, and voiced by Laura, Rodout, Rondanella, Adam Alamo -Davis, and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hightower -Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Cannonball -Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Blackhouse -Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex -Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex -Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
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