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You're listening to Part-Time Genius, the production of kaleidoscope and I-Heart Radio.

Guess what, Mango?

Was that well?

All right, so I was reading up on ancient Greek theater this week, which you know I like

to do every October.

Very personal reasons I don't want to get into it.

And I came across this story about an Athenian actor name, Hegelogos.

And he once mispronounced a word so badly that it tanked his entire career.

That sounds so harsh, like just one word tanked his career?

What was the word?

Well, so here's the story.

This happened back in the spring of 408 BC,

and it was during the premier performance of Orestes.

This was this tragedy written by Euripides.

He was playing the lead role,

and in a scene where his character

recovers from a bout of madness.

He's supposed to say, quote, after the storm, I see once more a calm.

But because he was rushing to get the line out, there's this word in it, Galen, and he says

it with the wrong inflection, which changed the meaning from calm to

...