Welcome to Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I Heart Radio and

Grim and Mild. Our world is full of the unexplainable.

And if history is an open book,

all of these amazing tales are right there on display,

just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Imagine that you're strolling along a beach, searching for shells. You wade through ankle deep water, keeping your eyes peeled for anything bright, round, or shiny.

And then suddenly, your foot brushes against something that feels like a large shell.

You reach your hand into the water and pull out a glass bottle, but it's not mere trash.

The bottle's top is sealed and there's a letter inside.

You discover a message in a bottle. A find such as this would be a thrill, a rare chance to hear from someone all the way across the ocean.

The letter's writer would be a complete mystery to you, except for what they choose to include in their message.

And it makes you wonder, what if you sent a message of your own?

What would you want the reader to know about you and the world you come from.

In the winter of 1976, a man named Carl began working on such a message,

but it wasn't a letter written in a bottle.

It was a record.

Carl had a unique opportunity to produce something for what could potentially be the biggest

audience the music world had ever known.

Now Carl was a scientist.

He didn't have a background in music, but it was the 1970s, an era known

for musical innovation and experimentation. Plus, Carl did have a background in math, and he

was fascinated with patterns found in music.

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