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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's sometime in the late 1870s at a carnival in San Antonio, Texas.

Jefferson Randolph Smith a second, or Jeff, a teenage cowhand, moves through the carnival crowds.

He's got a month's earning in his pocket and he's excited to explore some of the sideshows

before buying his ticket to the circus.

Being a cattleman is dirty and exhausting work,

so today he's ready for a diversion.

As Jeff approaches the big top,

a man energetically calling out to passers-by catches his attention.

Jeff moves closer to see what the attraction is.

The man stands behind a table, swiftly maneuvering three half walnut shells around and around.

With a flourish, he lifts one up to reveal a picture. three half walnut shells around and around.

With a flourish, he lifts one up to reveal a pea underneath.

Then he challenges onlookers to track the pea

as he puts the shells back into motion.

As the man moves the shells around and around back and forth across the table, he peppers the crowd with jokes and stories.

Jeff does his best to ignore the man's chatter and focus and stand on the movement of the shell concealing the pee.

When the shells come to a stop, Jeff lays down a wager.

He's confident he's chosen correctly, but the man grins and shows Jeff an empty shell.

Jeff is shocked, but he's not ready to give up.

...