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. The most famous people from history tend to be remembered for their biggest brightest moments,

but sometimes that means we have no idea what other kinds of impacts and

legacies they've left behind, or how their stories came full circle. Today we remember

someone who seemed larger than life and the humble beginnings that set them on a life-changing path.

Let's go back to August 12th of 1944.

The United States was embroiled in a clandestine conflict across the English Channel, a theater of war teeming with the exotic

weaponry of a new era.

The Germans had unleashed their V1 buzz bombs months earlier, making the world's first operational cruise missile.

They were poised to unleash even more fantastical creations too,

including the dreaded V2 rocket and a fearsome super cannon.

The V2 rocket and engineering marvel

stood as the precursor to today's mighty rockets and launch vehicles.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic,

the U.S. military delved into the realm of unmanned aircraft, a pursuit

that had roots stretching back to the First World War.

By the time World War II erupted, these aircrafts could be guided via radio signals, paving the way for what we now know as drones or

unmanned aerial vehicles.

And in the summer of 44, the Allies embarked on a daring gambit known as Operation Aphroditee, employing radio-controlled bombers

loaded with explosives. Brave Allied pilots could guide these drones toward high-value targets

...