The Many Lives of Owney the Dog

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

Science, The Smithsonian, Tony Cohn, Art19, African American History And Culture, Exhibit, Dc, Exhibits, Pop Culture, Zoo, National Museum, National Zoo, Natural History, Air And Space, Smithsonian, Postal Museum, History Of The World, History, Sidedoor, Museum, Washington, Society & Culture, American History

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2017

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

120 years ago, Owney was a global celebrity. He was also a dog. And no, he didn’t juggle plates or dance on two legs, Owney was famous for simply riding trains with the US mail. So, climb aboard the Sidedoor Express and join us as we revisit different chapters of Owney’s story – his rise to fame, his disastrous fall, and his remarkable return to the spotlight at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. It’ll be a doggone good time.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Side Door, a podcast from a Smithsonian with support from PRX. I'm Tony Cohn.
0:15.0	A couple of weeks ago, This is his studio. I don't know which one he gave us.
0:23.0	A couple of weeks ago,
0:24.0	Side Door producer Justin O'Neill and I
0:26.0	took a field trip out to Point of Rocks, Maryland,
0:29.0	a tiny town on the banks of the Potomac River.
0:32.0	All right, we are, here we are.
0:35.0	What a day to be alive?
0:36.0	Or not, what a day to not be alive?
0:38.0	What a day to be taxidermy?
0:40.0	We were looking into a lead for a story about taxidermy, which is the art of preserving and mounting dead animals.
0:46.4	You know the kind. The animals behind glass at museums or even the deer heads hanging above a fireplace.
0:53.2	And at side door, we live by one rule.
0:56.0	If a taxidermis invites you to their workshop, you go.
0:59.9	Every time.
1:01.2	Do you think this is the front door? Yep, I do.
1:04.0	Paul?
1:05.0	Thank you.
1:06.0	Are you Paul? I'm Tony.
1:07.0	Hey I'm Justin.
1:08.0	Hey Justin, come on in.
1:09.0	Thank you.
	...

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