Hey everyone, this is the last episode of the winter season of Disappearing Spoon.

I hope you have enjoyed. We'll be back in the spring with new episodes. In the meantime,

if you're craving some science history podcasts, check out the Distillations podcast through the Science

History Institute. You can also go to patreon.com slash disappearing spoon for bonus content about my podcast.

See you all in the spring.

For William Jennings, Brian, a three-time presidential nominee and former secretary of state,

giving a high school commencement speech might seem like a letdown.

But in late spring 1919, Brian agreed to do

just that for his hometown of Salem, Illinois. Practically, the entire county turned out to see

their hero. And although he was pushing 60 years old, Brian could still put on a show. He had the

whole town spellbound until someone started laughing.

Brian's eyes darted to the mischief maker.

He was a teenager from the graduating class, a skinny, owly fellow with glasses and thin red hair.

He had cracked a joke to his friend in the middle of Brian's speech.

The old man's mouth hardened, and his black eyes bored in on the lad.

The crowd no doubt hushed as Brian held the glare for several devastating seconds.

Then he cleared his throat and continued.

As a veteran speaker, Brian did not let the interruption derail him,

and he likely would have forgotten the incident entirely.

Except a few years later, in 1925, exactly a century ago,

he ended up prosecuting that same troublemaking young man in court

in a trial that would captivate the nation.

...