Spies, Espionage, And Secret Writing In 1770's - Historical Writing Series Part 5
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ต.ค. 2019
- A special thanks to Brian Allison for sharing the expertise with us!
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Mrs Crocombe sits down to read Jon's letter over a steaming cup of high-tannin tea, and, before her astonished eyes, a secret nutmeg recipe appears between the lines...
@@redletterboxxx there's always one of you
This dude REALLY needs to be invited to give a talk t the International Spy Museum!! Historical tradecraft would be a fascinating lecture!
The secret ingredient in the sympathetic stain is...
Nutmeg!
Still a secret.
Scarlet Letter 🤣🤣🤣. Who knew!!!
This comment needs more likes.
Hahahahahaha!
lol
This writing man is such a gentleman ,I never want to see him in current time clothes
Kind of agree with you. Would ruin the mystique.
Absolutely not, he's clearly not of this era.
Right? He's always dressed impeccably
Writing Man...the next superhero? 😀
He's soooo handsome.
I just rewatched all of the videos on letters, quills, ink, etc the other day. Nice to see Mr. Allison back for another video.
Brian is probably my favorite recurring guest on this channel, and also the best dressed by a mile. I'm kinda digging this atmospheric lighting choice.
Brian may be on to something about the sympathetic stain. I found a chemistry book from 1863 that has some interesting information about tannic acid as well as other acids that have the same precipitation reaction with iron sulfate. The book is available freely on google books and is called “A manual of elementary chemistry, theoretical and practical”. The information about vegetable acids starts on page 576. My chemistry knowledge is limited to high school and some college chemistry so it’s a stretch to say I fully understand it. But, I thought it might be worth checking out.
I can only image what the child version of myself would say if I went back in time and told him I was enjoying a video about secret writing in 1700s.
Washington: What's a... "video"? Is that Latin?
Young me wouldn't be surprised that it was a historical video but instead surprised that I wouldn't have to rewind the video when I was done with it 😅
"Never believe anything that somebody tells you, look it up yourself. You all have minds, you all have reason - look it up, read it, find out. Don't take my word for it, I might be wrong. (...) Always do your research."
Truly words to live by in history and life in general! I love your videos, it's such a realistic, hands-on approach to history that nonetheless always manages to fascinate me! Keep up the amazing work and have a lovely day!
"Do not take anyone's word for it" - Wisdom and brilliance! I love Brian's realism and practicality.
Yeah? I don't believe you.
I'm in love with fountain pens, handwriting, all writing-related things. Mr. Allison's presentations make my day. Advising people to think for themselves....outstanding advice! 😘💗
Same here!
Brian was a delight to watch and listen to. Very handsome and clearly passionate. I always love to hear people speak about something they are excited about. What a treat!
I could sit and listen to Brian for hours. Absolutely brilliant, getting him on the show, and sharing his knowledge with us all.
"TURN: Washington's Spies" is absolutely amazing. Season 3 is the best thing ever!
Im ganna watch it right after this video is done.
I really miss that show
I only saw the 1st season. But it was great
I'm about to start season 3 now.
It was a great series!!
Brian Allison is one of my favorite guests. He's full of knowledge.
So delighted to see Mr. Allison back, sharing his knowledge with us once again! The previous videos on writing materials and methods were absolutely wonderful, and this one is just as engaging and informative. Thank you!
He's so good, I hope he becomes a permanent regular on the channel
Love you screen name!
It’s amusing to realize that codes, ciphers, and invisible inks have been around for almost as long as writing has existed.
There’s an ancient story about a king who sent a secret message by writing it on a servant’s shaved head, then keeping the guy hidden until his hair grew back. Then the servant traveled to the court of another ruler, where his head was shaved, the message was read, and then the writing was washed off his scalp. Obviously, it took quite a while to send a message that way. If it absolutely, positively had to be there overnight, they must have used a different method.
Espionage is always fascinating! I especially loved seeing the boiled egg messages in Turn (even if they aren’t historically accurate it seemed like such a cute way to give a message XD) Special codes and ciphers in beautiful calligraphy letters have an allure that is hard to find in more modern forms of covert communication - end to end encryption in whattsap just isn’t nearly as romantic 😄
I kinda want Brian to be my tour guide for all of my future vacations. He's very knowledgeable & genial.
I knew they probably had seen the show turn Washington spies, it was scary how what he said was what happened to me. I started getting interested in this particular time period because of the show. Even though it may have Hollywood things and it is not 100% accurate it sparked the curiosity of how it really happened and so I went and researched things myself. This is how I found the Townsends website and later the channel on TH-cam. I truly feel like I have gone on a trip to a museum and I'm standing in front of them, at times I wanted to jump in and add things to the conversation because of how real this Interview is, it felt like I was there. Amazing!!!!
Brian, you listed some very important clues to what the invisible ink was made out of. One, it was exotic. This means it was probably from the East Indies. Frequent enough trade to get, and close enough to not take a year after placing an order. Two, it was used as a medicine at the time. He refers to it as a medicine because that's what other people used it for. It actually being a medicine make the code very simple to refer to it in letters, and no crown official would ever suspect because it was a medicine. It could be seen as completely toxic now, but it was a medicine then. It would be interesting to check the cargo lists of ships coming in from the East Indies on dates when he states that his medicine came in.
Very good thoughts!
It's nutmeg!
Nice touch using the shadowy lighting! Brian Allison is my favorite guest on your videos - he inspired me to try making quill pens! Hope you have him back again. :-)
I had the opportunity to read through an archive of "The Ladies Floral Cabinet and Pictorial Home Companion" and it one of them they had a user submission of "rebellion poetry" from the Revolutionary war. Rebellious messages hidden in published poetry. I will have to see if I can find it. It is also rife with reader recipes!
Having Brian Allison as a guest makes for such a fascinating video. It's so wondering seeing someone who is so knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his work. And it doesn't hurt that he's an absoulte dish!
I still remember getting introduced to the caeserian cypher in primary school and figured it out with a decipher quickly by remembering that some letters are gonna be used more often than others.
Brian Allison is a terrific guest. His knowledge and presentation are great. This is a thoroughly delightful video.
While a work of fiction for young readers, the book 'The Scarlet Stockings Spy' by Trinka Hakes Noble features a secret code used by a brother and sister to monitor the comings and goings of ships inPhiladelphia PA while the city is under British Occupation during the Revolutionary War. It is a well told story with excellent illustrations.
If this subject interests you I highly recommended reading "The Codebreakers - The Story of Secret Writing" (1967) by David Kahn. How good is it? At the UK's GCHQ request the author removed some parts and in 1982 the NSA tried to stop its republishing.
Some demos of the invisible inks and such would make a great follow up video.
The shadowy room is very effective for planning spycraft🗝🍻🥚
A truly fascinating episode, thank you. I love your cooking eps. And I love your historical eps like this one. Keep doing them all. Thank you.
If the chemical analysis showed just regular ingredients, perhaps the secret lies in the method of processing. Or there IS another possibility. Today we have the ability to microencapsulate fragrances that can be printed on paper, essentially creating a "scratch-n-sniff" patch that releases it's scent when the microencapsulation is broken open by scratching the paper. Perhaps the secret was a process, or catalyst, necessary to develop the writing, not the ingredients themselves. Or maybe it was that there was an inhibitor in the ink that prevented the reaction that made the ink visible. And the inhibitor needs to be counteracted or washed away before the ink becomes visible.
This is certainly an intriguing conundrum. Be sure to make a video on it if you come up with an answer, I'd be fascinated to watch it.
@@JohnNNJ of COURSE we have technology like that NOW. But it's what technology they had during the Revolutionary War that's at issue.
The trick is to find an ink that is invisible under normal circumstances.
One that will NOT become visible with the use of usual reagents of the time period.
And critically; One that, after 240 years has passed will leave no residues, save that of the standard iron gall ink of the period.
All that, using only the materials and technology available at that time.
@@JohnNNJ
A. You're rambling.
B. Nothing you said was germane to the subject. So you took printing in highschool, I took chemistry, your point's what?
C. Nothing you said is relevant to invisible ink technology in 1776. Unless you're 260 years old, and your highschool printing class was during the Revolutionary War, that is.
@@juliebaker6969 Actually his comment IS germaine. The idea of an inhibitor to the tannic acid reaction is actually pretty simple and quite possible to apply in that period.
@@bryanl1984 well if you can reproduce the process, with period technology that is, and come up with something that fits ALL criteria, you're more than welcome to prove it. I'm sure that the scientists and forensic documents experts that have been trying to explain it for the last 2 centuries would greatly appreciate the assistance.
@@juliebaker6969 Just as a hypothetical "thought experiment" I'm pretty sure they had Oxalic acid for detergents. In theory another reducer could work too as a substitute. I'm unsure about the Iron Sulfate ink ingredient they were using but, even that is possible but, Iron Oxide (or manganese oxide and a few others) can be combined with oxalic acid to become transparent. You could write with the oxalated mixture and it should be temperature stable and mostly chemically stable (to things other than oil of vitriol aka sulphuric acid but who'd try that on a letter?). When they want to expose the writing, they could use a VERY strong base or acid; Sal Ammoniac decomposed to produce Ammonia in concentrations high enough reverses the oxylation. So could "calcinating" Saltpeter to produce Nitrogen Dioxide to Nitric Acid when combined with moisture. Additionally, oxalic acid, soda lime and potash were used as detergents at the time and I could easily see the discovery of reducing agents on metal pigments being made when trying to wash off an ink stain for it to turn clear. This period is sort of the "birth" of chemistry and the scientific method but, there's LOTS of "Alchemical Science" accumulated up to that point and these techniques would be known, somewhat available ingredients wise and pretty cryptic to the lay population.
Who disliked this video? Capt. Simcoe, is that you?
Well, there are now 3 dislikes, proving there are at least 3 crazy people who watched it.
Chris Nemec I hate to say it but it's the radical left. I hate to say it because it's a non-political channel, but who else would find a problem?
Tories.
This thread is the best. I needed this laugh. Thanks guys.
Trolls
Nice touch to do a late afternoon interview. Love the changed up lighting.
My gr-grandmother once referenced that her father who was in the civil war knew of a secret "sympathetic" writing. We thought it was a reference to him writing condolence letters to the families of deceased military officers :| . She also did mention that "everyone kept a little bottle of acid". It was a strange stray comment.
Trojanette83 Thank-you. As an archaeologist, I think this is a significant observation and comment.
@@susanlangley4294 Oh, wow. Thank You.
I happen to be a little bit of a 'history buff'.
Actually, happened to have started out being a history major in college before being shooed out of the department b/c my professors of the time didn't deem women to be worthy enough nor smart enough to be involved in history!! True story. My main professor went so far as to deny me any grades for 7 mos INTO my coursework. I complained to the dean....lot of good that did me. Come to find out the dept dean was his friend. Lol. I promptly changed majors so as not to waste any more money doing coursework for which there would be no outcome. Nonetheless, I never lost my love of history or research.
I am always very keen to catch the little 'tidbits' or crumbs of information that some people might gloss-over or be quick to dismiss. Me, on the other hand I am always thinking and figuring just how do these tidbits (I call them gems) fit into the larger picture?
Am I wrong to think this way? My friends get playfully annoyed at me sometimes. They can't figure out HOW I am able to see / seek / find the things that I do. I tell them all you have to do is open up your eyes and SEE.
Every time I watch a Townsends video, I wish I had a time machine.
So good - love it. Great job, Jon and all. "Turn" rocks, too.
Something I notice whenever I see people in historical dress-up: Is it just me or do people look way more attractive and respectable and just overall "better" than in modern clothes? This is true for most stuff, be it medieval, or early modern times.. at least IMO
People still look pretty good in modern suits. It's just that, for the most part, we gave up on appearance and look at it as vanity. Of course, you could argue the new vanity is in looking like a slob on purpose, often.
I think being unique or a little bit different sets you apart from everybody else.
I think it’s the more structured design rather than flowing loosely.
I think we romanticize the past, and one of the wonderful benefits of that is to be immediately enchanted whenever we see people in period clothes. I agree, the outfit transports him to another time and he looks so put together.
But nearly anything beats fig leaves....just saying
Two handsome gentlemen discussing interesting things. 👍
I love how this guy can make you interested in just about anything. I watched his video on writing quills and how they’re made and never in my life, would I have thought that was interesting.
Not to take away from Townsends, but I love when you have guests on the channel. It really adds so much and you can tell just how much he’s loving just listening to his guests too.
love it! just reading Jeff Shaara's "The Glorious Cause" right now! He writes about Ben Franklin recieving invisible inked letters from John Jay in March 1777 while negotiating in Paris. John's brother James created this version of the ink. (p.214)
"TURN-Washington's Spies" is my all time favorite series
@ELITE COMBAT FITNESS CENTRAL Never heard of it. Sounds like it will be good. Is it on Netflix?
@@kevinrussell6530 yes I have the book
@@tee1up785 It was on AMC. There were 4 seasons. It's available on Netflix.
I loved that series. AMC only did 4 seasons.....but 11 of Walking Dead. Ugh, the dumbing down of America.
@IntrepidFraidyCat thank you. I’ll check it out.
I don't understand why this doesn't have more views. Fascinating subject, excellent guest/expert, typical high quality Townsends content. I hope people will take a look. Oh wait, just realized there's no nutmeg mentioned.
Thomas Jefferson made the Cipher Wheel so he could send coded messages to France
I had a crazy busy week last week and most of this week. I'm exhausted and relaxing with this video. It's a very interesting overview of a fascinating topic.
Fascinating! Love the setting and the videography that showcases two men talking! In Oneida, New York in the 1980's, we had a code breaker living two doors down from us...and working in journalism.
Thank you, The Pinkertons are a huge interest to me as well.
I wonder if the "dose of medicine" would be something one could purchase from an Apothecary as a medicine.
That might be . But what could it be
@@ormagoden915 lol
In a section of a book from the 19th century I found, tannic acid is/was used as a medicine. That could possibly be what he is referring to.
Something like murcury? Tincture of murcury? Murcury changes colour in certain conditions.
@@chris15252 It was also commonly used to just make normal iron gall ink, and making your own ink wasn't a weird thingto do, so it doesn't really explain any of the supposedly revolutionary nature of it, it being talked about in those terms
That's it! Now I know why he seems familiar. Brian Allison reminds me of a spy from an older movie, like maybe one of James Bond's cohorts or nemesis! Even better, maybe one of the spies featured in the Wild Wild West.
Lovely to see Mr. Allison again. And Jon, of course! :-)
This guest is my favorite! He is fascinating!
I'm pretty sure that the earliest known writing obfuscation strategy was dunking text engravings into wax, to make uniform blocks. As far back as 4th Century BC includes substitution ciphers were eventually included in kamasutra.
Turn has been sitting in my Netflix list for a while, might be time to bump it up...
Excellent video! Didn’t expect it on a Wednesday and didn’t see a notification - just stumbled on it. Hope you’ll do more on this topic!
So funny you posted this. I've been watching TURN on Netflix. It's great!
two grown men in period clothing having a fascinating discussion about the 18th century, before it and long after it. Absolutely terrific video, gentlemen; very well done! Am glad I have subscribed.
The clothing - have you noticed how the shirts and lace/cloth neckties really "set them off"? Another commenter offered how the clothing worn actually gives them a better appearance. I agree.
George Washington sez, "Learn to Code!"
Usually Hollywood gets the tiny details right (and it delights in researching tiny details)...but then it applies a 21st century worldview and makes a caricature of older beliefs. That's what bothers me. By the way, I know from experience that people can become fascinated with history without movies and TV.
"A mathmatitan can break it in 5 minutes" me in third year of my mathmatics degree my code to break caesar cipher takes like 5 mins to run :( screw efficency
These interviews with Brian are great info!
This is such a splendid series Jon, I can't seem to get enough of it. As an avid lover of history and it's multifaceted components, I so admire listening to Brian's commentary of it. Spies, codes, and cypher's is such a fascinating subject, it always brings shivers of delight to hear tales of the Revolutionary War concerning it. Thanks so much for doing another episode in this wonderful series with Brian. He brings such a body of knowledge to this topic. You both looked so like a couple of gentlemen from the period, I could imagine one of the code courier's coming through the door as you spoke. Thank you once again. Have a great day!
I so so love your channel and this guest is fascinating. Keep up the great work!
I’ve always have used any book or movie as a gateway. Since I was a child I have always looked up and found out more about any story. Love having a map also to any book or movie so I can imagine where the characters are and moved around
I especially enjoyed the show being a Roe myself and having familial ties the Culper spy ring.
Reminds me of National Treasure....one of my fave movies. I suppose that and The Patriot were my gateways into this time period.
My mom and my son write letters to each other with hidden messages. Where they have a matching piece of cardboard with holes cut out in various places so when you place it on top of the letter it reveals the hidden message.
Another great video! I absolutely loved the advice given in this and will be sure to use it!
They better not have been going in the woods and spying on my bigfoot ancestors.
So we meet again.
I think one of the biggest appeals of Townsend’s is that it reminds us of the joy we get when we do what we love.
The little girl was right. Victorian women did wear makeup but they had to be very sneaky about it, and unless they were ladies of the night the natural look was the look to have.
There are many materials you can use for invisible writing, in a pinch. One of them, in use up to the modern era, is unmentionable in a family-oriented channel, but the head of Britain's MI6 during WWII was supposed to have remarked, "Every man his own stylo."
I will not mention the name of man who made that comment either, since it will look like an inappropriate joke. Just Google for that quote to learn all.
Such a fascinating discussion! Videos with you two are some of my favorites :)
Watching National Treasure as a child was my gateway to studying history
My Great Great Great Great Grandfather was Capt. Peter Tarter with Gen Washington at Yorktown. The surrender of the British was signed in his Farther in-laws house. I love your channel as it bring me closer to how his life must have been like. Thanks You.
Loved the series!!! Thank you. God Bless and stay safe.
Thank you Jas and Brian.
The little girl that said "I don't believe you!", that little girl is me! I am a big fan of Turn, but it also spurred me to seek the real story about the spies of the American Revolution, and as I suspected, the producers and writers of the show certainly took some dramatic license with the real story. Even so, I'm still a fan of the show, especially if it encourages people to learn more about history.
I would love to see more on this topic and hear more from Brian! What a great video. And what a great response to that little girl. I think she'll remember that day long into her life and be stronger for it.
Very interesting ! Thanks for sharing with us Jon.
Love it when Brian comes to visit. Always get me going off looking into things further
I love how I can know a subject, watch one of these videos, and learn stuff I never knew!
Definitely want to learn how to make inks, but the clothes line is the most fascinating part to me
Great job guys! Very interesting and well done! Thank you again for another very informative video
Great interview! Thanks.
Very neat change of pace for this one--super job!
I figured he would be our expert, considering his trade.
Really great episode - thanks Jas!
i was waiting for Culper to come up. Bravo!
Townsends has such cool videos & I really enjoy these videos with Brian Allison too!
This was a fun episode. Thank you.
This is so cool. Pre James Bond too.
Oh, and great guest as well. Brian Allison is awesome.
What a great episode. Thank you very much.
I vividly remember my mother taking a brown paper bag then writing on it with lemon juice then revealing it in front of the fire
I work in computer crypto now, but I love the history of the past. Washington's ink does sound interesting. If the ink was described as a stain, I would want a lightly exo thermic reaction when paired with its regent. If the order was 1. writing the message with agent 2 innocent ink message, perhaps the ink for step 2 also needed to fade under heat. At that point once treated, you could hold the letter to a back lighting and be able to see ink that was in the white areas, and the faded parts that were inked over. Sort of a stained glass effect. It's like Roman Concrete though, you'll need an example and a mass spectrometer to even hazard a guess.
That's one of the reasons I still love Mel Gibson's "the Patriot." It got some things a little mixed up for sake of the narrative, but it got an awful lot right. Some of the film's plot nuances were so little known that still to this day I see people vehemently disagreeing with it, like the church burning. I see comments all the time "Oh, the Brits never burnt churches!" but there exist quite a number of accounts where the Brits did in fact burn churches. Considering nothing exists today except ash inside their ruins, we can't say for sure if there were people inside. However, given that the crown showed up and just started bombarding and burning makes it seem likely they didn't care if people were trapped inside or not before they began to burn entire towns, church and all. But those questions get you to go out and research. The John Adams series is another of my favorites. It gets some things wrong here and there, but overall a great series that got an awful lot right too. But it gets you researching which is half the fun. For my 2020 calendar project I had to do a lot of research on the women of the Revolution. One day I'd love to make a film showcasing the likes of Deborah Sampson, Mammy Kate, Nancy Hart, Catherine Moore Barry, or Sarah Fulton. Considering they likely didn't cross paths in reality, I'd still like to put a story together where as many of them are in there, because few people remember who they were, and the opportunity to showcase them in a film, might be a once in a life time chance to shed some light on them.
Never heard of any of those women? Thanks for sharing
The Brits did NOT in fact burn churches; burn plantations, houses, warehouses, forts? Yes. And in the Southern campaign practically all of that burning was done by Loyalist militia.
@@stevenwilliams3523 In 1779 during the Revolutionary War, the Sheldon church in SC was burnt by British General Augustine Prevost. In 1776 St. Philip's church in North Carolina was burned down by the British Army. In 1780 the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church in Lancaster SC was also burned by the British during the American Revolution. So in fact the Brits did burn at least a few churches in South Carolina where the film's fictional story was set. A guy named Jim Neal from South Carolina wrote a book on the subject that collected all the churches in SC that were burned by the Brits during the Revolutionary War. Now... were there people iinside when the churches were burned? Who knows. Nothing but ash remains have been found at those sites. But the fact remains that there was precedence for the Patriot using a church burning scene in the film.
@@annomaly751 We're usually a tactical girls, bikinis, and guns calendar brand, but this year I wanted to do a Revolutionary War theme to change it up a bit. I wanted it to be more authentic and not have a cheap "leg Avenue" look. Thusly, as I was doing all the hand sewing I came across Townsends. The main idea I had was that each model in the calendar could represent an unsung female hero of the Revolution to bring awareness to her. While researching I found out there were actually a LOT of women, black, native American, and white alike, that fought for the continental Army. Then it was just a matter of matching the models and their monthly themes up with their historical character. It went over well this year, so I plan on doing another one for 2021 and use some of the other women of the Revolution that didn't get mentioned this go around. So, if you wan't more names, I have plenty of them.
@@stevenwilliams3523 It stands to reason that if a military force is burning plantations and forts, any chapels or churches attached to those properties would also burn. It also stands to reason that if all this burning is taking place 100 years before the first of the Geneva Conventions was written, and as part of a war against domestic insurgents to whom the "laws of war" have never applied anyway...nobody involved would be particularly concerned about the rights of non-combatants and civilian populations.
I bet the secret ingredient was urine. Ask Maggie.
Chamber bleach...is that what it was called?
Once again a facinating subject. And i totally agree about tv etc. If one child watches a historical film and then reads a book about that period ...its done its job.
I had never actually heard of "Turn" until this video, but I will definitely be watching it now! Brian's descriptions of it make it sound so amazing, AMC should be paying him advertising fees!
The mention of hollywood is exactly what I experienced with the movie Pearl Harbor. It started a love affair with history. From WW1 to Modernity. It's all intertwined, we still feel the affects of the First World War today. The map of the Middle East looks the way it does due to treaties of the French and British.
It looks like Don Drapper and Peter Burke are having a convo about secret writing