 NAPE saves a key possession of the British Empire. A man invents a noiseless soup spoon. The word ambition originally applied only to politics. And of course those statements mean that we're back once more with another batch of surprising statements and their proof, with which we hope to entertain you for a little while. This is Lindsay McCarrie asking you to stand by for just a minute and a half for the first item. Someone say of a particularly energetic person, my but he has a lot of ambition. Well you've heard it hundreds of times of course, but I wonder if you know from where we get the word ambition. Today it means showing a lot of energy and get up and go, but suppose we go back to ancient Rome for a few moments. Let's follow Lucius Arugalus as he makes his way through the crowded streets of the bustling city of Rome. As he walks along, he spies a friend walking before him. Marcus, Marcus, a moment, wait a moment. Oh Lucius, you seem in a hurry or excited. No, I just wanted to catch up with you. Well, you have? Marcus, you know that the day after tomorrow are the elections for the Senate. I know that. I suppose you know that I am a candidate. Well, yes, I had heard. I wonder if I might count upon you for your vote, eh? You're a friend of mine, Lucius. I'll vote for you. Oh, thank you, thank you. I've been going around these last few days getting votes for myself. It's been no easy time. So even in those days politicians approached their friends for votes. That going about was termed ambitio, A-M-B-I-T-I-O, which means a going around or going about. We can well imagine the bustling to and fro those ancient politicians did to get votes for themselves. Of course, it was easy to adopt the word, add an N to make an ambition, which we use today to denote the quality of a go-getter. Well, here's an odd story about the famous apes of Gibraltar. They are the only wild apes left in Europe, and their existence there, together with the fact that they are really African apes, tends to prove the theory that the rock of Gibraltar was once joined to the mainland of Africa by a strip of land. Now, for an amazing fact, did you know that the British stationed on Gibraltar actually must feed and take care of the apes? It's true. There is a special detail assigned to this Simeon care-taking. Why? Well, on one occasion, while the British had possession of the fort, a sentinel was assigned a guard duty at a strategic point. He was given his orders... This point must be carefully watched. Readers coming up this path can attack us and retake the fort. You mustn't take your eyes off it. If you see anything or anyone, sound the alarm. Very good, sir. Good night. Good night, sir. Perhaps the langurous night was not conducive to alert watching. It wasn't long before... Meanwhile, the Spanish soldiers who had kept watch on the point... Amigos, look. The English sentry. He is asleep. We have our chance now to attack and retake the fort. It would be easy. We'd pull over the path and surprise them before they know what has happened. Now, pronto, amigos. Soldados, pronto! Stealthily, the Spanish soldiers crept in with a surprise attack. But while they crept, another figure was busily engaged in an occupation of his own. It was one of the Barbary apes. He was hunting for food. Suddenly, in an overzealous effort to reach a pot of beans, the ape knocked over the pot. Yes, the ape's noise awakened the sentry. The alarm was given and the attempt to retake the fort came to naught. Soon, the story was told and the Spanish have a saying... The British relieve when the apes leave. For that reason, the British take excellent care of the apes. They feed them and treat them kindly. In fact, when the apes dwindled in numbers, the British imported fresh stock from Tangiers for the sole purpose of seeing that the apes didn't leave Gibraltar. Thus does one of the key possessions of the British Empire guarding its lifeline to the east depend upon the whims and fancy of a tribe of apes. Can you imagine that? Noiseless soup-eating has long been the sore point with etiquetteers and any self-made musical accompaniment while sipping broth or even noodle soup. It just shouldn't be done. Well, from a newspaper of December 7, 1910 comes this story. In that year, Mr. HS Campbell of St. Louis, Missouri had done away with the possibility of that noisy gulp by inventing a spoon with which it was impossible to commit the gustatatory faux pas, said Mr. Campbell. The spoon has a lid over the surface and a slit in one side through which the soup may flow noiselessly, preventing any sipping sounds. It forces one to gather the soup by pushing the spoon into the soup away from one as it should be done. Question further as to his reasons for inventing such a utensil, Mr. Campbell was brief but to the point. It makes for good manners. Don't you know? Oh, yeah. But gee, Mr. Campbell, what's a good bowl of noodle soup without a few noisy intakes? At any rate, a noiseless soup spoon was invented. Can you imagine that? To some people, good luck just seems to come naturally. They fall into all sorts of fortunate situations. To other people, bad luck seems to be their lot. But to still others, good lady luck seems to smile benignly at first and then turn the other side to reveal sour and disastrous misfortune. One of these persons was Marie Antoinette. Born the daughter of Maria Teresa, the great empress of Austria, Marie Antoinette had everything for which to look forward. But dire things were prophesied for. Have you heard the news? News? What news? The great earthquake in Lisbon. They say over 50,000 people have been killed. When did this happen? On the very day the princess was born to our empress. No. On the very day, evil that she should have been born on such a day of disaster, it will follow her all her life. That was the beginning. Then it was forgotten when she was given in brilliant marriage to the dofer, Louis of France, grandson of the sour old Louis XV. All went well until the wedding day. On that day, in the plaster lacquant cord, a great exhibition of fireworks was given to celebrate the union. And in the plaster... Veeble of fire! Veeble of fire! Veeble of fire! Veeble of fire! The fireworks! The fireworks! The fireworks! They exclaimed it! Yes, on the day that was to be so brilliant for Marie Antoinette, disaster struck again. 1200 people were crushed to death by the panic-stricken mob seeking escape from the blazing fireworks. On the day of her birth, and on the day of her birth, the catastrophes reached in their bony and greedy hands to mar the events. Then Marie Antoinette became a member of the French court. Came quarrels with Madame de Barry, favorite of old Louis XV. Louis XV himself was bitterly disappointed in the union of his grandson and Marie Antoinette. Scandal after scandal, dogged her footsteps. Her disillute behavior shocked even the libertine French court. Came then the death of old King Louis XV. Louis XVI was crowned and Marie became queen. Events marched swiftly to the grim attacks. Came the affair of the diamond necklace. And on the streets of Paris were heard these things. It is her fault. Her fault the Austrian. The queen you mean Marie Antoinette? You call her queen if you wish. She's no queen of mine. No Austrian will rule me. People starve all around, beg for bread, beg for any bits of garbage so that they may eat. And she buys a diamond necklace worth enough to give all of Paris meals for days. I say down with the acoustic Austrian. Ah, c'est vrai. On the day of her birth, 12,000 people died quickly. On the day of her marriage, 1,200 perished because we must celebrate the marriage. Ah, I too say down with the Austrian. The Bastille fell. The French people surged forward in bloody revolt. The massiers pushed them on and on. Madame guillotine was born. Her bloody teeth bit off head after head. Then and this is the weirdest coincidence of all. On October 16, 1793 Marie Antoinette was led up the slippery wooden stairs of the guillotine scaffold and this is the winner can pay. Now she meets another winner. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ready. Marie Antoinette was beheaded on the very spot the people had celebrated her marriage 23 years before. Thus from the day of her birth to the day of her own death, Marie Antoinette was followed by a relentless grinning specter of disaster that never left her side for a moment. Can you imagine that? Now how would you like another chance at some more detective work? You know, where we play a few bars of an old classical number and you try to figure out what modern popular number resembles it. Well, here's one. Listen first to the first few measures of that beautiful flowing melody serenade by Drigo. Did that recall to your mind a popular number of a few years ago? Well, it certainly should have. But if you need further assistance in your sleuthing, we'll ask the boys of the orchestra to present you ought to be in pictures of Cune's sleuthing. This is Izzy McCurry inviting you to be with us on our next session of Can You Imagine That and signing you over to the capable care of your own announcer and bidding you goodbye now.