Stuff You Should Know

Podbit · Stuff You Should Know

Selects: The First Road Trip

Explore episode Jul 11, 2026
History
What Happened After: Jackson, Crocker, and Bud

Selects: The First Road Trip · Jul 11, 2026 History

Bud retired to the Jackson farm in Vermont. Jackson went on to serve in WWI, run businesses, and donate the Vermont to the Smithsonian. Sewell Crocker, the unsung hero who kept the car running, died at around 31 — the one genuinely sad note in an otherwise triumphant story.

Where this was said

Buffalo Wreck, Manhattan Arrival, and Jackson's Bet

At 53:36 · chapter starts 51:40

The final stretch threw one more surprise at them: near Buffalo, New York, the car hit what Jackson described only as 'a hidden obstruction' and all three — Sewell, Horatio, and Bud — were ejected. Miraculously, none were hurt and the car survived. They kept going. On July 26, 1903, at 4:30 AM, they rolled into Manhattan, having crossed the United States in 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes. Press, Winton representatives, and Bertha — 'Swipes' herself — were there to greet them. Jackson had won his bet. He never collected. Whether from magnanimity, exhaustion, or simply not wanting to make the return trip any time soon, the money stayed where it was.

Similar podbits

History
The Electricity Parallel: 6% vs 3x

The Self-Improving Company | Kavak's AI Playbook · Aug 10, 2026 History

Factories that replaced coal engines with electric ones in the early 1900s got only 6% efficiency gains. Those that redesigned their entire factory around electricity got a 3x productivity improvement. Swapping AI tools into your existing structure will give you 6%. Rebuilding around AI will give you 10x.

History
The Missile Markup: How Iran Money Funded the Contras

Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2 · Aug 8, 2026 History

The Pentagon sold missiles to the CIA for $3,700 each. The CIA sold them to Richard Secord at cost. Secord sold them to Iranian middleman Ghorbanifar for $10,000 each. Ghorbanifar charged Iran even more. The profit — including $3 million in interest in one Swiss account — was diverted directly to fund the Nicaraguan Contras.

History
The Plane That Blew It All Open

Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2 · Aug 8, 2026 History

On October 5, 1986, a CIA Contra supply plane flew a weapons drop at 2,500 feet in broad daylight. A Sandinista soldier shot it down. The only survivor, Eugene Hasenfuss, had borrowed a parachute from his skydiving brother. He was captured, paraded in front of cameras, and told the Sandinistas everything he knew.