Futility Closet

In 1911 an exhausted man emerged from the wilderness north of Oroville, California. He was discovered to be the last of the Yahi, a people who had once flourished in the area but had been decimated by white settlers. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Ishi's sad history and his new life in San Francisco. We'll also consider the surprising dangers of baseball and puzzle over a forceful blackout. Intro: Director Chuck Jones laid out nine rules to govern Road Runner cartoons. James Cook's third expedition to the Pacific discovered a surprising amusement in Hawaii. Sources for our feature on Ishi: Theodora Kroeber, Ishi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America, 1961. Robert F. Heizer and Theodora Kroeber, Ishi the Last Yahi: A Documentary History, 1981. Orin Starn, Ishi's Brain: In Search of Americas Last 'Wild' Indian, 2005. Karl Kroeber and Clifton B. Kroeber, Ishi in Three Centuries, 2003. Saxton T. Pope, Hunting With the Bow & Arrow, 1923. Saxt