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Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities,

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a production of I Heart Radio and Grim and

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Mild. Our

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world is full of the unexplainable,

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and if history is an open book, all

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of these amazing tales are right

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there on display, just waiting

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for us to explore. Welcome

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to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

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Declaring war on the United States is

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no small action. It means intending

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to fight the most powerful military force

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in the world. In

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the US invaded Panama after President

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Bush Sr. Mistook the country's declaration

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as a serious threat. The situation

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lasted just over a month, but by the end the invasion

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had killed between three hundred and a thousand Panamanians

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and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

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Looking back on the devastation, it's clear to see

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why so few have tried to go up against

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America. Well, one nation

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learned that less in the hard way when it succeeded

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and then swiftly declared war on an enemy

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it was grossly under power to face. It

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was called the conquer Republic, and it was

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formed in nineteen eighty two. The small

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island had been known as Cayo Hueso a

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U. S territory and boasted a population

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of twenty four thousand people from all

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over the world. Germans, Cubans,

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and Irish travelers, among others,

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had settled on the island over the years, turning

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it into quite the melting pot. The

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United States had set up a military checkpoint

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on the island that year, inspecting cars

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for drugs and signs of human trafficking

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operations. Those on the island

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were not pleased by the interference to their

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day to day lives, nor were the tourists

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who flot there to kick back and relax.

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The checkpoints caused massive traffic jams

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as long as seventeen miles. People getting

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around the island couldn't do so easily

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without having their vehicles stopped and searched.

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As a result of the intrusion, many

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would be visitors chosen said to go to

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nearby locations not under US

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occupation. They canceled their reservations,

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opting instead for vacations where they could

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travel without harassment. The

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city council tried to get the checkpoints removed

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by filing an injunction against the U. S

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Government in federal court, but the

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case was dismissed. There was a drug

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problem in the United States, and it was believed

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that the key to ending it lied in verifying

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the contents of each car passing through Kayahue

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So well, the island's mayor, Dennis

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Wardlow, couldn't take it anymore.

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A certain word kept cropping up in meetings

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between the mayor and his advisors, and one

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day it seemed like it might be the best way forward.

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That word secession. If

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the United States was going to treat the island like a

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foreign country, then it would have

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to behave like one too. So on April

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n the time had come for Kyohui

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So to separate from the United States. It

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was officially renamed to the conquer Republic,

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named for the slang term used to describe

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the many Bahamians living on the island who

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had come from European descent. Mayor

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Wardlow had suddenly become the Prime Minister,

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and among his first actions as the head of a

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new nation, he declared war

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on America. However, he

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did it in the most unusual way by

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cracking a loaf of Cuban bread over

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the head of someone wearing a U. S. Navy

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uniform. It didn't take long for

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Wardlow to realize he was in over

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his head, though, and surrendered one

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minute after declaring independence of the conquer

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Republic. He then asked the United States

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for a billion dollars in foreign aid.

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So why isn't the conquer Republic found on

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any maps? Because its original

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name Kyo Huiso is Spanish for

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Key West, the island that's technically

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part of Florida. The secession wasn't

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real. It had been nothing more than a noisy

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publicity stunt to send a message

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to the U. S. Government about its obtrusive

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checkpoints, and they listened.

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Shortly after the conquer Republic rejoined

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America, the points were shut down and

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tourism to the island boomed, but

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peace was never permanent. For example,

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in when the U. S. Army

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Reserves sent a battalion to Key West for

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a training exercise, conk officials

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were never alerted. In response, Mayor

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Wardlow ordered a schooner to pelt

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a coastcard vessel with stale Cuban

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bread and water balloons. The

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act of aggression was met with equal forced by

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the U. S. Coast Guard, who turned their fire hoses

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on the attacking ship, bringing the fight

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to an abrupt end. The City of Key

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West contacted the Department of Defense and

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complained about their lack of notice about

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the exercise. The Department of Defense

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sent an apology and accepted the Conquered

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Republics so called surrender a few days

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later. Today, the conquer

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Republic is still going strong. It has

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its own navy, advertised as the largest

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sail propelled navy in the world, and

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it hosts several events in April as

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part of its Independence Day celebration.

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It just goes to show that making a big public

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protest something you can often

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get results, and sometimes

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all it takes is a declaration

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of war on the United States. Explosive

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holiday celebrations are more common than

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you think. Almost everyone is familiar

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with American Independence Day, when

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towns all over the country light up the night sky

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with elaborate firework displays. It's

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held on July four, the day the founding

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fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and

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officially severed ties with England. The

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tradition dates all the way back to the first

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anniversary of the signing in seventeen seventies

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seven, when Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

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became host to a full blown festival.

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It included the ringing of bells, a parade,

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and the launch of thirteen rockets

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into the air. But July four

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isn't the only holiday where things explode.

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There's also the Beltane Fire Festival

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in Scotland. Every April, the

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Beltane Fire Society of Edinburgh lights

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torches and a huge bonfire to

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ring in the beginning of summer. Some

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who joined in the festivities shed their

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clothes and dance among the flames

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as music plays into the night. And

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who could forget Burning Man The week long

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community events held at the end of August each

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year in Nevada on the Saturday night

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before Labor Day, and eighty five foot

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tall wooden effigy is burned in the middle

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of the desert as attendees gather around,

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dancing and cheering. Meanwhile,

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the small town of San Juan de la Vega, Mexico,

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has its own celebration, and it's not

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only a lot of fun, it's also incredibly

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dangerous. The thing about a tradition as

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old as this one is that its origin isn't

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definitive. According to one account, the

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festival got its start in the seventeenth century

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when a man known as San Juanito decided

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to go up against the local landowners who

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were taking money out of the hands of the hard

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working townsfolk. San Juanito

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began stealing bad from them, earning him the

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nickname of Mexico's Robin Hood.

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Unfortunately, his efforts also resulted

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in retribution from those landlords.

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A fight ensued, and one side

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resorted to using hammers fitted with small

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bombs that detonated on impact. Another

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story claimed that Juan de la Vega, the

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man for whom the town was named, had his gold

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stolen by bandits. St John the Baptist

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helped him get it back, and the town's residents

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celebrated by tying explosives to

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large hammers and setting them off.

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Whatever the case, the victory is honored today

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with a festival every February, known in Spanish

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as Fiesta de los Martios

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Explosivos. In English,

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it's called the Festival of Exploding

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Hammers. San Juan de la

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Vega, located about a hundred and sixty

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miles north of Mexico City, is

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quiet for most of the year, with very little

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going on to illicit concern. People

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go about their daily lives without incident until

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that one day in February when they pull

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out their sledge hammers and gunpowder and

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let use. Modern day revelers

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don't use anything as volatile as dynamiters

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C. Four. Instead, they fasten a

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mixture made of potassium chlorate and

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sulfur to the end of their sledge hammers. The

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hammers are then hoisted and slammed

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onto a steel beam in the middle of a rocky

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field. What follows is a giant

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cloud of smoke and a blast with a force

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so strong it's enough to send someone

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flying back several feet. It

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is so popular thousands come to witness

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the event, with over a hundred first responders

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standing by in case things go wrong, which

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they do a lot. Three

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people required medical attention, including

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one person who was carried out on a stretcher

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after he hurt his leg in the blast, and

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the people wielding the hammers aren't the only

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ones who suffer injuries either. Spectators

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in the line of fire are often hit by shrapnel

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caused by the blasts. It's

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clear that the Festival of Exploding Hammers

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is one of the most unique cultural traditions

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recognized today, and if you decide

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to go and see it for yourself, maybe

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we're some protective goggles just

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in case. I

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hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of

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the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe

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for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn

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more about the show by visiting Curiosities

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podcast dot com.

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The show was created by me Aaron

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Manky in partnership with how Stuff

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Works. I make another award winning

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show called Lore, which is a podcast,

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book series, and television show, and

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you can learn all about it over at the World

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of Lore dot com. And

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until next time, stay curious.