Prompt Cast
The Art of Knife Throwing: From Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to the Great Throwdini
TLDR Knife throwing became popular in the late 19th century, particularly in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, where scantily clad women were used as target girls. The Great Throwdini became a world champion knife thrower and even performed risky acts like the veiled wheel of death with two target girls spinning behind a big piece of paper.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode is about knife throwing and the hosts are excited to discuss it.
04:35
The hosts discuss their new podcast Mini Crushes and the recent episode about the Oscar nominations, before transitioning to the topic of knife throwing.
09:30
Knife throwing, along with other impalement acts like bullwhip cracking and archery, became popular in the late 19th century, particularly in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, where scantily clad women were used as target girls to titillate the audience.
14:08
Knife throwing acts involve throwing sharp knives at a target, including risky moves like throwing knives through a veiled target, and one performer, the Great Throwdini, even did the veiled wheel of death with two target girls spinning behind a big piece of paper.
18:45
The Great Throwdini became a world champion knife thrower after trying it out in his 50s and then started an impalement act with his wife as the target girl.
23:35
When throwing a knife, it's important to have a sharp point rather than a sharp edge, and throwing the heavy end first creates spin, with different types of throws resulting in different amounts of spin.
28:32
When throwing a knife, the furthest distance you would want the blade to turn is two times, which is about 30 feet or 10 meters away from the target.
33:37
When throwing a knife, it doesn't matter which way you hold it, but if it's sharp on one edge, hold the other edge and pinch it between your thumb and first three fingers, and when throwing a blade, start with a small target like a 12 inch by 12 inch block of wood and aim for the knife to stick straight out perpendicular to the target.
38:17
When throwing a knife, it's important to release it at the top of the arc in order for it to go straight, and there are different styles of knife throwing that involve no spin and are easier on the joints.
43:03
The key to knife throwing is practice, and it's recommended to get a set of throwing knives and practice with multiple knives at once for more entertainment and efficiency.
47:39
The hosts of the podcast express their gratitude for the listeners who have come back and continue to enjoy the show.
Categories:
Society & Culture
