Curious About Keys And Locks

PODCAST 254: CURIOUS ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS EPISODE, BECAUSE IT’S THE TYPE OF EPISODE I LIKE TO CALL A PROCESS EPISODE.  IN IT, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW SOMETHING WORKS STEP BY STEP.  WE’VE DONE A FEW PROCESS EPISODES IN THE PAST, AND THEY ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES.  FOR EXAMPLE, WE LEARNED WHAT HAPPENS TO EVERYTHING IN THE TOILET AFTER YOU FLUSH AND WE ALSO LEARNED WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR GARBAGE AFTER IT’S COLLECTED AND PUT INTO THE GARBAGE TRUCK.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING MANY OF US USE EVERY DAY, BUT WE PROBABLY AREN’T EXACTLY SURE HOW IT WORKS.  EVEN IF WE DON’T KNOW HOW IT WORKS, WE’RE HAPPY THAT IT DOES, BECAUSE IT HELPS KEEP US SAFE.  

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVES LISTENING TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST!  WE FOUND YOU THIS SUMMER AND WE’VE LISTENED TO EVERY EPISODE YOU HAVE MADE.  THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.  NOW THAT WE ARE CAUGHT UP, WE WANTED TO SEND YOU A MAILBAG EMAIL OURSELVES.  MY SONS EVERETT AND HENRY WOULD LIKE TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS, BOARD GAMES, AND CARD GAMES, AND JK ROWLING, AND HARRY POTTER.  THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION YOU PUT INTO YOUR EPISODES.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR MORE.

CHEERS FROM BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO!”

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, OUR NAMES ARE JEREMY AND OLIVER.  WE ARE 2 AND 3 YEARS OLD AND WE LIVE IN COLORADO.  WE LOVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PODCAST EVERYDAY IN THE CAR.  OUR FAVORITE EPISODE IS THE MONSTER TRUCK EPISODE AND WE LOVE TO SAY “DOUBLE-MAILBAG”.  WE WOULD BOTH LOVE TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT SEAHORSES AND KEYS.  THANK YOU!”

O:  HOLY SMOKES.  THOSE WERE AMAZING EMAILS FROM BIG FANS OF THE PODCAST.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS FOR EVERETT, HENRY, JEREMY, AND OLIVER.

D:  THERE WERE SOME CRAZY COINCIDENCES IN BOTH EMAILS.  OUR LISTENERS FROM ONTARIO WERE CURIOUS ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS, BUT THEY WERE ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT BOARD GAMES, WHICH IS THE TOPIC WE COVERED LAST WEEK.  WE TOTALLY DIDN’T PLAN IT THAT WAY.

O:  ALSO, OUR LISTENERS IN COLORADO MENTIONED THAT THEY LOVE SAYING DOUBLE-MAILBAG.  IT’S A COINCIDENCE THAT THEIR EMAIL IS PART OF A DOUBLE-MAILBAG.  I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW IT ENDED UP THAT WAY, BUT IT’S TOTALLY AWESOME.  

D:  I AGREE.  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF KEYS OUT THERE, AND WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT A BUNCH OF THEM.  THERE IS ONE KEY THAT HAS A BIT OF A SPOOKY NAME, EVEN THOUGH I PROMISE YOU THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SPOOKY ABOUT IT.  OLIVIA, WHAT IS THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THERE IS A TYPE OF KEY CALLED A SKELETON KEY.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS WHAT DOES A SKELETON KEY DO AND WHY DOES IT HAVE THAT NAME?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S TAKE OUR TIME MACHINE BACK A FEW THOUSAND YEARS TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF KEYS.

O:  KEYS AND LOCKS GO AS FAR BACK AS ABOUT 6 THOUSAND YEARS AGO IN ANCIENT BABYLON AND EGYPT.  BOTH THE KEY AND LOCK WERE MADE OUT OF WOOD.  BECAUSE THEY WERE MADE OUT OF WOOD AND WERE PRETTY BULKY, THEY WERE HEAVY.  ALSO, WOOD DOESN’T HOLD UP VERY WELL OVER TIME, SO THE KEYS BROKE EASILY.

D:  ANCIENT ROME MADE BIG UPGRADES TO LOCKS AND KEYS WHEN THEY USED BRONZE AND IRON, INSTEAD OF WOOD, TO MAKE THEIR LOCKS AND KEYS.  USING THE STURDIER MATERIALS ALLOWED THEM TO BUILD SMALLER, BUT ALSO STRONGER, LOCKS, AND THE KEYS MADE FROM METAL WERE ALSO LIGHT ENOUGH TO CARRY AROUND WITHOUT TROUBLE.  

O:  THE MODERN KEY, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE FLAT KEY, WAS INVENTED BY LINUS YALE SR, AND HIS SON, LINUS YALE JR IN THE MID-1800’S.  FLAT KEYS WERE EASY TO MAKE IN LARGE NUMBERS AND QUICKLY BECAME THE MOST POPULAR TYPE OF KEY WORLDWIDE. IN JUST A MINUTE, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW THEY WORK.

D:  THESE DAYS, LOTS OF KEYS HAVE REALLY NEAT FEATURES.  ONE EXAMPLE IS THE TRANSPONDER KEY, ALSO KNOWN AS THE CHIP KEY.  THE KEY HAS A BUTTON, OR BUTTONS, ON IT THAT ALLOW YOU TO LOCK OR UNLOCK SOMETHING WITH THE PUSH OF A BUTTON.  TRANSPONDER KEYS ARE COMMONLY USED FOR CARS.  

O:  THERE IS A KEYCARD KEY, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A CARD THAT ACTS LIKE A KEY, UNLOCKING DOORS.  THE KEYCARD LOOKS SIMILAR TO A CREDIT CARD IN SHAPE AND SIZE, AND YOU WILL OFTEN FIND KEYCARDS IN HOTELS.  

D:  THESE DAYS, THERE ARE DOZENS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF KEYS THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO LOCK UP AND PROTECT ANYTHING IMPORTANT TO THEM, LIKE THEIR HOME, OFFICE, CAR, SAFE, DIARY, OR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.  

O:  EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SO MANY KEY OPTIONS, WHEN MANY OF US THINK OF KEYS, WE ARE PROBABLY THINKING OF THE FLAT KEY WHICH IS PLACED INSIDE A DOORKNOB OR DOOR HANDLE, AND TURNED TO UNLOCK OR LOCK A DOOR.  LET’S LEARN HOW THEY WORK.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH KEYS ARE USUALLY SMALL, THEY ARE MADE UP OF 5 IMPORTANT PARTS.  ALL OF THE PARTS OF A KEY MUST BE DESIGNED PERFECTLY TO FIT THE LOCK IT WILL BE USED FOR.  IF THE KEY ISN’T DESIGNED PERFECTLY, IT WON’T WORK.

O:  ONE PART OF THE KEY IS CALLED THE HEAD.  THAT’S THE PART YOU HOLD AS YOU ARE TURNING THE KEY.

D:  STICKING WITH THE BODY PART THEME, THE NEXT KEY PART IS CALLED THE SHOULDER.  ONCE YOU STICK A KEY INTO THE LOCK AS FAR AS IT CAN GO, IT’S A SMALL PIECE CALLED THE SHOULDER THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM STICKING THE KEY ANY FURTHER INTO THE LOCK.

O:  THEN THERE IS THE BLADE, WHICH IS THE PORTION OF THE KEY THAT GOES INTO THE LOCK.  AT THE END OF THE BLADE IS THE PART OF THE KEY CONVENIENTLY CALLED THE TIP.  THAT MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE.  ON MANY FLAT KEYS, THE TIP IS PRETTY POINTY.

D:  FINALLY, THE JAGGED PIECES THAT RUN ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BLADE ARE CALLED CUTS.  THE CUTS ARE THERE TO ALIGN WITH THE LOCK, ALLOWING THE KEY TO FIT PERFECTLY INSIDE THE LOCK.  THE CUTS ARE THE KEY TO HOW KEYS WORK.

O:  PRETTY CLEVER DAD JOKE RIGHT THERE.  THE MAGIC OF HOW A KEY WORKS IS HIDDEN INSIDE THE LOCK.  INSIDE EACH LOCK ARE SPRING LOADED PIECES CALLED PINS.  THE PINS INSIDE THE LOCK HAVE DIFFERENT HEIGHTS.  WHEN YOU INSERT A KEY INTO A LOCK, THE PINS IN THE LOCK ARE PUSHED UP BY THE CUTS ON THE KEY.  

D:  ONCE THE KEY IS INSIDE THE LOCK, ALL OF THE PINS IN THE LOCK SHOULD BE PUSHED UP SO THAT THEY ALL LINE UP PERFECTLY AT WHAT’S CALLED THE SHEAR LINE.  

O:  EVEN IF A KEY FITS PERFECTLY INTO A LOCK, IF THE PINS IN THE LOCK AREN’T LINED UP AT THE SHEAR LINE, THE KEY WON’T WORK.  

D:  IF YOU LOOK AT A KEY, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE CUTS HAVE DIFFERENT DEPTHS.  ALL TOGETHER, THEY MIGHT LOOK LIKE A TINY LITTLE MOUNTAIN RANGE, WITH SOME MOUNTAINS TALLER THAN OTHERS.  WHEN A KEY IS INSIDE THE LOCK, THE DEEPER CUTS WILL LINE UP WITH LONGER PINS AND THE SHALLOWER CUTS WILL LINE UP WITH SHORTER PINS.  THAT’S HOW ALL THE PINS LINE UP PERFECTLY WHEN THE RIGHT KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE LOCK.

O:  IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER TO SEE HOW IT WORKS IF YOU COULD SEE INSIDE A LOCK.  IF YOU CHECK OUT THE EPISODE NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL SEE A PICTURE WE’VE PROVIDED SO YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS.  IN THE PICTURE, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE PIN ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LOCK IS THE LONGEST.  EVEN THOUGH THAT PIN IS LONGER THAN THE OTHERS, ONCE THE KEY IS IN THE DOOR, ALL OF THE PINS LINE UP PERFECTLY AT THE SHEAR LINE.  THAT’S WHY THIS KEY IS A PERFECT FIT FOR THE LOCK.  

D:  BEFORE WE ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE AMAZING FACTS ABOUT KEYS AND LOCKS.

O:  THE SMALLEST LOCK IN THE WORLD CAN BE FOUND IN RUSSIA, AND WEIGHS ONLY 1/100TH OF A GRAM.  IT FITS AROUND THE EYE OF A NEEDLE.  EVEN THOUGH IT IS RIDICULOUSLY SMALL, IT STILL WORKS.  I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT YOU WOULD WANT TO PROTECT WITH A LOCK THAT SMALL THOUGH.

D:  THE LARGEST PADLOCK WEIGHS AN INCREDIBLE 916 POUNDS.  IT WAS DESIGNED BY STUDENTS, IN RUSSIA, 20 YEARS AGO.  

O:  THERE IS A CEREMONY THAT TAKES PLACE AT THE TOWER OF LONDON, EACH AND EVERY NIGHT, AT EXACTLY 9:52 P.M.  THE CEREMONY IS CALLED THE CEREMONY OF KEYS.  AT THE SPECIFIED TIME, GUARDS WILL EXCHANGE CEREMONIAL WORDS WHILE THE TOWER IS LOCKED.  THE KEYS ARE THEN TAKEN BACK TO THE QUEEN’S RESIDENCE.  THIS CEREMONY HAS HAPPENED NIGHTLY FOR AT LEAST 700 YEARS.  IT WAS ONLY DELAYED ONE TIME, DURING WORLD WAR 2, AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN CANCELLED.  IT IS SO POPULAR THAT TICKETS TO WITNESS THE EVENT ARE USUALLY SOLD OUT AT LEAST A YEAR IN ADVANCE.

D:  LOCKS ARE A SMYBOL OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE IN MANY CULTURES.  THERE IS A BRIDGE IN FRANCE THAT BECAME A POPULAR PLACE FOR LOVERS TO VISIT AND ATTACH A LOCK TO THE BRIDGE AS A SIGN OF THEIR LOVE.  OVER SOME TIME, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LOCKS WERE ATTACHED TO THE BRIDGE.  SO MANY LOCKS WERE ATTACHED THAT PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE LOCKS MIGHT CAUSE THE BRIDGE TO COLLAPSE, SO THE LOCKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED.  

O:  FORT KNOX IS A BUILDING THAT CAN BE FOUND IN KENTUCKY, AND IT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST SECURE BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES.  IN ORDER TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO FORT KNOX, THE STAFF OF THE BUILDING MUST EACH ENTER A DIFFERENT COMBINATION CODE OR THE DOOR WON’T OPEN.  THAT MEANS THAT ONE PERSON, ALONE, IS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR.  ALSO, THE COMBINATION CODE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR CHANGES EVERY DAY.  WHY DOES FORT KNOX HAVE SUCH HEAVY DUTY PROTECTION?  WELL, IT’S BECAUSE AN ESTIMATED $270 BILLION OF GOLD AND TREASURES ARE LOCATED THERE.  

D:  A LADY IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI HAS THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF KEYS.  WHEN SHE WAS AWARDED THE RECORD IN 2013, SHE OWNED A STAGGERING 3,604 KEYS.  I HOPE THEY’RE ALL LABELED, OTHERWISE HOW IN THE WORLD WOULD SHE REMEMBER WHICH LOCK EACH ONE IS USED FOR?  OKAY OLIVIA, IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT DOES A SKELETON KEY DO AND WHY DOES IT HAVE THAT NAME?

O:  SKELETON KEYS ARE KEYS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO OPEN MANY DIFFERENT LOCKS, NOT JUST ONE.  THEY ARE OFTEN USED TO HELP PEOPLE WHO HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THEIR KEYS.  THEY ARE CALLED SKELETON KEYS BECAUSE THE KEY IS STRIPPED DOWN TO IT’S MOST BASIC AND ESSENTIAL PARTS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS IT’S SKELETON.

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  254 - KEYS AND LOCKS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB EVERETT, HENRY, JEREMY, AND OLIVER FOR UNLOCKING A FANTASTIC EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE GO, WE WANT TO THANK ALL OUR LISTENERS FOR HELPING US REACH A BIG MILESTONE.

O:  JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, ON JULY 24TH, THE PODCAST REACHED 3 MILLION DOWNLOADS.  THANK YOU TO ALL OUR LISTENERS FOR BEING THE “KEY” TO OUR SUCCESS.

D:  WE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT BIRDS FOR LISTENERS IN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK, ALBERTA, MASSACHUSETTS, AND BRITISH COLOMBIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.