Proudly, we hail! From New York City, where the American stage begins, here's another program of the cast of Outstanding Players. Public Service Time has been made available by this station for your army to bring you this story as Proudly, we hail the Women's Army Corps. Our story is entitled, The Triple Play. This is the story of a girl who followed a trail of suspense and adventure in a roundabout way as Proudly, we hail the Women's Army Corps. Our first act curtain will rise in just one moment. But first, young lady, if you're a college graduate, I've got some real interesting news for you. Right now you can apply for a direct commission in the Women's Army Corps. As an officer in the army, you will have a career of public service and responsibility with the opportunity to develop your capacities as you advance in rank and pay. Serve yourself, serve your country by serving in the Women's Army Corps. For further information, go to your local United States Army Recruiting Station. And now your army presents the Proudly, we hail production, The Triple Play. You can usually know a person by the things they like or dislike, but if you want to get a story out of them, ask them why they like or dislike a certain thing. Now take me for instance, if you were to ask me why I like baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers in particular, you'd be surprised at the answer. Well, the game isn't going to start yet for a while. I might have time to tell you. It goes back a couple of years in about 3,000 miles from Ebbett's Field here in Brooklyn. My name is Julie Wilson, and as you can see by my stripes, I'm a sergeant. But the time it all happened, I'd been in the army only six months. Just got my PFC stripes along with something else. A trip to Paris, France. Well, that was one of the reasons I joined up. To see the world, as the posters say, and I was really thrilled. However, I was even more pleased when I learned that I'd had some journalism in high school, so my new assignment was with Army headquarters troop information and education office as a reporter for our unit's news publication. I threw myself into my new job enthusiastically, maybe too enthusiastically, for one day, several weeks after my arrival, when I breezed at the office of Captain Reid, T.I. and E. Officer, in charge of the newspaper. Good morning, Captain Reid. Have I got something to tell you? Good morning, Wilson. That's very interesting, because I have something to tell you. Yes, sir, but when you hear... I think maybe you'd better hear first what I have to say. Yes, sir. Wilson, how many stories have you written for us in the four weeks you've been here? About 15, sir. And how many have we printed in our paper? None, sir. That's right. You know why? No, sir. And I've been meaning to ask you... And I've been meaning to tell you. A good reporter has to be many things. He's got to have a nose for news, be interested in human beings, write vividly. But above all, he's got to be interested in truth, the facts. And that's where you don't measure up. Captain Reid, I've never falsified anything in my whole life. Of course you haven't. But each one of these stories of yours couldn't be printed because none of them was based on facts. They were based on rumors, hearsay, imagination. I was hoping you'd shape up with time. I'm sorry, Wilson, but I may have to make a change. A change? You mean me? Yes. You'll still be here in the office, of course, but in another section. I'd see. Well, I guess I might as well tear this up. Tear what up? Outline I had for a story. Story? What about? A haunted castle in a small town near Paris. I thought if our soldiers knew more about the historical background of this part of France... Private Wilson, you've got a good point there. Haunted castle, eh? Let me see it. Sounds good. Except for one thing. It's not based on personal experience. But sir, the man who told it to me lives in the town. That may be so, but don't you see, Wilson, that's exactly what I mean. It's hearsay. He could have embroidered the story a little in the telling. That's what I wanted to ask you. What? If I could have a three-day pass and go up and investigate it. Well, why didn't you say so before? Get up there right away, and if you come back with a good, solid story based on fact... I might change my mind about your transfer. You mean... Don't stand there stuttering, Wilson. Get down to the station. And don't forget, I want you to verify the story, even if you have to bring back the ghost to do it. Dead or alive. During the train ride, I went over my outline and notes, trying to set up a plan of action to follow once I arrived in Lantan. However, as things turned out, any plan I might have figured out wouldn't have mattered anyhow. When the train pulled into the tiny station platform, I got off and looked around for a taxi. I waited for a few minutes, then I decided to hoof it.  Ah, good evening. Your bag, mademoiselle. Ah, thanks. Will you please take me to the nearest... Hotel de Fleur. I recommend that hotel highly. It is not only the finest one in our village, but it is also the only one. Get in, mademoiselle. Thank you. It is long time since we have American soldiers in our town. They were very fine boys, but they were none so beautiful as you. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Henri Marchand. Oh, well, very nice to meet you, Monsieur Marchand. I'm Julie Wilson. Ah, you carry a fine name, mademoiselle Wilson. We in France remember that name, Wilson. You have come on vacation? Not exactly. I'm here on business, you might say. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Business and women are like beer and champagne. They do not mix well together. What kind of business? Well, I've heard that there's a haunted castle here in Lantan. No, with a ghost in it. Ghost? Oh, we have castles here, but there are no ghosts in our castles. Only people, and they are very much alive. Yes, I know, but there's a legend that... Oh, never mind. I'll just have to look around for it. Maybe you'll drive me later. I do not know about that either, mademoiselle. That is one reason I was not there to meet the train. There is perhaps something very big going to happen. And if it does, I shall not be able to drive you. Ah, here we are. I will take you in to introduce you to Jacques. Well, thank you, Monsieur Marchand. But why can't you take me? All right, this way, please. Jacques, Jacques, mon vieux.  This is mademoiselle Julie Wilson, who will be your guest. How do you do? Ah, yeah, welcome to our little joint here. It is nothing to flip your lead about, but for a one-hour stand, I guess it is okay. Honour, you stick around for a moment. Two gentlemen guests are wanting a taxi. You'll be done in a few minutes. Oh, okay. I will wait outside for them. Jacques, you will pay good care of the young lady soldier, huh? Nothing but the best. She will get our presidential suit. Oh, please, nothing special. Oh, he means you will get a room with a bathroom on the same floor. Bonjour. Ah, they're real gone cars. Excuse me, are you American? Am I a... What makes you think I'm American? Well, you talk just like one, except for a little bit of accent. Those are the kindest words I have heard in a long time. During the war, when I was a kid, we had a lot of Brooklyn soldiers staying at this hotel. I guess I kind of ended up with a Brooklyn accent. I think it's kind of cute. See, I thank you. Now, now, now, now, just sign here. All right. Just sign here. You want to know something? Sure, why? The Dodgers beat the Johns yesterday, three to two. I thought you might be interested. Well, thanks, but today, the truth, I'm not too keen on baseball. Well, I wasn't either before these guys came here, but let me tell you, I am not so bad baseball now. He continued to talk, but something happened that made me stop listening to him. Down the lobby stairs came three men side by side. The two men on the outside were wearing trench coats, but it was the one in the middle that caught my eye. He was short with a rumpled top coat and a hat pulled down over his eyes. I caught only a glimpse of his face, but that was enough. Excuse me, Private, but these gentlemen are checking out. Good evening, sirs. Your cab is outside. Good. How much is our bill? Well, you have been here only since this morning, so it will be for half a day. It's a thousand francs, you know. No, we, we, we. Sign your bill. Excuse me, sir. What is it? No, not you, the one in the middle. Yes. Yes, it is. Monsieur Avon, how are you? What are you doing? Go ahead. Monsieur Avon, don't you remember me? I interviewed you during the embassy reception last week. Please, do not bother him. He's not feeling well. This is not Monsieur Avon. You are mistaken. Come, let us go. I am not mistaken. It is he. I swear it. Jacques, let me see the register. C'est ça. Oh, dear, his name is Nannette. Was I seeing things? Guess I've mistaken identity, maybe. Maybe, but I talked with Edvard for an hour at the reception. I distinctly remember that wax mustache of his. In France, many men wear wax mustaches. It is not uncommon. That's true. It was your right. Maybe I was mistaken. I will show you to your room now if you will follow me, mademoiselle. Oh, Jacques, where is your phone? Out the wall over there. Operator, will you get me U.S. Army headquarters in Paris? P-I-O office. Jacques, these men have been here since this morning. That is right. Did the little man say anything to you at all? No, the big man did all the talking. You know, that wasn't much. They went right upstairs and they stayed there all day. I see. Hello, P-I-O office. PFC Wilson. Is Captain Reid there? Oh, he left already. Look, would you tell him to look up what he can about the present status of Monsieur Claude Évoe, a French attaché at the American Embassy, and then call me right back? It's very important. Okay, thanks, Sergeant. I'm staying at the Hôtel de Fleur et l'Altein. That's right. Goodbye. Okay, Jacques. Sorry to keep you waiting. I think nothing of it. This way. How was your job? Oh, Jacques. I don't know what it was you gave me, but in any language, it was great. Oh, Jacques! I know what you want. I know what you want. The score, don't just do, Paris won bottom of the first. Good. You know, man was hell-willed, since the Americans were in our village, almost the whole people have become don't just fast. I know it, Jacques. Oh, the telegram came for you a moment ago. It is on the desk. Ah, oui. I was expecting it. Merci. Monsieur Marchand, those two gentlemen you drove just now, where did you take them? To the airfield. Some airfield. It was once a cow pasture. It was. It still is. They took a plane? Ah, oui. There was a small private one waiting for them. Ah, do you know where they were going in it? I tried to hear, but they talked in a strange language, but I did see the plane fly in the direction of the east. Oh, excuse me. The east? I was right. He's being kidnapped. We've got to stop them before they get to the eastern zone of Germany. Private Wilson, the call is for you. It's a Captain Reid. Oh, oh, good. Thanks, Jacques. Captain Reid? Captain Reid? Jacques, there seems to be something wrong here. Can you find out what it is? Try. Allo. Allo. Allo, allo, allo. I must go now. Merci, Jacques. Wait just a minute, Ari. You might have to take me to the telegraph office. Oh, I'm sorry, mademoiselle, but I will not be able to do so. I am sorry, too. The telephone is a dead dock along with everything else. What do you mean? He's right. This telegram I've received from my Union headquarters in Paris calls for a general strike in France as of this moment. If you wish transportation, I suggest you go to the local Union headquarters. Tough, mademoiselle, but this has been coming for a while. Who knows? It might be over tomorrow. Tomorrow? Tomorrow will be too late. Much too late. You are listening to the proudly we hail production, The Triple Play, and we will return in just one moment for the second act. I suppose all of us at one time or another have seen the principle of strength through unity demonstrated by a handful of sticks. Singly, they can be broken very easily, but when bound together, it's practically impossible to break them. And so it is with our America. Working together as a team, we can be certain that our democratic way of life will never be broken. One of the most important members of democracy's team is our United States Army, a highly-spirited organization that offers unequal opportunities to modern young men and women. Today, the Army has a new career program in operation, one that permits you to choose your own course of training in the skill that best suits your aptitudes and interests. So, uh, well, we suggest you find out about it real soon by visiting your nearest United States Army Recruiting Station. Remember, team up with the Army, and you team up with success. You are listening to Proudly We Hail, and now we present the second act of the Triple Play. I suppose I couldn't have been blamed if I'd forgotten about the whole thing now that there was a strike of all communication and transportation, and I had no way to verify my suspicions about the little man and his companions. But I couldn't forget. Took me only two minutes to make up my mind. Chuck? Oui, mademoiselle. Uh, let's try that phone once more, huh? What? Okay. Hello? Hello? Hello? Nothing. Okay, never mind. Chuck, how long would it take a small plane to reach East Germany from here? I guess about two hours. Uh-huh. Let's see, the plane's been gone a half hour. That gives us about an hour and a half anyhow. Now, Paris is about a fast-hour's drive from here by car. So if I can get there to notify the army, they'll still be tied to intercept the plane. Yes, but how will you do that? That's where you come in. You know where I can hire a private car? Private car? The village barber, he has got one. Good. Where's he live? But unfortunately, he has put the car up on blocks until the price of benzine come down. And who knows when that will be? Well, who else has got one? Well, the mayor, but he lives 20 kilometers from the town in the opposite direction from Paris. And by the time you could walk there, it would be too late. These are the only two cars there are. Only two cars in this whole town? Madam Zell, let us face it, you are in the sticks out here. The only other kind of transportation are horses and wagons and bicycles, and they would be much too slow. But I think you are making a mistake. Those three men look to me like they are businessmen of some kind. And why didn't they let me talk to him then? No, sir, they have got to be stopped. Jacques, do you think that Ahri might be persuaded? Not if I know Ahri. Wait, just a minute, just a minute. He told me before he left to go to the local union headquarters if I want a transportation. Yes, he did. It's worth a chance. Now, where is it? It's not far from here on the corner of Saint-Marie in Villon Street. Come, I will lend you my bike. But prepare yourself for a surprise. It is I, mademoiselle Wilson. Would you care for a little cognac? Oh, well, thanks very much, Ahri. But I've got to see the president of your union local right away. Mademoiselle, I have the honor to inform you that I am the union local president. And not only am I the union local president, but I am also its vice president, secretary, treasurer, and membership. I am, you might say, the whole union. What can I do for you as such? Well, Ahri, I've got the half transportation to Paris. Ahri, Mademoiselle, and for what reason? Well, you know, Ahri, the three men you took to the airfield. I take it you want me to waive the rules of the general strike and provide you my taxi to take you to Paris? Yes, I do, but we've got to hurry. Mademoiselle, PFC Wilson, after due consideration of your request, I'm sorry to inform you that the executive decision of the local is in the negative. Your request is best upon suspicion. Now, if you could prove this man was Monsieur Avon, maybe, or if you could present a more urgent reason, but as it is now, I'm sorry. All right, all right, Henri, I understand. If you take my advice, you are too young and pretty to be concerning yourself with such matters. Ah, look outside, Mademoiselle. There is a silver moon. The air is soft and smells of flowers. Spring in France is for the young. Henri. Oui, mademoiselle? I have another reason to go to Paris. I didn't mention it because it's a little personal, but after listening to you, I'm sure you'll understand. Oh, please, I will keep it confidential. Ah, thank you. You might call it a fear of the heart. There's a sergeant in Paris who I just found out's being transferred back to the States. He leaves within the hour. Mademoiselle, you are in love. Come, my cab is at your disposal.  Oh, thank you, Henri. I will fly like the wind, swooping down a Normandy plane. I'll get in. She's reluctant.  It is what I think it is that... It is. For heaven's sakes, what is what? This pitchfork, my wheel, ran over it, and my tire is now flat. Oh, don't you have a spare? Mademoiselle, I'm lucky I have four tires without having extra ones. Oh, it'll have to be repaired then. Yes, but only the garage mechanic has the equipment to do that. Well, let's go to him then. We still have time. I would be only too happy, but he's on strike also. Well, maybe if we talk to him. And, unfortunately, he's an unsentimental man having been married for 30 years and a father of nine children. I see. Well, I suppose that's that. Thanks anyway, Henri. Very nice of you. I'm sorry, Mademoiselle. Maybe I can still do something. Oh, never mind. We don't have that much time anymore. Good night, Henri.  Thanks. How do you make out at Union headquarters? Oh, not so hot. Henri consented to take me to Paris, and just as we pulled out of the garage, he got a flat tire. Well, there was nowhere to fix it, eh? Mm-hmm.  How are things with you? Oh, quiet. Nothing new. Oh, Brooklyn is just one another one. Oh, what was the score? Ten to seven. Ten to seven. Yeah, Karlaskin did a great job of pitching today. He did. Today? You mean that's the score of today's game? Why, sure. Look, Jacques, stop if I'm wrong. How can you know the score of today's game when all communication facilities are out of service now? And according to the time differential between here and the states, the ball game must have just finished a few minutes ago. Very simple. I am a amper. Oh, come on, Jacques. Don't joke with me. I'm a level private. I'm a radio amper. Oh, what's that? A radio amper is a guy who operates a short-wave radio station for kicks. You're surely a bird of them. You mean you've got ascending radio back there? No, it's not early. I got a pal in Brooklyn who tells me the score of today. Oh, come on, Jacques. We've got things to do. You got him yet? No, there's a lot of static on the air tonight. Oh, keep trying. There's still time. What are you going to do after we get through? Do you know what a double play is? Yeah. Oh, Jacques, the amper. Call a jodabum. Over. Oh, I'm going to try a triple play. Jodabum to Jack the Ripper. I'm getting you. There he is. Hold on, Joe. Now, what do you want me to tell him? I'll tell him. Joe, PFC Wilson of the U.S. Army. Now, listen. It was a long shot, but I was hoping it would work. I had Joe call the long-distance operator to see if transatlantic calls were still getting through to France. After he did and found they were, I told him to put through a long-distance call to Captain Reid in Paris and then have all three parties, Joe, Jacques, and the Captain. Keep the channels open so that I could conduct a conversation directly with Captain Reid. That way I could eliminate waste of time. And luck was with me. Joe got the long-distance operator. She got the Captain. And in a total of five minutes, I heard his voice come out a loud speaker. Captain Wilson, can you hear me? Yes, sir. I can hear you. Captain Reid, I've got something to tell you. I've got something to tell you. Waited, but I could see it was no use. The static was really loud and Jacques couldn't get him. About 15 minutes later, the door opened. Where is Private Wilson? I am Private Wilson. I am the prefect of police for this district. What do you know about Monsieur Claude Avent, please? Well, nothing, sir, except that I think he was kidnapped by two men about an hour ago in a plane. Which way did they go? To the east. Merci. Hey, hey, hey! Prefect, hey! But he was gone before I had a chance to ask him what and how he knew about me and my knowing about Claude Avent. However, I knew now that something was being done. So, while Jacques kept out fiddling with his radio, I sat down for a moment's rest. It turned out to be more than that. For I awoke about an hour later when... All right, wake up. I have them now on the radio. Oh, what? Your Captain Reid, he wants to talk to you. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, speak right into this mic here. Hello? Hello? Hello, this is you, Wilson. Yes, sir. Captain Reid. Well, finally. You're the hardest person to contact I've ever known. This is the first time I had to go halfway around the world to talk to somebody only 50 miles away. I'm sorry, Captain.  He was carrying some secret papers. Oh, that's great. How did they find out about it all, Captain? Pretty simple. After you called the first time and we were cut off, the French government informed me that Avent had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. So after you called again, naturally, I put you and two together and called the French military in Paris, who got in touch with the police in the district of Lontan by shortwave to check with you. Oh, that certainly was quick work. Yes, thanks to you. It'll make a fine story. Now, how are you doing on the haunted castle? Um, I haven't got to it yet. Well, if you do as good a job on that as this other one, we'll talk about a transfer for you when you get back. Good night. A transfer? Good night, sir. Good news, mademoiselle. I don't know, but I'd better find that haunted castle but quick. But how? Awesome! Next one. Ah, mademoiselle, we've found it is detailed. I've convinced the repairman with two bottles of cognac that l'amour is more important than la grève. Excuse me, the strike. The tire is now fixed and we can go to Paris. Well, Henri, you're an angel, but we're not going to Paris. We're going to look for a ghost. We didn't find the ghost, but we did find the castle with a ghost story. When I got back to headquarters in Paris, Captain Reed told me I was being transferred, not to another section, but to the job of assistant managing editor. After my tour of duty in Europe, I was assigned as chief of section of the public information office here in New York. And that's why I'm here now at Ebbott's Field to do a story for my base newspaper. So, perhaps you can see now why the Dodgers are my favorite team. Oh, there they come on the field now! Come on! I've always found it to be true that a man with a good eye to the future makes a good soldier. That's why so many bright young men and women are joining the United States Army now. For army life is an exciting career and there's plenty of room up at the top. Today, American soldiers get the finest technical training in the world. Every man is a specialist, a master at his job, and the army sees to it that every man is trained to do his job and what's more important to do it right. Because the army is growing so rapidly, today's soldiers are being promoted fast. Oh, you work hard, sure, but believe me, the rewards are really well worth it. Right now, the army needs healthy, intelligent men and women, volunteers from 18 to 34. So if you've got what it takes, then you think seriously about an army career. Stop in at Generist United States Army Recruiting Station today. Get all the facts about what the army has to offer you. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this radio station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center for the United States Army and this is Richard Hayes speaking and inviting you to tune in the same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.


NDTV, which many consider to be one of the last bastions of old-school television journalism, is now under a hostile takeover attack, a takeover bid by a company that's owned by India's richest man, one of the richest people in the world, Gautam Adani. If this goes through, then a large chunk of India's television news will come under the direct control of two big corporate houses. Between Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Between the two, their combined revenue, annual revenue is about 4% of India's GDP, and their combined net wealth is about 1.5% of the total wealth of India, everything that everyone owns in this country, two people versus 1.38 billion people. Why is this consolidation of news media platforms, television news platforms in the hands of two big business houses worry? That's because ideally in a democracy, every citizen should have absolute and complete information about everything that's going on in the corridors of power and what is going on in the economy. Not only because they need to be informed when they go to vote every couple of years, but also to just live their daily life to have information about what is going on in the world around them. But obviously in real life democracies, this is not possible, this does not happen, this is a utopian expectation. But the media, the news media is supposed to provide a semblance of access of information to the ordinary citizen. That is why we say journalism is when you speak truth to power. So when a handful of people who have monopoly control over large sectors of the economy come to control news media, then there is no two opinions about this. There is a danger to the operation of democracy. And this is the danger that India faces today, but the question is how did this come to pass? How did we come to a situation where two or three big corporates began to control all of television news media? And the answer to this question ultimately boils down to just one thing. The fact that you and I do not want to pay for the news that we watch. We don't want to pay for news TV whether it is through direct subscriptions or through a license fee which can create a public trust which will then fund a public news broadcaster. There is a model for that, the BBC, which has a degree of independence, a significant degree of independence from the powers that be because it is directly funded by the people. That is why in India almost the entire revenues of news channels come from advertising. And when that happens, the real customer, the real user for news channels is not you and me, not the viewer but the advertising corporate. That is why advertisers have acquired so much clout in newsrooms and senior editors sometimes self-censor, sometimes top stories that might end up annoying corporates because they don't want to lose advertising. And advertisers have also directly started boycotting or staying away from channels which ask questions of the government. Some of them do it because they don't want to mess with the government, they don't want to get into any trouble but others do it for ideological reasons. And this puts additional pressure of editors who are tempted to kill any story that goes against the government or criticizes the government or at the very least water it down. This is a form of censorship through the back door. So you and I watch news that has already been pre-censored to a certain extent because of corporate intervention because we don't want to pay for the news, not even the amount that we pay for OTT platforms on which we watch entertainment. Ironically, a bigger reason why corporates today are getting control of news channels is because there was a time when news channels believed that you and I, the viewers, will one day pay for what we are watching. In fact, this belief made news channels an attractive investment proposition from the early 2000s and a lot of investors wanted to back news channels. News channels raised money from the stock markets. They sold equity to big foreign investors, to institutional investors and they used that money to expand. They used that money to build new studios. They used that money to buy new equipment, spend more on news gathering and travel and news channels mushroomed in the mid-2000s and what did that do? News channels fought amongst themselves to compete for the limited pool of talent of journalists or TV journalists who they wanted to hire. That pushed up journalist salaries and pushed up news channel costs. Everything seemed fine as long as news channels could sell more shares, raise more money and also use their high valuation, their both bloated valuation to go to banks and raise loans. But then the 2008 global stock market crash happened and news media companies, news media stocks which had high costs and very low revenues were the worst hit. Suddenly news channel management could no longer raise money from the markets. The valuations had crashed so they couldn't even use their shares as collateral to raise more loans. In this situation, it's actually big corporates who came to bail them out. They sold equity to big corporates and in some cases the entire company was sold to a big business house and in other cases loans were taken against equity from big business houses. News channels had no other avenue open for funds and this was the only way they could survive and that opened the door for what we are seeing today. The corporate takeover of television news. If viewers had decided that they should pay a certain amount for the news that they want to watch if they had paid for serious news, important news, news that would keep them informed in a democracy then news channels would have been able to fight off their situation. The one that they faced when there was an economic slowdown and perhaps survived today. Now if there's a corporate control of news media, we all are to blame for it. That's the show today. Keep watching NewsClick. Do like this video, share it and subscribe to our channel as well.


Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navas. And I'm Katie Blake. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live. A young woman sits at a table at home. She cuts some cotton cloth. Then she uses her sewing machine to make something special. It is something that will protect both her and other people.  People around the world cover their mouths and noses for health reasons. Doctors wear face masks when they operate. Many people wear masks to protect them from poor air quality. But in 2020, many more people around the world started to wear masks. They did this to protect each other from the COVID-19 virus. Today's Spotlight is on wearing masks. We look at the long history of wearing masks for health reasons. Early records show that some individuals wore masks for health reasons hundreds of years ago. Leonardo da Vinci was a famous artist of the 15th century. He used paint that contained poisonous chemicals. He covered his face with a wet cloth to protect his lungs from those poisons. People also wore masks in the 17th century. At that time, a deadly sickness or plague came to Europe. People did not understand how disease was spread. But some doctors wore strange masks over their faces. The masks were shaped like the head of a bird. The long pointed beak contained herbs. These sweet-smelling plants were designed to protect the doctor from the smell of the disease and dead bodies. In the 19th century, doctors and scientists worked to understand how disease spread between people. They began to understand that the human breathing system could carry and spread germs and disease. Based on this new knowledge, scientists suggested something new to surgeons or doctors who operated on patients. They suggested surgeons should cover their nose and mouth with thin material called gauze. When a person breathes out, he can expel bacteria. But the gauze would stop this bacteria. It would protect any wound from being infected by it. By the 1920s, all surgeons wore masks to operate. By then, masks were also used as a treatment to prevent disease. In 1910, in Manchuria, China, a serious plague broke out. Wu Lientai from Malaya worked there. He developed a mask made from gauze and cotton that was tied behind the ears. These masks saved the lives of many doctors. The general population also used the masks to avoid getting the disease. A few years later, this method of disease prevention had to be used again. That time, people in more than one country had to use it. In 1918, World War I ended. In that same year, a terrible disease spread around the world. This global disease was a deadly flu virus. Over a period of two years, it infected almost one-third of the world's population. Experts estimate that over 50 million people died from the virus. Many governments required everyone to wear masks on public transport and at work. Some people did not want to do this. In San Francisco, USA, the government told people, wear a mask and save your life. Health experts said wearing a mask did not just protect them. It helped to protect others around them. In the middle of the 20th century, people started to wear masks for another health reason. In some countries, industry and high levels of traffic led to poor air quality. In many parts of Asia, people wear masks to protect them from polluted air. For example, in the Philippines and Vietnam, motorcycle riders wear masks in heavy traffic. In many countries in Asia, people consider it normal to wear a mask when out in public. In 2017, Kai from Asian Boss spoke to young Japanese people about why they wear masks. It is considered good behavior.  I put it on because the air smells bad. Other Japanese people wear masks for reasons not connected with health. Some people use masks as a social barrier. One young man told Kai, I put my mask on because I feel people will not notice me so much. That makes me feel less worried. So many people in Asia wore masks that designers of clothes started to make masks to match clothes. Famous designers used international fashion events to show their masks. In 2015, Chinese designer Masha Ma included face masks covered with jewels at a fashion show. But in other parts of the world, people did not normally wear masks. Some of the young people Kai spoke to were shocked to discover that people in the West did not wear a mask, even if sick. In 2020, the attitude of people in the West changed. A deadly new virus called COVID-19 or coronavirus spread around the world. The World Health Organization advised people how to deal with coronavirus. This included information about the need to wear masks. If people could not keep a physical distance from each other, they had to wear masks in public places. The organization explained that masks can prevent someone else from being infected. People all over the world started to wear masks to protect each other. Some countries made it the law that people had to wear a mask in public. But not everyone owned a mask and sometimes masks were difficult to buy. Some governments told people to make their own masks. Spotlight's Liz Wade is one person who made masks. She lives in the USA, where it was not common to wear a mask before coronavirus. As coronavirus spread around the world, Liz started to make masks. She made over 500 cloth masks for family, friends, and local schools and organizations. Every weekend and many nights after work, she sat at home and sewed and made masks. Liz explains how she felt about making masks. I know that homemade masks are not a perfect solution to fighting coronavirus. But they can make a difference if everyone wears them. It makes me feel good to know that I am part of the solution. I am helping people in this simple way. Do you wear a face mask? Is wearing a mask common in your culture? Tell us about it. You can leave a comment on our website or email us at contact at spotlightenglish.com. Visit us on YouTube at youtube.com slash spotlightenglish1. The writer of this program was Katie Blake. The producer was Liz Wade. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for the program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the internet at www.spotlightenglish.com. This program is called The History of Masks for Health. Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.