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PODCAST

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll. From the invention of the Game Boy to the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900, from Julius Caesar"s invasion of Britain to America"s Nazi summer schools... each day we uncover an unexpected story for the ages. In just ten minutes! Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee). Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

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All Episodes

10:25

The (Lady) Pirates of the Carribbean

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/15

Anne Bonny and Mary Read - the most notorious women to swashbuckle and plunder in the ‘golden age of piracy’ - were captured near Jamaica by pirate-hunter Jonathan Barnet on 8th November, 1720.Disguised as men for most of their careers, they sailed (and cavorted) with Pirate Captain ‘Calico Jack’. But, when their crimes came to trial, they both avoided being sentenced to death by ‘pleading the belly’.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly speculate about how Bonny and Read were able to pass as men

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10:12

The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/12

Jules Leotard first somersaulted off a trapeze at Cirque Napoléon in Paris on 12th November, 1859. His act inspired gymnasts and circus performers the world over - although Leotard is now best remembered as the inventor of the skin-tight outfits he wore on stage.Leotard had abandoned his studies as a lawyer to perfect his circus skills, spurred on by his acrobatic father. He developed his act into a twelve-minute trapeze routine with only a heap of mattresses to break his fall.In this episode,

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10:20

Alice Chaucer, Three Times A Wife

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/11

Geoffrey Chaucer’s granddaughter Alice was first married at the age of 11. She was granted a license to marry her third husband on 11th November, 1430; and became defined by her three powerful unions with men she outlived.Having lost her first two husbands in the Hundred Years War, she then settled down with William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk; a marriage that got her closer than ever to the seat of power. At one point, she even filled in for Queen Margaret on a ceremonial parade in France.In this

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9:54

Birth of the Big Things

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/10

In the early days of advertising, tyre company Goodyear sent a giant tyre on a coast-to-coast publicity trip. It was photographed on 42nd Street, New York on 10th November, 1930.Was this the birth of the ‘big things’ phenomenon that has lead us to roadside giant prawns, record-breaking sausages, and Instagrammable statues of Jeff Goldblum? Perhaps. We’ll go with it, anyway.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how Goodyear’s publicity nous went beyond photo opportunities and into their

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9:17

Roosevelt's Panamanian Photoshoot

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/09

Presidential diplomacy now routinely involves hundreds of trips on Air Force One - but, until Theodore Roosevelt travelled to inspect the Panama Canal on 9th November, 1906, no serving US President had ever ventured abroad.It was the biggest infrastructure project a President had ever undertaken, costing hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives. To reassure Americans he was at the helm, Roosevelt was photographed sitting atop a steam shovel, wearing a pristine white suit.In

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10:20

Scott and Charlene Get Hitched

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/08

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donavan’s characters in hit soap opera ‘Neighbours’ were wed in 1988, causing a shopping mall riot in Australia, and attracting an astonishing 20 million viewers to the UK transmission on 8th November.Soundtracked entirely by Angry Anderson’s surging power ballad ‘Suddenly’, the ceremony quickly became an iconic moment in 80s telly - but very nearly hadn’t happened at all, because the series was canned by its original network, and Scott was supposed to be played by another

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10:05

Kublai Khan's Kamikaze Climbdown

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/05

The Mongols attempted to invade Japan on 5th November, 1274. Despite having a fleet of 900 ships, they failed - in part due to a ‘kamikaze’ typhoon that whooshed their boats back to Korea.Then they tried again - and failed again.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how a gunpowder-armed Army was defeated by theSamurai; reveal the brutal (yet unambiguous) response the Japanese gave to the Chinese diplomats who attempted to talk things through; and unearth the surprising connection

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9:49

Digging Up King Tut

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/04

Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered by a water boy who serendipitously stumbled on a buried staircase in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings on 4th November, 1922. It marked the greatest triumph in archaeologist Howard Carter’s career, and unearthed dozens of priceless treasures.The loot included the famous golden death-mask - but also the Pharaoh'swalking sticks, linen underwear, and uneaten chickpeas.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the discovery kickstarted a Western interest in

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10:36

The Day The (Rave) Music Died

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/03

Attending or producing raves was made illegal in Britain with the passing of the Criminal Justice Act on 3rd November, 1994. The government even legislated against electronic dance music, “wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”These unprecedented restrictions were partly in reaction to the moral panic caused after a 'free party' at Castlemorton Common attracted 30,000-40,000 attendees, and the ire of the tabloid press.In this episode, Arion,

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10:04

The First Cheerleader

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/02

Johnny Campbell, a medical student from the University Of Minnesota,spurred on his alma mater’s struggling football team by leading spectators in a rousing cheer on 2nd November, 1898 - and, in so doing, became the world’s first recognised cheerleader.Even though the sport now features predominantly female participants these days, the first women cheerleaders weren't recorded until 1923. Indeed, four men who would later become U.S. President cheered on their teams at College: Dwight D Eisenhower,

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9:22

We ❤️Emoji

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/11/01

The first ever emoji set, including the earliest incarnations of🍷,❤️, and 💩, was released in Japan on 1st November, 1997. But the only users could send and receive them were owners of a now-forgotten ‘SkyWalker’ handset made by J-Phone. ☹️Emoji didn’t truly transform written communication in the West until some fourteen years later, when emoji keyboards came by default on iPhone (Android users, incredibly, had to wait until 2013 🤯).In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss how unloved

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9:51

The M25 - Britain’s Biggest Carpark

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/29

Margaret Thatcher finally opened London’s first ring road - construction on which had begun in the 1970s - on 29th October, 1986, declaring: "I can't stand those who carp and criticise when they ought to be congratulating Britain on a magnificent achievement and beating the drum for Britain all over the world".A 58-page commemorative booklet was issued for enthusiasts, and coach trips were organised so that car-less punters could complete a circuit of the new motorway. But public enthusiasm for the

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9:19

Jane Austen and the Profligate Prince

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/28

George IV’s impressive Library included all the novels of Jane Austen, for whom he had a particular fondness. But what was not known (until a receipt was discovered in the Royal Archives in 2018) was that the Prince Regent had almost certainly been Austen’s very first customer - buying a copy of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for 15 shillings on 28th October, 1811.His admiration for the anonymous 35 year-old author’s work lead to an awkward moment later in her career, when she felt obligated to dedicate

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9:40

The Man Who Saved The World

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/27

Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov lacks the name recognition of Castro, Kruschev and Kennedy - but his actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis probably prevented World War Three from erupting on 27th October, 1962.On-board a sweltering Russian submarine, he talked Captain Valentin Savitsky down from firing a nuclear torpedo at the United States Navy, whom - Savitsky falsely believed - were attacking his boat.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly speculate how Arkhipov stopped Savitsky from

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10:17

Making ‘Under Pressure’

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/26

When Queen and David Bowie met in Switzerland to record their iconic collaboration ‘Under Pressure’ on 26th October, 1981, *quite a lot* of drugs and wine were taken - to the extent that nobody can recall exactly how the iconic pop song came to be formed.What we do know is that Freddie Mercury never performed the monster hit live with Bowie, nor turned up to appear in the video, and that the precise authorship of the instantly recognisable bassline remains hard to establish.In this episode, Arion,

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9:22

How To Bribe A Senator

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/25

The ‘Teapot Dome scandal’ reached its climax when Senator Albert Fall was found guilty of bribery, fined $100,000 and sent to jail on 25th October, 1929.During the Presidency of Warren G Harding, Fall had been offering private companies the chance to drill for oil on state land, without competitive bidding, in return for bags cash. And some farm animals.In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca reveal the unheroic role of newspapers in suppressing the scandal; pick apart the realism of ‘There Will Be

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9:47

Not The End Of The World

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/22

Jesus failed to show up on the day that came to be known as ‘The Great Disappointment’ - 22nd October, 1844. It was an embarrassment for the New England preacher, William Miller, who had prophesied Christ’s return; and devastating for his 100,000+ followers in North America alone.Miller had calculated the end of the world via an idiosyncratic interpretation of Daniel 8:14 (“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundreddays; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed”).In this episode, Arion,

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10:18

Madonna's Naked Photos

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/21

Berated by the tabloids as exhibitionist pornography, Madonna’s coffee table book, ‘Sex’, quickly sold out upon its release on 21st October, 1992.Influenced by artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Cindy Sherman, the book included images of full-frontal nudity, simulated gay sex, mixed race couples, threesomes and trans imagery. Madonna vigorously defended it, in a series of interviews, as a portrayal of female sexuality.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ask if Madonna was fighting an uphill battle

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10:07

The Boy Who Poisoned His Granddad

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/20

William Alnutt tipped arsenic into the family sugar bowl on 20th October, 1847 - and five days later, the 12 year-old’s sweet-toothed grandfather, Samuel Nelme, was dead.It was the second time the deeply troubled Alnutt had attempted to murder his grandfather, following a failed plot to shoot him with a pistol in their garden. His trial caused a media sensation.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how Alnutt’s arrest coincided with the burgeoning concept of juvenile delinquency; study

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8:49

David Blaine, Trickless Magician

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2021/10/19

Ten thousand spectators gathered by the side of the Thames on 19th October, 2003 to watch street magician/illusionist David Blaine come back down to Earth, having spent 44 days suspended in a perspex box in a stunt called ‘Above The Below’.It was an accomplishment almost sabotaged by the British tabloid media and general public, who had heckled him, tried to dismantle his crane, and even flown up a hamburger on a drone to taunt him.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ask why Londoners were so

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1,261 results

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