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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

10:29

Shooting 'Dr. No'

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/16

It had a budget of just $1 million, a lead actor wearing a toupee, and the baddie in the first draft of the script was a monkey. But the first James Bond film, ‘Dr. No’, which began shooting in Jamaica on 16th January, 1962, kicked off a phenomenally successful franchise that’s still a staple of cinema today.Its star, Sean Connery, had been picked out by producers after his appearance in a Disney production, but was marketed as a former lorry driver with little acting experience. Concerned that

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10:32

Wikipedia: Hello World

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/15

Rerun : Wikipedia launched with the cheery words “Hello World!” on 15th January, 2001.The project arrived almost by accident, as the side-project of a more serious effort by tech entrepreneur Jimmy Wales to create an online encyclopedia called Nupedia.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why before Wikipedia came about Wales briefly peddled pornography; discuss why 9/11 was unexpectedly beneficial to Wikipedia’s growth; and reveal how many times Olly watched the Hindenburg disaster on

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10:09

Motown Begins

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/12

When Berry Gordy, Jr. founded Tamla Records in Detroit on 12th January, 1959, he reshaped popular music forever. With an iconic artist roster that included The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5, Motown’s ability to identify and nurture talent - inspired by the principles of a car production line - were unprecedented.Gordy's journey, from a professional boxer and owner of a jazz record store to becoming a songwriter and producer, underscored his innate understanding of popular appeal. ‘The

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10:26

England's First Lottery

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/11

Rerun: With a top prize of £5,000 and a celebrity backer in the form of Queen Elizabeth I, England embarked on its first ever national lottery draw at St Paul’s Cathedral on 11th January, 1569.The results continued to be announced, day and night, for four months; a particularly prolonged process due to the fact that the prizes had to be divided into twelve, as the organisers had only sold a twelfth as many tickets as had been predicted.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why the cost of

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9:52

Opening Up University

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/10

The Open University began welcoming students on 10th January 1971 - but they did not meet up for Fresher’s Week, due to this innovative institution (brainchild of Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson) having been created to offer mature students the opportunity for tertiary education without stepping foot on campus.Instead, students would study for their courses via a radical combination of correspondence materials sent out in the mail (once the postal strike had subsided…), and early-morning

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10:51

Let's Bury Nelson

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/09

Naval commander Horatio Nelson became the first non-Royal to receive a full British state funeral on 9th January, 1806, when tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of London to pay tribute to their fallen hero - including, surprisingly, his defeated counterpart, French admiral Pierre-Charles de Villeneuve.The anticipation for the burial was fuelled by the nationalistic fervour that developed during the two months it took from news of Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar to his body

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10:32

Can You Smell Eggs?

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/08

In New York City on 8th January, 2007, an unexplained pervasive egg smell was reported.Baffled authorities scrambled to try to work out whether it had been caused by a gas leak, a chemical spill, a terrorist attack or something else entirely.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly open (and close) their own investigation into the case; consider other major malodorous outbreaks in Manhattan, including the 2005 Maple Syrup Event; and reveal the best and worst smelling cities in the world…Further

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10:25

Meet Jekyll and Hyde

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/05

Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was published in the USA on 5th January, 1886. It had been intended for release as a Christmas horror story the previous month - but Stevenson's wife Fanny had been so disturbed by the initial draft that she reportedly asked him to burn it.The book’s core themes, exploring the duality of human nature and the consequences of unchecked scientific experimentation, contributed to the story having an enduring appeal that

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10:52

Dawn of the Hit Parade

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/04

Billboard introduced the first-ever pop music chart on 4th January, 1936. Catering to jukebox operators, rather than everyday music fans, the chart was an occasional magazine feature, listing top tracks from each of the major record labels based on sheet music sales, record sales, requests from band leaders, and mail-in requests to radio stations.Big Band numbers dominated the chart, which evolved (as the record industry recovered from the Depression) to eventually recognise black music with the

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10:51

The Siege of Sidney Street

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/03

A dramatic standoff between Metropolitan Police and Latvian anarchists unfolded in the East End of London on 3rd January, 1911 - when two men suspected of murdering policemen in a jewellery heist were surrounded by armed authorities.As tensions escalated, Winston Churchill, then the Home Secretary, mobilised a significant military force to Sidney Street, where the anarchists, armed with powerful weapons, responded with fierce gunfight. The spectacle attracted onlookers, reporters, news cameras, and

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10:46

Ronald Reagan: Hollywood's Governor

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/02

Former actor and SAG President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as Governor of California just after midnight on 2nd January, 1967: the end of the beginning of a hugely successful political career that would propel him all the way to the White House.Reagan's used oratory to gain prominence, notably his 1964 speech ‘A Time for Choosing’, supporting Barry Goldwater's Presidential campaign, which established the Reaganite themes of anti-communism, limited government, and individual freedom.In this

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10:04

Inside Barnum's Museum

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2024/01/01

Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2024 recalls Today In History in 1842 - the day P.T. Barnum opened his ‘American Museum’ in New York, replete with a flea circus, ‘Siamese’ twins, and a ‘mermaid’ skeleton.The ‘museum’ merged authentic specimens with audacious hoaxes, blurring the line between reality and fiction, exploiting many of its star performers, and bewitching the public. It followed on from the ‘Greatest Showman’s earlier triumph: exhibiting an elderly enslaved woman, Joyce Heth, who

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13:28

Best of 2023: Captain Kidd: Pirate or Privateer?

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/29

We’re back with new episodes on New Year’s Day, but, before we finally turn our backs on 2023 for good, here’s Olly’s choice for his favourite episode of the year - our story from 23rd May, the day in 1701 when sea captain William Kidd was executed for piracy and murder.From the gallows, Kidd proclaimed to the large assembled crowd that he was innocent of the crimes, as he was a licensed privateer.The vessel he’d captured, the Quedagh Merchant, was indeed sailing under a ‘French pass’ – though the

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12:04

Best of 2023: Richard I's Awkward Wedding Night

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/28

Arion’s favourite episode from 2023 is this romp from May 12th, the day on which, in 1911, Richard the Lionheart finally got hitched. His Bride? Berengaria of Navarre, daughter of King Sancho VI – a key ally in extending his Kingdom across Europe.Sure, he may have already slept with her brother, but hey, that’s less awkward than marrying his original betrothed princess, his father’s mistress. The marriage was indifferent and potentially unconsummated; Berengaria becoming the only English Queen in

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12:32

Best of 2023: The Counterfeit Queen of Soul

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/27

This week we’re revisiting our favourite episodes of 2023, and Rebecca has chosen to replay our episode from 15th February, the day in 1969 when Mary Jane Jones - known professionally as Vickie Jones - was arrested on fraud charges after successfully impersonating soul legend Aretha Franklin during multiple sold-out shows across Florida.When her case ended up before a judge, Jones maintained her innocence, insisting that she had been press-ganged into the deception by conman, kidnapper and

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22:32

Retrospectors Quiz Of The Year 2023

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/22

It’s been a hell of a year at Retrospectors HQ - from Clyde Barrow's first scrape with the law to the installation of Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America.BUT when it comes to retaining trivia, who is the brainiest Retrospector of all?There’s only one way to find out, as Olly challenges Arion and Rebecca to go head-to-head in our legendary annual fact battle…Thanks so much for listening - we’ll be back with all-new episodes from January 1st, 2024.Happy Christmas!Watch this episode on YouTube:

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10:34

Mariah's Christmas Hit

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/21

Rerun: All I Want For Christmas Is You has made Mariah Carey a fortune - but it took an astonishing 25 years for the song to finally reach Number One on the Billboard Hot 100; a feat it achieved on 21st December, 2019, becoming America’s first festive-themed chart-topper since The Chipmunk Song in 1958.When originally released in 1994, neither Carey nor her co-songwriter Walter Afanasieff expected great things. Afanasieff voiced concerns that it sounded ‘like someone singing vocal scales’, and Carey

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11:16

Panto's Greatest Dame

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/20

Victorian music hall star Dan Leno, creator of Widow Twankey and Mother Goose, was born on 20th December, 1860. A child prodigy of the stage, Leno kicked off his career as "Little George, the Infant Wonder," winning the World Clog Dancing Championship in Leeds.Having become an esteemed character comedian, Leno was poached to play Dame Durden in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane - a success so immense that he played the role for 15 consecutive years, effectively kickstarting

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9:36

The War on Christmas

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/19

England’s Puritan Parliament attempted to purge Christmas of Catholic influences on 19th December, 1644, by passing The Ordinance for the Better Observation of the Monthly Fast, an attempt in the legislature to solemnise the day and prevent the public from indulging in carnal and sensual delights. Essentially: to ban Christmas.The enforcement of these measures led to numerous conflicts, including the Plum Pudding Riot of 1647, when 10,000 men in Kent signed a petition declaring they would rather see

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10:12

Introducing The Nutcracker

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/12/18

The premiere of Tchaikovsky’s seminal ballet ‘The Nutcracker’, on 18th December, 1892, at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg. It was NOT a hit.The composer, who thought the Alexander Dumas source material was slight and childish, only agreed to write the piece if it was shown in a double-bill with his opera, ‘Iolanta’. He certainly didn’t want to repeat the critical failure of his earlier work: a certain ‘Swan Lake’.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how a trip to Paris

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