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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

9:47

Sugar, Sugar and the Cartoon Band

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/24

The biggest hit of 1969, bubblegum pop song “Sugar, Sugar” was released on 24th May. The songwriters, Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, had a strong pedigree in penning 60s anthems. But the band itself was fictional - simply studio musicians providing a soundtrack to the Saturday morning TV cartoon ‘The Archie Show’, inspired by the Archie Comics.The brainchild of promoter Don Kirshner, creator of the Monkees, the concept of establishing a band based on cartoon characters meant he could better control his

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10:35

Captain Kidd: Pirate or Privateer?

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/23

Hanged for piracy and murder, sea captain William Kidd was executed in Wapping on 23rd May, 1701. From the gallows he 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 documents that prove this lay unearthed until the 20th century. His trial was used by the governing Tory party as a political opportunity to embarrass his Whig sponsors, and he

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10:39

Introducing Pac-Man

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/22

Namco’s ground-breaking arcade game Pac-Man had its first focus test in a Tokyo cinema foyer on May 22nd, 1980. Created by 24 year-old Toru Iwatani, it was originally called ‘Puck-Man’ and designed to appeal to women as well as men.Each of the ghosts - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde - was programmed to have its own personality using AI routines, creating a sense of ‘character’ despite the pixelated rendering. Atari declined the opportunity to distribute the game in the U.S. - where, in just a year,

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4:52

We Want YOU 🫵 to Support Our Podcast!

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/20

It’s our birthday 🥳! Our show is now TWO years old, with over 600 episodes in the bank - but we want to keep making even more. And we need your help to do that.If you enjoy our daily, independent podcast, please please support the show and help us keep the lights on! For as little as £1 per week, you can sustain our showbiz careers, skip the ads AND nab yourself some tasty exclusives.Just join our fanclub, 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴, on Patreon or Apple Podcasts, and you can access:•An exclusive

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10:41

Fox's 'Glee' Gambit

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/19

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s musical comedy-drama ‘Glee’ was first screened on Fox on May 19th, 2009. In a strategy to whip up excitement before the season premiere in the Autumn, the network showed the pilot in a plum post-‘American Idol’ slot, and then besieged websites and social networks with advertisements over the Summer.The strategy worked - justifying ‘Glee’s enormous budget, relatively unknown cast, and complex musical rights negotiations - and by the end of 2009 the show had generated 25

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10:10

Dracula! Live on Stage!

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/18

Bram Stoker’s Dracula was first introduced to the world NOT via his canonical novel, but rather in the pages of a seldom-performed - and by all accounts appalling - play-reading at London's Lyceum Theatre on 18th May, 1897.The stage version was not intended to reach a mass audience; but was rather a clever wheeze of Stoker’s to ensure he was recognised as the creator of his iconic characters - as the script needed to be rubber-stamped by the Lord Chamberlain's office prior to performance.In this

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10:43

Louie, Louie and the FBI

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/17

The supposedly pornographic lyrics of garageband classic “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen were, improbably, thoroughly investigated by the FBI, who reached a conclusion on May 17th, 1965, when the FBI Laboratory declared the lyrics to be “officially unintelligible”.The FBI had spent two years analyzing the song, consulting outraged parents, and playing it at different speeds to uncover hidden obscenities.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the controversy helped cement the reputation

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11:30

Beau Brummell: Dandy on the Run

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/16

Socialite, wit and fashion influencer Beau Brummell fled to France on 16th May, 1816, in order to escape his creditors, from whom he had racked up around £600,000 of gambling debts.Staying at Dessin’s Hotel, he entertained in his apartments while learning French and writing his memoirs, biding his time until his bestie George IV appointed him to the British consul in nearby Caen. But the position lasted only two years, and eventually he was jailed for his mounting debts in France.In this episode,

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10:45

Launch of the Sky Girls

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/15

Ellen Church became the first ever airline stewardess on May 15th, 1930 - when she took to the skies with a Boeing Air Transport flight from Oakland, California to Chicago.A licensed airplane pilot, she’d approached the airline to inquire about flying planes, but, when she was told that in fact they didn’t employ women at all, she suggested that they put registered nurses like herself aboard to care for the passengers - and was hired to recruit and train seven additional women for the role

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9:38

Richard I's Awkward Wedding Night

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/12

Richard the Lionheart was a bachelor into his thirties, but finally got hitched on May 12th, 1191, at the Chapel of St. George at Limassol, Cyprus. 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

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10:59

The Opening Night of 'Cats'

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/11

Rerun.At a cost of £2m, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘Cats’ premiered at the New London Theatre on 11th May, 1981 – and the world had never seen anything like it. With a cast including Brian Blessed and Elaine Paige, the original production was innovative, sexy, creepy, bizarre – and an enormous gamble for the impresarios who backed it.In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion look back at the original reviews for the show, consider whether John Napier’s award-winning costume design was actually

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10:38

The Strangler in the Ring

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/10

Evan ‘The Strangler’ Lewis took on English wrestling champion Jack Wannop on May 10th, 1888 at Chicago’s Battery D Armoury: the first, and much-anticipated, wrestling ‘Championship of the World’.Lewis was banned from performing his signature move - similar to a rear naked choke as seen in mixed martial arts now - but nonetheless secured a decisive victory over Wannop, who was “nearly killed”, according to The Sporting Life.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why the Royal family’s

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10:03

Meet Mr Punch

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/09

Punch and Judy shows, a staple of the British seaside, evolved from the ‘Pulcinella’ marionette shows performed by Italian puppet showman Pietro Gimonde, first spotted by diarist Samuel Pepys in Covent Garden on May 9th, 1662. The show was so popular that Gimonde was summoned to give a Royal Command Performance for the King.Traveling puppeteers took the trend to fairs and markets, and the cast of characters grew to include a baby, a policeman, a crocodile, and a string of sausages. The spectacle was

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10:48

The Teen Who Hijacked The Subway

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/08

Trainspotter Keron Thomas was just 16 when he impersonated a subway motorman and took control of an A train in New York City on May 8th, 1993. His actions went unnoticed by his passengers, who were safely picked up and discharged at 85 stops along the route - until he slightly exceeded the speed limit, triggering the automatic brake.Thomas, originally from Trinidad, had been fascinated with trains since childhood and had studied the subway system extensively; even obtaining an official rule book and

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10:06

Renouncing King John

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/05

The Magna Carta would not have become law unless a group of Barons had first renounced their allegiance to King John on 5th May, 1215. Primarily protecting their own interests, they were keen to prevent John burdening them with ever-higher taxes to fund his seemingly endless Wars.Even once agreed, the now-revered document contained some surprising clauses: for example a law preventing members of a particular family ever serving as a Royal officer; and another stating that, ‘no one should be arrested

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10:24

Debut of the Daily Mail

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/04

Rerun.As British literacy rates surged to a new high of 97%, the time was right to launch a simpler, shorter, more readable newspaper - and Alfred Harmsworth’s Daily Mail caught the zeitgeist when it hit the news-stands (at the eye-catching price of just half a penny) on 4th May, 1896.The new paper attracted half a million daily readers by the end of the century, drawn in by its American-inspired mix of provocative political commentary, human interest and sentiment.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca

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10:36

Box Office Poison!

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/03

In a full-page ad published in the Hollywood Reporter on 3rd May 1938, the Independent Theater Owners Association blamed declining ticket sales on some of the era’s biggest names in cinema, including Mae West, Greta Garbo and Katharine Hepburn – all of whom were labelled “box office poison.”The attention-grabbing tagline quickly took on a life of its own and within just four days, more than thirty newspapers across the US had reported on the story.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why

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9:42

The Shapes in the Sky

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/05/02

Scientists from around the world gathered in Rome on 2nd May 1922 to agree on a definitive list of 88 constellations, which up until then had been an astronomical free-for-all.The collection of eminent astronomers eventually settled on 42 animals, 29 inanimate objects and 17 humans or mythological characters, which, taken together, offered a complete map of the skies for the very first time.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how different ancient civilisations around the world

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10:32

Don't Call Me Bigot

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/04/28

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown dealt his party’s reelection campaign a massive blow on 28th April 2010, when during a meet-and-greet in the marginal constituency of Rochdale, he was caught on microphone calling one of his own supporters, Gillian Duffy, a bigot.Duffy had engaged the PM in a long conversation about many things, including local concerns about the influx of migrants to the area and the strain that the increased population was having on the local economy. After he finished speaking

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10:30

The Duel That Shocked France

Today In History with The Retrospectors ·

2023/04/27

Rerun.King Henri III of France had a favourite group of young courtiers – his ‘mignons’ (or ‘cuties’, ‘sweeties’, or ‘‘darlings’) – known for dressing in an effeminate and eye-catching style. On 27th April, 1578, theyengaged in a bloody duel with a rival gang in a battle that came to be known as ‘The Duel of the Mignons’.Was it a ‘beautiful’ battle, a classical allusion to Roman combat, as some scribes argued? Or, as the King himself concluded, a pointless – and rather farcical – loss of life?In

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