Today In History with 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.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 1105
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
The Real Moby Dick
The ill-fated whale-ship The Essex, was rammed by an 85-foot sperm whale on 20th November, 1820. The incident inspired Herman Melville’s sea-faring novel, Moby Dick.
Left to fend for themselves in ti…
00:12:11 |
Mon 20 Nov 2023
Turn To Page 3
Rupert Murdoch, controversial owner of The Sun, launched "The Birthday Suit Girl", a topless photo feature, on 17th November, 1970. Within a year, the paper’s circulation had nearly doubled to 2.5 mi…
00:11:59 |
Fri 17 Nov 2023
When Space Mountain Saved EuroDisney
Rerun. Disneyland Paris, now Europe’s most popular theme park, initially haemorrhaged money - at a rate of around $1 million per day. But, after three hard years, it returned its first annual profit …
00:11:58 |
Thu 16 Nov 2023
The Queen's Soviet Spy
Sir Anthony Blunt, esteemed art historian and a favourite of the Royal family, was publicly revealed as a Soviet spy on 15th November, 1979, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher confirmed he had bee…
00:11:56 |
Wed 15 Nov 2023
Let's Go On Strike
Workers involved in tomb construction in the Valley of the Kings staged the earliest recorded strike in history on 14th November, 1157 B.C. Having not been paid their ration of food for 18 days, they…
00:11:54 |
Tue 14 Nov 2023
Hypnosis Goes Legit
In this episode we uncover the incredible story of Scottish surgeon James Braid, who entered the Manchester Athenaeum on 13th November, 1841 as a skeptic of what was then known as ‘mesmerism’, or ‘an…
00:11:54 |
Mon 13 Nov 2023
The Temple of Reason
The French government introduced a new State religion on 10th November, 1793: the ‘Cult of Reason’, which attempted to reflect the anti-clerical attitudes of the French Revolution.
But - as with the…
00:12:52 |
Fri 10 Nov 2023
Roosevelt's Panamanian Photoshoot
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 h…
00:10:49 |
Thu 09 Nov 2023
The Instant Message Murder
Bruce Miller appeared to be the victim of a violent robbery at his salvage yard when his body was discovered on 8th November, 1999 - but he had actually been killed as part of a disturbing love trian…
00:12:35 |
Wed 08 Nov 2023
Meteorite!
The first meteorite to crash land into Earth - and have its date recorded - impacted the hamlet of Ensisheim (in modern-day France, then Austria) on 7th November, 1492. The stone's descent created a …
00:11:16 |
Tue 07 Nov 2023
Creating The At-Home Pregnancy Test
This episode first premiered in 2022, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independen…
00:12:01 |
Mon 06 Nov 2023
Muhammad Ali and the Hail of Toothbrushes
In a quirky blend of sports, public health, and self-promotion, boxing legend Muhammad Ali took on an unusual opponent at the Washington Monument on 3rd November, 1979: ‘Mr. Tooth Decay’.
The demonst…
00:11:58 |
Fri 03 Nov 2023
The First Cheerleader
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 d…
00:11:35 |
Thu 02 Nov 2023
The Flying Artilleryman
Dropping bombs from planes was unheard of until 1st November 1911, when Italian Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti embarked on an aerial mission over Libya. With a handful of lightweight grenades resting in h…
00:11:25 |
Wed 01 Nov 2023
The BBC's Halloween Hoax
‘Ghostwatch’, a Halloween drama in the style of a documentary, reached 11 million viewers on its first and only UK broadcast on BBC 1, on 31st October, 1992. It starred Sarah Greene, Craig Charles, M…
00:11:18 |
Tue 31 Oct 2023
Building The Chunnel
On 30 October, 1990, with little fanfare and without any cameras present, the first connection was made between the French half and the British half of the Channel Tunnel, when a two-inch metal probe…
00:12:08 |
Mon 30 Oct 2023
Rebel Without A Script
Nicholas Ray’s ‘troubled teen’ picture, ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ opened in the US on 27th October, 1955. The film was eagerly anticipated, partly due to the recent death of its star, James Dean, in a …
00:12:43 |
Fri 27 Oct 2023
Making 'Under Pressure'
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 r…
00:11:50 |
Thu 26 Oct 2023
America's First Black General
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. became the first African-American general in the US Army on 25th October, 1940 - despite facing opposition from those who saw his appointment as political opportunism, whilst R…
00:11:50 |
Wed 25 Oct 2023
Mourning Jane Seymour
King Henry VIII’s third wife, Queen Consort Jane Seymour, died aged just 29 on 24th October, 1537 - 12 days after giving birth to their son, future King Edward VI. Her death was attributed to complic…
00:12:53 |
Tue 24 Oct 2023
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