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
Abducting Ellen Turner
Kidnapped from her prestigious Liverpool boarding school on March 7, 1827, 15-year-old Ellen Turner was led to believe her family would be financially ruined if she didn’t marry her 30 year-old abduc…
00:11:16 |
Tue 07 Mar 2023
The Real Captain Birdseye
Birdseye Frosted Foods launched its first range of flash-frozen foods at a ‘test kitchen’ in Springfield, Massachusetts on 6th March, 1930 - and at the helm was Clarence ‘Bob’ Birdseye, an American e…
00:12:09 |
Mon 06 Mar 2023
Comstock's War On Obscenity
Sending rude mail was dealt a devastating blow on 3rd March, 1873, when the campaign against pornography, reproductive health, birth control, and abortion led by self-appointed ‘Special Agent’ of the…
00:11:58 |
Fri 03 Mar 2023
How Not To Invade Ethiopia
The Victory of Adwa on 2nd March, 1896 marked a milestone in the so-called ‘Scramble for Africa’ - because, whilst so much of the continent had been colonised by European nations, Abysinnia successfu…
00:12:01 |
Thu 02 Mar 2023
Kidnapping The Eaglet
Aviator Charles Lindbergh (‘The Lone Eagle’) was a household name when his 20 month-old son, Charlie Jr (dubbed ‘The Eaglet’) vanished from his nursery on 1st March, 1932, sparking a nationwide media…
00:11:37 |
Wed 01 Mar 2023
The Double Helix Quartet
Deciphering the structure of DNA was as complex as the double helix itself. On 28th February, 1953, Dr. James Watson and Dr. Francis Crick rushed to the pub and announced to their fellow drinkers in …
00:12:02 |
Tue 28 Feb 2023
Pokémon Hegemon
The first Pokémon videogames, ‘Red’ and ‘Green’ were launched in Japan on 27th February, 1996. The franchise went on to be the most successful ever video game to TV adaptation, and the highest sellin…
00:12:11 |
Mon 27 Feb 2023
Hello Francis, this is God
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone - now better known as St Francis of Assisi - attended Mass on 24th February, 1208, and heard the Gospel According to Matthew. From that day on, the former soldier and…
00:11:50 |
Fri 24 Feb 2023
The Dress That Launched Google Images
When Jennifer Lopez turned up on the Grammys’ red carpet wearing a green Versace dress on February 23rd, 2000, there was such a rush from the public to see the image that it became the most searched-…
00:12:07 |
Thu 23 Feb 2023
The Mistress and the Witch
Sorcerer and fortune-teller Catherine "La Voisin" Monvoisin was sentenced to death on 22nd February, 1680. She had supplied poisons and potions to clients including Madame de Montespan, official mist…
00:11:56 |
Wed 22 Feb 2023
Birth of the Burglar Alarm
Entrepreneur Edwin Holmes installed the very first electric burglar alarm in Boston on 21 February, 1858, which deployed an electrical circuit that would trip when the connection was broken by openin…
00:11:54 |
Tue 21 Feb 2023
How Orkney Became Scottish
On 20 February, 1472, Orkney and Shetland officially became part of Scotland having been offered up as security for the dowry of the daughter of King Christian of Norway and Denmark.
The marriage was…
00:11:44 |
Mon 20 Feb 2023
From Hitler To Herbie: The VW Beetle
Between 1908 and 1927, the Ford Motor Company sold 15,007,033 Model Ts, making the car the best-selling automobile the world had ever seen. That record came to an end on the 17th February, 1972 when …
00:11:52 |
Fri 17 Feb 2023
Pope Gregory's Sneeze
Why do we say ‘God Bless You’ when we sneeze? Some historians trace it back to 16th February, 600 - and a decree supposedly issued by the pun-loving, God-fearing Pope Gregory to ward off the effects …
00:11:55 |
Thu 16 Feb 2023
The Counterfeit Queen of Soul
Mary Jane Jones, known professionally as Vickie Jones, was arrested on fraud charges on 15th February, 1969 after successfully impersonating soul legend Aretha Franklin during multiple sold-out shows…
00:12:06 |
Wed 15 Feb 2023
Let Me Be Your Valentine
Although the Roman Catholic Church continues to recognise St. Valentine as a saint of the church, there is some uncertainty about who exactly he was. One thing that is agreed is that someone called V…
00:11:45 |
Tue 14 Feb 2023
The 500,000 Year-Old Spark Plug
The Coso Artifact - a man-made, cylindrical object apparently encased in a geode - was discovered by Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell while prospecting for gems in Olancha, California o…
00:12:15 |
Mon 13 Feb 2023
RetroRecommends... Patented: History Of Inventions
When did humans first start to farm? What was the first murder solved by forensic science? Who invented the battery?
The answer to all these questions can be found on the podcast Patented: The Histor…
00:30:21 |
Sat 11 Feb 2023
Meet Tom and Jerry
Hanna-Barbera’s classic cat-and-mouse cartoon series Tom and Jerry kicked off when their debut short, ‘Puss Gets The Boot’, was released by MGM on 10th February, 1940.
But, at that time, the stars o…
00:12:03 |
Fri 10 Feb 2023
Horseracing Hits Britain
Rerun. Chester Racecourse hosted Britain’s first ever recorded horse-racing meet on 9th February, 1539. The winner received a set of silver bells to hang from their bridal.
Mayor Henry Gee had come u…
00:12:01 |
Thu 09 Feb 2023
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