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
- 1103
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
The Ancients v The Moderns
Modern art was controversially celebrated on 27th January, 1687, when Charles Perrault read his poem ‘The Century of Louis The Great’ at the Académie Française - railing against the prevailing wisdom…
00:11:57 |
Mon 27 Jan 2025
Henry VIII's Head Injury
Henry VIII is typically remembered as he was at the end of his life - weighing in at a colossal 28 stone, with ulcerated legs, failing eyesight and an explosive temper. But, prior to the jousting acc…
00:11:56 |
Fri 24 Jan 2025
Rock N Roll's Big Night
The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame welcomed its first inductees in a star-studded event at the Waldorf Astoria, New York on 23rd January, 1986. But the ceremony was not the glamorous HBO spectacular we h…
00:12:08 |
Thu 23 Jan 2025
Here Come The Swiss Guards
With their colourful uniforms and pomp, the Vatican’s iconic Swiss Guards might seem more decorative than dangerous today - but their origin is far from ornamental. On January 22nd, 1506, 150 elite S…
00:12:12 |
Wed 22 Jan 2025
The DeLorean Dream
The iconic DeLorean DMC-12 rolled off the production line in Belfast on 21st January, 1981.
Priced at $25,000, the stainless steel gullwing sportscar was marketed as a luxury item, but its actual …
00:12:24 |
Tue 21 Jan 2025
Ozzy vs. Bat
Ozzy Osbourne orally decapitated a bat live on stage in Des Moines, Iowa on 20th January, 1982; an act that quickly went down as one of the most outrageous moments in rock n roll history.
Concertgoer…
00:11:39 |
Mon 20 Jan 2025
Conflict of Interest: Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction
We all know you’re here because you - like us, are a bona fide history nerd, so here's a little something from the producers of this podcast; a brand new series of Conflict Of Interest with the Imper…
00:45:47 |
Sat 18 Jan 2025
Rebooting 'The Rivals'
The first night of Richard Sheridan’s classic comedy ‘The Rivals’ did not go according to plan. Critics thought it was too long, the Irish gentry in the audience were insulted, and an actor was pelte…
00:11:39 |
Fri 17 Jan 2025
Meet Don Quixote
Prior to the release of his book Don Quixote on 16th January, 1605, Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes had previously been a soldier, a royal messenger, a tax collector and – for a spell – a slave.
B…
00:12:06 |
Thu 16 Jan 2025
How 'Hill Street Blues' Made TV Grow Up
Groundbreaking police procedural Hill Street Blues first aired on NBC on January 15th, 1981. Back then, TV dramas were mainly mindless entertainment, overshadowed by sitcoms or feel-good fare such as…
00:12:57 |
Wed 15 Jan 2025
The Caesarean Frontier
24-year-old doctor Jesse Bennett successfully performed a C-section on his wife, Elizabeth, saving both her life and their daughter Maria's: 14th January, 1794, in a log cabin on the Virginia Frontie…
00:12:02 |
Tue 14 Jan 2025
A Deadly Day At The Races
Chariot racing was a dangerous and violent sport at the best of times, but on 13th January, 532, a hooligan-led protest at the Hippodrome of Constantinople - known as ‘the Nika rebellion’ - ultimatel…
00:11:53 |
Mon 13 Jan 2025
Sinclair's Electric Dream
Rerun: The Sinclair C5, Sir Clive Sinclair’s disastrous entry into the EV market, launched at Alexandra Palace on 10th January, 1985.
Looking like a cross between a mobility scooter and a child’s pe…
00:12:01 |
Fri 10 Jan 2025
Introducing Income Tax
Rerun: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, the American statesman Benjamin Franklin once said, but until 9 January, 1799, taxation looked very different to the …
00:12:12 |
Thu 09 Jan 2025
Let's Capture Monaco
According to legend, François Grimaldi and his brother Ranieri executed a bold plan to seize control of Monaco's iconic rock on 8th January, 1297. Disguised as Franciscan monks seeking refuge, they g…
00:12:01 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
On January 7th, 1904 the Marconi Company sought to establish a universal distress call; proposing, ‘CQD’ for emergencies.
Despite its adoption in Britain, other nations had varied distress signals…
00:12:32 |
Tue 07 Jan 2025
Tonya and Nancy: Fire and Ice
In our first new episode of 2025, The Retrospectors dive into the scandal that shocked the world of figure skating, when, on 6th January, 1994, Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked in the leg …
00:13:58 |
Mon 06 Jan 2025
Best Of 2024: Richard II’s Blowout Banquet
Olly’s favourite episode of 2024 unfolds on September 23rd, 1387: the day of the most extravagant feast of the Middle Ages, featuring dishes like broth, venison, roasted swan, and boar-heads… and 12,…
00:13:34 |
Fri 03 Jan 2025
Best Of 2024: TV’s First Soap Opera
Rebecca’s favourite episode of 2024 recalls the day ‘These Are My Children’ premiered on NBC; the world’s first televised soap opera, transmitted on 31st January, 1949. It lasted only four weeks on a…
00:13:40 |
Thu 02 Jan 2025
Best Of 2024: The Man Who Sold The Wind
Happy New Year, Retrospectors! We’ll return with new episodes from Monday 6th January, but in the meantime the team have been choosing their favourite episodes from 2024 that are worthy of a second l…
00:14:07 |
Wed 01 Jan 2025
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