Episodes

  • When Mao Went Swimming

    When Mao Went Swimming
    Jul 25 2024
    Rerun: Chairman Mao Zedong swam in the Yangtze River on 25th July, 1966. Despite being in his Seventies, the leader was said by party propagandists (and hence every newspaper in China) to have set a world-record pace of nearly 15 km in 65 min. This piece of political theatre showed the world that the public face of the Chinese Communist party was in robust physical shape (despite reports in the West to the contrary), and reset Mao’s image in China after his disastrous ‘Great Leap Forward’ had claimed the lives of millions of people. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick the symbolism of this iconic event; explain how Mao leveraged the publicity to reconsolidate his power; and reveal what Mao got VERY wrong about sparrows… Further Reading: • ‘The Chairman's Historic Swim’ (TIME, 1999): http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054250,00.html • ‘Power of symbolism: The swim that changed Chinese history’ (SupChina, 2021): https://supchina.com/2021/07/14/power-of-symbolism-the-swim-that-changed-chinese-history/ • ‘This photo triggered China’s Cultural Revolution’ (Vox, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXByOrRrO7c&feature=emb_ti ‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday… … But 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴members get an additional full-length episode each Sunday! Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • Finding Machu Picchu

    Finding Machu Picchu
    Jul 23 2024
    American professor Hiram Bingham "discovered" Machu Picchu on 24th July, 1911 - though he initially misidentified it as Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Inca civilization during the Spanish conquest. Unlike Vilcabamba, Machu Picchu was built at the peak of the Inca Empire's glory. Believed to have been a winter retreat for the Inca elite, its exact purpose remains a mystery due to that civilisation’s lack of written records. Situated 2,430 metres above sea level, the site features remarkable stone structures that have withstood earthquakes due to their precise construction without mortar. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Bingham got the funds to explore Peru so doggedly; consider whether Speilberg and Lucas were directly inspired by his escapades to create Indiana Jones; and explain how he went on to earn the nickname "The Flying Senator"... Further Reading: • ‘Who Discovered Machu Picchu?’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2009): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-discovered-machu-picchu-52654657/ • ‘Hiram Bingham And The Rediscovery of Machu Picchu’ (HistoryExtra, 2023): https://www.historyextra.com/period/early-modern/machu-picchu-inca-city-history/ • ‘Machu Picchu 101’ (National Geographic, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMa-Sm9H4k Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • Who Invented The Ice Cream Cone?

    Who Invented The Ice Cream Cone?
    Jul 23 2024
    The world’s first ice cream cone - credited by thousands of thrilled visitors was said to have occurred at the St Louis World’s Fair, on July 23rd, 1904. What’s less clear is which of the fair’s vendors first concocted the viral treat: Charles E. Menches, Ernest Hamwi, Abe Doumar, Albert and Nick Kabbaz, Arnold Fornachou and David Avayou have all been touted as the inventor(s) of the first edible cone. In this episode, The Retrospectors investigate the pre-1904 claims to the creation; ponder why Oyster cones aren’t a more popular choice at Mr Whippy, and consider the hygienic monstrosity of the pre-cone ‘Penny Lick’... Further Reading: • ‘How the 1904 World’s Fair Showcased New American Foods’ (HISTORY, 2023): https://www.history.com/news/1904-st-louis-worlds-fair-new-american-foods • ‘Free Cone Day History: Who Invented Ice Cream Cones?’ (Time, 2016): https://time.com/4288576/ice-cream-cone-history/ • ‘The History of Ice Cream | Food: Now and Then’ (NowThis, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53noEBeu9gQ This episode first premiered in 2023, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 100 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks! We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • The Roanoke Mystery

    The Roanoke Mystery
    Jul 22 2024
    What happened to the ‘Lost Colony’ at Roanoke? It’s a mystery that’s intrigued American historians for centuries - and one that began on 22nd July, 1587, when the settlers, led by John White, first landed there; only to discover that a previous colony had been wiped out by hostile tribespeople. This new settlement, however, was under immense pressure to succeed - as it was financed by Sir Walter Raleigh, who needed to establish a permanent colony by 1591 to retain his charter from Queen Elizabeth. Yet, a few years later, White returned to find the colony abandoned, with the word "Croatoan" carved into a post. Where had they gone? In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate the theories offered up over the years; explain how the narrative of hostile natives skewed the data; and check out the "Dare Stones", claiming to be messages from Virginia Dare’s mother… Further Reading: • ‘The Lost Colony of Roanoke’ (Reader’s Digest, 1992): https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesAmericas/NorthColonial_English02.htm • ’The Roanoke Island Colony: Lost, and Found?’ (The New York Times, 2015): https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/science/the-roanoke-colonists-lost-and-found.html • ’The Colony of Roanoke’s Mysterious Disappearance | The UnXplained’ (History Channel, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sckzQiXapk8&t=13s Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Marathon Begat Snickers

    Marathon Begat Snickers
    Jul 19 2024
    Rerun: The world’s biggest-selling chocolate bar underwent a name-change in Britain on 19th July, 1990. Until then - concerned that Brits might refer to their candy as ‘knickers’ - Snickers had been known as ‘Marathon’ in the UK. 31 years later, the decision still smarts for some sections of the confectionary-buying public - but, thanks to the ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ campaign, its popularity has increased, regardless. In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion dig around in the manosphere, untangle the Mars / Milky Way / Three Musketeers transatlantic naming nightmare; and reveal Frank Mars’ penchant for women named Ethel… Further Reading: • ‘It’s packed full of peanuts, but not too sweet’ - the 1980s ‘stockbrokers’ Marathon ad featuring Rebecca’s ex-colleague https://youtu.be/QJgD9cI4_xQ • ‘Case study: How fame made Snickers' 'You're not you when you're hungry' campaign a success’ (Campaign, 2016): https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/case-study-fame-made-snickers-youre-not-when-youre-hungry-campaign-success/1410807 • ‘The Untold Truth of Snickers’ (Mashed, 2020): https://www.mashed.com/203394/the-untold-truth-of-snickers/ ‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday… … But 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴members get an additional full-length episode each Sunday! Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Making Voting Secret

    Making Voting Secret
    Jul 18 2024
    Rerun: Before the Ballot Act of 18th July, 1872, the British electorate were expected to declare their preferred candidate publicly at hustings, often under pressure from their employers and landlords, and plied with alcohol supplied by the politicians standing for election, in a process known as ‘soaking’. Over the years, alternatives had been put forward - including Jeremy Bentham’s concept of 1818, which involved a multitude of secret boxes with viewing windows - before the modern idea of private booths and a ballot box came to the fore. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and OIly explain why many voters saw secret ballots as sneaky and cowardly; explain how Australia beat Britain when it came to instituting voting in secret; and discover the teething problems experienced when Pontefract became the first town to test out the new process… Further Reading: • ‘Britain's first secret ballot’ (BBC News, 2015): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-31630588 • ‘Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: Pontefract's secret ballot box’ (The Independent, 2015): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rhodri-marsden-s-interesting-objects-pontefract-s-secret-ballot-box-a114506.html • ‘What was the Secret Ballot? | The Ballot Act 1872’ (Royal Holloway University London, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M8Lix4FgUM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • Publishing Punch

    Publishing Punch
    Jul 17 2024
    Punch Magazine published its first edition on 17th July, 1841. Subtitled ‘the London Charivari’, the weekly periodical aimed to carve a niche in the market with less crude and bawdy satire compared to its contemporaries. Its early days were challenging, with poor circulation and financial troubles. But, as it gained in popularity and influence, it contributed the modern use of the word "cartoon" to the English language - alongside some excellent examples of the form, thanks in large part to illustrator John Leech - before its downfall in the second half of the twentieth century. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Punch innovated the idea of the Christmas annual; explore how they gave big breaks to the likes of John Betjeman, Sylvia Plath, and P.G. Wodehouse; and discover Mohammed Al-Fayed’s attempts to turn the publication’s fortunes around… Further Reading: • ‘The first issue of Punch’ (History Today, 2016): https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/first-issue-punch • ‘About Punch Magazine’ (PUNCH Magazine Cartoon Archive): https://magazine.punch.co.uk/about/index • ’Punch Magazine’ (British Pathé, 1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACJhyygIxU Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 mins
  • The Birth Of The Parking Meter

    The Birth Of The Parking Meter
    Jul 16 2024
    The world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16th, 1935. Park-O-Meter No. 1 was the brainchild Carl C. Magee, who’d moved to Oklahoma after being acquitted of manslaughter in New Mexico. Indignant opponents of his system considered paying for parking to be un-American, as it forced drivers to pay what amounted to a tax on their cars without due process of law. In this episode, The Retrospectors uncover the colourful past of another parking meter pioneer, Roger Babson; unpick the financial model still used by POM parking meters to this day; and get all hot-under-the-collar about penalty charges issued 90 years ago… Further Reading: • ‘16 July 1935: the world’s first parking meter is installed’ (MoneyWeek, 2014): https://moneyweek.com/329940/16-july-1935-the-worlds-first-parking-meter-is-installed • ‘Gravity Research Foundation Monument – Atlanta, Georgia’ (Atlas Obscura, 2016): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gravity-research-foundation-monument • ‘The im parking meter celebrates 87th anniversary’ (CBS Saturday Morning, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-tB03VCOrw This episode first premiered in 2023, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 100 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks! We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 mins