Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Italian poet Petrarch hiked up Mont Ventoux in Provence on 26th April, 1332 - an event claimed for centuries to be the first time mountaineering for pleasure had been attempted. His celebrated letter to Dionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro was the source, revealing Petrarch's contemplations on spirituality and the human condition amidst the breathtaking views. However, debate persists over the letter's authenticity and whether Petrarch's climb was literal or allegorical.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how, centuries later, Romantic poets revived Petrarch's tale, interpreting his ascent as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment and intellectual curiosity; consider how mountaineering in its present form evolved into a mainstream leisure activity; and reveal that climbing Mont Ventoux has become a competitive sport...Further Reading:• ‘The Fig and the Laurel: Petrarch’s Search for Self-Knowledge’ (The London Magazine): https://thelondonmagazine.org/article/the-fig-and-the-laurel-petrarchs-search-for-self-knowledge/• ‘In Provence, Honoring a Poet at 6,263 Feet’ (The New York Times, 2006): https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/travel/30explorer.html• ‘GW1 - Petrarch: "Ascent of Mount Ventoux"’ (Douglas Parker, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhdr55jsRwWe'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rerun: Freda Payne’s banger ‘Band Of Gold’ sounds like a Motown record, but actually isn’t. Although written by Berry Gordy’s hit-making trio Holland-Dozier-Holland, it was released on their breakaway label, Invictus, on 25th April, 1970.Ever since, fans have speculated as to the meaning of its lyrics and the nature of the crumbled relationship within. “That night on our honeymoon / We stayed in separate rooms,” Payne sings. Was her betrothed a closeted homosexual? Impotent? Frigid?In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore how this ‘proto-disco’ classic has been embraced as a gay anthem; explain why Payne originally felt ill-equipped to sing the song that made her name; and credit the extraordinary track record of Detroit’s Hutchins Middle School… Further Reading:• ‘Band of Gold by Freda Payne’ (Songfacts): https://www.songfacts.com/facts/freda-payne/band-of-gold• ‘Holland-Dozier-Holland (1962-1970)’ (Black Past, 2021): https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/groups-organizations-african-american-history/holland-dozier-holland-1962-1970/• ‘Freda Payne - Band Of Gold’ (Soul Train, 1970): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF9Q3hnAr88‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Every Thursday is 'Throwback Thursday' on Today in History with the Retrospectors: running one repeat per week means we can keep up the quality of our independent podcast. Daily shows like this require a lot of work! But as ever we'll have something new for you tomorrow, so follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/RetrospectorsLove the show? Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda expanded her repertoire beyond acting and activism into exercise videos on 24th April, 1982, with the release of her bestselling aerobics VHS, "Workout." What seemed like a small venture at the time swiftly captivated the nation, revolutionising fitness trends and catapulting household VCR ownership. Extraordinarily, all profits from the enterprise went to her and her husband’s leftist pressure group, the Campaign for Economic Democracy.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how Fonda’s brand of fun, DIY fitness appealed to a generation of women who felt unwelcome in the male environment of 80’s gyms; reveal why filming the classic video was an arduous and exhausting process; and explain why Fonda’s foray into fitness was actually inspired by a broken ankle…Further Reading:• ‘30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MY FIRST WORKOUT VIDEO’ (Jane Fonda, 2012): https://www.janefonda.com/2012/04/30th-anniversary-of-my-first-workout-video/• ‘How 'Jane Fonda's Workout' Conquered the World’ (Mental Floss, 2015): https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65314/how-jane-fondas-workout-conquered-world• ‘Jane Fonda's Original Workout: Follow Along With Classic Step Aerobics’ (Tonic, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwQ1PrED9IELove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 23 April 2005, software engineer Jawed Karim posted an 18-second clip of himself standing in front of some elephants at the San Diego Zoo – a video which is largely unremarkable, except for the fact it was the first ever clip uploaded to the site Karim cofounded: YouTube.The video has since received 260 million views, 13 million likes, and 11 million comments. Not bad for a clip whose only interesting feature is the innuendo about elephants having “really, really long, um… trunks.”Further Reading:• ‘The First YouTube Video Was Uploaded 9 Years Ago Today’ (Time Magazine, 2014): https://time.com/72892/the-first-youtube-video-was-uploaded-9-years-ago-today/ • ‘YouTube's History and Its Impact on the Internet’ (Interesting Engineering, 2020): https://interestingengineering.com/culture/youtubes-history-and-its-impact-on-the-internet• ‘Me At The Zoo’ (Jawed Karim, 2005): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw 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 70 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extracts from Adolf Hitler's long-lost diaries were brought to the world’s attention on 22nd April, 1983, provoking an international sensation - until they were quickly exposed for being a hoax. Respected World War Two historian Hugh Trevor Roper had authenticated the diaries, leading Rupert Murdoch to personally negotiate a $1.2 million serialisation in The Sunday Times, which went to press as Roper changed his mind.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal the true author of the ‘diaries’; explain why Murdoch was unrepentant, despite having splashed on perhaps the biggest fake news of the century; and appraise the chaotic atmosphere at the Stern magazine press conference, where punches were thrown, and David Irving started shouting about ink…Further Reading:• ‘Hitler Diaries hoax exposed in full for first time’ (The Times, 2023): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hitler-diaries-released-full-text-public-hoax-forged-journals-w9jfcmrld• ‘Murdoch's bravado forced through the publication of the Hitler diaries’ (The Guardian, 2012): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-bravado-publication-hitler-diaries• ‘Robert Harris on Selling Hitler’ (The Guardian, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV_TpAkL6Q4Love the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katherine Switzer became the first woman to officially participate in the Boston Marathon on 19th April, 1967, when, disguised in a hooded sweatshirt and joggers, she ran under a race number she’d registered for without disclosing her first name. Her gender was revealed mid-race, prompting a bizarre fracas as co-director Jock Semple, known for his stringent adherence to tradition, attempted to forcibly remove her from the event - a frenzy captured by photographers and splashed across the front and back of the next day’s newspapers, triggering a change in the previously male-only event.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how Switzer was in fact not *quite* the first woman to run the marathon; unearth a 1980 Boston victory that played into the hands of the anti-women brigade; and consider how Switzer’s stand continues to resonate as a symbol of defiance against gender barriers in sports, decades later... Further Reading:• ‘Kathrine Switzer: 50 years ago women were not allowed to run the marathon’ (ABC, 2017):https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-25/kathrine-switzer-50-years-ago-women-not-allowed-to-run-marathon/8287576• ‘She was attacked 50 years ago for being a woman in the Boston Marathon. On Monday, she ran it again at 70’ (The Washington Post, 2017): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/04/17/fifty-years-ago-kathrine-switzer-was-attacked-as-she-ran-the-boston-marathon-the-reason-she-was-a-woman/• ‘Kathrine Switzer: First Woman to Enter the Boston Marathon’ (MAKERS, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOGXvBAmTsYLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Milanese Princess Bona Sforza married the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund the Old, in Krakow Cathedral on 18th April, 1518 - making her the first Italian Queen of Poland, and one of the world’s most powerful women.There followed a 29-course wedding feast, a bawdy consummation ritual …and decades of resentment, as the Polish aristocracy came to terms with the influence she would have upon her husband’s decision-making.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Sforza’s heritage transformed the Polish diet forever; consider if there is an accurate portrait of her in existence; and reveal the betrayal that led to her untimely death…Further Reading: • ‘Bona Sforza – Ambitious Queen Of Poland Was Betrayed And Murdered’ (Ancient Pages, 2019): https://www.ancientpages.com/2019/01/21/bona-sforza-ambitious-queen-of-poland-was-betrayed-and-murdered/• ‘Pursuit: The Queen who defied the Holy Roman Emperor’ (The University of Melbourne, 2020): https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-queen-who-defied-the-holy-roman-emperor• ‘Poland's Italian Queen - The Life of Bona Sforza (1494 - 1557)’ (Oliwier Brzeziński, 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZ6JDkQmDILove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 335-year-long ‘war’ (in which not a single shot was fired) officially ended on 17th April, 1986, when the UK’s Dutch ambassador landed on the Isles of Scilly and declared an end to hostilities between the Netherlands and this tiny archipelago off the coast of Cornwall. The origins of this eccentric conflict date back to 1651, during the English Civil War, where the Dutch found themselves indirectly involved due to their support for the parliamentarians. Angered by Dutch assistance to their enemies, the Royalists (based in Scilly) began robbing Dutch shipping lanes in the English Channel, prompting a declaration of war from the Dutch side...In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how local historian Roy Duncan's curiosity led him to investigate a long-standing rumour of his homeland’s "war" with the Dutch - and unearth one of the craziest conflicts on record!Further Reading:‘World's longest and weirdest war between the Isles of Scilly and the Netherlands’  (Cornwall Live, 2021): https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/story-behind-worlds-longest-weirdest-4092887‘The World's Longest War Only Ended in 1986’  (Atlas Obscura, 2016): https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-worlds-longest-war-only-ended-in-1985‘The Entire History of The Isles Of Scilly’ (Pete Kelly, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8rQFcSanOULove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When ‘Roots: The Saga of an American Family’ made novelist Alex Haley an international sensation, he revisited Juffure, Gambia - the village where he claimed his 18th-century ancestor Kunta Kinte had been captured into slavery. On 16th April, 1977, he was welcomed ‘home’ as a hero by the villagers.But his hit novel had begun to attract criticism for blurring the line between fiction and non-fiction - a genre Haley came to refer to as ‘faction’ - relying primarily on oral sources that were hard to verify. And the following year, novelist Harold Courlander successfully sued Haley for having plagiarised passages from his 1967 novel, ‘The African’.Further Reading:• ‘Haley Visit Captivates Village Where ‘Roots’ Began’ (The New York Times, 1977): https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/18/archives/haley-visit-captivates-village-where-roots-began.html• ‘Is Roots a true and authentic story? Why Alex Haley's book about slavery and family history is so controversial’ (Radio Times, 2017): https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/is-roots-a-true-story-why-this-tale-of-slavery-and-family-history-is-so-controversial/• ‘Roots author Alex Haley on the horror of slavery’ (CBC, 1977): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6WRRwqql4This episode first premiered in 2023, 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Cooper's unexpected death on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre on 15th April, 1984 remains one of the saddest and most surreal moments in UK comedy history. Known for his slapstick humour and botched magic tricks, family favourite Cooper collapsed mid-act due to a massive heart attack. The audience, initially assuming it was part of his act, roared with laughter as he lay on the stage emitting what sounded like snoring. Despite the frantic efforts of production staff and paramedics backstage, Cooper was pronounced dead on arrival at Westminster Hospital. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Cooper’s health concerns had been widely known within the industry before this incident; reveal how a live TV audience of millions got to grips with the news that the comedy icon had died; and take a look back at some of the other star performers who have, quite literally, died on stage… Further Reading:‘Tommy Cooper's last act fooled us all, says Jimmy Tarbuck’ (Wales Online, 2009): https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tommy-coopers-last-act-fooled-2111280‘The Show Won't Go On: The Most Shocking, Bizarre, and Historic Deaths of Performers Onstage - By Jeff Abraham, Burt Kearns’ (Chicago Review Press, 2019): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Show_Won_t_Go_On/6h-SDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tommy+cooper+her+majesty%27s&printsec=frontcover‘The Shocking Death of Tommy Cooper: Ernie Wise Pays Tribute’ (ITN, 1984): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ectDT3sXBFYLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin left Kazakhstan for space on 12th April, 1961 - the first human to venture beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere. As the rocket roared into the sky, Gagarin's now-famous exclamation of "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!") echoed through the cockpit.Despite the anticipation surrounding Gagarin's historic flight, the actual experience was relatively brief, lasting a mere 108 minutes. Within that fleeting window, Gagarin's calm demeanour belied the inherent dangers of space travel, as he navigated weightlessness and unfamiliar conditions. Upon reentry, he faced a harrowing ordeal as technical malfunctions threatened his safe return to Earth. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore how Gagarin's status as a national hero propelled him into the spotlight, yet suppressed his subsequent career trajectory; explain why it was not his ability as a pilot, but his diminutive height, which was most prized in the Sputnik programme; and reveal how his diplomatic world tour took him to the United States, yet without setting foot on U.S. soil… Further Reading:• ‘Yuri Gagarin: The first human in space’ (New Scientist): https://www.newscientist.com/people/yuri-gagarin/• ‘"Let's go!" — Remembering Yuri Gagarin, 60 years on’ (Astronomy Magazine, 2021): https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/lets-go-remembering-yuri-gagarins-first-spaceflight-60-years-later/• ‘Yuri Gagarin Became The First Human In Space, 57 Years Ago Today’ (NBC News, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkVAqNbX0NwWe'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rerun: The first holiday camp in Britain, Butlin’s Skegness, opened to the public on 11th April, 1936 - although one member of the public, a certain Freda Monk from Nottingham, was so keen to attend that she arrived a day early. It cost 35 shillings per week to attend. South Africa-born Billy Butlin had created the camp after holidaying in Barry Island and feeling “sorry for the families with young children as they trudged along wet and bedgraggled, and forlornly filled time in amusement arcades until they could return back to the boarding houses.”In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly review the entertainments on offer, from rambunctious Redcoats to boxing kangaroos; explain how The Beatles owe a debt to Butlin’s Skegness; and reveal the sad fate of the park’s famous monorail… Further Reading:• ‘'Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight' - Glorious Pictures of the Skegness Butlin's’ (Flashbak, 2019): https://flashbak.com/our-true-intent-is-all-for-your-delight-butlins-at-skegness-17646• ‘The mystery of how an old Butlin's monorail train ended up in this Lincolnshire field’ (Lincolnshire Live, 2021): https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/mystery-how-old-butlins-monorail-5059270• ‘Best of Butlin's’ (British Pathé):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGZoqkZUFtA‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Every Thursday is 'Throwback Thursday' on Today in History with the Retrospectors: running one repeat per week means we can keep up the quality of our independent podcast. Daily shows like this require a lot of work! But as ever we'll have something new for you tomorrow, so follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/RetrospectorsLove the show? Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bananas, the world’s favourite fruit, were first displayed in London on 10th April, 1633, in the shop window of botanist Thomas Johnson, editor for Gerard’s Herball.Despite societal taboos surrounding the banana's suggestive shape, its journey from obscurity to ubiquity was later propelled by Minor Cooper Keith, whose entrepreneurial endeavours in Costa Rica transformed the fruit into a global commodity - albeit one entangled in the power struggles and exploitation of Central America, earning the term "Banana Republic."In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal why banana-flavoured sweets DO taste like bananas; examine how English horticulturalists forever stamped their mark on this tropical fruit; and consider whether the fruit Eve reached for in the Garden of Eden was actually a banana…Further Reading:• ‘How the Banana Came To Be—And How It Could Disappear’ (Lithub, 2023): https://lithub.com/how-the-banana-came-to-be-and-how-it-could-disappear/• ‘Mystery of the Tudor banana’ (The Guardian, 1999): https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jun/16/maevkennedy• ‘Who Was The Man Behind The Banana Republics Of Central America?’ (Timeline, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDH9JEuYUNALove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles broke royal norms by having a modest civil ceremony at Windsor's Guildhall on 9th April, 2005. Against a turbulent backdrop of past scandals and public opinion, the couple's union marked a delicate dance toward Britain’s eventual acceptance of them as King and Queen.Queen Elizabeth did not attend the ceremony, for fear of compromising her position as head of the Church of England, but did turn up with Rowan Atkinson and Phil Collins to the after-party, where she made a notoriously cheeky speech, as guests munched on egg-and-cress sandwiches.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why the couple married in the Guildhall, rather than Windsor Castle; consider how ‘the Firm’ iterated Camilla’s public image in the decades following Princess Diana’s untimely death; and trace the couple’s romance back to their first meeting in the Summer of 1970…Further Reading:• ‘Charles and Camilla wed’ (The Guardian, 2005): https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/09/monarchy.markoliver• ‘Inside King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' Wedding’ (Harpers Bazaar Australia, 2005): https://harpersbazaar.com.au/charles-camilla-wedding/• ‘The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles’ (ITN, 2005): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgeXK5cKatALove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler’s bestseller ‘Nudge’ was released on 8th April, 2008, catapulting a new method of behavioural economics into the public psyche - and the hands of policymakers, including David Cameron and Barack Obama.The book challenged the notion of humans as rational decision-makers, and explained how companies, governments and individuals can ‘nudge’ people towards healthier habits, responsible financial decisions, or civic engagement if ‘decisions’ are framed in the right context - a technique they called "libertarian paternalism."In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ask just how effective nudge theory really is; explain how the project was inspired by a bowl of cashew nuts; and discover how Thomas Crapper was centuries ahead of his time… Further Reading:• ‘Nudge theory: what 15 years of research tells us about its promises and politics’ (The Conversation, 2023): https://theconversation.com/nudge-theory-what-15-years-of-research-tells-us-about-its-promises-and-politics-210534• ‘The nudge unit – has it worked so far?’ (The Guardian, 2013): https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/may/02/nudge-unit-has-it-worked• ‘Nudge: the final edition’ (LSE, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkfqQAp6wkLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A frozen Lake Peipus played host to a dramatic fight between 2,000 Catholic Crusaders and 6,000 Orthodox Christians on 5th April, 1242.The invading forces were the Teutonic Knights, armed with spears and swords to ‘Christianize’ what they saw as a Pagan society. Novgorod’s defender, Prince Alexander Nevsky, lured the Germans to the lake, where his troops could take them down one by one, in a battle that went down in Russian lore. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how much of the imagery of the battle was in fact crystallised by a controversial twentieth-century filmmaker; consider why the Knights were so unprepared for this particular confrontation; and ask what actual theological differences separated the warring factions… Further Reading:• ‘Lake Peipus: Battle on the Ice’ (Warfare History Network, 2005): https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/lake-peipus-battle-on-the-ice/• ‘Alexander Nevsky - Prince of Novgorod and Kiev’: https://www.thoughtco.com/alexander-nevsky-profile-p2-1788255• ‘Alexander Nevsky’ (Sergei Eisenstein, 1938): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq4PaJfod4wWe'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rerun: MSG, the umami seasoning frequently added to Chinese cuisine, came under fire on 4th April, 1968 - when Dr Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine musing about the possible causes of a ‘syndrome’ he experienced whenever he ate at Chinese restaurants in the US.  “The most prominent symptoms are numbness at the back of the neck, gradually radiating to both arms in the back, general weakness and palpitation”, he wrote, in a letter that soon attracted multiple responses from other clinicians - and spawned an unscientific panic about monosodium glutamate which still persists to this day.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate which foods contain naturally-occurring MSG; ask why 1960s America was especially susceptible to scepticism about chemical additives; and consider the racist undertones to the definitions of the ‘syndrome’ in the modern-day dictionary… Further Reading:• Is MSG as bad as it’s made out to be? (BBC Future, 2015): https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151106-is-msg-as-bad-as-its-made-out-to-be• The Campaign to Redefine ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ (The New York Times, 2020): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/dining/msg-chinese-restaurant-syndrome-merriam-webster-dictionary.html• ‘Korean chef talk about MSG myth - Uncle Roger is RIGHT? WRONG?’ (Goodchoi's Kitchen, 2020):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et_ja0X9C4I‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Every Thursday is 'Throwback Thursday' on Today in History with the Retrospectors: running one repeat per week means we can keep up the quality of our independent podcast. Daily shows like this require a lot of work! But as ever we'll have something new for you tomorrow, so follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/RetrospectorsLove the show? Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gottlieb Daimler's patent for his high-speed petrol engine (dubbed the "Grandfather Clock") on 3rd April, 1885, wasn't just a technological breakthrough—it inadvertently birthed the motorbike. Teaming up with Wilhelm Maybach, the duo had crafted a compact engine featuring float-metered carburetors and mushroom intake valves, all powered by hot tube ignition. This engine found its way into their first vehicle prototype, the Petroleum Riding Car, which bore little resemblance to today's motorcycles but represented a pioneering step towards motorised transportation.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how it was not Daimler, but his son, Paul, who became the first-ever motorbiker; consider the steam-powered predecessors that could potentially lay claim to inventing the motorbike; and explain how Daimler took what he’d learned from these experiences to establish Mercedes…Further Reading:• ‘An Overview of the Motorcycle's History’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-motorcycle-1992151• ‘History Channel’ (Motoring World, 2017): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Motoring_World/Pt0xDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Daimler+Reitwagen&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover• ‘The riding car – a Daimler patent’ (Mercedes-Benz TV, 2010): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Tvuya6otcLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johnny Weissmuller made his debut as ‘Tarzan The Ape Man’ on April 2nd, 1932, when MGM released the first talkie to feature the jungle hero - spawning a Tarzanmania craze.The blockbuster, loosely based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 novel, was commissioned in part because the studio held additional footage from their African-set hit from the previous year, ‘Trader Horn’. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how Weissmuller’s Olympic swimming career had hinged on a forgery; explain how the filmmakers created Tarzan’s famous yell; and investigate why MGM stepped in to fund their big star’s divorce…Further Reading:• ‘Johnny Weissmuller Dies at 79; Movie Tarzan and Olympic Gold Medalist’ (New York Times, 1984): https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0602.html• ‘The 50 MGM Films that Transformed Hollywood - Triumphs, Blockbusters, and Fiascos, By Steven Bingen’ (Lyons Press, 2022): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_50_MGM_Films_that_Transformed_Hollyw/bYh0EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tarzan+ivor+novello&pg=PA50&printsec=frontcover• ‘Trailer: Tarzan the Ape Man’ (MGM, 1932): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIoPPD0NKhAThis episode first premiered in 2023, 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rerun: Edward Lawrence Levy, a bald and bespectacled 40 year old choir-master from Birmingham, became the first ever winner of an international weightlifting contest at Cafe Monaco in London on 28th March, 1891. The event was an attempt to separate the serious sport of dumbbell lifting from the popular performing ‘strongmen’ at sideshows and variety halls, but it did not immediately take hold: the competition was described by the newspaper Sporting Life as “very slow”.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the career of ‘perfect human specimen’ Eugen Sandow; dig into the movement for muscular Judaism; and work out exactly how Levy would fare in a modern Olympic competition… Further Reading:• ‘The Untold History of the First Weightlifting Competition’ (BarBend, 2019): https://barbend.com/history-first-weightlifting-competition/• ‘This Hebrew School Teacher Was the First World Weightlifting Champ’ (National Library of Israel, 2021): https://blog.nli.org.il/en/lbh-el-levy/• ‘The History of Weightlifting’ (Bodytribe, 2013):: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9moGJHmJygImage: Levy with his 1891 British Amateur Championship trophy. From E. Lawrence Levy and Muscular Judaism, 1851-1932, part of the National Library of Israel collectionWe'll be back on Tuesday!!! (Happy Easter) - Remember you can join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week! (apart from this week)Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.