Today In History - with The Retrospectors

Series produced by Matt Hill

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Ten minute daily episodes bringing you curious moments from this day in history, with journalists Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll. It's history, but not as you know it.

Today In History... with the Retrospectors marries a tried-and-tested ‘on this day in history’ format with the irreverence and energy of intelligent podcasting. Its mission is to unearth ‘curious moments’, and bring its audience a daily dose of general knowledge, warmly presented in addictive, bitesize episodes each weekday.

Inspired by Olly Mann’s long-running hit, Answer Me This!, and with the rigour of journalists Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll, this series is NOT about Hitler becoming Chancellor, or JFK being assassinated: instead, it would fill gaps in your knowledge about lesser-known, under-reported historic events in just ten minutes per day.

Episodes have covered stories as diverse as the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900; the first transgender celebrity, Christine Jorgensen; and the tale of Martin Monti, the US airman who joined the Waffen-SS - and then changed his mind.

Now in its third year and with over 5 million downloads, the show has been syndicated to Starbucks for inclusion in their app. It was one of Pocket Casts’ “Top Picks of 2022”.

All episodes are clean, with rare offensive language beeped. Content warnings are documented for any potential triggers (with a verbal warning at the start that can be cuts by stations as preferred).

“The discussion that followed was fun, interesting and properly edited. It galloped through Ptolemy, China’s belief that the heavens are a reflection of life on Earth, and early-20th-century western biases (one constellation was called “the Microscope”) … all in 15 minutes. Sharp!” - The Observer Hide full description

Today In History... with the Retrospectors marries a tried-and-tested ‘on this day in history’ format with the irreverence and energy of intelligent podcasting. Its mission is to unearth ‘curious moments’, and bring its audience a daily dose of general knowledge, warmly presented in addictive, bitesize episodes each weekday.Inspired by Olly Mann’s long-running hit, Answer Me This!, and with the rigour of journalists Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll, this series is NOT about Hitler becoming Chancellor, or JFK being assassinated: instead, it would fill gaps in your knowledge about lesser-known, under-reported historic events in just ten minutes per day.Episodes have covered stories as diverse as the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900; the first transgender celebrity, Christine... Show full description


Additional Files

45 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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The ‘Windsor Shower Companion’ ($11.49) was the first product sold on home shopping network QVC, which made its debut on 24th November, 1986, quick...

  • Added: Nov 27, 2023
  • Length: 09:30
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With cutesy graphics and a female-focussed origin story, Tamagotchi was positioned as a ‘nurturing toy’ for Japanese girls when Bandai launched the...

  • Added: Nov 27, 2023
  • Length: 10:10
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Pope Clement V ordered the arrest of all Knights Templar and seizure of their properties on 22nd November, 1307: a day that sealed the fate of the ...

  • Added: Nov 27, 2023
  • Length: 09:11
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In this episode we uncover the incredible story of Scottish surgeon James Braid, who entered the Manchester Athenaeum on 13th November, 1841 as a s...

  • Added: Nov 14, 2023
  • Length: 10:12
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In this week’s Sunday episode, exclusively for CLUB RETROSPECTORSsupporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the eve...

  • Added: Nov 14, 2023
  • Length: 11:18
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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 ...

  • Added: Nov 13, 2023
  • Length: 10:11
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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 P...

  • Added: Nov 13, 2023
  • Length: 10:13
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In this week’s Sunday episode, exclusively for CLUB RETROSPECTORSsupporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the eve...

  • Added: Nov 13, 2023
  • Length: 11:18
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The French government introduced a new State religion on 10th November, 1793: the ‘Cult of Reason’, which attempted to reflect the anti-clerical at...

  • Added: Nov 07, 2023
  • Length: 11:10
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Presidential diplomacy now routinely involves hundreds of trips on Air Force One – but, until Theodore Roosevelt travelled to inspect the Panama Ca...

  • Added: Nov 07, 2023
  • Length: 09:06
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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 act...

  • Added: Nov 06, 2023
  • Length: 10:51
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The first meteorite to crash land into Earth - and have its date recorded - impacted the hamlet of Ensisheim (in modern-day France, then Austria) o...

  • Added: Nov 06, 2023
  • Length: 09:33
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In today’s Sunday episode, exclusively for CLUB RETROSPECTORSsupporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unearth the origin...

  • Added: Nov 01, 2023
  • Length: 10:32
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In a quirky blend of sports, public health, and self-promotion, boxing legend Muhammad Ali took on an unusual opponent at the Washington Monument o...

  • Added: Nov 01, 2023
  • Length: 10:16
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Dropping bombs from planes was unheard of until 1st November 1911, when Italian Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti embarked on an aerial mission over Libya....

  • Added: Nov 01, 2023
  • Length: 09:42
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On 30 October, 1990, with little fanfare and without any cameras present, the first connection was made between the French half and the British hal...

  • Added: Oct 30, 2023
  • Length: 10:26
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Irish popstar Sinéad O’Connor tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her performance of Bob Marley’s ‘War’ on NBC’s TV show ‘Saturday Night Li...

  • Added: Oct 26, 2023
  • Length: 10:13
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According to the 17th-century Archbishop James Ussher, the world began on 23rd October, 4004 BC at precisely midday. Today, it is easy to ridicule...

  • Added: Oct 26, 2023
  • Length: 09:52
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In this week’s Sunday episode, exclusively for CLUB RETROSPECTORSsupporters on Patreon and Apple Podcasts, Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate th...

  • Added: Oct 25, 2023
  • Length: 11:12
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Nicholas Ray’s ‘troubled teen’ picture, ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ opened in the US on 27th October, 1955. The film was eagerly anticipated, partly du...

  • Added: Oct 25, 2023
  • Length: 11:01