Podcast
Today In History with The Retrospectors
Hosted by The Retrospectors · EN
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.
39episodes
Episodes
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Bobbitt
4d ago00:13:38Tap to summarizeLorena Bobbitt cut off her husband John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis with a kitchen knife while he was asleep in their apartment in Manassas, Virginia on 23rd June, 1993. After a nine-hour surgery, Bobbitt’s penis was successfully reattached – and the case became an international news sensation. The 24 year-old manicurist was charged with malicious wounding and faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. But in court she showed that her then-husband had repeatedly sexually and physically abused her and was found Not Guilty, on the basis of temporary insanity. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how John’s penis was discovered and transported after amputation; explain why Virginia’s marital abuse laws were insufficient to cover the scope of the Bobbitt’s relationship; and consider one of the weirdest offers to ever come from Playboy… CONTENT WARNING: rape, domestic violence, gore. Further Reading: • ‘Lorena Bobbitt: SEX, LIES, AND AN 8-INCH CARVING KNIFE’ (Vanity Fair, 1993): https://www.vanityfair.com/style/1993/11/lorena-bobbitt-interview-sex-lies-carving-knife • ‘You Know the Lorena Bobbitt Story. But Not All of It’ (The New York Times, 2019): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/arts/television/lorena-bobbitt-documentary-jordan-peele.html?searchResultPosition=4 • ‘The night Lorena Bobbitt sliced off her husband John’s penis’ (ABC 20/20, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSWTavWC_A 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 ❤️ 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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2023. #90s #US #Crime #Strange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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I Invented The Donut 🍩
5d ago00:13:01Tap to summarizeSea Captain Hanson Gregory claimed to have first cut a hole in a donut on 22nd June, 1847, sparking an American tradition: the nation now consumes ten billion donuts per year. But Americans munched on Dutch “oily cakes” for decades prior to that, and the corporate intervention of Dunkin’ Donuts - founded in Gregory’s hometown - might help explain why Gregory’s origin story has stuck… Regardless, there were two inarguable milestones in America’s adoption of this sugary treat: volunteer women handing them out to homesick soldiers in France during World War One; and New Yorker Adolph Levitt’s invention of the first automatic donut machine in the 1920s. In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca explain why donuts were being considered the “Food of the Future” at the World’s Fair; reveal why the trope of police officers frequenting donut shops has its basis in truth; and consider why a journalist’s trip to an old people’s home in 1916 has skewered our understanding of DONUT TRUTH 🍩! Further Reading: • ‘Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: The doughnut hole’ (The Independent, 2015): https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/rhodri-marsden-s-interesting-objects-the-doughnut-hole-10326542.html • ‘The Maine Ship Captain Who Invented the Modern Donut’ (New England Historical Society): https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maine-ship-captain-invented-modern-donut/ • ‘How does a Donut Machine work? (Krispy Kreme)’ (Jared Owen, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPR43MiRtmw 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 ❤️ 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 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Making The Metropolitan Police
1w ago00:11:00Tap to summarizeSir Robert Peel received royal assent for the Metropolis Police Improvement Bill on 19th June, 1829 - leading to the creation of London's first professional police force, who were soon nicknamed ‘Bobbies’ in tribute. The Met’s first constables hit the streets that Autumn, dressed in tailcoats (to signify their role as servants of the people), and top hats (strengthened with an iron ring for protection), and all in blue to distinguish them from the red colouring used by the Army. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick ‘Policing By Consent’; reveal the recruitment criteria for new members of the force; and explain why officers became known as ‘PC Plod’... Further Reading: • ‘The Metropolitan Police: an introduction to records of service 1829-1958’ (The National Archives): https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/the-metropolitan-police-an-introduction-to-records-of-service-1829-1958-2/ • ‘The establishment of the Metropolitan Police - Enforcing law and order’ (BBC Bitesize): https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zy9sn9q/revision/4 • ‘The founding of the police force | History - The Strange Case of the Law’ (BBC Teach, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KA2dbDtFnA We'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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Town Disney Built
1w ago00:11:20Tap to summarizeDesigned by Imagineers, and located on the outskirts of Walt Disney World, the town of Celebration, Florida welcomed its first residents on 18th June, 1996. Over 5,000 families had applied to be amongst the first ever homeowners to reside, full-time, in the grounds of a theme park. Conceptually, the town was a mash-up of the wistful nostalgia that inspired the designs of Disneyland’s original Main St, USA and Disney’s ‘utopian city of tomorrow’ vision (which, eventually, manifested as EPCOT). In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion consider the restrictions of living in a New Urbanist community; ask why the town remains over 90% white; and wonder whether anyone really needs singing bins… Further Reading: • Disney fan-site ‘Inside The Magic’ on Walt’s ‘Florida Project’: https://insidethemagic.net/2021/01/walts-disney-florida-project-lp1/ • Insider takes a tour of modern-day Celebration (2020): https://www.insider.com/what-it-is-like-to-live-in-celebration-florida-2020-1 • ‘Celebration: the creepy real life town Disney built in Florida’ (news.com.au, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCko6cVniEw 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 ❤️ 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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2021. #90s #Strange #US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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O.J. Simpson's Car Chase
1w ago00:13:51Tap to summarizeO.J. Simpson, wanted for questioning over the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, was followed by both the LAPD and the world’s news cameras on 17th June, 1994, as he sat creeping along the motorway, holding a gun to his head, in a white Ford Bronco driven by his former teammate Al Cowlings. As the SUV rolled steadily towards Los Angeles, fans gathered on bridges and roadside verges, waving and shouting to the former sports star and actor. The chase lasted about two hours, and TV networks seized on the story with unprecedented intensity, interrupting normal programming across the United States, including the 1994 NBA Finals, with millions watching both events simultaneously. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how Simpson’s history of spousal abuse was already known by the public; discover how this moment pre-echoed the racial division and lax treatment that would later form part of the commentary around Simpson’s infamous court case; and reveal why the event was a bumper day for Domino’s Pizza… Further Reading: • ‘Revisiting O.J. Simpson's 1994 Bronco Chase — Revisit Shocking, Slow-Moving Car Chase’ (People, 2024): https://people.com/oj-simpson-1994-bronco-car-chase-details-8630083 • ‘Al Cowlings - OJ Simpson's best friend who infamously drove a white Bronco as the accused killer held a gun to his own head during iconic police chase - breaks cover after NFL star's death (and STILL remains loyal to the Ford brand)’ (Mail Online, 2024): https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-13299503/oj-simpson-death-police-chase-ford-bronco.html • ‘The O.J. Simpson car chase lasted 45 minutes. Watch it unfold’ (CNN, 1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuRD3TQEoeY&rco=1 #Crime #Strange #90s #Celebrity #Black 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 ❤️ 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 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Humanity Dick and the RSPCA
2w ago00:11:58Tap to summarizeThe world’s first animal charity, the RSPCA, was set up on June 16th, 1824, by a small group of men who met in Old Slaughter’s Coffee House in St. Martin’s Lane, London. They had been brought together by Arthur Broome, a vicar and animal-welfare campaigner, but the main member of the group was Irish MP Richard Martin, widely known as “Humanity Dick” who had recently passed the first legislation of its kind against the mistreatment of horses and cattle. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look into why in the 19th century people who were interested in animal rights were seen as faintly ludicrous cranks; explain how one of the driving forces behind the RSPCA ended up in an unmarked grave; and discuss why cloven animals need to have duels fought on their behalf… Further Reading: • ‘16 June 1824: The world's oldest animal charity, the RSPCA, is founded’ (Money Week, 2015): https://moneyweek.com/396015/16-june-1824-the-worlds-oldest-animal-charity-the-rspca-is-founded • ‘The History of the RSPCA’ (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2017): https://www.animallaw.info/article/history-rspca • ‘Draw my life - History of the RSPCA’ (RSPCA, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7yhxxKuSUM 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 ❤️ 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 2026. #1800s #Victorian #Animals #UK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Dante Gets Political
2w ago00:12:45Tap to summarizeFuture poetic powerhouse Dante Alighieri was enshrined as one of Florence’s six priors on 15th June, 1300: a top political gig in the city’s complex guild-based government. But his beloved hometown was a powder keg, split between rival factions: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines; and the Guelphs themselves were split into “white” and “black” camps. Dante, a White Guelph, soon found himself deep in the messy middle of this feud, helping to exile leaders from both factions after street fights broke out. He was then tried in absentia, on trumped-up charges, and sentenced to death by fire - beginning a long road of exile. In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca consider how Dante turned his rage and wisdom into one of the greatest literary works of all time, The Divine Comedy; explain what a poet was doing in the Physicians Guild in the first place; and reveal how it wasn’t until 700+ years later that Florence officially pardoned him… Further Reading: • ‘Dante Alighieri: his Life, The Divine Comedy & Other Books’: https://www.museocasadidante.it/en/dante-alighieri/biography/ • ‘Return of Dante: the Guelphs and the Ghibellines’ (The Independent, 2008): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/return-of-dante-the-guelphs-and-the-ghibellines-850012.html • ‘Why should you read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”? - Sheila Marie Orfano’ (Ted-Ed, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbCEWSip9pQ 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 ❤️ 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 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Meet Me At The Automat
2w ago00:12:41Tap to summarizeBefore McDonalds, there was the Horn & Hardart Automat - a chain restaurant featuring coin-operated glass windows, which opened its first branch in Philadelphia on 12th June, 1902. The business would grow to serve 800,000 people per day. Customers exchanged nickels for dishes including meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie. Beautifully designed with marble counters, stained glass, and chrome fixtures, the venues had an upscale ambiance, but catered mainly to working people, with a notable cult following among struggling artists. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how union pickets and fast food formats eventually caught up with the enterprise; consider the intense nostalgia still strongly felt by the chain’s former customers; and reveal how the whole concept was inspired by a visit to Berlin Zoo… Further Reading: • ‘Meet Me at the Automat’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2001): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-me-at-the-automat-47804151/ • ‘The Automat: Birth of a Fast Food Nation’ (HISTORY, 2012): https://www.history.com/news/the-automat-birth-of-a-fast-food-nation • ‘Hitchcock's Monologue - The Problem With Automat Diners’ (CBS, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9euHvuhYU We'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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Chuck Berry v the IRS
2w ago00:11:46Tap to summarizeIt was the THIRD time behind bars for legendary rock n’ roller Chuck Berry when he was found to have dodged $110,000 in income tax on 11th June, 1979. He insisted on being paid cash-in-hand for his sometimes shambolic personal appearances, and his propensity for stashing it was so well-known that in Australia the authorities introduced limits on the amount of cash that could be transited across their border, specifically in response to him once stuffing $50,000 in his guitar case. In this episode, Rebecca, Arion and Olly dig deeper into some of Chuck Berry’s former convictions; take a disturbing peek into his home video library; and reveal the true origins of the ‘duck walk’... Content Warning: detail of underage, exploitative and non-consensual sexual acts Further Reading: • The New York Post on Berry’s scandalous sex life (2017): https://nypost.com/2017/03/21/the-dark-past-of-chuck-berrys-scandal-filled-sex-life/ • Inc. on why Berry’s ‘musical genius was also his financial undoing’ (2017): https://www.inc.com/jay-jay-french/how-chuck-berrys-musical-genius-was-also-his-financial-undoing.html • Chuck Berry’s duck walk - a compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwZcLpYPKoI 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 ❤️ 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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Benjamin Franklin's Kite 🪁⚡
2w ago00:13:12Tap to summarizeBenjamin Franklin’s legendary ‘kite experiment’ supposedly took place on 10th June, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the traditional account, the future Founding Father flew a kite fitted with a metal key into a storm cloud to prove that it contained electricity, leading to the creation of the lightning rod ⚡ Historians, however, point out there is no detailed contemporary record proving that events unfolded exactly as later retellings claimed, and, in fact, Franklin never explicitly stated in print that he had personally carried out the dramatic version of the experiment. Perhaps the iconic image survives partly because, like Newton’s falling apple, it captures a complicated scientific idea in a single memorable scene. Regardless, lightning rods soon spread across Europe and North America, and the kite story is just one chapter in Franklin’s remarkably varied life. Alongside his scientific investigations, he worked as a printer, helped establish one of America’s first volunteer fire brigades, invented bifocal spectacles, and created the glass armonica, a bizarre musical instrument whose sound fascinated composers including Mozart and Beethoven. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover eighteenth century circus-style electricity sideshows; explain how Franklin helped popularise the "positive" and "negative" terms for electrical charge; and reveal why King George III’s preference for blunt lightning rods ignited a UK/US rod rivalry… Further Reading: • ‘Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment’ (The Franklin Institute): https://fi.edu/en/science-and-education/benjamin-franklin/kite-key-experiment • ‘Founding Father of Invention’ (The Washington Post, 2012): https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2012/03/21/founding-father-of-invention/ • ‘Did Lightning Strike Benjamin Franklin's Kite? | MythBusters’ (Discovery, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISRl3WEuU-s #Discoveries #1700s #US #Science 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 ❤️ 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 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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