Today In History with The Retrospectors

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Theirs Not To Reason Why Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

Alfred Tennyson’s ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ was first published on 9th December, 1854, in The Examiner. Tennyson had penned the poem shortly after reading a dramatic account in The Times of the disastrous charge, which occurred during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War.

Its rhythmic cadence, mimicking the galloping charge, made it both poignant and memorable, and the poem was an instant hit with the public - though critics were sniffy about the poet’s rhyming of ‘blunder’ and ‘hundred’...

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why Tennyson initially left his name off the poem, despite him being Queen Victoria’s Poet Laureate; debate whether it is pro or anti-war; and try to establish exactly who blundered on the battlefield…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ (Historic UK, 2019): https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Charge-Of-The-Light-Brigade/

• ’Poem of the week: The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson’ (The Guardian, 2014): https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jan/20/poem-of-the-week-charge-light-brigade-tennyson

• ’Alfred, Lord Tennyson Reading "The Charge of the Light Brigade"’ (Thomas Edison, 1890):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrJqhhR2G8

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Joyce Brothers - $64,000 Swot Dec 06, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: A female contestant had never scooped the jackpot on an American TV quiz show before New York psychologist Dr Joyce Brothers won $64,000 on 6th December, 1955.

Her specialist subject was boxing - a topic about which she knew little, until she devoted herself to studying the annals of the sport in preparation for multiple appearances on the show. Despite the best efforts of sponsors Revlon to catch her out, she claimed the top prize on ‘The $64,000 Question’ AND its subsequent spin-off, ‘The $64,000 Challenge’.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how Brothers combatted sexism on many prior occasions; explain how she swerved ‘the Quiz Show scandals’; and celebrate her ability to leverage her celebrity and academic qualifications to become America’s first pop psychologist…

Further Reading:

• ‘Dr. Joyce Brothers on The $64,000 Question’ (CBS, 1955): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqhxN9a8OCg

• ‘Obituary: Popular TV psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers dies at 85’ (Los Angeles Times, 2013): https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-joyce-brothers-20130514-story.html

• ‘Joyce Brothers: She overcame sexism to become the first woman to win US quiz show’ (Honey, 2021): https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/joyce-brothers-first-woman-to-win-us-quiz-show-64000-question-women-in-history/dd9f0dd2-0815-47e5-b84b-8f13edeb688f

‘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.

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Christie's First Auction Dec 05, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: James Christie held his first auction on 5th December, 1766 - billed as a sale of “genuine household furniture, jewels, plate, firearms, china and a large quantity of madeira and high flavoured claret” belonging to a “Noble Personage (deceased)”.

His auction-house, Christie’s, went on to become one of the world’s leading dealers of fine art. But it took Christie many years to exploit this opportunity, which he accomplished partly by leveraging well-connected friends. His milieu included Richard Tattersall, Thomas Chipperfield, Thomas Gainsborough, Horace Walpole, Joshua Reynolds and David Garrick - a ‘Who’s Who’ of 18th century London once known as ‘Christie's Fraternity of Godparents’.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Christie innovated public viewings, product placement and sales technique; connect the dots between the French Revolution and Christie’s biggest successes; and reveal how much it costs to buy a two-headed taxidermied lamb…

Further Reading:

• ‘James Christie: the eloquent auctioneer’ (Royal Academy of Arts, 2016): https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/james-christie-eloquent-auctioneer

• ‘Mr Christie, before Christie’s… His early days’ (Artprice, 2021): https://www.artprice.com/artmarketinsight/mr-christie-before-christies-his-early-days

• ‘Welcome to Christie’s’ (Christies, 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2kq20kK5U

‘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.

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The Earliest Dinosaur 🦕 Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

A 245 million years old fossil named Nyasasaurus parringtoni was officially determined the earliest known dinosaur on 4th December, 2012; meaning dinosaurs had roamed the Earth at least 10 million years earlier than the previously believed "dawn of the dinosaurs."

Unearthed in Tanzania in the 1930s and mostly ignored for decades, the fossil’s story was brought to light through meticulous analysis by paleontologists in collaboration with museums. The dating of the Nyasasaurus also bridged the gap between early archosaurs (dinosaur ancestors) and true dinosaurs, with characteristics such as rapid bone growth and distinct sacral vertebrae.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ask whether a T-Rex the size of a labrador retriever would remain terrifying; consider what else might be hiding in the depths of the Natural History Museum’s ‘boring bits’; and attempt to summarise the pre-dinosaur history of Planet Earth in sixty seconds…

Further Reading:

• ’The Earliest Known Dino?’ (Science, 2012): https://www.science.org/content/article/earliest-known-dino

• ‘Scientists Discover Oldest Known Dinosaur’ (Smithsonian, 2012):

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-discover-oldest-known-dinosaur-152807497/

• World's Oldest Known Dinosaur Identified (Slate, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhkP8kKMBQ

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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.

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Where's Agatha Gone? Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Renowned detective novelist Agatha Christie found herself at the centre of a real-life mystery: when she mysteriously disappeared for 11 days, from 3rd December, 1926.

Shortly after learning of her husband's infidelity, Christie had driven away from the family home, abandoning her car near a quarry. There was a massive manhunt as theories circulated in the newspapers, including murder, suicide, or intentional disappearance. Eventually she was spotted in a spa hotel in Harrogate, living under an assumed identity.

In this episode, The Retrospectors investigate what Christie got up to during her mental fugue; consider whether this event triggered the trend for amateur sleuths joyriding on real-life crimes; and reveal how the novelist’s most detailed description of the event occurs not in her autobiography, but in a novel she wrote under a pseudonym…

CONTENT WARNING: attempted suicide, post-traumatic mental illness.

Further Reading:

• ‘When the World’s Most Famous Mystery Writer Vanished’ (The New York Times, 2019):

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/books/agatha-christie-vanished-11-days-1926.html

• ‘‘I just wanted my life to end’: the mystery of Agatha Christie’s disappearance’ (The Guardian, 2022): https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/27/mystery-of-agatha-christie-disappearance

• ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie’ (Ireland A.M., 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yd2o4XFKIk

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.

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The Enron Illusion Dec 02, 2024

Show notes

Enron—the seventh-largest company in the U.S.—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 2nd December, 2001, marking the dramatic end of a business empire once hailed as unstoppable.

What once looked like a financial juggernaut turned out to be a house of cards built on illusory profits, market manipulation, and sheer audacity. “Creative” accounting, including mark-to-market practices, had inflated their profits by booking future revenues as current earnings.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Enron emerged from a gas trading company to a dodgy corporate monolith; uncover the shady partnerships run by CFO Andrew Fastow; and reveal exactly what went wrong with the company’s beleaguered Indian power plant project…

Further Reading:

• ‘The collapse of Enron and the dark side of business’ (BBC News, 2021): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58026162

• ’Former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow: ‘You can follow all the rules and still commit fraud’’ (The Irish Times, 2016):

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/companies/former-enron-cfo-andrew-fastow-you-can-follow-all-the-rules-and-still-commit-fraud-1.2485821

• ‘Collapse of Enron (2001) | A Day That Shook the World’ (British Pathé, 2018):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z9Z2i3qfiw

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 ❤️

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Concorde - The Future of Flight Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: Supersonic aircraft took a giant leap forward when the French and British governments signed a treaty to join forces on designing Concorde on 29th November, 1962. Up until this point, the two countries had been developing their aircraft separately - which had already cost the United Kingdom £150 million.

Technologically superior and far more luxurious than any commercial passenger jet that had come before, it was also the fastest - capable of launching its wealthy clientele from London to New York in under three hours.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the success of the 747 killed off supersonic flight; consider how Britain blew its chance to create 'the British Airbus'; and reveal why Pepsi’s blue paint-job for Air France could have proven truly explosive…

Further Reading:

• ‘Concorde and supersonic travel: The days when the sun rose in the west’ (The Independent, 2013): https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/concorde-and-supersonic-travel-the-days-when-the-sun-rose-in-the-west-8888836.html

• ‘Concorde’s first British test flight, 50 years on’ (History of government, gov.uk 2019): https://history.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/09/concordes-first-british-test-flight-50-years-on/

• ‘Anglo-French Airliner Model Concorde’ (British Pathé, 1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfPiPC6O7qs

‘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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cabbage Patch Riots Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: Towards the end of 1983, frenzied parents battled with one another in stores across the US in a desperate bid to buy their children the toy of the moment, the Cabbage Patch Kid.

The so-called Cabbage Patch Riots culminated on 28th November 1983 at a Zayre department store in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when a melee broke out that was so intense a store manager grabbed a baseball bat to protect himself, police dispersed the crowds and four people ended up in hospital.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss why Cabbage Patch Kids were in such short supply; look into why the toys had their inventor’s name emblazoned on their bottoms; and reveal the true story of how Cabbage Patch dolls came into being…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Not-So-Sweet Truth About Cabbage Patch Kids’ (Good Housekeeping, 2015): https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32201/cabbage-patch-dolls-history/

• ‘The strange story of the Cabbage Patch Kid Riots of 1983’ (ABC, 2022): https://abc7ny.com/cabbage-patch-dolls-crazy-riot-the-vault/5713681/

• ‘Tales from the Cabbage Patch Riots of 1983’ (Pixel Dan, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpa5IZiAfC0

#US #80s #Strange #Toys

Picture: Flickr/Benjamin Gray

‘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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mitzvahpalooza! Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

Aerosmith, 50 Cent and Tom Petty starred at 13 year old Elizabeth Brooks’ $10 million bat mitzvah party on 27th November, 2005. The lavish do, at New York’s legendary Rainbow Rooms, became a symbol of extreme extravagance, and triggered an investigation into her father, David H. Brooks.

Brooks had been CEO of a military body armour company that thrived during the post-9/11 war boom, and later died in prison. But the infamy of his daughter’s blowout birthday bash continued, not least because, despite the attending celebrities’ requests to ban photos, many party guests were given digital cameras as a keepsake…

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider other ill-advised celebrity appearances, including J-Lo’s trip to Turkmenistan; explain why Elizabeth Brooks had the upper hand on her older brother; and consider the benefits of downing a bottle of Hennessy to get you through an awkward event…

Further Reading:

• ’$10 Million Bat Mitzvah Was the Party to End All Parties … Literally’ (New York, 2007): https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2007/10/david_brooks.html

• ’My big, fat $10 million bat mitzvah’ (The Jerusalem Post, 2005): https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/My-big-fat-10-million-bat-mitzva

• ’American Greed Bonus Edition: In Harm’s Way’ (CNBC, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FheZyGLIBTg

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

The First Frat House Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the founding of The Kappa Alpha Society, the oldest continuously existing college fraternity, established as a literary society at Union College, New York on 26th November, 1825.

The founders, led by John Hart Hunter, sought camaraderie and intellectual discussions, creating a forum where they could break free from the constraints of the curriculum. The use of Greek letters and mottos added an element of secrecy, a common feature of fraternal orders during that era. Later, these societies evolved into fraternities with social elements, including rituals, signs, and boozy gatherings.

In this episode, The Retropsectors uncover just how many US Preisdents have been members of a college fraternity; reveal Jon Hamm’s involvement in an out-of-control hazing ritual; and explain how baked potatoes became an iconic foodstuff for students ever since this day in history…

Further Reading:

• ‘“Botany Bay”: The State of Society at Union College during the Early Nineteenth Century’ (Andrew Cassarino, Union College, 2018): https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1800&context=theses

• ‘Mad Men star Jon Hamm was charged with hazing in college days’ (The Guardian, 2015): https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/10/mad-men-star-jon-hamm-was-charged-with-hazing-in-college-days

• ‘Why colleges tolerate fraternities’ (Vox, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVh7HP_wisw

#1800s #US #White #Inventions

We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:podfollow.com/retrospectors

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