Today In History with The Retrospectors

Latest Episodes:

The Medieval Titanic Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

When The White Ship hit a rock near Barfleur on 25th November, 1120, she sank, killing all 300 noblemen on-board. Among the dead was Henry I’s one legitimate son, William Adelin, plunging the English throne into a dynastic crisis.

Like the Titanic, the vessel was considered the epitome of safety and prestige for its time, Captained by Thomas FitzSteven, whose father had piloted the boat that brought William the Conqueror to England. But, despite this pedigree, the crew and passengers’ decision to a) get drunk and b) race the King home sealed their doom.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the plotting that unseated the next in line to the throne (because she was a GIRL); explain how a humble butcher was the sole survivor of the shipwreck; and consider why contemporaries thought it was all God’s work…

Further Reading:

• ‘900 years since the White Ship disaster’ (British Library, 2020): https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2020/11/white-ship.html

• ’Earl Spencer - The White Ship, the worst ever royal disaster’ (The Oldie, 2020): https://theoldie.co.uk/blog/the-900th-anniversary-of-the-worst-ever-royal-disaster

• ‘The White Ship by Charles Spencer’ (Brights of Nettlebed, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVKDHDgyTXY

#Medieval #Royals #Mistakes #Rowing #France

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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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Star Trek's Interracial Kiss Nov 22, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) embraced and kissed on "Plato’s Stepchildren"; an episode of ‘Star Trek’ broadcast on 22nd November, 1968 - just a year after the Supreme Court declared interracial marriage to be legal.

However, despite popular belief that this was TV’s first interracial kiss, it wasn’t. It wasn’t even the first interracial kiss on TV featuring William Shatner…

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly examine just how slowly attitudes to ‘mixed marriage’ were shifting in the United States; compare this iconic Trekkie moment to homoerotic frat-boy YouTube videos; and reveal how the actors concerned deliberately sabotaged ‘the wide’ so their kiss would be screened coast-to-coast…

Further Reading:

• Kirk and Uhura kiss on ‘Star Trek’ (Paramount Television, 1968): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lThvEsP5-9Y

• ‘'Star Trek's' interracial kiss 50 years ago boldly went where none had gone before’ (NBC News, 2018):

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/star-trek-s-interracial-kiss-50-years-ago-went-boldly-n941181

• ‘Nichelle Nichols on filming the first interracial kiss on American television’ (Archive of American Television, 2010):

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

‘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

Let's Revolve A Restaurant Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: La Ronde, the USA’s first revolving restaurant, opened on 21st November, 1961, at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu. On the menu in the 298ft-tall tower was shrimp cocktail, mahi-mahi, and ‘the Queen of beefdom’.

It had a predecessor, though, in perhaps an unlikely city: post-war Dortmund, Germany.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly trace the origins of rotating restaurants back to Ancient Rome (of course); recall Elvis Presley’s role in furthering the popularity of high-rise revolving dining at the Space Needle; and consider the particular appeal of ‘high attractions in low rise cities’...

Further Reading:

• ‘A Moveable Feast: A Brief History of the Revolving Restaurant’ (Duck Pie, 2014): https://duckpie.com/2014/05/02/a-moveable-feast-a-brief-history-of-the-revolving-restaurant/

• ‘Revolving Architecture: A History of Buildings That Rotate, Swivel, and Pivot - By Chad Randl’ (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008):

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Revolving_Architecture/H8gAaZj2e-AC?q=sky+view&gbpv=1#f=false

• ‘Top of Waikiki Revolving Restaurant View’ (Life Is Amazing, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYOUofNjFU4

‘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

Beethoven's Biggest Flop Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

Beethoven's first attempt at opera, Leonore, premiered in Vienna on 20th November, 1805. Attendance was sparse, due in part to Napoleon's recent invasion: the audience largely composed of French officers. And, unlike almost all his other work, the piece still has a reputation as ‘A Director’s Graveyard’. Why?

Possibly because the setting - a jail - is drab and uninspiring. Perhaps because the archetypal characters are mostly singing about their inner life. Or… maybe because it’s all sung in German, and Beethoven didn’t know how to write for singers?

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how the great composer made an initial impact on Austria thanks to his virtuoso piano skills, not his compositions; reveal the multiple occasions on which he attempted to re-work his flop (finally debuting a revised Fidelio in 1814 to great acclaim); and explain why Leonore was the Spider-Man of its day…

Further Reading:

• ’Fidelio: Story, Synopsis & More’ (English National Opera):: https://www.eno.org/operas/fidelio/

• ‘Beethoven: Fidelio, By Peter Gutmann’ (Classical Notes, 2014): http://www.classicalnotes.net/opera/fidelio.html

• ‘Stage@Seven: Beethoven: Fidelio (Ouverture) - Andrés Orozco-Estrada’ (Frankfurt Radio Symphony, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ8xsi42ubA

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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Pelé's 1000th Goal Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Arion, Rebecca and Olly pore over the astonishing career of football legend Pelé, who (by his own count, if not FIFA’s) scored his 1,000th goal on 19th November, 1969.

Smashing racial barriers, Pelé was the first black player to grace the cover of LIFE magazine; played a pivotal role in Brazil's triumphs at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the 1962 World Cup in Chile, and the 1970 World Cup in Mexico; and remains the all-time leading scorer for his club, Santos FC.

In this episode, The Retrospectors weigh up arguments whether his 1000th goal ‘counts’; reveal how Pelé got his name; and praise how the player transformed his nation’s image on the world stage from ‘coffee beans and Carmen Miranda’ to a global footballing powerhouse...

Further Reading:

• ‘50 Years On From Pelé’s 1,000th Goal, It Has Become Necessary To Reaffirm His Greatness’ (Forbes, 2019): https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2019/11/19/50-years-on-from-pels-1000th-goal-it-has-become-necessary-to-reaffirm-his-greatness/

• ‘Pele's 1,000+ goals: Why Santos' claims about the G.O.A.T. should be taken seriously’ (ESPN, 2021): https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37612913/why-santos-claims-goat-taken-seriously

• ‘Pele scoring his 1,000th career goal’ (The Sports Pages, 2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=107f2tga0LE

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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Year of the Fistula Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

King Louis XIV underwent risky surgery to remove a painful anal fistula on 18th November, 1686: an event that created a sensation at court, leading to 1686 being declared the ‘year of the fistula’.

Louis’s choice to undergo such a dangeous procedure signalled an unspoken endorsement of surgery, bringing it a semblance of respectability - though the risk to Royal health had been highly mitigated in advance, as Royal Surgeon Félix de Tassy had already experimented on (and killed) dozens of peasants in preparation.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly take a deep dive into the Royal bottom, discovering the salves made from luxurious ingredients which had previously failed to cure Louis; reveal how Felix developed his special “Royal Scalpel” just for the king’s surgery; and explore how the “Grand Operation,” as it became known, inspired a highly peculiar trend…

Further Reading:

• ‘Sciences at Versailles part 6: fit for a king, medicine and surgery’ (Google Arts & Culture): https://artsandculture.google.com/story/sciences-at-versailles-part-6-fit-for-a-king-medicine-and-surgery-palace-of-versailles/pwXBUrLu24XTIg?hl=en

• ‘It is good to be the king: The French surgical revolution’ (Hektoen International, 2019): https://hekint.org/2019/10/31/it-is-good-to-be-the-king-the-french-surgical-revolution/

• ‘The Many Diseases of Louis XIV, King of France’ (SLICE, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V68ws3K0Qk

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The (Lady) Pirates of the Carribbean Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: Anne Bonny and Mary Read - the most notorious women to swashbuckle and plunder in the ‘golden age of piracy’ - were captured near Jamaica by pirate-hunter Jonathan Barnet on 8th November, 1720.

Disguised as men for most of their careers, they sailed (and cavorted) with Pirate Captain ‘Calico Jack’. But, when their crimes came to trial, they both avoided being sentenced to death by ‘pleading the belly’.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly speculate about how Bonny and Read were able to pass as men so convincingly; explain how they met in the ‘pirate republic’ of Nassau; and reveal why ‘Robinson Crusoe’ author Daniel Defoe may just be responsible for the enduring ‘Reader’s Wives’ version of Bonny and Read’s friendship...

CONTENT WARNING: reference to rape

Further Reading:

• ‘Comparing the Female Pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read’ (ThoughtCo, 2018): https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-anne-bonny-mary-read-2136281

• ‘How Anne Bonny and Mary Read Changed The Face Of Female Piracy’ (All That’s Interesting, 2018):

https://allthatsinteresting.com/anne-bonny-mary-read

• ‘Behind the myth of a breast-baring pirate’ (BBC Reel, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVeQwhcjZg

‘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

When Anne Married Mark Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Rerun: The Royal Wedding between Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips on 14th November, 1973 was a lavish affair at Westminster Abbey, with an anticipated global audience of 500 million - but the 23 year-old daughter of the Queen was clearly awkward about being the centre of attention, and asked to be only filmed from behind.

Labelled ‘Princess Sourpuss’ by some of the tabloids, the public had yet to warm to Anne’s devotion to public service, love of horses and reticence to engage with the limelight.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick their favourite ‘facts’ from the exhaustive eight-hour TV coverage of this event; explain why it was bad form to mention sausages at the wedding reception; and revisit Prince Philip’s most quotable line about Anne: “if it doesn’t fart, or eat hay, she isn’t interested”...

Further Reading:

• ‘Royal Wedding Fever’ (The Observer, 1973): https://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/oct/12/from-the-observer-archive-14-october-1973-royal-wedding-fever

• ‘Princess Anne Married Mark Phillips 47 Years Ago’ (People, 2020): https://people.com/royals/on-this-day-in-royal-history-princess-anne-married-mark-phillips/

• ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING (COLOUR)’ (Movietone, 1973): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMsr7xfwoYc&t=3s

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

What Happened At Amityville Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

Amityville is synonymous with horror movies, but that’s because of a real-life tragedy that happened on 13th November, 1974, when Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and his four younger siblings. Initially, he claimed a mob hitman was responsible, but later confessed to the crimes.

After the murders, newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz moved in to the DeFeo house, bringing along Kathy’s three children and their dog, Harry. Within 28 days, however, they’d fled, claiming paranormal experiences on the property, from swarms of flies to visions of a demonic pig.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal what happened when the Lutzes took a polygraph test; explain how their story snowballed into first a bestselling book, then a movie franchise; and consider how the town has coped with its consequent celebrity status…

Further Reading:

• ‘Amityville Murders: The True Story Of The Killings That Inspired The Movie’ (All Thats Interesting, 2022): https://allthatsinteresting.com/amityville-murders

• ’The Amityville Horror House’ (Long Island Guide): https://www.longislandguide.com/visit/amityville-horror-house/

• ‘THE AMITYVILLE HORROR’ (MGM, 1979): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbCJv_vWyQA

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 Exploding Whale Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the events of 12th November, 1970, when the coastal town of Florence, Oregon faced a dilemma: the 8-ton dead sperm whale washed up on its shores, emitting a putrid stench that had become unbearable for residents.

George Thornton, a Department of Transportation engineer, proposed an unconventional solution: detonating the whale with half a ton of dynamite. Crowds gathered to witness this spectacle, expecting a controlled explosion. However, the blast instead launched chunks of whale meat into the air, raining down on spectators and even crushing a car with a sizable piece of flesh.

In this episode, The Retrospectors explain why Thornton and crew nonetheless considered the operation a success; reveal how the incident became one of the internet’s first viral stories, twenty years after it happened; and marvel at how the citizens of Florence have embraced this truly bizarre moment in their history…

Further Reading:

‘Florence, Oregon's Exploding Whale And The Wild Story Behind It’ (All

Thats Interesting, 2023): https://allthatsinteresting.com/exploding-whale

‘Fifty years ago, Oregon exploded a whale with a half-ton of dynamite’ (The Washington Post, 2020): https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/13/oregon-whale-explosion-anniversary/

‘Dead on Arrival on a Beach near Florence’ (KATU News, 1970): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34

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.

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

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