What We Did Before

OG Podcasts
  • 0.0 (0)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Before Phones Pt 2: The Surprising Ways Humans Sent Messages

    💬 The humble landline telephone might seem obsolete in a post-smartphone world, but if we think smartphones reshaped the world - imagine a time without any instant communication with the world around you. This was the reality for most of human history - telephones were only invented in 1876, after all - so how did the world become so reliant on this ability in just a few generations? And what was life like before then? ⚡ There were many ways that we broke traditional barriers to communication in history - some surprisingly genius, like the long-distance, non-electric towers that allowed messages to travel hundreds of kilometers over France in minutes, and even carrier pigeons! So in this episode we take a look at the birth of this society-defining technology, and step backwards through humanity's communications timeline, from the iterative improvement and adoption of telephones, all the way back to pre-historic long distance communication methods like shell horns - and how some of these methods could’ve caused more trouble than they were worth! 💬 Part 2 of a 2-part phone special - check out our previous episode on What We Did Before Smartphones for part 1! Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ The birth of the telephone - and how modern language itself was shaped by it ➡ Fascinating technological breakthroughs that allowed all of this to even be possible ➡ How there were non-electronic methods for 15 minute messages between cities ➡ How military and warfare drove innovation in pre-telephone communication ➡ How espionage and sabotage in these unsecure methods had fatal impacts on history ➡ The way ancient humans communicated complex messages using simple tools About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image attribution (Aztec death whistle): Jennysnest, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sound attribution: Aztec Death Whistle by Guy_Personface -- https://freesound.org/s/832472/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    1h 4m

  2. 9 MAR

    Before Phones: The Last Generation Before Smartphones

    💬 The first mobile phone went on sale in 1983, weighing nearly a kilo and costing the equivalent of $12,000 today. Just four decades later, smartphones have reshaped the world - and many of us can’t imagine life without them. ⚡ Yet in 2026 something strange is happening. People are buying landline phones again, switching to dumb phones, deleting apps like WhatsApp and TikTok, and trying to reclaim a way of life that’s still within living memory. So in this episode we take a nostalgic journey through the early days of mobile phones, explore what life was like before smartphones, and ask whether some of the limitations of past technology might actually have been a good thing. 💬 Part 1 of a 2-part phone special. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ The massive size of the world’s first mobile phone - and its terrible battery life ➡ Why “text speech” became a thing - and why there was a 160 character limit ➡ How ringtone sales briefly became a multi-billion dollar industry ➡ The challenges of landline telephones and no caller ID ➡ The surprising role car phones played in the history of mobiles ➡ The mental and physical impacts of smartphones - and why we can’t live without them About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image credit: Avicente05, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    57 min

  3. 2 MAR

    Before Showers: The History of Getting Clean

    💬 How clean were humans before showers existed? Were our ancestors just as obsessed as we are about daily cleaning rituals? ⚡ While our modern take on hygiene is pretty new - showers have only been widespread for about 60 years - our ancestors were not as dirty as you might think. In this episode we find out what we did before showers, and how our ancestors chose to keep themselves clean through the ages. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ How accurate Poldark’s view of 1700s cleanliness is ➡ Why taking a bath before plumbing was an absolute mission ➡ Why changing clothes was a big part of getting clean ➡ The impact of 1900s soap ads blasting us with anti-BO propaganda  ➡  How the “Great Stink of London” paved the way for the plumbing of today ➡ How humans were creating soaps 5000 years ago About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    53 min

  4. TRAILER

    Trailer: Welcome to the Podcast

    💬 This is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life - and how we survived before the modern world. ⚡ From life before fridges and shoes, to a time before Christmas and Valentine's Day. This is the history show for anyone curious about how we got here - and why. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    2 min

  5. 23 FEB

    Before Music: Cave Rituals and Ancient Instruments | Steve Pretty

    💬 What did we do before music? And what about before we could listen to music as entertainment whenever and wherever we wanted? It sounds impossible - rhythm and melody feel so fundamental to being human - but music hasn’t always sounded like symphonies, pop songs or even folk tunes. And the recorded music era we're in now has been incredibly short - in the grand scheme of human history. We may even be entering a new era, with AI-generated music becoming VERY real. So where, and why, did it begin? In this episode, musician Steve Pretty joins us to explore the deep history of music - from prehistoric conch shells and bone flutes, to how location and environment mattered just as much as the music itself - and how that is still the case for us today. Steve is the leader of the Hackney Colliery Band and the creator of Shellelectronica, a project where he plays conch, triton and frog shells through modern electronic effects, channelling some of humanity's oldest sonic experiences for today’s listeners. ⚡ Together, we journey back to a time before Spotify, records, concert halls, and notation - even before instruments as we know them - to ask: why did humans start making music in the first place? And what lessons from the past can we apply to today? 🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ The earliest evidence of music in human history ➡ How the fundamental experience of music may have changed ➡ The role of music in ritual and communication ➡ Why shells, bones and simple materials became our first instruments ➡ How recorded music and capitalism has changed music ➡ Whether music is a cultural invention - or something biologically wired into us This episode is an exploration of music’s origins - combining archaeology, anthropology and creative experimentation to imagine how sound shaped early human life - and how music might change going forward. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:⁠ https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before⁠ About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: ⁠www.ogpodcasts.co.uk ⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou⁠ Email: ⁠hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    1h 15m

  6. 16 FEB

    Before the Obesity Epidemic: How Fat Has Been Viewed Through History

    💬 A historian’s look at how fat, body size, and health have been understood across different periods of history. We’ve long thought overweight bodies were seen, historically, as a sign of power, authority and wealth. And that’s true - to an extent. But the reality is much more complex. It turns out our modern way of understanding body size started being shaped thousands of years ago. ⚡ In this episode we’re joined by Chris Forth, author of Fat: A Cultural History of the Stuff of Life. Together, we explore the way overweight bodies have been viewed throughout antiquity. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ Whether the pre-modern time really was a “time before fat” ➡ How the size of an authority figure could be viewed very differently, depending on context ➡ How shaming of fat bodies may serve as a proxy for other forms of prejudice ➡ Why humans struggle with the simple fact of having a body - at all ➡ How our view of fat is linked not just to our bodies, but to the fats we consume too ➡ How GLP-1 weight-loss jabs are set to change the way we view weight forever Check out Chris’ book: https://amzn.eu/d/0cdQrUuY  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    1h 9m

  7. 9 FEB

    Before Valentine’s Day: The Festival of Lupercalia

    💬 Before we had Valentine’s Day, we had a much stranger way of showing love for one another in February. The ancient festival of Lupercalia involved fertility rites, goat sacrifices, public nudity and priests whipping women… ⚡In this episode we explore why the ancient Romans chose to mark the 15th February this way each year - and how Valentine’s Day eventually took over. We also discuss the complicated story of St. Valentine, who may actually be three different people.  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ How the story of Lupercalia honours the origin story of Rome’s founding ➡ Why St. Valentine may have had nothing to do with love or romance at all ➡ Why spanking and laughter was meant to ward off evil and bad luck ➡ How chocolate giving became so tightly linked to Valentine’s Day ➡ The origin of the heart symbol - and why it looks nothing like an anatomical heart About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    30 min

  8. 2 FEB

    Before Chocolate: From Ritual Drink to Global Obsession | Spencer Hyman

    💬 Before chocolate was turned into a sugary snack, it was a drink of great renown - used in ceremonies and rituals. This frothy elixir was favoured for its power to grant strength and sexual stamina. The cocoa bean itself was even used as an ancient form of currency. So how did modern people end up changing it so dramatically? From its use by Aztec Emperor Montezuma, to the truth behind chocolate’s role in ritual sacrifice, we chart the history of the world’s favourite snack. Learn why it was eventually turned into bars - and who came up with the idea. And discover how we actually make chocolate today - and why it keeps us so addicted. ⚡ In this episode we’re joined by Spencer Hyman, co-founder of Cocoa Runners - a company that sells craft chocolate made by growers around the world. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn: ➡ The true origins of chocolate - and why the Aztecs didn’t get to it first  ➡ How our enduring love of alcohol led to the discovery of chocolate ➡ The earliest archaeological evidence of chocolate use ➡ How Joseph Fry invented the chocolate bar - and why that changed everything ➡ Why we can’t stop scoffing modern chocolate ➡ How craft chocolate brings back the ancient experience of chocolate Check out Cocoa Runners' Chocopedia: https://cocoarunners.com/chocopedia-category/history-and-culture/  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillouEmail: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk

    1h 13m
See All (19)

Trailer

About

Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.

Information

  • Creator
    OG Podcasts
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © OG Podcasts
  • Show Website
    What We Did Before

You Might Also Like