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Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors
  • 4.5 (110)
  • History
  • Updated Daily

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.

  1. When Kubrick Met Spielberg

    11h ago

    When Kubrick Met Spielberg

    After nearly three decades of development, A.I. Artificial Intelligence finally had a theatrical release on 29th June, 2001. Written and directed by Steven Spielberg - following the death of his friend Stanley Kubrick - it promised to be a cinematic masterpiece. But many critics saw it as akin to a custody battle between two very different parents—Kubrick’s icy intellect clashing with Spielberg’s sentimental warmth. Kubrick first bought the rights to the short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long in 1983, envisioning a film about climate catastrophe, underwater Manhattan, and artificially intelligent robot children that would tug at your heartstrings—if only the tech could catch up. Spielberg stuck close to Kubrick’s original vision, especially the perfectly eerie first and third acts—but admitted the middle was “pieces of a dream.” In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca pore over the box office receipts this “mess” achieved; explain why ‘Jurassic Park’ played a pivotal role in the movie’s development; and reveal why Kubrick insisted on being told the layout of Spielberg’s Hollywood home… Further Reading: • ‘Artificial foolishness / "A.I.' starts out promising but ends up combining the worst of Kubrick, Spielberg’ (San Francisco Chronicle, 2001): https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Artificial-foolishness-A-I-starts-out-2905798.php • ‘From Kubrick to Spielberg: The Story of ‘A.I.’’ (The Ringer, 2021): https://www.theringer.com/2021/06/29/movies/ai-artificial-intelligence-steven-spielberg-stanley-kubrick • ‘Spielberg on Spielberg: Spielberg Explains Ending of A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ (TCM, 2007): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7sPiOoU7A 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

    13 min

  2. 1d ago • Subscribers Only

    Mike Tyson's Bite Fight

    When Evander Holyfield, reigning WBA heavyweight champion, met Mike Tyson in their eagerly anticipated rematch on 28th June 1997 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, nobody anticipated it would provoke perhaps the most scandalous sporting moment of the century. In the third round, Tyson bit Holyfield’s right ear, tearing away a small piece and leaving his opponent in obvious pain. Remarkably, after a brief stoppage and medical assessment, the fight continued, but the drama was not over as, shortly afterwards, Tyson bit Holyfield again, this time on the other ear. With clear bite marks visible, officials halted proceedings while confusion and anger spread throughout the arena. Eventually, Tyson was disqualified, but the aftermath was nearly as chaotic as the fight itself. Objects were thrown, scuffles broke out, Tyson was fined and temporarily lost his boxing licence… and the event broke all home box office records. In this Sunday Special, exclusively for our 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴supporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ponder the strength of Holyfield’s ‘third arm’ headbutting; learn what a ‘stanchion’ is, and why spectators confused it for gunfire; and consider whether losing a part of your body in return for $35 million is worth forgiving… Further Reading: • ‘Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II: 'The Bite Fight' twenty years on’ (ESPN, 2017): https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/19755602/mike-tyson-evander-holyfield-ear-bite-twenty-years-on • ‘Tyson bites Holyfield: Boxing’s craziest fight turns 25’ (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2022): https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/boxing/the-bite-of-the-century-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-tyson-holyfield-ii-2598950/ • ‘Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield II’ (Showtime, 1997): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_bkDbpS-vw

    12 min
  3. The Real Pied Piper

    3d ago

    The Real Pied Piper

    What happened to the 130 children that went missing from the town of Hamlein, Lower Saxony on 26th June, 1284? According to legend, a vindictive ‘Pied Piper’ took revenge after the town had failed to stump up for his magical pest control services. But numerous sources corroborate that, fairy tales aside, the town’s children really did disappear.  An inscription on the facade of a timbered house in the city, dating back to 1602, commemorates the strange event, and notes the Piper's role in leading the children away (though it makes no mention of rats). And church records and stained glass windows depict a Piper leading away ghostly children.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly compare hypotheses on this centuries-old mystery; consider whether the kids were deliberately groomed to settle new communities; and reveal why the current-day Piper paraded for tourists is wearing the WRONG clothes… Further Reading: • ‘The grim truth behind the Pied Piper’ (BBC Travel, 2020): https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200902-the-grim-truth-behind-the-pied-piper • ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning’ (Poetry Foundation): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45818/the-pied-piper-of-hamelin • ‘Faerie Tale Theatreseries: The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ (Showtime, 1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg43OBEISY0 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

    12 min
  4. Introducing... The Fork

    4d ago

    Introducing... The Fork

    The fork had only recently received Royal approval in Britain when it was gifted to the Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, on 25th June, 1633. It took centuries for Americans to feel comfortable with this new way of eating, but in Italy it was already gaining ground, as Englishman Thomas Coryat observed in 1611, noting: "the Italian cannot by any means endure to have his dish touched with the fingers, seeing all men's fingers are not alike cleane. Herupon I myselft thought good to imitate the Italian fashion by this forked cutting of meate." In this episode, Rebecca, Arion and Olly consider how the Victorians conspired to make cutlery culturally exclusionary; review the American method of ‘cut and switch’; and wonder whether the early Fork Sceptics were right to question the wisdom of putting metal in their mouths...  Further Reading: • ‘Nearly 400 years later, the fork remains at the center of American dining controversy’, Quartz (2018):  https://qz.com/1313214/nearly-400-years-later-the-fork-remains-at-the-center-of-american-dining-controversy/ •‘The Rise of the Fork’, Slate (2012): http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2012/06/the_history_of_the_fork_when_we_started_using_forks_and_how_their_design_changed_over_time_.html?via=gdpr-consent •‘The History of the Fork’ by History of the Plate on YouTube (2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HCnFChptvI 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. #1600s #Inventions #Food #Royals #US #UK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    12 min
  5. Henry VIII's 'Ugly Wife'

    5d ago

    Henry VIII's 'Ugly Wife'

    Anne of Cleves was dumped by her profligate husband Henry VIII on 24th June, 1540, when she was summoned to Richmond Palace and asked to accept an annulment from her tyrannical spouse. In return for her compliance, she received substantial estates, including Richmond Palace itself, and Hever Castle, along with a generous income that made her one of the wealthiest women in England.  Henry granted her the title of "the King's Beloved Sister", placing her in a uniquely privileged position at court. Far from being exiled, she remained a respected figure, maintained good relations with Henry, and became particularly close to his daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Henry’s fourth marriage had been arranged for political reasons. And popular memory has long reduced Anne's story to being the "ugly wife" Henry found physically repellent at their first meeting. But the portrait painted by Hans Holbein the Younger (of which Henry initially approved) was almost certainly an accurate likeness, and perhaps in truth Henry and Anne were simply incompatible; Anne had been raised in a practical German court that valued piety and household management, while Henry fancied himself a Renaissance prince steeped in courtly romance.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider Anne’s relative good fortune (compared to the fate of some of Henry's other wives); review the relative physical condition of the two young lovebirds; and reveal why Anne may have believed, in spite of the evidence, that their marriage had been consummated…  Further Reading: • ‘Anne of Cleves: The Great Survivor | Hampton Court Palace’ (Historic Royal Palaces, 2026): https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/anne-of-cleves/ • ‘Was Anne Of Cleves Henry VIII's Most Successful Queen?’ (HistoryExtra, 2021): https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/anne-of-cleves-henry-viii-successful-queen-fourth-wife-tracy-borman/ • ‘What History Gets Wrong About Anne Boleyn | Timestamp’ (BBC, 2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC-4Ra4q17A #Tudor #Women #Royals #Wedding Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    13 min
  6. Bobbitt

    6d ago

    Bobbitt

    Lorena 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

    14 min
  7. I Invented The Donut 🍩

    Jun 22

    I Invented The Donut 🍩

    Sea 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

    13 min

  8. Jun 20 ·  Bonus • Subscribers Only

    EXTRA: Awarding The Dead

    What are Victoria Crosses worth these days? Have any women won one? And should recipients remain ‘un-cancellable’? Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss, in this week’s bonus bit, exclusively for our 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴supporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon. Thanks for supporting the show; you CERTAINLY deserve an honour!

    6 min
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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.

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