What We Did Before | A History of Everyday Life

OG Podcasts - Exploring Human History

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. 5d ago ·  Video

    An Early Steam Vehicle, The Pope Mobile & The Mystery of the Leyland Ladies

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before petrol and electric cars took over our roads, inventors were experimenting with a very different kind of transport - steam-powered vehicles. In 1803, pioneering engineer Richard Trevithick built an extraordinary steam carriage capable of carrying passengers through London. But early road travel wasn't exactly comfortable - and Trevithick's revolutionary ideas didn't bring him the success you might expect. ⚡ In this episode, we visit the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland to explore some of the strangest stories from Britain's motoring history. We discover how early steam vehicles worked, investigate the mystery of the Leyland Ladies - the women who appeared in Leyland Motors' famous calendars but whose identities have largely been lost - and step inside a surviving Popemobile built for Pope John Paul II's 1982 visit to Britain. Visit the British Commercial Vehicle Museum: https://www.britishcommercialvehiclemuseum.com/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  2. Oct 5 ·  Video

    The Radium Girls: The Women Who Glowed in the Dark

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 In the early 20th century, radium was hailed as a wonder substance. Young women landed well-paid jobs painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials with it, even putting their brushes between their lips to keep a fine point. Years later, their teeth began falling out, their bones started disintegrating and the horrifying truth about radium emerged. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls. She tells the remarkable story of the women who took on the powerful companies that had employed them - fighting for justice even as many were seriously ill and dying. Their fight changed our understanding of radiation and helped shape protections for people working with radioactive materials. More than a century later, scientists are still studying the Radium Girls to understand the effects of radiation - with their story even helping inform research into how to protect astronauts travelling to Mars. Find Kate’s book here: https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credits: Las chicas del radio pintando - Leslie Cardew, Daily Herald Archive, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Amelia maggia 2 - Mlumbrox, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Undark luminous paint - TheBeSphereOfCourse, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1916; advert Wellcome L0016771 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1913; advert Wellcome L0016768 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  3. Trailer ·  Video

    Trailer: What We Did Before

    Send us Fan Mail 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 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. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Support the show

  4. Sep 27 ·  Video

    Before Stand Up Comedians: What Did Medieval People Find Funny?

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 What did Medieval people actually find funny? Very little record of Medieval comedy remains, but thanks to one 15th century priest we now have a rare glimpse into the life of a Minstrel and the types of jokes they would’ve told. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Dr James Wade, professor in English at Girton College at Cambridge and expert on the Middle Ages. His work has involved deciphering a manuscript written by Richard Heege, which has reshaped how we view Medieval culture. James even cracks out a few Medieval jokes - see which ones make you laugh! Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  5. Sep 21 ·  Video

    Before Workers’ Rights: White Phosphorus and The East End Matchwomen

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 The East End Matchwomen produced one of Victorian Britain’s most important everyday products - but the job could be deadly. In Victorian London, the East End was seen as the slums. High society looked down on the people who inhabited this part of the city - so the horrors that faced East End workers comes as no surprise. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Labour historian Dr Louise Raw, author of Striking a Light: The Bryant & May Matchwomen and Their Place in History.  Louise tells us about the terrible conditions these women faced - and how these so-called “uneducated” workers took the country by storm, starting a strike that rippled through Britain, helping to inspire the modern labour movement. Read Louise’s book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/striking-a-light-9781441114266/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credits: Matchboxes: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Skull with missing jaw: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Matchbox: Agnat, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  6. Sep 13 ·  Video

    Before Fire Brigades: The Strange History of Fighting Fires

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 Firefighting hasn’t always meant red engines and professional crews. For centuries, fighting fires was much more chaotic. Even by the outbreak of the Second World War, Britain still had more than a thousand separate local authority fire brigades. ⚡In this episode, curator of Fireground Museum in Rochdale, Bob Bonner, takes us on a tour through the history of firefighting, explaining how it evolved into the service we know today. From insurance fire brigades, to legendary figures like Alfred Tozer and the story of the unsung heroes of the Blitz. Visit Fireground Museum: https://www.fireground.org.uk/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image credit: James Braidwood Statue: Secret Pilgrim from England, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Gallet helmet: Triplerv, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  7. Sep 7 ·  Video

    Before Online Games: How “MUD” Gave Birth to a Whole New Generation of Gaming

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before World of Warcraft, RuneScape or even the internet as we know it, there was MUD - the world’s first multiplayer virtual world. Created in 1978 by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, it would help lay the foundations for an entirely new generation of gaming. Early online games were very different from the enormous commercial worlds we know today. There were no battle passes, cash shops or daily login rewards. Instead, their creators were experimenting with what a virtual world could actually be - and, crucially, what it could say about the real one. ⚡In this episode, MUD co-creator Richard Bartle takes us back to the very beginning of online gaming. We discover how MUD was created, what it was like to play, and how its ideas eventually gave rise to modern MMOs. And after almost 50 years watching the genre evolve, Richard explains what he thinks modern games have lost - and why today’s game designers “don’t have anything to say”. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

  8. Aug 30 ·  Video

    Before Religious Freedom: The Tragedy of the Guernsey Martyrs

    Send us Fan Mail 💬 Visit the site of a brutal moment in Guernsey history. At Tower Hill Steps three women faced religious persecution - and were burned alive at the stake. One of the women, Perotine Massey, was pregnant and gave birth in the flames. What happened next was horrific. This dark chapter of Guernsey’s history shows the grim realities of past religious conflicts. ⚡With Guernsey tour guide Korinne Le Page, we discuss why these “Guernsey martyrs” died and how societal beliefs have shifted over the centuries. Book a Tour with Korinne Le Page: https://guernseytourguide.co.uk/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 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 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. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Support the show

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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.

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