Beste The Retrospectors Podcasts (2025)

1
I Discovered Pluto 12:26

3h ago12:26

12:26

Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto - 84 years after star-spotters first began their hunt for a ninth planet in our solar system, the elusive ‘Planet X’ on 18th February 1930. The 24-year-old made the groundbreaking discovery at the Lowell Observatory, Arizona, just one week into a task that had mired other researchers for decades. That said, it was la…

1
Britain Goes To School 11:52

1d ago11:52

11:52

The 1870 Education Act was the first to deal specifically with the provision of British schools. Speaking in the House of Commons, William Edward Forster MP proposed: "I believe that the country demands from us that we should… cover the country with good schools, and get parents to send their children to those schools.” But there was opposition: fr…

1
The Night of 206 Stars 11:42

4d ago11:42

11:42

The Rockettes kicked off a celebrity line-up including Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minelli, Jimmy Stewart, Al Pacino and Miss Piggy at ‘The Night of 100 Stars’, a benefit for the Actors Fund of America recorded on 14th February, 1982 at Radio City Music Hall, New York. A night of sheer glitz and excess, the true tally of stars on-stage totalled 206 - bu…

1
The 500,000 Year-Old Spark Plug 12:13

5d ago12:13

12:13

The Coso Artifact - a man-made, cylindrical object apparently encased in a geode - was discovered by Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell while prospecting for gems in Olancha, California on February 13th, 1961. The OOPArt (or ‘out-of-place artifact’) caused a sensation amongst Creationists, Forteans and conspiracists, who believed it mig…

1
The Forbidden City's Final Emperor 13:07

6d ago13:07

13:07

Henry Puyi, the six-year old Emperor of China, abdicated the throne on 12th February, 1912 —but of course it was his adoptive mother, Empress Dowager Longyu, who did the paperwork. With tears in her eyes, she dramatically whispered, “I am the sinner of a thousand years.” Meanwhile, young Puyi had only pressing question: “Does that mean I don’t have…

1
The Monstrous Gerrymander 11:41

7d ago11:41

11:41

Elbridge Gerry, a founding father and governor of Massachusetts, rearranged the electoral districts of a map in order to give his Democratic Republican party an electoral advantage on 11th February 1812 Despite Gerry's other, more noble, contributions to American politics, this act of “gerrymandering” has brought him unintended infamy - though the …

1
Trouble at the Tavern 11:37

8d ago11:37

11:37

Violent ‘town versus gown’ confrontations have been part of Oxford life ever since the University was founded - but reached an ignominious peak on 10th February, 1355, when almost 100 people were massacred in what became known as the ‘St Scholastica’s Day Riot’. The killing spree began as a brawl in a bar. When a pair of students at the Swindlestoc…

1
Preventing Technological Surprise 11:50

11d ago11:50

11:50

Inventing the internet and pioneering satellite navigation, U.S. government agency DARPA has had an illustrious history since being founded by President Eisenhower (as the Advanced Research Projects Agency) on February 7th, 1958. Created in response to the Soviets launching Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, its mission, which continu…

1
Here Come The Minstrels 11:54

12d ago11:54

11:54

Blackface performers The Virginia Minstrels - replete with white clown mouths, oversized tailcoats, and bookended by tambourine and bones players - first appeared on 6th February, 1843, at the New York Bowery Amphitheatre. They were an instant hit, but it wasn’t the first time a blackface act had been making (white) crowds laugh. American minstrels…

1
Too Mad To Rule: King George III 13:03

13d ago13:03

13:03

George III’s mental incapacitation was formally recognised by Parliament on February 5th, 1811, when The Regency Act handed power to his son, the future George IV. Though George III had struggled with bouts of illness for decades, his periods of lucidity made it difficult to decide when, or even if, he should be replaced. He resisted the idea of ce…

1
Meet The Sims 12:16

14d ago12:16

12:16

The debut of ‘The Sims’ happened on this day, February 4th, 2000. Will Wright (‘Sim City’) developed an initial concept which revolved around architecture - but soon the Sims themselves proved to be the most captivating aspect of the gameplay. Unlike other avatars, The Sims lived full lives with jobs, hobbies, relationships, and even their own lang…

1
Who Killed Belle Starr? 12:07

15d ago12:07

12:07

The women of the Wild West mostly spent their lives laundering men’s clothes, bringing up children, and avoiding getting caught in the crossfire - but that didn’t stop a legend forming around them; not least dime novel heroine and ‘Bandit Queen’ Belle Starr, who was murdered on 3rd February, 1889. The ‘outlaw’ was riding home, two days before her 4…

1
Chimps In Space! 12:07

18d ago12:07

12:07

Before Yuri Gagarin, before Alan Shepard… a chimp called Ham was blasted into space for six-and-a-half minutes of weightlessness on 31st January, 1961. He successfully returned to Earth without serious physical injury, albeit over 100 miles away from NASA’s intended splashdown location. Travelling at 5,857 m.p.h, Ham was seated in a special chair c…

1
Hannah Hauxwell: Britain's First Reality Star 11:32

19d ago11:32

11:32

Running a remote Yorkshire farm, with no flushing toilet and no electricity is an unlikely route to TV stardom, but 46 year-old spinster Hannah Hauxwell managed it on 30th January, 1973, when ITV aired the landmark documentary ‘Too Long A Winter’. Speaking lyrically about her singlehood, how she braved the bitter Winter, and how she survived on a g…

1
The First Burns Supper 12:31

20d ago12:31

12:31

When fans of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, suggested holding an annual dinner to mark his birthday, they probably didn’t realise a) it would still be happening over 200 years later; and b) they got the wrong date. Yet, even though Burns was born on January 25th, the first ever Burns Supper was celebrated on January 29th, 1802, just a few …

1
The Search For Pancho Villa 12:13

21d ago12:13

12:13

General John J. Pershing’s mission to capture the guerrilla leader Pancho Villa in Mexico was quietly withdrawn on 28th January, 1917 Initiated in response to Villa's cross-border raid on Columbus, New Mexico, the mission was ordered by President Woodrow Wilson but proved embarrassing and ineffective for the U.S, Army, with Villa remarking that Per…

1
The Ancients v The Moderns 11:57

22d ago11:57

11:57

Modern art was controversially celebrated on 27th January, 1687, when Charles Perrault read his poem ‘The Century of Louis The Great’ at the Académie Française - railing against the prevailing wisdom that believed literature should follow the strict classical templates laid down by the likes of Homer and Aristotle. The subsequent debate between riv…

1
Henry VIII's Head Injury 11:56

25d ago11:56

11:56

Henry VIII is typically remembered as he was at the end of his life - weighing in at a colossal 28 stone, with ulcerated legs, failing eyesight and an explosive temper. But, prior to the jousting accident he suffered 24th January, 1536, history had recorded him as merry, affable and physically attractive. Jousting was his favourite sport, but after…

1
Rock N Roll's Big Night 12:08

26d ago12:08

12:08

The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame welcomed its first inductees in a star-studded event at the Waldorf Astoria, New York on 23rd January, 1986. But the ceremony was not the glamorous HBO spectacular we have come to expect today: the audience was mostly music executives, and it was not filmed for television. Conceived by Atlantic Records chairman Ahmet …

1
Here Come The Swiss Guards 12:12

27d ago12:12

12:12

With their colourful uniforms and pomp, the Vatican’s iconic Swiss Guards might seem more decorative than dangerous today - but their origin is far from ornamental. On January 22nd, 1506, 150 elite Swiss mercenaries marched into the City, and were blessed by ‘Warrior Pope’ Julius II at sunset to protect the Pope during a tumultuous era of political…

1
The DeLorean Dream 12:24

28d ago12:24

12:24

The iconic DeLorean DMC-12 rolled off the production line in Belfast on 21st January, 1981. Priced at $25,000, the stainless steel gullwing sportscar was marketed as a luxury item, but its actual features fell short of the hype. The DeLorean Motor Company faced financial troubles, and had ceased production within just two years. But the car found i…

1
Ozzy vs. Bat 11:39

29d ago11:39

11:39

Ozzy Osbourne orally decapitated a bat live on stage in Des Moines, Iowa on 20th January, 1982; an act that quickly went down as one of the most outrageous moments in rock n roll history. Concertgoer Mark Neal, 17, said the bat was dead long before he threw it on stage. But this was not Osbourne’s first offence: he had previously shocked attendees …

1
Conflict of Interest: Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction 45:47

1M ago45:47

45:47

We all know you’re here because you - like us, are a bona fide history nerd, so here's a little something from the producers of this podcast; a brand new series of Conflict Of Interest with the Imperial War Museum. We think you're going to love it How have artists, filmmakers and photographers shaped our understanding of wars and conflict? Journali…

1
Rebooting 'The Rivals' 11:39

1M ago11:39

11:39

The first night of Richard Sheridan’s classic comedy ‘The Rivals’ did not go according to plan. Critics thought it was too long, the Irish gentry in the audience were insulted, and an actor was pelted with rotten fruit. It closed after one performance on 17th January, 1775. But then… after eleven days of rewrites, recasting and edits (a process She…

1
Meet Don Quixote 12:06

1M ago12:06

12:06

Prior to the release of his book Don Quixote on 16th January, 1605, Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes had previously been a soldier, a royal messenger, a tax collector and – for a spell – a slave. But perseverance paid off for the aspiring author who, at the age of 57, produced a book that has been called “the greatest piece of literature ever wri…

Podcasts, die es wert sind, gehört zu werden

The Retrospectors Podcasts

Podcasts, die es wert sind, gehört zu werden

1
Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

1
I Discovered Pluto 12:26

1
Britain Goes To School 11:52

1
The Night of 206 Stars 11:42

1
The 500,000 Year-Old Spark Plug 12:13

1
The Forbidden City's Final Emperor 13:07

1
The Monstrous Gerrymander 11:41

1
Trouble at the Tavern 11:37

1
Preventing Technological Surprise 11:50

1
Here Come The Minstrels 11:54

1
Too Mad To Rule: King George III 13:03

1
Meet The Sims 12:16

1
Who Killed Belle Starr? 12:07

1
Chimps In Space! 12:07

1
Hannah Hauxwell: Britain's First Reality Star 11:32

1
The First Burns Supper 12:31

1
The Search For Pancho Villa 12:13

1
The Ancients v The Moderns 11:57

1
Henry VIII's Head Injury 11:56

1
Rock N Roll's Big Night 12:08

1
Here Come The Swiss Guards 12:12

1
The DeLorean Dream 12:24

1
Ozzy vs. Bat 11:39

1
Conflict of Interest: Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction 45:47

1
Rebooting 'The Rivals' 11:39

1
Meet Don Quixote 12:06

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