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Today In History with The Retrospectors

by The Retrospectors
HistoryTV & FilmFilm History

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Latest episodes

  • Aqua's Barbie Megahit

    October 26, 2026 · 12 min

    “Come on Barbie, let’s go party!” was adopted as a global mantra after Aqua’s catchy single ‘Barbie Girl’ reached number one on October 26th, 1997 in the UK - where it remains in the Top 20 bestselling singles of all time. Initially known…

  • 1,000 Songs In Your Pocket

    October 23, 2026 · 13 min

    When Steve Jobs took to the stage in Cupertino on 23rd October, 2001, he unveiled Apple’s first portable device: the iPod. As ever, his pitch was simple and on-point: "1,000 songs in your pocket." But the iPod wasn't Jobs’s creation. Its…

  • The Body in the Cellar

    October 22, 2026 · 12 min

    Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate the story of Dr. Hawley Crippen, convicted of murdering his wife, music hall performer Cora Crippen, on 22nd October, 1910. Cora’s corpse had been discovered in their Holloway cellar - but homoeopath…

  • Welcome To The Guggenheim

    October 21, 2026 · 12 min

    Frank Lloyd Wright’s extraordinary Guggenheim building finally flung open its doors on 21st October, 1959, after a gestation period of two decades - during which time both Wright, and Solomon Guggenheim himself, had died. The reaction was…

  • Australia's Most Iconic Building

    October 20, 2026 · 11 min

    The Sydney Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20th October, 1973, marking the start of a two-week festival of events in celebration of the audacious new building.  “I understand that its construction has not been totally…

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  • The Mother Teresa Phenomenon

    October 19, 2026 · 12 min

    The world’s most famous nun, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19th October, 2003, putting her on a fast-track to sainthood. (Normally, a would-be saint has to wait five years after death). A…

  • Crown The Concubine

    October 16, 2026 · 13 min

    Wu Zetian became China's first and only female Emperor on 16th October, 655 - cementing an extraordinary rise from Concubine to Secretary to Consort to Queen. On the day of her coronation in 690, a massive earthquake rocked China, a…

  • Journey To Monkey Island

    October 15, 2026 · 11 min

    The Secret of Monkey Island, one of the best loved video games of the point-and-click era, was released on the 15th October, 1990, without, it must be said, a great deal of fanfare. Inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at…

  • The First African-American Patents

    October 14, 2026 · 12 min

    Henry Blair, the only inventor ever denoted as a ‘colored man’ in the records of US Patent Office, received a patent for his invention of a mechanical corn planter on 14th October, 1834. For decades, it was believed this was the first…

  • Reviving Hebrew

    October 13, 2026 · 12 min

    On October 13th, 1881, the linguist and grammarian Eliezer Ben-Yehuda held what is thought to have been the first modern conversation in Hebrew with two friends at a Paris café. The conversation would have had some serious stumbling…

  • The First Oktoberfest

    October 12, 2026 · 12 min

    A grand, five-day bash to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, Munich’s first ‘Oktoberfest’ kicked off on October 12th, 1810, with an emphasis on horse races, folk costumes…

  • Killing Yugoslavia's King

    October 9, 2026 · 11 min

    King Alexander of Yugoslavia embarked on a state visit to France on 9th October, 1934 – and was shockingly shot dead by an assassin in the crowd, the aftermath of which was captured by newsreels. Yugoslavia was a fractured country; an…

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About the show

BEST DAILY SHOW (British Podcast Awards Nominee, 2026). Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann (Answer Me This!), Rebecca Messina (The Week Unwrapped) and Arion McNicoll (The Chaser). 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! Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.