Rerun: Chairman Mao Zedong swam in the Yangtze River on 25th July, 1966. Despite being in his Seventies, the leader was said by party propagandists (and hence every newspaper in China) to have set a world-record pace of nearly 15 km in 65 min. This piece of political theatre showed the world that the public face of the Chinese Communist party was in robust physical shape (despite reports in the West to the contrary), and reset Mao’s image in China after his disastrous ‘Great Leap Forward’ had claimed the lives of millions of people.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick the symbolism of this iconic event; explain how Mao leveraged the publicity to reconsolidate his power; and reveal what Mao got VERY wrong about sparrows… Further Reading:• ‘The Chairman's Historic Swim’ (TIME, 1999): http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054250,00.html• ‘Power of symbolism: The swim that changed Chinese history’ (SupChina, 2021): https://supchina.com/2021/07/14/power-of-symbolism-the-swim-that-changed-chinese-history/• ‘This photo triggered China’s Cultural Revolution’ (Vox, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXByOrRrO7c&feature=emb_ti‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday… … But 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴members get an additional full-length episode each Sunday! 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: Emma Corsham.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American professor Hiram Bingham "discovered" Machu Picchu on 24th July, 1911 - though he initially misidentified it as Vilcabamba, the last stronghold of the Inca civilization during the Spanish conquest.Unlike Vilcabamba, Machu Picchu was built at the peak of the Inca Empire's glory. Believed to have been a winter retreat for the Inca elite, its exact purpose remains a mystery due to that civilisation’s lack of written records. Situated 2,430 metres above sea level, the site features remarkable stone structures that have withstood earthquakes due to their precise construction without mortar. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Bingham got the funds to explore Peru so doggedly; consider whether Speilberg and Lucas were directly inspired by his escapades to create Indiana Jones; and explain how he went on to earn the nickname "The Flying Senator"...Further Reading:• ‘Who Discovered Machu Picchu?’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2009): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-discovered-machu-picchu-52654657/• ‘Hiram Bingham And The Rediscovery of Machu Picchu’ (HistoryExtra, 2023): https://www.historyextra.com/period/early-modern/machu-picchu-inca-city-history/• ‘Machu Picchu 101’ (National Geographic, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMa-Sm9H4kLove 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 ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s first ice cream cone - credited by thousands of thrilled visitors was said to have occurred at the St Louis World’s Fair, on July 23rd, 1904.What’s less clear is which of the fair’s vendors first concocted the viral treat: Charles E. Menches, Ernest Hamwi, Abe Doumar, Albert and Nick Kabbaz, Arnold Fornachou and David Avayou have all been touted as the inventor(s) of the first edible cone.In this episode, The Retrospectors investigate the pre-1904 claims to the creation; ponder why Oyster cones aren’t a more popular choice at Mr Whippy, and consider the hygienic monstrosity of the pre-cone ‘Penny Lick’... Further Reading:• ‘How the 1904 World’s Fair Showcased New American Foods’ (HISTORY, 2023): https://www.history.com/news/1904-st-louis-worlds-fair-new-american-foods• ‘Free Cone Day History: Who Invented Ice Cream Cones?’ (Time, 2016): https://time.com/4288576/ice-cream-cone-history/• ‘The History of Ice Cream | Food: Now and Then’ (NowThis, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53noEBeu9gQThis episode first premiered in 2023, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 100 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks! We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors 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 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happened to the ‘Lost Colony’ at Roanoke? It’s a mystery that’s intrigued American historians for centuries - and one that began on 22nd July, 1587, when the settlers, led by John White, first landed there; only to discover that a previous colony had been wiped out by hostile tribespeople.This new settlement, however, was under immense pressure to succeed - as it was financed by Sir Walter Raleigh, who needed to establish a permanent colony by 1591 to retain his charter from Queen Elizabeth. Yet, a few years later, White returned to find the colony abandoned, with the word "Croatoan" carved into a post. Where had they gone?In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate the theories offered up over the years; explain how the narrative of hostile natives skewed the data; and check out the "Dare Stones", claiming to be messages from Virginia Dare’s mother… Further Reading:• ‘The Lost Colony of Roanoke’ (Reader’s Digest, 1992):https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesAmericas/NorthColonial_English02.htm• ’The Roanoke Island Colony: Lost, and Found?’ (The New York Times, 2015): https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/science/the-roanoke-colonists-lost-and-found.html• ’The Colony of Roanoke’s Mysterious Disappearance | The UnXplained’ (History Channel, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sckzQiXapk8&t=13sLove 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 ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover the intriguing history behind the Snickers bar, originally known as Marathon in the UK until a name change in 1990. Explore the strategic branding decisions that sparked nostalgia and debate among chocolate lovers. Dive into the marketing evolution of Snickers, highlighting its clever ads that play on themes of masculinity and camaraderie. Learn about Frank Mars' curious naming choices and the cultural impact these iconic candy bars have had over time.

Rerun: Before the Ballot Act of 18th July, 1872, the British electorate were expected to declare their preferred candidate publicly at hustings, often under pressure from their employers and landlords, and plied with alcohol supplied by the politicians standing for election, in a process known as ‘soaking’.Over the years, alternatives had been put forward - including Jeremy Bentham’s concept of 1818, which involved a multitude of secret boxes with viewing windows - before the modern idea of private booths and a ballot box came to the fore. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and OIly explain why many voters saw secret ballots as sneaky and cowardly; explain how Australia beat Britain when it came to instituting voting in secret; and discover the teething problems experienced when Pontefract became the first town to test out the new process…Further Reading:• ‘Britain's first secret ballot’ (BBC News, 2015): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-31630588• ‘Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: Pontefract's secret ballot box’ (The Independent, 2015): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rhodri-marsden-s-interesting-objects-pontefract-s-secret-ballot-box-a114506.html• ‘What was the Secret Ballot? | The Ballot Act 1872’ (Royal Holloway University London, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M8Lix4FgUM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Punch Magazine published its first edition on 17th July, 1841. Subtitled ‘the London Charivari’, the weekly periodical aimed to carve a niche in the market with less crude and bawdy satire compared to its contemporaries. Its early days were challenging, with poor circulation and financial troubles. But, as it gained in popularity and influence, it contributed the modern use of the word "cartoon" to the English language - alongside some excellent examples of the form, thanks in large part to illustrator John Leech - before its downfall in the second half of the twentieth century.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Punch innovated the idea of the Christmas annual; explore how they gave big breaks to the likes of John Betjeman, Sylvia Plath, and P.G. Wodehouse; and discover Mohammed Al-Fayed’s attempts to turn the publication’s fortunes around… Further Reading:• ‘The first issue of Punch’ (History Today, 2016): https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/first-issue-punch• ‘About Punch Magazine’ (PUNCH Magazine Cartoon Archive): https://magazine.punch.co.uk/about/index• ’Punch Magazine’ (British Pathé, 1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACJhyygIxULove 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 ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16th, 1935.Park-O-Meter No. 1 was the brainchild Carl C. Magee, who’d moved to Oklahoma after being acquitted of manslaughter in New Mexico. Indignant opponents of his system considered paying for parking to be un-American, as it forced drivers to pay what amounted to a tax on their cars without due process of law.In this episode, The Retrospectors uncover the colourful past of another parking meter pioneer, Roger Babson; unpick the financial model still used by POM parking meters to this day; and get all hot-under-the-collar about penalty charges issued 90 years ago… Further Reading:• ‘16 July 1935: the world’s first parking meter is installed’ (MoneyWeek, 2014): https://moneyweek.com/329940/16-july-1935-the-worlds-first-parking-meter-is-installed• ‘Gravity Research Foundation Monument – Atlanta, Georgia’ (Atlas Obscura, 2016): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gravity-research-foundation-monument• ‘The im parking meter celebrates 87th anniversary’ (CBS Saturday Morning, 2022):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-tB03VCOrwThis episode first premiered in 2023, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 100 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks! We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/retrospectors 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 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ‘Great Stink’ - when the stench of untreated human and industrial waste was amplified by a particularly hot Summer - reached a peak on 15th July, 1858, when members of Parliament lead by Benjamin Disraeli rushed through an emergency cleanup bill, kickstarting a transformative revamp of London’s sewage system.Prior to this, waste from factories, slaughterhouses, and households accumulated on the capital’s riverbanks, creating a thick, malodorous crust. Most Londoners believed that bad air caused illness, rather than the poisoned water itself - a misunderstanding which initially led people to simply cover their noses to avoid the stench.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal the desperate methods attempted by MPs in order to prevent the stench from entering the Palace of Westminster; marvel at the architectural ambition of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, chief engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works; and explain why the ‘miasma theory’ had gone unchallenged for centuries… Further Reading:• ‘Too hot? In 1858 a heatwave turned London into a stinking sewer’ (BBC News, 2018): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45009749• ‘London's Great Stink’ (Historic UK): https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Londons-Great-Stink/• ‘Bazalgette: Saviour of the Great Stink’ (): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k8AnhNkN04Love 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 ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rerun: ‘Disco Demolition Night’, the brainchild of 24 year-old shock jock Steve Dahl, caused mass hysteria at Comiskey Park, Chicago on 12th July, 1979 - causing a pitch invasion that lead to 39 arrests.Intended as a promotional event for a Tigers vs White Sox doubleheader, attendees were lured with discounted admission if they turned up to the game armed with disco records to be blown up with powerful explosives; an intermission entertainment that has since been contextualised as a racist, homophobic book-burning.In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion examine why Chicago was caught in a rock/disco divide; revisit the club classics of 1979; and question the wisdom of sex on third base…Further Reading:• Broadcast footage from the night - from The Museum of Classic Chicago Television: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqDkBM9vxw8• ‘Disco Demolition: the night they tried to crush black music’ (The Guardian, 2019):https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/19/disco-demolition-the-night-they-tried-to-crush-black-music• ‘July 12, 1979: 'The Night Disco Died' — Or Didn't’ (NPR, 2016): https://www.npr.org/2016/07/16/485873750/july-12-1979-the-night-disco-died-or-didnt‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday… … But 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴members get an additional full-length episode each Sunday! 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: Emma Corsham.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.Image: By Eddie Wagner - Original publication: 1979, Chicago TribuneImmediate source: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/july-2016/the-night-disco-died/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72807463 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices