Today In History with The Retrospectors

England’s Puritan Parliament attempted to purge Christmas of Catholic influences on 19th December, 1644, by passing The Ordinance for the Better Observation of the Monthly Fast, an attempt in the legislature to solemnise the day and prevent the public from indulging in carnal and sensual delights. Essentially: to ban Christmas.The enforcement of these measures led to numerous conflicts, including the Plum Pudding Riot of 1647, when 10,000 men in Kent signed a petition declaring they would rather see the King back on his throne than forego Christmas celebrations - a message future ‘Merry Monarch’ Charles II certainly noticed…In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the complexities of anti-anti-Christmas vandalism; explain why a calendar clash in 1644 persauded the Puritans to legislate; and imagine a world in which ‘Second Tuesday of the Month Day’ were celebrated with the gusto of December 25th…Further Reading:• ‘When Christmas carols were banned’ (BBC Culture, 2014): https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141219-when-christmas-carols-were-banned• ‘Did Oliver Cromwell Really Ban Christmas?’ (HistoryExtra, 2021): https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/no-christmas-under-cromwell-the-puritan-assault-on-christmas-during-the-1640s-and-1650s/?ref=planksip.org• ‘Why Was Christmas Banned?’ (The Guardian, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsFYm796digLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The premiere of Tchaikovsky’s seminal ballet ‘The Nutcracker’, on 18th December, 1892, at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg. It was NOT a hit.The composer, who thought the Alexander Dumas source material was slight and childish, only agreed to write the piece if it was shown in a double-bill with his opera, ‘Iolanta’. He certainly didn’t want to repeat the critical failure of his earlier work: a certain ‘Swan Lake’.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how a trip to Paris inspired one of ballet’s most famous moments; check out some of the reviews of the day, when body-shaming ballerinas was evidently not discouraged; and explain how Czar Alexander was (literally) catered for in the stage directions… Further Reading:• "The Nutcracker's" disturbing origin story: Why this was once the world's creepiest ballet’ (Salon, 2014): https://www.salon.com/2014/12/24/the_nutcrackers_disturbing_origin_story_why_this_was_once_the_worlds_creepiest_ballet/• ‘Sweet holiday staple 'The Nutcracker' may be darker than you think’ (The Washington Post, 2022): https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/11/25/nutcracker-history-russian-imperialism/• ‘Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Nina Kaptsova - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ (2010): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz_f9B4pPtgThis episode first premiered in 2022, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast discusses the making of the Spice Girls movie 'Spice World' and its unique vision. They explore the portrayal of the Spice Girls in the film and the inclusion of cameo roles by celebrities. They also discuss the unapologetically British nature of the movie and its nostalgic appeal, contrasting it with the complexities of the present day.

Rerun: When George W Bush flew to Baghdad for a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on 14th December, 2008, he had hoped the headlines would reflect his triumphant appraisal of his deployment of American troops. Instead, it became known as the day he got some shoes thrown at him.The man throwing the shoes was Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who yelled in Arabic: “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, dog!”. The president ducked, and Zaidi let his other shoe fly. “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!”. Bush ducked that one too.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the episode inspired a brief moment of Zaidi-Mania in the Arab world, including various offers of marriage; reflect on the torture he endured as a result of his protest; and investigate the copycat attacks around the world… Further Reading:• ‘Raw Video: Iraqi Journalist Throws Shoe at Bush’ (AP, 2008): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM3Z_Kskl_U• ‘Why I threw the shoe, by Muntazer al-Zaidi’ (The Guardian, 2009): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/sep/17/why-i-threw-shoe-bush• ‘The Iraqi Journalist Who Threw His Shoes at George W. Bush Has Thoughts About Milkshaking’ (Mother Jones, 2019): https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/06/the-iraqi-journalist-who-threw-his-shoes-at-george-w-bush-has-thoughts-about-milkshaking/‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Every Thursday is 'Throwback Thursday' on Today in History with the Retrospectors: running one repeat per week means we can keep up the quality of our independent podcast. Daily shows like this require a lot of work! But as ever we'll have something new for you tomorrow, so follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/RetrospectorsLove the show? Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content 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: Emma Corsham.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The undisputed viral hit of Christmas 1852 was the country dance ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’, still taught to children today. On 13th December, 1852, the craze was seen at a party in Ipswich, where it was declared “one of the most mirth-inspiring dances which can ever be well imagined”.The song was performed at the Palace and taught to the gentry but, within a few years, had gained a reputation as an irritating earworm beloved by the poor and illiterate. How did this plummet from posh society come about? And to what do its famous lyrics, ‘half a pound of tuppeny rice / half a bag of treacle’ actually refer?In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly attempt to unpick the song’s meaning; discover what Humpty Dumpty was doing atop his famous wall; and reveal how The Eagle on City Road still cashes in on their nursery rhyme celebrity… Further Reading:• ‘London Has A Pub From A Nursery Rhyme’ (Londonist, 2022): https://londonist.com/london/food-and-drink/london-has-a-pub-from-a-nursery-rhyme• ‘Pop Goes the Weasel - The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes, By Albert Jack’ (Penguin, 2010): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pop_Goes_the_Weasel/BoidGaGcDPwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=pop+goes+the+weasel&printsec=frontcover• ‘Pop! Goes The Weasel | Rhymes in Time’ (The Museum of London, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbP7d2j6SQLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inspired by a dream, Prince Charles of Provence ordered an excavation that uncovered a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of Mary Magdalene on 12th December, 1279. The evidence presented included a papyrus note, a sweet rose fragrance filling the air, a wax-covered tablet proclaiming Mary's identity, and even a piece of skin where Jesus supposedly touched her after his resurrection. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly investigate how and why Mary may have ended up in France in the first place; recall the bout of ‘Magdalene mania’ that gripped the mediaeval world; and explain why, for centuries, people said she was a sex worker… Further Reading:• ‘How Early Church Leaders Downplayed Mary Magdalene's Influence’ (HISTORY, 2019): https://www.history.com/news/mary-magdalene-jesus-wife-prostitute-saint• ‘The Skull and Bones of Mary Magdalene’ (Atlas Obscura, 2013): https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/marys-house-in-provence• ‘Relics of St. Mary Magdalene in the Basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Saint-Baume, France’ (Pierre Repooc Productions, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO8MQzApXvELove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this day we recall the Police operation to ensnare prolific conman Victor Lustig. The ‘Catch Me If You Can’-style manhunt intensified on 11th December, 1928, when Lustig made the mistake of robbing $16,000 from Massachusetts businessman Thomas Kearns, thereby triggering a chase that eventually saw Lustig sent to Alcatraz.Prior to this, he’d scarcely ever tripped up: scamming everyone from county fair audiences to notorious gangster Al Capone. He gambled, he swindled, he fixed sporting odds. But his most audacious sting was his plan to ‘sell’ the Eiffel Tower. Twice.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look inside Lustig’s ingenious ‘Romanian Box’; explain why his ‘marks’ weren’t just big dolts being duped, but carefully selected victims; and recall how, even when imprisoned, Lustig was ready to outsmart the authorities…Further Reading:• ‘The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice.’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2016): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/man-who-sold-eiffel-tower-twice-180958370/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCount%E2%80%9D%20Victor%20Lustig%2C%2046%20years%20old%20at%20the,in%20an%20audacious%20confidence%20game%E2%80%94not%20once%2C%20but%20twice.• ‘Victor Lustig - The Man Who Conned the World, By Christopher Sandford’ (History Press, 2021): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Victor_Lustig/jXEyEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=victor+lustig+eiffel&printsec=frontcover• ‘What Did Count Victor Lustig Do To The Eiffel Tower?’ (QI, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAN-YqM0ZO4This episode first premiered in 2022, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explore the Duke of Norfolk's misguided suggestion of using curry powder soup to solve the Irish potato famine. Learn about Britain's indifferent response to the famine, including the cruel actions of individuals like Charles Trevellian. Delve into the ineffective measures taken by the British Prime Minister and the devastating consequences of the famine.

Rerun: Oscar-winning conductor André Previn was an unlikely choice of celebrity guest for the Christmas special of ‘The Morcambe and Wise Show’ recorded on 7th December, 1971 - but the 13-minute sketch they taped together remains one of Britain’s all-time favourites.The music hall-style caper - which revolves around a comically catastrophic interpretation of Grieg’s Piano Concerto - was actually a reversion of a sketch Eric and Ernie had performed at least twice before, but never with a guest performer.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Mia Farrow helped Previn nail his role in this iconic skit; explore whether the duo’s comic schtick was truly as ‘classless’ as is often claimed; and reflect on whether ‘Mr Preview’ really knew what he was letting himself in for…Further Reading:• André Previn on ‘The Morcambe and Wise Show’ (BBC, 1971): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xds7am• 'Make any fool of me you like, but I won’t have you make fun of the music’ - André Previn at 80 (Classic FM, 2018): https://www.classicfm.com/artists/andre-previn/guides/andre-previn-80/• ‘The Prelude of Mr Preview: How André Previn won over Morecambe & Wise’ (British Comedy Guide, 2020): https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/andre-previn-prelude-preview/‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Every Thursday is 'Throwback Thursday' on Today in History with the Retrospectors: running one repeat per week means we can keep up the quality of our independent podcast. Daily shows like this require a lot of work! But as ever we'll have something new for you tomorrow, so follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/RetrospectorsLove the show? Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content 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: Emma Corsham.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

St Nicholas was a Greek bishop, known for his generosity. But he didn’t have a beard, and he didn’t drive a sleigh - so how did he morph into the Santa Claus the world knows and loves? The supposed date of his death - 3rd December, 343 - may have a lot to do with it…Then there’s the miracles. In the most famous story associated with St Nick, he anonymously leaves some gold coins in the house of a poor family to give the daughters a dowry and swerve them away from sex work, which is how he became the patron saint of pawnbrokers and prostitutes. Ho Ho Ho!In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how this austere-looking bald man from Turkey merged with the European traditions of Father Christmas; consider why the spread of Protestantism curiously helped St Nick stick out from his saintly brethren; and explain why his leaky corpse has a lot to answer for…  Further Reading:• ‘The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus’ (National Geographic, 2018): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas?loggedin=true&rnd=1699449547934• ‘Saint Nicholas’ (The Guardian, 2004): https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/dec/24/christmas.religion• ‘The Real Saint Nick Is a Far Cry From the Santa We Know’ (NBC Nightly News, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP5K0msxIqgLove the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 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/RetrospectorsThe 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 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices