Today In History with The Retrospectors Podcast Por The Retrospectors arte de portada

Today In History with The Retrospectors

Today In History with The Retrospectors

De: The Retrospectors
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Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll. 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! Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee). Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.Olly Mann / Rethink Audio Ltd Arte Ciencias Sociales Mundial
Episodios
  • I'm Betty Ford, And I'm An Alcoholic

    I'm Betty Ford, And I'm An Alcoholic
    Apr 7 2026
    Former First Lady Betty Ford quietly marked what she would later call her “sobriety birthday” on 7 April 1978: a deeply personal victory following years of dependence on prescription medication and alcohol. Though the milestone itself was private, it came just days after a profoundly difficult family intervention at her home in Rancho Mirage, where her husband, former President Gerald Ford, and their children confronted her with the toll her addiction had taken. Initially shocked and defensive, she ultimately recognised the truth in what they said, and within a week resolved to give up the substances that had come to dominate her life. Ford’s addiction had developed in ways that were, at the time, neither unusual nor widely questioned among affluent Americans: prescribed painkillers for a pinched nerve and managing chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, alongside regular social drinking. Yet the cumulative effect - slurred speech, diminished public performance, and emotional distance - became impossible for her family to ignore. What distinguished Betty Ford, however, was the candour with which she addressed her struggles. After entering a naval rehabilitation facility in California, she publicly disclosed not only her dependence on medication but also her alcoholism; an extraordinary admission at a time when addiction carried intense stigma, particularly among public figures. This openness echoed her earlier willingness to speak frankly on controversial issues, including women’s rights, abortion, and her own breast cancer diagnosis, helping to redefine expectations of what a First Lady could say and do. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick the profound cultural impact of her decision to go public; explain how she channeled that momentum into the foundation of the Betty Ford Center in California; and discover how her surprisingly rebellious, modern image marks her out amongst Republican figures of the 70s… Further Reading: • ‘New Memoir Recalls How First Lady Betty Ford Found Her Calling’ (Town and Country, 2025): https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a63236806/when-betty-ford-shared-addiction-struggles-bob-barrett-book/ • ‘The Times Obituary: Betty Ford’ (The Times, 2011): https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/the-times-obituary-betty-ford-g3ft06076qw • ‘Tour the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California’ (Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omvwYwYMegI #Celebrity #Person #US #70s Love 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 ❤️ 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 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    14 m
  • The Surprising History of Post-Its

    The Surprising History of Post-Its
    Apr 6 2026
    3M scientist Spencer Silver created the adhesive that makes Post-It Notes sticky back in 1968 - but it wasn’t until 6th April, 1980 that the stationery product we all know and love was first released to consumers, in a promotional effort the company termed ‘The Boiasie Blitz’. The problem? His "invention" wasn’t what his company wanted. Rather than strong, industrial-grade glue, Silver had accidentally made the opposite—an adhesive that was weirdly weak but could be stuck and removed multiple times. A "solution without a problem," as he put it. Fast forward to 1974, and fellow 3M scientist Art Fry had a eureka moment while struggling with loose bookmarks in his church hymnal… In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how a mass giveaway was the key to unlocking the viral marketing power of this ‘self-advertising’ product; discover why the notes’ now-iconic yellow colour came about; and discover an out-of-court settlement that arguably casts some doubt on the product’s remarkable origin story… Further Reading: • ‘The Invention of the Post-it® Note’ (National Inventors Hall of Fame): https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/who-invented-post-it-notes#:~:text=At%20first%2C%20the%20reception%20was,launched%20across%20the%20United%20States. • ‘The ‘hallelujah moment’ behind the invention of the Post-it note’ (CNN Business, 2013): https://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/04/tech/post-it-note-history/index.html • ‘Fun With Sticky Post-It Notes’ (CBS, 2008): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYPjdfPlOjE Love 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 ❤️ 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 2026. #Inventions #Discoveries #Business #80s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 m
  • The First Motorbike

    The First Motorbike
    Apr 3 2026
    Gottlieb Daimler's patent for his high-speed petrol engine (dubbed the "Grandfather Clock") on 3rd April, 1885, wasn't just a technological breakthrough—it inadvertently birthed the motorbike. Teaming up with Wilhelm Maybach, the duo had crafted a compact engine featuring float-metered carburetors and mushroom intake valves, all powered by hot tube ignition. This engine found its way into their first vehicle prototype, the Petroleum Riding Car, which bore little resemblance to today's motorcycles but represented a pioneering step towards motorised transportation. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how it was not Daimler, but his son, Paul, who became the first-ever motorbiker; consider the steam-powered predecessors that could potentially lay claim to inventing the motorbike; and explain how Daimler took what he’d learned from these experiences to establish Mercedes… Further Reading: • ‘An Overview of the Motorcycle's History’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-motorcycle-1992151 • ‘History Channel’ (Motoring World, 2017): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Motoring_World/Pt0xDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Daimler+Reitwagen&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover • ‘The riding car – a Daimler patent’ (Mercedes-Benz TV, 2010): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Tvuya6otc We'll be back on Monday - unless you join CLUB RETROSPECTORS, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, 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: Ollie Peart.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026. This episode originally aired in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 m
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