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The Retrospectors

What happened on this day in history? Curious moments curated each weekday (and Sundays)

13/02/2026

Today in history in 1988, the Calgary Winter Olympics began – and the stand-out stars of the event did not qualify for a medal.

The four-man Jamaican Bobsled team – who would later become (unreliably) immortalised in the Disney comedy ‘Cool Runnings’ – became a testament to the intersection of determination, investment, and sporting excellence.

12/02/2026

61 years ago today, Malcolm X came to .

The industrial suburb of Birmingham had recently gained a grim reputation as ‘the most racist town in Britain’, following a wave of immigration to the town and the toxic politics of the 1964 general election, in which Conservative candidate Peter Griffiths refused to condemn racist posters circulated by the far-right.

Having been refused entry to France, Malcolm X had been speaking at the LSE when he was invited by Avtar Singh Jouhl of the Indian Workers’ Association to come to Smethwick’s Marshall Street, a residential road which had become a flashpoint for informal housing segregation.

White residents shouted racist abuse at him.
He went to the Blue Gates pub, where a ‘colour bar’ restricted service to non-white customers. After being denied service, he remarked that Smethwick felt “worse than America”.

🎧 More in today's episode!

05/01/2026

Chill start to the year?
Summarising the Dreyfus Affair in ten minutes.

18/12/2025

Did you know... 'Miseltoe And Wine', which became Xmas No.1 today in history in 1988...
Had its premiere in an obscure Hans Christian Andersen musical?

20/11/2025

Microsoft OS is 40 today

17/11/2025

47 years ago today saw the bizarre, incoherent ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’. Despite CBS signing up the stars of the original movie - Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill - the plot swapped epic battles for a bizarre variety show filled with cameos from Harvey Korman, Bea Arthur, and Jefferson Starship.

The story revolves around Chewbacca’s family as celebrate “Life Day” on their home planet, Kashyyyk. George Lucas' initial vision was for a sombre, character-driven tale. But instead, it evolved into a chaotic blend of guest star sketches, dodgy green screens, and musical numbers. Lucas reportedly hated it so much he wished to destroy every copy with a sledgehammer.

Today, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why Fisher ended up singing a new song to the tune of John Williams’s Star Wars theme; consider how Disney attempted to scrub the memory of the Special from the Star Wars canon after acquiring Lucasfilm; and contemplate the wisdom of making Wookies - who speak an unintelligible language, with no subtitles - the stars of the show…

18/07/2025

Arion is back from Oz for a Summer holiday - so this week we took the opportunity to leave our microphones at home, and meet up in actual REAL LIFE.

(This photoset was taken at the beginning of the day; suffice to say we were worse-for-wear by sundown and had a DELIGHTFUL time thanks to you lovely listeners effectively paying for our lunch and drinks.)

Fun history fact of the day: we had fish and chips in a coaching inn which has existed on the present site since 1688 and was mentioned in The Spectator in August 1712.

04/12/2024

⏰ Can Arion summarise the early history of LIFE ON EARTH ... in just one minute?! 🦕

19/06/2024

Today is one of those very rare days that we tear back the page of our On This Day calendar from Waterstones to reveal... we have chosen the same event from history!

30/04/2024

🎉 Our 3RD BIRTHDAY is rapidly approaching - and, to celebrate, we're going to make a video Q&A! So...
❓WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK Arion, Rebecca, Olly and Producer Matt?
🔊Reply to this post and we'll add your question to the list!👇

04/02/2024

On this day: Exclusively for 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴supporters on Apple Podcasts and Patreon - Arion, Rebecca and Olly celebrate a significant day in gaming history: the debut of ‘The Sims’ on 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 language, Simlish.

Despite initial scepticism from publisher EA (due to the game’s perceived mundanity and lack of interest to boys) The Sims sold 8 million copies, and millions more in Extension Packs; and, beyond its success, was praised for its humour, soundtrack, and commitment to self-expression.

In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal how same-sex relationships have always been part of the Sims appeal; explain how the game’s sequels pulled off the ultimate in-game meta twist; and uncover how its predecessor Sim City evolved from conventional game design…

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