Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
The Fake Critic
Episode 605
Rerun. Eyebrows were raised when Dave Manning - a previously unknown film critic - was suddenly receiving star billing on Hollywood movie posters. He…
2 years, 5 months ago
How JFK Got His Purple Heart
Episode 604
It's rare to find a politician behaving as heroically as John F. Kennedy did on 2nd August, 1943. After his torpedo boat was exploded by a Japanese d…
2 years, 5 months ago
The First Michelin Guide
Episode 603
Andre and Edouard Michelin published their first Guide on 1st August, 1900. Now recognised as the gold standard in luxury restaurant reviews, the or…
2 years, 5 months ago
The Great Rum Debate
Episode 602
The Royal Navy were issued with their final daily ration of rum - ending a tradition of more than 300 years - on July 31, 1970. The day became known …
2 years, 5 months ago
When Zombies Came To Hollywood
Episode 600
Independent horror film ‘White Zombie’, starring Bela Lugosi, premiered in New York City’s Rivoli Theatre on July 28th, 1932. It marked the first tim…
2 years, 5 months ago
Raleigh's Tobacco Adventures
Episode 599
Rerun. Sir Walter Raleigh brought tobacco back to Britain from Virginia on 27th July 1586 - and, in so doing, triggered a craze for smoking, which at…
2 years, 5 months ago
Rembrandt's Money Troubles
Episode 598
Following a successful early career, Rembrandt van Rijn filed for ‘cessie van goede’ (insolvency) on July 26th, 1656. The poor management of his fina…
2 years, 5 months ago
Is it a Boat? Is it a Plane? No, it's Hovercraft
Episode 597
The Hovercraft SR-N1, piloted by Captain Peter Lamb, sailed from Calais to Dover on 25th July 1959, fifty years to the day after Louis Blériot made t…
2 years, 5 months ago
The Aussies Who Outswam The Soviets
Episode 596
The ‘Quietly Confident Quartet’ of Mark Tonelli (backstroke), Peter Evans (breaststroke), Mark Kerry (butterfly), and Neil Brooks (freestyle) won Gol…
2 years, 5 months ago
Herostratus: Burning Ambition
Episode 594
The fire that destroyed the second Temple of Artemis - one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world - was supposedly set on the day Alexander the Gr…
2 years, 5 months ago