In New York City on 8th January, 2007, an unexplained pervasive egg smell was reported.

Baffled authorities scrambled to try to work out whether it had been caused by a gas leak, a chemical spill, a terrorist attack or something else entirely.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly open (and close) their own investigation into the case; consider other major malodorous outbreaks in Manhattan, including the 2005 Maple Syrup Event; and reveal the best and worst smelling cities in the world…

Further Reading:

• ‘New York’s mystery odor harks to earlier smell’ (NBC News, 2007): https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15587330

• ‘The Smelliest Cities on the Planet’ (GQ, 2012): https://www.gq.com/gallery/smelliest-cities-best-worst-smelling-city-gq

• ‘Why Does New York City Smell So Bad? - Cheddar Explains’ (Cheddar, 2020): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrSSUGCaVMc

This 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!

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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.

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