President William Howard Taft became the first Commander-in-Chief to throw the ceremonial first pitch on 14th April, 1910.

Taft's participation cemented baseball as the quintessential American sport, in a period when it was still shedding its dodgy image.

The game’s enduring popularity ensured that the tradition persisted for over a century, with each president adding their unique flair to the ritual - though it has faced challenges, including presidents being booed by crowds and political statements made during the ceremonial pitch.

In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal which presidents have passed on the opportunity to participate, which have prepared extra-hard for their big sporting moment, and which UK Prime Minister turned down the opportunity to have a go himself…

Further Reading:

‘How the first pitch became baseball's Opening Day tradition’ (National Geographic): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/first-pitch-baseball-opening-day-tradition

‘Taft becomes first U.S. president to throw out first pitch at MLB game’ (HISTORY, 2021): https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/historic-baseball-pitches-presidents

‘Presidential First Pitches’ (Richard S. Dargan, 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB7ualOQTh0

This episode first premiered in 2024, for members of 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴 - where you can also DITCH THE ADS and get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 100 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 2025.

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The Stone of Scone, an oblong block of red sandstone used for centuries in the coronation of British monarchs, was recovered by Police on April 11th, 1951; three and a half months after its removal from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day.

Four Scottish students from the University of Glasgow (Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart) stole the stone in the hope it could boost interest in Scottish nationalism. Instead, it seemed to provoke a national discussion about where the stone - which they’d accidentally split in two before bungling it into their Ford Anglia - should now reside.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly decode the religious myths surrounding this ‘stone of destiny’; explain why Charles III *will* want it to ‘groan’ when he sits on it; and reveal the ingenious way the authorities tracked the stone up to Arbroath… 

Further Reading:

• ‘Theft of the Stone of Scone’ (The Guardian, 2007): https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/dec/29/featuresreviews.guardianreview

• ‘The students who stole the Stone of Destiny’ (BBC News): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-63130942

• ‘Coronation Stone of Scone discovered in Scotland’ (Gaumont, 1951): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ni0XrAmtA

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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 2025.

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The foundations of modern copyright law were laid on 10th April 1710, when the Statute of Anne came into effect. Before the Act, anyone could copy and sell books without giving a penny to the author; now, writers would be protected from being completely exploited by (British) publishers for an initial period of 14 years.

Writers like Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe had earned respect as professionals, pushing for more control over their own work, and leading to a shift away from the Stationers’ Company—a powerful guild that previously held a monopoly over publishing and censorship.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore how later writers like William Wordsworth would campaign for longer copyright duration; revisit the milestones that allowed the law to be applied to other creative endeavours, such as music and film; and reveal why you won’t be hearing Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in many adverts for a few years yet…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Statute of Anne’ (British Parliament, 1710): https://ipmall.law.unh.edu/sites/default/files/hosted_resources/lipa/copyrights/Statute%20of%20Anne%20_1710_.pdf

• ‘Whose line is it anyway?’ (The Sunday Times, 2012):  https://www.thetimes.com/article/7c5efe43-97d5-4d9f-b53f-5444bca12a2a

• ‘IP BASICS: What is Intellectual Property?’ (Intellectual Property Office UK, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYiXTKbdNr4

#Publishing #1700s #UK #Legal

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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

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The only sitting U.S. president to ever be arrested was Ulysses S. Grant, who was busted THREE TIMES for the same crime: speeding. The first was 9th April, 1886, when he tore through Washington, D.C. in a horse-drawn buggy. General Grant scoffed at the idea of getting arrested and simply rode off: the 1860s version of flipping the bird.

Grant’s love for fast horses wasn’t just a reckless hobby—it was part of his identity. Even at West Point, he was known more for his exceptional riding skills than his military prowess, and his ability to charge fearlessly into battle on horseback had made him an unstoppable force in the Civil War, leading the Union Army to victory. But back in peacetime D.C., his speed-demon tendencies weren’t quite as heroic. The streets were packed with pedestrians, and reckless buggies had already caused serious injuries, so law enforcement was cracking down.

Just three months later, he was caught speeding again. This time, he played it cool, paid the fine, and didn’t cause a scene. But the real kicker came in 1872, when Grant—now a sitting U.S. president—was arrested yet again. This time, the officer in question was William West, a Black Civil War veteran turned policeman. The encounter was almost poetic: a president known for fighting for African American rights being held accountable by a Black officer who had once fought for the Union.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly review the veracity of Officer West’s account, given it wasn’t published for many decades; consider why twenty women reportedly turned up to court the next day to testify against the President’s mates; and reveal how the arrests were reported very differently in the South…

Further Reading:

• ‘Has a U.S. President Ever Been Arrested Before? | When Ulysses S. Grant Was Arrested for Speeding’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2023): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-president-ulysses-s-grant-was-arrested-for-speeding-in-a-horse-drawn-carriage-180981916/

• ‘Was General Grant Arrested for Speeding in Washington, D.C.?’ (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/was-general-grant-arrested-for-speeding-in-washington-d-c.htm

• ‘Civil War Hero: Ulysses S. Grant was a Horse Whisperer?! | Told By Macey Hensley | History at Home’ (History, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOj0qUGpksg

#Funny #Black #Crime #1800s

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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

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The most famous armless statue of all time, ‘Venus de Milo’ was discovered by a farmer on the Aegean island of Milos on 8th April, 1829, sparking an international bidding war that saw her eventually donated to the Louvre by Louis XVIII.

The French had a particular interest in snapping up a new ancient treasure, having been forced to return many priceless artefacts to their original nations following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal the statue’s original blingtastic paintwork; explain why Louis XVIII’s obesity delayed its arrival in Paris; and ask what actually happened to Venus’s arms…

Image: https://flickr.com/photos/sey_alg9/

Further Reading:

• ‘Venus de Milo: The Most Famous Armless Statue in the World’ (HowStuffWorks, 2020): https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/venus-de-milo.htm

• ‘How a peasant farmer found the Venus de Milo’ (The National, 2020): https://www.thenational.scot/news/18365077.peasant-farmer-found-venus-de-milo/

• ‘The conspiracy behind this famous statue’ (VOX, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs1VWuQEd7Y

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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 2025.

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George Michael and Andew Ridgely, aka British duo Wham!, became the first Western group to play a gig in Communist China on 7th April, 1985.

The event, staged at the People's Gymnasium in Beijing, was primarily a strategic move aimed at breaking the band in the United States; the brainchild of the band’s managers, Gordon Jazz Summer and Simon Napier Bell, who embarked on a series of hotel lunches with Chinese officials, gradually unveiling the proposal for Wham!'s performance.

The logistical challenges were immense - requiring a jumbo jet solely dedicated to transporting equipment for the concert, and securing funding for an accompanying film from CBS.

In this episode, The Retrospectors consider how the atmosphere was tempered by police presence and cultural sensitivities; reveal just why it was that the audience knew all the songs, even though they’d never heard of the band when they’d purchased their tickets; and discover how NOT to get a clap-along going during ‘Club Tropicana’...

Further Reading:

• ‘Wham! Play China’ (MOJO Magazine, 2023): https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/wham-play-china/

• ‘When China met Wham!’ (CBC Radio, 2015): https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.3028194/when-china-met-wham-thirty-years-ago-the-band-staged-first-western-pop-concert-1.3028466

• ’Wham! In China: Foreign Skies’ (Lindsahy Anderson, 1985): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG5flQd5ETI

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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 2025.

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Gerald Holtom’s CND symbol, known internationally as the ‘peace’ symbol, made its debut at a protest march by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament on 4th April, 1958. 

The march went from London to Aldermaston, where Britain’s nuclear weapons were and still are manufactured. Five hundred cardboard ‘lollipop sticks’ displaying the logo were produced - and it’s since scarcely been out of circulation as an anti-establishment plea for peace around the world.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly question whether Goya helped influence Holton’s iconic design; reveal how author J.B. Priestley had fermented the protests on this day; and consider the International Shoe Corporation’s dubious claim to the patent … 

Further Reading:

• ‘The Peace Symbol: Beginnings and Evolution’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): https://www.thoughtco.com/the-peace-symbol-1779351#

• ‘He gave his unforgettable work for nothing. Shouldn't the designer of the peace symbol be commemorated?’ (The Guardian, 2015): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/28/shouldnt-british-designer-gerard-holtom-of-peace-symbol-be-commemorated-paris-attacks

• ‘Walter Wolfgang: 'why I marched to Aldermaston in 1958' (CND, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLqBUws7R8E

#50s #UK #War #Design

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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 2025.

This episode first aired in 2023

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Before the transcontinental telegraph, sending a message coast-to-coast in the United States could take up to a month via stagecoach. Until, that is, the opening of the Pony Express, on April 3, 1860.

Its founders, William H. Russell, William Bradford Waddell and Alexander Majors, set up over 150 relay stations along a pioneer trail, recruiting wiry teenage lone riders (‘orphans preferred’) to make the precarious trek in a record-breaking ten days. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal the employment clauses insisted upon by these entrepreneurs; consider how Buffalo Bill Cody enshrined the concept in the American frontier myth for generations; and explain why, if you thought a job as a mailman sounded risky, you *really* wouldn’t want to be posted at the relay stations…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Pony Express Was Short-Lived And Costly’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2015): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pony-express-was-short-lived-and-costly-180954986/

• ‘Pony Express Debuts’ (HISTORY, 2009): https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pony-express-debuts

• ‘Trailer: The Pony Express’ (Paramount, 1953): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5va9JXedVo

#1800s #US #Animals

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Fleetwood Mac’s iconic breakup album ‘Rumours’ hit No.1 on the U.S. album charts on April 2nd, 1977, and has never really left the public consciousness since. 

With banger after banger—Dreams, Go Your Own Way, The Chain—it resonated across generations, but perhaps especially with the band’s boomer contemporaries, many experiencing troubled relationships of their own.

At the time of its recording in California, Mick Fleetwood was reeling from a collapsed marriage, John and Christine McVie were divorcing, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were locked in an emotional war, with Nicks soon to embark upon a relationship with Fleetwood. Recording Rumours was a year-long endurance test. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the mathematical formula for Fleetwood’s cocaine consumpion; consider how TikTok has revived interest in this seminal LP; and reveal how, despite making positive noises, contemporary critics missed just how important the album would become…

Further Reading:

• ‘Rumours’ (Library of Congress, 2017): https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Rumours.pdf 

• ‘Fleetwood Mac: In the Middle of the Road’ (The Washington Post, 1977): https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/02/09/fleetwood-mac-in-the-middle-of-the-road/537b612c-e519-4623-a118-144efcac1a1f/

• ‘Fleetwood Mac - Rumours [Full Album]’ (Warner Records, 1977): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uFU79MGj00

#Music #70s #US #Celebrity

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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 2025.

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Under the orders of King Charles III - who wanted marble and classical art for his palace at Portici - Spanish military engineer Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre excavated some Campanian ruins on 1st April, 1748 - and discovered the long-lost city of Pompeii.

Buried beneath volcanic ash and debris since Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, much of the city was remarkably preserved; including breathtaking buildings that portrayed the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the city's wealthy elite.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the site has since inspired all archaeological digs; ask why Pompeii in particular has generated such huge human interest; and reveal the truth about ‘Wanking Man’...

Further Reading:

• ‘Excavations of Pompeii in the 18th Century · The Discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum’ (from ‘Piranesi in Rome’, Wellesley College): http://omeka.wellesley.edu/piranesi-rome/exhibits/show/discovery-of-pompeii-and-hercu/pompeii-excavations

• ‘The two embracing 'maidens' of Pompeii are both MEN’ (MailOnline, 2017): 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4391498/The-two-embracing-maidens-Pompeii-MEN.html

• ‘Pompeii: New Studies Reveal Secrets From a Dead City’ (National Geographic, 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSg_Sd94Y8k

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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 2025.

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