Twice the usual crowd turned up to see the Cleveland Indians take on the Texas Rangers on June 4th, 1974 - drawn in not by the baseball match, but by an innovative promotion: for just 10 cents, fans could grab 10 ounces of beer. The lines never stopped, as fans circled back, drank in line, and kept the buzz going.

Tensions were high, as this was a rematch with the Texas Rangers following a brawl. Fans cheered when a Rangers player got injured, and started throwing trash, rocks, and batteries onto the field. Then came a full-on invasion: around 200 fans, some armed with chains and chunks of stadium seats, rushed the pitch. Players fought to protect each other. The umpire, bleeding from a thrown rock and narrowly missed by a knife, finally called it: game over. Cleveland forfeited.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Cleveland’s ill-advised 10 cent beer promotion came to be; unpick what the baseball players were thinking, as they were dashed back to a hotel for their safety; and marvel at the gratuitous nudity on the pitch, in the golden age of 70s streaking…

Further Reading:

• ‘A mistake by the lake: Remembering the 10-cent Beer Night riot’ (Sports Illustrated, 2013): https://www.si.com/mlb/2013/06/04/mistake-lake-remembering-10-cent-beer-night-riot

• ‘10 Cent Beer Night: An Oral History of Cleveland Baseball's Most Infamous Night’ (Cleveland Magazine, 2024): https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/sports/articles/10-cent-beer-night-an-oral-history-of-cleveland-baseball's-most-infamous-night

• ‘10-Cent Beer Night: A look back’ (Sports & Extras Network, 2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFtR38Mlscc

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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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Radical playwright Valerie Solanas, author of the SCUM Manifesto (for the ‘Society of Cutting Up Men’) attempted to assassinate pop artist Andy Warhol at The Factory on 3rd June, 1968.

As a result, Warhol wore a corset for the rest of his life; security had to be introduced at the previously open-door environment of The Factory; and Solanas’ name went down in infamy.

In this episode, Olly, Arion and Rebecca ask whether her feminist writing would carry more weight if she’d never committed this violent act; consider the ethics of wannabe-assassins becoming celebrities, and wonder whether her SCUM Manifesto reads more like Jane Austen or Germaine Greer…

Content Warning: mental health, paranoid schizophrenia, injury detail

Further Reading:

• ‘I Shot Andy Warhol’ trailer (1996): 

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

• ‘The SCUM Manifesto’ on Northeastern University’s website: 

https://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/shivers/rants/scum.html

• ‘This Is Why a Radical Playwright Shot Andy Warhol’ (Time, 2015): 

https://time.com/3901488/andy-warhol-valerie-solanas/

This episode was first published in 2021

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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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Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the shocking events of the Heysel Stadium disaster, which lead to all English football clubs being banned from European competitions for five years from 2nd June, 1985.

The tragedy occurred during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, when hooligans from both clubs had infiltrated the neutral sections. The policing was inadequate, with officers diverted by minor thefts, and the stadium's security measures woefully insufficient.

39 fans died, and 600 were injured, but, astonishingly, the match continued - with Juventus winning 1-0.

In this episode, The Retrospectors discover how the ban led to the creation of the ill-fated ‘Screensport Super Cup’; consider how Rupert Murdoch's investment in rights transformed the sport; and reveal how the ban affected English clubs’ ability to attract international talent…

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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 most significant rebellion of the Medieval era, the so-called Peasant’s Revolt, kicked off in Brentwood, Essex on 30th May, 1381, when tax collector John Bampton attempted to collect unpaid poll tax.

The protest triggered a violent confrontation, rapidly spreading across the south-east of the country. Within a month, the rebels were marching towards London, massacring merchants and razing the palace of the king’s uncle, John of Gaunt.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider whether the protestors really were ‘peasants’ at all; appraise 14 year-old king Richard II’s handling of their appeasement; and explain how, despite the horrific hardship of the Black Death, the working classes had, for once, something of an advantage…

Further Reading:

• ‘The Peasants' Revolt Of 1381: A Guide’ (HistoryExtra, 2021): https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/your-guide-peasants-revolt-facts-timeline/

• ‘Peasants' Revolt’ (British Library): https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item132518.html

• ‘The Untold Story Of The 1381 Peasants Revolt’ (Timeline, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kq9sbtFCR8&t=2s

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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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Whit Monday became the first of the new ‘Bank Holidays’ on 29th May, 1871, as millions of Britons got an officially-sanctioned paid day off. 

The brainchild of eccentric polymath (and former banker) Sir John Lubbock, the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 created four official days off, cleverly packaged as innocuous financial regulation so as to sneak through Parliament without incurring moral panic. So admired was the innovation that the holidays became informally known as “Saint Lubbock’s Days”.

But, in a way, Lubbock had only revived the spirit of the medieval calendar, which had plenty of saint days and community-wide rest. The industrial revolution had crushed all that under factory whistles and time cards, but now, with the rollout of the Victorian railways, city folk could flee to the seaside for a sunny day with their families. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly pore over Lubbock’s bizarre CV; consider the debate around renaming Bank Holidays as “Princess Diana Day” or “Britishness Day”; and explain why, despite the new laws, not all industries shut up shop… 

Further Reading:

• ‘Bank holiday notice, 1896’ (NatWest Group Heritage Hub): https://www.natwestgroup.com/heritage/history-100/objects-by-theme/our-people-in-the-community/bank-holiday-notice-1896.html

• ‘Sir John Lubbock, Lord Avebury 1834 – 1913’ (Chislehurst Society): https://chislehurst-society.org.uk/pages/about/people/sir-john-lubbock-lord-avebury-1834-1913/

• ‘What is a Bank Holiday? | Why Do We Get Bank Holidays?’ (Twinkl Educational Publishing, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_I_pzgE920

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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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A naval juggernaut of 137 ships, 10,000 sailors, 2,500 guns, and 20,000 soldiers was launched at England by Philip II of Spain on May 28th, 1588: the Spanish Armada. Their goal? A full-scale invasion to dethrone Queen Elizabeth I and restore Catholicism, no less. 

Unfortunately, their commander, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, had no naval experience. And the English got wind of the "secret" invasion months in advance. When they finally arrived, the Spanish were struggling with storms, rotting supplies, and low morale; and the comparatively cobbled-together English fleet darted in, fired, and slipped away before the lumbering Spanish could react.

Then came the infamous “fire ships”—floating bonfires set toward the Spanish fleet, causing panic, chaos, and most importantly, shattering the Armada’s crescent formation. With ships scattered and winds whipping up, the Spanish went into retreat — but the exit door was now a long, stormy road around Scotland and Ireland…

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why the Spanish believed victory was inevitable; reveal how the biggest toll on the Armada came AFTER the famous battle; and explain why it took so long for news of the victory to spread around England…

Further Reading:

• ‘Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada’ (Royal Museums Greenwich): https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/elizabeth-i-spanish-armada

• ‘The Spanish Armada: 10 Little-Known Facts’ (HistoryExtra, 2018): https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/spanish-armada-facts-elizabeth-i-medina-sidonia-catholic-philip-ii/ 

• ‘England vs The Spanish Armada: The Defeat Of The Invincible Fleet’ (Timeline, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZsTRdmnp_Y

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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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Microwave cookery was first demonstrated by Ross Kilgore of Westinghouse at the Chicago World’s Fair, which opened on 27th May, 1933. But the event was deemed to be a side-show of little scientific significance, and was forgotten until microwaves were ‘discovered’ two decades later.

Incredibly also on display at the Chicago World’s Fair were incubated premature babies; people with dwarfism paraded in ‘midget’s village’; and, most attention-grabbingly of all, a provocative fan dancer called Sally Rand. Different times.

In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca compare the Fair’s SkyRide to its ‘coal mine’; question the purpose of a cigar-smoking robot; and explain why amoebic dysentery made an unwelcome souvenir for many... 

Further Reading:

• America’s Best History looks back at the ‘Century of Progress’ exhibition: 

https://americasbesthistory.com/wfchicago1933.html

• Wilding Pictures captures Technicolor footage of the Fair in 1934: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTqNPjQvOC0

• The ‘Coal Mine’ exhibit, preserved at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry:

https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/coal-mine/

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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 major political upheaval that befell Italy happened on 26th May, 1981, when Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his entire cabinet resigned.

This followed the exposure of a secretive Masonic lodge, known as P2 or Propaganda Due, intent on creating a shadowy state-within-a-state. Its 962 elite members included high-ranking military officers, civil servants, bankers, and a certain Silvio Berlusconi.

The mastermind behind the sect, Licio Gelli, was a former fascist functionary who had reinvented himself as a powerful and well-connected businessman. Gelli fled to Switzerland, but despite being eventually arrested and later extradited to Italy, spent no time behind bars.

In this episode, The Retrospectors unpick the involvement of ‘God’s Banker’, Roberto Calvi; consider Gelli’s lengthy involvement with fascism; and discover a surprising use for old flowerpots…

Further Reading:

• ‘Licio Gelli, fascist and masonic chief’ (FT, 2015): https://www.ft.com/content/7d3fdd08-a418-11e5-8218-6b8ff73aae15

• ‘Licio Gelli: Businessman who became the 'puppet master' of the sinister right-wing organisation, P2 (The Independent, 2015):

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/licio-gelli-businessman-who-became-the-puppet-master-of-the-sinister-rightwing-organisation-p2-a6783576.html

• ‘PBS Newshour’ (PBS, 1981): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3yV8L3s7QQ

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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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Hanged for piracy and murder, sea captain William Kidd was executed in Wapping on 23rd May, 1701. From the gallows he proclaimed to the large assembled crowd that he was innocent of the crimes, as he was a licensed privateer. 

The vessel he’d captured, the Quedagh Merchant, was indeed sailing under a ‘French pass’ - though the documents that prove this lay unearthed until the 20th century. His trial was used by the governing Tory party as a political opportunity to embarrass his Whig sponsors, and he was convicted on all counts.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain what happened to his body after his botched hanging; reveal the extraordinary monetary value of his plunder; and explain how, despite his established prowess as a seaman, he became seen as a public enemy…

Further Reading:

• ‘Biography of Captain William Kidd, Scottish Pirate’ (ThoughtCo, 2019): https://www.thoughtco.com/captain-william-kidd-2136225

• ‘The sacrifice of Captain Kidd’ (HistoryExtra, 2011): https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/the-sacrifice-of-captain-kidd/

• ‘Accidental Pirate’ (National Geographic, 2008): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4aGvWzFoko

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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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Namco’s ground-breaking arcade game Pac-Man had its first focus test in a Tokyo cinema foyer on May 22nd, 1980. Created by 24 year-old Toru Iwatani, it was originally called ‘Puck-Man’ and designed to appeal to women as well as men.

Each of the ghosts - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde - was programmed to have its own personality using AI routines, creating a sense of ‘character’ despite the pixelated rendering. Atari declined the opportunity to distribute the game in the U.S. - where, in just a year, it generated $1billion of revenue - in quarters…

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why the gameplay wipes out after 256 levels; explore the craze that saw a Pac-man strategy textbook shift one million copies; and consider why the game’s name was changed to avoid some unfortunate graffiti… 

Further Reading:

• ‘The game that ate the world: 40 facts on Pac-Man's 40th birthday’ (The Guardian, 2020): https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/may/22/pac-man-video-game-40-years-old

• ‘Why Players Around the World Gobbled Up Pac-Man’ (Smithsonian Magazine): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-players-around-world-gobbled-up-pac-man-180974902/

• ‘Pac-Man Level 256 - the last level in the game’ (The Glitch Gamer, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcI42czB2q4

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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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