Queen Elizabeth II made Britain’s first long-distance automated phone call on 5th November, 1958 - when, from Bristol, she spoke directly to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 300 miles away, without the need for an Operator. 
Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) transformed the telephone network, but was not without its challenges: automation brought efficiency but also led to job losses, sparking some labour disputes, and the roll-out was not completed for twenty years. 
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why women were selected over men as telephone operators; track the evolution of phone technology through international calls and push-button phones; and propose a future role for the monarchy in testing out social media DMs… 
Further Reading: • ‘Caller, putting you through!’ (Daily Express, 2012): https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/334666/Caller-putting-you-through • ’Queen's first video call echoes Her Majesty's historic trunk call to Edinburgh in 1950s’ (The Scotsman, 2020): https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/retro/queens-first-video-call-echoes-her-majestys-historic-trunk-call-to-edinburgh-in-1950s-2881983 ‘Queen Dials Edinburgh’ (British Pathé, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfH0Xr1rIcY
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Who Needs A Switchboard?

Ten minute daily episodes bringing you curious moments from this day in history, with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll: The Retrospectors. It's history, but not as you know it.

TV & Film

Comedy

History

Society & Culture

Film History

Rerun: he Production Code Administration - which policed standards of decency on all US cinema releases for twenty years - was established on 13th June, 1934, following a patch of unconvincing Hollywood self-censorship. ‘Excessive or lustful kissing’ and ‘sex perversion’ were no longer allowed - but nor was ‘depictions of safe-cracking’, ‘childbirth,’ and ‘dynamiting’. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider whether the strict rules enforced by the code actively inspired the classic ‘golden era’ movies that are still regarded with nostalgia today; reveal the anti-semitism behind the policy; and remind us of the pre-code movies, starring the likes of Jimmy Cagney and Mae West, that remain “raunchy - for now”...  Further Reading: • ‘The Quick 10: 9 Movies and Shows Affected by the Hays Code’ (Mental Floss, 2010): https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/24341/quick-10-9-movies-and-shows-affected-hays-code • ‘Film | The First Amendment Encyclopedia’ (mtsu.edu): https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1246/film • ’How the Catholic Church censored Hollywood's Golden Age’ (Vox, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXZGKhpv8eg 
 ‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday…  
 … But 

Let's Censor Hollywood

Before McDonalds, there was the Horn & Hardart Automat - a chain restaurant featuring  coin-operated glass windows, which opened its first branch in Philadelphia on 12th June, 1902. The business would grow to serve 800,000 people per day. 
 Customers exchanged nickels for dishes including meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie. Beautifully designed with marble counters, stained glass, and chrome fixtures, the venues had an upscale ambiance, but catered mainly to working people, with a notable cult following among struggling artists. 
 In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how union pickets and fast food formats eventually caught up with the enterprise; consider the intense nostalgia still strongly felt by the chain’s former customers; and reveal how the whole concept was inspired by a visit to Berlin Zoo… 
 Further Reading: • ‘Meet Me at the Automat’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2001): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-me-at-the-automat-47804151/ • ‘The Automat: Birth of a Fast Food Nation’ (HISTORY, 2012): https://www.history.com/news/the-automat-birth-of-a-fast-food-nation • ‘Hitchcock's Monologue - The Problem With Automat Diners’ (CBS, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9euHvuhYU 
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Meet Me At The Automat

King George VI first tasted a hot dog on June 11th, 1939. 
 The moment occurred during a picnic at the Hyde Park residence of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But behind the culinary first for the King, the famous American Royal Picnic would turn out to be an essential moment in the Special Relationship between the UK and the US. 
 In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss how the event warmed the American public up to the idea of supporting Britain in the Second World War; look into how sausages in buns became synonymous with US culture; and explain how hot dogs got their name (probably)...    
 Further Reading: • ‘When Franklin Delano Roosevelt Served Hot Dogs to a King’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2017): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-franklin-delano-roosevelt-served-hot-dogs-king-180963589/  • ‘The Royal 'Hot Dog' Picnic’ (The American, 2020): https://www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ft-Special-Relationship-Hot-Dog-June-11-1939  • ‘How Hot Dogs Helped Endear This British King to his U.S. Hosts’ (Smithsonian, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HiOM7XFMzc  
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King Tries Hotdog!

The renowned author of "War and Peace," Count Leo Tolstoy, set off on a pilgrimage to Optina Monastery on 10th June, 1881, disguised as a peasant. 
 Accompanied by his valet, Sergei Arbuzov, Tolstoy traipsed 130 miles from his vast estate; his feet bleeding from blisters thanks to his insistence that he be dressed in authentically threadbare sandals. 
 In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly assess whether Tolstoy’s pilgrimage should be considered a spiritual journey, mid-life crisis, or poverty tourism; consider the impact his impulses had upon his poor wife, Sophia; and uncover the great author’s final moments, seeking ‘solitude’ at a railway station, as the world’s news cameras whirred away…  
 Further Reading: • ‘Tolstoy disguises himself as a peasant and leaves on a pilgrimage’ (HISTORY, 2009): https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tolstoy-disguises-himself-as-a-peasant-and-leaves-on-a-pilgrimage • ‘A.N. Wilson on Tolstoy's life and work, 100 years on’ (Financial Times, 2010): https://slate.com/culture/2010/11/a-n-wilson-on-tolstoy-s-life-and-work-100-years-on.html • ’1908-10: Footage of the life and death of Leo Tolstoy’ (Public Domain Archive, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQO9HQAWqu4 
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Tolstoy's Monastic Adventures

Rerun: Edgy, gritty and sexy, the Broadway production of ‘Grease’ opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on 7th June, 1972, beginning what would become a record-breaking eight-year run.  Despite NOT featuring some of the most well-known hits from the movie - including ‘Grease Is The Word’, ‘You’re The One That I Want’ and ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ - the production attracted an unusually high proportion of blue-collar audiences, keen to see working-class and ethnic immigrant subculture portrayed in a musical. In this episode, Olly, Arion and Rebecca reveal the origin of the word ‘greasers’, explain why ‘50s nostalgia played little part in the original success of the show, and consider whether the Grease Megamix is an appropriate choice for 10 year olds to sing at a Summer Ball… Further Reading: • The Playbill from the original production: https://www.playbill.com/article/playbill-archives-grease-1972-com-143094 • ‘It’s The Longest-Running Show on Broadway’ - a 1970s TV commercial for the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phxb5K7jUUw • The original dialogue from ‘Grease’ c/o New Line Theatre: http://www.newlinetheatre.com/grease-dialogue.html
‘Why am I hearing a rerun?’ Each Thursday and Friday we repeat stories from our archive of 800+ episodes, so we can maintain the quality of our independent podcast and bring you fresh, free content every Monday-Wednesday… 
… But 

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