Today In History with The Retrospectors

Britain's first ‘New Town’, built to accommodate 60,000 residents, was Stevenage, Hertfordshire - designated on 11th November, 1946 by Lewis Silkin, Labour’s Minister for Town and Country Planning. Inspired by the rush to accommodate Londoners displaced by the Nazi bombing of the capital, the construction of the concrete metropolis was heavily opposed by the 6,400 residents of ‘Old Stevenage’, the ancient town that was to be superseded. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly trace Silkin’s vision back to a 1695 essay by Quaker reformer John Bellers; ask whether the concrete-clad aesthetic of the architecture was a terrible mistake; and re-live nostalgic trips to play laser tag in the leisure park… Further Reading: • ‘Stevenage New Town’ (Stevenage Museum, 2022): https://www.stevenage.gov.uk/stevenage-museum/history-of-stevenage/stevenage-through-the-ages/stevenage-new-town • ‘Stevenage: The town that aimed for Utopia’ (BBC News, 2016): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-37826783 • ’Mr. Silkin Goes To Stevenage’ (British Pathé, 1946): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txHbMusO33o Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ 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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2022. #40s #UK #Architecture #Design Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The French government introduced a new State religion on 10th November, 1793: the ‘Cult of Reason’, which attempted to reflect the anti-clerical attitudes of the French Revolution. But - as with the new secular calendar that reset the year to zero and gave democratic names to the months - the general public did not take to their local Church becoming a ‘Temple of Reason’, and most of the men involved in propagating the idea were ultimately executed. The worship of reason was personified by living women in Roman dresses, who were met with ridicule, and a mishmash of Greek and Roman-inspired ceremonies that struggled to define their purpose, often resembling confused and peculiar public exhibitions rather than a cohesive religious doctrine. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider Robespierre's replacement religion, the "Cult of the Supreme Being"; explain how Napoleon's rise marked the end of both cults; and reveal how the Temples of Reason provided one truly enduring legacy: cremation… Further Reading: • ‘The Cult of Reason’ (BBC History Magazine, 2015): https://www.pressreader.com/uk/bbc-history-magazine/20151008/281698318658789 • ‘The Notre Dame Cathedral Was Nearly Destroyed By French Revolutionary Mobs’ (HISTORY, 2019): https://www.history.com/news/notre-dame-fire-french-revolution ‘When Atheists Persecuted Christians - The Cult of Reason’ (Theopedia, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWOUmO7Lpd4 Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ 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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2023. #1700s #Religion #France Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Emil List murdered his mother, wife and three children in a methodical massacre on November 9th, 1971. Then he left their bodies in the ballroom of their sprawling 19-room mansion, parked his car at the international airport and fled for Denver. Astonishingly, he remained on the run for EIGHTEEN YEARS. Remarkably, in a 1989 edition of America’s Most Wanted, a forensic sculptor created an accurate bust showing what List might look like after nearly two decades on the run, and a viewer recognised him as her neighbour, “Robert Clark”, in Virginia. When confronted, List maintained his fake identity for months, even signing extradition papers under his assumed identity, but his fingerprints finally exposed the truth… In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly review List’s defence at his trial, in which he blamed financial strain, his wife’s alcoholism, and the ‘evil’ he believed was creeping into his home; consider the similarities between List’s appalling crimes and the later Amityville killings; and reveal how he’d paused his spree to calmly munch a sandwich… CONTENT WARNING: murder, child murder, domestic violence. Further Reading: • ‘John List Killed His Family, Then Vanished For 18 Years’ (All That’s Interesting, 2024): https://allthatsinteresting.com/john-list • ‘Forensics Case: Picturing John List’ (For Dummies, 2016): https://www.dummies.com/article/academics-the-arts/science/forensics/forensics-case-picturing-john-list-138138/ • ‘CBS News, NY’ (1992): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szdTEkC-ZfA Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ 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 2026. #Crime #70s #Macabre #Christian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arion has written a book! The Final Edition is a satirical newspaper-style book based on the premise that most of the news stories breaking this week could in fact have been published several decades ago – and will still ring true several decades from now. In this special episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look at some of the headlines featured in the book that feel like they have been with us throughout history, from “Cover-up covered up with fresh cover-up” to “Superpower now opposed to armed group in war-torn country it previously armed”, and from “Historical commission finds past was ‘complex’, involving good things and also quite a lot of atrocities” to “Local authorities unprepared for seasonal change that occurs every year”. Along the way, they discuss why Arion decided to make a newspaper that never goes out of date; examine how history itself inspired the book; and ask the important question: if the news is always repeating itself, why do we still have to read it? The Final Edition is on sale here: • The Final Edition: https://thefinaledition.net • Or from The Chaser: https://chasershop.com/products/the-final-edition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine the Great of Russia died on 6th November, 1796 - but, contrary to rumours which still persist to this day, the event did not involve an intimate act with a horse. In reality, she collapsed in her washroom, fell into a coma, and died in bed. Born as Princess Sophie in Prussia, she was groomed for marriage, and eventually wed Peter, who would become Tsar of Russia. Detesting him from the start, she seized her chance to overthrow and replace him, and, once in power, didn’t just rule, but reshaped Russia. A passionate advocate for the Enlightenment, she pursued extensive reforms in education, agriculture, and military strategies, as well as territorial expansions into Crimea, Belarus, and Lithuania. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how criticism and jealousy of Catherine’s rule grew alongside her power and influence; unpick the reality of her seemingly colourful love life; and reveal how the gifts bestowed upon her ‘friends with benefits’ included jewellery, serfs, and, er, Poland… Further Reading: • ’Why Catherine the Great's Enemies Portrayed Her as a Sex Fiend’ (HISTORY, 2023): https://www.history.com/news/catherine-the-great-enemies-sex-myths • ’Catherine The Great: True Story Of Her Rule, Husband, Affairs & Children’ (HistoryExtra, ) https://www.historyextra.com/period/early-modern/catherine-great-empress-russia-did-she-murder-her-husband-tsar-peter-helen-mirren-sky-atlantic/ • ‘Catherine The Great’ (HBO, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsjxeQpmTlM We'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!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 2026. This episode originally aired in 2024. #1700s #Politics #Women #Russia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices