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ON THIS DAY
Greyhound Hits The Road

When Carl Wickman started America’s first bus company on 21st May, 1914, they weren’t a bus company, and they weren’t called Greyhound – they were a commuter service for miners in Hibbing, Minnesota.

But, despite their ‘dirty dog’ reputation (and the fact they’re now owned by a British conglomerate), the company is still seen as a cornerstone of American culture, and undoubtedly the most famous bus company in the world.

In this episode, Olly, Arion and Rebecca consider the role of Hollywood in enshrining Greyhound’s exalted status in the popular imagination, speculate as to whether the development of highways killed the romance of inter-city travel, and reveal why, after the longest coach journey in the world, Father Christmas made Rebecca cry…

Further Reading:

• The ‘bus scene’ from It Happened One Night (1934):

• Mental Floss celebrate 100 years of Greyhound: 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54273/100-years-dirty-dog-history-greyhound

• ‘Facts and Figures’ from Greyhound’s official website:

https://news.greyhound.com/facts-figures

ON THIS DAY
Greyhound Hits The Road

When Carl Wickman started America’s first bus company on 21st May, 1914, they weren’t a bus company, and they weren’t called Greyhound – they were a commuter service for miners in Hibbing, Minnesota.

But, despite their ‘dirty dog’ reputation (and the fact they’re now owned by a British conglomerate), the company is still seen as a cornerstone of American culture, and undoubtedly the most famous bus company in the world.

In this episode, Olly, Arion and Rebecca consider the role of Hollywood in enshrining Greyhound’s exalted status in the popular imagination, speculate as to whether the development of highways killed the romance of inter-city travel, and reveal why, after the longest coach journey in the world, Father Christmas made Rebecca cry…

Further Reading:

• The ‘bus scene’ from It Happened One Night (1934):

• Mental Floss celebrate 100 years of Greyhound: 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54273/100-years-dirty-dog-history-greyhound

• ‘Facts and Figures’ from Greyhound’s official website:

https://news.greyhound.com/facts-figures

ON PREVIOUS DAYS:




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OLLY MANN

Olly Mann made his name with another trivia-wielding podcast, Answer Me This! with Helen Zaltzman – and now presents The Modern Mann, The Week Unwrapped, and Four Thought for BBC Radio Four. He also has an A-Level in History, so Dan Snow beware.

REBECCA MESSINA

Rebecca got a passion for podcasting  working at The Week magazine and a passion for trivia appearing on University Challenge in 2011, making The Retrospectors her natural home.

ARION MCNICOLL

Arion started out in satirical news in Australia, then moved to the UK to work for ostensibly serious publications including The Times, CNN, and The Week… before realising that since around 2016 the news has all been satire really.

Do you have a day of note that we should cover? Or would you or your business like to support the podcast? Get in touch!

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