Let Them Drink Curry
RETRO
The Duke of Norfolk suffered a ‘Marie Antoinette Moment’ on 8th November, 1845, when, amidst the Irish Potato Famine, the Whig MP proposed a questionable solution to feed Ireland’s starving workers: curry powder soup. The Duke was met with derision, but the moment highlighted how woefully out-of-touch the English aristocracy were regarding what was about …
Morcambe, Wise and Mr Preview
RETRO
Rerun: Oscar-winning conductor André Previn was an unlikely choice of celebrity guest for the Christmas special of ‘The Morcambe and Wise Show’ recorded on 7th December, 1971 – but the 13-minute sketch they taped together remains one of Britain’s all-time favourites. The music hall-style caper – which revolves around a comically catastrophic interpretation of Grieg’s …
The Real Santa Claus
RETRO
St Nicholas was a Greek bishop, known for his generosity. But he didn’t have a beard, and he didn’t drive a sleigh – so how did he morph into the Santa Claus the world knows and loves? The supposed date of his death – 3rd December, 343 – may have a lot to do with …
Who Needs A Switchboard?
RETRO
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 …
Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny & Carl
RETRO
Today we discover the iconic jamming session that birthed ‘The Million Dollar Quartet’ – Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ Perkins – who spent the day making music together at Sun Studios, Memphis on 4th December, 1956. Although the event began as an impromptu get-together, Sun’s Sam Phillips was …
Read More »
When Gnomes Took Over The World
RETRO
Lampy, Britain’s oldest surviving garden gnome, was insured for £1 million on 28th November, 1997. Imported from Germany, his human dad was Sir Charles Isham, an eccentric aristocrat who adorned his rockery in Northampton with a selection of gnomes, the rest of whom were later destroyed by his daughters. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and …
Football’s First International
RETRO
England played Scotland in a publicly-advertised game for the first time on 30th November, 1872 – kickstarting international football as we know it today. The English team included players drafted in from Oxford University. The Scottish team was entirely made up of teammates from Queen’s Park. The score was 0-0. Much of the game was …
Read More »
Marriage of the Moonies
RETRO
The first American mass marriage ceremony of the Unification Church – for 28,000 couples in matching garb, led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon – took place at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. on 29th November, 1997.Newleyweds had to confirm their virginity and abstain from sexual relations for 40 days afterwards, but …
The Sound of Luxury
RETRO
In the annals of automotive innovation, November 28th, 2018 marked a peculiar milestone: the birth of the Lincoln Chimes. The brainchild of Jennifer Prescott, overseer of “Vehicle Harmony” at the motor company, this warning system replaced the synthetic sound of in-car emergency alerts with a blend of violin, viola, and marimba played by The Detroit …
The Berners St Hoax
RETRO
We reveal how, on 27th November, 1809, a respectable house on the well-to-do Berners Street in London became ground zero for one of the most disruptive practical jokes in history: the Berners Street Hoax. First a chimney sweep turned up at the address, then another and another, then cake makers, surgeons, lawyers, physicians, obstetricians, butchers, …