Episodes

Labour leader Ed Miliband awkwardly ate a bacon sandwich at New Covent Garden Market on 21st May, 2014. Mid-bite, eyes squinting, lips oddly parted, and fingers clumsily gripping the sandwich – it was an instantly meme-able moment. The British press pounced. The photo became a viral sensation, with endless edits, spoofs, and headlines suggesting Miliband […]

When Hitachi launched their ‘personal massager’ on 20th May, 1968, they had no idea (or so they claim) that they were about to, um, go down in sex toy history. The Magic Wand was initially developed to relieve tension and relaxing sore muscles – but soon became celebrated as the most powerful vibrator the world

Nobel Prize-winning dramatist Harold Pinter’s London premiere of his debut, ‘The Birthday Play’ was detested by most critics – on 19th May, 1958. Set in a mundane seaside boarding house, the play initially lures audiences in with a naturalistic facade, before plunging them into a perplexing, uncomfortable narrative. Critics lambasted the production for its nonsensical

The Adultery Act, passed into British law on 14th May, 1650, made having sex with a married woman a crime so severe it was punishable by death – but only for her.  Radical groups like the Ranters mocked Puritan prudishness, Royalists called the law joyless and tyrannical, and Presbyterians argued the law would be impossible

‘WannaCry’, the biggest cyberattack the world has seen, was stopped in its tracks on 13th May, 2017. British blogger Marcus Hutchins found the ‘kill switch’. He was 22. The ransomware had attacked the NHS, Renault, Telefónica, FedEx, and Boeing – causing damage estimated at up to $8 billion.  In this episode, Olly, Rebecca and Arion

Winnie – the real-life bear who inspired A.A. Milne to create Winnie-the-Pooh – died at London Zoo on 12th May, 1934. Brought to the UK by Canadian soldier Harry Colbourn, who’d named her after Winnipeg, the approachable bear took up residence at the Zoo during the First World War, where she became a favourite with

Today is the 80th anniversary of ‘Victory in Europe Day’, but despite the popular impression of the joyous street parties and jubilant crowds that took over London on 8th May, 1945, the reality was rather more complex.  For starters, the terms of Germany’s surrender itself had displeased the Soviet Union, and Stalin insisted on a

Americans and Nazis fought side-by-side in the ‘Battle For Castle Itter’ on 5th May, 1945 – an attempt to free high-profile French prisoners from a 13th century Austrian castle at the very end of the War. The prison – a sub-unit of Dachau concentration camp – housed former prime ministers and military figures, treated as

In the deregulated skies of the 1980s, airlines needed new ways to make customers feel special. Enter the first major frequent flyer program, American Airlines’ AAdvantage, on 1st May, 1981. Bob Crandall built a powerful data system to track and process his customers’ miles, giving American a huge head start whilst rivals scrambled to copy

A British motoring icon made its debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30th April, 1948: the Land Rover. The UK’s first off-road vehicle (that wasn’t a tractor!) had been sketched in sand by its creator, Maurice Wilks.  Heavily inspired by the American Willys Jeep, the first Land Rovers were simple, no-frills workhorses with no