Episodes
Signal-Jamming Aliens
Your TV signal wobbles. An alien voice (albeit one with a Southern English accent…) seizes control of your set. And, instead of newsreader Andrew Gardner reporting on the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, you hear a voice claiming to be ‘Vrillon’, of Ashtar Galactic Command, with a message for humanity. Such was the experience for […]
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RETRO
Your TV signal wobbles. An alien voice (albeit one with a Southern English accent…) seizes control of your set. And, instead of newsreader Andrew Gardner reporting on the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, you hear a voice claiming to be ‘Vrillon’, of Ashtar Galactic Command, with a message for humanity. Such was the experience for
Elizabeth of Russia’s Bloodless Coup
Wearing an armoured breastplate, clasping a silver cross and seizing an Army spontoon, 31 year old Elizabeth Petrovna appeared at the HQ of the elite Preobrazhensky Regiment guards in St. Petersburg on 25th November, 1741 – intent on over-throwing Tzar Ivan VI (a baby), and seizing the Russian throne for herself. Although she was the
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RETRO
Wearing an armoured breastplate, clasping a silver cross and seizing an Army spontoon, 31 year old Elizabeth Petrovna appeared at the HQ of the elite Preobrazhensky Regiment guards in St. Petersburg on 25th November, 1741 – intent on over-throwing Tzar Ivan VI (a baby), and seizing the Russian throne for herself. Although she was the
The Lucy Fossil – No Homo
It took over three million years to find her. But palaeontologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray uncovered the remains of ‘the Lucy Fossil’ – a previously undiscovered species of pre-human – in Hadar, Ethiopia on 24th November, 1974. Despite the find’s massive significance, the event was not greeted with untrammelled joy by all their rival
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RETRO
It took over three million years to find her. But palaeontologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray uncovered the remains of ‘the Lucy Fossil’ – a previously undiscovered species of pre-human – in Hadar, Ethiopia on 24th November, 1974. Despite the find’s massive significance, the event was not greeted with untrammelled joy by all their rival
The Tamagotchi Effect
With cutesy graphics and a female-focussed origin story, Tamagotchi was positioned as a ‘nurturing toy’ for Japanese girls when Bandai launched the brand on 23rd November, 1996. But the gadget’s massive popularity soon transcended gender and nationality – shifting 40 million units globally in just three years. Users had to check in regularly with their
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RETRO
With cutesy graphics and a female-focussed origin story, Tamagotchi was positioned as a ‘nurturing toy’ for Japanese girls when Bandai launched the brand on 23rd November, 1996. But the gadget’s massive popularity soon transcended gender and nationality – shifting 40 million units globally in just three years. Users had to check in regularly with their
Star Trek’s Interracial Kiss
Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) embraced and kissed on “Plato’s Stepchildren”; an episode of ‘Star Trek’ broadcast on 22nd November, 1968 – just a year after the Supreme Court declared interracial marriage to be legal. However, despite popular belief that this was TV’s first interracial kiss, it wasn’t.
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RETRO
Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) embraced and kissed on “Plato’s Stepchildren”; an episode of ‘Star Trek’ broadcast on 22nd November, 1968 – just a year after the Supreme Court declared interracial marriage to be legal. However, despite popular belief that this was TV’s first interracial kiss, it wasn’t.
London’s First Olympics
After Mount Vesuvius erupted – and original hosts Rome pulled out – the British Olympic council sent a letter, dated 19th November, 1906, agreeing to host the fourth modern Olympic games. With just two years to go, the event was put together hastily, and on a paltry budget; a stadium erected at the White City
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RETRO
After Mount Vesuvius erupted – and original hosts Rome pulled out – the British Olympic council sent a letter, dated 19th November, 1906, agreeing to host the fourth modern Olympic games. With just two years to go, the event was put together hastily, and on a paltry budget; a stadium erected at the White City
William Tell’s Apple Adventures
Switzerland’s most famous archer shot fruit off his own son’s head on 18th November, 1307. Or did he? ‘Chronicon Helveticum’ by Aegidius Tschudi, from which the date comes, claims to be a serious historical account, but was written roughly 200 years later – and not published until nearly 200 years after that. And the myth bears remarkable
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RETRO
Switzerland’s most famous archer shot fruit off his own son’s head on 18th November, 1307. Or did he? ‘Chronicon Helveticum’ by Aegidius Tschudi, from which the date comes, claims to be a serious historical account, but was written roughly 200 years later – and not published until nearly 200 years after that. And the myth bears remarkable
The Last Sultan
Mehmet VI stepped on to a British warship to seek refuge in Malta on 17th November, 1922 – thereby becoming the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a dynasty stretching back to the 14th Century. He was accompanied by his first Chamberlain, his doctor, two secretaries, a valet, a barber, two eunuchs, and a bandmaster.
RETRO
Mehmet VI stepped on to a British warship to seek refuge in Malta on 17th November, 1922 – thereby becoming the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, a dynasty stretching back to the 14th Century. He was accompanied by his first Chamberlain, his doctor, two secretaries, a valet, a barber, two eunuchs, and a bandmaster.
When Space Mountain Saved EuroDisney
Disneyland Paris, now Europe’s most popular theme park, initially haemorrhaged money – at an estimated rate of $1 million per day. But, after three years, it finally returned its first profit on 16th November, 1995. This change in the park’s fortunes can be attributed to the popularity of two trains: the opening of the Eurostar
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RETRO
Disneyland Paris, now Europe’s most popular theme park, initially haemorrhaged money – at an estimated rate of $1 million per day. But, after three years, it finally returned its first profit on 16th November, 1995. This change in the park’s fortunes can be attributed to the popularity of two trains: the opening of the Eurostar
The (Lady) Pirates of the Carribbean
Anne Bonny and Mary Read – the most notorious women to swashbuckle and plunder in the ‘golden age of piracy’ – were captured near Jamaica by pirate-hunter Jonathan Barnet on 8th November, 1720. Disguised as men for most of their careers, they sailed (and cavorted) with Pirate Captain ‘Calico Jack’. But, when their crimes came
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RETRO
Anne Bonny and Mary Read – the most notorious women to swashbuckle and plunder in the ‘golden age of piracy’ – were captured near Jamaica by pirate-hunter Jonathan Barnet on 8th November, 1720. Disguised as men for most of their careers, they sailed (and cavorted) with Pirate Captain ‘Calico Jack’. But, when their crimes came