Advertise on podcast: What We Did Before | A History of Everyday Life

Send us Fan Mail 💬 In the early 20th century, radium was hailed as a wonder substance. Young women landed well-paid jobs painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials with it, even putting their brushes between their lips to keep a fine point. Years later, their teeth began falling out, their bones started disintegrating and the horrifying truth about radium emerged. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls. She tells the remarkable story of the women who took on the powerful companies that had employed them - fighting for justice even as many were seriously ill and dying. Their fight changed our understanding of radiation and helped shape protections for people working with radioactive materials. More than a century later, scientists are still studying the Radium Girls to understand the effects of radiation - with their story even helping inform research into how to protect astronauts travelling to Mars. Find Kate’s book here: https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credits: Dial painter with radium-induced cancer of the knee. (Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, sourced from Deadly Glow) Charlotte Purcell, a dial painter in Ottawa, Illinois, demonstrates lip-pointing. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) A dial painter with radium-induced sarcoma. (Collection of Ross Mullner) The New Jersey “Radium Girls.” From left: Quinta McDonald, Edna Husmman, Albina Larice, Katherine Schaub and Grace Fryer on June 4, 1928. (CHR, National Archives, Chicago) The Ottawa “Radium Girls” with Attorney Leonard Grossman. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) The dial-painting studio in Orange, New Jersey, in early 1920s. (CHR, National Archives, Chicago) The bedside court hearing at Catherine Donohue’s home. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) The lower jawbone of Mollie Maggia, the first death among the New Jersey “Radium Girls.” (American Weekly) Las chicas del radio pintando - Leslie Cardew, Daily Herald Archive, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Amelia maggia 2 - Mlumbrox, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Undark luminous paint - TheBeSphereOfCourse, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1916; advert Wellcome L0016771 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1913; advert Wellcome L0016768 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium-palp: Travus, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 When we think of fools or jesters, we often imagine a peculiar Medieval entertainer in a funny hat. But court jesters aren’t confined to one timeline - they appear around the world, throughout history. Far from being silly entertainers, they were often highly intelligent figures who could mock kings, challenge their decisions and wield surprising political power. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Beatrice Otto, author of Fools Are Everywhere, who has uncovered the extraordinary history of jesters across the world, from Medieval Europe to Ancient China and even the Aztec Empire. Discover how jesters could influence royal decisions, why rulers valued their brutal honesty, and what happened when a fool took a joke too far! Check out Beatrice’s book: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Fools-Are-Everywhere-by-Beatrice-K-Otto-author/9780226640921  Discover more at: https://www.foolsareeverywhere.com/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before petrol and electric cars took over our roads, inventors were experimenting with a very different kind of transport - steam-powered vehicles. In 1803, pioneering engineer Richard Trevithick built an extraordinary steam carriage capable of carrying passengers through London. But early road travel wasn't exactly comfortable - and Trevithick's revolutionary ideas didn't bring him the success you might expect. ⚡ In this episode, we visit the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland to explore some of the strangest stories from Britain's motoring history. We discover how early steam vehicles worked, investigate the mystery of the Leyland Ladies - the women who appeared in Leyland Motors' famous calendars but whose identities have largely been lost - and step inside a surviving Popemobile built for Pope John Paul II's 1982 visit to Britain. Visit the British Commercial Vehicle Museum: https://www.britishcommercialvehiclemuseum.com/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 What did Medieval people actually find funny? Very little record of Medieval comedy remains, but thanks to one 15th century priest we now have a rare glimpse into the life of a Minstrel and the types of jokes they would’ve told. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Dr James Wade, professor in English at Girton College at Cambridge and expert on the Middle Ages. His work has involved deciphering a manuscript written by Richard Heege, which has reshaped how we view Medieval culture. James even cracks out a few Medieval jokes - see which ones make you laugh! Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 The East End Matchwomen produced one of Victorian Britain’s most important everyday products - but the job could be deadly. In Victorian London, the East End was seen as the slums. High society looked down on the people who inhabited this part of the city - so the horrors that faced East End workers comes as no surprise. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Labour historian Dr Louise Raw, author of Striking a Light: The Bryant & May Matchwomen and Their Place in History.  Louise tells us about the terrible conditions these women faced - and how these so-called “uneducated” workers took the country by storm, starting a strike that rippled through Britain, helping to inspire the modern labour movement. Read Louise’s book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/striking-a-light-9781441114266/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credits: Matchboxes: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Skull with missing jaw: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Matchbox: Agnat, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Firefighting hasn’t always meant red engines and professional crews. For centuries, fighting fires was much more chaotic. Even by the outbreak of the Second World War, Britain still had more than a thousand separate local authority fire brigades. ⚡In this episode, curator of Fireground Museum in Rochdale, Bob Bonner, takes us on a tour through the history of firefighting, explaining how it evolved into the service we know today. From insurance fire brigades, to legendary figures like Alfred Tozer and the story of the unsung heroes of the Blitz. Visit Fireground Museum: https://www.fireground.org.uk/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image credit: James Braidwood Statue: Secret Pilgrim from England, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons Gallet helmet: Triplerv, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Before World of Warcraft, RuneScape or even the internet as we know it, there was MUD - the world’s first multiplayer virtual world. Created in 1978 by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, it would help lay the foundations for an entirely new generation of gaming. Early online games were very different from the enormous commercial worlds we know today. There were no battle passes, cash shops or daily login rewards. Instead, their creators were experimenting with what a virtual world could actually be - and, crucially, what it could say about the real one. ⚡In this episode, MUD co-creator Richard Bartle takes us back to the very beginning of online gaming. We discover how MUD was created, what it was like to play, and how its ideas eventually gave rise to modern MMOs. And after almost 50 years watching the genre evolve, Richard explains what he thinks modern games have lost - and why today’s game designers “don’t have anything to say”. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Visit the site of a brutal moment in Guernsey history. At Tower Hill Steps three women faced religious persecution - and were burned alive at the stake. One of the women, Perotine Massey, was pregnant and gave birth in the flames. What happened next was horrific. This dark chapter of Guernsey’s history shows the grim realities of past religious conflicts. ⚡With Guernsey tour guide Korinne Le Page, we discuss why these “Guernsey martyrs” died and how societal beliefs have shifted over the centuries. Book a Tour with Korinne Le Page: https://guernseytourguide.co.uk/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 At this ancient monolithic burial chamber, witches were said to convene with the devil to conduct The Black Mass. This imposing Dolmen came up time and time again in the brutal witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries. ⚡ This was a time when witchcraft was truely a force to be feared. But why did we believe so strongly that our neighbours were placing curses on us? And why were people burned for a crime that didn’t exist? In this episode we visit Le Trépied in Guernsey at the dead of night, to walk in the footsteps of the witches that were said to meet there. Citing the work of Marie de Garis, Sir Edgar MacCulloch and John Linwood Pitts, we discuss the witch hysteria that once plagued this island’s shores. Thanks to Freelance artist Etienne Marquis, for letting us use a video of his painting, depicting the devil atop Le Trépied. It’s on display at Candie Museums in Guernsey. See his work here: https://www.etiennemarquis.com/ Visit Candie Museum: https://museums.gov.gg/gmag  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Long before radar, armies relied on people with enormous metal trumpets strapped to their heads to listen for approaching aircraft. Aircraft listeners had the bizarre but vital job of detecting the sound of enemy planes, working in exposed positions and often in difficult conditions to give early warning of an incoming attack. ⚡Before radar transformed air defence, these acoustic listening devices were used to track aircraft by sound. Operators would work together to determine the apparent direction and elevation of an aircraft, while another operator could plot their observations and use pre-calculated flight curves, speed and altitude corrections to work out where the aircraft was and where it was heading. But as radar developed, these strange listening stations became obsolete almost overnight - a fascinating example of how a vital job can disappear when technology changes, and a lesson that rings true for many of us in the modern world. In this episode, we discuss how aircraft listeners operated, and how this early aerial-warfare defence mechanism saved countless lives - at the sacrifice of the aircraft listeners own safety and health - only to be made redundant and almost forgotten to history within a few short years. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast where we chart the history of modern inventions, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Sources: Тревожные ночи Москвы. Автор – Н. Грановский. Москва. 1941 г. By Mos.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=186335796 Soldiers operating an acoustic airplane locator during World War 2, Trelleborg, Sweden, 1940. By Carl Gunnar Rosborn - My father, I´m now the only owner., Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7568060 Three acoustic early warning devices 2360m east of Jack's Court By Teseum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94396566 Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Herm island might just be home to the world’s smallest prison. And yet it’s not the world record holder - that title belongs to a very close neighbour. So why doesn’t Herm prison hold the record - and what was such a tiny jail used for?  ⚡Herm is an island in the English Channel with a population of just 65, but it has lived many different lives over the years. Take a trip to the beautiful shores of Herm to see its tiny prison up close and learn about its history with Guernsey tour guide Korinne Le Page. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  Book a Tour with Korinne Le Page: https://guernseytourguide.co.uk/  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credit: St Tugual's Chapel op Herm: Gebruiker:Henkgron https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Toshers had one of the most disgusting jobs of Victorian Britain. Searching the sewers of 19th century London, people would sieve through human sewage looking for discarded treasures. It’s a job that made them a lot of money - but came with many hazards. ⚡Before the sewage system we know today, Victorian London was a very smelly city. With the population expanding fast thanks to the industrial revolution, London became the biggest city in the world, home to more than 2 million people. But the sewer system couldn’t keep up. The Toshers took advantage of this growth of people - and all the valuables they lost underneath the city - and ended up quite well off among the working class. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your hosts: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected]  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 This is the deafening noise that powered Britain's Industrial Revolution. At its peak, thousands of men and women spent their days surrounded by the relentless clatter of weaving looms - a workplace so loud that many workers gradually lost their hearing. ⚡ Yet despite the dangers, becoming a weaver was a skilled and sought-after job. Britain's cotton industry transformed Lancashire into the workshop of the world, with entire communities built around the mills. But what was daily life really like inside them? In this episode I visit Bancroft Mill, one of the last surviving steam-powered weaving sheds, where the looms still run today. Secretary of the museum Ian McKay explains what it was like to be a cotton weaver, why so many people chose the profession, and what happened when Britain's once-mighty cotton industry began to disappear. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before 🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ What a weaving shed really sounded like ➡ Why many weavers gradually lost their hearing ➡ How James Nutter opened this mill having come from nothing ➡ How Lancashire became the heart of the world's cotton industry ➡ Why Britain's cotton mills eventually fell silent ➡ What life was really like for the people who powered the Industrial Revolution About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected]   Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 💬 Shoes got a massive makeover 50 years ago, thanks to a boom in interest for running. A style that first emerged in the 1970s quickly became the dominant one - cushioned soles, elevated heels, narrow toes. And it’s the style we still see today. But why?  ⚡ Humans spent hundreds of thousands of years barefoot - and when we did make shoes, they were made of plant fibres or thin animal hides. We’ve cycled through many variations over the years, but today’s shoes are very different - maximising comfort and protection. Steven Sashen is the founder of barefoot shoe brand Xero. He explains how today’s shoe style was first adopted, how marketing made it spread - and why one the original designers described it as the biggest mistake he made in his career. Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before  🎧 Stay tuned to learn about: ➡ How Nike’s first waffle shoe started the shift ➡ Why the science driving the change was problematic ➡ The strange Medieval trend of wearing mega pointy “poulaines” ➡ Why barefoot runners today don’t experience life like our ancestors ➡ How barefoot shoes emerged and what they’re doing differently About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credits: (Fort Rock sandals) Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons   Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show