Oil tycoon Robert P. McCulloch purchased London Bridge for $2,460,000 on 17th April, 1968. The Victorian structure, which had been sinking into the River Thames at a rate of one inch every eight years, was then dismantled stone by stone and shipped to the USA, where it now bestrides Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
The wheeze was the work of advertising executive ... Show More
Today
Desert Island Discs' First Castaway
The BBC broadcast the first ever edition of Roy Plomley’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ - the world’s longest-running interview programme - on 29th January, 1942. Opening, as the show still does, with Eric Coates’s theme music ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon’, the episode welcomed comedian Vic Oli ... Show More
13m 54s
Yesterday
Lego Shifts To Plastic
Stud-and-tube bricks, which paved the way for Lego to become one of the most successful companies in Denmark, were patented on 28th January, 1958. But this family business had already been in existence for 26 years, mostly making wooden toys. It later emerged, however, that the p ... Show More
11m 23s
Jan 27
Let's Embalm Lenin
The corpse of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union, was placed on display in Moscow's Red Square on 27th January, 1924 - where, astonishingly, he remains viewable to this day. He’d wanted to be buried next to his mother in Saint Petersburg, but after he suffered a series o ... Show More
11m 54s
Nov 2023
The Bully of Bridgewater
This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Rob Copeland of The New York Times to discuss his new book The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend, which examines the vast difference between Ray Dalio’s publi ... Show More
43m 55s
Feb 2024
‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Shogun’ Anticipation Meter, the Possible Paramount-Peacock Merger, ‘The Dynasty,’ and ‘The Greatest Night in Pop’
Chris and Andy talk about rewatching ‘Dune’ in anticipation of ‘Dune: Part Two’ and how seriously Denis Villeneuve takes this world that he is creating (1:00). Then they talk about ‘Shogun’ and why the show reminds them of ‘Game of Thrones’ (18:03), before talking about the rumor ... Show More
1h 9m
Jul 2023
'The O.C.' 20th Anniversary: Season 1, Episodes 2 and 3
Bill, Jo, and Juliet continue the 'O.C.’ Hall of Fame tribute by immediately diving into their favorite scenes and overly dated nitpicks for the show’s second episode, "The Model Home." They quickly pivot to its iconic follow-up, "The Gamble," which ignites a discussion about the ... Show More
44m 15s
Feb 2024
The Fani Willis testimony.
<p><em>The Fani Willis testimony. On Thursday, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney took the stand in dramatic fashion. Willis is fighting the claim that a relationship between her and private attorney Nathan Wade should disqualify her and her team from carrying on with ... Show More
27m 34s
Feb 2024
Panic Time for Max and Warner Bros. Discovery?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to check in on Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zazlav after a rocky earnings call last week. They discuss the disappointing movie quarter, their murky path to streaming profitability, the state of the MAX brand, whether they will keep ... Show More
32m 21s