{"podcast":{"title":"Today In History with The Retrospectors","slug":"today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506","podcast_index_feed_id":3756506,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors","website_url":"https://www.theretrospectors.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/0863cc78-24a8-11ef-b214-97eca5428ac1/image/6963d381f67e7fa1caf5e758ac2154be.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"The Retrospectors","episode_count":1302,"summary":"Curious, funny, surprising daily history - with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll. From the invention of the Game Boy to the Mancunian beer-poisoning of 1900, from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain to America's Nazi summer schools... each day we uncover an unexpected story for the ages. In just ten minutes! Best Daily Podcast (British Podcast Awards 2023 nominee). Get early access and ad-free listening at Patreon.com/Retrospectors or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-25T12:18:38.453166+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506"},"episode":{"title":"The Unkillable King George","slug":"the-unkillable-king-george","published_at":"2026-05-15T00:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506/the-unkillable-king-george","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR3138895400.mp3","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR3138895400.mp3","summary":"George III narrowly dodged a bullet for the SECOND time in one day on 15th May, 1800, as he attended a performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The assassination attempt came from James Hadfield, a clinically insane former soldier, who rose from the pit and fired a pistol at the King, causing uproar in the audience. Despite the danger, George remained composed, even using his opera glasses to survey the disarray. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the leading playwright of the era swiftly calmed nerves with some poetic ingenuity; explain why George III remained popular in this era, despite the repeated attempts on his life; and marvel at how, amidst apparent danger everywhere, the Show really did Go On… Further Reading: • ‘The Theatre Royal and The Case of Two Mad King Georges’ (The National Archives, 2013): https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-theatre-royal-and-the-case-of-two-mad-king-georges/ • ‘James Hadfield: His Attempt on King George III’s Life’ (Geri Walton, 2021): https://www.geriwalton.com/james-hadfield-his-attempt-on-king-george-iiis-life/#_ftn1 • ‘The Madness of King George’ (Channel Four Films, 1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lJ8XzX_GM We'll be back on Monday - unless you join CLUB RETROSPECTORS, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026. This episode originally aired in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p…","meta_description":"George III narrowly dodged a bullet for the SECOND time in one day on 15th May, 1800, as he attended a performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":642,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506/episodes/the-unkillable-king-george/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors-3756506/the-unkillable-king-george.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}