It’s 1958 and America is rife with fads. Everyone’s looking to make a quick buck with the next big thing, and Wham-O’s struck gold with the hula hoop. But the hula hoop has a long, and sometimes sordid history. At the heart of America’s love affair with the hula hoop is the often-forgotten pop-culture ICON Joan Anderson, who first introduced the hoop to Wham-O, only to be written out of history. Co-director of the documentary ‘Hula Girl’, Amy Hill, is here to tell Joan’s tale.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

<p>It’s time for Tommy ‘The Talker’ Fordyce and Katie ‘Dimples’ Puckrik to chat Mafia. What were the mob up to in Billy’s days? How did it all start?</p><p>And how was the mob involved with the plots to kill Castro and JFK? Our knowledge of the mafia is based purely on the Godfather and Mad Magazine, so thank goodness Jeff Nadu from The Sitdown podcast is here to chat with us. Thinking of skipping this one? FORGET ABOUT IT!</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

They’re the heroes of space travel who had to suffer unimaginable terror for the sake of us humans. Today we’re talking about the ICONIC space monkeys of the late 1950s. But why use primates? Why did the Russians use dogs? Were there any alternatives? And what happened to these brave space pioneers? Astronomy journalist Dr Stuart Clark is here to chat about all this and more!<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

It's the queer-coded biblical epic that rivals the Fast and the Furious in its action sequences and Avengers Endgame for its sheer enormity...it's Ben Hur time baby! But WHY oh why is it 4 whole hours long? Why is Jesus so coy? How did they record those chariot scenes? And how was it so successful? Luckily for us, film critic Helen O'Hara is back!<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

He's the king of nerd chic and the inventor of the power trio. He changes the way bands play and pop music wouldn't be the same without him. But without Elvis' swagger and Little Richard's flamboyance... what's Buddy's special sauce? And how does it all come crashing down so soon? We're stumped by Buddy's meteoric rise, but luckily music professor and Lubbock resident, Christopher Smith is here to help!<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

<p>We think you’re going to love this. ‘Where’s my Jetpack?’ explores the promises made to us by films and TV when we were kids. Flying cars, hoverboards, holidays on the moon. What happened to these space age dreams? It’s a valid question. And Sarah Cruddas and Luke Moore are here to answer it!</p><br><p><br></p><p>This episode, they ask: Where's My Moon Base? To hear the full series, search for ‘Where’s My Jetpack?’ in your favourite podcast app, or hit the link below.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://smarturl.it/wheresmyjetpack" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://smarturl.it/wheresmyjetpack</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

We're taking a break from toasting our lobes around the fire this week, but fear not! Here's another show we think you'll love - Death of a Rock Star. It's all about the lives and deaths of the world's most famous musicians, and this episode is all about Buddy Holly. We've got a scintillating episode about the man himself coming up next week, so tune into this episode of Death of a Rock Star and prime those ears!<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

It's been called the most scandalous medical cover up of the 20th century. A pill that was given to pregnant women in the 60s as a treatment for morning sickness was soon found to have had disastrous side effects. If the babies didn't die in the womb, they were born with life-changing deformities and disabilities; and they're still fighting for recognition and compensation 60 years on. Katie and Tom are joined in the studio by Thalidomider Mikey Argy from the UK, and Thalidomide survivor C. Jean Grover in the US.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

What's the difference between a serial and a spree killer? Was Charles Starkweather a psychopath, and did he commit homicide? What even is a psychopath? Set against the life and death of Charles Starkweather, a teenager who took the lives of 11 people in 1957-58, Katie and Tom put all these questions and more to the incomparable David Wilson, ex-prison governor and one of the UK's most well-renowned criminologists, who's come face-to-face with some of the world's most heinous murderers.&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

It's here. The fifth and final chapter in Billy's accolade to his favourite sport. Why did New York's two biggest baseball teams up sticks and leave their hometown, their communities, their diehard fans, and head west? The momentous move in 1958 was a reflection of a wider cultural shift that was going on in the US at this time, says this week's guest Josh Chetwynd, who's back for a final time.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

"The General." "The Great Asparagus." "A man with the most oversized personality." Charles de Gaulle was President of France from 1959-69, and his near-mythological status had been building up for decades before then. His debut appearance in Billy's song is because of his critical involvement in the May 1958 Crisis, which saw Algerian Nationalists rise up and, after nearly 130 years of French colonisation, fight for freedom. Dr Arthur Asseraf is an expert in modern France and North Africa, and grew up in France well aware of the near-mythological status that de Gaulle still adopts today.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

In May 1958, Lebanon erupted into crisis. Political and religious tensions had got too much, and people took to the streets to vent their frustration and anger. Desperate for help, President Chamoun turns to the US for help - marking the first of many American interventions in the Middle East. Our guest today is the Lebanese historian and daughter of Lebanese immigrants who escaped during the latter 1975-90 Civil War, Chloé Kattar.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

We've finally scrambled our way to the end of 1957 in Billy's smash hit, and with it we're off to Thailand in WWII. David Lean's war epic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time - and film critic Helen O'Hara joins Katie and Tom to battle it out whether this still stands.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

Communist China's first-ever Premier Zhou Enlai was Chairman Mao's right-hand man, and he was loved across the nation. Big smile, eye contact, questions about your family. When he died in 1976 there was a huge outpouring of grief; but that was quickly stifled by the Chinese Communist Party and Mao's ultimate power remained intact. We Didn't Start The Fire-favourite Professor Yangwen Zheng joins Katie and Tom, having made an astounding debut in the Red China episode a year ago, to help them understand why.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

This is an episode from our friends at History Daily that we think you'll like. It's the story of the 21st of December 1968, when the first ever human spaceflight reached the moon. If you like this episode, go and check out their fantastic back catalogue, because on History Daily, they do history, daily. Every weekday host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon - History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world, one day at a time.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

Book your tickets now to come see us at the DS Podcast Festival Friday 1st April in Ostend, Belgium: https://www.universe.com/users/de-standaard-4NZ5BV, and buy your Damp Cloth Utopia merch at spreadthatfire.com. The 4th October 1957 was a big day. The space race had been won. The Soviet Union had just launched the first ever orbiting satellite into space, and so ushered in a new age of space exploration, intelligence and communications. Dan Kendall from the National Space Centre joins Katie and Tom to explain how.&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

Subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel for bonus, ad-free versions of the show and visit us at spreadthatfire.com for the finest damp cloth utopia, rock 'em sock 'em merch the world has ever seen. You might have heard of the seminal 1957 novel 'On The Road'. You might have seen that classic quote 'The only ones for me are the mad ones' tattooed on someone's forearm. Well, today, you're going to find out what it all means, who Jack Kerouac was, and what he meant when he asserted that all life is suffering.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>

We have some exciting news nuggets for you Fire lovers: firstly, we're doing our first live show! We're travelling to Belgium in a few weeks' time to take part in the Ostend Podcast Festival on Friday 1st April, alongside podcast legends like S-Town's Brian Reed. We'd love our fans from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France to join us - book your tickets now: https://podcastfestival.standaard.be/. Secondly *drum roll* you can now subscribe to the Crowd Stories channel to join our Friday club - ad-free access to your favourite history pod three days early. And finally, today's episode. Yes, this is Billy's fourth accolade to his favourite sport, and yes, we've got author, commentator, ex-player and baseball legend Josh Chetwynd back on the show to guide us through it. Mickey Mantle was a hero of the 50s and 60s whose life was glitz and madness, competition and medals. His Wikipedia page is a list of world records, first-times and gold medals. But he had vices that nobody talked about, and they'd soon make his glittering career came spiralling down.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>