It Just So Happened - an alternative history show

We're back with our fortnightly episodes after a well-earned Christmas break! This latest episode (Episode 63) was recorded at The Hill Street Theatre in the Edinburgh Fringe on 6th August 2024.

The panellists were Luis Alcada, Caitriona Dowden and Paul Connolly, and the host was Richard Pulsford.

We covered a few On This Day topics from the twentieth century but also went as far back as the 15th Century, including when:
- Pope Calixtus III died, on 6th August 1458
- Ben Jonson died, on 6th August 1637
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born, on 6th August 1809
- Barbara Windsor was born, on 6th August 1937
- Gherman Titov became the second man in space, on 6th August 1961
- Tim Berners-Lee released documents describing the World Wide Web, on 6th August 1991

This latest episode (Episode 62) was recorded at The Hill Street Theatre in the Edinburgh Fringe on 5th August 2024.

The panellists were Micky Alexander, Dylan Dodds and Karismaa, and the host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included when:
- Henry I was crowned King of England, on 5th August 1100
- The Speedwell left Southampton, on 5th August 1620
- Artist Louis Wain was born, on 5th August 1860
- The UK's first cinema opened, on 5th August 1901
- 'People's Poet' Edgar Guest died, on 5th August 1959

This latest episode (Episode 61) was recorded at The Hill Street Theatre in the Edinburgh Fringe on 4th August 2024.

The panellists were Charles Dundas, Louise Leigh and David Cruickshanks, and the host was Richard Pulsford.

We covered a variety of On This Day topics, including when:
- Douglas attacked the King's tent, on 4th August 1327
- Champagne was invented, on 4th August 1693
- Gibraltar surrendered to the British, on 4th August 1704
- Louis Armstrong was born, on 4th August 1901
- Marilyn Munroe died, on 4th August 1962

This latest episode (Episode 60) was recorded at The Hill Street Theatre in the Edinburgh Fringe on 3rd August 2024.

The panellists were Jane Walker, Aaron Twitchen and Nikita Kha, and the host was Richard Pulsford.

We covered a varied list of On This Day topics, including:
- Joseph Paxton was born on 3rd August 1803
- Jesse Owens won the 100m Dash at the Olympic Games on 3rd August 1936
- Lithuania was 'accepted' into the USSR on 3rd August 1940
- The Beatles played at The Cavern Club for the final time on 3rd August 1963
- Comedian Lenny Bruce died on 3rd August 1966
- Ivan Massow defected from the Conservative Party to Labour on 3rd August 2000

Episode 59 was recorded at The Hill Street Theatre in the Edinburgh Fringe on 2nd August 2024.

The panellists were Kate Smurthwaite, Paul Connolly and Daniel Crewe. The host was Richard Pulsford.

As usual we had a varied list of On This Day topics:

Iceland's national anthem was played publicly for the first time in 1874.

The UK Parliament officially adopted Greenwich Mean Time in 1880.

Edwin Harris Dunning became the first pilot to land a plane on a ship in 1917.

American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin was born in 1924, and Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti died in 1997.

With the second half of the show dedicated to some of Edinburgh's history, topics included The Royal Mile, Sanctuary and The Nastiness Act of 1749.

Episode 58 was recorded at The Green Man Art Gallery in the Buxton Fringe on 20th July 2024.

The panellists were Kevin Hudson and Scott Allsop. The host was Richard Pulsford.

As usual we had a varied list of On This Day topics.

It was 55 years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon (20/07/1969).

It was the birth date of Cornelia Zangheri Bandi, born (20/07/1664), who died of apparent spontaneous human combustion, and Dickens used this as a case study for one of his famous novels.

It was also the anniversary of the day when milk was gathered to make The Cheshire Mammoth Cheese (20/07/1801) in the US. This resulted in a novel use for the word 'mammoth'.

20th July was also International Chess Day. The International Chess Federation was founded 100 years previously (20/07/1924), the last day of the first unofficial Chess Olympiad.

The first Ford Motor Company car was shipped on this date (20/07/1903) so we had  to have some quotes from Mr Ford.

Some of the Buxton topics included Poole's Cavern, Dove Holes and a Buxton Brewery beer quiz.

Episode 57 was recorded at The Rotunda Theatre in the Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival on 30th June 2024.

The panellists were Richie Rands, Chris Neville-Smith and Ross Ericson. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- The Tunguska event (30/06/1908)
- Mary Surratt sentenced to death (30/06/1865)
- The first emergency telephone number (30/06/1937)
- Blondin crosses Niagara on a tightrope (30/06/1859)
- I'm walking backwards for Christmas enters the charts (30/06/1956)
- Nancy Mitford, died (30/06/1973)

Episode 56 was recorded at The Guildhall in the Chichester Fringe on 6th June 2024.

The panellists were Richie Rands, Gerard Harris and Julia Knight. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- Alix of Hesse, born (06/06/1872)
- The Normandy Landings (06/06/1944)
- Dutch swimmer Ada Kok, born (06/06/1947)
- The YMCA founded (06/06/1844)
- 'Sex and The City' first aired (06/06/1998)
- Anne Bancroft, died (06/06/2005)

Please be aware that, unfortunately, the sound quality on this recording isn't as good as it could have been.

Episode 55 was recorded at The Toy and Model Museum in the Brighton Fringe on 2nd June 2024.

The panellists were Chrissy Derbyshire, Julia Knight, and Micky Gibbons. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- The Marquis de Sade, born (02/06/1740)
- The Vandals sack Rome (02/06/455)
- Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (02/06/1953)
- Surveyor 1 lands successfully on the moon (02/06/1966)
- The Battle of Santiago (02/06/1962)
- Peter Sallis, died (02/06/2017)

Episode 54 was recorded at The Borough in the Lancaster Comedy Festival on 28th April 2024.

The panellists were Sallyann Fellowes and Angela Bra. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- Pirate Mary Read, died (28/04/1721)
- US President James Monroe born (28/04/1758)
- Marie Harel, born (28/04/1761)
- The world's first motor car race (28/04/1867)

- Terry Pratchett born (28/04/1948)

Episode 53 was recorded at Whistler on the Green in the Glasgow Comedy Festival on 24th March 2024.

The panellists were Julia Knight, Bryan Ghosh and Richie Rands. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- Joseph Barbera born (24/03/1911)
- Richard I wounded by a crossbow bolt (24/03/1199)
- Joseph Smith tarred and feathered (24/03/1832)
- James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England and Ireland (24/03/1603)
- Harry Houdini born (24/03/1874)
- William Morris born (24/03/1834)

Apologies for the sound quality on this episode, battling as we were with the noise bleed from inside the venue.

Episode 52 was recorded at the historical Wygston's House in the Leicester Comedy Festival on 11th February 2024.

The panellists were Kevin Hudson, Jo Mungovin and Ben Ennis. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- Margaret Thatcher elected as Conservative Party leader (11/02/1975)
- John Buchan (died, 11/02/1940)
- Tom and Jerry's first cartoon film (11/02/1940)
- Matilda, the world's oldest chicken (died, 11/02/2006)
- The term Robot was first used in a TV programme (11/02/1938)

This episode was recorded at The Playwright in the Nottingham Comedy Festival on 4th November 2023.

The panellists were Sanjay Brown, Denzil Ede and Autumn Unwin. The host was Richard Pulsford.

The On This Day topics covered were:
- Actor Edmund Kean (born, 04/11/1787)
- The Gatling gun is patented (04/11/1862)
- Tutenkhamun's burial chamber found (04/11/1923)
- Nellie Taylor Ross becomes first woman US state governor (04/11/1924)
- Welsh musician James James (born, 04/11/1832)
- Felix Mendelssohn (died, 04/11/1847)

This episode was recorded at The Keillor Centre in the Dundee Fringe on 17th September 2023.

The panellists were Luis Alcada, Julia Knight and Andy Bullick. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
- Norton I declares himself US Emporer (17/09/1859)
- David Dunbar Buick (born, 17/09/1854)
- Hildegard of Bingen (died, 17/09/1179)
- 1st airplane crash fatality (17/09/1908)
- Antoine de Leeuwenhoek first describes bacteria (17/09/1683)
- Tobias Smollett (died, 17/09/1771)

NB This episode was recorded at a festival where there was quite a bit of background noise!

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 12th August 2023.

The panellists were Kate Smurthwaite, Vladimir McTavish and Bryan Ghosh. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
- New Amsterdam's 1st police force formed (born, 12/08/1658)
- Robert Southey (born, 12/08/1774)
- Erwin Schroedinger (born, 12/08/1887)
- Ian Fleming (died, 12/08/1964)
- Clarence Birdseye patents fish fingers (12/08/1930)
- William Blake (died, 12/08/1827)

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 11th August 2023.

The panellists were Jane Walker, Dylan Dodds and Julia Knight. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
- Enid Blyton (born 11/08/1897)
- 1st federal prisoners arrive at Alcatraz (11/08/1934)
- the founding of Al Qaeda (11/08/1988)
- Ted Heath's Admiral Cup victory (11/08/1971)
- the UK solar eclipse (11/08/1999)
- Robin Williams (died 11/08/2014)

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 10th August 2023. Unfortunately the last few minutes did not record. Contains some strong language.

The panellists were Stella Graham, Dave Chawner and Paul Connolly. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
- The Jim Morrison 'lasciviousness' trial (10/08/1969)
- The opening of The Louvre (10/08/1793)
- Word reaches London on the Paris insurrection (10/08/1792)
- Herbert Hoover born (10/08/1874)
- Wrestler Fred Ottman born (10/08/1956)

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 9th August 2023.

The panellists were Angus Coutts, Micky Gibbons and Bryan Ghosh. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa founded (09/08/1173)
- The first electric washing machine patent (09/08/1910)
- The Coronation of Edward VII (09/08/1910)
- Cliff Richard signs with EMI Records (09/08/1958)
- The bombing of Nagasaki, and Nintendo (09/08/1945)
- Writer David Nobbs, died (09/08/2015)

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 8th August 2023.

The panellists were Paul Connolly, Luis Alcada and CJ Hooper. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
The Kingsmen release Louie Louie (08/08/1963)
The first European air balloon flight (08/08/1709)
The Church inspects Galileo's telescope (08/08/1609)
Beatles trivia (08/08/1966 and 08/08/1969)
Earthquake in Crete (08/08/1303)
Richard Nixon steps down as US President (08/08/1974)

This episode was recorded at The Hill St Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 7th August 2023.

The panellists were Angus Coutts, Charles Dundas and Aleksandr Popov. The host was Richard Pulsford.

On This Day topics covered included:
The first performance of Macbeth (07/08/1606)
The Turkish Straits Crisis (07/08/1946)
Lynne Cox swims The Bering Strait (07/08/1987)
Petit's high-wire act between NY's Twin Towers (07/08/1974)
Oliver Hardy (died, 07/08/1957)

(Charles didn't get the memo about not shaving for this one!)