BROADCASTS.com

When a ragged, peculiar-looking teenage boy was found wandering the streets of Nuremberg on 26th May, 1828, it triggered a centuries-long quest to discover who he was, why he had (apparently) been raised in captivity, and (if so) whom had done such a thing to him. His name was Kasper Hauser.\nThe newspapers went into overdrive, reporting every salacious detail: the boy refused to eat or drink anything apart from bread and water; he seemed astonished by mirrors and candles; he was overwhelmed by loud noises; he couldn\u2019t hold metal; the odour of the graveyard sent him into fits\u2026 soon enough, he became one of the most famous people in all of Germany.\n\xa0\xa0\xa0\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly attempt, in our usual ten minutes, to unpick whether this is a story of child abuse, a fantastical imagination, a deceptive manipulator, or all of the above; explain why some of Hauser\u2019s astonishing achievements are arguably *too* astonishing to be entirely genuine; and recall how his death was just as mysterious as his life\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018The Enduring 200-Year-Old Mystery Of Kaspar Hauser\u2019 (All That\u2019s Interesting, 2018): https://allthatsinteresting.com/kaspar-hauser\n\u2022 \u2018The enigma of Kaspar Hauser: Secret prince, hoaxer, or victim?\u2019 (Sky HISTORY): https://www.history.co.uk/articles/he-s-a-real-wild-child-the-enigma-of-kaspar-hauser-secret-prince-hoaxer-or-victim\n\u2022 \u2018The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser - trailer\u2019 (1974): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzxreLUzuUI&t=18s\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices