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After Mount Vesuvius erupted - and original hosts Rome pulled out - the British Olympic council sent a letter, dated 19th November, 1906, agreeing to host the fourth modern Olympic games.\nWith just two years to go, the event was put together hastily, and on a paltry budget; a stadium erected at the White City home of the Franco-British exhibition, and the chosen events ones that British athletes excelled at, including polo, lacrosse, tug of war, deer-shooting, and duelling.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal what a \u2018flip-flap\u2019 was; consider the calculation done to establish the length of the modern-day marathon; and establish how a small swig of champagne contributed to one of the Games' greatest ever controversies...\nFurther Reading:\n\n\u2018The 08 Olympics... 1908, that is\u2019 (BBC News Magazine, 2008):\xa0http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7544392.stm\n\n\n\u2018Why Is a Marathon 26.2 Miles?\u2019 (HISTORY, 2014):\xa0https://www.history.com/news/why-is-a-marathon-26-2-miles\n\n\n\u2022 \u2018The 1908 London Olympics - extracts from surviving footage of Track & Field and Marathon events\u2019 (BFI, 2012):\xa0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IqE2KEqZJI\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back on Monday! 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: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\xa0\n#1900s #Sport #UK\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices