Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.
What We Did Before
Claim This Podcastby OG Podcasts - Pre Modern Life and Human History
43 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Before modern inventions and conveniences, humans had ingenious ways of solving problems. So how exactly did humans survive before fridges, without clothes or before surnames were invented? Find out the answers to these questions and more, right here. Hosted by Ollie Guillou.
Language
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Publishing Since
11/17/2025
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Recent Episodes
July 27, 2026
Before Sewers: How Toshers Had One of Victorian Britain's Most Disgusting Jobs
<p>💬 Toshers had one of the most disgusting jobs of Victorian Britain. Searching the sewers of 19th century London, people would sieve through human sewage looking for discarded treasures. It’s a job that made them a lot of money - but came with many hazards.</p><p>⚡Before the sewage system we know today, Victorian London was a very smelly city. With the population expanding fast thanks to the industrial revolution, London became the biggest city in the world, home to more than 2 million people. But the sewer system couldn’t keep up.</p><p>The Toshers took advantage of this growth of people - and all the valuables they lost underneath the city - and ended up quite well off among the working class.</p><p>Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:</p><p><a href="https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before"><u>https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before</u></a> </p><p><strong>About the podcast:</strong></p><p>What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.</p><p><strong>About your hosts:</strong></p><p>Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.</p><p>Matt Pyle is a lead software developer and tech enthusiast with a keen interest in media, and a love for interesting conversation and learning.</p><p><strong>Connect with Ollie</strong>:</p><p>Website: <a href="http://www.ogpodcasts.co.uk"><u>www.ogpodcasts.co.uk</u></a> </p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou</u></a> </p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk"><u>hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk</u></a></p>
July 20, 2026
Before Cotton Left Britain: Inside Bancroft Mill Where The Weaving Looms Still Run
<p>💬 This is the deafening noise that powered Britain's Industrial Revolution. At its peak, thousands of men and women spent their days surrounded by the relentless clatter of weaving looms - a workplace so loud that many workers gradually lost their hearing.</p><p>⚡ Yet despite the dangers, becoming a weaver was a skilled and sought-after job. Britain's cotton industry transformed Lancashire into the workshop of the world, with entire communities built around the mills. But what was daily life really like inside them?</p><p>In this episode I visit Bancroft Mill, one of the last surviving steam-powered weaving sheds, where the looms still run today. Secretary of the museum Ian McKay explains what it was like to be a cotton weaver, why so many people chose the profession, and what happened when Britain's once-mighty cotton industry began to disappear.</p><p>Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:<a href="https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before</a></p><p>🎧 Stay tuned to learn about:</p><p>➡ What a weaving shed really sounded like</p><p>➡ Why many weavers gradually lost their hearing</p><p>➡ How James Nutter opened this mill having come from nothing</p><p>➡ How Lancashire became the heart of the world's cotton industry</p><p>➡ Why Britain's cotton mills eventually fell silent</p><p>➡ What life was really like for the people who powered the Industrial Revolution</p><p><strong>About the podcast:</strong></p><p>What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.</p><p><strong>About your host:</strong></p><p>Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.</p><p><strong>Connect with Ollie</strong>:</p><p>Website: <a href="http://www.ogpodcasts.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.ogpodcasts.co.uk</a> </p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou</a> </p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk</a></p>
July 13, 2026
Before Cushioned Shoes: The 1970s Style That Changed Footwear Forever
<p>💬 Shoes got a massive makeover 50 years ago, thanks to a boom in interest for running. A style that first emerged in the 1970s quickly became the dominant one - cushioned soles, elevated heels, narrow toes. And it’s the style we still see today. But why? </p><p>⚡ Humans spent hundreds of thousands of years barefoot - and when we did make shoes, they were made of plant fibres or thin animal hides. We’ve cycled through many variations over the years, but today’s shoes are very different - maximising comfort and protection.</p><p>Steven Sashen is the founder of barefoot shoe brand Xero. He explains how today’s shoe style was first adopted, how marketing made it spread - and why one the original designers described it as the biggest mistake he made in his career.</p><p>Don't miss an episode - subscribe now:</p><p><a href="https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before"><u>https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before</u></a> </p><p><strong>🎧 Stay tuned to learn about:</strong></p><p>➡ How Nike’s first waffle shoe started the shift</p><p>➡ Why the science driving the change was problematic</p><p>➡ The strange Medieval trend of wearing mega pointy “poulaines”</p><p>➡ Why barefoot runners today don’t experience life like our ancestors</p><p>➡ How barefoot shoes emerged and what they’re doing differently</p><p><strong>About the podcast:</strong></p><p>What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.</p><p><strong>About your host:</strong></p><p>Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.</p><p><strong>Connect with Ollie</strong>:</p><p>Website: <a href="http://www.ogpodcasts.co.uk"><u>www.ogpodcasts.co.uk</u></a> </p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou</u></a> </p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk"><u>hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk</u></a></p><p><strong>Image Credits:</strong></p><p>(Fort Rock sandals) Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons</p>
43 total episodes available
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