Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Today In History with The Retrospectors
Episode: The First Michelin Guide
Description: Andre and Edouard Michelin published their first Guide on 1st August, 1900. Now recognised as the gold standard in luxury restaurant reviews, the original guide was primarily created to encourage demand for automobiles - and, therefore, Michelin tyres. At the time, there were fewer than 3,000 cars on French roads.
Nearly 35,000 copies of this first, free edition of the guide were distributed, providing information to motorists including maps, tyre repair and replacement instructions, car mechanics listings, hotels, and petrol stations throughout France.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why the Michelin mascot, Bibendum, is white; r...