What connects Quakers and the Big Bang?

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:06]What is the similarity between the Big Bang, the Tories, Cubism, and the Quakers?

[00:00:13]I'll give you that one more time.

[00:00:14]What is the similarity between the Big Bang, the Tories, Cubism, and the Quakers?

[00:00:20]This is almost the ideal question for me as an art historian and a Quaker, but not a Tory.

[00:00:25](others giggling) And not involved... The Big Bang....in the Big Bang.

[00:00:30]But almost half.

[00:00:31]Two outta four ain't bad. (laughs) Well, I am aware of the Big Bang.

[00:00:35]Of Tories, of Cubism, and of Quakers, and— Oh, that's it. That's the answer.

[00:00:40]Matt's aware of them. That's— Thank you, alright!

[00:00:42]We'll move on to question two! There we go.

[00:00:44]I know there's a whole thing about Quakers not speaking much, but I'd have to say that the Tories are certified yappers.

[00:00:50](blurts laugh) That's a difference.

[00:00:52]Very, very Gen Z little slang going in there, Matt.

[00:00:55](giggles) Yes.

[00:00:57]Whoa, hang on, remind me again.

[00:00:59]It's the Big Bang, Tories, Quakers and... Cubism.

[00:01:03]Cubism.

[00:01:04]Which is... an art style where everything looks a bit odd and mixed up sometimes, and with perspectives, as I understand it.

[00:01:13]I mean, I'm gonna ask the art historian for a definition there.

[00:01:16](group chuckles) Yeah.

[00:01:17]What is the cubism?

[00:01:19]So, cubism was invented by Picasso and Georges Braque.

[00:01:25]And they were basically like super, super besties.

[00:01:29]And then they fell out and never spoke about it again.

[00:01:31]So, so maybe there's something here about lovers' tiffs.

[00:01:35]But fundamentally, with Cubism, you can see the same thing from multiple perspectives at one time, so... Which is why it all looks a bit blobby, but... Cubism?

[00:01:48]Maybe they all started in France.

[00:01:50](laughs heartily) Notoriously, the Big Bang.

[00:01:54]It's got French energy.

[00:01:55](giggles) It's the centre of everything.

[00:01:58](laughs) (Matt and Rowan wheeze) Technically it should be called Le Grande Bang, but... Ah! (guests laughing) Le Grand Pouf. Thank you.

[00:02:06]I was really hoping that someone would come up with a translat— Because I started that sentence, and by the time I got to the end of it, I didn't have the French word for 'bang'.

[00:02:13](Verity and Rowan giggle) So I know obviously the Tories is not... I'm interested in that phrase as opposed to 'conservatives', because technically it's kind of the same as saying like the GOP for the Republicans.

[00:02:25]Like it's a nickname or it's another name for it.

[00:02:27]And so I'm wondering if this is kind of like a suffragette style thing where... it's not the original name for the thing.

[00:02:34]It got named by someone who was in opposition to it, or named as a nickname that wasn't meant to be good.

[00:02:39]And then they were like, "I guess this is us now."

[00:02:42]Yes. Yes.

[00:02:44]Oh.

[00:02:45](group laughs heartily) Do you wanna talk more about the— Do we start with the Tories there?

[00:02:52]I'm not gonna lie to you, Tom.

[00:02:53]I truly don't know.

[00:02:54]This wasn't like, I knew that that was true for one of them, and so I extrapolated.

[00:02:57]I truly didn't know that was true for any of them.

[00:02:59]But I was like, I just know that this is maybe something that wasn't, 'cause the big bang also, it's not necessarily like an officious sounding thing for quite an important theory.

[00:03:08]So yeah, that was just a guess into the darkness that turned out to be correct.

[00:03:13]The 'Big Bang' was popularised by astronomer Fred Hoyle on BBC Radio in 1949.

[00:03:18]He was sceptical about it.

[00:03:19]He thought it sounded ridiculous.

[00:03:20]Thank you, Producer David.

[00:03:22]The Big Bang in French is 'Le Big Bang'.

[00:03:25]Thank you. Never!

[00:03:26]Thank you so much. Or alternatively, 'Le Grande Explosion'.

[00:03:29]But 'Le Big Bang' is what people use.

[00:03:32]You mentioned Georges Braque, Verity, who is in my notes here.

[00:03:36]Yeah.

[00:03:37]I also have Louis Vauxcelles.

[00:03:39]Yeah, so he basically... he was a writer, and then he basically named loads of art movements being like, "I think this is no good."

[00:03:48]And then they were like, "I like the name 'no good'. We'll use that."

[00:03:51]So he's all over the place.

[00:03:53]Yeah, and that's what happened with Cubism.

[00:03:55]'Tory' was originally... I mean, it says in my notes, it's a 'slur', which I feel is a strong term to use.

[00:04:03]But it comes from the Irish 'tóraidhe', which I'm probably mispronouncing, for outlaw or robber. And— Oh, it's quite accurate then.

[00:04:12](cackles) And 'Quaker', I'm gonna ask the Quaker, do you know where that name came from?

[00:04:18]Well, it used to— back in the 17th century, when the Quakers were founded by George Fox.

[00:04:24]And the idea is that you sort of, you're having a think, and then maybe you'll sort of have some sort of revelation about the way we live and the world we live in, which can cause you to basically have a bit of a flutter.

[00:04:37]So I imagine it was a slightly eye-rolly, "All of this quaking they're doing. Oh."

[00:04:41]Yep. Quaking or trembling in a religious context.

[00:04:45]Absolutely right, Rowan, out of nowhere, congratulations.

[00:04:49]They all came from derisive nicknames.

[00:04:52]The Lateral Producer's Club is at lateralcast.com if you would like more Lateral, fewer adverts, and to support the show.

[00:05:02]Caption+ by JS* caption.plus | @caption_plus