Pledge Week: Captain Johnson

Pledge Week: Captain Johnson

Author: Simone Whitlow September 17, 2024 Duration: 16:37
Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel.  Tuesday through Friday I’ll be dropping on old Patreon minisode per day - today we’re discussing one of history’s stranger What if’s. Thomas Johnson was a renowned smuggler, a talented escape artist - and it is rumoured he had a submarine - in 1820. Was he hired to bust Napoleon Bonaparte out of St Helena? Check out my Patreon! For just $2 a month* you get a minimum of one tale every month  (we’re committed to 20 a year there this year, and will start releasing two a month every month when we hit my first stretch target.)  As a patron you are helping to keep independent creators like me keep going, in my case Patreon money helps me with the rental costs of the blog page - Speaking of blog pages, though I used half a dozen texts for this Tale - I first read this tale on the incomparable Mike Dash’s A Blast from the Past.   Emilio Ocampo’s The Emperor’s Last CampaignAnd F.W.N Bayly’s Scenes and Stories by a Clergyman in Debt were also very useful… book based resources.  Unsure if you want to join up? Try a 7 day free trial.    *Dollars quoted in USD.   

Simone Whitlow hosts Tales of History and Imagination, a podcast dedicated to unearthing those peculiar, overlooked stories that conventional history books often skip. Each episode feels like a conversation about a fascinating secret, whether it's delving into the life of an obscure figure who tried to alter our very concept of time or examining the panic caused by a legendary beast in eighteenth-century France. You'll encounter the clever pranksters and the enigmatic side characters-the individuals who played brief but unforgettable cameo roles on the world's stage. Rather than re-treading well-worn narratives, this show seeks out perspectives rarely considered, finding the extraordinary within the ordinary march of events. Listening to this podcast is an exercise in curiosity, where major historical moments are often reframed through a surprising, human lens. It’s for anyone who suspects the past is far weirder and more wonderful than they were taught, blending rigorous research with a storyteller's sense of wonder. The result is a consistently engaging mix that sits at the crossroads of history, culture, and sheer human imagination.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Tales of History and Imagination
Podcast Episodes
Mad Jack Churchill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:54
This week we’re all over the map, from Burma in the midst of the Saya San Rebellion, to the Island of Brač in the former Yugoslavia, to Britain’s Severn river. We follow the mad, occasionally performative life of Mad Jac…
The Strange Case of Kaspar Hauser - Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
This week, on Tales we return to Nuremberg, Bavaria: Last month I warned you the Tale of Kaspar Hauser is no fairytale.. This time we ask, what if it is more like a fairytale than we take for granted - just we often misu…
(More) Tales from the Patreon - Pledge Week 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:55
This week, on Tales - I’m still shaking off a cold, and was planning a Patreon pledge week episode in a month’s time... So, apologies all, I’ve moved things around a little. I’ll record part two of Kaspar Hauser, and the…
The Strange Case of Kaspar Hauser - One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
This week, on Tales we’re in Nuremberg, Bavaria: The year is 1828. A young man has appeared as if from out of nowhere with a horrific tale of captivity. Some wonder if he is some deposed price - but be warned, the follow…
The Storm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:40
This week, on Tales we’re in England, the date November 26th 1703 - as a giant storm settles over the country that would haunt the nation for many years - and give birth to at least one new profession. Content Warnings:…
The Sacred Band -Three [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:21
This week, on Tales we return to Thebes one last time to discuss what happens when others even the field, the life and death or our two heroes, a young man named Philip - and a giant lion.. This is part three of a three…
The Sacred Band -Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:18
This week, on Tales we return to Thebes, to see how their Sacred Band is working out for them. We learn a little bit about Spartan King Agesilaus’ lost love, and we meet a warlord named Jason. This is part two of a three…
The Sacred Band - One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
This week, on Tales we journey to ancient Thebes, a Greek City state suddenly - unexpectedly - under the control of their foes, Sparta. When you have lost your freedom to a despot, and are fighting for your very survival…
The Tichborne Claimant - Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:53
This week, on a much waylaid episode of Tales we return to the Tichbornes,’ as Tom Castro makes his play for the land, money and titles. Does it turn out he was, in fact Roger Charles Tichborne - long thought lost at sea…
Tales From The Patreon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:18
This week on Tales I am still, technically, on holiday - and was hoping to re-release one of five old episodes still left from the first season. This plan has been derailed somewhat. My voice is still recovering from my…