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
Tycho Brahe’s Universe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:06
Hey all I’m on holiday, though I’ve got a few things programmed to drop while I’m away… including this, my short ode to the astronomer Tycho Brahe. Sources include: Apologies all, this is from an old blog post where, now…
The American Mafia - Three: The Castellammare War… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:02
This week we conclude our mob Tale. With the bosses banged up, the Morello family must do their best to navigate a rapidly changing world - and several vicious wars. How will they deal with upstarts, Kings, The Camorra,…
The American Mafia - Two: The Ballad of Antonio Comito [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:49
This week, (sorry all, please bear with me- day job’s running me a little ragged, but I should be on track again in August) we’re returning to our mobsters - Giuseppe ‘The Clutch Hand’ Morello and the 107th Street Gang.…
The American Mafia - One: The Clutch Hand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:05
This week, (apologies for the delay all, I’ve been an absolute wreck the last couple of weeks) we’re returning to Little Italy; the year 1903. In part one of this two parter we discuss the early life of America’s first C…
Temujin (an Origin Story) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:51
This week, we take a magic carpet ride into the wilds of the Central Asian Steppe - timeframe? the mid 12th Century. Today we’re taking a (rather hagiographic) look at the early life of a young man named Temujin… Sources…
Murder in Hartlepool… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:00
This week - we travel to the British Seaside town of Hartlepool. The date?? Sometime around the Napoleonic Wars. A French ship has run aground, leaving bodies strewn across the beach. Legend tells one survivor was found…
Adrian Carton de Wiart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:31
This week - Adrian Carton de Wiart was a lifelong soldier; acknowledged for his bravery across the 2nd Boer War, the Somaliland Campaign, Poland’s several wars for independence - and both World Wars. The man started out…
A Dangerous Liaison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:57
This week we travel to the Germanic Duchy of Hannover, the year 1694. Under cover of darkness, a dashing, aristocratic young soldier named Philip Christoph von Konigsmarck makes his way to an illicit meeting with his lov…
The Triptych [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:21
Trigger Warning: Death by misadventure, and an execution by guillotine. I make no concessions for calling Aotearoa… Aotearoa. I mention this as in Aotearoa (New Zealand) news sites are having to shut down comment section…