Pope Joan

Pope Joan

Author: Simone Whitlow December 3, 2023 Duration: 27:20
Hi all apologies for the delay. I’ve been unwell for a couple of weeks, and am only just bouncing back now. This week, on what was originally planned for Transgender Day of Remembrance (two weeks ago) we continue my annual Trans history episode. In 2022 I started this series replying to a foolish claim Trans people were a recent phenomenon. My take, there have always been people we’d now recognise as Trans.  My list of examples veered from groups, like the Galli, to individuals - like Eleanor Rykener.  Society once had places for Trans people - more often than not religious orders - but the church dismantled a lot of this at the Council of Nicaea.  Or at least they did so for Trans women. How did the church react to history’s Trans men? Today, with a little help from a couple of historical Trans cowboys and a few others, we take a look.  Sources Include:  The last six or seven minutes of this episode owes a huge debt to Nate Hale’s The Conspirators episode ‘The Secret Life of Pope Joan.’ Nate does this way better than I do, and in much greater detail. Go check his episode out.  Susan Stryker’s ‘Transgender History’ was invaluable. I used this English Heritage. Org article to fact check the Galli. This American Battlefields article on Albert Cashier This NY Times article on Charley ParkhurstAnd this National Women’s History Museum article on Deborah Sampson, written by Debra Michals.I’ll add a handful of other articles later. Much of this episode was put together from leftover notes from the TDOR 2022 episode.  Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial.  Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly, Wednesdays.   Tales of History and Imagination is on  | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Threads | Instagram | YouTube |  Music, writing, narration, mixing yours truly.     Visit Simone’s  | About Me | Twitter |   

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: 100

Tales of History and Imagination
Podcast Episodes
The Murder of William Desmond Taylor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:42
This week, Part Three of our Hollywood Trilogy - we discuss the Feb 1st 1922 murder of pioneering film director William Desmond Taylor, and the Pandora’s Box flung open in his wake. Sources this week include:(Sorry all,…
Shorts: What Ended Mabel Normand’s Career? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:45
Hey everyone the following is a quick addendum to the episode on William Desmond Taylor. Just what happened to Norma Desmond to finally ruin her career? I glossed over it in the episode so… here it is. Support the show o…
The Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle Incident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:10
This week, part two of our Hollywood Trilogy - we discuss the Fatty Arbuckle/ Virginia Rappe case. How did a mysterious death during a boozy Labour Day party change the public’s perception of Hollywood forever? Hit play…
Olive Thomas: The Poisoned Chalice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:25
For the next three episodes Tales of History and Imagination is going Hollywood, with three related - but separate Tales. In 1919, many of the folks who brought America Prohibition of alcohol turned their sights on a new…
Railway War! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:36
This week, we’re going to ride the rails, in Colorado, USA - the year 1878. In the midst of a Railway boom in the USA, two tycoons go to war over narrow, twenty mile mountain pass. This week we’re examining the Royal Gor…
The Diaspora [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:54
This week, three short tales of Medieval and Ancient people who - through circumstances way beyond their control - found themselves transported beyond the furthest extent of (to them at least) the known world. This episo…
Mussolini’s Hat - How the Mob Came to America [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:37
This week’s all about presidents, dictators, more mobsters, islands and how the theft of a hat was taken just a little too seriously. Last fortnight we discussed the Black Hand, this episode we follow up and discuss why…
The Black Hand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:16
Death threats, child kidnappings, fire-bombings… A naked man in a barrel? This week I discuss the shadowy practice that came to be known as The Black Hand, and detective Joseph Petrosino. Sources this week include: Five…
Roxelana [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:03
This week, we travel to the court of the tenth Ottoman Emperor - though this tale is only tangentially about Suleiman the Magnificent. It’s a bit of an old cliche to say behind every great man is a great woman - but it i…
The Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:44
First discovered on New Year’s Day 1739, and situated 1,600 Kilometres from the nearest trade route, Bouvet Island is the most remote island on Earth. Uninhabitable, windswept and dangerous - it has, all the same, accrue…