The Ace of Spies - One

The Ace of Spies - One

Author: Simone Whitlow February 9, 2025 Duration: 36:17
Hi all, welcome back - sorry it’s a week later than planned… I had a nasty cold. This week we’re in Russia just after the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks have taken over, plunging the nation even further into disarray. They’re determined to exit the First World War.  Britain, knowing this would be disastrous for their war with Germany need a hero to go in there and upset the apple cart - the kind of talented, yet completely amoral man Ian Fleming would draw on years later when crafting his best known invention - James Bond.  This week, part one of two: Who was Sidney Reilly, and how did Russia find herself in this mess?    Sources Include: R.H. Bruce-Lockhart ‘Memoirs of a British Agent’Pepita Bobadilla & Sidney Reilly ‘ Adventures of a British Master Spy’This ‘Spycraft 101’ episode Featuring Giles Milton   Support Tales 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. Tales of History and Imagination has ‘X-it-ed’ from Musk’s hellsite, sorry Twitter folk. But I can be found on…   | Facebook |TikTok | Threads | YouTube | Bluesky |    

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…