The Black Hand

The Black Hand

Author: Simone Whitlow March 13, 2023 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 Families by Selwyn Raab  And The Black Hand by Stephan Talty (As well as several articles I’ll link to later) The blog post of the episode is here.   Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial. | Patreon | Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is by sharing 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 normally all yours truly. This week I use, and re-use Enrico Caruso’s 1904 recording of Una Furtiva Lagrima (Gaetano Donizetti) and provide my own ‘drunken’ version of the track - the reason for doing so I hope comes across in the context, otherwise a lot of people will be asking WTF??? 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
Beyond the Archway [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:43
This week my (New Zealand) Government announced New Zealand schools would be teaching New Zealand History to all children. This IS actually quite an accomplishment - a lot of younger kids get little to no history at all,…
Njinga of Ndongo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:21
Happy International Woman’s Day! This week I’m looking at one lesser known badass warrior Queen - Njinga, Queen (then later King) of Ndongo. The blog post of the episode is here. Support the show on Patreon for just $2 a…
The Phantom Airships [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:39
From November 1896 through 1897, the skies over America - if Tales are to be believed - were full of magnificent flying machines. Some possibly from another planet, most were believed by the populace to be the work of pi…
Doctor Sweet’s Defence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:37
Content Warning: This week’s Tale deals with several ugly topics including lynching, false arrests death by consumption, suicide and racism in general. Discretion advised. Set in Detroit Michigan in and around 1925 today…
The Pendle Witches (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:08
This is part two of a two part series on England’s Pendle Witch trials of 1612. Last episode we looked at the lead in to the witch hunts in England and Scotland- Today we look at the Demdikes and the Chattoxes. I’ve spli…
The Pendle Witches (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:18
In 1612 Lancaster, England was abuzz with several reports of witchcraft - the new moral panic to have just hit England after a certain King of Scotland got a promotion and brought some strange ideas south with him. The f…
The Campden Wonder - The ‘Murder’ of William Harrison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:23
This week we’re in the town of Campden, Gloucestershire. The date August 16th, 1660. William Harrison, the ageing rent collector - disappears while on a two mile walk to Charringworth. A local man is arrested, and a dist…
Willie The Wimp (and His Cadillac Coffin) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:59
South Side Chicago Still think of him often… so today we’re talking bout Willie ‘Wimp’ Stokes and his Cadillac Coffin. This week’s Patreon only episode is on Idi Amin and the Enfundu. For just $2 US a month you can suppo…
eden ahbez - Nature Boy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:29
There was a boy, a very strange, enchanted boy - both his prototypical hippie lifestyle, long before the summer of love - and the ethereal song he left us in 1947 have fascinated me endlessly since first reading his Tale…

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