The Frost Fair

The Frost Fair

Author: Simone Whitlow December 21, 2022 Duration: 11:15
Happy Holidays all! This week we travel back to the Thames river, scene of The Revenge of the Tallysticks, to discuss the Great Frost Fair of 1683-4.  Tales of History and Imagination will be back with some new episodes on January 25th 2023. In the meantime I’m hoping to re-upload several older episodes. Keep an eye on the social media accounts for details as I’ll be dropping them back into the feed whenever they’re done…               Sources this week include: This was part of a much longer episode which, on first pass ran to two hours - and contained a dozen shorter tales - so I consulted articles rather than books this week.  This History Today blog post, this Historic UK dot com article, this Museum of London article, this Art UK article And a couple of jstor articles (which will be paywalled to most people) were consulted.  I should also mention, Dr Sean Munger’s Second Decade podcast episode on the Last Frost Fair got me tuned into this topic. Though at time of writing Sean hasn’t posted a new episode to Second Decade for 18 months, I strongly recommend his show. The blog post of the episode is here. Support the show on Patreon for just $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content.     Please leave a like and review wherever you listen. The best way you can help support the show 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 (for now), Pinterest and Instagram. The show has a YouTube Channel, largely for Audiogram advertisements.    Music, writing, narration, mixing normally all yours truly. This week I threw together covers of   Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson).God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Traditional, thought to have been written in response to a spate of newer-sounding hymns in the 1500s)And Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard & Richard Bernhard Smith)  For more information on Simone click here.   

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
Frau Troffea’s Dance With The Devil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:51
In June Tales of History and Imagination is on holiday… Well, technically I’m writing new scripts for the second half of the year. In the meantime I’ve recorded a couple of minisodes, starting with the Tale of Frau Troff…
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…