The Phantom Airships

The Phantom Airships

Author: Simone Whitlow February 24, 2022 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 pioneering geniuses - such as a mysterious 47 year old dentist from California.  What was really behind this spate of sightings?   The blog post of the episode is here.  Support the show on Patreon for just $2 a month and get access to exclusive content.       Please leave us a like and review. 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. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Music, writing, narration, mixing all yours truly. 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
When Prophesies Fail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:41
This week we meet two prophets, separated by half a world, and three centuries. One is the self appointed son of God, the other talks with Aliens. What happens to prophets, and more importantly - their followers, when pr…
The Monstrous Life of Zana of Abkhazia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:28
This week we travel to the Kingdom of Abkhazia, a Black Sea land nestled amongst the Caucasus. At a date lost to history, but believed to be around 1860 - hunters trap what they believe is a monster in their bear pit. Th…
The Bagradas Dragon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:51
This week we travel to the Bagradas River, Tunisia in 256 BC. Rome are in the midst of the Punic wars against Carthage, and are in the process of launching an all out invasion on the Carthaginians. As 14,000 Legionnaires…
Hereward the Wake: The Conqueror [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:32
This week we return to medieval England for part two of our two parter. We finally get to Hereward, but first let’s talk a little about William the Conqueror and the final years of Edward the Confessor’s reign. Welcome t…
Hereward the Wake: The Confessor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:22
This week we go back to medieval, Anglo Saxon England for a two parter. I’ve got a Tale to tell of an outlaw, a resourceful Wolf’s-head who leads a guerrilla war against a cruel, unjust King - a man some might say robbed…
What Happened to Richard Cox? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:51
This week Tales goes true crime - as we travel West Point Military Academy, January 1950. Cadet Richard Colvin Cox receives a mysterious visitor identified only as ‘George.’ A week later, Richard would disappear without…
The Poe Toaster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:17
This week, we travel to Baltimore’s Gunner’s Hall - the date October 3rd 1849. A disheveled man is found outside the bar “…in great distress and… in need of immediate assistance.” It turns out the man is none other than…
The Mysterious Mister ZedZed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:00
This week on Tales we return to Infernal Machines and a shadowy merchant of death who sold them - a man who built a great fortune on the death and suffering of millions. What can we actually say on the life of the myster…
Animals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:14
This week on Tales of History and Imagination, we travel from The White House to Coney Island’s Luna Park, from the jungles of Cameroon, to the Bosphorus Strait in the age of Justinian… to the battlefields of World War O…
The Namamugi Incident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:59
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, the second on Charles Lennox Richard…