The Revenge of The Tally Sticks

The Revenge of The Tally Sticks

Author: Simone Whitlow November 13, 2022 Duration: 25:40
Warning: The following is a long, shaggy dog tale about money, Anglo-Saxon England, things manufactured and things callously discarded. Mostly it’s about Tally Sticks, willow trees and revenge. It’s not me taking a new direction with the show so much as trying to write a ten minute ‘firebreak’ episode to get my second wind for the last couple of episodes and, oh boy did this one take off on me… Just like the ‘great fire of 1834’ did, by the way. Apologies for that I thought this one would run to about 10 minutes… it tripled on me when putting pen to paper.  We’ll be back to regular programming in two weeks’ time, if this worries you.. If there is something a little quirky you like in this episode, a reminder the Patreon tends to be a little quirkier than the main show in a similar way.           Sources this week include: Tim Harford’s ‘Fifty Inventions That Helped Shape the Modern Economy’Jacob Goldstein’s ‘Money; The True Story of a Made up Thing’Marc Morris’ ‘The Anglo Saxons’ This British government website article on the great fire of 1834A British Library article on Tally SticksProf Richard Murphy’s blog post on Charles II’s questionable financial behaviour in 1672, at Tax Research UKAnd this one from some company called Glint.  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. I’m currently revamping, and will be dropping re-recorded bonus content weekly for the next two months. December 1 I’ll be dropping the equally unusual tale of the Enfundu.     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. In this episode I use my own take on Ella Fitzgerald’s Lullaby of the Leaves (Bernice Petkere & Joe Young). I also use excerpts from NZ hard rock band Ishtar’s ‘Secret Love’ and ‘South of Sanity’ (S. Whitlow, D. Cannon, M. Wright). The rest of the music is all mine.    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
Pledge Week: A Nude Horse… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:12
Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Fr…
Pledge Week: Does Anyone Live Beyond You? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:39
Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Monday through Thu…
Pledge Week: Captain Johnson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:37
Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Fr…
Pledge Week: The Devil Comes to Milan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:45
Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Fr…
Re-Upload: The Max Headroom Incident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:28
Hey all I’m on holiday, though I’ve got a few things programmed to drop while I’m away… including this; a re-upload of this episode from October 2021. “On 9:14 pm, 22nd November 1987, Chicago’s WGN TV was ‘zipped’ by a m…
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…