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History
Thomas Blood, Rebel Adventurer and Thief
There’s a cynical modern saying: “Steal a hundred pounds, go to jail. Steal a hundred grand, get a book deal.” This is far from a modern phenomenon. Throughout history those who commit audacious crimes have sometimes been rewarded rather…
Luke Short, Gunfighting Gambler
During his lifetime, many men underestimated or ignored Luke Short. He stood less than 5’6” tall and seemed like a natural target for the type of bully that frequented the American “Wild West” period. But those who tried to take advantage…
Catherine Monvoisin and the Affair of the Poisons
Nothing makes history trickier to investigate than the whiff of scandal. Coverups and spin aren’t modern inventions, and when it makes every source you have unreliable then getting to the truth of the matter becomes all but impossible. So…
Revolutionary Rover | Pets of the 1916 Rising
Easter Week 1916 saw many cats and dogs across Dublin run in fear of the chaos resulting in a significant number of homes across the capital having lost pets in the aftermath of the Rising. One pet who stubbornly stayed in his home was the…
Eugène François Vidocq, French Criminal turned Detective
The genius of Eugène François Vidocq lay in one simple principle. In order to catch a criminal, you had to be able think like a criminal. And in his case that was easy, because he was one. He’s sometimes referred to as “the French Jonathan…
Commodus, Roman Emperor and Gladiator
“Who was the worst Roman emperor?” is a commonly asked question, and one which is difficult to answer for many reasons. Not least of those is “worst for whom?” Rome was a slave economy after all, so an emperor good for the city of Rome was…
Out Here | 4 | In the Land of the Landlords
Stones crunch under my feet as I step off the main road onto the track that jackknifes into the bog. The land is flat. And the wind has swept the clouds from the sky so that the horizon is a clear blue. It comes to rest on the distant…
Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Rebel and Last Governor General of Ireland
They say history belongs to the winners, but that’s only half the story. History also belongs to glory hounds. Those who trumpet their triumphs, those who seek to make sure that they are remembered. As for those who would as soon be…
Philip Cunningham, The Kerryman Behind Australia’s First Rebellion
According to the National Museum of Australia, the first rebellion in Australia took place in 1804 and it was a Kerryman who started it.
Up to 300 convicts were led by Kerry born Philip Cunningham in a revolt on a New South Wales prison…
George Psalmanazar, Fake Formosan
In 1703, at the dawn of the eighteenth century, a traveler came to London Town. A native of a far-off land, kidnapped by Catholic missionaries but rescued by a Protestant minister, he was practically tailor-made for the fervently Protestant…