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PODCAST

Rearview Mirror Chronicles

Keith Hockton, FRAS, is a writer, publisher, and award-winning podcaster based in Penang, Malaysia, with a deep passion for uncovering the stories that shaped our world. As the Southeast Asia Editor for International Living magazine, Keith explores the intersections of history, culture, and modern life across the region.A dynamic lecturer and storyteller, he speaks internationally on Southeast Asian politics, economics, and history—bringing the past to life with clarity, wit, and insight. Keith is

history documentary

All Episodes

47:55

Slave, Slaver, Abolitionist - Three Scots in Africa

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/03/23

Send us a text Today’s journey takes us deep into the heart of Africa – a continent rich in culture, but ravaged by the forces of empire, greed… and the struggle for humanity. Sir John Henderson – the nobleman who was a slave. Richard Oswald – Politician and slaver, and Dr. David Livingstone – the missionary, explorer, and abolitionist, whose footsteps carved both legend and controversy across the continent. These men didn’t just witness history – they shaped it. Some with chains. Some with w...

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62:30

J.R.R Tolkien - Part Two - The Lord of the Rings

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/03/14

Send us a text Welcome back to Rearview Mirror Chronicles! Last time, we explored J.R.R. Tolkien’s early life and the war that shaped him. Now, we turn to The Lord of the Rings—a story born from his experiences of battle, loss, and faith. The trenches of World War I echo in the battlefields of Middle-earth, while his Catholic beliefs infuse the story with themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the corrupting power of the One Ring. Yet, despite its deep roots in tradition, Tolkien’s epic found a...

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54:07

J.R.R Tolkien - Part One

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/03/11

Send us a text In the quiet corners of a small English town, in the flickering glow of candlelight, a boy loses himself in the pages of myth and legend—unaware that one day, his own words will shape the greatest fantasy saga ever written. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien… a name that would one day transport millions to the lands of elves, dwarves, and dragons. But before Middle-earth, before the One Ring, before the sweeping battles and the lore that would captivate generations, there was simply a y...

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47:45

Malta - The Greatest Siege in History

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/03/06

Send us a text Picture this: A sun-scorched island in the heart of the Mediterranean. A desperate band of knights, vastly outnumbered, stands against the might of an empire. It is the year 1565, and the Ottoman war machine—30,000 strong—has arrived on the shores of Malta, determined to wipe the Knights of St. John off the face of the earth. But what follows is not just a battle—it is one of the most ferocious and awe-inspiring sieges in history. For four months, against impossible odds, the d...

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33:50

Nostradamus

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/02/25

Send us a text For centuries, Nostradamus has loomed over history like a spectral prophet, his cryptic quatrains sending shivers down the spines of believers and skeptics alike. Did he truly foresee the rise of Napoleon, the horrors of World War II, or even the attacks of September 11th? Or was he just a clever wordsmith, spinning riddles vague enough to fit any catastrophe? Tonight, we unravel the mystery of Michel de Nostredame—the apothecary, the astrologer, the man whose predictions refus...

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35:32

Banking Collapses - A History. Why they Happen and...

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/02/18

Send us a text Money makes the world go ‘round… until it doesn’t. From the financial districts of ancient Rome to the stock exchanges of London and the skyscrapers of Wall Street, history has been shaped—again and again—by catastrophic banking failures. When credit dries up, confidence crumbles, and fortunes vanish overnight, the same question always follows: How did we let this happen? In today’s episode of Rearview Mirror Chronicles, we’re diving deep into three of history’s most infamous f...

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36:57

Greenland

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/02/17

Send us a text Greenland, the world’s largest island, has a history shaped by its harsh Arctic environment and the strategic interests of powerful nations. First settled by the Inuit over 4,500 years ago, it later became home to Norse settlers led by Erik the Red in the 10th century, though their colonies mysteriously vanished by the 15th century. Claimed by Denmark in the early 18th century, Greenland remained under Danish rule until it was granted home rule in 1979 and later expanded self-g...

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45:10

The Madman’s Library - Macabre Books and Bizarre...

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/02/11

Send us a text The madman’s library is a realm where the bizarre and the forbidden collide, a collection of history’s most unsettling tomes. Dusty shelves groan under the weight of grimoires devoted to demonology, their pages inked with occult symbols and sinister invocations. There are volumes written in blood, their creators driven by obsession or madness, each word an unsettling testament to human extremes. In this grotesque collection, one might find books bound in human skin, their leath...

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34:48

The Panama Canal

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/02/01

Send us a text The Panama Canal is one of the greatest engineering marvels in history—a saga of ambition, failure, and triumph. It all began in the 1880s when the French, fresh from their success with the Suez Canal, attempted to carve a passage through the dense jungles of Panama. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the effort was doomed by rampant disease, landslides, and financial ruin. Then came the Americans, who—after some geopolitical maneuvering—took over in 1904. Armed with modern engineeri...

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31:28

Greatness

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/01/30

Send us a textGreatness is a concept that has shaped history, yet it feels increasingly rare in modern discourse. From Alexander the Great to Catherine the Great, history has bestowed this title upon figures whose vision, ambition, and impact transcended their time. But what made them "great"? Was it military conquest, statesmanship, cultural influence, or sheer force of personality? And why do we hesitate to use the term today? Have our values shifted, or has the world become too complex for...

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55:56

Alexander The Great - Part 2

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/01/24

Send us a textAs Alexander the Great marched triumphantly into the Indian subcontinent, his ambition burned brighter than ever. He faced the fierce resistance of King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes River, where the Macedonian phalanx clashed with towering war elephants in a battle of unparalleled ferocity. Yet, victory was his, and Porus, impressed by Alexander’s magnanimity, became a loyal ally. But even as he stood on the edge of the known world, gazing at the Ganges with dreams of fur...

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54:02

Alexander The Great - Part 1

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/01/14

Send us a textAlexander the Great’s story begins in 356 BC, born in Pella to King Philip II and the fiercely ambitious Olympias. From his earliest days, Alexander was surrounded by greatness—his mother claimed divine lineage from Achilles, and his father, a master strategist, shaped Macedonia into a military powerhouse. Tutored by Aristotle, young Alexander absorbed the wisdom of philosophy and science while honing his skills as a warrior. His boundless ambition and fearlessness were evident ...

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40:21

The Great Fire of London

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2025/01/04

Send us a textIn September 1666, the heart of London became an inferno, devouring over 13,000 homes, landmarks, and centuries of history in just four days. But the Great Fire was more than just a catastrophe—it was a crucible of chaos, courage, and transformation. What ignited the blaze that reshaped the city? How did a baker's oven spark a firestorm that even the mighty River Thames couldn’t quench? Join us as we step back into the smoke-filled streets of Restoration London to uncover the un...

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34:52

Christmas

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/12/27

Send us a textThis week on Rearview Mirror Chronicles, we unwrap the rich tapestry of Christmas history! From the sacred nativity stories in the Gospels to the Reformers’ bold attempts to redefine the holiday, we trace the evolution of this beloved celebration. We'll explore how St. Nicholas inspired the jolly figure of Santa Claus, revisit Dickens's timeless A Christmas Carol and its role in reviving festive traditions, and marvel at the extraordinary moment during World War I when soldiers ...

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53:01

The Colosseum - Rome's Arena of Death

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/12/20

Send us a textStep back in time to the heart of ancient Rome, where the roar of the crowd rivaled the clash of swords, and the sands of the arena were stained with the stories of bravery, betrayal, sheer spectacle and blood. The Colosseum wasn’t just a stadium; it was a symbol of an empire’s power and its people’s unyielding thirst for entertainment.In this episode, we uncover the secrets behind the engineering marvel that has withstood the test of time, delve into the lives of the gladiators...

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44:45

Persia

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/12/12

Send us a textPersia, the land of kings and legends, was a marvel of human achievement, blending unparalleled innovation, cultural sophistication, and vast empire-building. Stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley, the Persian Empire was a beacon of connectivity, uniting diverse peoples under the revolutionary rule of Cyrus the Great and his successors. Its engineering feats, like the sprawling Royal Road, facilitated trade and communication across continents, while the opulence ...

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8:44

Kipling's "IF" and "The Two Sided Man" - Your...

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/12/04

Send us a textRudyard Kipling’s "If—" and "The Two-Sided Man" are masterclasses in poetic craftsmanship, distilling the essence of human resilience and complexity into words that resonate across generations. Join Keith as he explains why these two poems mean so much to him, and why together, these poems reflect Kipling’s genius in capturing the universal tensions of existence, making them as brilliant as they are timeless—windows into the soul.

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55:00

What Ifs - Counterfactuals

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/11/28

Send us a textWhat Ifs, Counterfactuals, are a gateway to the infinite possibilities of history, where imagination collides with reality to unravel the fragile threads of what might have been. They remind us that history is not a predetermined march but a chaotic web of choices, accidents, and pivotal moments where a single decision could have reshaped the world. What if Alexander the Great had lived another decade, or Napoleon had resisted the temptation of Russia? These "what ifs" are more ...

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53:22

Admiral - Thomas Lord Cochrane - Part 3

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/11/21

Send us a textIn the twilight of his turbulent life, Lord Thomas Cochrane stood as a testament to unyielding defiance and unrelenting ambition. Once jailed and cast out of the Royal Navy under a cloud of scandal, his indomitable spirit found new purpose across oceans. Hired by Chile, Brazil, and Greece, he became a liberator and naval genius, carving his legend into the histories of nations yearning for freedom. Returning to Britain decades later, vindicated and celebrated, Cochrane was resto...

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59:08

Post Captain - Thomas Cochrane - Part 2

Rearview Mirror Chronicles ·

2024/10/23

Send us a textThomas Lord Cochrane's daring assault at the Battle of Basque Roads in 1809 was nothing short of audacious. Leading a fleet of fire and bomb ships, Cochrane, a brilliant but rebellious Royal Navy officer, spearheaded a bold night attack against the anchored French fleet. In a blaze of chaos, the fire ships hurtled toward the French vessels, causing panic and forcing them to cut anchor. Cochrane's brilliant use of unorthodox tactics created confusion and devastation, trapping man...

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145 results

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