Rearview Mirror Chronicles
Keith Hockton, FRAS, is a publisher, podcaster, writer and author based in Penang, Malaysia. He is South East Asian Editor for International Living, a lifestyle based magazine. He lectures internationally on history and Malaysia (political and economic), and is passionate about making history fun and accessible to all. Keith is a Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. His published books include: • Atlas of Australian Dive Sites - Travellers Edition (Harper Collins Australia, 2003). • Penang - An inside guide to its historic homes, buildings, monuments and parks (MPH Publishing, 2012; 2nd Edition 2014; 3rd Edition 2017). • Festivals of Malaysia (Trafalgar Publishing, 2015). • The Habitat Penang Hill: A pocket history (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Alana and the Secret Life of Trees at Night (Entrepot Publishing, 2018) • Penang Then & Now: A Century of Change in Pictures (Entrepot Publishing, 2019; 2nd Edition 2021) • Bersama Lima - Five Together (Entrepot Publishing, 2022)
Episodes
High above the clouds, where the air thins and every step is a battle, two men vanished into legend."
In June 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out to conquer the unconquerable — the summit of Mount Everest — armed with little more than grit, woolen coats, and an indomitable spirit."
"They were last seen alive, climbing high into the mist, agonizingly close to the top... and then — no...
He had the jawline of a movie star, the charm of a matinee idol, and the pedigree of American royalty. But John Fitzgerald Kennedy was more than just a handsome face — he was a war hero, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and the youngest man ever elected President of the United States.
He was the golden boy — but behind the perfect smile and polished speeches, he lived a life built on contradictions. He saved lives in t...
They say he died in the fourteenth century. But his tomb was empty. No body. No bones. Just silence.
Nicholas Flamel—a name etched into dusty grimoires and whispered in secret circles. A medieval scribe who, legend claims, unlocked the secrets of the Philosopher’s Stone. Gold from lead. Life from death. Immortality.
For over six centuries, he’s been spotted across Europe—unchanged. Ageless. Watching. Join Keith as he op...
How depraved was Caligula? More than Tiberius? How monstrous was Nero? The dark reputations of these emperors owe a great deal to the Roman writer Suetonius, whose 121 AD work, "Lives of the Caesars" offered intimate portraits of 12 rulers of Rome - from Julius Caesar to Domitian.
Join Keith as he interviews historian and podcaster Tom Holland who has just produced a new translation of the "Lives",...
In the dead of night on November 7, 1974, Lord Lucan vanished without a trace after the brutal murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, in a case that gripped Britain like a thriller novel come to life. Was this aristocratic gambler a cold-blooded killer who took his own life to escape justice—or did he disappear into a world of shadows, aided by a cabal of elite friends, slipping away to live under an assu...
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 witn...
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,...
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...
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 siege...
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—th...
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...
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 unt...
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 coll...
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 geopolitic...
Greatness 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...
As 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 ed...
Alexander 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 ...
In 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 in...
This 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, ...
Step 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 with...
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