History.com Debuts Eccentric 'Great and Telling Tales'

Let’s face it, unless you’re some aspiring historian who plans on writing the next world bible, the subject of history is a bit of a drag. Sure, history has shaped the world we live in today (whether you enjoy it or not) and its significant events of the past, including the era we’re living in today, will carry on for generations. But, some may say that history needs a little more spontaneity, enigma and…oddity.

Thankfully, The History Channel has injected a hefty dose of eccentric tidbits into the previous pages of time with their first original web series, Great and Telling Tales with Timothy Dickinson. The 12-episode series narrates bits and pieces of histories most revered events and people, such as the Kennedy/Nixon debate and Rasputin, and illustrates them into a psychedelic caricature of events through its first twelve episodes now available online.. And much of the animated literature that unfolds before your eyes comes from the brilliant mind of Dickinson.

“The addition of this original broadband series not only illustrates our mission to expand the History brand across all multimedia platforms, but emphasizes that at the heart of history is great storytelling,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager of History, Nancy Dubuc. “Our focus is to ensure the content on History.com is innovative, relevant, and most importantly, fresh, giving viewers the tools to dig deeper into the programs and genres that interest them.”

Storytelling is where this series exceeds in delivering one of the most unique subjects of entertainment you’ll find on the web. Dickinson, a freelance “literary advisor”, provides the perfect amount of charm, class and style through his anecdotes and quirky remarks. You may wonder as you stare at his posture and moniker, how can this “plump man” in his mid-60s with tousled hair, wearing a rumpled spencer-coat, be so entertaining and especially, be so damn charming? Just wait till you hear him tell you the story about President Carter fighting off a killer rabbit in the lake. Or even how they used the breeze of horse dung in an attempt to cure President Garfield and yes, Dickinson’s take on drugs.

This series is that history class you’ve been waiting for all throughout your college career friends—full of far-fetched thoughts, hallucinations and damn good times. The Great and Telling Tales By Timothy Dickinson turns the past pages of history with that bizarre-shaped bookmark that makes us open those books once again.