The History Gossip: A Slice of Ye Olde Scandal for Every Day of the Year

by Katie Kennedy, Martin Hargreaves (illustrator)

In this exclusive book, Katie Kennedy of the hugely popular TikTok account @TheHistoryGossip delivers fascinating, witty, and salacious historical facts for every day of the year, proving that our shared histories are anything but boring. 

Sexy. Scandalous. Dodgy. If you were of the mind that history is boring, you haven’t been paying attention. Meet Katie Kennedy, aka The History Gossip. Incorporating British slang and pop culture references and infused with her signature deadpan humor, Katie offers a delightful fusion of Drunk History and Horrible Histories, making learning about the past an absolute riot. 

From royals embroiled in love triangles to Victorians eating tapeworms for the banter, Katie carefully researches the past and delivers shocking and salacious historical facts for each day of the year. Just as informative as it is funny and entertaining, The History Gossip follows an “on this day in history” format with historical events arranged by month and date, and with quirky reference illustrations to help readers visualize the past.

This compelling and raunchy read covers topics that range from Mary, Queen of Scots getting the chop (she was beheaded after she was found to be complicit in a plot to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I) to the curse surrounding King Tut’s tomb (Lord Carnarvon died from an infected mosquito bite two months after visiting). So make yourself a cuppa if you fancy, and get ready to dive into the tales and stories that have made history so very absorbing and a lot outrageous.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Humor, Historical

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2024

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

History for the TikTok era. Not going to lie, at times listening to this I felt so old however I very much enjoyed the tongue in cheek, down to earth narration style. I have seen some of Katie Kennedy's Tiktoks so I knew what to expect from this and highly recommend the audio version. It helps I have a similar accent to Katie so this just felt like a mate chatting to me about random stuff.

It's very accessible, as long as you don't mind the very British cultural references and humour (literally no one is safe from the piss taking) and the laid back style. It's set out as a calander, going through every day of the year with an interesting fact from that day throughout history so it's also very fast paced. One minute you're reading about Scott's race to the North Pole to Mary Queen of Scots getting her head chopped off. It's chaotic, but a fun time.

[Tilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

A few funny and interesting parts but it was almost trying too hard and I found all the ridiculous slang really off putting. Not for me!

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

History but make it spicy. If you like nonsense, hanky panky, Tudor insults or wanna pull like it’s the 1700s, The History Gossip’s your girl. This book gave me a ruddy good howl! A Boxing Day delight- I highly recommend. Stuffed full of cheeky on this day tidbits, spanning twelve months and several centuries. Births, deaths and all things mad in between.

Good old King ‘Henners’ (Henry VIII) couldn’t “function without fanny”, The Greeks used broken pottery to wipe their behinds and Casanova caught the clap. Allegedly 💅

I could not put this down it was that deliciously written and revelatory. Everything was chef’s kiss! Katie is just sheer brilliance and I’ve followed her since the beginning of her history TikTok career. This should be shared far and wide with everyone you know ✨

[Bonnie Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

GCSE teachers take note. Cause if Mr Rhodri were to explain patterns in migration like this, trust the class would listen. (he would be fired but whatever)

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives about a paragraph on something that happened in history for every day of the year in the authors signature fun tone. This was fun just wanted a bit more.

[Jessica Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn some fun historical facts and love the history gossips humour this book is a must read! From tik tok creator to author is the perfect transition!

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 This was actually so funny! I loved the gen z humour mixed with historical facts! A very effective way of getting people who wouldn't usually like history to read about it! The way it was formatted was perfect too!

[megs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the delivery but i feel that the editor did her dirty as there were quite a few errors.

In some part I would have preferred a bit more historical detail too.

Love making history more accessible and enjoyable to a wider audience!!!

[Sofie Amalie]

Til dig der elsker Philomena Cunk

[avamoore2608 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giggling on the bus core

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.
I love history, so that was a draw to read this book. Then it was in bite size chunks, a daily fact. Another draw.
And those facts were turned into something amusing. A win.
Think Horrible Histories but for adults with slang and a contemporary slant.
It was amusing,irreverent and a total blast to read.
I thought the use of local slang or terms brilliant, chucking at words like craic, bairns etc being used to describe some of the major events in world history.
I would recommend this book to anyone who love Horrible Histories as a child or who loves a ‘thought for the day’ style book or who just wants a good chuckle.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a mostly Gen Z slang, this is not like your usual history books. Tells us nothing new but is entertaining and amusing. A good book to dip in and out of.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read of 2025, giggling in my living room! Pls can we make history fun again lads

[Charlotte3t · Rating 2 out of 5]

was ok. good facts, funny in some places but felt a bit stale in others. would probably reread to find the fun facts for my friends bdays that i can then recite to look like a nerd.

[India-Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

literally just so fucking funny

[Isabelle moon]

Such a different but interesting & fun take on history!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 genuinely laughed out loud all the way through

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a conglomeration of one liners from Philomena Cunk. The stories are disjointed and so short I felt like I got nothing out of it, though it probably isn’t meant to be read straight through. The final straw was one of the days being dedicated to Taylor Swift.
Not everyone should get a book deal. Some people should stick to TikTok, or could maybe prepare a page-a-day calendar instead.

[ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

if philomena cunk had a tiktok account

[Meg Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization of this book wasn’t my favorite. It’s set up by the month each fact occurred. As a result, each chapter had a fact about Henry VIII rather than one chapter of sloppy gossip about him. You find yourself in Roman times and then with astronauts on the moon within seconds of eachother. But it was still written in the same funny delivery you get on TikTok, so I managed to suffer through. 😆

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Running Press for an advance copy of this book that looks at events throughout history with an eye towards being both informative and funny, proving that history is not only a circle, but is very much like getting hit in the face with a pie.

Many think of history as a dry recitation of facts. 1492 Columbus set sail to the find Asia, and found something in between. 1776 America begins a war with England for freedom. 1812 America does it again, this time over trade. History however is much more than that. Without understanding the past, one really can't understand the present. The same old hatreds, the same racism, the same stupid reasons constantly come up again and again. Another thing is history is also weird, and as weird as things are getting, well the past might say hold my beer. The Propellerheads had a great song called History Repeating with these lyrics:' {S}ome is good, some is bad and the joke is rather sad, that its all just a little bit of history repeating.'. Well in this book none of the jokes are bad, though they might get a little ribald. The History Gossip: A Slice of Ye Olde Scandal for Every Day of the Year by author and Tik Tok-er Katie Kennedy, illustrated by Martin Hargreaves, is a book of days dealing with events from throughout history, from the far past to the birth of pop stars, with many other odd, weird, and sad occasions in between.

The book is set up like an almanac, or a book of days, starting with January, with each day having a section discussing what happened that day, from the far past to the birth of Taylor Swift. Katie Kennedy, aka The History Gossip has made a credible list full of events both key to the growth of civilization, ie Taylor Swift, and things that might one go hmm, that seems odd. The beheading of the villain Oliver Cromwell, in retribution for the death of his king, though Cromwell had to be dug up from his grave of seven years to do so. The many assassination attempts on Queen Victoria, who wondered how that people loved her so to try and kill her. Actually Queen Victoria makes quite a few appearances here. War, pestilence famine and lots of death especially the weird kinds that history seems to be full pop up a lot. Along with events like the stopping of Niagara Falls, and a few stories about pets.

Each day offers a snarkily told snippet, along with a bit of fictional dialogue that might be what was really said, but would never be shared by historians. However added in the dialogue, Kennedy is sure to keep the event real, not making anything up, letting what happens happen. Kennedy can be what some would call crass, and British. This caused me to look up a few words that were new to me, and probably darning my Google search to some watchlist somewhere. Humor can be subjective and what makes one guffaw out loud, make make another just chuckle, or even worse put on a prune face. So many think that history can't be fun, can't be amusing, and must be as dull as possible. This misses much of why history is so alive. Times have been tough since the first fish crawled on land. And we are still here. I use this to keep me going in these dark times of colossal stupid we live in. Though I am sure we are only one day from digging up FDR and cutting his head off for giving us Social Security.

A funny book that might get people interested in the past, make them think about the future, and try to make it better that what is currently. The humor can be a little much, but older teens might snicker, and think hey this isn't just facts, and not just people put on pedestals. These people were real, and sometimes pretty stupid. Just like all humans. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to more.

[Carrie Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a few chuckles. Difficult to pick up again once put down.

[Rea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on History, but(t)

The good
I really enjoyed the calendar approach that makes History "digestible" and encourages the reader to look for further info if they want to learn more.
Also, the slang and regional expressions were quite fun to read, and in my case, learn. Fortunately there is a glossary!!
The author's humor is really oriented, be prepared for a lot of salacious jokes, hence this review's title (sorry for that haha!).
The bad
It is also very UK/US-centric, sometimes without giving context, like where the event takes place ("the law about xxx is issued", without any mention to the country), and way too many Henry VIII references. Come on, we all know Henners got more wives than baths in his lifetime!
The author inserted some references to other countries, mostly European but close to zero reference to other continents.
... and the ugly.
There were some derogatory comments supposed to be humorous that were borderline (think mysoginy, fatphobia, etc.). I don't have the feeling the author intended to be offensive, but such attempts at subversive humor fell flat... Noughties vibes rather than Twenties vibes, if you see what I mean.

2.5 stars, rounded to 3, because all sources are referenced at the end, and there is a glossary.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment.

I love The History Gossip’s videos. They’re clever and funny and she’s very engaging. This book was in places but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

It was kind of funny but a lot of the time just felt like she was trying too hard and often the humour made it unclear which elements were factual (some were of course obvious) - and isn’t this meant to be about making history more accessible? In some cases other than the date and event there was no actual information about what happened, rendering it kind of pointless.

And my goodness it needs a decent proof read and some fact checking. Henry VIII became king in 1509 not 1590. And if someone embarked on a journey in 2007 they couldn’t also have started it in 1994.

Another one which jumped off the page was Disney’s first feature length animation, Snow White. Apparently “over 200 separate paintings” - more like over 2 million!

Nearly half the book is a glossary (to explain all the modern slang used), references and an index.

I’ve been pretty generous giving this two stars because fair play to her for writing a book - that’s a book more than I’ve written - and the concept is great, it just needs a bit (I’m a lot!) of refining. I’m glad I paid 99p in an Amazon deal!

[Jude Brigley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not half as funny as it thinks it is.

[nora 📖🩷 · Rating 2 out of 5]

the style of writing was not for me and i didn’t enjoy it at all.

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not for the history buff. From a podcast of the same name. Meant to deliver history humorously as gossip. The book is not incredibly informative nor humorous.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The History of Gossip by Katie Kennedy is an entertaining and unique take on history that I didn’t know I needed. The author’s wit and humor bring a refreshing, lighthearted twist to the subject matter, making history feel more accessible and fun than I ever expected. Although I may be a bit on the older side and didn’t always catch the Gen Z references, I still thoroughly enjoyed the overall tone of the book.

What truly sets this book apart from others is its ability to make history feel engaging and exciting. Kennedy’s approach is unlike anything I’ve read before, and I appreciate her ability to blend humor with historical facts. It feels like a delightful mash-up of storytelling and education that makes history come alive in a way that’s both informative and entertaining.

However, I couldn’t help but feel that the book’s broad approach left me wishing for a more focused topic. I think Kennedy’s storytelling could shine even more if she picked a specific historical subject to dive deeper into. Her ability to make history fun is evident, and it would be exciting to see her tackle a more detailed and concentrated exploration of one subject.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. If you’re looking for a fresh and funny perspective on history, The History of Gossip is definitely worth checking out.

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading The History Gossip felt like sitting down with a friend who knows all the juiciest secrets of history—the kind of details that textbooks always seem to leave out. I’ve always loved history, but this book made me see it in a new light, turning famous figures into real people with flaws, rivalries, and unexpected quirks. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to stop and share random fascinating tidbits with anyone nearby.

What I loved most was how effortless it felt to read. The author has a gift for storytelling, making even the most complex events feel engaging and fun. It reminded me a bit of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, but with a more playful tone. There were moments I caught myself laughing, others where I was genuinely surprised by what I thought I knew but didn’t.

I have to admitt, I wished the book was longer—some stories felt like they ended just as I was getting really invested. But that’s a small price to pay for such an enjoyable read. If you love history but hate the way it’s often presented in school, this book is a must-read. It’s entertaining, witty, and full of those ‘aha!’ moments that make learning feel like an adventure. I can’t recomend it enough!

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I am a firm believer in making history (amongst other things, like law) fun. It is a trial to go through pages and pages of information with not a single joke or sly remark, and I think the value of having history put across humourously also lies in people actually remembering it. I really did enjoy the day-by-day approach to the facts and information, although I did think that some had far more value than others.

My biggest criticism is that I had hoped this would be a little bit more informative and a bit more serious in some ways - sometimes the slang was so much that it took over the whole of the information, and it resulted in things feeling a bit tired. There were a couple of mistakes as well, and making history fun should really come with the proviso of full accuracy, because that's kind of part of the point.

I do think this sort of material is incredibly important, especially for young adults who don't have particularly accessible history at their fingertips, so I am hopeful that this book will achieve that purpose. In the meantime though, I think I'll stick with my slightly stuffier (but still tongue in cheek) preferences.