Meet The TikToker Making History Cool
Chester-le-Street's Katie Kennedy has been inspiring young people to learn more about history on TikTok
Who was the biggest minger in history? Why did Anne Boleyn go on a spending spree before her head was yeeted off? And did Victorians love ye olde FaceTune? Via her TikTok account, The History Gossip, Katie answers all these questions and many more that we’re not brave enough to publish. It’s history told in a way that’ll never bore you.
Katie has always been fascinated by history, studied Ancient History and Archaeology at Durham University, and is now studying for an MA in History at the University of Oxford. Whilst planning her dissertation she set up her TikTok account, wanting to do something fun, but still history related. ‘I didn’t really know where it was going to go,’ she admits. ‘I got a bit paranoid that people weren’t going to take me seriously because of my accent. When I started, I thought I had to be very serious to be taken seriously, even though it’s only TikTok. It sort of exploded when I uploaded a video titled Was Anne of Cleves a Minger? I thought at that point that maybe I should lean into humour because, even when I was growing up, I loved Horrible Histories – the stuff that made you feel like you weren’t learning when you were, in funny and clever ways. I feel very grateful now that I can tell history in that style, and that people like it.’
Katie’s videos make history fun and accessible. ‘When I’m on TikTok, I’m scrolling all the time, and if something doesn’t catch my attention in the first two seconds I don’t care,’ she says. ‘I’ve taken that mentality of needing to make my content snappy, and it needs to be eye-catching in the first few seconds. If people can learn something from that, then that’s amazing. It’s about getting their attention. When you talk about “how did dirty talk work in the 1800s” or “why did Elizabeth I have minging teeth” (because she used sugar paste) that side of social history and the juicy bits really appeal to people. It humanises the past a little bit. I try to talk about things that I would find interesting.’
Katie has received many comments from viewers who have been inspired to study history after watching her videos. ‘As long as they’re not quoting what I’m saying word for word that’s amazing,’ she laughs. ‘It is so lovely to get those comments, and messages from people saying “I’m going to do GCSE History because of you", or “I might apply to do it at uni” – that’s great. I think history should be something fun, not dry and stuffy. So much interesting and scandalous stuff happened in the past and I’m trying to bring that to life. My videos are only about a minute long so I try to get as many facts in as I can. Even if it’s just one or two and people can remember them, that’s amazing.’
Her debut book (The History Gossip: Was Anne of Cleves a Minger? and 365 Other Historical Curiosities) was published this November, and encapsulates all the fun of Katie’s TikToks by sharing gossip from history for each day of the year. ‘I wanted to keep it similar to the TikTok content; short-form, snappy and interesting, so that’s why I decided to do an “on this day” format,’ she explains. ‘So you don’t have to read it cover to cover because it doesn’t necessarily follow a story. It’s from all different periods throughout history so I’m not just focusing on the Tudors, or the Victorians, or Georgians. I tried to make it fun and satirical like my TikToks, so as long as you take it with a pinch of salt then that’s great! I just wanted to make it an easy read for people who might not have thought about reading a history book before.’
Katie is always researching and finding more bizarre stories. ‘One I always talk about is that in the late 1700s, two guys wanted to cross the English Channel from England to Paris in a hot air balloon. They took loads of stuff with them, and as they were coming into France the hot air balloon started descending by accident,’ she says. ‘They started throwing out their food and things they’d packed but it was still going down so they had to strip off and in the end it got to a point where they had to pi** over the edge to lighten the load. That worked and they survived.
‘There’s one about a guy who went into the British Museum drunk and smashed a really valuable vase called the Portland Vase. I find that one really funny because I did an internship at the British Museum. This vase is gorgeous, blue and it’s now in a sealed cabinet where no one can touch it. I always thought it was really pretty but I never knew its backstory until I was researching it. I don’t know why they allowed drunk people into the British Museum, but hey ho! It’s been great finding out stuff about normal people and not necessarily just about the kings and queens. I find it so important.’
Katie has already met viewers and readers at a book signing in Oxford, and hopes to meet more in Durham soon. ‘I was in Waterstones recently – I like to go in and sign the books (I ask permission of course) and move them to the front which is really cheeky. A girl came in and she asked if she could have her book signed because she recognised me from TikTok,’ says Katie. ‘That was really nice. I post these videos, and obviously I have quite a few followers, but I forget that people actually watch them.’
As she carries on with her studies Katie isn’t sure what the future holds, but she’ll continue sharing her gossip on TikTok. ‘I feel like you can never predict it because this time last year I did not expect to be at Oxford or have a book published,’ she says. ‘I feel like if I can keep doing what I’m doing, TikTok and maybe another book, then that would be amazing.’
The History Gossip: Was Anne of Cleves a Minger? and 365 Other Historical Curiosities is on sale in all good bookshops now. Search @thehistorygossip on TikTok.
What was the last book you read?
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I have five pages left. I really liked it because I watched the Netflix film during Covid. I had no idea about her.
Is there an item you couldn't live without?
This is so shallow, but eyelash extensions. I’m obsessed with getting them done. If I don’t have long lashes, I feel naked. I’m a proper Northern girl.
What's the most interesting fact you’ve found about Durham’s history?
English mustard was invented in Saddler Street by Mrs Clements. She found that if you grind the mustard seeds together it makes it stronger. I find mustard minging though. Also, if you were on the run you could knock on Durham Cathedral’s knocker [The Sanctuary Ring] and be granted 37 days of sanctuary – a bed, food, water and the monks would help you have safe passage.
If you could have dinner with three iconic people from the past, who would it be and why?
Marie Antoinette because I love her dresses and hair (she probably had lice in her wigs though). I think she was cool, although she was a controversial figure. I’ve been to Versailles and I’d love to have dinner with her in Versailles. Audrey Hepburn – I think she was so classy and she dressed really well. I love the way she spoke, she’s very gracious. My third one is definitely Anne Frank because she’s one of the figures who got me into history in the first place. I remember when we were in year three and we were looking at her diary (obviously not in detail) and I thought it was so interesting that she was just a normal person writing about her thoughts and feelings at such a time. I’ve been to the Anne Frank House twice.
If you could go back in time to any period, when would it be and why?
None! Especially as a woman. I feel like no period was a good time to live in. I don’t think I would’ve coped. Obviously they didn’t know any different. If I was wealthy, maybe Victorian but even then they wore dresses made of arsenic and died from that. They were eating bread with chalk in, and drinking milk with boric acid. In the Tudor period you’d have your head chopped off. Definitely none!
