In the 15th century, the Medicis were the most powerful banking family in Italy. Members of a rival banking family known as the Pazzi attempted to overthrow them but failed. What would the world look like today if the Medici line had ended in 1478?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Yesterday
The Guardian Tape: UFO Caught on Camera, or Hoax?
In 1992, UFO researcher Bob Oeschler received a strange package in the mail. It contained documents, purportedly stolen from some top-secret Canadian project, alleging a vast alien cover-up. The envelope contained something else: a VHS tape. The sender – identified only as “Guard ... Show More
47m 37s
May 27
The Marconi Mystery: 22 Scientists Die Mysterious Deaths in Britain
In 1986, two young British defense scientists died under mysterious circumstances, sparking theories of foul play. Not only because both specialized in underwater defense systems; they also worked for the same company, Marconi Electronic Systems. Which was one of several defense ... Show More
45m 14s
May 20
Peter Bergmann, the Mystery Man of Sligo
On June 16th, 2009, a dead body washes ashore on Rosses Point beach, Ireland. The Irish police force learns the deceased’s name is Peter Bergmann. Or is it? Because everything “Peter” did while alive seemed shrouded in secrecy. He gave his hotel a fake name, a fake address, and h ... Show More
41m 45s
May 2019
The Rise and Fall of the Medici Bank
<p>The Medici name still carries echoes of power and labyrinthine politics. But the Medici got their start as bankers, and built a financial empire that spanned fifteenth-century Europe. Popes, kings, and merchants all did business with the Medici, and the family's power over Flo ... Show More
54m 45s
Jul 2022
The Death of "God's Banker", the Vatican, a Pope's Murder, Mafia Plots and a Secret Masonic Coup
When Roberto Calvi's body was found swinging from a London bridge in 1982 it sent shockwaves through the religious, financial and criminal worlds. But who killed him? And how are the Vatican, Italy's powerful Mafia, a secret society called P2 and a Pope's death all linked in this ... Show More
54m 43s
Aug 2021
Tyrannical Popes: Leo X Pt. 1
Giovanni de' Medici was a shrewd strategist who became pope before the age of 40. As a cardinal, he ended the Medicis’ exile in Florence, returning the dynasty to their seat of power. As pope, he would nearly bankrupt the Vatican — and upend the Christian world. Learn more about ... Show More
50m 34s
Sep 2020
“Lord High Executioner” Pt. 2: Albert Anastasia
During the 1930s, Albert Anastasia was the leader of Murder Inc., the mafia’s crew of contract killers. But after World War II, he shot his way to the top to become the boss of one of New York’s Five Families. Unfortunately for him, the Feds were more determined than ever to keep ... Show More
45m 4s