S4 – 1: In Search of a Friend

His hometown was a crossroads. Money and merchandise passed him by, so when Grigory set out on the road himself, it just made since. But he walked into a future that no one could see coming. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.co ... Show More

The Tsar and his people wrestled for control of the empire. A voice whispering that control was his divine right was exactly what Nicholas wanted to hear. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

At the right hand of the Tsar, Grigory Rasputin turned his newfound power and prestige to vicious ends. And he wasn't the only one. Predators across the empire were howling for blood. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More

In the midst of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin's only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, decides to flee Mother Russia to start a new life in America. But with the KGB on her tail, how on earth is she going to get out? Playwright Dan Kitrosser unravels her story. See omnystudio.com/list ... Show More

<p>Nineteen-year-old Anastasia Ferreira, affectionately known as "Stasia" by those closest to her, was the kind of person who couldn't help but be noticed. Though Anastasia stood just around 4'11", her personality loomed large, making her impossible to overlook. She was a vibrant ... Show More

<p>A Russian spy torn between loyalty and freedom. A secret deal with MI6. And, years later, in Salisbury, England, a deadly Soviet-era nerve agent turns a quiet afternoon into an international crisis. This is the story of Sergei Skripal: the double agent who betrayed Russia and ... Show More

Christina wasn't your average monarch of her day -- while many rulers sought to subjugate and terrorize their kingdoms, she sought to acquire knowledge, and to empower the public with information. Often called the "Minerva of the North," this ruler skillfully navigated treacherou ... Show More

1895 was definitely the year for big weddings! In this new episode, you will hear about the life of Consuelo Vanderbilt’s friend, Mary Leiter, more commonly known as Lady Curzon. Did you know that she was the second-highest ranked woman in the British Empire after the Queen herse ... Show More

<p>The most interesting thing about Marie Besnard might not be that she was accused of poisoning about a dozen people. It's that she got away with it -- and got wealthier with each murder.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.c ... Show More

Married off at the age of 14 in her mother’s very own Game of Thrones, Austrian-born Marie Antoinette finds herself in a foreign country, shackled to the teenage future King of France - who's more interested in lock-making than love. How are they to produce an heir? Then in 1774, ... Show More

<p>Emma Ramos grew up in a deeply religious, and deeply patriarchal, town in Mexico, where carving out an independent life for herself—outside her parents’ expectations—was a constant negotiation. Which is why she hid the most traumatic thing that ever happened to her from her lo ... Show More

Alexandra Feodorovna, Granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Tsarina of Russia whose guilt over passing hemophilia on to her son made her dependent on crude mystic Rasputin and contributed to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the murder of her family. Join me every Tuesday whe ... Show More

How did a Russian spy manage to infiltrate the upper echelons of London and New York society? Was Anna Chapman really an old fashioned Russian honeytrap or was she underestimated by the world's press? What was life like for wealthy Russians in "Londongrad" in the early 21st centu ... Show More