A cunning puppetmaster, Catherine de Medici is most vividly remembered as a one-time queen of France who dispatched beautiful women in her court to manipulate the men of France. Except… that’s not really the case. But hidden in the spectacular legends lie kernels of truth about Catherine and her Flying Squadron.
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Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic
Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ... Show More
42m 41s
Oct 2022
Sarah Winchester, Mistress of the Mystery House
After marrying the heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1862, Sarah Winchester was seemingly set for life. But while her finances never despaired, Sarah did — experiencing a string of tragedies that would haunt her. She built a strange and sweeping mansion to try and ... Show More
41m 26s
Dec 2018
SYMHC Classics: Catherine de' Medici, Italian Orphan
Today we're revisiting a 2010 episode from Katie and Sarah about Catherine de' Medici, who remains the most famous female member of the Medici clan. Orphaned at a young age, Catherine survived struggles with childhood illness and eventually became the queen consort of France. Le ... Show More
24m 2s
Aug 2019
Anna Anderson Pt. 1: The False Anastasia
Franziska Schanzkowsky always thought she was destined for something bigger than the life of a Polish peasant. In 1921, after the fall of the Romanov Empire, 24-year-old Franziska claimed she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the youngest daughter of deposed Tsar Nicholas II. But ... Show More
54m 19s
Feb 2020
Catherine the Great and her Husband the Mediocre
Catherine the Great, Russia's most famous Empress, wasn't born in Russia—she was a minor German princess engaged to the future Emperor. But less than a year after her husband ascended to the Russian throne, Catherine overthrew him in a coup with the help of her lover in one of th ... Show More
26m 42s
Feb 2019
E135: “Vile Business, Clumsily Done” - Françoise, Duchess de Choiseul-Praslin
In the early 1800's, Fanny, the Duchess of Choiseul-Praslin, and her husband Charles, the Duke, were highly regarded among the French nobility. From the outside it appeared they had it all, but internally their marriage was filled with distrust and turmoil. Eventually it would al ... Show More
48m 13s