Vlad the Impaler is the (Partial) Inspir...

The Disney version of Johnny Appleseed has a cheerful barefoot man in a tin pot hat scattering apple seeds for grateful pioneers to bake into pies. The real John Chapman collected his seeds for free from cidery waste, planted them into strategically fenced nurseries on land he bo ... Show More

For the last 5,000 years, empires ruled the world — Rome administered hundreds of languages across three continents, and the Ottomans governed Christians, Jews, and Muslims under a single legal canopy. The nation-state as we know it is barely a century old for most of the world's ... Show More

The Cambridge Five did more damage to the Western Bloc than any other intelligence outfit of the Cold War. They were five Cambridge graduates who drank gin at the right clubs, moved through the right corridors of British intelligence at the height of WW2, and quietly handed Stali ... Show More

<p>Vlad Tepes, a 15th-century Wallachian prince, was the notoriously blood-thirsty basis for Dracula, Bram Stoker's classic gothic horror character. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about Vlad Tepes.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https: ... Show More

Commonly associated with Count Dracula, the blood-sucking character in Bram Stoker’s quintessential novel, vampires continue to seduce. But where exactly did the vampire myth originate from? BBC Serbian’s Milica Radenković Jeremić has been researching the cultural history of vamp ... Show More

Vlad the Impaler is one of history’s most terrifying villains. A leader who used torture, terrorism, and sadistic punishment to retain his grip on power. Though he was considered a folk hero by some in his homeland, for many, he’s the inspiration behind the most spine-chilling ta ... Show More

<p>Vlad the Impaler - Vlad Dracula - is one of history’s most brutal figures, who has enjoyed a bizarre afterlife as a cult character. Although a hero to his Romanian countrymen, the name Dracula has since become a global byword for horror.</p><br><p>In this Hallowe’en edition of ... Show More

Vampire folklore is ancient, but with the publishing of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1897, that lore changed forever. The terrifying, grotesque creature became suave and charming, then continued to evolve into the seductive creature of the night we know today. In this episode we exam ... Show More

<p><strong> </strong></p><br><p>For hundreds of years, people have been afraid of blood-sucking creatures that rise from the dead.</p><p>But where does the vampire myth actually come from, what happened to the people accused of being a vampire, and what if there was a simple, bio ... Show More

<p>Dive into the captivating world of vampire lore as we unravel the centuries-old history of these immortal creatures. From ancient myths to modern pop culture, join us on a mesmerizing journey through the evolution of vampire legends. Discover the origins, folklore, and endurin ... Show More

Adam starts looking at Dracula but his research takes him into the much darker world of his real life inspiration Vlad the Impaler. Isadora takes a swing at a beautiful spy with the world on a string, and a tragic backstory.