There are few twentieth century figures as mysterious as Grigori Rasputin. The Siberian mystic has been portrayed as a scheming dark magician who seduced the Russian Queen and made a cuckold of Tsar Nicholas II. He's been blamed for everything from the First World War to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. But how much should we believe about this strange Russ ... Show More
Apr 14
Bonus Episode - Minor Miners, Activist Entertainers, and Spanish Painters
In this bonus episode Sebastian takes question from the listeners about the recent episodes on Henry Box Brown and Snow White. First, we hear some comments from a listener in Iceland who wanted to weigh in on the North American Vikings. Then Sebastian unpacks some tricky question ... Show More
35m 2s
Sep 2025
History's Worst F*ckboys: Rasputin
Rasputin presented himself as a mystic healer, and preached that the only way to salvation was through sin — which sometimes, if rumour is to be believed, manifested in orgies.It's definitely giving f*ckboy behaviour.How did he make his way from poverty to the Russian royalty inn ... Show More
29m 5s
Mar 2025
Real Wives of Dictators | Nadya Alliluyeva, Stalin's Wife
<p>Nadezhda Alliluyeva was born into a revolutionary family, but was it always her fate to marry Joseph Stalin?</p><br><p>She was independent, intelligent and highly politicised. Indeed, Stalin was a hero of hers growing up.</p><br><p>What was it like to be so heavily involved in ... Show More
40 m