The Bloody Benders - Part I: Prairie Hospitality | Ep. 22

BONUS: The Life and Assassination of Grigory Rasputin - The Romanov's Holy Fool | Ep. 24

Few figures in history have inspired more myths, rumors, and legends than Grigory Rasputin. To some, he was a holy man blessed with miraculous healing abilities. To others... he was a manipulative fraud whose negative influence helped bring down an empire. The truth, as it often is, lies somewhere in between... Related reading: Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs By Douglas Smith The Romanovs: 1613-1918 By Simon Sebag Montefiore Rasputin: The Untold Story By Joseph T. Fuhrmann The Last Days of the Romanovs By Helen Rappaport

The Bloody Benders - Part II: Hell's Half Acre | Ep. 23

As travelers continued vanishing along the Osage Mission Trail, suspicions slowly began to gather around a lonely cabin on the Kansas prairie. In Part II, we follow the unraveling of the Bloody Bender mystery...from the disappearance of Dr. William York, to the manhunt that followed, and the legends that blurred the line between history and folklore. *Some of the links here are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier By- Susan Jonusas https://amzn.to/4enHDlD All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas By- Camilla Bruce https://amzn.to/4ecHwJr All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas By- Larry E. Wood https://amzn.to/4mVMEE0

The Bloody Benders - Part I: Prairie Hospitality | Ep. 22

Before it became one of the most disturbing cases in American frontier history, the Bender homestead was simply a stop along a remote stretch of prairie. In this first episode, we trace the historical movements unfolding in Kansas...From the Homestead Act of 1862 to the travelers of the Osage Mission Trail, to understand the world the Bender family lived in and what might have motivated them in their crimes. *Some of the links here are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier By- Susan Jonusas https://amzn.to/4enHDlD All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas By- Camilla Bruce https://amzn.to/4ecHwJr All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas By- Larry E. Wood https://amzn.to/4mVMEE0

The Execution of Marie Antoinette - Part III: Heads Will Roll | Ep. 21

Marie Antoinette had already been judged long before she ever stood trial... In Part III, we follow the final collapse of the monarchy as the Revolution turns towards the guillotine for justice.   Marie Antoinette, once a symbol of excess, is now destitute, at the mercy of the people she used to rule... *Some of the links here are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser https://amzn.to/4cGUrCx A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution by Jeremy Popkin https://amzn.to/4kKDucm The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (Kindle Edition) https://amzn.to/4s6BXjx

The Execution of Marie Antoinette - Part II: Of Cake...and Consequence | Ep. 20

Marie Antoinette’s role was clear: produce an heir, secure the dynasty, and stabilize the Bourbon monarchy. She did her duty...But France was unraveling. In Part II, we trace the years between the birth of her children and the Women's March to Versailles. As the financial crisis deepens and The French Revolution takes shape, the queen becomes the perfect representative for a nation past the point of frustration. *Some of the links here are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser https://amzn.to/4cGUrCx A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution by Jeremy Popkin https://amzn.to/4kKDucm The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (Kindle Edition) https://amzn.to/4s6BXjx