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History’s Most Insane Rulers, Part 3: Ibrahim I — The Sultan Who Loved Fur and Drowned His Harem

Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim (1616-1648) believed he was the sort of ruler that came out of legend, so he ordered a massive tax to fund the decoration of his palace in sable fur. He also preferred full-figured women and commissioned his advisers to find for him the largest...

History’s Most Insane Rulers, Part 5: Ludwig II of Bavaria

Ludwig II of Bavaria was a dreamer, above all. The king famously built fairy-tale style castles that adorned the Alps but were completely useless for defensive or social reasons (the king held large balls there where he was the only attendee and dined alone,...

History’s Most Insane Rulers, Part 4: George III

Americans might have been tempted to schadenfreude after learning the fate of British King George III. The villain of the American Revolution spent the final years of his life insane, having long arguments with imaginary figures who had died long ago (and often losing...

History’s Most Insane Rulers, Part 2: Charles VI — The King Who Thought He Was Made of Glass

King Charles VI of France (1368-1422) suffered from a particular disorder called “The Glass Delusion.” He believed himself to be made of glass and could shatter at any moment. Advisors were told to tiptoe toward him and not wear shoes. He refused bathing...

History’s Most Insane Rulers, Part 1: Emperor Caligula–Bankrupting Rome By Appointing Your Horse Senator

When Salvador Dali set out to paint a depiction of the infamous Roman Emperor Caligula in 1971, he chose to depict the thing nearest and dearest to the emperor’s heart: his favorite racehorse, Incitatus. The painting “Le Cheval de Caligula” shows the pampered...

These Are History’s Nine Most Insane Rulers

Few mixtures are as toxic as absolute power and insanity. When nothing stands between a leader’s delusional whims and seeing them carried out, all sorts of bizarre outcomes are possible. This is the beginning of a series launch in tandem with Scott’s new...

D-Day Girls: The Female Spies Who Armed the French Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Made the Normandy Invasion Possible

In 1942, the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was on the front lines. To “set Europe ablaze,” in the words of Winston Churchill, the Special Operations Executive  (SOE), whose spies were trained in everything from...

How Economies Bounce Back From Total Collapse: The German Economic Miracle (1948-1957)

After World War II the German economy was a smoldering ruin. Scorched-earth policies destroyed 20-70% of all houses. Factories, hospitals, and schools were bomb craters. Germans only ate 1,000-1500 calories a day. There was no food in the stores because price controls...

Discovering Your Grandfather Was Joseph Stalin’s Bodyguard

Delving into your family history can reveal many surprises, but for Russian-American author Alex Halberstadt, it meant learning about his grandfather’s experience as Joseph Stalin’s bodyguard. As the last living member of Stalin’s security revenue,...

A Confederate Civil War Submarine Was Lost 150 Years Ago. Its Reappearance Was An Unsolved Mystery…Until Now

One of the most mysterious submarine disasters in history was the sinking of the HL Hunley, a Confederate Civil War submarine. This 40-foot-long tin can was the first to successfully attack another ship—but the results were as disastrous as they were historic. Shortly...