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History's Devils

James Crossland

What makes someone evil?


HISTORY'S DEVILS is a weekly deep-dive podcast that investigates the world's most infamous historical figures. Each episode explores the life, actions, and legacy of a terrible person from history, sorting through myths to examine the facts behind their reputation and to judge just how wicked they truly were.


Hosted by Professor James Crossland, HISTORY'S DEVILS covers dictators, tyrants, war criminals, cult leaders, revolutionaries, con-artists, conspiracy theorists and just plain terrible people, combining deep research with compelling storytelling to reveal the darker side of human history.


A show for fans of dark history, historical biographies and in-depth explorations of  people who changed the world for better - or for worse.


All the devils are here. And we are ready to tell their stories.


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  • 36 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 58 min
  • English

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  • #49
    Yesterday · 1 hr

    Stalin's Spies and America's Forgotten Codebreakers

    How did a team black women codebreakers help the United States understand Stalin’s Soviet Union and prevent a potentially catastrophic Cold War miscalculation? In this episode, James speaks with historian and author Sarah Valentine (@sarahvalentinewriter) about Decoding the Devil: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb, a book that reveals how Soviet spies penetrated American intelligence and the Manhattan Project, forcing the United States to turn to a team of black codebreakers and data processors to fight a secret war against the Soviet Union. The discussion ranges from Project Venona to the exploits of double agent William Weisband, to Soviet atomic bomb program and the overlooked black women of Arlington Hall who transformed intercepted Soviet telegrams into vital intelligence, despite segregation and institutional discrimination. Covered in this Episode Stalin’s Spy Network: How Joseph Stalin inherited Russia’s secret police tradition and built a global espionage network, including the Cambridge Five and Soviet agents inside Western intelligence. William Weisband and the Insider Threat: How Russian linguist and Army intelligence insider William Weisband, codenamed Link, betrayed American codebreaking secrets to the Soviets. Atomic Espionage and the Manhattan Project: How Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, David Greenglass, and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg helped Soviet intelligence obtain American nuclear secrets. Truman, Stalin, and the Atomic Bomb: Why Stalin already knew about the American atomic bomb when Harry Truman spoke to him at Potsdam in July 1945. Project Venona and Soviet Codes: How American cryptanalysts exploited duplicated Soviet one-time pads to decrypt messages and identify Soviet espionage networks. Arlington Hall and the Plantation: How Black women codebreakers worked in the Signals Intelligence Service’s Traffic Processing Division under segregated, restrictive conditions. Black Friday and the Soviet Intelligence Blackout: How Weisband’s betrayal contributed to the Soviet communications shutdown in 1948 and left American intelligence scrambling for answers. Russian Plaintext and the Soviet Economy: How African American women scanned Soviet telegraph messages for military movements, industrial production, and economic intelligence. The Soviet Atomic Bomb Test: How the August 1949 RDS-1 nuclear test, known in America as Joe-1, exposed major weaknesses in American intelligence assessments. Operation Drop Shot and Nuclear War: How incomplete intelligence and exaggerated threat estimates raised the prospect of a preemptive nuclear strike against the Soviet Union. Soap Flakes and Early Computing: How the codebreakers helped develop a secret language-processing machine in the 1950s that automated aspects of their work. Sarah Valentine’s Historical Recovery: How the women’s careers, pensions, and later testimonies illuminate the intersection of Cold War intelligence, civil rights, and the history of computing. Mentioned in this Episode Joseph Stalin, James Crossland, Sarah Valentine, History’s Devils, Decoding the Devil: Black Women Codebreakers and the Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb, The Secret Codebreakers, Vladimir Lenin, Ivan the Terrible, Nicholas I, William Weisband (William Weissband), Koba, Yoseb Jughashvili, the Cheka, the Okhrana, the Third Section, the Oprichniki, the Decembrist Revolt, the Gulag, the Holodomor, Ukraine, the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, the NKVD, the KGB, the GRU, the Cambridge Five, Kim Philby, Antonio Senior, the Cold War, the Second World War, World War I, the American Civil War, the British Empire, the United States, the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, the Iron Curtain speech, Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany, the German Communist Party, Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, David Greenglass, Julius Rosenberg, Ethel Rosenberg, Sing Sing prison, the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, Tube Alloys, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Trinity test, Harry Truman, the Potsdam Conference, the atomic bomb, nuclear espionage, Soviet intelligence, American intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the Army Signal Corps, the Signals Intelligence Service, the Army Security Agency, the Armed Forces Security Agency, Arlington Hall, Traffic Processing Division, the Plantation, Project Venona, one-time pad encryption, cryptanalysis, signals intelligence, communications intelligence, counterintelligence, Russian plaintext, Soviet telegraph system (TAS), Amtorg, Black Friday, the Soviet nuclear program, RDS-1, Joe-1, the Soviet atomic bomb test, Kazakhstan, the nuclear arms race, nuclear deterrence, preemptive nuclear war, Operation Drop Shot, the Soviet military, Soviet economic intelligence, African American women codebreakers, segregation, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, intelligence failures, human intelligence, data processing, cryptologic clerks, Cyrillic alphabet, machine translation, Soap Flakes, early computing, language-processing machines, large language models (LLMs), technological automation, declassified intelligence interviews, Cold War historiography. Chapters 00:00 — Joseph Stalin: The Soviet Spy Master and His Secret Intelligence Network 05:09 — Stalin’s Secret Police: From the Cheka to the KGB 09:08 — William Weisband: The American Insider Who Betrayed Codebreaking Secrets 13:50 — Atomic Espionage: Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, and the Manhattan Project 20:08 — Truman and Stalin at Potsdam: Who Really Knew About the Atomic Bomb? 23:05 — Project Venona Explained: Breaking Soviet Codes and Exposing Spies 30:29 — The Plantation at Arlington Hall: Black Women in Secret Intelligence 34:50 — Black Friday, Russian Plaintext, and the Soviet Intelligence Blackout 45:56 — Joe-1 and Operation Drop Shot: How Close Did the Cold War Come to Nuclear War? 57:47 — Soap Flakes: How Black Women Codebreakers Helped Advance Early Computing Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #48
    November 4 · 1 hr 4 min

    Rasputin, Part 2: The Truth Behind the Mad Monk Who Wouldn't Die

    In Part Two of History’s Devils’ exploration of Grigory Rasputin, James is joined by Elizabeth Black and Megan Moore from the Beheaded Podcast to examine Rasputin’s assassination, his controversial influence over the Romanov dynasty, and the myths surrounding his death. The episode explores his enemies in imperial Russia, including Archbishop Theophan, Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, and the conspiracy theorist Iliodor, alongside Rasputin’s opposition to Russia’s entry into the First World War. The hosts reconstruct the infamous December 1916 assassination at Felix Yusupov’s Moika Palace, examining the cyanide poisoning story, he disputed circumstances of Rasputin’s death and the allegations of British intelligence involvement. Finally, the discussion connects Rasputin’s death to the February Revolution, the Bolshevik seizure of power, and the murder of the Romanov family in 1918, asking whether Rasputin was a supernatural mystic, a charismatic fraud, or simply a shrewd observer of Russia’s impending collapse. Covered in this Episode How Grigory Rasputin gained Empress Alexandra’s trust by treating her son Alexei’s hemophilia and built a life between St. Petersburg and his Siberian village of Pokrovskoye. The Bolsheviks, the Black Hundreds, anti-Semitism, and the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Rasputin’s powerful enemies: Archbishop Theophan, Pyotr Stolypin, and Iliodor’s campaigns against Rasputin and allegations of sexual misconduct. How Khioniya Guseva stabbed Rasputin in Pokrovskoye and how he survived emergency surgery. Rasputin's warnings to Nicholas II about war, the Russian defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg, and the worsening food crisis. Rasputin’s influence over ministerial appointments, Alexandra’s unpopular German heritage, and Nicholas’s decision to command the Russian army. The conspiracy to kill Rasputin: Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, and Vladimir Purishkevich’s plot to eliminate the controversial imperial adviser. The famous story of poisoned cakes, cyanide-laced Madeira wine, repeated gunshots, and the bizarre presence of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Myth versus forensic evidence: The disputed poisoning, Rasputin’s fatal head wound, the river-drowning legend, and a 2024 forensic review. Did MI6 kill Rasputin? Oswald Rayner, British ambassador George Buchanan, and the evidence for alleged British intelligence involvement. Felix Yusupov’s sensational memoir: How Lost Splendor helped turn Rasputin’s death into a story of supernatural survival and dark comedy. The fall of the Romanovs: The February Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution, the Romanov family’s execution, and Rasputin’s enduring place between myth and history. Mentioned in this Episode Grigory Rasputin, James Crossland, Elizabeth Black, Megan Moore, Beheaded Podcast, History’s Devils, Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Alexei Romanov, Maria Rasputin, Archbishop Theophan, Pyotr Stolypin, Sergey Trufanov (Iliodor), Khioniya Guseva, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Purishkevich, Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, Oswald Rayner, George Buchanan, Queen Victoria, Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo Princip, Alan Rickman, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Anastasia, The Emperor’s New Groove, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Ringling Brothers, St. Petersburg, Pokrovskoye, Moika Palace, Jerusalem, Mogilev, Siberia, Germany, Serbia, Austria-Hungary, Japan, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, the Romanov dynasty, the Bolsheviks, the Black Hundreds, the Okhrana, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the Duma, the February Revolution, the October Revolution, the First World War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Tannenberg, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the 1914 assassination attempt on Rasputin, the 1916 assassination of Rasputin, the execution of the Romanovs, the 1917 Russian Revolution, the fall of the Russian monarchy, hemophilia, faith healing, mysticism, occultism, prophecy, political extremism, anti-Semitism, conspiracy theories, royal influence, sexual misconduct allegations, cyanide poisoning, forensic evidence, autopsy reports, MI6, British intelligence, Lost Splendor, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Rasputin (1996 television film), historical propaganda, assassination conspiracies, imperial Russian politics, food shortages, pacifism, historical revisionism, myth versus history. Chapters 00:00 – Grigory Rasputin Part Two: The Road to His Assassination 01:56 – Rasputin, Alexei’s Hemophilia and the Romanov Court 03:00 – The Bolsheviks, Black Hundreds and Anti-Semitism in Russia 05:00 – Rasputin’s Enemies: Theophan, Stolypin and Iliodor 12:17 – Empress Alexandra, Rasputin’s Reputation and Royal Propaganda 15:00 – The 1914 Stabbing: Khioniya Guseva’s Assassination Attempt 21:07 – Rasputin’s Warnings About the First World War and Tannenberg 27:24 – Nicholas II Takes Command: Russia’s Political and Food Crisis 35:00 – Felix Yusupov and the Conspiracy to Kill Rasputin 40:10 – Cyanide Cakes, Gunshots and the Moika Palace Assassination 51:06 – Rasputin’s Death: Forensic Evidence, MI6 and the Myths 1:08:21 – Rasputin’s Prophecy, the Fall of the Romanovs and the Russian Revolution Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #47
    November 3 · 41 min

    Rasputin, Part 1: How A Siberian Peasant Bewitched the Romanovs

    Who was Grigory Rasputin - the Siberian peasant and self-proclaimed holy man who became one of the most controversial figures in the final years of Imperial Russia? In this episode of History’s Devils, James is joined by Megan Moore and Elizabeth Black of the Beheaded Podcast to investigate Rasputin’s rise from a wandering faith healer to a trusted confidant of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. They explore his alleged connections to the controversial Khlysty religious sect, his extraordinary influence over the Romanov family, and the mysterious recovery of the hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne, Alexei, separating historical evidence from the myths surrounding Rasputin’s reputation. Covered in this Episode Meet the Guests: James welcomes Megan Moore and Elizabeth Black of Beheaded Podcast Rasputin’s 1869 birth in Pokrovskoye, peasant upbringing, family life, illiteracy, and the uncertain meaning and symbolism of his name. How and why Rasputin became a wandering strannik faith healer and cultivated a reputation for charisma, spiritual insight, and miraculous powers. The allegations linking Rasputin to a radical Russian religious sect associated with ecstatic rituals, extreme penitence, and sexual misconduct - the Khlysty. Rasputin’s Arrival in St. Petersburg, connections to Archbishop Theophan and the influential circles that introduced him to the Russian imperial elite. Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the 1905 Revolution, and Nicholas II’s political weaknesses created an atmosphere of instability that Rasputin could exploit. Tsarina Alexandra’s desperation over her son Alexei's hemophilia helped Rasputin become indispensable to the royal household. Rasputin' medical advice, timing and calming influence in Alexei’s apparent recoveries. How allegations of sexual misconduct, heresy, and an affair with Alexandra fuelled hostility toward Rasputin. Rasputin in Popular Culture. How the Boney M. song “Rasputin” helped perpetuate stories about the mystic and his alleged relationship with the Tsarina. The Story Continues: Part one concludes with Rasputin’s influence growing, political tensions escalating, and the conspiracy against him looming. Mentioned in this Episode Grigory Rasputin, James Crossland, Megan Moore, Elizabeth Black, Beheaded Podcast, History’s Devils, Anthony Beevor, Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, Alexei Romanov, the Romanov family, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Archbishop Theophan, Philippe, Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, the Black Crows, the Black Peril, the Montenegrin spiders, Alexander II, the Emancipation Manifesto, the Russian Revolution of 1905, the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Tsushima, the Russian Pacific Fleet, the Duma, the assassination of Alexander II, Rasputin’s assassination in 1916, British intelligence, MI6, the Khlysty sect, the strannik tradition, Siberia, Pokrovskoye, Abalak, Kazan, St. Petersburg, the Winter Palace, Yekaterinburg, Imperial Russia, Tsarism, serfdom, peasant life, Russian Orthodox Christianity, religious mysticism, faith healing, hemophilia, aspirin, alternative medicine, hypnosis, religious ecstasy, religious sexual practices, superstition, prophecy, conspiracy theories, political corruption, royal influence, the Romanov execution, Boney M., “Rasputin,” the French Revolution, revolutionaries, dynamite, historical myths, charlatanism, royal succession, autocracy, royal scandal, assassination conspiracies. Chapters 00:00 — Rasputin: The Man Who Wouldn’t Die 02:04 — Meet Megan Moore and Elizabeth Black of Beheaded Podcast 04:01 — Who Was Grigory Rasputin? Separating the Man from the Myth 06:55 — MI6 and the Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Rasputin’s Death 08:00 — Siberian Origins: Rasputin’s Childhood, Family, and Peasant Life 13:23 — Superstition in Imperial Russia and the Rise of a Wandering Faith Healer 17:26 — The Khlysty Sect: Religious Ecstasy, Sin, and Scandal 20:35 — How Rasputin Reached St. Petersburg and the Imperial Court 27:23 — Tsar Nicholas II, the 1905 Revolution, and Russia’s Political Crisis 33:25 — Tsarina Alexandra, Alexei’s Hemophilia, and Rasputin’s Healing 38:09 — Did Rasputin Really Heal Alexei? Aspirin, Medicine, and Faith 42:39 — Royal Scandals, Boney M., and the Road to Rasputin’s Assassination Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #46
    October 27 · 49 min

    Before Dracula: Sava Savanović and the Great Vampire Panic

    This episode of History's Devils explores the largely forgotten history behind the Western vampire legend and the tropes of Bram Stoker's Dracula, by looking at the great vampire panic that swept across Europe in the 1700s, and the historical Serbian vampires that started the hysteria. Joined by Nick Jubber (author of Monsterland: A Journey Around the World's Dark Imagination), James Crossland discusses the historical vampire cases of Yuri Grando, Arnold Paole, Petar Blagojević and the Serbian proto-Dracula, Sava Savanović, while exploring how Habsburg expansion, Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry, political uncertainty, emerging mass media and European fears of disease and foreigners helped turn local folklore into an international panic. Along the way, Nick recounts his visit to Sava Savanović's haunted mill in Serbia and considers why vampire beliefs, rituals and stories persist in their popularity into the 21st century. If you've ever wondered where the idea of staking hearts, chopping off heads and lacing the coffins of the undead with garlic comes from, this is the episode for you! Covered in this Episode Vampires before Dracula: Why the familiar Western vampire predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by more than a century. Global vampire folklore: Vampire-like beings in ancient Mesopotamia and India, including the Ekemu and Vetala, demonstrate that beliefs about the undead and life-draining spirits are far older and more geographically widespread than the European vampire. Yuri Grando of Kringa: The 1689 account by Johann von Weichard Valvasor of Yuri Grando in Croatia provides one of the earliest detailed written European vampire stories, involving exhumation, a hawthorn stake and decapitation. Arnold Paole and Petar Blagojević: Serbian vampire cases from Medveđa and Kisiljevo helped create the 18th-century vampire panic. The Habsburg-Ottoman frontier: Serbia's transfer from Ottoman to Habsburg control in 1718, followed by its return to Ottoman control in 1739, created a period of political uncertainty in which folklore, cultural suspicion and vampire stories flourished. Vampires and the Enlightenment: Habsburg military and medical officials attempted to investigate vampire reports scientifically. The vampire media panic: Reports from Serbia circulated through military dispatches, newspapers, periodicals, translations and European coffee houses, helping vampire stories spread across Germany, France and England during the 1730s. Vampires, plague and foreigners: The language of contagion used in reports about vampires reflected contemporary fears of disease, while the vampire could simultaneously represent a dangerous foreigner coming from the East. Maria Theresa ends the vampire panic: In 1755, Empress Maria Theresa issued a decree restricting the excavation and desecration of corpses, effectively draining the institutional energy from the vampire craze across Habsburg territories. The Romantic vampire: After vampire beliefs became less threatening, Romantic writers including Lord Byron, Goethe and Coleridge transformed the vampire into a literary figure associated with death, sexuality, the past and forbidden desire. From Polidori to Dracula: John Polidori's The Vampyre created the influential aristocratic vampire model, which developed through Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla and ultimately into Bram Stoker's Dracula, Vlad the Impaler and the modern Transylvanian vampire. Sava Savanović and the haunted mill: Serbia's most famous vampire was Sava Savanović, who haunted a mill that guest Nick Jubber visited and spent the night in. Vampires in modern Serbia and Romania: Sava Savanović remains a cultural icon through literature, film, tourism and rakija, while the 2003 case of Petar Toma shows that vampire-exorcism traditions survived into the 21st century. Folklore, tourism and AI: Campire stories can simultaneously be treated as genuine supernatural beliefs, cultural heritage, tourist attractions, jokes and AI-generated slop. Mentioned in this Episode James Crossland, Nick Jubber, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Lestat, Blade, Robert Pattinson, Yuri Grando, Johann von Weichard Valvasor, Arnold Paole, Petar Blagojević, Johann Flückinger, Glaser, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Isaac Newton, King George II, Horace Walpole, Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette, King Louis, Lord Byron, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Polidori, Sheridan Le Fanu, Vlad the Impaler, Miljana Novaković, Sava Savanović, Petar Toma, Serbia, Croatia, Zarožje, Medveđa, Kisiljevo, Belgrade, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Transylvania, Romania, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Vienna, France, Germany, England, Louisiana, the United States, Ireland, the West Country, Lake Geneva, Villa Diodati, Louisiana bayous, Ottoman rule of Serbia, Habsburg occupation of Serbia in 1718, Treaty of 1718, Serbian return to Ottoman control in 1739, European vampire panic of the 1730s, witch hunts, French werewolf panic, First World War, Second World War, UFO panic, Romanticism, Enlightenment, slave trade, religious wars, European wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, Sava Savanović, Arnold Paole, Petar Blagojević, Yuri Grando, Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, Lord Ruthven, the vampire, Ekemu, Vetala, Rougarou, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, fairies, witches, werewolves, vengeful spirits, Dracula, The Vampire Chronicles, Twilight, The Vampyre, Carmilla, what are the real origins of the Western vampire legend?, How did Serbian vampire folklore become part of Western culture?, Why did vampire panics spread across 18th-century Europe? Origins of Dracula legend. Chapters 00:00 — The Serbian Vampire Behind Dracula 02:00 — Monsterland and the World's Forgotten Monsters 04:00 — Vampire Myths Before Dracula 06:00 — Yuri Grando: Europe's First Written Vampire 08:20 — Arnold Paole and the Serbian Vampire Panic 11:00 — How the Printing Press Created a Vampire Craze 14:30 — Serbia Between the Habsburgs and Ottomans 16:00 — Petar Blagojević and the Vampire Investigation 20:50 — War, Foreigners and the Psychology of Monster Panics 23:40 — Maria Theresa Ends the 18th-Century Vampire Panic 27:30 — From Romantic Vampires to Dracula 31:00 — Sava Savanović and Serbia's Haunted Vampire Mill Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #43
    October 20 · 56 min

    At War With Mankind: The True Story of the Murderous Harp Brothers

    In this week’s episode, James Crossland is joined by Katherine Grandjean (author of Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution) the explore the story of Micajah “Big Harp” and Wiley “Little Harp,” two notorious brothers accused of killing more than 20 people on the American frontier in the late 1790s. The Harps’ murder spree ran from 1798–1799 in the unstable aftermath of the American Revolution across the lawless frontier territories of Kentucky and Tennessee. James and Katherine challenge the popular claim that the Harps were America’s first serial killers, arguing that their behaviour more closely resembles modern concepts of spree killing – angry men driven by societal resentment, economic failure and opportunism into unspeakable violence. In telling the story of the Harps’ terrifying murder spree and Micajah’s dramatic and grisly death, James and Katherine explain how history has transformed the Harps from troubled men into legendary monsters. Covered in this Episode Katherine Grandjean explains how a 1960s article by Richard Maxwell Brown unexpectedly introduced her to the Harp brothers while teaching violence in early America. The post-Revolutionary frontier of Kentucky and Tennessee, where sparse settlements, weak law enforcement and rapid expansion created both opportunity and instability. The Harps’ uncertain North Carolina origins, possible Scottish ancestry and unconfirmed family connections to Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. Micajah “Big Harp” and Wiley “Little Harp” emerge as very different physical characters, with Micajah providing the strength and Wiley apparently driving much of the violence. The Harps’ victims included men, boys, prosperous settlers, Continental Army veterans, justices of the peace and people encountered by chance. The murders of Mary Steagall, her infant child and William Love illustrate the mixture of possible debts, theft, concealment and seemingly arbitrary violence in the Harps’ crimes. The Harps’ changing methods, mobility and ability to cross county and state boundaries made them exceptionally difficult for authorities to pursue. Micajah’s claim that the brothers had “declared war” on mankind becomes central to the argument that their crimes resemble spree violence more than serial murder. Moses Steagall organized a posse, pursued Micajah across western Kentucky and killed him after a horseback chase in August 1799. Micajah’s severed head was displayed at a crossroads that became known as Harp’s Head, illustrating the era’s tension between frontier justice and formal law. The Harp women were tried but acquitted, while Wiley apparently disappeared and later resurfaced under the name John Seton alongside river pirate Samuel Mason. The Harps illuminate a wider pattern of violence among men facing economic failure, social disappointment, shame and shattered expectations in the early American republic. Mentioned in this Episode James Crossland, Katherine Grandjean, Richard Maxwell Brown, Micajah Harp, Wiley Harp, Big Harp, Little Harp, Moses Stiegel, Mary Stiegel, William Love, Betsy, Sally Harp, Samuel Mason, John Seton, Andrew Jackson, James Jesse Strang, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Michael Douglas, Falling Down, Natural Born Killers, American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Louisiana Purchase, Revolutionary War aftermath, frontier violence, serial killers, spree killing, mass killing, frontier justice, Loyalists, Patriots, Continental Army veterans, Cherokee warfare, Cherokee country, original sin, southern backcountry, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Carolinas, East Tennessee, Mississippi River Valley, New Orleans, Holston River, Henderson County, Muhlenberg County, Appalachian folklore, American frontier, early republic, Declaration of Independence, law enforcement, county jurisdiction, American expansion, river piracy, flatboat commerce, economic failure, social resentment, violence in early America, American political experiment Chapters 00:00 — The Harp Brothers: America’s First Serial Killers? 01:04 — How Katherine Grandjean Discovered the Harps 05:17 — Kentucky, Tennessee and the Violent Post-Revolution Frontier 12:19 — Who Were Micajah and Wiley Harp? 18:30 — Big Harp and Little Harp: The Brothers Behind the Legend 20:20 — Twenty-Seven Murders and How the Harps Escaped Capture 26:08 — The Harps’ Victims: Random Targets or Deliberate Choices? 28:17 — Why the Harps May Not Have Been Serial Killers 29:44 — The Stiegel Murders and the Harps’ “War on Mankind” 39:45 — Moses Steagall’s Posse and Frontier Justice 45:31 — Micajah’s Death, Harp’s Head and Wiley’s Disappearance 51:52 — Wiley Harp, River Pirates and the Legacy of the Harps Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #45
    October 14 · 43 min

    The USS Indianapolis Disaster, Pt.2 - How The US Navy Sent 800 Sailors to their Deaths and Scapegoated a Captain

    The second part of History’s Devils’ investigation into the sinking of USS Indianapolis examines why more than 800 sailors were left in the Pacific for four days after the Japanese submarine I-58 torpedoed the cruiser in July 1945. James is joined once again by Kyle Kochenberger from the History Buffs or Bluffs Podcast to trace the source of the disaster to failures by the US Navy, including withholding intelligence about Japanese submarines, the blundered handling of three SOS transmissions and terrible ship-tracking procedures. The episode covers the court martial of the Indy's Captain, Charles McVay, and the long battle for his exoneration. James and Kyle also discuss the wreck of the Indianapolis, Robert Shaw’s famous Jaws monologue and the remarkable postwar redemption story of the I-58 commander who sunk the cursed cruiser, Mochitsura Hashimoto. It's the horrific (if, in parts, uplifting) conclusion to one of the Second World War’s most bizarre stories. Covered in this Episode The rescue of USS Indianapolis survivors after four days in the water, including a seaplane landing and the shark attack that killed Bob Terry. Commodore James Carter withheld intelligence that four Japanese submarines were active between Tinian and the Philippines, despite the USS Underhill sinking. The Indianapolis sailed without sonar-equipped escorts, while Navy assumptions about Japanese weakness reflected growing wartime hubris. Three Navy listening stations received the Indianapolis SOS, but the messages were ignored because officers were asleep, suspected a Japanese trap, or were drinking. Navy tracking relied on a chalkboard ETA at Leyte, leading personnel to assume Indianapolis had arrived despite its absence. Captain Charles McVay was court-martialed for failing to zigzag and allegedly failing to send an SOS, despite evidence contradicting both accusations. I-58 commander Mochitsura Hashimoto testified that zigzagging would not have saved Indianapolis because his torpedoes had the cruiser in a deadly position. McVay was found guilty in December 1945, later reinstated, and finally cleared by a congressional resolution signed by Bill Clinton in 2000. McVay endured years of hate mail before dying by suicide in 1968, while many Indianapolis survivors rejected the claim that he was responsible. The disaster’s cultural legacy includes Robert Shaw’s USS Indianapolis speech in Jaws and the 2016 film USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage starring Nicolas Cage. The wreck was discovered in August 2017 about 18,000 feet below the Pacific, roughly 280 miles from land. Hashimoto later became a Shinto monk, worked to clear McVay’s name, and died on October 25, 2000, five days before McVay’s exoneration. Mentioned in this Episode James Crossland, Kyle Kochenberger, Charles McVay, Commodore James Carter, Chester Nimitz, Mochitsura Hashimoto, Dick Thielen, Bob Terry, Robert Shaw, Nicolas Cage, Bill Clinton, the USS Indianapolis, USS Underhill, I-58, Tinian, Leyte, Guam, Philippines, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Okinawa, Enola Gay, Little Boy, Fat Man, World War II, Hiroshima atomic bombing, Nagasaki atomic bombing, USS Indianapolis sinking, Japanese submarine warfare, Battle of Okinawa, Pearl Harbor, First World War armistice, McVay court martial, 1945 Court of Inquiry, McVay exoneration, Navy negligence, military intelligence, SOS transmissions, naval escorts, sonar, zigzagging, Japanese submarine threat, wartime hubris, scapegoating, survivor trauma, sharks, naval law, laws of war, code of the sea, Shinto, pacifism, USS Indianapolis wreck, Jaws, USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, Little Boy mission, atomic bomb, historical memory Chapters 00:00 — USS Indianapolis Survivors Finally Rescued 03:49 — Could the Indianapolis Sinking Have Been Prevented? 05:00 — James Carter Withholds Japanese Submarine Intelligence 08:18 — Why Did the Navy Miss the Indianapolis SOS? 13:01 — The Chalkboard That Declared Indianapolis “Arrived” 17:10 — Why Captain McVay Became the Scapegoat 20:35 — The Zigzagging Controversy and I-58 21:26 — Mochitsura Hashimoto Testifies Against the Navy’s Case 24:00 — McVay’s Court Martial and 2000 Exoneration 25:03 — McVay’s Suicide and the Human Cost of Blame 28:36 — USS Indianapolis in Jaws and Popular Culture 33:16 — Hashimoto, Hiroshima, and the Final Tragedy Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #44
    October 13 · 41 min

    The USS Indianapolis Disaster, Pt.1 - A Secret Mission, A Submarine and the Worst Shark Attack in History

    In the final weeks of the Second World War, the USS Indianapolis secretly transported components for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb from San Francisco to Tinian Island, for assembly ahead of it being dropped over Hiroshima. After completing its mission, the unescorted heavy cruiser was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-58 on July 30, 1945, sinking in just 12 minutes and leaving hundreds of sailors in the Pacific. For four days, the Indianapolis' survivors endured dehydration, hallucinations, injuries, infighting, exposure, and the most largest and most terrifying shark attack in recorded history, before a U.S. Navy seaplane finally spotted them, ending on the America's most gruesome naval disasters. On this this episode of History’s Devils, James is joined by Kyle Kochenberger from the History Buffs or Bluffs podcast, to discuss the unreal horror of the USS Indianapolis’ sinking and its survivors’ ordeal, and to explain why this ship and its crew was left alone in supposedly safe waters to a terrifying fate. Covered in this Episode The Pacific War in summer 1945, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Operation Downfall. The Trinity nuclear test at Los Alamos and the USS Indianapolis mission to deliver Little Boy components and uranium-235 to Tinian Island. The USS Indianapolis, a Portland-class heavy cruiser, its Pacific combat record, and the kamikaze attack that damaged it at Okinawa. The July 30, 1945 attack by Mochitsura Hashimoto’s I-58, which struck the Indianapolis with two torpedoes. The sinking, which took approximately 12 minutes and left roughly 800 men in the water about 280 miles from land. Survivors battling oil fires, dehydration, injuries, saltwater poisoning, hallucinations, exposure, and collapsing life rafts. Survivor accounts from Granville Crane, Lowell Dean Cox, and Ed Harrell describing panic, violence, thirst, and the psychological effects of prolonged survival at sea. Oceanic whitetip sharks surrounding the survivors, with attacks intensifying at night as men became separated from their groups. The four-day ordeal ending when a U.S. Navy seaplane discovered the survivors on August 4, 1945, with only 316 of the approximately 800 who escaped the sinking still alive. Mentioned in this Episode James Crossland, Kyle Kokenberger, Steven Spielberg, Quint, Robert J. Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy, Charles McVay, Mochitsura Hashimoto, Granville Crane, Lowell Dean Cox, Ed Harrell, USS Indianapolis, I-58, History’s Devils, History Buffs or Bluffs, Jaws, World War II, Second World War, Battle of the Philippine Sea, Marianas Turkey Shoot, Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa, Trinity test, Operation Downfall, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Little Boy, Fat Man, Tinian Island, San Francisco, Leyte, Guam, Pacific Fleet, kamikaze attacks, atomic bomb, uranium-235, plutonium, oceanic whitetip shark, shark attacks, survival at sea, dehydration, hallucinations, saltwater poisoning, life rafts, life vests, Japanese submarine warfare, naval disaster, rescue at sea, why was USS Indianapolis unescorted, why did rescue take four days Chapters 00:00 - The USS Indianapolis: History’s Worst Naval Nightmare 02:49 - Why History Buffs or Bluffs Blurs Fact and Fiction 05:30 - USS Indianapolis and the Jaws Connection 07:01 - The Pacific War in Summer 1945 08:05 - Trinity: Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb 09:30 - The Indianapolis and the Little Boy Mission 11:00 - The Heavy Cruiser’s Combat History 13:37 - Uranium-235 and the Secret Cargo 16:00 - From Tinian to Leyte: A Supposedly Safe Voyage 17:18 - I-58 and the Torpedo Attack 20:39 - The Indianapolis Sinks in 12 Minutes 22:08 - 800 Sailors Enter the Pacific 26:21 - Four Days of Sharks, Thirst and Survival Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #41
    October 6 · 53 min

    Jim Bakker Part 1: The Rise of America's Most Shameless TV Evangelist

    In part one of this week’s episode, James Crossland and Jayne Friend examine the foremost religious grifter of his age – Jim Bakker, and his marriage to the charismatic Tammy Faye Messner, who together created a TV partnership that would make them enormously wealthy, famous and corrupt. The episode follows Jim and Tammy’s journey from traveling evangelicals to stars of Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network, to success with their legendary Praise the Lord Club show, where emotional storytelling, reality-TV presentation and prosperity gospel theology turned religious broadcasting into a major commercial enterprise. Not content with this, in the early 1980s Jim built Heritage USA, a vast Christian-themed amusement park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. This investment that would pave the way for the fall of the Bakker’s evangelical empire and Jim’s descent into the realms of doomsday prepping and Covid-19 cure grifting. It’s a dark ride through the horrors of the evangelical movement – strap in! Covered in this episode Jim Bakker’s childhood and Pentecostal upbringing in Muskegon, Michigan, Bakker grew up in a strict Pentecostal household and later described his parents as emotionally distant, before experiencing sexual abuse as a teenager. The meeting with Tammy Faye: After briefly attending North Central Bible College in Minnesota, Bakker met Tamara Faye LaValley, later known as Tammy Faye Bakker Traveling evangelicals in the American Midwest: After marrying after their third date and leaving Bible college, Jim and Tammy began traveling through rural communities and revival tents across the Midwest, with Jim preaching and Tammy singing and performing. The rise of evangelical television: The transition from traditional itinerant preaching to mass-market Christian broadcasting. Pat Robertson and the Christian Broadcasting Network: Former US Marine Pat Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960 and recruited Jim and Tammy. The puppet show and the 700 Club: Tammy Faye’s homemade puppet characters and the couple’s energetic, improvised style helped make them stars on CBN before they became hosts of The 700 Club, transforming a ramshackle religious telethon into one of the network’s most successful programs. Money, fame and the break with CBN: As Jim and Tammy’s popularity and fundraising success grew, so did their appetite for money and attention, eventually contributing to their departure from Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network in 1972. The PTL Club and Christian celebrity culture: The Bakers launched the PTL Club, combining talk-show segments, music, topical discussions, emotional stories, celebrity-style guests, and controversial subjects such as sex, relationships, teenagers and even inflatable penile implants. Prosperity gospel and religious fundraising: Drawing heavily on ideas associated with evangelical preacher Oral Roberts, the Bakers promoted the prosperity gospel—the belief that material wealth can represent God’s blessing. Parasocial relationships and the PTL audience: Jim and Tammy presented themselves as an intimate, wholesome family and cultivated unusually strong emotional relationships with viewers, creating an early form of the parasocial connection now associated with YouTube creators and influencers The PTL empire and Heritage USA: The PTL Network had millions of viewers and was generating enormous donations, allowing Bakker to build Heritage USA in Fort Mill, South Carolina, a three-square-mile Christian-themed resort and amusement park. The contradictions of Jim Bakker’s Christian empire: Heritage USA combined religious programming and facilities with conventional theme-park entertainment, while Jim and Tammy openly displayed their wealth through luxury homes, mink coats, expensive possessions and other extravagant symbols of prosperity. Mentioned in this episode Jim Bakker, Tammy Faye Bakker, James Crossland, Jayne, Tamara Faye LaValley, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker’s childhood, Muskegon, Michigan, Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Christianity, Christian television, televangelism, traveling evangelicals, revival tents, the Protestant Reformation, the Great Awakening, postwar America, the Korean War, the Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN, the 700 Club, the PTL Club, PTL Network, Praise the Lord, Past the Loot, prosperity gospel, religious grifting, religious fundraising, parasocial relationships, Christian media, Christian pop rock, We Are Blessed, Excuses, evangelical Christianity, TV evangelism, doomsday prepping, Baker Buckets, COVID-19, the COVID-19 pandemic, American right-wing television, conspiracy culture, the apocalypse, Armageddon, the Rapture, the Four Horsemen, 9/11, the Haiti earthquake, The New World Order, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, Heritage USA, Fort Mill, South Carolina, Christian-themed amusement parks, Jerusalem Amphitheatre, Christ’s Passion, Pontius Pilate, Roman crucifixion, Wendy’s, Heritage USA Bible school, Christian counselling, Christian family television, evangelical loyalty, Christian broadcasting, material wealth, God’s blessing, wealth and religion, faith healing, speaking in tongues, snakes and Pentecostalism, Christian entertainment, religious celebrity, Christian megachurches, religious communities, loneliness, vulnerability and religious exploitation. Chapters 00:00 — Jim Bakker, Tammy Faye and the bizarre world of TV evangelism 01:11 — Who was Jim Bakker? History’s Devils investigates the TV evangelist 02:07 — Jim Bakker, COVID-19 and the Baker Buckets apocalypse business 05:50 — Jim Bakker’s childhood, Pentecostalism and early trauma 09:32 — From amateur theater to evangelical showman 10:15 — Tammy Faye LaValley and the meeting that changed Bakker’s life 14:49 — Traveling evangelicals, revival tents and the business of preaching 17:24 — From the Great Awakening to the rise of Christian television 18:05 — Pat Robertson, CBN and the Christian Broadcasting Network 20:11 — Tammy Faye’s puppet show and the rise of the 700 Club 25:33 — The PTL Club, prosperity gospel and religious fundraising 32:05 — Parasocial relationships, wealth and the making of a Christian empire 37:54 — How Jim Bakker turned donations into a prosperity gospel business 45:22 — Heritage USA: Jim Bakker’s Christian theme park empire 51:41 — The prosperity gospel spending cycle and the coming collapse Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #42
    October 6 · 1 hr 6 min

    Jim Bakker Part 2: From Selling Apocalypse to Grifting COVID

    In episode two, James and Jayne discuss how Jim Bakker's evangelical empire reaches its peak in the 1980s with the PTL network and Heritage USA, but reckless spending, fraudulent fundraising and the sexual assault of Jessica Hahn expose the corruption behind the prosperity-gospel machine. Meanwhile, Tammy Faye Bakker falls into drug addiction! The 45-year prison sentence and eventual release (after 5 years) that follows doesn't slow Bakker down, however. No longer with Tammy, he launches a comeback with Lori Graham and the Morningside Church, through which he pivots into the world of far-right conspiracy theory, doomsday prepping, the sale of grotesque survival food buckets and the hawking of silver solution to cure COVID-19. It's a glorious downfall that shows both the horrors of TV evangelism and the damage that a life of greed can do. That's Jim Bakker, folks! What's covered in this episode Heritage USA's financial model: Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's religious theme park becomes enormously profitable through annual memberships, despite having only around 500 hotel rooms while selling 60,000 subscriptions in 1982. The prosperity-gospel grift: Bakker applies the idea that God rewards believers with wealth to Heritage USA, spending money he does not have, writing checks before funds are available and relying on new donations to cover previous commitments. PTL donations and financial fraud: Money pledged by viewers for supposedly charitable projects, including wells in Africa, is allegedly diverted into Heritage USA's expansion, including attractions, water slides, shops and other projects. The Charlotte Observer investigation: Reporters at the Charlotte Observer begin scrutinizing Heritage USA's finances and question how its rapid expansion, lavish spending and the Bakkers' lifestyle can be reconciled with the organization's finances. Jessica Hahn and the sexual-assault scandal: In December 1980, 21-year-old Jessica Hahn is taken to meet Jim Bakker by preacher John Wesley Fletcher and alleges that both men sexually assaulted her after she was given a drink that made her feel dizzy and ill. The $265,000 hush payment: Hahn receives substantial payments funded through PTL money, preventing the assault from becoming a criminal case at the time while adding another layer to the scandal surrounding Bakker. Jerry Falwell takes over PTL: In May 1987, Bakker hands control of the PTL network to Jerry Falwell, expecting to reclaim it after the scandal subsides, but Falwell instead keeps control and denounces Bakker as a major disgrace to Christianity. The collapse of Heritage USA and Bakker's conviction: Heritage USA closes in 1989, while Bakker is convicted of fraud and initially sentenced to 45 years in prison before his sentence is reduced and he ultimately serves five years. Tammy Faye's addiction and divorce: Tammy Faye struggles with prescription-drug addiction during the collapse of PTL, later files for divorce in 1992 and eventually reinvents herself as a television personality and prominent gay-rights advocate. Bakker's post-prison reinvention: After his 1994 release, Bakker publishes I Was Wrong, rejects the prosperity gospel publicly and attempts to rebuild his evangelical following with a message of humility and repentance. Laurie Graham, Morningside Church and the new Jim Bakker Show: Bakker marries Lori Graham in 1998 and establishes a new evangelical compound in Missouri, with the Jim Bakker Show launching through Christian Television Network in 2003. Apocalypse preaching, conspiracy theories and COVID: Bakker increasingly focuses on Revelation, Armageddon, survivalism and far-right conspiracy culture, later selling expensive food buckets and silver solution during COVID-19 while warning viewers about catastrophic end-times events. Mentioned in this episode Jim Bakker, Tammy Faye Bakker, Jayne Friend, Jessica Hahn, John Wesley Fletcher, Jerry Falwell, Ronald Reagan, Alan Dershowitz, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, O.J. Simpson, Julian Assange, Stephen Peters, Lori Graham, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Pat Robertson, Alex Jones, Jesus, God, Heritage USA, PTL network, PTL Club, Charlotte Observer, Moral Majority, prosperity gospel, TV evangelism, evangelicalism, Christian television, religious theme parks, annual memberships, timeshares, financial fraud, check fraud, embezzlement, charitable donations, sexual assault, rape allegations, hush money, victim blaming, prescription-drug addiction, Ativan, Betty Ford Center, AIDS crisis, gay rights, Christian counseling, divorce, secular television, Morningside Church, Morningside ministry, I Was Wrong, The Time Has Come: How to Prepare for Epic Events Ahead, Book of Revelation, Armageddon, apocalypse, end times, millennialism, doomsday prepping, prepper culture, far-right conspiracy culture, alt-right, Trumpism, gun rights, AR-15, 9/11, COVID-19 pandemic, COVID misinformation, silver solution, survival food, Baker Buckets, freeze-dried food, Heritage USA closure, PTL scandal, prosperity-gospel fundraising, Moral Majority, 1980s evangelical politics, 2016 US presidential election, Jim Bakker fraud trial, Jim Bakker's 45-year sentence, Jim Bakker's imprisonment, Jim Bakker's 1994 release, Tammy Faye's 1992 divorce, Jim Bakker's 2026 television ministry Chapters 00:00 — Jim Bakker's Empire Starts to Collapse The fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker begins as Heritage USA and the PTL network become financially unsustainable. 04:00 — 60,000 Memberships and 500 Hotel Rooms How Heritage USA's membership scheme dramatically oversells accommodation while Bakker keeps expanding the theme park. 08:00 — The Charlotte Observer Investigates PTL The newspaper investigation that begins exposing the financial irregularities behind Bakker's evangelical empire. 12:00 — Jessica Hahn and the PTL Sexual-Assault Scandal The allegations involving Jessica Hahn, Jim Bakker and John Wesley Fletcher, and the controversial payments made to keep the story quiet. 16:00 — Tammy Faye, Lavish Spending and the Prosperity Gospel Private jets, houseboats, mink coats, designer goods and even air conditioning for the dogs as the Bakkers' lifestyle comes under scrutiny. 20:00 — Jerry Falwell Takes Over the PTL Network Why Bakker handed PTL to Jerry Falwell and how Falwell ultimately took control instead of returning it. 24:00 — Jim Bakker's Fraud Conviction and Prison Sentence Bakker's fraud trial, 45-year sentence, appeal involving Alan Dershowitz and eventual five-year prison term. 28:00 — Tammy Faye's Addiction, Divorce and Reinvention Tammy Faye's prescription-drug addiction, treatment, 1992 divorce and emergence as a television personality and gay-rights advocate. 35:00 — Jim Bakker's Comeback After Prison How Bakker attempted to rebuild his ministry with I Was Wrong, a rejection of the prosperity gospel and a new evangelical persona. 44:00 — Laurie Graham and the New Jim Bakker Show Bakker's second marriage, Morningside Church in Missouri and the 2003 return of his television ministry. 50:00 — From Evangelical Preaching to Doomsday Prepper Grifting Bakker's focus on Armageddon, Revelation, Obama, Trump, conspiracy culture and the rise of his survivalist message. 58:00 — Baker Buckets, COVID and Jim Bakker in 2026 The infamous freeze-dried food buckets, alleged COVID cures, financial fallout and the frail final chapter of Bakker's television career. Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #40
    September 29 · 48 min

    Heroes of the Old West? The Dark Side of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday

    Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are remembered as legendary lawmen and gunfighters of the American Old West, but their real lives were far more complicated than the heroic images created by films such as Tombstone? In this week's episode of History’s Devils, James sits down with Mark Lee Gardner - historian of the Old West, musician and author of Brothers of the Gun: Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and a Reckoning in Tombstone - to chat about the criminal pasts of Earp and Holliday and their unbreakable friendship, which underpinned one of the most infamous 30 seconds of violence in American history - the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral in 1881. James and Mark also discuss the Earp Vendetta Ride, Doc's violence drinking and the creation of the pair's enduring legacy as frontier lawmen, depsite their many vices. Covered in this Episode Wyatt Earp’s early life in Illinois, Iowa, California, and Lamar, Missouri, including his father Nicholas Earp’s influence and Wyatt’s first appointment as a constable in 1869. Earp’s sudden fall from lawman to fugitive after accusations of stealing collected taxes, his flight into Indian Territory, and his subsequent arrest in Peoria, Illinois, for being found at a “house of ill fame.” Wyatt Earp’s involvement with brothels and his relationship with Sarah Earp before returning to law enforcement in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas. Why boom towns such as Wichita and Dodge City needed tough lawmen to control violent, drunken, gambling Texas cattlemen despite those lawmen sometimes having criminal or disreputable pasts. Wyatt Earp’s reputation as an effective policeman, his expulsion from the Wichita force after assaulting a man who insulted his brothers, and his subsequent employment in Dodge City. The life of John Henry “Doc” Holliday, including his privileged upbringing in Georgia, dental education in Pennsylvania, career as a dentist, tuberculosis diagnosis, gambling, drinking, violence, and arrests. How Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday first crossed paths while Earp was searching for cattle rustler and outlaw Dave Rudabaugh in Fort Griffin, Texas. The story of Doc Holliday defending Wyatt Earp from armed men in Dodge City and how the incident became central to the lifelong friendship between Holliday and the Earp brothers. The Earps’ move to Tombstone, Arizona, where Wyatt pursued stagecoach, gambling, mining, and other business opportunities while Virgil Earp served as a lawman. The Arizona “Cowboys,” including the Clantons and McLaurys, and their role in cattle theft, cross-border rustling, and the criminal economy surrounding Tombstone. The 1880 killing of Tombstone Marshal Fred White by Curly Bill Brocius and Virgil Earp’s subsequent role in enforcing Tombstone’s prohibition on carrying firearms within town limits. The escalating conflict between the Earp family, Doc Holliday, Ike Clanton, and the Cowboys that culminated in the October 26, 1881 gunfight near the O.K. Corral. The reality of the O.K. Corral gunfight, including its extremely short duration, close quarters, inaccurate shooting, three dead Cowboys, and injuries to members of the Earp party. Why the O.K. Corral gunfight became a legendary event long after it happened, as Wyatt Earp’s public reputation grew through newspapers, Bat Masterson, Western entertainers, and later popular culture. The 1881 attack that left Virgil Earp severely wounded, Morgan Earp’s 1882 assassination, and Wyatt Earp’s decision to pursue his brothers’ alleged killers outside the normal court system. The Earp Vendetta Ride of 1882, including the killings of Frank Stilwell and Curly Bill Brocius and the warrants issued against Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Wyatt Earp’s later life as a gambler, businessman, mining-boom chaser, stable owner, and Western celebrity, alongside Doc Holliday’s continued criminal troubles and declining health. Doc Holliday’s 1884 confrontation with bartender Billy Allen, his claim of self-defense, and his death from tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in 1887 at age 36. How Wyatt Earp and his final common-law wife Josephine Earp helped shape a sanitized version of his past, including the transformation of his image into that of a heroic “frontier marshal.” Mark Lee Gardner’s Brothers of the Gun: Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Unforgettable Vendetta Ride, his research into Earp’s lesser-known history, and where listeners can find his work. Mentioned in this Episode Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, James Crossland, Mark Lee Gardner, Nicholas Earp, Uretta Earp, Sarah Earp, Matty Earp, Josephine Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Dave Rudabaugh, John Henry Holliday, Bat Masterson, Curly Bill Brocius, Fred White, Ike Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Frank Stilwell, John Behan, Billy Allen, Stuart Lake, George Earp, Tom Mix, William S. Hart, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, the Earp brothers, the Earp family, the Cowboys, the Clanton family, the McLaury family, Lamar, Missouri, Peoria, Illinois, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Wichita, Kansas, Dodge City, Kansas, Fort Griffin, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Tombstone, Arizona, Cochise County, Pima County, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Glenwood Springs, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Mexico, the O.K. Corral gunfight, the Earp Vendetta Ride, the Dodge City War, the American West, the Old West, frontier law enforcement, gun laws, cattle rustling, cattle theft, stagecoach robbery, prostitution, brothels, gambling, saloons, alcohol, tuberculosis, dentistry, common-law marriage, lawmen, sheriffs, deputy U.S. marshals, posse justice, vigilantism, frontier justice, self-defense, murder, assault, horse theft, tax theft, criminality, law enforcement, gunfighting, gunfighters, boom towns, Texas cowboys, Arizona Cowboys, cattle drives, mining towns, Western mythology, historical memory, celebrity, reputation, mythmaking, historical research, newspaper reporting, the Earp legend, the Wyatt Earp myth, the Doc Holliday legend, the Tombstone myth, the O.K. Corral legend, the American frontier, law versus criminality, the relationship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, whether Wyatt Earp was a hero or criminal, why the O.K. Corral became famous, whether Doc Holliday was a dentist, whether Wyatt Earp was a good lawman, whether the Earp Vendetta Ride was legal, why Old West gunfights were so inaccurate, the origins of Wyatt Earp’s legend Chapters 00:00 — Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday: The Dark Side of Old West Legends 01:05 — Why History’s Devils Is Talking About Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday 02:19 — Tombstone vs. the Real Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday 04:21 — Wyatt Earp’s First Lawman Job and Fall Into Crime 07:07 — From Tax Theft and Brothels to Wichita and Dodge City 10:51 — Why Criminals Became Lawmen in Old West Boom Towns 15:00 — Doc Holliday: Dentist, Gambler, Gunfighter, and TB Patient 20:09 — How Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday Became Lifelong Friends 23:50 — Tombstone, Arizona and the Rise of the Cowboy Gangs 28:35 — The Road to the O.K. Corral Gunfight 33:00 — What Really Happened at the O.K. Corral? 38:25 — The Earp Vendetta Ride and the Making of Wyatt Earp’s Legend #oldwest #wildwest #americanhistory Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #38
    September 22 · 45 min

    Gavrilo Princip Part 1: The Making of the Man who Triggered World War One

    Can a single bullet change history? This episode examines Gavrilo Princip’s path from Pan-Slavic radical to the assassin who on June 28, 1914, murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand, providing the catalyst for the First World War. Joined by terrorism expert Tim Wilson (author of Killing Strangers: How Political Violence Became Modern), James explores the process of Princip’s radicalization in the politically volatile cauldron of the early 1900s Balkans and his place in the history of 19th century terrorism that came before him. From Princip's peasant upbringing to his membership of the secret radical group, Young Bosnia, this is the origin story of the sickly young man whose act of political violence would change the world. Covered in this Episode Gavrilo Princip’s assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 and the question of whether he was history’s most consequential assassin. The July Crisis, including Austria-Hungary’s ultimatum to Serbia, Russian support for Serbia, German backing for Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. How the First World War grew from Princip’s assassination into a global conflict that killed around 23 million people and destroyed four great empires. Earlier examples of political violence and assassination, including the Defenestration of Prague, Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Charlotte Corday’s killing of Jean-Paul Marat, and attempts on Napoleon, Hitler and Ronald Reagan. The long tradition of political terrorism before Princip, including Felice Orsini, Russian nihilists, anarchists, Fenians, and the assassinations of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, King Umberto I of Italy and William McKinley. Princip’s childhood in Obljaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where his peasant family lived as tenant farmers and six of his siblings died from disease and malnutrition. The Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian history of Bosnia, including the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 and Austria-Hungary’s formal annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908. Princip’s education in Sarajevo, his intellectual interests, physical frailty and growing sense that Serbs in Bosnia had little political future under Austro-Hungarian rule. The 1910 assassination attempt by Bogdan Žerajić and his suicide, which turned him into a martyr and became an inspiration for Princip and other young Bosnian nationalists. Narodna Odbrana, or the People’s Defence, and Young Bosnia, including their competing visions of Serbian nationalism, pan-Slavism and an independent South Slavic state. Danilo Ilić and Nedeljko Čabrinović, whose political backgrounds in Young Bosnia, socialism and anarchism helped create the environment surrounding the 1914 assassination plot. Princip’s radicalization after his expulsion from school in 1912, his journey to Belgrade, failed attempt to join the Serbian army and growing commitment to political violence. Mentioned in this Episode Gavrilo Princip, Franz Ferdinand, Sophie, Archduke of Austria-Hungary, James Crossland, Tim Wilson, Chris Clark, Spencer Jones, Basil Zaharoff, Abraham Lincoln, Charlotte Corday, Jean-Paul Marat, Friedrich Staps, Napoleon Bonaparte, Georg Elser, Adolf Hitler, John Hinckley Jr., Ronald Reagan, Jodie Foster, Felice Orsini, Napoleon III, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, King Umberto I of Italy, William McKinley, Bogdan Žerajić, Franz Joseph I, Danilo Ilić, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Giuseppe Mazzini, Ludwig Carl Sand, August von Kotzebue, Clifford Geertz, Peter Princip, Treaty of Berlin, First World War, Great War, Thirty Years’ War, First Gulf War, American Civil War, French Revolution, July Crisis, Defenestration of Prague, 1848 Revolutions, Balkan Wars, Serbian uprising of 1875, Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, assassination of Franz Ferdinand, assassination of Sophie, assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, assassination attempt on Napoleon, assassination attempt on Hitler, assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, assassination of Empress Elisabeth, assassination of King Umberto I, assassination of William McKinley, 1893 Barcelona Theatre bombing, Young Bosnia, Narodna Odbrana, Serbian nationalism, pan-Slavism, Yugoslavism, anarchism, socialism, Russian nihilism, political violence, terrorism, political assassination, radicalization, tyrannicide, nationalism, imperialism, Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kingdom of Serbia, Russia, Germany, Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Obljaj, Mostar, Kosovo, Prague, Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace, Lake Geneva, Ford’s Theatre, Washington, Constantinople/Istanbul, Young Italy, Young Ireland, mass media, telegraph, rotary press, first age of globalization, communications revolution, counterfactual history, small input-large output phenomenon, ideological polarization, martyrdom, political violence and radicalization. Chapters 00:00 — Can One Bullet Change History? 01:02 — Gavrilo Princip: History’s Most Important Assassin? 02:55 — How the Assassination Triggered the First World War 05:00 — From Sarajevo to the July Crisis 06:53 — Lincoln, Marat and Other Assassinations that Could Have Changed History 09:53 — The Long History of Political Terrorism Before Princip 11:30 — Princip’s Childhood, Poverty and Bosnian Serb Identity 14:00 — From Ottoman Rule to Austro-Hungarian Bosnia 16:20 — Princip’s Education and the Making of a Radical 20:00 — Bogdan Žerajić and the Rise of Assassination Politics 23:40 — Young Bosnia, Narodna Odbrana and Pan-Slavism 31:59 — Terrorism, Radicalization and Princip’s Path to Sarajevo #wwi #firstworldwar #militaryhistory Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #39
    September 22 · 1 hr

    Gavrilo Princip Part 2: The Most Consequential Assassination in History?

    In episode two of our examination of Gavrilo Princip, Tim Wilson is back to help James piece together the events leading up to the fateful summer afternoon in Sarajevo in 1914, when Princip and his conspirators attacked Franz Ferdinand, triggered the July Crisis that would lead to the First World War. In this episode, we explain how Princip was inspired to kill the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and the involvement of the Serbian secret society, the Black Hand, in the plot. We then break down Princip and the assassination squad’s journey to Sarajevo, the stages of the attack and final, wretched years of the young Bosnian-Serb who changed the world. Covered in this Episode Princip’s radicalization and the Serbian nationalist cause: Tim Wilson discusses Princip’s apparent U-turn and subsequent U-turn on radicalization, his frustration at missing Serbia’s victorious Balkan Wars, and the significance of Kosovo in Serbian nationalism. Franz Ferdinand’s political vision: The episode examines Franz Ferdinand’s proposed restructuring of Austria-Hungary into a more accommodating Slavic arrangement and why this moderate reform could threaten Serbian hardliners. Why Franz Ferdinand went to Sarajevo: His June 1914 visit was publicly announced months in advance as a military inspection and political display, despite the obvious nationalist symbolism of June 28, the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. The Black Hand: The Serbian nationalist secret society known as Unity or Death, led by Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijević, is explored as a shadowy organization connected to Serbian intelligence and Greater Serbian nationalism. Black Hand rituals and ideology: The episode describes the organization’s theatrical initiation ceremonies, blood-red velvet, daggers, skulls, passwords, oaths, and its resemblance to older 19th-century secret societies such as the Carbonari and Irish Republican Brotherhood. Who was behind the assassination plot?: James and Tim examine the murky relationship between Princip’s Young Bosnia circle and the Black Hand, including the role of Milan Ciganović and the continuing historical debate over who was using whom. The teenage assassination team: Six young conspirators were recruited in two cells based in Belgrade and Sarajevo, with the assassins ranging roughly from 17 to 23 years old and receiving limited firearms and explosives training. The weapons and preparation: The conspirators received Browning 1910 semi-automatic pistols, percussion-detonated grenades with unreliable fuses, and cyanide capsules intended to enable suicide after the assassination. Sloppy operational security: Princip openly told a farmer that the group was going to Sarajevo to kill Franz Ferdinand, illustrating the immaturity and amateurism surrounding the conspiracy. The failed bomb attack: On June 28, 1914, Muhamed Mehmedbašić and Vaso Čubrilović failed to attack, while Nedeljko Čabrinović threw a grenade that bounced off Franz Ferdinand’s car and injured people in the motorcade. Čabrinović’s failed suicide and capture: After swallowing cyanide and jumping into the shallow Miljacka River, Čabrinović survived, was beaten by members of the crowd, and was arrested. Princip’s second chance: Princip remained near the Appel Quay after the failed attack, and an extraordinary route change and driver error brought Franz Ferdinand’s car almost directly in front of him near the Latin Bridge. The fatal shots: Princip fired two shots, fatally wounding Franz Ferdinand in the neck and Sophie in the abdomen before being seized by police and the crowd. The aftermath in Sarajevo and Bosnia: Anti-Serb riots followed the assassination, with Serbian businesses attacked, at least two people killed and more than twenty injured. Princip’s trial, imprisonment and death: Princip was too young for execution, was imprisoned at Terezín Fortress under harsh conditions, developed severe tuberculosis and died on April 28, 1918. Did Princip cause the First World War?: The episode distinguishes between Princip as the trigger for the July Crisis and the much larger network of Austro-Hungarian, Serbian, Russian, German, French and British decisions that turned the assassination into a continental war. Princip’s historical legacy: The discussion considers his status as a Yugoslav and Greater Serbian nationalist, his later martyrdom, the creation of Yugoslavia after the First World War, and the enormous gap between what Princip wanted and what his actions actually produced. Mentioned in this Episode Gavrilo Princip, Franz Ferdinand, Sophie of Hohenberg, Tim Wilson, James, Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijević, Milan Ciganović, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Muhamed Mehmedbašić, Vaso Čubrilović, Simon Ball, Michael Burleigh, Neil Ferguson, Léon Czolgosz, François Ravaillac, Henry IV of France, Alexander II of Russia, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, President Carnot, George W. Bush, Leon Trotsky, Disraeli, Felice Orsini, Battle of Kosovo, First Balkan War, Second Balkan War, First World War, July Crisis, 1389 Battle of Kosovo, 1866 Austro-Hungarian Compromise, assassination of Henry IV, assassination of Alexander II, assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassination of John F. Kennedy, assassination of President Carnot, 9/11, Cuban Missile Crisis, French Revolution, 1789, Carbonari, Fenians, Irish Republican Brotherhood, Black Hand, Unity or Death, Young Bosnia, Pan-Slavism, Serbian nationalism, Greater Serbia, Yugoslavism, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Habsburg Empire, Kingdom of Serbia, Bosnia, Sarajevo, Kosovo, Kiev, Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes, Appel Quay, Latin Bridge, Sarajevo Town Hall, Terezín Fortress, Miljacka River, Belgrade, Ottoman Empire, Serbian intelligence, radicalization, political violence, terrorism, assassination, spoiler violence, martyrdom, noblesse oblige, monarchy, aristocratic leadership, operational security, security failures, radicalization vacillation, Pan-Slavic nationalism, July Crisis, origins of the First World War, assassination as political violence, historical causation, counterfactual history. Chapters 00:00 — Gavrilo Princip’s Radicalization and the Road to Sarajevo 02:30 — Kosovo, Serbian Nationalism and the Balkan Wars 05:00 — Franz Ferdinand’s Slavic Reform Vision 07:30 — Why Was Franz Ferdinand Going to Sarajevo? 10:00 — The Black Hand and Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijević 13:00 — Secret Society Rituals and Greater Serbia 16:00 — Who Really Planned the Assassination? 19:00 — The Young Assassins and Their Weapons 22:00 — The Failed Bomb Attack on Franz Ferdinand 25:00 — Princip’s Second Chance at the Latin Bridge 28:00 — Franz Ferdinand’s Death and the Sarajevo Aftermath 31:00 — Did Gavrilo Princip Cause World War I? #wwi #firstworldwar #militaryhistory Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #37
    September 15 · 1 hr 12 min

    Calculating Crusader or Bloody-Minded Bandit? Reynald de Châtillon and the Fall of Jerusalem

    This week, James Crossland is joined by Nicholas Morton (Author of The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East) to discuss the life and times of the most notorious crusader of his age, Reynald de Châtillon. From his arrival in the Crusader States in the 1150s through to his imprisonment by Nur-al-Din and his increasingly provocative attacks against Saladin, James and Nic explore the violent ambition that drove Reynald and ponder the question of whether his rivalry with Saladin and refusal to stop attacking his possessions can be blamed for the disastrous Battle of Hattin in 1187, the fall of Jerusalem that followed and the subsequent collapse of the Christian Crusader States. Can one man’s recklessness really have changed the history of the Middle East? Or was there more to Reynald than meets the eye? Covered in this episode Reynald's rise in Antioch — Reynald becomes ruler of the Principality of Antioch through his marriage to Constance of Antioch, navigating Byzantine power, local politics and warfare on the Crusader frontier. The Byzantine conflict and Manuel I Komnenos — Reynald's relationship with Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos reveals how alliances between Byzantines, Franks and Muslim powers could shift according to political circumstances. Fifteen years in captivity — Reynald is captured during frontier warfare and taken to Aleppo, where he spends roughly 15 years as a prisoner of Nur al-Din, raising questions about aristocratic captivity and how imprisonment shaped his later character. Release and political reinvention — After Nur al-Din's death and the rise of Saladin, Reynald is released in 1176, loses his position in Antioch and establishes a new power base in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Kerak, Montréal and Transjordan — Through his marriage to Stephanie de Milly, Reynald gains control of strategically important territories and castles in Transjordan, including Kerak and Montréal, from which he can dominate major trade and pilgrimage routes. Saladin and the Battle of Montgisard — Reynald helps Baldwin IV of Jerusalem defeat Saladin at Montgisard in 1177, beginning a bitter rivalry between the two men. Caravan warfare and the Red Sea raids — Reynald attacks caravans crossing Transjordan and launches an extraordinary expedition in which ships are transported across the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba, before raiding Red Sea shipping and threatening Muslim pilgrimage routes. The politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem — The episode examines the rivalry between Raymond III of Tripoli and Guy of Lusignan, showing why Crusader politics cannot be reduced to two simple factions. The truce and the road to war — Reynald's attack on a merchant caravan violates the truce with Saladin and helps trigger the final confrontation between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Saladin. The Battle of Hattin, 1187 — Saladin uses superior strategy, control of water and heavily armoured troops to halt the Crusader army's advance toward Tiberias, producing one of the most devastating defeats in Crusader history. Reynald's execution and the fall of Jerusalem — Captured at Hattin alongside Guy of Lusignan, Reynald is executed by Saladin, while Saladin's army subsequently captures Jerusalem in October 1187. Was Reynald responsible for the collapse of the Crusader States? — The episode challenges the traditional interpretation of Reynald as the man who caused the Crusader States' downfall, instead emphasizing Saladin's military expertise, political pressures and the wider structural causes of the collapse. Mentioned in this episode Reynald de Châtillon, Raynald, Nicholas Morton, James, Constance of Antioch, Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, Baldwin of Antioch, Baldwin of Hungary, Manuel I Komnenos, Nur al-Din, Saladin, Guy of Lusignan, Raymond III of Tripoli, Richard I of England, Stephanie de Milly, King of Hungary, Byzantine Empire, Principality of Antioch, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Crusader States, Aleppo, Damascus, Egypt, Syria, Antioch, Transjordan, Kerak, Montréal, Jerusalem, Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Mecca, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, East Africa, Bosra, Montgisard, Battle of Montgisard, Battle of Hattin, Third Crusade, Crusades, First Crusade, jihad, Muslim-Christian alliances, Bedouin alliances, Byzantine-Frankish relations, medieval captivity, aristocratic imprisonment, caravan warfare, trade routes, pilgrimage routes, Red Sea raids, naval warfare, desert warfare, Crusader politics, factional politics, chivalry, military strategy, fighting march formation, waterless warfare, Saladin's military strategy, Reynald as bandit or strategist, the causes of the fall of the Crusader States, the fall of Jerusalem, whether Reynald caused the collapse of the Crusader States, Christians versus Muslims, political alliances of convenience Chapters 00:00 — Reynald de Châtillon: The Making of a Crusader War Lord 05:30 — Constance of Antioch, Byzantium and Reynald's Rise to Power 12:00 — Manuel I Komnenos and the Politics of the Crusader States 18:30 — Reynald's Capture and 15 Years of Captivity in Aleppo 27:00 — Why Was Reynald Released by Nur al-Din's Successors? 34:00 — Kerak, Montréal and Reynald's New Power Base in Transjordan 40:00 — Saladin vs Reynald: The Battle of Montgisard, 1177 46:00 — Reynald's Caravan Raids and the Red Sea Expedition 52:00 — Guy of Lusignan, Raymond of Tripoli and Crusader Politics 57:00 — The Road to Hattin: Reynald, Saladin and the 1187 Crisis 1:03:00 — The Battle of Hattin and Reynald's Execution by Saladin 1:10:00 — Did Reynald Cause the Fall of the Crusader States? Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #36
    September 8 · 1 hr 14 min

    Claus von Stauffenberg and the Plot to Kill Hitler: The German Resistance Reconsidered

    On this week’s episode of History’s Devils, we’re asking a difficult question – how do you find the devil in a hero? We’re talking about Claus von Stauffenberg, the man who on 20 July 1944, tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Sounds like a good guy, right? But, 80 years on from the end of the Second World War, questions remain about the backgrounds and motivations of Stauffenberg and the German resistance of which he was a part. James Crossland is joined by Roger Moorhouse, author of Wolfpack: Inside Hitler’s U-Boat War to examine Stauffenberg's background, political beliefs, military career, and role in Operation Valkyrie – the plot to kill Hitler and neutralise the Nazi government. From his aristocratic upbringing to his service in Poland, France, and North Africa – where he received the devastating wounds that transformed his relationship with the Nazi regime – this episode explores Stauffenberg’s journey to his destiny in 1944 and the failed earlier German resistance conspiracies of 1938 and 1943. Along the way, Roger and James discuss why so many members of the resistance hesitated to assassinate Hitler or take decisive action against the Nazi state, they question Stauffenberg’s legacy as an unsullied German hero and explain the complicated motivations of the German resistance to Hitler. It’s a thought-provoking episode which, as an added bonus, talks a lot about killing Hitler! Covered in this episode Stauffenberg's conventional heroic image as the maimed German officer who attempted to kill Adolf Hitler and use Operation Valkyrie to overthrow the Nazi regime and negotiate peace with the Allies. The 2008 film Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise, and whether its portrayal of Stauffenberg as an uncomplicated action hero obscures the political and moral complexities of the historical figure. Stauffenberg's aristocratic upbringing, involvement in the Wandervogel movement and enlistment in the Reichswehr cavalry in 1926. Stauffenberg's conservative aristocratic worldview, the Treaty of Versailles, the First World War, the Spartacist uprising, the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, and his attitude toward Hitler and the Nazi movement during the 1920s and early 1930s. Why 1938 became a crucial year for German opposition to Hitler, including the Beck-Oster conspiracy, the Sudetenland crisis, the Munich Agreement, Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Benito Mussolini, and Hitler's subsequent destruction of the Munich settlement through the occupation of the Czech lands in March 1939. The contrasts between Stauffenberg and Henning von Tresckow, whose opposition began after the 1934 Night of the Long Knives and the murder of his former superior Ferdinand von Bredow, leading to a consistent belief that Hitler was a criminal who had to be removed and killed. The weaknesses of the German resistance and the approaches to resistance taken by Hans Oster and Carl Goerdeler. The reluctance to use violence, unrealistic hopes of preserving Nazi territorial gains, and the difficulty of reconciling different visions ranging from socialism to monarchism. Tresckow's attempts to kill Hitler, including the bomb disguised as a brandy bottle smuggled onto Hitler's aircraft at Smolensk and the planned suicide attack by Christoph von Gersdorff using explosives during an exhibition of captured Soviet weapons. Stauffenberg's transformation in North Africa, where he lost his right hand, fingers on his left hand, and his right eye. Stauffenberg and Tresckow’s modification of the existing Valkyrie emergency plan so the German Reserve Army could seize control of key institutions, disarm the SS and Gestapo, and launch a coup after Hitler's assassination. Why Stauffenberg's bomb failed – his difficulty arming the explosives with his injured hands, the discarded second charge and the briefcase bomb being moved behind a massive oak table support. The collapse of the coup and Stauffenberg's legacy as a post-war German hero. Mentioned in this episode: Claus von Stauffenberg, Adolf Hitler, James Crossland, Roger Moorhouse, Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Operation Valkyrie, 20 July 1944, German resistance, German military resistance, Third Reich, Second World War, World War II, First World War, World War I, Treaty of Versailles, Reichswehr, Wehrmacht, Reserve Army, SS, Gestapo, Nazi Party, Nazi Germany, Operation Torch, Operation Barbarossa, Operation Bagration, D-Day, Holocaust, Holocaust by bullets, Einsatzgruppen, Polish campaign of 1939, occupation of Czechoslovakia, Sudetenland, Munich Crisis, Munich Agreement, Night of the Long Knives, Beer Hall Putsch, Spartacist uprising, Reichstag fire, Beck-Oster conspiracy, Henning von Tresckow, Hans Oster, Ludwig Beck, Hans Gisevius, Carl Goerdeler, Ferdinand von Bredow, Christoph von Gersdorff, Schlabrendorff, Werner von Haeften, Friedrich Fromm, Colonel Brandt, Frank Mason MacFarlane, Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Benito Mussolini, Erich Ludendorff, Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Paul von Hindenburg, Stefan George, Winston Churchill, Emperor Hirohito, Kreisau Circle, Abwehr, German aristocracy, German nationalism, German conservatism, German racism, antisemitism, anti-Nazism, assassination of Hitler, resistance to Hitler, military coup, coup d'état, Operation Valkyrie conspiracy, Hitler oath, unconditional obedience, Wehrmacht oath, moral revolt, saviour complex, post-war German memory, German national identity, usable history, German resistance memorialization, Bendlerblock, Wolfsschanze, Wolf's Lair, Smolensk, Rastenburg, East Prussia, Poland, France, North Africa, Silesia, Berlin, Munich, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Rhineland, Soviet Union, Eastern Front, Western Front, Kulturkampf, Kaiserreich, Weimar Republic, democracy, monarchy, aristocratic nationalism, German military tradition, 20 July plot bomb, assassination attempts against Hitler, German surrender, Allied peace negotiations, Nazi war crimes, Polish Jews, concentration camps. Chapters 00:00 — Claus von Stauffenberg: Hero, Villain or Something More Complicated? 04:02 — Valkyrie: Tom Cruise and the Hollywood Stauffenberg 05:46 — Stauffenberg's Aristocratic German Upbringing 08:26 — German Nationalism, the Reichswehr and Hitler's Rise 12:58 — The Munich Crisis and the 1938 Beck-Oster Plot 16:11 — Henning von Tresckow and the Night of the Long Knives 18:26 — Hans Oster, British Skepticism and the German Resistance 23:20 — Why the German Resistance Was So Divided and Passive 29:46 — Tresckow's 1943 Assassination Attempts Against Hitler 37:06 — Stauffenberg's War, North Africa and His Wounding 39:13 — The Hitler Oath and Stauffenberg's Turn Against the Regime 49:47 — Operation Valkyrie and the 20 July 1944 Bomb Plot 54:50 — Why Stauffenberg Failed to Kill Hitler 1:00:34 — The Collapse of the Coup, Stauffenberg's Execution and His Legacy Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #34
    September 1 · 52 min

    Timothy McVeigh Part 1: From Gun-Loving Loner to America's Most Notorious Terrorist

    This week's episodes explores how Timothy McVeigh became the Oklahoma City bomber, tracing his path from disillusioned Gulf War veteran to the deadliest domestic terrorist in American history, while examining the far-right movements, anti-government extremism and white supremacist ideology that shaped his radicalization. For this epic two-parter, James is joined by Craig Johnson, host of 15 Minutes of Fascism, to examine McVeigh's life, beliefs and legacy. Together they unpack the influence of The Turner Diaries, the impact of Ruby Ridge and the Waco siege, the culture of 1990s militia movements, and the concept of "leaderless resistance" that helped shape modern far-right terrorism. The conversation also explores how McVeigh's ideas continue to echo through contemporary extremist movements, from the Boogaloo movement to the January 6 rioters For anyone who wants to makes sense of far-right political violence in the year 2026, this is a can't miss episode! Covered in this episode McVeigh's childhood in Lockport, New York, his relationship with his father Bill McVeigh and grandfather Ed, and how firearms, Cold War fears and survivalist thinking shaped his worldview. The influence of The Turner Diaries, William Luther Pierce, the National Alliance and the American white supremacist movement on McVeigh's political radicalization. How conspiracy theories about globalism, anti-Semitism, white nationalism and anti-government ideology intersected within the American far-right during the late twentieth century. McVeigh's military career, service in the Gulf War, attempted Green Beret selection and growing disillusionment with the US government after combat. His immersion in gun shows, militia networks, extremist publications, Rush Limbaugh, anti-government propaganda and the concept of leaderless resistance. Why Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver and the siege at Waco became defining moments for anti-government extremists and convinced McVeigh that violent retaliation was justified. Mentioned in this episode: Timothy McVeigh, Craig Johnson, James Crossland, 15 Minutes of Fascism, Tate brothers, Oklahoma City bombing, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Lockport, Buffalo, Bill McVeigh, Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh, Ed McVeigh, Second Amendment, Cold War, Soviet Union, The Turner Diaries, William Luther Pierce, National Alliance, George Lincoln Rockwell, American Nazi Party, white nationalism, neo-fascism, Aryan Nations, Christian Identity Movement, anti-Semitism, globalism, New World Order conspiracy theories, Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, The Spotlight, Ku Klux Klan, National Rifle Association (NRA), Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Green Berets, Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver, Vicki Weaver, Idaho, FBI, ATF, Waco siege, Branch Davidians, David Koresh, Seventh-day Adventists, Jonestown, Guyana, Terry Nichols, Decker Michigan, Michigan militia movement, Elohim City, Christian nationalism, leaderless resistance, Louis Beam, accelerationism, Janet Reno, Lon Horiuchi, Walter Smith, Lexington and Concord, American Revolution, fertilizer bomb, improvised explosive device (IED), domestic terrorism, terrorism, extremist radicalization, conspiracy theories, Oklahoma City bombing investigation, Southern Poverty Law Center, Ramszi Yousef, 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Al-Qaeda, John Doe No. 2, Felice Orsini, Richard Spencer, alt-right, Boogaloo Boys, Dylan Roof, Orlando nightclub shooting, January 6 Capitol attack, Day of the Rope, Dollar General shooting, political violence, white supremacist terrorism, anti-government extremism. Chapters 00:00 — Timothy McVeigh and the darkest path of far-right radicalization 08:20 — The Turner Diaries and the ideology behind white supremacist terrorism 21:10 — The Gulf War, military service and McVeigh's growing disillusionment 33:15 — Gun shows, militias and how radicalization spread before the internet 44:00 — Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver and the anti-government movement 53:10 — Waco, David Koresh and the siege that changed everything Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #35
    September 1 · 46 min

    Timothy McVeigh Part 2: The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Re-Shaping of America's Far-Right

    In part two of the Timothy McVeigh episode, James is joined once again by Craig Johnson, host of 15 Minutes of Fascism, to explain how the Oklahoma City bombing was planned and executed. James and Craig also break down the means by which Tim McVeigh and his co-conspirator, Terry Nichols were captured, before assessing the dark legacy of the bombing and the impact it had on America's far-right far-right movements, anti-government extremists and white supremacists, shaping the practices of everyone from the Boogaloo movement to the January 6 rioters. For anyone who wants to makes sense of far-right political violence in the year 2026, this is a can't miss episode! Covered in this episode The planning of the Oklahoma City bombing with Terry Nichols, the symbolic selection of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and the influence of The Turner Diaries on the attack itself. How McVeigh built the fertilizer bomb, chose 19 April 1995 to coincide with Waco and Lexington and Concord, and carried out the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history before 9/11. McVeigh's arrest, the evidence linking him to the bombing, his trial, execution and insistence that the bombing was an act of war rather than murder. Why McVeigh failed to spark the revolution imagined in The Turner Diaries and how the FBI crackdown transformed the American militia movement during the late 1990s. The continuing legacy of McVeigh, The Turner Diaries, Richard Spencer, the alt-right, the Boogaloo movement, January 6 and the enduring evolution of far-right extremist violence. Mentioned in this episode: Timothy McVeigh, Craig Johnson, James Crossland, 15 Minutes of Fascism, Tate brothers, Oklahoma City bombing, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Lockport, Buffalo, Bill McVeigh, Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh, Ed McVeigh, Second Amendment, Cold War, Soviet Union, The Turner Diaries, William Luther Pierce, National Alliance, George Lincoln Rockwell, American Nazi Party, white nationalism, neo-fascism, Aryan Nations, Christian Identity Movement, anti-Semitism, globalism, New World Order conspiracy theories, Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, The Spotlight, Ku Klux Klan, National Rifle Association (NRA), Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Green Berets, Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver, Vicki Weaver, Idaho, FBI, ATF, Waco siege, Branch Davidians, David Koresh, Seventh-day Adventists, Jonestown, Guyana, Terry Nichols, Decker Michigan, Michigan militia movement, Elohim City, Christian nationalism, leaderless resistance, Louis Beam, accelerationism, Janet Reno, Lon Horiuchi, Walter Smith, Lexington and Concord, American Revolution, fertilizer bomb, improvised explosive device (IED), domestic terrorism, terrorism, extremist radicalization, conspiracy theories, Oklahoma City bombing investigation, Southern Poverty Law Center, Ramszi Yousef, 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Al-Qaeda, John Doe No. 2, Felice Orsini, Richard Spencer, alt-right, Boogaloo Boys, Dylan Roof, Orlando nightclub shooting, January 6 Capitol attack, Day of the Rope, Dollar General shooting, political violence, white supremacist terrorism, anti-government extremism, terrorist spectaculars Chapters 1:00 — Why Timothy McVeigh decided to commit an act of terrorism 1:11 — Planning the Oklahoma City bombing with Terry Nichols 1:19 — 19 April 1995: The Oklahoma City bombing unfolds 1:26 — Arrest, trial and Timothy McVeigh's justification for mass murder 1:39 — From Oklahoma City to the alt-right: McVeigh's enduring legacy 1:46 — The Turner Diaries, January 6 and the evolution of modern extremism Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #33
    August 25 · 56 min

    Grand Theft Auto's History of America: Gangs, Guns and Police Corruption

    In this episode of History’s Devils, James is joined by Bob Whitaker of the History Re-Spawned Podcast to explore the real American history behind the Grand Theft Auto video game series, focusing on how GTA depicts gang violence, the crack epidemic, police brutality, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, gun culture, corruption, capitalism, the War on Terror, and the changing American dream. The discussion traces the influence of Los Angeles gang culture, the Crips and Bloods, the availability of cheap firearms in poor neighbourhoods, the Rampart Scandal, Rodney King and the 1992 LA riots, all whilst considering how accurately Rockstar Games represents the history behind its fictional world. The conversation then moves to GTA V and its darker post-2008 worldview, exploring white-collar crime, capitalism, the financial crisis, private military companies, the War on Terror and torture before asking how Rockstar can possibly satirize Donald Trump’s America in the upcoming GTA VI. Covered in this episode The origins of Grand Theft Auto: Bob Whitaker explains how London-born brothers Sam and Dan Houser, working at Scottish developer DMA Design, transformed the cops-and-robbers game Race and Chase into Grand Theft Auto in 1997, drawing heavily on American film and popular culture. Why GTA is so American: The episode explores Sam Houser’s observation that GTA depends on America’s distinctive combination of car culture, larger-than-life personalities and widespread guns, despite the series being created in the United Kingdom. GTA: San Andreas and 1990s Los Angeles: Set in the fictional state of San Andreas in 1992, the game recreates Los Angeles as Los Santos, alongside fictional versions of San Francisco and Las Vegas, while protagonist Carl “CJ” Johnson navigates gang warfare, crime, drugs and the pursuit of money. The Crips, Bloods and GTA’s fictional gangs: The Grove Street Families and Ballas are examined alongside the real-world Crips and Bloods, whose rivalry emerged in South-Central Los Angeles during the 1970s and reached a peak of violence during the crack era of the 1980s and 1990s. Hollywood, rap and the construction of gang culture: San Andreas is compared with films including Colors, Boyz n the Hood and Training Day, as well as music from N.W.A., Dr. Dre and Tupac, revealing how popular culture rather than conventional historical research shaped Rockstar’s depiction of 1990s Los Angeles. The crack epidemic and the CIA-Contra controversy: The discussion examines the crack cocaine epidemic in South-Central Los Angeles, the CIA’s support for the Nicaraguan Contras, the 1986 congressional investigation associated with John Kerry, and Gary Webb’s Dark Alliance, while noting that parts of the CIA-drug trafficking story remain contested. Guns, the Cold War and the post-1989 black market: The episode looks at the TEC-9, Uzi and AK-47 as symbols of the flood of cheap firearms into American markets following the Cold War, connecting GTA’s weapon arsenal to the economics of the global arms trade and American gun culture. Police corruption and the Rampart Scandal: Officer Frank Tenpenny, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, is compared with real LAPD corruption, particularly the Rampart Scandal and the testimony of Rafael Perez, while the episode considers Rockstar’s longstanding distrust of police and government authority. Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots: The game’s climactic riot is connected to the Rodney King beating, the acquittal of LAPD officers in the subsequent trial, the Watts truce between the Crips and Bloods, and the devastating unrest that swept Los Angeles in April and May 1992. GTA V and post-financial-crisis America: The discussion shifts to Michael, Trevor and Franklin, whose lives reflect a more cynical America shaped by the 2008 global financial crisis, white-collar crime, real-estate speculation, stock-market manipulation, technology culture and changing ideas about masculinity. The War on Terror, Blackwater and torture: GTA V’s fictional private security company Merryweather is compared with Blackwater, while Trevor’s torture sequence is discussed in relation to Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and the normalization of torture in popular culture through shows such as 24. GTA VI and the problem of satirizing Trump-era America: Bob Whitaker considers how Rockstar can satirize contemporary Florida, social media, influencers, Trump-era politics and American polarization when reality itself can seem like a Grand Theft Auto parody, particularly after Dan Houser’s departure from Rockstar in 2020 and with Lucia becoming a playable protagonist. Mentioned in this episode James Crossland, Bob Whitaker, Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Raymond Washington, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, John Kerry, Gary Webb, Drew McKevitt, James Woods, Rafael Perez, Frank Tenpenny, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Pulaski, Chris Penn, Alan Pinkerton, Donald Trump, Donald Love, Lucia, Rodney King, Elliot Ness, Martin Scorsese, Denzel Washington, Kiefer Sutherland, Carl "CJ" Johnson, Big Smoke, Michael, Trevor, Franklin, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Tupac, Blackwater, Merryweather, CIA, Contras, Sandinistas, Crips, Bloods, Grove Street Families, Ballas, LAPD, CRASH, GTA, Grand Theft Auto, GTA San Andreas, GTA V, GTA 6, GTA Vice City, Race and Chase, Rockstar Games, Rockstar North, DMA Design, Assassin's Creed, Sid Meier's Civilization, Hearts of Iron, Colors, Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society, Training Day, Straight Outta Compton, Snowfall, Dark Alliance, Gun Country, 24, The Godfather, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead 2, The Untouchables, Crack epidemic, crack cocaine, War on Drugs, CIA-Contra controversy, Iran-Contra era, gang violence, gang warfare, police brutality, police corruption, Rampart Scandal, Rodney King beating, 1992 Los Angeles riots, Watts Truce, O.J. Simpson trial, redlining, ghettos, gun culture, TEC-9, Uzi, AK-47, Cold War, fall of the Berlin Wall, post-Cold War gun market, American dream, capitalism, white-collar crime, real estate speculation, stock-market manipulation, 2008 global financial crisis, trickle-down economics, masculinity, War on Terror, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, government corruption, militarization of law enforcement, social media, influencers, Florida Man, Trump-era America, satire, American popular culture, American cinema, hip-hop culture, British views of America, physical media Chapters 00:00 — Grand Theft Auto and the Dark Side of the American Dream 01:00 — How GTA Became a History of America 02:51 — Bob Whitaker on Studying Video Games as History 04:52 — GTA San Andreas: 1990s Los Angeles, Gangs and Crime 07:36 — Sam and Dan Houser: British Developers Satirizing America 12:19 — The Crips, Bloods and Real-Life LA Gang Warfare 18:00 — Crack Cocaine, the CIA and the Los Angeles Drug Epidemic 23:32 — TEC-9s, AK-47s and America's Post-Cold War Gun Market 27:29 — Rodney King, Rampart and the 1992 LA Riots 39:23 — GTA V: Michael, Trevor, Franklin and Post-2008 America 44:44 — Blackwater, Torture and the War on Terror in GTA V 50:01 — GTA 6, Donald Trump, Florida and the Future of Satire Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #32
    August 18 · 1 hr 1 min

    The "Father" of Drones: Archibald Low and the Future of War

    James Crossland is joined by aerospace historian and author Mark Piesing – author of N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia – to explore the extraordinary life and legacy of British inventor and “father of drones” Archibald Low (1888–1956), from his early experiments with television to his pioneering work on the First World War’s Aerial Target – one of the first full-size radio-controlled aircraft. The episode traces the development of unmanned aircraft through the interwar years, the Second World War, Operation Crossroads and the Cold War, while examining why Low faded from the development of the technology he helped pioneer. The conversation also asks what Low’s legacy means in the age of drone warfare, particularly after Ukraine’s use of cheap drones against Russian aircraft and air bases. James and Mark consider both sides of that legacy: drones can provide asymmetric military power and reduce risks to pilots, but remote warfare can also depersonalize conflict, make war easier to wage, and allow increasingly cheap weapons to be used against civilians and military targets alike. Check out Mark’s work at: https://markpiesing.com/about/ Covered in this episode Archibald Low’s early life in Croydon: Born in 1888 to engineer John Low, young Archibald grew up around steam engines, shipping cranes, machinery and the Victorian engineering culture of his father’s workshop on the Thames. The technological world that shaped Low: The episode examines the arrival of the telephone, Marconi’s radio communications, powered vacuum cleaners, Willis Carrier’s air conditioning and the Wright brothers’ 1903 flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Low the difficult inventor: His school years, experiments in his bedroom, disciplinary problems, studies at Central Technical College in South Kensington, and early engineering work reveal an intensely individualistic inventor who preferred teaching himself to following conventional rules. The inventions that anticipated the future: Low experimented with pre-selected gears, developed the Tele Vista as an early form of television, and later predicted technologies resembling mobile phones, fax machines, radio alarm clocks, automatic telephone redialling and portable music players. From television to radio-controlled weapons: After the outbreak of the First World War, Low joined the Royal Flying Corps/RAF and was directed toward military research, applying his television and radio-control ideas to unmanned aircraft. The Aerial Target of 1917: In March 1917, Low and a team of roughly 30 people produced the Aerial Target, a pilotless monoplane equipped with a radio receiver, gyroscopic controls and actuating gear, demonstrating that a full-size aircraft could be controlled remotely from the ground. The origins of drone warfare: The episode places Low in a much broader history of unmanned weapons, including Nikola Tesla’s 1898 radio-controlled torpedo boat, early radio-controlled airships, American inventor Charles Kettering’s Kettering Bug, and French experiments with pilotless aircraft. Drones between the world wars: After Low stepped away from military work, the Royal Aircraft Establishment continued developing radio-controlled aircraft, eventually producing the de Havilland Queen Bee for naval aerial gunnery practice, while American and French programmes explored increasingly sophisticated remotely controlled aircraft. Drones in the Second World War: The discussion covers radio-controlled aircraft, American drone programmes, the use of modified bombers as remotely controlled explosive weapons, the tragic death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. during an experimental mission, and the development of drone technology for attacking heavily defended targets. Operation Crossroads and the nuclear age: At Bikini Atoll in 1946, remotely controlled Hellcats and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses were sent into nuclear mushroom clouds to collect scientific data, demonstrating a valuable role for drones in dangerous environments. Low's final years and predictions: Despite writing books such as It’s Bound to Happen and Electronics Everywhere, publishing Armchair Science and continuing to predict a technology-saturated future, Low became increasingly reclusive and died of lung cancer in 1956. The modern legacy of drone warfare: The episode connects Low's pioneering work to Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, Azerbaijan’s use of Turkish and Israeli drones against Armenia, and the wider ethical question of whether remote warfare makes armed conflict cheaper, easier and more likely. Mentioned in this episode Archibald Low, James Crossland, Mark Pising, John Lowe, Dominic Cummings, Bernard Montgomery, Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, Willis Carrier, Guillermo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, Charles Kettering, Lawrence Sperry, John Logie Baird, William Joyce, Lord Haw-Haw, Oswald Mosley, Reginald Denny, Marilyn Monroe, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Vladimir Putin, Osama bin Laden, History’s Devils, Aerial Target, father of drone warfare, radio guidance systems, radio-controlled weapons, drone warfare, unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, remotely piloted aircraft, mobile phones, television, Tele Vista, fax machines, radio alarm clocks, personal listening devices, Walkman, iPod, Armchair Science, Electronics Everywhere, Low Engineering Company, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Aircraft Establishment, Central Technical College, Croydon, London, River Thames, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, First World War, First World War aerial warfare, Second World War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Crimean War, Franco-Prussian War, Korean War, Battle of Midway, Operation Crossroads, Bikini Atoll, Operation Spiderweb, Tower 22 attack, Azerbaijan-Armenia war, Iranian-backed militia drone attack, First Blitz, Zeppelin raids, U-boats, U-boat bases, Western Front, German aircraft, V-weapons, V-1, V-2, Wasserfall, Me 262, Kettering Bug, de Havilland Queen Bee, Grumman Avenger, Flying Fortress, Liberator, Hellcat, radio-controlled airships, kamikaze drones, attack drones, drone swarms, cluster munitions, butterfly bomb, asymmetrical warfare, deterrence, hybrid warfare, hybrid navy, USVs, UAVs, saturation warfare, remote warfare, depersonalization of warfare, videogame warfare, artificial intelligence, AI, technological forecasting, futurism, military innovation, Revolution in Military Affairs, weapons innovation, autonomous warfare, drone ethics, technology and society, cheap weapons, technological accessibility, the future of war, the ethics of remote warfare, do drones make war easier to fight Chapters 00:00 — Archibald Low: The Father of Drone Warfare How a British inventor predicted mobile phones, television, remote warfare and other technologies of the future. 02:18 — Archibald Low: the Super Forecaster Why Low’s 1920s predictions about technology were decades ahead of their time—and where his forecasting had limits. 04:40 — Low’s Childhood in Victorian Croydon Growing up around his engineer father John Low’s machinery, steam engines and shipping cranes on the Thames. 06:03 — The Wright Brothers and the Birth of Low’s Drone Vision How Wilbur and Orville Wright’s 1903 flight at Kill Devil Hills inspired Lowe’s interest in aviation and unmanned aircraft. 08:54 — The Tele Vista: Low Invents Television? Low’s early television experiments and his demonstration of electrically transmitted images before the First World War. 10:21 — World War I and the Aerial Target How Low’s RAF research turned radio-control technology into a pioneering pilotless aircraft. 16:18 — 1917: The First Full-Size Radio-Controlled Aircraft The Aerial Tar Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #30
    August 11 · 47 min

    Charles Manson Part 1: The Making of a Maniac and His Murderous "Family"

    For this episode, James is joined by the ever-game Jayne Friend to explore the early life of Charles Manson, how he built the Manson Family, his connections to the 1960s counterculture and his bizarre relationship with the Beach Boys James and Jayne trace Charles Manson's childhood, criminal career and repeated imprisonments before examining how his release into the social upheaval of late-1960s California shaped his rise as a cult leader. They discuss the influence of the hippie movement, Haight-Ashbury, Scientology, MKUltra conspiracy theories, and Manson's manipulation of vulnerable followers. The episode also explores Manson's surprising links to Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, Terry Melcher and the Los Angeles music scene, ending with the establishment of the Manson Family at Spahn Ranch before the murders that would make them infamous. Covered in this episode Charles Manson's childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, including his troubled upbringing, absent father, alcoholic mother Ada Kathleen Maddox and early life of crime. Manson's years in juvenile detention, repeated prison sentences, marriages, and escalating criminal behaviour throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. The dramatic changes in America during Manson's imprisonment, including the Vietnam War protests, Civil Rights Movement, student activism and the rise of the hippie counterculture. How Haight-Ashbury became the centre of alternative lifestyles, free love and psychedelic culture, providing fertile ground for Manson's influence. The relationship between Manson, Scientology, psychiatrist Louis "Jolly" West, MKUltra and the conspiracy theories explored in Tom O'Neill's book Chaos. How Manson's experience as a pimp, manipulator and career criminal helped him recruit and control young followers. The backgrounds of key Manson Family members including Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel. The unusual chain of events that connected the Manson Family with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys and Hollywood's music scene. Charles Manson's ambitions to become a successful musician, his songwriting and the recording of "Cease to Exist," later released by the Beach Boys as "Never Learn Not to Love." Producer Terry Melcher, Cielo Drive and the significance these locations and relationships would later have in the Manson story. Why the Manson Family left Dennis Wilson's house after months of drugs, theft, parties and growing tensions. How Spahn Ranch became the headquarters of the Manson Family, allowing Charles Manson to build an isolated commune that would soon become one of America's most notorious cults. Mentioned in this episode Charles Manson, Charles Maddox, Ada Kathleen Maddox, William Manson, Walker Scott, Charles Manson Jr., Rosalie Jean Willis, Leona "Candy" Stevens, Diane Sawyer, Boys Town, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, San Francisco, Haight-Ashbury, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., Chicago riots, Richard Nixon, Cold War, Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, MKUltra, CIA, Louis "Jolly" West, LSD, Tom O'Neill, Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties, Manson Family, Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Terry Melcher, The Byrds, Cielo Drive, Malibu, Los Angeles, Spahn Ranch, George Spahn, Bonanza, The Lone Ranger, counterculture, hippie movement, free love, cults, manipulation, charismatic leadership, organised crime, prostitution, serial killers, true crime, American history, 1960s California. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Charles Manson and the Manson Family 03:48 Charles Manson's childhood in Cincinnati 06:00 Crime, juvenile detention and life in prison 13:05 America changes while Manson is incarcerated 17:45 Haight-Ashbury, Scientology and the counterculture 20:05 MKUltra, Louis "Jolly" West and conspiracy theories 25:25 Building the Manson Family 28:40 Susan Atkins, Tex Watson and key followers 34:40 Patricia Krenwinkel and recruiting vulnerable young people 37:30 Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys and Charles Manson 45:30 Manson's music career and Terry Melcher 49:30 Spahn Ranch becomes the Manson Family headquarters Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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  • #31
    August 11 · 1 hr 2 min

    Charles Manson Part 2: Helter Skelter? Understanding the Manson Family Murders

    In part two of our Charles Manson episode, James and Jayne discuss how the Manson Family spiralled out of control in the summer of 1969, leading to the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders. Picking up where the previous episode left off, this episode follows the Manson Family during their final months at Spahn Ranch as paranoia, drug use, violence and criminal activity escalated into murder. James and Jayne examine Charles Manson's failed pursuit of a music career through Beach Boys producer Terry Melcher, the murders of Gary Hinman, Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas, the controversial Helter Skelter motive, and the conspiracy theories that continue to surround the case. The episode also explores the sensational trial and muses on the question of why the Manson story continues to fascinate more than fifty years later. What's covered in this episode The deteriorating atmosphere at Spahn Ranch, where Charles Manson's followers became increasingly isolated while theft, drug dealing, assaults and paranoia became everyday life. How Manson's dream of becoming a rock star collapsed after Beach Boys producer Terry Melcher visited Spahn Ranch and rejected his music despite encouragement from Dennis Wilson. Why Manson believed he was destined for greatness and how his growing narcissism collided with reality after his failed audition. The escalation from petty crime to violence through the torture and murder of musician Gary Hinman, carried out after Manson believed he possessed money the Family desperately needed. How Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Bobby Beausoleil, Patricia Krenwinkel, Linda Kasabian and other Family members became central figures in the Manson Family's criminal activities. The attempted murder of Bernard "Lotsa Papa" Crowe, why Manson wrongly believed he had killed a member of the Black Panthers, and how this fuelled his growing paranoia about an impending race war. A detailed reconstruction of the Tate murders at 10050 Cielo Drive, including the deaths of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent. The following night's LaBianca murders, examining how Leno and Rosemary LaBianca became random victims as Manson ordered his followers to continue killing. Why messages including "Pig," "Death to Pigs" and "Helter Skelter" were written in blood at the crime scenes, and how they became central to the investigation. An exploration of the competing explanations for the murders, including Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter theory, the Terry Melcher revenge theory, the Gary Hinman distraction theory, and Tom O'Neill's CIA/MKUltra hypothesis. How Manson interpreted songs from The Beatles' White Album, including Helter Skelter, Piggies, Blackbird and Happiness Is a Warm Gun, as secret messages predicting an apocalyptic race war. The investigation that eventually connected the murders, beginning with police raids on Spahn Ranch and Barker Ranch, Susan Atkins' jailhouse confession, and the role of Linda Kasabian's testimony. Inside one of the most notorious criminal trials in American history, including Manson's courtroom behaviour, the Family's public demonstrations, the carving of the infamous forehead "X", and the convictions of Manson and his followers. Why the Charles Manson case continues to inspire documentaries, books and films including Helter Skelter, Charlie Says, Helter Skelter: An American Myth, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and whether any single explanation can truly account for the murders. Mentioned in this episode: Charles Manson, Manson Family, Spahn Ranch, Barker Ranch, Death Valley, Santa Susana Mountains, Los Angeles, Dennis Wilson, The Beach Boys, Terry Melcher, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Linda Kasabian, Bobby Beausoleil, Gary Hinman, Donald Shea, Bernard "Lotsa Papa" Crowe, Louise Van Houten, Vincent Bugliosi, Tom O'Neill, MKUltra, Project CHAOS, CIA, LSD, mescaline, peyote, Black Panthers, Helter Skelter, The Beatles, White Album, Piggies, Blackbird, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Book of Revelation, apocalyptic race war, Cielo Drive, Tate murders, LaBianca murders, Gary Hinman murder, Helter Skelter theory, Terry Melcher revenge theory, Gary Hinman distraction theory, Hollywood, cult psychology, coercive control, groupthink, true crime, serial murder, criminal manipulation, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Charlie Says, Helter Skelter: An American Myth. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: Charles Manson's Descent into Murder The story resumes at Spahn Ranch as the Manson Family becomes increasingly isolated, paranoid and criminal. 02:30 – Life at Spahn Ranch: Crime, Drugs and Groupthink How theft, drug dealing, violence and Charles Manson's growing control transformed the Family into a dangerous cult. 03:20 – Terry Melcher Rejects Charles Manson's Music Career The failed audition that shattered Manson's dreams of becoming a rock star after connections through Dennis Wilson and the Beach Boys. 09:35 – Gary Hinman, Donald Shea and the Family's First Murders The escalation from petty crime to torture and murder as the Manson Family embraced increasingly extreme violence. 15:20 – The Black Panthers, Bernard Crowe and the Birth of Helter Skelter How a drug deal, mistaken identity and Manson's paranoia fuelled his belief in an approaching race war. 20:20 – The Tate Murders: Sharon Tate and Cielo Drive A detailed reconstruction of the murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent. 26:20 – The LaBianca Murders and the Blood Messages Why Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were targeted, and the significance of the words "Pig," "Death to Pigs" and "Helter Skelter." 29:00 – Why Did Charles Manson Order the Murders? Breaking down the Helter Skelter theory, the Terry Melcher revenge theory, Tom O'Neill's CIA claims and the Gary Hinman connection. 38:00 – The Beatles, the White Album and Manson's Delusions How Manson twisted songs including Helter Skelter, Piggies, Blackbird and Happiness Is a Warm Gun into a violent prophecy. 51:45 – The Investigation, Arrests and the Trial of the Century How police connected the Tate, LaBianca and Gary Hinman cases, Susan Atkins' confession and Linda Kasabian's testimony. 1:02:30 – Convictions, Sentences and Charles Manson's Legacy The guilty verdicts, the death sentences that became life imprisonment, Manson's later years and his death in 2017. 1:03:30 – Why Charles Manson Still Fascinates Today From Helter Skelter and Charlie Says to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, why the Manson Family continues to captivate audiences more than fifty years later. Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" PRE-ORDER James' new book -The Afterwar: Britain's Secret Battle Against Revolutionaries, Rioters and Russia After WWI Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils Follow JAMES On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #History #DarkHistory History's Devils is a podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: ...

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Showing 1–20 of 36 episodes