Svetlana! Svetlana! The Strange Life of Josef...

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it didn't take the newly-independent nations of Greece and Bulgaria long to begin bickering over their borders. Throughout the early 1920s, small bands of peasants from both countries routinely crossed the border to steal livestock, damage pr ...  Show more

Ptolemy II was known for a lot of things, none of which involved being humble. In the newest installment of this continuing series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the ridiculous story of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In the midst of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin's only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, decides to flee Mother Russia to start a new life in America. But with the KGB on her tail, how on earth is she going to get out? Playwright Dan Kitrosser unravels her story. See omnystudio.com/list ...  Show more

When Tsar Nicholas II was executed in 1918 the Bolsheviks pumped the Russian media full of misinformation. The official story was that the Tsarina and the Prince had been spared and moved to a safe location. Absolutely nothing was said about the four imperial princesses. This wou ...  Show more

Christina Ezrahi speaks to Elinor Evans about the story of Nina Anisimova, one of the most famous ballerinas in Stalin’s Soviet Union. After being arrested for supposed counter-revolutionary activity, Anisimova was transported to a forced labour camp, only to make a remarkable re ...  Show more

This 2019 episode covers a woman who was the Spanish empire's most widely published poet of her time. Her work has survived until today, but not her own thoughts about much of her life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.