Assassinations Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Mini Episode: King Radama II Oct 21, 2018

Show notes

Radama, the king of the island nation of Madagascar, wanted to open up his homeland to the modern world. Supposedly strangled to death by his own troops, a legend flourished that Radama survived - and that he would return some day to reclaim his throne.

Mini Episode: Mary, Queen of Scots Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

Mary's own father, King James V of Scotland, predicted that his daughter and sole heir would bring calamity upon the royal House of Stuart. Though her reign was dramatic and tragic, with scheming and murder aplenty, it actually led to the greatest dynastic triumph for the Stuarts - winning the throne of the "Auld Enemy", England.

Diana, Princess of Wales Part 2 Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

Princess Diana's death in a car crash stunned Britain and the world. It did not take long for critics of the official police investigation to ask the question: had Diana, with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, been murdered by dark forces within the state?

This episode contains explicit language. For more information about the people and music featured in this episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Diana, Princess of Wales Part 1 Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

The most famous woman in the world died in a car crash on the streets of Paris in the summer of 1997. Diana's death caused unprecedented scenes of public mourning, with Britain stunned by the news that the "people's princess" had met such a shocking end. Conspiracies soon swirled - could it be that the death of Diana was no accident?

For more information about the people and music featured in this episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Salvador Allende Part 2 Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

Though the economy was on the ropes and there were angry protests against him, Allende retained a strong degree of support. Crucially, he had the backing of the head of the armed forces. But when that top general was forced to resign in 1973, Allende found himself at the mercy of General Pinochet. In Part Two of this episode we look at the US-backed coup against Allende, and examine the terrible consequences of military rule.

For more information about the people and music featured in this episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Salvador Allende Part 1 Jul 17, 2018

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Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile in 1970. Within three years, he was dead. In Part One of this episode, we witness Allende making powerful enemies in the Nixon administration and among Chilean conservatives. Through economic woes and civil unrest, Allende maintained his radical politics. But those lined up against him would never let a socialist rule in Chile.

For more information about the people and music featured in this episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Mini Episode: Arkady Babchenko Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

A Russian journalist living in Ukraine, Arkady Babchenko was supposedly shot to death in his apartment by an assassin operating on behalf of a mysterious Russian conspiracy. Or so the story went ... until Babchenko turned up at a press conference that had been convened to discuss his death. Rather than an assassination, the assembled media was informed that the hoax was perpetrated in order to foil a real plot. But, many have wondered if this explanation makes any sense. What could possibly account for the bizarre series of events that involved spies, an arms dealer, a monk, and a shady security consultancy in the suburbs of Washington, DC?

Dag Hammarskjöld & Patrice Lumumba Jun 19, 2018

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Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of an independent Congo. The leader of a national liberation movement, he fell victim to powerful forces that sought to control his country.

Stepping into the crisis in the Congo, Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the United Nations and one of the most brilliant diplomats of his generation, sought to bring about peace. It was a mission that cost him his life.

This episode of Assassinations Podcast will look at the machinations of Congolese politicians, Belgian imperialists, CIA agents, mercenary fighters, and the United Nations - all of which sought, in their own ways, to shape the future of the Congo and control its vast natural resources.

For more information about the people and music featured in this episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Leon Trotsky Jun 04, 2018

Show notes

Trotsky was a devoted Marxist and the co-leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Pushed out of the Soviet Union that he had helped to create, Trotsky was condemned to death.

Granted asylum in Mexico, Trotsky was hunted by Stalin's henchmen before being assassinated by a Soviet agent who had posed as a political supporter.

In this episode of Assassinations Podcast, we explore the extraordinary and tragic life of Leon Trotsky and witness the brutal death of a revolutionary martyr.

For more information about Trotsky and the music used in this week’s episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand May 18, 2018

Show notes

Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was unpopular in Viennese society and hated by the Serbian nationalists. Though he wanted a quiet life with his beloved family, he accepted his role as heir to the throne - and all the dangers that came with it. But an official visit to Sarajevo in the summer of 1914 was so poorly planned that one aide described the archduke's safety as having been left “in God's hands".

Young Serbian revolutionary zealots wanted to strike a blow against the hated House of Habsburg, the imperial rulers of Bosnia. The visit of Franz Ferdinand to Sarajevo gave them the perfect opportunity.

Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie survived a bomb thrown at their open-top car as they travelled through Sarajevo. But then - remarkably - they returned via the same route, giving assassins another opportunity to strike.

This week on Assassinations Podcast, we explore the history and conspiracies surrounding the murder of the heir to the Austo-Hungarian throne.