Plot Twisted History

Though he is considered the greatest and most influential English language writer of all time, William Shakespeare’s authorship of the plays that bear his name has been doubted for at least two centuries. How did these theories arise? Is there any credence to them? Well, the iron simplicity of the answers might surprise you.

Faced with certain death from the guns and bayonets of attacking French troops, a young woman supplying water to Spanish soldiers should have joined the defenders in fleeing the battle. However, her immense courage would not allow retreat; her deep patriotism would not abide surrender. So she stayed, and a legend was born. This episode tells the astounding story of Augustina of Aragon.

When a mass death event strikes a remote region of Africa in 1986, the initial facts are so freakishly weird that even those most skeptical of anything supernatural pause to reconsider with the question, “What in the world just happened here?” As scientists doggedly unravel the truth, the baffling story becomes no less troubling. This episode tells the story of the nearly forgotten mystery of the Nyos disaster.

Graced with a stunning face that could launch a thousand ships, Hedwig Kiesler ricocheted repeatedly between fame and scandal. But while no one was looking, she created an innovation so startling that it literally changed the world – an invention that is likely affecting you at the very moment you are reading this. The astonishing story of Hedy Lamarr.

During the darkest days of The Great Depression, three men plot to kill a local drunk, make it look like an accident, and collect insurance money on the corpse. However, the plan goes comically awry when the target of the murder scheme simply refuses to die. The astonishing tale of Iron Mike Malloy and the men who wished him dead.

Two sticky technological problems give way to nearly miraculous inventions. However, the miracles come with an unexpected price: the possible future of humanity. This episode tells the twisted story of a pair of seemingly harmless 20th-century inventions that nearly ended us all.

She is a forgotten member of her family – the youngest girl, the smallest, the most disposable – relegated to a life of chores and servitude with no hope for a brighter future. However, when the smallest sliver of opportunity appears, she seizes it with a vengeance to plot a path that will take her to the stars. This episode covers the amazing and improbable life of Caroline Herschel.

One of the wealthiest men in human history set out on a medieval journey whose logistics are nearly too astonishing to be believed. How he used his wealth stands in stark contrast to the havoc wreaked by the uber rich of today. This episode tells the story of Mansa Musa, perhaps the richest man who ever lived.

Vienna of 1840 faces a deadly mystery. Pregnant women are entering its Clinic Number 1 and never leaving, killed in high numbers by deathbed fever. When a prickly doctor doggedly uncovers the reason, he is punished for his theory. And young mothers keep dying. The cautionary tale of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis.

A poor girl trapped in an abusive marriage, a world-famous entertainer taking Europe by storm, a decorated hero of Nazi resistance, an American civil rights icon – all the same woman. This episode tells the story of the remarkable life of Josephine Baker.

A shadowy figure runs a massive Nazi spy network from the heart of London under the noses of the British during WWII. The catch? The network is a fiction, the work of a self-made spy trying to help the Allies, whether they want him or not. The amazing story of Juan Pujols Garcia.

Fate conspires to destroy an 18th century love story by separating the couple with a nearly impassable gulf. Only an epic historical expedition can reunite them – if they survive. The remarkable tale of Isabel and Jean Godin Des Odainis.

In 1983, one of the greatest underdog stories in modern history unfolded in Australia over the course of five days when a 61-year-old sheep farmer ran a seemingly impossible race. This episode tells the improbable story of Cliff Young.

An all-American girl trapped inside adversarial Japan when WWII erupts, she not only survives but manages to aid her imprisoned countrymen while subtly undermining the enemy. Her reward? A charge of treason levied by her own nation. This episode tells the winding tale of Iva Toguri D’Aquino.

Everyone knows that Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to circle the Earth. Wasn't he? The answer is both simple and surprisingly complex and features a fascinating cast of characters and plot twists galore. This episode tells the story of the epic 16th-century voyage that changed the course of world history.

What if a single person could save the world from apocalypse? For five thousand years, humans have predicted the end of the world with helpless anticipation of destructive forces beyond our control. However, three times an obscure individual averted nuclear annihilation on our behalf. This episode tells the story of those unsung heroes.

Before Cleopatra, before Nefertiti, a woman became not just ruler of Egypt but Pharoah king, a role reserved for men. And then she was erased from history. Almost. This episode tells the story of Hatshepsut, a woman pharaoh who was lost – and then found again.

She was a Renaissance painting prodigy - until the brutal assault and humiliating trial. Will she let darkness consume her...or rise from ashes to create brilliance? This episode tells the story of the long neglected Artemisia Gentileschi.

A pioneering woman led the way but others get all the credit. This episode traces one of the most important events in human history - the defeat of smallpox, the deadliest disease of all time - and the unsung heroine who made it possible.