Torture

What happens when one of the largest and most intelligent animals on Earth is trained to become an executioner?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel through more than two thousand years of history to explore the horrifying use of elephants in torture, punishment, and execution.We’ll begin in India, where elephants became symbols of royal power and terrifying instruments of punishment. From the Mughal Empire to the kingdoms of South Asia, we’ll look at how condemned prisoners could be grabbed, thrown, dragged, crushed, or dismembered by animals that had been specifically trained to follow the commands of their handlers.We’ll travel back to the ancient world and follow elephants from the battlefields of India and Persia to the armies of Alexander the Great and the great empires of the Mediterranean. Along the way, we’ll explore how these enormous animals were captured from the wild, trained for warfare, and eventually taught to perform remarkably precise acts of violence.We’ll meet some of the people who found themselves on the wrong end of an elephant, including rebels facing Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq, prisoners described by the traveler Ibn Battuta, a man punished under the Mughal emperor Akbar, and prisoners executed under the kings of Kandy. We’ll also travel to 19th century Baroda, where the practice was still being used well into the era of British rule.But the most disturbing part may not be the elephant itself. These animals weren’t simply turned loose on their victims. They could be trained to grab someone, throw them, hold them beneath a foot, drag them, or wait for another command before delivering the final blow.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring plenty of gallows humor to a story about rulers discovering that sometimes the most terrifying weapon in the room has four legs and weighs several tons.If you’re interested in elephant execution, elephant torture, Mughal history, Muhammad bin Tughluq, Ibn Battuta, Akbar the Great, Alexander the Great, ancient warfare, the Kingdom of Kandy, Baroda, Indian history, historical executions, and the darker side of animal warfare, this episode proves that elephants weren’t always the gentle giants we like to imagine.Sometimes they were the executioners.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when something sitting in your grandmother’s medicine cabinet becomes a weapon of humiliation, punishment, and political terror?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the surprisingly long and disturbing history of castor oil, a medicine that has been used for thousands of years and eventually found a very different purpose in the hands of people who wanted to punish, intimidate, and humiliate others.We’ll travel from ancient Egypt and India to colonial Africa, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Francoist Spain, Greece under the 4th of August Regime, Australia, and Canada, following the strange journey of a seemingly harmless household remedy as it becomes a tool of political repression and institutional abuse.Along the way, we’ll meet Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Blackshirts, explore the infamous “castor oil purges” of Italian Fascism, and hear about people who were forced to endure the treatment simply because they were political opponents, activists, workers, or inconvenient to those in power. We’ll also look at the disturbing stories of children subjected to forced castor oil ingestion in institutions in Australia and Canada.And of course, we’ll find out exactly why castor oil produces such spectacularly unpleasant results, because apparently knowing what happens when you drink it is something we absolutely needed to research.Kevin and Dan bring their usual irreverent humor to an episode about how something as ordinary as a bottle of medicine can become a remarkably effective instrument of humiliation when placed in the wrong hands.If you’re interested in castor oil, Fascist Italy, the Blackshirts, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Mussolini, Francoist Spain, Nazi Germany, political torture, institutional abuse, colonial history, residential schools, and the stranger side of medical history, this episode proves that sometimes the most effective torture device is the one already sitting in the medicine cabinet.And yes, Dan, we really are going to talk about poop.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the punishment isn’t simply death, but having your own skin turned into a warning for everyone else?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the horrifying history of flaying, the deliberate removal of a person’s skin, and the very different reasons people throughout history chose to use it.We’ll begin with Baha-ud-din Gurshasp, a powerful military commander who found himself on the wrong side of his cousin, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq. From there, we’ll travel back more than three thousand years to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, where rulers like Ashurnasirpal II used flaying as a terrifying message to anyone thinking about rebellion.We’ll meet Sisamnes, the corrupt Persian judge whose fate supposedly turned his own skin into part of his replacement’s courtroom chair, and follow the practice through the Ming Dynasty, the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, and the brutal fate of Venetian commander Marcantonio Bragadin.But flaying wasn’t always about punishment. We’ll travel to the Aztec Empire and explore the rituals surrounding Xipe Totec, the Flayed One, where human skin played a completely different role in religious ceremony and ideas of death, sacrifice, and renewal.We’ll also look at the myths, legends, and questionable stories surrounding flaying throughout history, as well as some of the rare modern cases where the practice has appeared in warfare and organized crime. And yes, because there was absolutely no way we were getting through an episode about human skin without mentioning Ed Gein.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring plenty of morbid humor to an episode about one of humanity’s oldest and most disturbing ways of making a statement.If you’re interested in flaying, Ashurnasirpal II, the Assyrian Empire, Baha-ud-din Gurshasp, Marcantonio Bragadin, Sisamnes, the Ming Dynasty, Xipe Totec, Aztec sacrifice, Ed Gein, historical torture, executions, and the darker side of human history, this episode is going to get under your skin.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the courts say you have the right to your land, but the government decides it doesn’t matter?In the final episode of our three part journey through the Trail of Tears, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan follow the Cherokee, Seminole, Creek, and Chickasaw as the fight over Native sovereignty reaches its breaking point.We’ll look at the Supreme Court battles that put the Cherokee Nation directly against Georgia, the rise of Osceola and the bloody beginning of the Second Seminole War, the forced removal of the Creek and Chickasaw, and the growing divisions within the Cherokee Nation itself.Then comes the Cherokee removal. Thousands are rounded up, imprisoned in stockades, and forced west along routes that would become known as the Trail of Tears. We’ll follow the journey, the disease, starvation, exposure, death, and the families left behind, before looking at what happened when the survivors finally reached their new homes.But the story doesn’t end there. Political divisions lead to assassinations, civil war tears through the relocated nations, and the United States later finds new ways to take even more Native land.And yet, despite everything, these nations survive. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Seminole rebuild their governments, communities, and cultures, continuing the story that began long before the Trail of Tears.Kevin and Dan bring their usual irreverent humor to the final chapter of one of the darkest stories in American history.If you’re interested in the Trail of Tears, Cherokee history, the Second Seminole War, Andrew Jackson, Indian Removal, Native American history, the Cherokee Nation, Osceola, John Ross, Major Ridge, and the long history of Indigenous resistance and survival, this is the conclusion to a story that never really ended.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when years of broken treaties, stolen land, and political pressure finally turn into forced removal?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue their journey through the history of the Trail of Tears, following the rise of Andrew Jackson, the Creek War, the growing pressure on the Five Civilized Tribes, and the discovery of gold on Cherokee land.We’ll meet Major Ridge, John Ross, John Ridge, Elias Boudinot, and Sequoyah, and explore the Cherokee Nation’s remarkable efforts to build a government, establish a written language, publish a newspaper, and prove that they were a sovereign nation capable of governing themselves.Then everything starts to unravel. Georgia begins dismantling Cherokee sovereignty, white settlers flood Cherokee territory in search of gold, and Andrew Jackson takes office with Native removal becoming a central part of his administration. The passage of the Indian Removal Act marks a major turning point, followed by the first large scale removals, including the devastating journey of the Choctaw.And while the story is filled with treaties, politics, and courtroom battles, there was plenty of violence happening on the ground as well. Native nations were divided over how to respond, settlers continued pushing onto Indigenous land, and tensions were rapidly reaching a breaking point.Kevin and Dan bring their usual irreverent humor to a story that is becoming increasingly difficult to laugh about.If you’re interested in the Trail of Tears, Andrew Jackson, Cherokee history, Choctaw history, Indian Removal, Sequoyah, Major Ridge, John Ross, Native American history, and the darker side of American history, this is where the story really begins to turn.And Part 3 is where everything falls apart.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the land you’ve lived on for generations is taken from you and given to someone else?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan begin a three part journey into one of the darkest chapters in American history, the Trail of Tears and the forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral homelands.We’ll start by getting to know the Five Civilized Tribes, the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, and Cherokee, and the very different societies, governments, and cultures they had built across the southeastern United States. We’ll look at how these nations adapted to the rapidly changing world around them, adopted some European American customs, built schools and governments, entered into treaties with the United States, and repeatedly tried diplomacy as their lands were increasingly threatened.Then we’ll follow the growing pressure for Native removal, from the aftermath of the American Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase to the rise of Tecumseh and his attempt to unite Native nations against further American expansion.Along the way, we’ll confront some of the biggest misconceptions about Native Americans, the complicated relationships between different Indigenous nations, the treaties that promised protection and were repeatedly undermined, and the political forces that eventually transformed “voluntary” removal into something very different.And this is only the beginning. The Trail of Tears was not one event, and it was not experienced the same way by every Native nation. Behind the familiar name is a much larger story involving war, politics, broken treaties, internal divisions, resistance, survival, and thousands of individual lives.There may not be much blood and gore in this episode, but make no mistake, the history is brutal. Kevin and Dan bring their usual irreverent humor to a subject that deserves to be understood beyond the simplified version many of us were taught in school.If you’re interested in the Trail of Tears, Cherokee history, Choctaw history, Muscogee Creek history, Chickasaw history, Seminole history, Native American history, Indian Removal, Tecumseh, the Indian Removal Act, broken treaties, and the darker side of American history, this is where the journey begins.And trust us, it gets much worse from here.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when getting drunk, picking a fight, or stepping out of line in the military could land you on a wooden horse with weights hanging from your feet?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the strange and surprisingly widespread history of the Spanish Donkey, also known as the Wooden Horse, Chevalet, or Mule.We’ll travel back to the armies of 17th and 18th century Europe, where soldiers could be sentenced to ride this uncomfortable contraption for everything from drunkenness and fighting to theft, insubordination, and other military offenses. We’ll follow the punishment from the Dutch colonies of North America and New France to European armies and eventually across the Atlantic to the American Civil War.Along the way, we’ll meet soldiers like Philip Geraerdy, examine the military records and firsthand accounts that help establish that the Wooden Horse was a real punishment, and separate the documented history from some of the more sensational claims that have grown around the device over the years.But was the Spanish Donkey actually a torture device, or was it primarily a form of military punishment and public humiliation? And just how much damage could sitting on a sharp wooden beam with weights attached to your legs actually do?Kevin and Dan dig into the history, the myths, and the very real misery of a punishment that proves you don't need elaborate machinery to make someone's day absolutely terrible. And, of course, there’s plenty of gallows humor along the way.If you’re interested in the Spanish Donkey, Wooden Horse, Chevalet, military punishment, military history, Dutch colonial America, New France, the American Civil War, torture devices, historical torture, and the strange ways armies have punished their own soldiers, this episode is going to be a particularly uncomfortable ride.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a series of catastrophic mistakes leaves hundreds of enslaved people trapped at sea with nowhere to go and almost no water left?Season 5 of Torture: A Dark History begins with one of the most horrifying events in the history of the Atlantic slave trade, the Zorg Massacre of 1781.Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to the Caribbean Sea and aboard the Zorg, a British slave ship carrying hundreds of enslaved Africans toward Jamaica. What begins as a disastrous voyage involving poor decisions, incompetent leadership, disease, dwindling supplies, and terrible navigation eventually becomes something far more horrific when the crew decides that some of the people aboard must die so that others might survive.We’ll follow the voyage from the Zorg’s acquisition and its time on the African coast to the disastrous journey across the Atlantic, meeting Captain Luke Collingwood, First Mate James Kelsall, passenger Robert Stubbs, and the hundreds of enslaved men, women, and children caught in the middle of an unfolding catastrophe.Then we’ll look at what happened after the ship finally reached Jamaica, when the owners attempted to turn the deaths into an insurance claim and the horrifying events eventually became the subject of a legal battle in London. The case would expose the disturbing reality of how the law viewed enslaved people and help give abolitionists another powerful example of the brutality and inhumanity of the slave trade.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual uncomfortable humor and irreverence to a story that has very few funny moments, because apparently Season 5 needed to start by immediately ruining everyone’s day.One quick apology before you listen: we discovered after recording that this episode has some sound quality issues that we weren’t aware of during the recording. We’ve done what we can to clean it up, and we appreciate your patience as we kick off Season 5.If you’re interested in the Zorg Massacre, the Zong, the Atlantic slave trade, slave ships, maritime history, British history, abolitionism, Olaudah Equiano, the history of slavery, and one of the most disturbing legal cases of the 18th century, welcome back to Torture: A Dark History.Season 5 starts here.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The New Website!!!!The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeFacebookInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Unfortunately, due to reasons beyond our control, Torturepod is taking yet another hiatus. We are incredibly sorry and will try to get episodes out as soon as we can. Love you allAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode Dan, Kevin, and special guest Phil cover: who's Dixon?, an introduction, holiday vacation, death for Christmas, bad present overreaction, Dan's calendar, Rob Reiner, horrible roommates, breaking out in song, a very real story, a Candy Cane Gingerbread Baked Alaska Pie with Cranberry Coulis, a yuletide Top 10, John Cena, Kevin's calves, Happy New Year, and much more!!Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokSubstackThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the thing being used to interrogate you looks less like a torture device and more like a garden tool?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the horrifying history of the Cat’s Paw, also known as the Iron Claw, a deceptively simple device designed to tear into the human body.We’ll travel from the Roman Empire and the persecution of Christians to medieval and early modern Europe, following the claw through centuries of interrogation, punishment, and religious persecution. Along the way, we’ll meet St. Vincent of Saragossa, François Villon, and others who found themselves on the wrong end of one of history’s nastier pieces of ironwork.We’ll also look at the different names and variations associated with the device, how it was used alongside other familiar torture methods, and the increasingly formalized rules surrounding judicial torture in places like France and the Holy Roman Empire.However, the Cat’s Paw has accumulated quite a reputation over the centuries, and not everything said about it can actually be proven. We’ll separate the documented history from the stories that have grown around the device, including one particularly famous name that turns out to have a surprisingly modern origin.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own particularly uncomfortable sense of humor to an episode about a device that proves sometimes the simplest tools can be the most horrifying.If you’re interested in the Cat’s Paw, Iron Claw, Ungula, French torture, Roman persecution, François Villon, St. Vincent of Saragossa, judicial torture, medieval history, torture devices, and the strange myths that develop around them, this episode is going to get under your skin.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when an execution method designed to be cleaner, more humane, and more scientific turns out to have a very ugly history?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of lethal injection, from its origins in the late 19th century to the botched executions that have continued into the modern era.We’ll meet Paul Warner Powell, whose execution appeared to go exactly as planned, before looking at Joseph Cannon and the disastrous attempt to execute him in Texas. From there, we’ll follow the development of the three drug cocktail, the creation of the Oklahoma Model, and the first lethal injection execution in the United States.We’ll also look at some of the most notorious cases of botched lethal injections, including Ronald Clark O’Bryan, Stephen Morin, Rommell Broom, Angel Nieves Diaz, Clayton Lockett, Dennis McGuire, John Grant, and Joseph Wood, whose executions raised serious questions about whether this supposedly peaceful method was actually as humane as it was intended to be.Then we’ll follow the problems surrounding the drugs themselves, changing pharmaceutical supplies, the controversial move toward midazolam, and the growing difficulty of finding people willing and able to carry out executions.Finally, we’ll travel outside the United States to look at lethal injection in China and the use of mobile execution vans, before returning to America and the latest attempts to find alternative methods of execution.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own morbid sense of humor to an episode about an execution method that was supposed to make killing look like a medical procedure.If you’re interested in lethal injection, capital punishment, the Oklahoma Model, botched executions, death row, sodium thiopental, midazolam, the electric chair, execution history, and the disturbing intersection of medicine and punishment, this episode proves that sometimes making something look more humane doesn’t necessarily make it less horrifying.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when breaking the rules means being locked into a wooden frame while your entire town gets invited to make fun of you?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the history of two of Europe’s most infamous instruments of public punishment, the stocks and the pillory.We’ll travel from ancient Judah and Rome into medieval Europe, following the evolution of public humiliation from a way to shame petty offenders into behaving themselves to a much harsher system where crowds could turn punishment into violence. Along the way, we’ll meet Perkin Warbeck, Daniel Defoe, Elizabeth Needham, and others who discovered that being put on display could be considerably more dangerous than simply humiliation.We’ll also travel beyond Europe to look at similar forms of punishment, including China’s infamous cangue, before following the stocks and pillory across the Atlantic and into colonial America. From drunkards and scolds to thieves, fraudsters, slaves, and accused witches, almost anyone could find themselves spending a very unpleasant afternoon in public.But what started as a form of community shame eventually became something much more dangerous. As criminal justice became more centralized, the punishment became harsher, the crowds became more vicious, and in some cases, simply being placed in the pillory could become a death sentence.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring plenty of questionable humor to an episode about two wooden contraptions that prove humanity has always found creative ways to publicly embarrass people.If you’re interested in the stocks, pillory, cangue, public humiliation, medieval punishment, colonial America, Daniel Defoe, Perkin Warbeck, Elizabeth Needham, historical torture, and the evolution of criminal justice, this episode is going to give you a whole new appreciation for the phrase “laughing stock.”Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when your neighbors stop seeing you as a strange old man and start believing you’re a monster?For this special Halloween episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to the forests of medieval and early modern Europe to explore the terrifying history of the Werewolf Trials.We’ll follow the fear, superstition, and paranoia that turned missing children, dead livestock, strange footprints, and unexplained attacks into accusations of lycanthropy. From Switzerland and France to Germany, Sweden, and Spain, we’ll meet some of the people accused of making pacts with the Devil, transforming into wolves, and preying on their neighbors.We’ll meet Michel Verdun, Pierre Burgot, Gilles Garnier, Peter Stumpp, Jacques Roulet, Jean Grenier, and Manuel Blanco Romasanta, whose cases helped shape the terrifying idea that the monster hiding in the woods might actually be your neighbor.But these weren’t just stories about monsters. Torture, religious hysteria, political and social tensions, war, famine, and good old fashioned fear could turn accusations into confessions and confessions into executions.We’ll also look at where the werewolf legend came from, from ancient mythology and Norse warriors to medieval Christianity, before following the creature through centuries of European history and eventually into the modern world.And because this is our Halloween episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring plenty of creepy storytelling, questionable humor, and a few laughs to the history of one of humanity’s favorite monsters.If you’re interested in werewolves, witch trials, lycanthropy, the Devil, Gilles Garnier, Peter Stumpp, the Beast of Gévaudan, Manuel Blanco Romasanta, European folklore, medieval history, torture, and the darker side of Halloween, turn off the lights and join us in the woods.Just watch out for the guy walking on four legs.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the punishment for breaking the law is being lowered into a grave while you’re still alive?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the horrifying history of being buried alive, a punishment used across different cultures for crimes ranging from adultery and infanticide to heresy, sacrilege, and treason.We’ll travel from ancient Rome and the Vestal Virgins to the Saxons and Franks, before following the practice through medieval Europe and into the story of Anna Utenhoven, one of the last people executed for heresy by live burial in the Low Countries. We’ll also meet Tiufrid, an 18 year old Swedish farmhand whose crime led to one of the strangest executions in the historical record.But being buried alive wasn’t always intentional.We’ll also explore the terrifying history of premature burial, from stories of people waking inside their coffins to the rise of taphophobia and the bizarre inventions designed to make sure the dead were actually dead. Safety coffins, corpse bells, waiting houses, and increasingly sophisticated medical techniques all emerged from the fear that someone might be buried before they had actually died.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own morbid sense of humor to an episode about one of humanity’s oldest fears, being trapped underground with no way out.If you’re interested in being buried alive, live burial, ancient Roman punishment, Vestal Virgins, Anna Utenhoven, premature burial, taphophobia, safety coffins, historical torture, executions, and some of the darkest fears in human history, this episode is going six feet under.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a religious blessing becomes one of the most horrifying torture myths in history?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to the world of the Inquisition and explore the infamous Lead Sprinkler, a supposed torture device designed to turn a priest’s blessing into a weapon.We’ll step into the dungeon, where the familiar instruments of torture are replaced by something far more unsettling, a device resembling an aspergillum, the tool used to sprinkle holy water over a congregation. Only this time, the “blessing” is anything but holy.We’ll look at the stories surrounding the Lead Sprinkler, the supposed punishments for blasphemers, heretics, criminals, and accused witches, and the gruesome legends that grew around the device. But there’s a catch. Despite its reputation and its appearance in museums and modern collections of torture devices, there is a serious question about whether the Lead Sprinkler was ever actually used.The question is, where did this terrifying device come from, and how did a supposed instrument of the Inquisition become one of the most recognizable torture myths in history?And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own irreverent sense of humor to a story where apparently even getting a blessing can go horribly wrong.If you’re interested in the Lead Sprinkler, the Inquisition, religious torture, blasphemy, heresy, the aspergillum, torture devices, medieval punishment, torture myths, and the darker side of European history, this episode might make you think twice the next time someone offers you a blessing.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when your punishment doesn’t end with your execution, but with your body being locked inside an iron cage and left hanging for everyone to see?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of the hanging cage, a punishment designed not only to kill, but to turn the dead into a warning for everyone who passed by.We’ll travel across Europe, England, America, and Asia, following the stories of criminals, pirates, rebels, and prisoners whose bodies were displayed in cages after their executions. We’ll meet Kohlhans the Robber, James Aitken, Captain William Kidd, and others whose deaths became public spectacles long after the execution itself was over.But occasionally, the line between execution and torture became disturbingly blurred. We’ll look at stories of people supposedly placed inside the cages alive, left exposed to the elements with no food or water, and forced to endure days of suffering while crowds watched from below.We’ll also explore the different forms these cages took, from simple iron frames to custom fitted “man cages,” and see how similar practices appeared in France, Germany, England, colonial America, China, Japan, Korea, and beyond.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own morbid sense of humor to a punishment where even death apparently wasn’t enough.If you’re interested in hanging cages, gibbets, public executions, Captain William Kidd, highwaymen, pirates, witchcraft accusations, historical torture, medieval and early modern punishment, and the darker history of public spectacle, this episode is going to leave you looking at old city gates a little differently.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when an emperor becomes so obsessed with power, performance, and being adored that Rome finally decides it has had enough?In the second and final episode of Torture: A Dark History on Nero, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan pick up where we left off as Nero’s reign descends into paranoia, violence, excess, and chaos.We’ll follow the emperor through the Great Fire of Rome, the persecution of Christians, political conspiracies, brutal purges, and the increasingly bizarre world surrounding Nero as his grip on reality and his empire begins to slip.From Rome to Greece and back again, Nero becomes more obsessed with his identity as an artist, while the people around him pay an increasingly deadly price for failing to play along.Eventually, the military turns against him, the Senate declares him an enemy of the state, and Nero finds himself running for his life with nowhere left to go.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to the spectacular collapse of one of Rome’s most infamous emperors.If you’re interested in Nero, the Great Fire of Rome, Christian persecution, Roman emperors, political conspiracies, ancient Rome, the Year of the Four Emperors, and the spectacular downfall of one of history’s most notorious rulers, this is where Nero’s story finally comes to an end.And what an ending it is.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a young boy is groomed from birth to become emperor, only to grow into one of the most infamous rulers in Roman history?In the Season 4 premiere of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to Imperial Rome to explore the rise of Nero, the family that shaped him, and the political machinations that put him on the throne at just sixteen years old.We’ll follow Nero from his complicated childhood and powerful family connections to his early years as emperor, when Rome briefly saw him as a promising young ruler. But as Nero grows older and begins breaking away from the people who helped guide him, his personality, ambitions, and appetite for power begin to change.What follows is a story of family conflict, political intrigue, murder, obsession, and a young emperor slowly becoming something far more dangerous.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to one of the most dysfunctional families in Roman history.If you’re interested in Nero, Ancient Rome, Roman emperors, imperial politics, murder, power, and the darker side of Roman history, the Season 4 premiere is where Nero’s story begins.And trust us, it only gets worse.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a torture device is designed to crush your entire body into a position you were never meant to survive?In the Season 3 finale of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to Tudor England to explore the horrifying history of the Scavenger’s Daughter, one of the most infamous torture devices ever used inside the Tower of London.We’ll begin with Luke Kirby, a Catholic priest arrested in 1580 who found himself strapped into the device and tortured for refusing to abandon his faith. We’ll also meet Thomas Cottam, another Catholic priest who faced the same fate, along with the strange story of Humphrey Ely, the man who helped Cottam escape before Cottam made the decision to turn himself back in.Then we’ll travel back to the device’s origins and the man whose name became attached to it, Leonard Skevington. We’ll look at the evolution of the name and the different versions of the device that appeared inside the Tower.We’ll also meet Thomas Miagh, an Irish prisoner who endured the Scavenger’s Daughter and left behind a haunting inscription carved into the walls of the Beauchamp Tower, a message that can still be seen today.And because this is the Season 3 finale of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to an episode about Tudor prisons, Catholic persecution, the Tower of London, and a torture device that proves sometimes history can put you in a "tough position".If you’re interested in the Scavenger’s Daughter, Skevington’s Gyves, the Tower of London, Tudor England, Elizabeth I, Luke Kirby, Thomas Cottam, Thomas Miagh, Catholic persecution, torture devices, and the darkest corners of British history, join us for the final episode of Season 3.And after everything we’ve covered this season, what better way to end it than by getting ourselves thoroughly crushed?Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when thousands of people are dumped onto a remote Siberian island with almost no food, shelter, supplies, or hope of survival?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to Stalin’s Soviet Union and the horrifying story of Nazino Island, a failed resettlement experiment that quickly became a nightmare of starvation, disease, violence, cannibalism, and death.We’ll follow the people swept up in Stalin’s campaign of mass deportation, their brutal journey through Siberia, and their arrival on an isolated island that was never prepared to support human life. With almost nothing to survive on, conditions deteriorated rapidly as hunger, disease, violence, and desperation took hold.We’ll look at the guards, criminals, and deportees trapped together on the island, the attempts to escape, the horrifying reports of cannibalism, and the enormous death toll that followed. We’ll also meet Vasily Velichko, the investigator sent to uncover what had really happened, and the report he eventually delivered to Moscow describing the disaster.But Nazino didn’t simply disappear. The Soviet government buried the story, and the truth remained hidden for decades until the era of glasnost finally opened the door to the archives.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to one of the most horrifying examples of what can happen when human beings are treated as disposable pieces of a much bigger plan.If you’re interested in Nazino Island, the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, Siberian deportations, special settlements, the Gulag, Vasily Velichko, cannibalism, Stalinist repression, Soviet history, and some of the darkest chapters of the 20th century, this episode is going to take you somewhere you definitely don’t want to visit.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when electricity, something we use every day, becomes a weapon designed to make someone talk?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of electrocution, from secret police and military dictatorships to execution chambers, interrogation rooms, and even psychiatric hospitals.We’ll begin in Argentina during the Dirty War with journalist Jacobo Timerman, before traveling to Greece and the story of resistance fighter Alexandros Panagoulis. From there, we’ll follow electricity into the United States, where a battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse helped turn alternating current into one of the most infamous methods of execution in American history.We’ll look at the disastrous first execution in the electric chair, the evolution of the technology, and how electricity eventually became a tool of torture used by regimes and secret police around the world. We’ll also explore its use during the Cold War, in Latin American dictatorships, Nazi Germany, and modern detention centers.But electricity hasn’t always been used to hurt people. We’ll also look at the strange and controversial history of electroconvulsive therapy, from its earliest experiments to its use as a modern medical treatment, and the disturbing story of institutions that used electrical shocks as a form of behavioral control.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and mildly inappropriate humor to an episode where “getting a little shock” can mean something considerably worse than a balloon and a doorknob.If you’re interested in electrocution, electric torture, the electric chair, Thomas Edison, the Dirty War, Cold War torture, Gestapo interrogation, electroconvulsive therapy, and the dark history of electricity, this episode is going to leave you with a whole new appreciation for outlets in your home.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a teenage girl walks into a police station claiming she is being haunted by the ghost of a woman she helped torture and murder?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the horrifying story of Fan Man Yee, a 23 year old woman whose disappearance in Hong Kong in 1999 would uncover one of the most disturbing cases in the city’s history.We’ll follow Fan’s difficult life, her struggles with addiction and abusive relationships, and her connection to Chan Man Lok, a member of the Wo Shing Wo triad. After Fan allegedly stole money from Chan, she was kidnapped and taken to an apartment where she would be held captive for weeks while suffering horrific abuse at the hands of Chan and his associates.Then comes the part that sounds almost too bizarre to be real. A 14 year old girl named Lau Ming Fong eventually goes to the police claiming that the spirit of Fan is haunting her. Her confession leads investigators to an apartment filled with disturbing clues, including a Hello Kitty doll containing something far more horrifying than anyone expected.We’ll follow the investigation, the discovery of Fan’s remains, the trial that followed, and the question that haunted the entire case: was Fan murdered, or did she die as a result of the abuse inflicted upon her?And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to one of Hong Kong’s most infamous true crime cases, where Hello Kitty, organized crime, torture, and a ghost story somehow end up in the same nightmare.If you’re interested in Fan Man Yee, the Hello Kitty murder, Hong Kong true crime, triads, captivity, torture, organized crime, and some of the darkest true crime cases in modern history, this episode is one you definitely won’t forget.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when death isn’t the punishment, but the spectacle?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the brutal history of crucifixion, from the ancient world and the Roman Empire to Japan, modern executions, and one infamous case that ended in a very different kind of crucifixion.We’ll look at how crucifixion evolved, why Rome used it as a weapon of terror, and some of history’s most notorious mass crucifixions, including Spartacus, the siege of Tyre, Jerusalem, and the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki. We’ll also meet one of the few known crucifixion victims whose remains still bear physical evidence of the punishment.Then we’ll travel into the modern world, where crucifixion has continued in horrifying and unexpected ways, including the tragic death of Maricica Cornici during an attempted exorcism in Romania.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own mildly inappropriate brand of humor to an execution method that has shaped religion, history, art, and popular culture for more than two thousand years.If you’re interested in crucifixion, Ancient Rome, Spartacus, Alexander the Great, the siege of Jerusalem, Roman torture, Japanese history, the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, and the darkest forms of execution in human history, this episode is going to hurt.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when one of history’s most terrifying torture devices turns out to be almost entirely a lie?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan take on the Iron Maiden, the infamous spiked sarcophagus supposedly used to slowly torture and kill prisoners during the Middle Ages.Except there’s a problem. Almost none of that is true.We’ll travel from ancient legends and the terrifying Bride of Nabis to the 18th century story that helped create the Iron Maiden myth, then follow the bizarre journey of these supposedly medieval torture machines into museums, exhibitions, and even the 1893 World’s Fair.But just when it seems the Iron Maiden never tasted blood, we’ll arrive in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, where an actual Iron Maiden was reportedly discovered at the headquarters of Uday Hussein’s Olympic Committee.So was the Iron Maiden nothing more than a terrifying historical hoax, or did someone eventually put one to use?And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark humor to a story where the biggest torture device might actually be the B.S. surrounding it.If you’re interested in the Iron Maiden, medieval torture, torture myths, the Bride of Nabis, Uday Hussein, historical hoaxes, and the strange history behind the world’s most infamous torture devices, this episode is going to poke some serious holes in what you thought you knew.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a tire, gasoline, and a mob become instruments of vigilante justice?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the horrifying history of necklacing, a form of mob execution that became infamous during the final years of apartheid South Africa.We’ll follow the fear, anger, and political violence that helped create an environment where accusations of being an informant could become a death sentence. We’ll meet Benjamin Kinikini, Maki Skosana, and others caught in a cycle of revenge where sometimes the accusation mattered more than the truth.Then we’ll follow necklacing beyond South Africa, from Sri Lanka and India to Haiti and Brazil, and look at how this brutal form of vigilante justice continued even after apartheid came to an end.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own macabre humor to a story about what happens when a fight for freedom becomes consumed by violence.If you’re interested in necklacing, apartheid South Africa, vigilante justice, political violence, mob executions, Maki Skosana, Benjamin Kinikini, and the darkest chapters of modern history, this episode is not one you’ll forget.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENRead lessMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/tickling-the-ivoriesPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when one of the most horrifying secret programs of World War II is finally exposed, and many of the people responsible manage to walk away?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan bring the story of Unit 731 to its conclusion. We’ll follow the organization’s final days as the Soviet invasion of Manchuria forces its members to destroy evidence and flee, before examining what happened to Shiro Ishii and others after the war.We’ll look at the Allied investigations, the Soviet trials, the controversial decisions that allowed many of those involved to avoid prosecution, and the disturbing postwar lives of people connected to Unit 731.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and twisted humor to the final chapter of one of World War II’s most horrifying stories.If you’re interested in Unit 731, Japanese war crimes, World War II, biological warfare, war crimes trials, and the dark history left behind after the war, this is where the nightmare finally comes to an end.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the walls of Unit 731 close behind you, and there is no way back out?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan go inside Unit 731 and tell the horrifying story of the prisoners who disappeared behind its walls.We’ll meet the people who were sent to Pingfan, the prisoners labeled “maruta,” and the doctors and soldiers who became part of a system where human beings were treated as disposable material. We’ll follow the experiments conducted on men, women, and children, the horrific conditions they endured, and the witnesses who later described what they saw inside the facility.We’ll also hear about the people who tried to leave, the researchers who realized too late what they had become involved in, and the chilling reality that not a single prisoner sent into Unit 731 survived.And this was only one part of a much larger operation.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their dark and deeply uncomfortable humor to one of the most horrifying stories of World War II.If you’re interested in Unit 731, Japanese war crimes, human experimentation, World War II, torture, and the darkest chapters of Japanese history, this is where the story gets truly horrifying.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a Japanese army doctor becomes obsessed with biological warfare and builds one of the most secretive military operations of World War II?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel to Imperial Japan and follow the rise of Shiro Ishii, the man who would become the driving force behind Unit 731.We’ll follow Ishii from his early career in medicine to his work in occupied Manchuria, where he builds a massive secret facility at Pingfan under the innocent sounding name of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Unit. Behind the walls, Unit 731 develops biological weapons and carries out attacks against Chinese communities during the Second Sino Japanese War.We’ll look at the attacks on Ningbo, Changde, and during the Chekiang Campaign, as well as the horrifying consequences for the civilians caught in them.But Unit 731 had an even darker secret.Hidden inside Blocks 7 and 8 were the human experiments that would become some of the most infamous atrocities of World War II.And that’s where we’ll leave things.Because in Episode 2, we’re going inside.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and deeply uncomfortable humor to the story of Unit 731, Shiro Ishii, Imperial Japan, biological warfare, Japanese war crimes, Manchuria, and some of the darkest history of World War II.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What if the justice system decided the best way to get a confession was to introduce you to a very determined wheel?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan take a look at one of history’s most brutal methods of torture and execution: the Breaking Wheel. From 18th century Paris to ancient Greece, the Breaking Wheel was used in a variety of horrifying ways, from crushing limbs with iron clubs to literally rolling victims to their deaths.We begin with the brutal executions of the Chevalier de Milhe and Count Antoine de Horn in 1720, before moving on to the infamous highwayman Cartouche and his very public encounter with the wheel. From there, we trace the practice across Europe and beyond, including Germany, France, Scotland, the Americas, and India.We’ll also look at the alleged use of the wheel in ancient Rome, the story of Saint Catherine, the execution of Jean Calas, and one very unusual case in 1788 when an angry crowd decided they had seen quite enough and literally tore apart the scaffold to save a condemned man.And of course, Kevin and Dan will bring their dark sense of humor to the subject, because apparently there is no shortage of things to joke about when the subject is a giant wheel designed to ruin your day. Along the way, we’ll look at some of the strangest variations of the punishment, the stories surrounding its use, and the surprising connection between the Breaking Wheel and the invention of the guillotine.It’s torture history, brutal executions, dark history, and one very unfortunate wheel.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramBlue SkyTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What if they tried to get you to confess with a glorified kitchen utensil?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan take a look at the Heretic’s Fork, a medieval torture device supposedly used against heretics and witches during the Spanish Inquisition and later witch trials across Europe and colonial America. With sharp prongs pressing beneath the chin and into the chest, the device was designed to make sitting, sleeping, or even lowering your head incredibly painful.But there’s a problem. Despite centuries of stories about the Heretic’s Fork, there is surprisingly little documented evidence that it was ever actually used. We dig into where the stories came from, how the device supposedly worked, and whether this infamous torture instrument was a genuine tool of torture or another example of history making a terrifying device even more terrifying.And naturally, Kevin and Dan spend entirely too much time imagining what kind of night’s sleep you get when your bed is basically an instrument of religious compliance.It’s the Spanish Inquisition, witch trials, torture, questionable historical evidence, and two guys asking the most important question of all: "Who the hell designed this thing?”Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the punishment for treason is being sealed inside a pair of boats, covered in milk and honey, and left for nature to slowly finish the job?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to ancient Persia to explore scaphism, one of the most horrifying forms of execution ever attributed to the ancient world.We’ll break down the gruesome process, from the boats and forced feeding to the insects, exposure, and eventual death, while also examining why milk and honey supposedly played such an important role. We’ll look at the horrifying role that flies, bees, wasps, and maggots were said to play as the victim was left trapped in their own waste.Then we’ll meet Mithridates, the only person actually recorded as suffering this punishment, at least according to the ancient sources. His story involves Cyrus the Younger, King Artaxerxes II, a battlefield killing, a boast after a few drinks, and a punishment that supposedly lasted seventeen days.But there’s a problem. The story comes to us through Plutarch, who was writing centuries after the alleged execution, based on earlier accounts from Ctesias, a historian whose reputation for exaggeration makes the entire story difficult to verify. We’ll also look at the related Greek punishment of cyphonism and ask whether scaphism was a real Persian execution method or one of antiquity’s particularly nasty pieces of propaganda.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark and twisted humor to an episode where the phrase “being eaten alive” is taken literally.If you’re interested in scaphism, ancient Persian torture, Mithridates, Artaxerxes II, Cyrus the Younger, Plutarch, Ctesias, cyphonism, ancient executions, maggot therapy, insects, and the darker side of ancient history, this episode is going to leave you seriously reconsidering boats, honey, and picnics.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a prison uprising turns into a standoff, negotiations break down, and the state decides to take the prison back by force?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the story of the Attica Prison uprising, picking up with the prisoners in control of D Yard and negotiations beginning with Commissioner Russell Oswald and a group of outside observers.We’ll follow the prisoners’ demands for better food, medical care, religious freedom, political rights, and protection from retaliation, with one demand remaining above everything else: amnesty. We’ll also look at the role of the observers, the treatment of the hostages, the growing rumors and misinformation outside the prison, and the increasingly desperate attempts to convince Governor Nelson Rockefeller to come to Attica.Then everything falls apart.After Officer William Quinn dies from his injuries, tensions inside and outside the prison reach a breaking point. As negotiations collapse, hundreds of armed law enforcement officers gather outside Attica. On September 13, 1971, tear gas fills D Yard and the assault begins.What follows is chaos, gunfire, humiliation, and brutality. Then comes the cover story, the aftermath, the McKay Commission, the criminal prosecutions, the decades long civil rights lawsuit, and the eventual settlements that finally acknowledged the enormous human cost of what happened at Attica.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark and uncomfortable humor to one of the most horrific chapters in American prison history, while digging into the violence, misinformation, political fallout, and decades long fight over what really happened inside Attica.If you’re interested in Attica, prison uprisings, American prison history, Nelson Rockefeller, Russell Oswald, Frank “Big Black” Smith, Richard X Clark, prison reform, police brutality, prisoner abuse, civil rights, political history, and one of the darkest days in American history, this is where the Attica story reaches its devastating conclusion.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when years of overcrowding, abuse, neglect, and growing tension finally push thousands of prisoners to the breaking point?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan begin the story of the Attica Prison uprising, one of the most infamous prison revolts in American history.We’ll travel back to the late 1960s and early 1970s to look at the conditions inside Attica Correctional Facility, where more than 2,200 prisoners were packed into a prison designed for 1,200. Poor food, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, harsh discipline, racial inequality, censorship, and brutal working conditions created an environment where tensions were constantly building.We’ll meet the prisoners organizing for change, including the Attica Liberation Faction, and follow their attempts to negotiate reforms with prison officials and New York State Commissioner Russell Oswald. Then, after the death of George Jackson and a series of increasingly tense confrontations between prisoners and guards, one incident in A Block finally pushes Attica past the point of no return.On September 9, 1971, the prisoners take control of the prison.But this isn’t simply a story about prisoners versus guards. Inside the uprising, prisoners protect hostages, organize medical care, establish leadership, and try to create some kind of order while the state prepares to take the prison back.And that’s where we leave things.Because the negotiations, the hostages, the deaths, the retaking of Attica, and the massive coverup that followed are still to come.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark humor to an incredibly serious chapter of American prison history, while telling the story of the people who found themselves trapped inside one of the most important prison uprisings in American history.If you’re interested in Attica, prison riots, American prison history, the War on Crime, prison reform, civil rights, political prisoners, Richard X Clark, Frank “Big Black” Smith, Sam Melville, the Attica Liberation Faction, and the darker side of American history, this is only the beginning.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when someone decides that the best way to get a confession is to slowly smash your feet?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the brutal history of the Boot, a family of torture devices designed to crush, break, burn, and otherwise make the victim very interested in confessing.We’ll begin in 17th century Scotland with James Mitchell, whose attempted assassination of Archbishop James Sharp led to repeated sessions with the infamous Scottish Boot. From there, we’ll travel across Europe and beyond, looking at the different variations of the device, including the foot press, the Spanish Boot, the French brodequin, and the terrifying practice of roasting someone’s feet inside a heated boot.We’ll also meet Archbishop Dermot O’Hurley, whose refusal to abandon Catholicism led to a particularly horrific interrogation, and Urbain Grandier, the controversial French priest whose alleged involvement in witchcraft accusations would eventually bring him face to face with the brodequin.Then we’ll look even further back, including Chinese variations of foot crushing torture, British reports of torture in colonial India, and the strange possibility that similar devices appeared in other parts of the world under remarkably similar names.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark and twisted humor to an episode that proves the phrase “Give 'em the boot” can be considerably more horrifying than you might think.If you’re interested in the Boot, Spanish Boot, Scottish Boot, brodequin, foot torture, James Mitchell, Dermot O’Hurley, Urbain Grandier, the Spanish Inquisition, witch trials, medieval torture, and the wonderfully terrible ways humans have found to destroy someone’s feet, this episode is going to hurt.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the simplest way to torture someone is to tie their hands behind their back and let gravity do the rest?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan are joined by Patreon supporter and super fan Sam Brears to explore the brutal history of the strappado, a torture method designed to put incredible stress on the shoulders, arms, nerves, and entire upper body.We’ll travel from the Medieval Inquisition and Renaissance Italy to Auschwitz, Turkey, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and the American War on Terror, looking at the different forms of the strappado and the real people who endured them. Along the way, we’ll meet Niccolò Machiavelli, Richard Belmar, Mykola Slyvotskyy, and Manadel al Jamadi, whose death at Abu Ghraib showed just how deadly suspension torture could become.We’ll also look at the infamous squassation, the use of weights, the devastating injuries caused by prolonged suspension, and the surprising ways this centuries old torture method continued to appear in the modern world.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin, Dan, and special guest Sam bring their own dark and twisted humor to a subject that proves sometimes you don’t need complicated machinery to make someone’s life absolutely miserable.If you’re interested in the strappado, squassation, Machiavelli, the Inquisition, Auschwitz, Abu Ghraib, torture history, psychological torture, prisoner abuse, and some of the darkest methods humans have used to hurt one another, this episode won't leave you hanging.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a woman who becomes a widow decides that revenge is best served with a little creativity?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the story of Olga of Kyiv, one of the most fascinating and ruthless rulers of medieval Europe. But before we get to Olga, we have to go back to the Varangians, the rise of the Kievan Rus’, and the man whose death would set Olga on a path of revenge.After her husband Igor is brutally killed by the Derevlians, Olga is left ruling the Kievan Rus’ on behalf of her young son. The Derevlians think they have found the perfect opportunity to take control. Unfortunately for them, they severely underestimated Igor’s widow.What follows is a series of increasingly horrifying acts of revenge involving buried diplomats, a burning bathhouse, a funeral feast that goes very, very wrong, and one particularly creative use of pigeons and sparrows.We’ll also look at Olga’s conversion to Christianity, her relationship with Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, and how this ruthless pagan ruler eventually became a Christian saint.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark and twisted humor to the story of a woman who proves that sometimes the person you really should not piss off is the widow.If you’re interested in Olga of Kyiv, Kievan Rus’, Viking history, medieval Russia, Byzantine history, revenge, torture, executions, Christianity, and some of the most brutal stories from medieval history, this episode is one hell of a history lesson.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when one of humanity’s most beloved animals becomes a weapon of punishment, torture, and execution,?Season 3 of Torture: A Dark History kicks off with Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan exploring the surprisingly brutal history of horses and the many ways humans have used them to hurt, kill, and punish other humans.We’ll travel from 18th century Chile and the alleged dragging of a Franciscan friar to the infamous punishment of being hanged, drawn, and quartered. Along the way, we’ll meet William de Marisco, David ap Gruffydd, William Wallace, François Ravaillac, and Robert François Damiens, whose executions showed just how horrific the practice could become.Then we’ll leave Europe behind and look at the Mongol Empire, including the execution of Caliph Al Musta'sim by Hulegu, before getting into the less obvious ways horses have been involved in torture and execution, including one particularly disturbing practice involving a dead horse.We’ll also look at why horses are measured in hands, just how strong they actually are, and how an animal that has carried armies, pulled carriages, and helped build civilizations became such an effective tool for punishment.And because this is the Season 3 premiere of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark and twisted humor to an episode that may permanently change the way you look at these beautiful animals.If you’re interested in horses, historical torture, executions, medieval punishment, and the darker side of history, Season 3 starts with one hell of a ride.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a woman survives nearly two weeks of torture and sexual violence, only to be so terrified that she can’t identify her attacker when police finally catch him?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the story of Robert Ben Rhoades with the horrifying ordeal of Shana Holt, an 18 year old woman who accepted a ride from Rhoades and soon found herself chained, beaten, sexually assaulted, and held captive inside his truck.To Regina Kay Walters, a 14 year old girl whose disappearance would eventually connect Rhoades to one of the most disturbing crime scenes in Illinois.We’ll also meet Lisa Pennal, whose encounter with Rhoades finally led to his arrest when an Arizona highway patrolman discovered her chained and injured inside his truck. That arrest would open the door to a much larger investigation.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark humor to an incredibly difficult story, while remembering that sometimes the most important part of true crime is simply listening to the people who survived it.If you’re interested in serial killers, kidnapping, torture, sexual violence, and some of the darkest true crime in American history, this is the darkest chapter yet in the story of the Truck Stop Killer on our Season 2 finale.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a seemingly ordinary truck driver hides a horrifying secret inside the sleeper of his tractor trailer?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the story of Robert Ben Rhoades, the truck driver suspected of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering women across America while using the highways as his hunting ground.We’ll follow Rhoades from his troubled childhood and his father’s disturbing criminal history through his time in the Marine Corps, failed marriages, obsession with BDSM and swinging, and his relationship with Debra Davis. What begins as a seemingly loving relationship gradually becomes a nightmare of manipulation, sexual abuse, violence, and control.We’ll also look at the disturbing world Rhoades created inside his truck, the women he encountered on the road, and the growing evidence that he may have been killing long before police finally caught up with him.Then we meet Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski, a young couple hitchhiking across the country whose encounter with Rhoades would become one of the most horrifying chapters of his story. Patricia would remain unidentified for more than a decade.And this is just the first episode.Kevin and Dan bring their own particularly dark sense of humor to the story of a man who apparently turned the sleeper of a tractor trailer into a traveling torture chamber.If you’re interested in serial killers, truck stop murders, true crime, kidnapping, sexual predators, BDSM, torture, American crime history, and some of the darkest crimes committed along America’s highways, then you'll love this first chapter in the story of the Truck Stop Killer.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What do you get when a Renaissance lawyer decides that the best way to keep someone awake is to slowly shove a pyramid up their ass?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of the Judas Cradle, one of the most infamous torture devices ever associated with interrogation, confession, and punishment.We’ll travel back to Renaissance Italy and the work of Ippolito Marsili, before following the device into the Spanish Inquisition and the broader history of European torture. We’ll look at the different variations of the Cradle, the ways it was supposedly used, and how the device earned its reputation as one of the most horrifying forms of physical and psychological torture.But there’s a problem. The Judas Cradle is one of those historical torture devices whose reputation has become almost impossible to separate from the evidence. So we’re also going to dig into the history behind the history and ask how much of what we think we know about the Judas Cradle can actually be proven.We’ll examine its alleged use in Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, the stories surrounding the Spanish Inquisition, and the claims that modified versions of the device may have continued into the modern era.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own deeply inappropriate sense of humor to a torture device that makes the phrase “take a seat” sound like a genuine threat.If you’re interested in the Judas Cradle, Spanish Inquisition, Ippolito Marsili, torture devices, interrogation, sleep deprivation, medieval and Renaissance torture, historical myths, dark history, and the bizarre ways torture has been portrayed throughout history, this episode is going to be an extremely uncomfortable to sit and listen.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a woman supposedly disappears for 25 years, only to be discovered locked away in her family’s home, naked, starving, and living in her own filth?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the infamous story of Blanche Monnier, the French woman whose discovery in 1901 shocked the world and created one of the most disturbing captivity stories in history.We’ll tell the story everyone thinks they know, a beautiful young woman allegedly locked in a dark attic by her mother after falling in love with a man her wealthy family considered beneath her. But then we’ll dig deeper into the surviving testimony, court records, family history, and French sources to see what actually happened inside the Monnier household.Because the popular version of the story leaves out some pretty important details.We’ll also look at Madame Monnier’s strange relationship with her children, Marcel’s role in the family, the testimony of former servants, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Blanche’s care, and the bizarre details that emerged during Marcel’s trial.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own darkly uncomfortable humor to a story that proves sometimes the truth is considerably stranger, and more complicated, than the version that makes the best headline.If you’re interested in Blanche Monnier, French true crime, psychological torture, mental illness, family abuse, historical mysteries, captivity stories, Victorian France, and the disturbing history behind one of the most famous cases of alleged imprisonment, this is one mystery you’ll want to look at twice.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a woman talks back, spreads gossip, or simply refuses to stay quiet in the medieval UK?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of the scold’s bridle, also known as the branks, a punishment designed to silence people, particularly women, by physically restraining the tongue and publicly humiliating the wearer.We’ll look at why women were labeled “scolds,” how accusations of gossip, arguing, defying authority, and even witchcraft could lead to punishment, and how town councils, kirk sessions, and local courts in Scotland used the bridle despite it never being formally established as a legal punishment.We’ll follow documented cases including Bessie Telfer, who was branked and chained to Edinburgh’s market cross for allegedly slandering a local official, Dorothy Waugh, the young Quaker preacher subjected to hours in the bridle and then imprisoned and whipped, and a much later case in 1789 where a woman was forced to wear the device while local children mocked her.We’ll also examine the different versions of the bridle, including those fitted with spikes designed to punish any attempt to move the tongue, the supposed use of the device against men, and why this symbol of public humiliation eventually began disappearing in the 19th century.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own particularly sharp sense of humor to a device whose entire purpose was essentially to tell someone, “You know what? We’ve heard enough from you.”If you’re interested in the scold’s bridle, branks, Scottish history, women’s history, witchcraft accusations, medieval and early modern punishment, public humiliation, historical torture, and the bizarre ways authorities have tried to shut people up throughout history, this episode is going to leave you speechless.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePodUp!PatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/bass-vibesLicense code: YYUZSRCQDGQROBB4Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/kick-backLicense code: QMHHB6U0M6H9WWENPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when an invading army wants your money, but you refuse to tell them where you hid it?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to the chaos of the Thirty Years’ War and explore one of the most infamous tortures associated with the conflict, the Schwedentrunk, or “Swedish Drink.”We’ll take a quick trip through the Thirty Years’ War, from the Defenestration of Prague and the religious conflicts that set Europe on fire to the Swedish intervention and the brutal occupation of German territories. With armies desperate for supplies and poorly paid soldiers looking for ways to supplement their income, civilian villages became easy targets.And when people refused to hand over their valuables, soldiers allegedly had a particularly disgusting solution. Victims were restrained and forced to swallow enormous quantities of foul liquid, sometimes described as containing manure, urine, mud, and other filthy substances. In some accounts, the torture went even further, with pressure or blows to the stomach intended to make the experience even more agonizing.But there’s a problem. How much of the Schwedentrunk actually happened, and how much was wartime propaganda designed to make the Swedish armies look even more barbaric? We’ll dig into the surviving accounts, including descriptions from writers who lived through the Thirty Years’ War, and examine why this bizarre torture became such a lasting part of German historical memory.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own particular brand of disgusting humor to an episode where “Swedish Drink” is definitely not something you want served at happy hour.If you’re interested in the Thirty Years’ War, Swedish history, German history, medieval and early modern torture, the Holy Roman Empire, the Defenestration of Prague, wartime atrocities, historical torture, and the strange ways propaganda can turn horrific stories into legend, this episode is one hell of a stomachache.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when one kidnapped woman becomes several, and a basement prison turns into a nightmare of torture, murder, and cannibalism?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the horrifying story of Gary Michael Heidnik and the women he held captive beneath his Philadelphia home.We’ll follow the arrival of Sandra Lindsay, Lisa Thomas, Deborah Dudley, and Jacqueline Askins as Heidnik continues adding women to his basement prison. We’ll look at the increasingly brutal conditions they endured, the constant threat of violence, the infamous screwdriver attacks, the attempts to keep them isolated from the outside world, and the complicated relationships that developed between the captives as they tried to survive.Then things take an even darker turn. Sandra Lindsay dies under horrific circumstances, and what follows is one of the most disturbing chapters of the entire story. With her body hidden in the house, Heidnik begins using human flesh as food, while the women downstairs have no idea exactly what they are being fed.We’ll follow the death of Deborah Dudley, the shocking attempt to dispose of her body, and finally the escape plan that gives Josefina Rivera her chance to get out and bring the police back to 3520 North Marshall Street.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their uniquely inappropriate sense of humor to a story involving dog food sandwiches, Chinese takeout, homemade electrocution, and a man who apparently thought kidnapping women was a perfectly reasonable way to build a family.We’ll also look at Heidnik’s trial, his claims of insanity, his financial empire, his death sentence, his execution in 1999, and the strange legacy he left behind, including the possible inspiration he provided for Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.If you’re interested in Philadelphia true crime, serial killers, kidnapping, torture, cannibalism, criminal psychology, The Silence of the Lambs, and some of the darkest crimes in American history, this is the horrifying conclusion to the story of the People Collector.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a man who claims he wants a family decides that the best way to build one is to kidnap women and keep them locked in his basement?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan begin the horrifying story of Gary Michael Heidnik, a deeply disturbed man whose childhood, military career, mental illness, obsession with control, and bizarre attempt to create his own church all eventually lead toward something much darker.We’ll follow Heidnik from his troubled childhood and time in the military to his years in psychiatric hospitals, his relationships with vulnerable women, and the creation of his United Church of the Ministers of God. We’ll also look at the increasingly disturbing behavior that surrounded him, including abuse, violence, sexual assault, and his obsession with having the large family he believed society had denied him.Then we arrive at the house on North Marshall Street, where Heidnik’s twisted plans finally begin to take shape. On Thanksgiving Eve 1986, Josefina Rivera enters his home expecting a quick transaction. Instead, she becomes the first known victim in a horrifying series of kidnappings.And that is where things get much, much worse.Because in the basement, Heidnik has a pit, chains, shackles, and a plan to build the family he has always wanted. And Josefina is going to have to figure out how to survive long enough to escape.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly uncomfortable dark humor to the first chapter of one of the most disturbing true crime stories Philadelphia has ever seen.If you’re interested in Philadelphia true crime, serial killers, kidnapping, psychological torture, sexual violence, criminal psychology, cults, and some of the darkest crimes in American history, this is only the beginning of the nightmare.Thank you to True Crime BnB for starting off the show!Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a doctor decides the cure for your insomnia is to strap you down and drip cold water onto your forehead for hours?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the strange and surprisingly murky history of Chinese water torture, a method that is far less Chinese than its name suggests.We’ll travel back to Renaissance Italy and the stories surrounding Hippolytus de Marsiliis, then follow the mysterious history of water torture through Spain, European prisons, 19th century asylums, and American prisons. We’ll look at how something as simple as a single drop of water could become a method of psychological torture, as well as the bizarre medical theories that led doctors to use dripping water to treat headaches, insomnia, and supposed congestion of the brain.Then we’ll find out how this method acquired the name “Chinese water torture,” why that name had more to do with Western ideas about the mysterious and threatening “Orient” than anything actually Chinese, and how Harry Houdini helped make the phrase even more famous with his Chinese Water Torture Cell.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own darkly inappropriate humor to an episode where one tiny drop of water somehow becomes the most annoying alarm clock in human history.If you’re interested in Chinese water torture, drip torture, Hippolytus de Marsiliis, Renaissance torture, psychiatric history, Victorian asylums, prison torture, Houdini, psychological torture, dark history, and the strange origins behind some of history’s most infamous torture methods, this episode is going to get under your skin one drop at a time.Michael and Jeremy Steal Your Podcast Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the punishment for going to prison is being forced to walk up an endless staircase for hours every single day?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the bizarre and brutal history of the treadmill, a machine that turned prisoners into human engines and became one of the most notorious forms of hard labor in 19th century Britain.We’ll follow the story from engineer Sir William Cubitt’s original design at Brixton Prison to the machines that eventually spread throughout Britain, the colonies, and the United States. Prisoners were forced to spend hours climbing the endless steps, often under brutal conditions, with the work eventually becoming less about productivity and more about punishment.We’ll look at the prisoners who endured it, the injuries and deaths associated with the machines, Oscar Wilde’s experience with prison labor, the strange variations of the treadmill, and why some prisons eventually decided that making inmates grind away for hours wasn’t quite the brilliant idea everyone had hoped.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark sense of humor to an invention that somehow managed to turn “going nowhere” into an actual prison sentence.If you’re interested in prison history, Victorian punishment, the history of treadmills, hard labor, British prisons, Oscar Wilde, corporal punishment, torture, dark history, and the wonderfully terrible ways humans have invented to make exercise miserable, this episode is going to be a long walk.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a government promises to create a perfect new society, then decides millions of people have to suffer, disappear, or die to make it happen?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the story of Saloth Sar, better known as Pol Pot, as the Khmer Rouge takes control of Cambodia and begins transforming the country into its horrifying vision of a communist utopia.We’ll follow the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the creation of Democratic Kampuchea, the destruction of money, religion, education, and family life, and the brutal system of forced labor that left millions starving and exhausted. We’ll also examine the Khmer Rouge’s persecution of ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and other minorities.Then we enter S-21, the infamous prison where suspected enemies of Angkar were interrogated, tortured, forced to confess to crimes they often never committed, and eventually sent to the Killing Fields. Through the stories of survivors like Chum Mey, Bou Meng, and Vann Nath, we get a firsthand look at what happened inside one of the most notorious prisons of the 20th century.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own grimly inappropriate humor to a story where forced labor, paranoia, torture, genocide, and the occasional art assignment somehow all became part of everyday life.If you’re interested in Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian genocide, S-21, the Killing Fields, Cambodian history, genocide, political history, torture, true crime, and the darkest chapters of the 20th century, you'll love(?) this is the horrifying conclusion to the story.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a country exhausted by war welcomes a new government, only to discover that the people who claim to be saving them have something much more horrifying planned?In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the story of Saloth Sar, the man who would become known to the world as Pol Pot, and trace his rise from a quiet Cambodian student to the leader of the Khmer Rouge.We’ll follow his childhood under French colonial rule, his time in Paris, his growing embrace of communism, his relationships with Vietnamese and Chinese revolutionaries, and his eventual rise through the Cambodian Communist movement. Then Cambodia descends into civil war, the United States begins bombing the country, Sihanouk is overthrown, and the Khmer Rouge marches into Phnom Penh.But for the people of Cambodia, the war isn't over. It’s just about to become something much worse.And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their darkly twisted humor to the first chapter of one of the most horrifying regimes of the 20th century.If you love to learn of Cambodian history, Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian genocide, communism, civil wars, Vietnam War history, political history, true crime, dark history, and some of the darkest chapters of the 20th century, this is where the nightmare begins.Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.The Beard StrugglePatreonMerchBuy Us A CoffeeYouTubeInstagramTwitterTiktokThe Sassholes Insta!!Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosityLicense code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJYMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoonLicense code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSHPlease give us a 5 star rating and review!!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy