Cheating The Hangman

06/01/22 • 34 min

Imagine being hung three timesâ¦ unsuccessfully. Thatâs exactly what happened to Englishman, John âBabbacombeâ Lee in 1885. Or in the case of Herman GÃ¶ring, being slipped a cyanide pill just hours before you were scheduled to be hung. Or foiling your pursuers by killing yourself first and being laid out in full regalia upon their arrival. Here in Episode 46, we explore seven individuals who cheated the hangman one way or another.
Books:

Antony and Cleopatra by Adrian Goldsworthy
Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
"Babbacombe" Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang by John Lee
Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Casebook by Richard Wittington Egan
Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer

Film:

Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor
Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (2021) Documentary
Jack the Ripper (2017) Documentary with Trevor Marriott
Judgement at Nuremburg (1961) with an all-star cast
Downfall (2005) with Bruno Ganz as Hitler

Antony and Cleopatra by Adrian Goldsworthy
Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
"Babbacombe" Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang by John Lee
Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Casebook by Richard Wittington Egan
Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer

Film:

Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor
Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (2021) Documentary
Jack the Ripper (2017) Documentary with Trevor Marriott
Judgement at Nuremburg (1961) with an all-star cast
Downfall (2005) with Bruno Ganz as Hitler

Previous Episode

Caligula and The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

âLet them hate me, so they but fear me.â ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)

Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did he decree that his horse was a Roman consul, but he also marched his troops all the way to the English Channel only to have them pick up seashells, and heâs also said to have committed incest with all three of his sisters. Was he a madman or a victim of an undiagnosed medical condition? Here in Episode 45, we take an in-depth look at not only Caligula, but all five of the emperors who reigned during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, including Claudius and the famed Nero.

Books:

From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68 by H.H. Scullard
History of Rome by Michael Grant
The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
Roman History by Dio Cassius

Film:

I, Claudius (1976) 12 Episodes by BBC
Caligula (1979) terrible cult film, but incredible cast including Peter OâToole, Helen Mirren & Malcolm McDowell

Next Episode

Hannibal Barca: Rome's Most Dangerous Enemy

After a six-week hiatus, weâre back and with a fast-paced adventure story that rivals even the best of Hollywood. Itâs the story of Hannibal Barca. When outnumbered by the Roman military two to one, this fearless Carthaginian general, complete with eye patch and riding atop a black stallion, defied all odds in one of the bloodiest battles in all of antiquity, thus becoming one of the greatest military commanders the world has ever known. Join us as we delve into the life and times of this extraordinary man.

Episode Notes:

The immediate predecessor of Hannibal in Spain was his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal the Fair (not to be confused with Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal), who ruled from 229-221 BC., after which Hannibal in 221 at the age of 26 took over Carthaginian Spain.
According to some ancient sources, Hannibal did marry an Iberian woman named Imilce and they had a son, but we do not know this for certain.

Books: