A woman walks into a federal courtroom in Manhattan, [clears throat] 1986. The most significant organized crime trial in the history of the Colombo crime family. Carmine Persico, the boss known as the snake, is seated at the defense table alongside his underboss, his capos, and seven co-defendants. The prosecution has spent eight months building…
October 3rd, 1978. Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. The 596 Club on 10th Avenue. It’s past midnight when the door opens and a man named Paddy Dugan stumbles in. Drunk, laughing, completely unaware that he’s about to be cut into seven pieces. Within 90 minutes, Paddy’s head will be in a brown paper bag, his hands will…
On December 8th, 1974, the citizens of Greece voted by a margin of 69% to abolish their monarchy. King Constantine II was in London at the time. He was 34 years old. What happened next is one of the stranger footnotes in 20th century European history. Constantine didn’t fade. His sisters didn’t fade. His children…
The summer of 1944, France erupted to the ringing of church bells. The tricolor flag flew brightly on balconies and squares were packed with people dancing. After 4 years of occupation, the light of freedom had finally returned. But, right beneath those cheers, in dark alleys and remote villages, a different kind of brutal hunt…
I think corporate relationships are much quite different. What the Prince Consort was trying to do was to try and say, “Look, you’ve got to have a marriage of art.” I think that they then split again and then and I think that be gradually coming together. Prince Phillip stood as Queen Elizabeth’s constant companion…
December 23rd, 1948. Sugamo Prison, Tokyo. A 70-year-old man with hollow cheeks and trembling hands walks towards the gallows. Soldiers stand on both sides. He shows no fear. He shows no shame. He shows nothing at all. This man wore the uniform of an Imperial Japanese general. He commanded an army of 200,000 soldiers. And…
July the 29th, 1981. A young bride begins a journey that will make her the most famous and photographed woman in the world. The heir to the British throne had finally chosen his future queen. It was a 20th century fairy tale come to life. 10…
There is a photograph taken in 1947 that most people have seen without realizing how carefully it was made. Elizabeth and Philip, newly married, standing close enough to touch. Her expression is composed, careful, almost rehearsed in its contentment. His jaw is set with the quiet assurance of a man who believes the best years…
They gave you the love story. The institution had every reason to let it stand. We’ve been sold a version of 1936 that centers on a king making an impossible choice for love. But if you look at what came after, it looks less like romance and more like removal. A man…
January 30th, 1933. In Berlin, an inauguration ceremony takes place amidst the solemnity of political protocols. Adolf Hitler officially enters the Chancellery. This is not merely a change in personnel, but the moment an extreme racial ideology begins to infect the core of the German nation. From this second onward, ; ; conscience gives way…
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