With anywhere between seven and eight million visitors annually, the Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable and beloved landmarks the world over. Perhaps it's the gorgeous architecture that draws people to its gates or maybe it's the love story behind its inspiration and construction that continues to captivate and win the hearts of all who visit it. Join me as we take a look at the man and woman behind the most iconic structure in India!

Timbuktu has entered the English language as a synonym for a place as mysterious as it is remote. Located within the interior of Africa, it has garnered the reputation of being a distant backwater south of the Sahara Desert. However, at its height, it was the undisputed center of trade and knowledge in the Islamic World, thanks in great part to the university that was founded there. But when and why was the university founded and how did it, in turn, help develop and shape the city surrounding it? Tune in to today's episode to discover more!

Few civilizations in the ancient world were as impressive as Rome. Beginning as a republic in 510 BC, it later became a vast empire (one of the largest in history), ruled by a great many emperors, from the beloved to the most hated. Of all the hated rulers, however, perhaps none was as loathsome as Heliogabalus...or at least, that's how history wants us to remember him. But was he really as bad as all that? What exactly did he do to warrant such hatred throughout the ages? Find out in today's episode!

In 1925, renowned explorer and adventurer Percy Fawcett embarked on a journey into the Amazon rainforest...never to be seen again. What he was searching for, a lost city he called Z, people had long believed to be a myth, but was he right? Has his lost city been found at last? Find out in today's episode!

"Lizzie Borden took an axe..." So begins a disturbing nursery rhyme that has immortalized the crimes of the titular subject who, to this day, continues to intrigue and fascinate, but the question remains: What exactly happened on that hot August morning in 1892? Tune in to find out!

When it comes to colonialism in India, Britain often comes to mind, seeing as how they ruled much of the subcontinent for nearly a century. Lesser known, the French had settlements there at the same time, though it was a far from easy existence. Tune in to find out more about the oft-overlooked French colonies in India!

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Given China's recent history, most notably the Cutural Revolution and Tiananmen Square Protests, it's hard to imagine that there was ever a time when the scholar/intellectual was held in such high esteem. But sure enough, an entire class of scholar-bureaucrats known as the Mandarins heavily shaped China's imperial government, but who were they and what exactly did they do? Find out in today's episode!

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Throughout history, the Gypsies (or Romani, as they prefer to be called) have wandered the world in search of a home. They've faced persecution and adversity, but have nonetheless persisted, but where did they come from? Find out in this week's episode.

The Harlem Renaissance was an unprecedented period of African American artistic, intellectual and social output the like of which no one had ever seen before. What triggered this explosion of creativity? What were the circumstances that lead up to it? Find out in this, the premiere episode of the "History Loves Company" podcast!

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