Losers, Pretenders & Scoundrels

By Andrew Heaton, Andrew YoungComedy History

Losers, Pretenders & Scoundrels episodes

September 21, 2022 Captain For A Day! - Wilhelm Voigt
What could you get away with if you looked the part? What if you're trying to trick a bunch of German soldiers with a sense of blind obedience? Wilhelm Voigt managed to commandeer a whole squad and take over a city hall long enough to grab a boatload of cash. Heaton and Young dive into how he did it.
28 min
September 13, 2022 The Ice Palace King of the Desert - Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Niyazov was a Soviet thug turned insane dictator of Turkmenistan. And as their leader he made sure to hit all the classics. Built a religion around himself, wiped out the free media and syphoned money away from his people. But what about his great ideas like...the ice palace in the desert. Or his beloved golden statue that turned to face the sun. Heaton and Young explore this insane dictator.
45 min
May 03, 2022 The Austrian Emperor of Mexico - Maximillian the First
Maximillian I was the "other" Hapsburg son. The one who was born second and didn't get to be Emperor of Austria. But he thought he'd found the next best thing! Emperor of a country across an ocean who he had no common heritage or connection with. Unfortunately, the people of Mexico didn't agree. Heaton and Young explore this charismatic but ill-fated monarch.
56 min
April 19, 2022 Charles Ponzi: The Short Italian with a Long Con
Most of us have heard about the Ponzi Scheme. But what of the man who gave it his name? Charles Ponzi, was an Italian immigrant who never quite got on the right side of the law. But his greatest claim to fame was a tangled web of financial lies that almost brought down the Boston banking system. Unlicensed historians, Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young bring this fellow down to size.
47 min
April 05, 2022 The Irish Zorro of Mexico: William Lamport
Was Zorro real? You bet he was! Except he was Irish. And didn't wear a mask. And Probably couldn't carve a "Z" with his sword. And proclaimed himself king of Mexico. But other than that, William Lamport is the spitting image of Zorro, who was actually based on him. Heaton and Young take a look at what gave this redhead the cahones to try to take the Mexican throne, and what stopped him.
45 min
March 23, 2022 Mary, Queen of Scots Killed Some Folks
In popular film Mary, Queen of Scots is lionized or victimized or both. However there's some good evidence she A) killed a lot of people and B) did some serious plotting. Unlicensed historians Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young investigate
54 min
March 15, 2022 Bridge For Sale! - The Irish Charmer
The best con man can sell you anything. A car, a boat, a Nigerian fortune. But what about a bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn? Well, George C. Parker did it. And he kept doing it for forty years. Heaton and Young discuss the scant details we have on this swindler and what makes the Irish so damned charming.
40 min
March 08, 2022 The Pirate Queen Who Married Her Kid
The Pirate Life was a tough life for the most hardened of men in the 1700s. But what if you were a woman on the high seas? Zheng Yi Sao was just such a pirate, and arguably one of the most successful pirates in the history of lootin'. Heaton and Young explore her knack for negotiation and her rather non-traditional relationship with her...um...son?
33 min
March 01, 2022 Christina, Lesbian King of Sweden
Christina of Sweden was hard to categorize. Never a servant to gender rules or accepted behavior of monarchs, she only ever had a passing interest in even being on the throne. But she threw one helluva party and could drink you under the table. Heaton and Young break down what makes this on again off again monarch one of the most likeable characters in swedish history.
41 min
February 15, 2022 Teenage Popes Make Bad Popes
What makes a good Pope? Certainly not the wisdom of youth. John XII and Benedict IX both found themselves wearing the white hat well before their maturity and managed to make the High See the height of sin and debauchery.
Unlicensed historians Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young investigate these two holy(?) whippersnappers to see what made them tick.
41 min

About Losers, Pretenders & Scoundrels

From the publisher's feed

Unlicensed historians Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young sort out characters from the Earth's history into categories of failures, fakes, and rascals. Funny but technically informative.