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 Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A bonus, clip show, episode. Spots picked straight from our extended cuts, found exclusively on our Patreon.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode Dan, Kevin, AND PHIL cover: Dayton Ohio murder spree, bad shooting, Assy McGee, teenagers aren't smart, Japanese game shows, being humiliated in front of the world, going crazy, Ashland murders, story changes, riverboat chases, lynching mobs, noisy cats, Torturizing a yule time classic, and much much more!

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/dance-of-the-sugar-plum-fairies

License code: DKUIOXMEGSANQZWL

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/holiday-weasel

License code: LBJWHINRAYDCKPMF

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when you cram a guy into a bag full of animals?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore poena cullei, the infamous Roman punishment for parricide. From a condemned prisoner being sealed inside a sack to the eventual addition of snakes, dogs, roosters, and monkeys, we trace how this strange execution evolved across centuries of Roman and European history.

We’ll travel from the legendary days of Tarquin the Proud and the earliest stories surrounding the punishment, through Publicius Malleolus, Augustus, Claudius, Constantine, and Justinian, before following poena cullei into medieval Europe and its eventual disappearance.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own twisted sense of humor to a punishment that raises one very important question: who looked at a snake, a dog, a rooster, and a monkey and thought, “Yeah, put them all in the bag”?

If you love Roman history, ancient Rome, Roman torture, executions, parricide, Constantine the Great, Justinian, medieval torture, bizarre punishments, dark history, and some of history's strangest methods of execution, this episode is one hell of a bag to climb into.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the punishment for breaking the law is being tied down and beaten until your back is covered in blood?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the long and brutal history of flagellation, from ancient civilizations to the modern world.

We’ll look at the weapons used to inflict punishment, including the Roman flagellum, the Russian knout, the sjambok, the cat o nine tails, the British military lash, and some truly unpleasant variations designed to do considerably more than just leave a bruise. We’ll travel through Ancient Rome, medieval Europe, the British Empire, the American slave system, military prisons, naval vessels, and some of the most notorious penal systems in history.

We’ll also look at how flogging was used as punishment, public spectacle, military discipline, religious penance, and psychological control, along with what actually happens to the human body when someone is repeatedly whipped or caned.

And just when you think humanity finally got tired of beating people with sticks, we’ll look at the places where corporal punishment continued well into the modern era and, in some cases, still exists today.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly painful brand of humor to an episode that proves humanity has spent thousands of years coming up with increasingly creative ways to hit someone with a stick.

If you love flagellation, flogging, whipping, caning, the cat o nine tails, the knout, sjamboks, Roman torture, military punishment, slavery, prison history, historical torture, dark history, and the bizarre ways humans have punished each other, you'll need to watch out cause this episode is going to sting.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when your death sentence is commuted, only to discover that your new life may an even worse punishment?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel to Ognenny Ostrov, Russia, better known as Fire Island, home to one of the country's most notorious correctional facilities: Prison No. OE 256/5, or Pyatak.

We’ll follow the story of Vyacheslav Sharoyevsky, a convicted murderer whose execution was cancelled at the last moment, and explore the strange history of the island itself, from an Orthodox monastery to a Soviet political prison and eventually a maximum security facility for some of Russia's most dangerous prisoners.

Then we get inside Pyatak. Extreme isolation, brutal restrictions, cramped cells, limited contact with the outside world, and an existence so monotonous that prisoners have reportedly harmed themselves simply to experience a change in routine.

We'll also look at Nur Pashi Kulayev, the only surviving member of the Beslan school attackers, and examine what years of extreme isolation can actually do to the human mind.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own bleakly twisted humor to a prison where the guards supposedly have one simple philosophy: there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

If you love Russian history, Soviet prisons, Russian prisons, Pyatak, Fire Island, Ognenny Ostrov, solitary confinement, death row, prison torture, psychological torture, true crime, dark history, and some of the most extreme prisons in the world, this episode is going to be a very long walk through a very dark place.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when a teenage girl is sent to live with another family, only to become the target of an escalating campaign of torture that eventually turns an entire neighborhood against her?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the horrifying true story of Sylvia Likens, the 16 year old Indiana girl whose 1965 murder became one of the most infamous cases of child abuse and torture in American history.

After Sylvia and her sister Jenny are left in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski, what begins as an ordinary arrangement quickly turns into something unimaginable. As Gertrude's abuse escalates, her children and neighborhood kids become involved, transforming Sylvia's suffering into a horrifying group act of violence.

We'll follow the events that led to Sylvia's death, the people who participated, the warning signs that were ignored, and the investigation and trial that shocked Indianapolis.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their uniquely dark and uncomfortable humor to one of the most disturbing true crime stories we've ever covered.

If you love learning about American true crime, child abuse cases, criminal psychology, torture history, dark history, and some of the most horrifying crimes in American history, this is a story you won't forget.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when refusing to eat becomes an act of political protest, and the government decides it would rather force food into you than let you starve?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of forced feeding, from Irish political prisoners and British suffragettes to psychiatric institutions, prisons, and modern detention centers.

We begin in Ireland with Austin Stack and Thomas Ashe, then travel to Britain where hunger strikes became a powerful weapon for suffragettes like Marion Wallace Dunlop and Mary Leigh. As the protests spread, prison doctors developed increasingly invasive methods of keeping hunger strikers alive, turning medical treatment into something many prisoners described as torture.

We’ll look at stomach tubes, nasal tubes, the medical dangers of forced feeding, the controversial case of Leigh v. Gladstone, and the tragic death of Thomas Ashe. Then we’ll follow the practice into the modern era, including Guantanamo Bay, American prisons, Israel, and other places where governments have continued to confront the question of what happens when a prisoner refuses to eat.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own uncomfortable brand of humor to a subject where the phrase “just eat something” takes on a very different meaning.

With forced feeding, hunger strikes, Irish history, suffragettes, political prisoners, medical history, prison torture, Guantanamo Bay, human rights, dark history, and some of the most disturbing intersections between medicine and punishment, this episode will leave you with a very different view of what it means to refuse a meal.

Mos Def force feeding video

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/play

License code: SKT2DM1PM7SZMJG6

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when two people who have already gotten away with murder realize the police still have no idea who they are looking for?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan bring the story of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka to its horrifying conclusion.

After the discovery of Leslie Mahaffy’s body, you might think the couple would finally keep their heads down. Instead, they become even more reckless. We follow their continued abuse, the kidnapping and murder of Kristen French, and the investigation that somehow manages to get almost everything about the killers wrong.

We’ll look at the bizarre police profiles, the mysterious gold Nissan, the infamous televised reenactment, and the tip that finally puts Bernardo back on the police radar. Then everything begins to unravel as Karla’s family discovers the truth about her marriage, Bernardo becomes the prime suspect in the Scarborough rapes, and investigators finally uncover the evidence that connects him to the murders.

From there, we get into Karla’s controversial plea deal, her testimony, the trial of Paul Bernardo, and the very different punishments handed down to the two people responsible for some of the most horrifying crimes in Canadian history.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their darkly uncomfortable humor to the final chapter of a story where almost every decision made by almost everyone involved somehow manages to make things worse.

If you love Canadian true crime, serial killers, criminal investigations, murder trials, police failures, criminal psychology, dark history, and some of the most disturbing crimes in Canadian history, this is the final chapter.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/play

License code: SKT2DM1PM7SZMJG6

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when the line between sexual obsession, torture, and murder disappears completely?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the disturbing story of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka as their relationship becomes increasingly violent and their crimes take a horrifying turn.

We pick up with Bernardo walking into a police station and somehow walking back out less than an hour later, still a free man. From there, the abuse of Karla’s younger sister Tammy escalates into one of the most infamous crimes connected to the couple. We’ll follow the events surrounding Tammy’s death, the suspicious circumstances that initially allowed it to be treated as an accident, and the increasingly disturbing relationship between Paul and Karla.

Then we meet Jane, a 12 year old girl who Karla deliberately brings into their lives, and Leslie Mahaffy, the 14 year old girl whose disappearance finally turns the couple’s horrifying fantasy into murder.

We’ll follow the investigation, the discovery of Leslie’s remains, the bizarre attempt to hide the evidence, and the wedding and honeymoon that somehow took place while the couple was already at the center of a murder investigation.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly uncomfortable brand of dark humor to one of the most disturbing chapters of the Bernardo and Homolka story.

If you love Canadian true crime, serial killers, criminal psychology, sexual predators, murder investigations, dark history, and some of the most horrifying crimes in Canadian history, this is where the story gets much, much darker.

Please like, subscribe, and follow where ever you listen.

The Beard Struggle

Patreon

Merch

Buy Us A Coffee

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

The Sassholes Insta!!

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/curiosity

License code: 7QU9IW0B2IJBFZJY

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/christian-larssen/suburban-honeymoon

License code: 1OKNVEXYPW8QAYSH

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/play

License code: SKT2DM1PM7SZMJG6

Please give us a 5 star rating and review!!

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy