The Drunken Night When Alexander the Great Burned Persepolis
Alexander the Great burned Persepolis to the ground during a night of drunken revelry, after being encouraged to do so by a Greek courtesan named Thaïs. It's said she told Alexander torching the royal...
20 Jun 202325min
The Night Herostratus Destroyed One of the Seven Wonders of the World
On the night of July 21, in 356 BCE, a man named Herostratus took a walk to the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus … and burned it down. "First," he said of his crime, "I was very scared, then it all went a...
13 Jun 202325min
The Dramatic Life and Death of a Scuba-Clad Arsonist: Michael Marin
"Michael Marin couldn't pay his mortgage, so he burned down his house," began Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Chris Rapp in the prosecution's opening statements at Mr. Marin's arson trial. In this epi...
6 Jun 202333min
Les Pétroleuses: 'Savage Hordes of She-Devils'
Join Holly and Maria for a new season of Criminalia, one that's all about arson. In this episode, get introduced to a creature known as the 'pétroleuse', and why according to the rumors around Paris i...
30 Mai 202332min
Welcome to the Season Finale of Criminalia's 'Confidence Artists'
Welcome to the final episode of our season on grifts and grafts here on Criminalia, where we've been exploring the stories of some of the most notorious swindles and swindlers throughout history. And,...
23 Mai 202339min
Famous Landmarks for 'Sale': For You? Half Price.
The phrase, "There's a sucker born every minute," is attributed to P.T. Barnum, but it could be about this episode: We're talking about con artists who swindled people into buying some really famous l...
16 Mai 202333min
Welcome to Season 10 of Criminalia: THE FIREBUGS
They're called arsonists, torchers, pyromaniacs, and firebugs – and each of their stories is unique, in technique, in damage, and in motivation to set things aflame. Welcome to a new season of Crimina...
16 Mai 20233min
Leo Koretz and the Bayano River Syndicate
Those who considered themselves financially savvy in Chicago in the early 1920s wanted in on one investment: the Bayano River Syndicate. It was an exclusive investment, and centered around oil-rich la...
9 Mai 202324min
