Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
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As the Japanese police prepare for a raid on the Aum Shinrikyo compound, cult leader Shoko Asahara launches a desperate chemical weapons attack in downtown Tokyo. During the height of Monday morning rush hour, Aum terrorists target five commuter trains with sarin gas, killing 13 people and scarring the psyche of an entire nation. In the aftermath, survivors struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives and adapt to new realities.
SOURCES:
Amarasingam, A. (2017, April 5). A history of sarin as a weapon. The Atlantic.
Brackett, D. W. Holy Terror: Armageddon in Tokyo. 1996.
Cotton, Simon. “Nerve Agents: What Are They and How Do They Work?” American Scientist, vol. 106, no. 3, 2018, pp. 138–40.
Danzig, Richard; Sageman, Marc; Leighton, Terrance; Hough, Lloyd; Yuki, Hidemi; Kotani, Rui; Hosford, Zachary M.. Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons . Center for a New American Security. 2011
“Former ER Doctor Recalls Fear Treating Victims in 1995 Tokyo Sarin Attack.” The Japan Times, March 18, 2025..
Gunaratna, Rohan. “Aum Shinrikyo’s Rise, Fall and Revival.” Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, vol. 10, no. 8, 2018, pp. 1–6.
Harmon, Christopher C. “How Terrorist Groups End: Studies of the Twentieth Century.” Strategic Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 2010, pp. 43–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26269787.
“IHT: A Safe and Sure System — Until Now.” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 1995.
Jones, Seth G., and Martin C. Libicki. “Policing and Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo.” How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa’ida, RAND Corporation, 2008, pp. 45–62.
Kaplan, David E. (1996) “Aum’s Shoko Asahara and the Cult at the End of the World”. WIRED.
Lifton, Robert Jay. Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism. 1999.
Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. 2001.
Murphy, P. (2014, June 21). Matsumoto: Aum’s sarin guinea pig. The Japan Times.
Reader, Ian. Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo. 2000.
Tucker, Jonathan B. “Chemical/Biological Terrorism: Coping with a New Threat.” Politics and the Life Sciences, vol. 15, no. 2, 1996, pp. 167–83.
Ushiyama, Rin. “Shock and Anger: Societal Responses to the Tokyo Subway Attack.” Aum Shinrikyō and Religious Terrorism in Japanese Collective Memory., The British Academy, 2023, pp. 52–80.
Williams, Richard. 2003. “Marathon Man.” The Guardian, May 16, 2003.
“Woman bedridden since AUM cult’s 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo subway dies at 56.” The Mainichi (English), 20 Mar. 2020,
“30 Years After Sarin Attack — Lessons Learned / Brother Kept Diary For Sister Caught in Sarin Attack, Chronicling Her 25-Year Struggle With Illness” The Japan News, 19 Mar. 2025,
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The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attacks 1995 – Part 1
Season 3 · Episode 63
Friday, December 5, 2025 • Duration 02:03:57
On March 20th, 1995, the Tokyo subway system was flooded with sarin nerve gas in a coordinated terrorist attack by the religious cult Aum Shinrikyō. Led by the charismatic new-age guru, Shoko Asahara, the well-funded and technologically ambitious Aum organization manufactured and deployed chemical weapons in an attempt to bring about the end of the world. In the chaos that followed, 13 people were killed, thousands were injured, and the international community shuddered at the possibility of future attacks by fringe political groups.
SOURCES:
Amarasingam, A. (2017, April 5). A history of sarin as a weapon. The Atlantic.
Cotton, Simon. “Nerve Agents: What Are They and How Do They Work?” American Scientist, vol. 106, no. 3, 2018, pp. 138–40.
Danzig, Richard; Sageman, Marc; Leighton, Terrance; Hough, Lloyd; Yuki, Hidemi; Kotani, Rui; Hosford, Zachary M.. Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons . Center for a New American Security. 2011.
Gunaratna, Rohan. “Aum Shinrikyo’s Rise, Fall and Revival.” Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, vol. 10, no. 8, 2018, pp. 1–6.
Harmon, Christopher C. “How Terrorist Groups End: Studies of the Twentieth Century.” Strategic Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 2010, pp. 43–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26269787.
“IHT: A Safe and Sure System — Until Now.” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 1995.
Jones, Seth G., and Martin C. Libicki. “Policing and Japan’s Aum Shinrikyo.” How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa’ida, RAND Corporation, 2008, pp. 45–62.
Kaplan, David E. (1996) “Aum’s Shoko Asahara and the Cult at the End of the World”. WIRED.
Lifton, Robert Jay. Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism. 1999.
Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. 2001.
Murphy, P. (2014, June 21). Matsumoto: Aum’s sarin guinea pig. The Japan Times.
Reader, Ian. Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo. 2000.
Tucker, Jonathan B. “Chemical/Biological Terrorism: Coping with a New Threat.” Politics and the Life Sciences, vol. 15, no. 2, 1996, pp. 167–83.
Ushiyama, Rin. “Shock and Anger: Societal Responses to the Tokyo Subway Attack.” Aum Shinrikyō and Religious Terrorism in Japanese Collective Memory., The British Academy, 2023, pp. 52–80.
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Get Eichmann – Israel’s Hunt For A Nazi War Criminal - Part 3
Season 3 · Episode 62
Friday, October 10, 2025 • Duration 01:37:05
In the summer of 1960, all eyes are on Israel. As the Jewish nation unveils its capture of Adolf Eichmann to the world, a bitter controversy swirls around the notorious SS officer. Eichmann’s lawyer, Dr. Robert Servatius, scrambles to cobble together a defense strategy and save his client from the noose. In Jerusalem, journalist and scholar Hannah Arendt wrestles with questions about the nature of evil.
SOURCES:
Aharoni, Zvi. Dietl, Wilhelm. Operation Eichmann: Pursuit and Capture. 1997.
Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. 1963.
Bascomb, Neal. Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased
Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi. 2009.
Bergman, Ronen. Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. The Mossad. 2019.
Charles Rivers Editors. Germany and the Cold War. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. Israel’s Most Legendary Operations. 2018.
Goni, Uki. The Real Odessa: How Nazi War Criminals Escaped Europe. 2003.
Fairweather, Jack. The Prosecutor: One Man’s Batlle to Bring Nazis to Justice. 2025.
Hourly History. The Nuremberg Trials. 2020.
Lipstadt, Deborah. The Eichmann Trial. 2011.
MacLean, French. American Hangman: MSGT. John C. Woods. 2019.
Roland, Paul. The Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis and Their Crimes Against Humanity. 2010.
Scott-Bauman, Michael. The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine. 2023.
Stangneth, Buttina. Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer. 2014.
Stein, Harry. Malkin, Peter. Eichmann In My Hands. 1990.
Steinke, Ronan. Fritz Bauer: The Jewish Prosecutor Who Brought Eichmann and Auschwitz to Trial. 2020.
Thomas, Gordon. The Secret History of the Mossad. 1999.
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Get Eichmann – Israel’s Hunt For A Nazi War Criminal - Part 2
Season 3 · Episode 61
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 • Duration 01:54:21
Adolf Eichmann has been found. In the spring of 1960, Mossad launches a daring operation to kidnap “Ricardo Klement” and smuggle him back to Israel to face judgement.
SOURCES:
Aharoni, Zvi. Dietl, Wilhelm. Operation Eichmann: Pursuit and Capture. 1997.
Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. 1963.
Bascomb, Neal. Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased
Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi. 2009.
Bergman, Ronen. Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. The Mossad. 2019.
Charles Rivers Editors. Germany and the Cold War. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. Israel’s Most Legendary Operations. 2018.
Goni, Uki. The Real Odessa: How Nazi War Criminals Escaped Europe. 2003.
Fairweather, Jack. The Prosecutor: One Man’s Batlle to Bring Nazis to Justice. 2025.
Hourly History. The Nuremberg Trials. 2020.
Lauryssens, Stan. The Eichmann Legacy. 2017.
Lipstadt, Deborah. The Eichmann Trial. 2011.
MacLean, French. American Hangman: MSGT. John C. Woods. 2019.
Roland, Paul. The Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis and Their Crimes Against Humanity. 2010.
Scott-Bauman, Michael. The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine. 2023.
Stangneth, Buttina. Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer. 2014.
Stein, Harry. Malkin, Peter. Eichmann In My Hands. 1990.
Steinke, Ronan. Fritz Bauer: The Jewish Prosecutor Who Brought Eichmann and Auschwitz to Trial. 2020.
Thomas, Gordon. The Secret History of the Mossad. 1999.
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/16/740686212/the-doctor-who-helped-israeli-spies-catch-eichmann-but-refused-recognition-for-i
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Get Eichmann – Israel’s Hunt For A Nazi War Criminal - Part 1
Season 3 · Episode 60
Friday, August 8, 2025 • Duration 01:41:44
When World War II ended, SS officer Adolf Eichmann disappeared. As a key organizer of Nazi Germany’s Final Solution, the genocidal program that murdered 6 million European Jews, Eichmann became one of the most hunted men on earth. For 15 years, he remained hidden. But in 1957, through the efforts of a West German lawyer, a blind man, and Israeli intelligence, Eichmann’s trail was found, leading to Buenos Aires, Argentina…
SOURCES:
Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. 1963.
Bascomb, Neal. Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased
Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi. 2009.
Bergman, Ronen. Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. The Mossad. 2019.
Charles Rivers Editors. Germany and the Cold War. 2018.
Charles Rivers Editors. Israel’s Most Legendary Operations. 2018.
Goni, Uki. The Real Odessa: How Nazi War Criminals Escaped Europe. 2003.
Fairweather, Jack. The Prosecutor: One Man’s Batlle to Bring Nazis to Justice. 2025.
Hourly History. The Nuremberg Trials. 2020.
Lauryssens, Stan. The Eichmann Legacy. 2017.
Lipstadt, Deborah. The Eichmann Trial. 2011.
MacLean, French. American Hangman: MSGT. John C. Woods. 2019.
Roland, Paul. The Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis and Their Crimes Against Humanity. 2010.
Scott-Bauman, Michael. The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine. 2023.
Stangneth, Buttina. Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer. 2014.
Stein, Harry. Malkin, Peter. Eichmann In My Hands. 1990.
Steinke, Ronan. Fritz Bauer: The Jewish Prosecutor Who Brought Eichmann and Auschwitz to Trial. 2020.
Thomas, Gordon. The Secret History of the Mossad. 1999.
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When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 4
Season 3 · Episode 59
Thursday, June 19, 2025 • Duration 01:32:49
In the conclusion of the series, Justinian and Theodora face a cascade of setbacks and disasters. The Empress hatches a plan to destroy John the Cappadocian. Belisarius learns of Antonina’s serial infidelity. A deadly Plague threatens to bring the Byzantine empire to its knees.
SOURCES:
Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape. 1978.
Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint. 2015.
Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian. 2023.
Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities. 2017.
Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint. 2023.
Kaldellis, Anthony. The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium. 2023.
Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium. 2003.
Procopius. The Secret History.
Procopius. The Wars of Justinian.
Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress? 2006.
Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy. 2011.
Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian. 2002.
Holmes, Nick. Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy. 2024.
Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor. 2014.
Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018
Captivating History. The Vandals. 2018
Dahm, Murray. Combat: Byzantine Cavalryman vs Vandal Warrior. 2023.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/01/03/gods-librarians
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When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 3
Season 3 · Episode 58
Friday, May 2, 2025 • Duration 01:44:47
With the Nika Riots behind them, Justinian and Theodora rebuild Constantinople and pursue a bold new agenda for the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius sails to war against the Vandal Kingdom. John the Cappadocian seeks to drive a wedge between the imperial couple.
SOURCES:
Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape. 1978.
Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint. 2015.
Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian. 2023.
Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities. 2017.
Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint. 2023.
Kaldellis, Anthony. The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium. 2023.
Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium. 2003.
Procopius. The Secret History.
Procopius. The Wars of Justinian.
Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress? 2006.
Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy. 2011.
Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian. 2002.
Holmes, Nick. Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy. 2024.
Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor. 2014.
Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018
Captivating History. The Vandals. 2018
Dahm, Murray. Combat: Byzantine Cavalryman vs Vandal Warrior. 2023.
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When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 2
Season 3 · Episode 57
Saturday, March 22, 2025 • Duration 01:22:49
After being crowned Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine Empire, Justinian and Theodora face their first major test as rulers, the deadly Nika Riots of 532 AD.
SOURCES:
Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape.
Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint.
Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian
Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities.
Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint.
Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium.
Procopius. The Secret History.
Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress?
Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy
Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian.
Holmes, Nick. Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy
Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor.
Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018
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When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 1
Season 3 · Episode 56
Saturday, February 22, 2025 • Duration 01:30:07
From 527 to 565 AD, Emperor Justinian I and his Empress Theodora ruled over the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople. Together, they reshaped the Mediterranean world, weathering political upheaval, wars of conquest, and an outbreak of bubonic plague. In this first installment of a multi-part series, we explore the early years of New Rome’s greatest power couple. Rising from a disreputable background in the brothels of Constantinople, the actress-turned-informant Theodora catches the eye of Prince Justinian, heir to the Byzantine throne...
SOURCES:
Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape.
Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint.
Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian
Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities.
Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint.
Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium.
Procopius. The Secret History.
Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress?
Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy
Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian.
Holmes, Nick. Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy
Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor.
Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018
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The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 5: Thank God, They’ve Attacked Us
Season 3 · Episode 55
Friday, December 20, 2024 • Duration 02:22:01
On December 3rd, 1971, India and Pakistan go to war on two fronts, battling for the future of Bangladesh. In the East, the Indian army races against time, hoping to capture Dacca and force a Pakistani surrender before the United Nations can demand a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger unleash a fusillade of diplomatic pressure to frighten a defiant Indira Gandhi into compliance. After months of imprisonment, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman learns what has happened to his country. The war ends, and a new era begins.
SOURCES:
Bass, Gary K. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide. 2013.
Bennet-Jones, Own. The Bhutto Dynasty. 2020.
Carney, Scott. Miklian, Jason. The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an
Unspeakable War, and Liberation. 2022.
Chang, Jung. Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. 2005.
Frank, Katherine. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. 2001.
Gewen, Barry. The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and his World. 2020.
Hiro, Dilip. The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan. 2015.
Hitchens, Christopher. The Trial of Henry Kissinger. 2001.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future. 2023.
Jalal, Ayesha. The Struggle for Pakistan. 2014.
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.
Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: A Biography. 1975.
Khosa, Faisal. The Making of Martyrs in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. 2021.
K.S. Nair. December In Dacca. 2022.
Keay, John. India: A History. 2000.
Mookherjee, Nayanika. The Spectral Wound. 2015.
Raghavan, Srinath. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. 2013.
Rose, Leo. Sisson, Richard. War and Secession. Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh. 1990.
Saikia, Yasmin. Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh. 2011.
Schanberg, Sydney.”He Tells Full Story of Arrest and Detention.” New York Times Jan 1972
Schendel, Willem van. A History of Bangladesh. 2009.
Schwartz, Thomas Alan. Henry Kissinger and American Power. 2020.
Sengupta, Nitish. Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal. 2011.
Siddiqi, A. R. Yahya Khan: The Rise and Fall of a Soldier. 2020.
Tudda, Chris. A Cold War Turning Point: Nixon and China, 1969-1972. 2012.
Walsh, Declan. The Nine Lives of Pakistan. 2020.
Zakaria, Anam. 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. 2019.
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