Horrible Humans in History

Herod the Great was one of the most powerful and feared rulers of the ancient world. Rising from an outsider family with strong Roman connections, Herod fought his way to the throne through war, political alliances, and ruthless violence. Best known from the biblical story surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, Herod became infamous for his paranoia, executions, and alleged order to kill the child...

Pedro Rodrigues Filho, known as Pedrinho Matador, was one of Brazil’s most notorious serial killers, claiming over 100 victims throughout his life. Born into a violent home, he committed his first murders at just 14 years old and went on to target criminals, gang members, and even his own father. Much of his killing took place inside prison, where he claimed to be delivering justice. Despite being...

Once again join Angela and her special guest, her husband, Tony for our two year anniversary show! In this episode we rank the most horrible humans from all of the episodes from the second year of the Horrible Humans in History podcast and reveal our choice for the most horrible human that we have covered during our first two years.

Helene Jegado was a 19th-century French domestic servant who used her role as a cook to poison the people around her with arsenic. Operating in rural Brittany during a time of limited medical knowledge, she was able to evade suspicion for years as victims died from mysterious illnesses. Eventually, patterns of death led to investigation, exhumation, and arrest. Convicted of multiple murders, she w...

This episode traces the life of Charles Manson from a neglected and unstable childhood through years in reform schools and prison, where he learned manipulation, developed a fixation on control, and nurtured dreams of fame through music. After his release in 1967, he exploited the vulnerability of disillusioned young people in California’s counterculture to build the Manson Family, using charisma,...

This episode explores the rise and reign of Gezo, the powerful and deeply controversial King of Dahomey, tracing his life from a violent royal childhood through a calculated coup and into decades of war, terror, and exploitation. It examines how Gezo modernized Dahomey’s military, broke free from foreign domination, and built a fear-based state funded largely by the Atlantic slave trade, while ord...

In this episode of HHH, we explore the chilling rise of Irma Grese — one of the most infamous female perpetrators of the Holocaust. Born into poverty and emotional turmoil in rural Germany, Irma’s troubled childhood and early exposure to Nazi ideology helped shape her rapid transformation from farm girl to feared SS guard. We follow her teenage radicalization, her ambition-driven entry into the co...

In this episode of HHH, we dive into the chilling true story of William Palmer, the Victorian doctor infamously known as “The Prince of Poisoners.” Born into respectability, Palmer built a double life fueled by gambling addiction, mounting debt, and calculated betrayal. We explore his troubled upbringing, reckless young adulthood, suspicious family deaths — including his wife Ann, his brother Walt...

Mao Zedong rose from a rural childhood to become one of the most powerful — and destructive — figures of the 20th century. As the founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao reshaped an entire nation through revolution, ideology, and absolute control. But his grand social experiments, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, led to catastrophic famine, widespread violence,...

Mao Zedong rose from a rural childhood to become one of the most powerful — and destructive — figures of the 20th century. As the founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao reshaped an entire nation through revolution, ideology, and absolute control. But his grand social experiments, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, led to catastrophic famine, widespread violence,...

Queen Ranavalona I ruled Madagascar for more than three decades through fear, isolation, and uncompromising authority. Rising from relative obscurity after the sudden death of her husband, she seized the throne by eliminating the rightful heirs and consolidating power with ruthless efficiency. Her reign was marked by violent suppression of Christianity, devastating military campaigns against coast...

In this episode of HHH, we dive into the life and crimes of Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer—one of the most prolific serial murderers in American history. We explore his troubled childhood, his escalating violence throughout the 1980s, and the decades-long investigation that struggled to identify him as he blended seamlessly into suburban life. From his disturbing methods and chilling confess...

In this chilling episode of HHH - Horrible Humans in History , we dive into the blood-soaked legend of Sawney Bean, the infamous Scottish cannibal said to have led a 48-member family of murderers who terrorized the countryside for decades. From his supposed beginnings as a petty criminal to the gruesome tales of ambushes, butchery, and a secret coastal cave filled with human remains, Sawney’s stor...

This episode explored the life of Shiro Ishii, from his privileged childhood in Japan to his rise as the leader of Unit 731, the Japanese biological warfare program responsible for some of the worst atrocities of World War II. We examined the early influences that shaped his worldview, the crimes and murders he oversaw, and the shocking post-war deal that allowed him to escape justice. Ishii’s leg...

In this episode of History’s Horrible Humans , we dive into the chilling life of Darya Saltykova, the Russian noblewoman who terrorized her servants and murdered dozens of young women in the 18th century. From her privileged beginnings to her descent into sadistic cruelty, we explore how her crimes shocked Russia and led Catherine the Great to personally intervene. Through her arrest, public humil...

In this episode of History’s Horrible Humans , we explore the life and crimes of Samuel Little, the man the FBI calls America’s most prolific serial killer. From his troubled childhood and decades of petty crime to his horrifying spree of strangulations across 19 states, Little’s story reveals the failures of a justice system that overlooked society’s most vulnerable. We trace his capture through...

In this episode of HHH, we explored the chilling tale of the Bloody Benders, America’s first family of serial killers. From their mysterious origins to their murderous reign in Kansas, we uncovered how their roadside inn became a death trap for weary travelers. We followed the investigation that exposed their crimes, the shocking discovery of bodies buried in their orchard, and the unanswered myst...

Gesche Gottfried was a seemingly devoted mother, daughter, and friend living in early 19th-century Germany, admired for her caregiving and piety. But under the surface lurked a serial killer who poisoned at least 15 people over more than a decade—making her one of Germany’s most notorious female murderers. This episode explores her troubled childhood, her series of arsenic-laced crimes, and the pu...

In this episode of Horrible Humans in History , we explore the chilling crimes of Henri Désiré Landru—the real-life French Bluebeard. A calculating con artist turned serial killer, Landru lured women through lonely hearts ads, promised them love, and then made them disappear without a trace. As France reeled from the horrors of World War I, Landru quietly built a deadly pattern of seduction, fraud...

In this episode of Horrible Humans in History , we dive into the life of Gavrilo Princip—the 19-year-old nationalist whose assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 set off a chain reaction that led to World War I. We explore his humble beginnings in rural Bosnia, his radicalization through nationalist student movements, and the chaotic series of events that culminated in one of history’s...

In this episode of HHH , we delve into the life of Nannie Doss, the so-called Giggling Granny who left a trail of bodies across the American South from the 1920s to the 1950s. From a troubled childhood and toxic marriages to a series of poisonings that shocked the nation, Nannie’s story challenges assumptions about what a serial killer looks like. Charming, cheerful, and cold-blooded, she confesse...

In this episode of Horrible Humans in History , we dive into the life of Pablo Escobar – the infamous drug lord who ruled the Colombian cocaine trade with an iron fist. From his humble beginnings to his rise as the head of the Medellín Cartel, we explore his violent empire, ruthless tactics, and ultimate downfall. Discover how Escobar’s legacy continues to shape Colombia and the global drug trade,...

In this episode of HHH , we explore the wild lives of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow — two young lovers from Texas who became the most notorious outlaw couple in American history. From their humble beginnings and troubled youth to their bloody crime spree across the Midwest, and finally to their violent ambush and death, this is a story of desperation, daring, and deadly choices. We peel back the...

In this episode of HHH , we explore the legendary pirate Blackbeard. From his mysterious early life in England to his terrifying reign over the Atlantic, Blackbeard was a master of intimidation. We discuss his infamous blockade of Charleston, his use of psychological warfare, and his violent demise at the hands of the Royal Navy. Was he truly a ruthless killer, or was he simply playing a role? Tun...

In this episode, we traced Hitler’s journey from his troubled childhood and World War I experiences to his rise through propaganda, mass manipulation, and economic turmoil. We explored his reign of terror, including war crimes and genocide, before ultimately witnessing his self-inflicted downfall as the world united against him. His life and actions left an indelible mark on history, a stark warni...