In our inaugural History's Most Badass Death Tournament, we pit three of the most legendary die hards: Rasputin, the Mad Monk, Captain Ed "Blackbeard" Teach, and 81 year old Puritan farmer and accused Salem witch Giles Corey against each other in a head - to head competition to determine who really pulled off the manliest death in history. Warning: You'll learn a little about the Russian Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy, and the Salem Witch Trials along the way.

Cantankerous, violent, and hard to get along with 81 year old Puritan farmer Giles Corey suffered the most brutal execution ever conducted in a (future) Blue State - or any state. When he refused to confess to witchcraft, the powers that be in Salem spent three days of their famous witch trials crushing Corey under a massive pile of stones. His famous last words? "More weight." Legend has it that he cursed Sheriff Corwin and every Salem sheriff, and ever since, every Sheriff of Salem has either died or retired early from a blood or heart disorder, starting with Corwin himself. Find out the truth behind the legend and more importantly, find out who wins Real History with Dr. Hans' Inaugural History's Most Badass Death Tournament!

In our inaugural History's Most Badass Death Tournament, we pit three of the most legendary die hards: Rasputin, the Mad Monk, Captain Ed "Blackbeard" Teach, and 81 year old Puritan farmer and accused Salem witch Giles Corey against each other in a head - to head competition to determine who really pulled off the manliest death in history. Warning: You'll learn a little about the Russian Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy, and the Salem Witch Trials along the way.

In my favorite episode of the series, take an epic adventure with the real life pirates of the Caribbean including Teach's buddies Ben Hornigold, Stede Bonnett, and "Black Sam" Bellamy - not to mention seafaring psychokiller Ned Lowe. Blackbeard definitely died the manliest death of any pirate captain, but was all that punishment enough to win the History's Most Badass Death Tournament?

In our inaugural History's Most Badass Death Tournament, we pit three of the most legendary die hards: Rasputin, the Mad Monk, Captain Ed "Blackbeard" Teach, and 81 year old Puritan farmer and accused Salem witch Giles Corey against each other in a head - to head competition to determine who really pulled off the manliest death in history. Warning: You'll learn a little about the Russian Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy, and the Salem Witch Trials along the way.

Legend has it that Rasputin's aristocratic enemies poisoned, shot, stabbed, slashed, beat, castrated and drowned the Mad Monk, and that he prophesied that his murder would bring on the fall of the Czar's imperial rule. Learn the facts behind the legend.

Everybody loves the Spartans! Spartan races, Spartan Football, Spartan Youth Hockey, America is all about the Spartans: Those slavery loving, inbreeding, baby leaving on the mountainside, Greek Warriors who missed the Battle of Marathon and eventually got themselves beaten by the Sacred Band - an elite Theban unit composed of 150 committed gay couples- only to be turned into a Roman tourist attraction. Here are a few reasons why you might want to name your next team after some other Greek city state.

All's fair in love and war, and Arthur "Duke of Wellington" Wellesley crushed Napoleon Bonaparte at both by stealing the Emperor's two favorite mistresses in the months leading into the battle. Meanwhile, Nathan Rothschild and his brothers financed Wellington's army while establishing one of the world's first international financial corporations, only to be blamed for everything from the Holocaust to bad weather by legions tin foil hat, basement dwelling antisemitic conspiracy theorists.

King Henry VIII started out as a star athlete, author, composer, and all around great guy. Four sports related head injuries later, he beheaded two wives, divorced a couple others, and persecuted over 50,000 Catholics and political enemies.