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 concentration camp system, her relationships with SS officers, and her ascent to power at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, where survivors described her brutal beatings, selections for the gas chambers, and sadistic treatment of prisoners. At just 22 years old, Grese became the youngest woman executed for war crimes, leaving behind a legacy that forces us to confront how ordinary people can become instruments of extraordinary evil.

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 Walter, and multiple children — and the infamous poisoning of his close friend John Parsons Cook. From manipulated evidence and destroyed poison bottles to one of the most sensational murder trials in British history, this episode uncovers how Palmer used medicine as a weapon, how he nearly escaped justice, and why his case forever changed forensic toxicology and criminal investigations.

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, and the deaths of tens of millions. In this episode, we trace Mao’s rise to power, his manipulation of loyalty and fear, and the devastating human cost of a leader who believed history itself would bend to his will.