The Ridley Scott- directed film "Napoleon" is a big film. Big battle scenes. Moscow going up in flames. Napoleon facing down his detractors. The over-the-top coronation of the emperor. But according to the noted Oxford Napoleonic historian, Michael Broers, the film's emphasis on Napoleon's relationship with Josephine is as important as those other "big" elements. Broers, who acted as film consultant for Scott, says the director was correct to focus on the relationship because it was the most important part of Napoleon's personal life. Listen in as Michael Broers discusses reaction to the film and Napoleon's fateful decisions to invade Russia.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudi, Adolf Loos, Louis Sullivan; why were their lives such a mess?

Maybe it's the Jekyll and Hyde conundrum.

In this episode of Surfing the Time Capsule, we'll take a look at this puzzling condition that seems to bedevil some architects.

Is the Leonardo da Vinci's painting entitled "Salvator Mundi" worth almost half a billion dollars? For Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, that's chump change. Join journalist Ernest Granson as he examines the motivation behind the astronomical values of the world's most expensive paintings.

Was Richard Nixon really a snivelling crook? Was Ayn Rand really a condescending, selfish snob? In this initial episode of Surfing the Time Capsule from Outrageous History, journalist Ernest Granson suggests that the two notorious personalities shared a common attribute - greed. You would think their colleagues and followers would consider that to be an undesirable trait, but turns out, colleagues and followers share the same belief.

In 2017, a painting of Jesus Christ holding a crystal orb became the world's most expensive painting when Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) paid $450 million for the piece which was auctioned off by Christie's in London. MBS purchased the painting based on its attribution to the Renaissance painter and all around genius, Leonardo da Vinci. But did Leonardo actually paint this picture? Maybe, maybe not. Authenticating Old Masters paintings is not a perfect science and, especially, if 500 years of the painting's history is missing. Through exhaustive research, art critic, documentary film maker and visiting fellow at the Warburg Institute in London, Ben Lewis, has tracked down its complicated journey. In his book, "The Last Leonardo - The Secret Lives of the World's Most Expensive Painting", he not only discusses the Salvator Mundi but he exposes the questionable world of the upscale art market, a world that operates mainly in secret and, in many respects, at arm's length from actual art itself. Join journalist Ernest Granson in conversation with Ben Lewis.

Propaganda, publicity, public relations, spin. These words are really interchangeable but for many, they all evoke somewhat negative connotations. For politicians, the presidents of the United States especially, that's a problem. From the publicity-hungry Theodore Roosevelt to the media-obsessed Richard Nixon to the "no-spin" Barrack Obama, the chief executives have sought to put the appropriate spin on their message to the American people. Listen in as Ernest Granson interviews Rutgers journalism professor, David Greenberg and author of "The Republic of Spin; An Inside History of the American Presidency."

The Anglo-Saxons of pre-England Britannia lived in a world of real monsters where walking through the unsettled areas outside of town could mean being scorched by dragons or gobbled up by terrifying, giant humanoids. Were these monsters real and why were the medieval Anglo-Saxons so fearful of them? Join journalist Ernest Granson as his guest, author and historian, Tim Flight, examines the powerful forces that not only helped to shape the lives of these proto-Britons but that play a significant role in our contemporary world.

Imagine becoming a young widow with a baby boy and being entrusted with the priceless legacy of one of the world's most famous painters. That is the situation in which Johanna van Gogh-Bonger found herself when her beloved husband of only two years passed away. That husband was Theo van Gogh, brother of Vincent van Gogh. The two brothers died within a year of each other leaving Johanna or Jo, as she was known, to assume the responsibility of exposing the world to Vincent's ground breaking, post-Impressionist paintings. Jo was not an art dealer and Vincent's paintings had yet to attain their legendary status. Yet, through her perseverance she achieved this. Hans Luijten, a Senior Researcher at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam felt compelled to tell her story. He recently published her biography - "Jo van Gogh-Bonger: The Woman Who Made Vincent Famous." Join him in conversation from Amsterdam with journalist Ernest Granson on Outrageous History!