Between 1949 and 1951, the Pitești Prison Experiment in Romania subjected political prisoners, students, and intellectuals to one of the most brutal psychological reeducation programs in history. Prisoners were forced to betray their beliefs, families, and even themselves in a process called “unmasking,” turning victims into torturers.

Content Warning:
This episode contains descriptions of extreme psychological and physical abuse

Sources:

Book: The Anti-Humans by Dumitru Bacu

Website: https://www.procesulcomunismului.com/marturii/fonduri/pitesti/dbacu/explicatie.htm?utm_

Judy was the only dog officially registered as a Prisoner of War during World War II. Captured alongside British RAF Airman Frank Williams, she survived shipwrecks, harsh POW camps, and extreme hunger — saving lives and lifting spirits along the way. Through it all, her unbreakable bond with Frank showed the power of loyalty and friendship. This is the unforgettable true story of courage, loyalty, and survival on four paws.

Content Warning: This episode briefly describes animal cruelty.

Source

Book: No Better Friend by Robert Weintraub

In April 1865, just days after the Civil War ended, thousands of Union soldiers believed they were finally going home. Instead, their journey ended abruptly. The explosion of the steamboat USS Sultana on the Mississippi River became the deadliest maritime disaster in American history, killing an estimated 1,800 people—most of them recently freed prisoners of war.

In this episode, we tell the full story of the USS Sultana disaster: the overcrowded vessel, the known boiler damage, the greed and corruption that packed men aboard beyond capacity.

This is the story of survival, neglect, and the cost paid by men who survived the war—only to perish on their way home.

Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of mass casualty events, injury, and death related to a historical disaster. Listener discretion is advised.

Source: Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865 by Gene Eric Salecker.

Episode cover image: Explosion of the steamer SULTANA, April 28, 1865.
Wood engraving, 1865. Public domain.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.
Image accessed via Wikimedia Commons.