Author: Joel Gross

In a truly heartwarming story of rags to riches, a servant to Julius III was made a cardinal for doing great services to the peoples of Earth: he had once cared for the new Pope’s pet monkey.

Once again, this is why you do not want governmental power placed in the hands of unelected, unaccountable officials.‚ … read more “Servant Becomes Cardinal”

Living up to his name, Ivan the Terrible was not a really fun guy to know.‚  In 1555, after the completion of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, he ordered that the architects be blinded so they could never design a prettier building.‚  That act was probably one of the nicest things that he ever did.‚  An enemy of Ivan the Terrible according to one chronicler was “was drawn upon a long sharp-made stake, which entered the lower part of his body and came out of his neck; upon which he languished a horrible pain for 15 hours alive, and spoke to his mother, brought to behold that woeful sight.… read more “Ivan the Terrible: Not A Nice Guy”

Don Carlos died in 1568.‚  Who was this fellow?‚  He was heir to the Spanish throne and apparently was severely mentally challenged due to massive inbreeding in the Habsburg dynasty.‚  He had only 4 great- grandparents (most people have 8), only 6 great-great-grandparents (most people have 16).‚  Two of his great-grandmothers were sisters.‚  Sounds like some folks I know down in the American South…