Outrageous History‪!‬ Ernest Granson

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...

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, espec...

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 journ...