Plant Murder

Step into the fog-drenched streets of 19th-century Baltimore, where one of literature's darkest minds, Edgar Allan Poe, took his final, mysterious steps. Was it madness, murder, or something far stranger that led to Poe’s demise? This episode of Plant Murder uncovers an unexpected suspect: the Ugni Blanc grape, the humble foundation of cognac, a drink that Poe may have known too well. We journey through his tangled life and storied obsessions, tracing the poisonings, heartbreak, and rumors of alcoholism that tainted his final days.Could the pale grape and its potent spirit have been one of his last companions, pulling him into a fevered haze? Or does something more sinister lie beneath the city’s gas-lit glow? We examine the enigma of Poe’s missing days and the haunting legacy he left behind.Join us for this exploration of Edgar Allan Poe’s final days in this spine-chilling Plant Murder episode.Written and narrated by Aaron J. ReardonExceptional Voice Talents:Edgar Allan Poe - Jeremiah DaltonFrances Sargent Osgood - Tali HamiltonSpecial thanks to The Edgar Allan Poe Society of BaltimoreSubscribe for ongoing episodes, please rate and review to help the show.Plant Murder Ad free episodes, extra, discussion and polls: https://www.patreon.com/CleverthanA Clever > Than ProductionShow theme: Poetic Justice by John Humphrey PRSPublisher: 2496 Sound and MusicSome Ambiences composed by Michael Ghelfi Studios

Claudius, the emperor of Rome, is seated at a feast surrounded by his family, his trusted servants, and an assortment of delicacies. but something about this night is different. It happens fast—. One minute, he’s gorging himself on his favorite foods, the next, he collapses, and vomits blood across the mosaic floor, his body convulsing. Within hours, he’s dead. As Claudius lay gasping for breath on the cold marble floor, his body wracked with convulsions, the evidence of his murder was already slipping away. What killed him? Poison in the mulsum wine. The stuffed dormice, the oysters? Or his favorite, a tiny hidden killer – slipped onto his place of Mushrooms! And who put it there?Join us for this episode of Roman intrigue as we peel back the mystery and determine if it was Plant Murder! For ad-free episode, extras, extended reading, Q&A's, polls and discussion Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CleverthanWritten and narrated by Aaron J ReardonVoice TalentsQuotes - Tali HamiltonTacitus - John Kennard*A note on ableism and Claudius: While history often mocks Claudius as a fool, it’s important to remember that these slights were due to his perceived indecisiveness and political naivety, not his physical afflictions. His stammer, limp, and other challenges were frequently weaponized against him by a ruthless elite, but his struggles did not define his intellect or accomplishments. In fact it showed great strength of character to weather those slights and persist. Claudius’ weakness lay in his trusting nature, not in his disabilities. It is my hope that this episode reflects that understanding. Sources for this episode:The many fantastic lectures of historian Mary Beard (youtube)Swindle, Jenifer M. A Rhetorical Use of Women in Tacitus' Annales (2003Aveline, John. The Death of Claudius (2004)Carney, T.F. The Changing Picture of Claudius (1960)Green, C.M.C. Claudius, Kingship, and Incest (1998) -Griffin, Miriam. Claudius in Tacitus (1990)Grimm-Samuel, Veronika. On the Mushroom That Deified the Emperor Claudius (1991)Paschalis, Michael. The Afterlife of Emperor Claudius in Seneca's Apocolocyntosis (2009)Vessey, D.W.T.C. Thoughts on Tacitus' Portrayal of Claudius (1971) Subscribe for ongoing episodes, please rate and review to help the show.www.plantmuder.comA Clever > Than ProductionShow theme: Poetic Justice by John Humphrey PRSPublisher: 2496 Sound and MusicSome Ambiences composed by Michael Ghelfi Studios

Teaser trailer for the upcoming episode - Claudius vs The Death Cap MushroomWas a powerful Roman emperor really murdered by a tiny mushroom?Coming soon from Clever > Than and The Rusty Quill Network. www.rustyquill.com