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Curated playlist

Collars of the Order of the White Lion

  • Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin once trained to be a Russian Orthodox priest. He later led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death.
  • Mohammad Reza PahlaviOn his first day at a Swiss boarding school, Iran's crown prince got beaten up.
  • Mikhail GorbachevMikhail Gorbachev refused to declare a state of emergency during the August 1991 coup.
  • François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand, who ended France's death penalty, once urged rejecting mercy in 80% of cases.
  • Yuri AndropovYuri Andropov saw officers strung up from Budapest lampposts. Historian Christopher Andrew says it haunted him.
  • Kim Il SungKim Il Sung stepped off a ship in 1945 as a 33-year-old Soviet captain. He ruled North Korea for more than 45 years.
  • HirohitoEmperor Hirohito's first radio broadcast announced Japan's defeat.
  • SukarnoYouth leaders took Sukarno from his house by force to make him declare independence.
  • Wojciech JaruzelskiWojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in Poland on the 13th of December 1981. Later he helped end Communist rule.
  • Alfonso XIIIAlfonso XIII was carried on a silver tray to Spain's prime minister, already a king.

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