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Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David Duchovny and Carice Van Houten. Jack Whitehall plays Adam. A charming Manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them. This edge of your seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery. In a world full of wealth, secrets and betrayal, malice will constantly keep you on your toes. Why is Adam after the Tanner family? What lengths will he go to? One thing's for sure, the past never stays buried, so keep your enemies close. Watch all episodes of Malice on November 14th only on Prime Video.
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At Lowe's this Veterans Day. And every day, verified military members, veterans and their spouses get automatic silver status in my Loews rewards with free standard shipping plus + 10% off eligible purchases with no annual limit. It's one way we honor and give back to those who have served and still do. Learn more now@lowe's.com Military 10% discount can't be combined with another offer. Exclusions Terms and conditions apply. Loyalty programs subject to terms and conditions. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change.
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Listen, There are some episodes of Dark History I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Since season one, right? And today's episode is one of them. It's something I've researched over and over again throughout the years. And listen for today. Like, we've talked to several experts and every time I sit down to, like, work on this episode, something always holds me back in. To me, I'm like, it doesn't feel like the right time, but I'm like, when is the right time? You know? Cause I realize here at Dark History, I mean, how important it is to talk about historical events because it's important to keep the memories, the truth of what happened alive in hopes that it doesn't happen again. Today we are going to be talking about the Armenian genocide. Listen, if you didn't know. Hi, I'm Bailey Sarian and I am Armenian. And so, like, it only feels right to talk about this. Listen, when it comes to the Armenian genocide, it's complicated. And, you know, I had a lot of questions of, like, what really happened? How did it happen? Why do some countries still insist it never happened? And again, really, what started Dark History is like, why didn't I learn about this in school? So join me today as we discuss the dark history of the Armenian genocide. Hi friends. I hope you are having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History here we believe history does not have to be boring. It might be tragic, rarely it's happy, but either way, it's our dark history. Now, before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe because I'm always here posting new content. Hello. Hi. And let me know what you think down in the comment section down below. I love hearing from you. And we read comments at the end. Okay, so listen, Armenian genocide, it's complicated, okay? And I'm going to start off by acknowledging that there is so much that happened before and leading up to the genocide and after the genocide that we don't. I don't have enough time to get into every single detail, you know. So down in the description box down below, I'm going to link places where you can learn more information if you would like to. But for the most part, I'll give you the rundown. Okay, so back in the day in the 1800s, Armenia was located in the Ottoman Empire. Now the Ottoman Empire was huge and it was mostly based where the country Turkey is today. So the empire was ruled by Muslim Ottomans. So the laws were based on Islamic law. And even though most people in the Ottoman Empire were Muslim, there were also millions of Christian Armenians. So these Armenians, they had their own government within the Ottoman Empire. And even though they technically had religious freedom there, you know, there were still some major issues. Now compared to Muslim Ottomans, Christian Armenians were treated like second class citizens and they were forced to follow a totally different set of laws. For example, they were forced to pay higher taxes than the rest of society. They didn't have as many legal rights. Christian Armenians weren't even allowed to testify in court if they were accused of a crime. It was just like it was unfair. On top of that, Armenians were being attacked, literally they were being attacked by Kurdish tribes within the Ottoman Empire. Kurdish people were nomads who usually lived in mountainy areas in West Asia, AKA South Asia, eastern Turkey, or like northwestern Iran, northern Iraq and northern Syria. So they're everywhere, I guess. Sorry. Okay. Never eat soggy waffles. Southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, Northern. Okay, okay. Anyways, so let me tell you, like how these attacks would happen. These Kurdish tribes, they would break onto like an Armenian family's land and just steal whatever crops they had grown. And then the next day they tell the Armenian landowner that if they wanted to get like these crops back, that they'd have to pay a crazy price to get them back. Something just ridiculous. Now of course, these crops were a way for Armenian farmers to feed their fish. Family and it was part of their livelihood and how they made money. So like, this was a major loss. So these Kurdish tribes, they gained a pretty violent reputation because along with all the stealing, they were also known to like kidnap and like rape local women. And this was sadly a threat most Armenians had to face, like on a regular basis. And since they were considered second class citizens, they didn't get any protection from the government. So this goes on for decades, throughout the 1800s. And the whole time, Armenian activists, they are fighting for better rights for their community. Armenians would like band together, take a stand against the government through political demonstrations, refusing to follow certain unfair laws, and even by sending leaders to directly talk to politicians in charge of. Look, none of this was easy because a lot of people died in the process. And with each death, people were asking themselves like, oh my gosh, you know, is this really worth it? Is trying to fight back really worth all of this? You know? But then in 1878, it seemed like all that work had finally paid off because something called the Treaty of Berlin was signed. Essentially, the treaty was a bunch of agreements made between Russia and, and the Ottoman Empire. And finally Armenian activists kind of got a win out of this. That's like the simplified version, okay? Now Christian Armenians would get the same rights as other people within the empire. Like for example, they could now pay regular taxes. Now it sounds like not a big deal, but it was symbolic. You know, it was a small win. But there was a catch, of course. This treaty said that the leader of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul Hamid ii, basically had final say over anything the treaty demanded. And originally in public, the Sultan agreed to the treaty. He's like, sure, yeah, that sounds great, whatever, yay. But then behind closed doors, this guy, he had other ideas. He's like, there's no. Once the treaty was supposed to go into effect, the Sultan went back on his word. He didn't want the Armenian community to become too powerful. He wanted them to stay second class citizens so he could continue to control them essentially. But, you know, the Armenians were not about to let this slide. Hell no. They formed a resistance movement and started protesting against the government. Now, at first, the Sultan was annoyed by all the demonstrations, but he didn't think much would come of it because at the end of the day, the Ottomans, like, they outnumbered the Armenians. Like around this time in the late 1800s, there were around 17 million Ottomans and only around 1.5 to 2 million million of those people were Armenian. So they're, you know, kind of outnumbered. But by the late 1800s. All this Armenian resistance was becoming just a huge problem. So much was going on at this time, okay? But what you need to know is that war was everywhere, okay? The empire was constantly left having to defend, defend itself, especially against Russia. Now, let me tell you, Russia was a huge problem for the Ottoman Empire. First of all, they beat their ass in a bunch of wars, so they were like an enemy. But also, Russia sympathized with all the discrimination the Armenians were going through. This made the sultan so super paranoid because he starts thinking, look, okay, look, the Armenians are going to start siding with Russia, you know, and then in the next war, like, that could be bad. Now, at this time, Russia was also a Christian country. So the Sultan starts connecting the dots and he's like, oh, my God, you know, we're treating Armenians like crap. Russia is going to, like, kind of welcome the Armenians with open arms, and then, like, they're all going to freaking turn on us. He's getting a little like, oh, paranoid, you know, and the Sultan, he didn't really care about, like, reality. The only thing he was really caring about was sending a bloody, violent message to the Armenians. Listen, I love the holidays. Oh, yes, I do. But getting ready for events is, you know, exhausting. There's the outfit, the hair, the makeup routine that somehow turns into a 12 step science experiment. You either end up looking cakey, overdone, you tried something new, and you're like, why'd I do that? Why? You know? And then honestly, you're like, wow, I just wasted two hours and I still kind of look not that great. And who has the time, you know? But that's when I discovered Jones Road Beauty. Jones Road Beauty is a minimalist makeup brand founded by legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown. And her whole thing is makeup should be simple and look like skin. Every formula is made with clean skin, loving ingredients that actually feel good to wear. Starting November 6th, they're dropping their exclusive holiday collection. Ooh, I love the little holiday collections that come out. They're my favorite. But listen, it has five limited edition kits. Each of them is a trio with new holiday shades products and packaging. So whether you're gifting or glamming up for a holiday dinner, these sets take all of the guesswork out of your routine. I love Jones Road Beauty because their formula is lightweight and their products are like, they have multiple uses. So, like, one product you can use for eyes, lips, cheeks gets the best. So you could throw it in your bag and kind of just be good for the day. Their best seller, the miracle Balm is one of those products and it's seriously the mvp. Okay. Cause it's this makeup skincare hybrid that gives you natural, healthy, beautiful, glowing skin. You can use it as a tint, blush, bronzer, highlight, and or even on your lips. It's quick, it's effortless, and it will make you feel confident without feeling like you're wearing a mask. So it's perfect for like all your upcoming events or even just a great gift. This holiday season, simplify your routine with makeup that's clean, strategic, and multifunctional. And don't miss out on their limited edition holiday sets. They won't be here for long and once they're gone, they're gone. Also a treat for our listeners. You'll get a free cool gloss on your first purchase or when you use Code Dark History at checkout, just head to Jonesroadbeauty.com and use code Dark History at checkout. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them Dark History sent you. That'd be great. In the late 1800s, Armenians under the Ottoman Empire were fighting against the government after the Sultan refused to to give them the same rights as the rest of the Ottoman Empire. Now, the people who were running the Ottoman Empire at this time were Turkish. So they believed that Turkish culture, traditions and laws were the only real way to run a country. But once Armenians started challenging the government, this made the Turkish people in charge get kind of nervous. They were essentially like, how dare you think, like, there's another way to run this empire? Like, who do you think you are? You know, get the fuck out of here. I mean, they believe that they were the best. This is our place. What are you doing? Now? This caused Turkish extremists to bond over their common enemy, Armenians. And those extremists created an aggressive Turkish nationalist movement. The movement believed that Turkish civilization was superior to all others. It was basically them versus everyone else. If someone didn't agree with, like, the nationalist movement, chaos would break out on the streets. There were bloody demonstrations between Turkish nationalists and everyone else in the Ottoman Empire. So, like, no one felt safe leaving their house. Okay? And the Sultan, he kind of loved it. He actually encouraged these nationalists to keep using violence against Armenians to keep them, like, in their place. Now, the Sultan believed he was justified in ordering acts of violence because no matter how much he punished them, Armenians were resisting the government. And that shit was pissing him off. In 1890, a reporter quoted the Sultan by saying, I will soon settle those Armenians I will give them a box on the ear which will make them relinquish their revolutionary ambitions, end quote. In other words, he was gonna find a way to violently punish them. So the Sultan decides to hit the Armenians where it hurt. He was like, you know, f that law, that Berlin rule, whatever. He increased their taxes even more. And he knew what he was doing because this was a setup. He knew this would piss people off and cause them to rebel against the government even more, which then would give his soldiers permission to send a message. So in 1894, one province refused to pay the new taxes. So the Sultan sent Ottoman troops to straight up go. They go there, and they set the entire Armenian villages on fire. Yep, they just lit it up. Men, women, children. It did not matter who. Who it was, like, who it was. It did not matter. They burned it down. These villages were totally destroyed, and it killed thousands of people. Now, again, because it was the government who did this, there were no consequences. Soldiers were free to punish and kill the Armenians however they saw fit. In 1895, the Sultan sent soldiers to the town of Urfa because he believed there was a strong resistance movement happening over there. So, you know, with the Sultan's blessing, soldiers started killing people left and right. Just clean house, okay? Now, 3,000 people managed to escape the initial killings and tried to find a safe place to hide from, like, all the violence. The only place big enough to hold all of the people was the local cathedral. So over 3,000 people, they, like, go to this cathedral. They kind of pack themselves in there. They're praying, hoping to be safe and that the soldiers would leave. But instead, the soldiers kind of figured out where they were all at, and they took this as an opportunity to murder them all at once. They set the cathedral on fire. Now, listen, everyone inside burned alive. Horrible, tragic story, but it's just one of many that were happening at once. Between 1894 and 1897, these massacres continued in town after town after town. By the time they ended, somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000 Armenians had been killed by this point. These events ended up being called the Hamidian Massacres in honor of the Sultan Abdul Hamid ii. I mean, would you be proud to have, like, a massacre named after you? Is that exciting? In honor of the. Okay, whatever. So the massacres ended up making headlines across the entire world. Other countries started sending aid to the Armenians. Actually, the American Red Cross sent their first ever international aid to the Armenians after these massacres. Now all this negative press across the world started to make the Sultan pull back on the violence and things kind of like calmed down a little bit, I guess, in the Armenian people, like, you know, they did their best to, to rebuild what was left of their lives. Now, during all this, some Armenians fled to other countries, others decided to stay because, like, everything and everyone they knew was, you know, in the Ottoman Empire. This was their home. And a lot of them just like, didn't wanna start over or like they couldn't afford to start over. So after the initial round of massacres, different groups within the empire banded together. And listen, again, there's a lot of details here, so I apologize, I can't get into all the details, but a lot happened. But essentially these political groups were able to finally overthrow the Sultan and take over the government. Now this was like a huge, shocking win. Generations of Armenian families had dealt with the violence from the Sultan and no one had been able to do this before. And it wasn't easy. It wasn't just like it happened in one day and it was like, yay, you know, like a lot of deaths, a lot of bad things, but they were able to do it. After the overthrow, the Ottoman Empire finally got a new and more fair constitution. People in the Empire, not just Turkish nationalists, would now have equal rights. And for the first time in God knows how long, Armenians started to feel somewhat safe again. But sadly, a few years later, military leaders and nationalists started seizing power again. An extremist group called Turkey for the Turks began to take over the Ottoman Empire. Turkey for the Turks. I know it sounds like Thanksgiving dinner. It was essentially another form of Turkish nationalism. And this couldn't have happened, like, at a worse time. By 1914, World War I had broken out. We haven't done an episode on World War I, huh? No, I don't think we have. Well, anyways, long story short, the Ottoman Empire joined the war. And this led them to go to battle once again with their longtime enemy, Russia. And once again, Russia beat their ass badly. Okay, oops, now they're upset. They lost. They got their ass beat by Russia. You think they'd be like, you know, you think they'd blame Russia, but instead the Turkish government was like, no, it was the Armenians fault. I know, I know. It's like all the stories we do, it's like people just need to blame someone. And it's always like the wrong people they blame. Okay, well, their excuse was that during the Hamidian massacres, Russia had welcomed Armenian refugees into their country for safety. They even allowed them to join the military to fight against the Ottoman Empire. So In World War I, there were some Armenians fighting like on Russia's side of the war. Despite the fact that thousands of Armenians fought on the side of the Ottoman Empire, the government decided to blame all Armenians for this defeat. And at this point, like the whole world was distracted by the war. So they really weren't worried about like getting bad press over this. It's so weird. Like in my everyday life I never really burp. It's only when I'm filming and I wonder what that is. I'm sure there's a reason to it. I will chatgpt it later. Thank you. Okay, so the Ottoman Empire decided to take advantage of like all this war and chaos happening. And they were like, hey, like, why don't we start another massacre? But this time, you know, they were determined to get rid of all Armenians once and for all. Lately it feels like no matter what we do, it's just like never enough. Am I drinking enough water? Should I be adding another step to my 18 step skincare routine? Am I getting enough sleep supplements? Should I be taking how many? Which ones? There's a bajillion. It's exhausting. But you know what we should actually be doing? Seeing a doctor or a dentist or a gynecologist. You know, like someone who can actually help us figure out what it is your body, your body really needs. And that's where ZocDoc comes in. I love ZocDoc. I really do. Oh, I used it the other day cause I needed to get. Was it a pap smear? I hate that word. It sounds like something to do with a bagel. So I was like, I gotta do this. So I went on to Zocdoc. Made it easy. But listen, if you don't know, Zocdoc is a free app and website that helps you find and book real in network doctors fast. You can search and compare over 100,000 doctors across every specialty from mental health to dental care, primary care to urgent care, toe care, back care, acne care, lower region care. You can filter by doctors who take your insurance or nearby, even by language, gender or availability that fits your schedule. Once you find the right doctor, you can see their actual appointment openings and click to instantly book a visit. I just mentioned this. I used Doc Doc recently because I needed to do a pap smear situation. Who wants to do that? Nobody. No one? I've never heard someone say, I can't wait for my pap smear. But listen, it needs to be done. You need to take care of yourself. So I went on to Zocdoc. I found a doctor that was close to me, took my insurance, it was easy, and I got it done. Pat on my back. Thank you. Thank you. Hold the applause. Everyone listen. In a world full of wellness fads and questionable advice, getting real medical help shouldn't be, shouldn't be the mystery. So stop putting off those doctor appointments and go to Zocdoc.com darkhistory to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's Zocdoc. Z O C. Zocdoc.com darkhistory so World War I is taking over the world. Everyone is terrified, trying to survive. After the Ottoman Empire lost to Russia, the government decides to blame the Armenian people, and they decide to, quote, unquote, remove Armenians from the Ottoman Empire forever. Now, at this point, there were three leaders, or pashas as they were called, who were in charge of getting rid of Armenians in the empire. So they come up with a plan, okay? And the first thing they did was remove Armenians from active duty in the Ottoman Army. You know, I guess they didn't want them like, near any weapons. They also wanted to create tighter lines, laws about what Armenians couldn't do in their own country. But there were still plenty of Armenian activists who were keeping like, an eye on all of this, paying attention. So authorities decided to do something that would send a message and take care of those activists. On April 24, 1915, 254 Armenian intellectuals were arrested and taken into custody. So these intellectuals, I was like, who are they? Well, they were essentially like leaders and activists in the Armenian community. They were doctors, civil leaders, artists, anyone who was considered important to the Armenian people. Now, the government claimed that they arrested them because they were worried that these people were spies for their enemy, Russia. But the truth was, they wanted to take away the community's leaders. So, you know, they would leave the people scrambling, you know. But it didn't work. The Armenian community was strong and connected, and no matter how many leaders they killed or arrested, the resistance would not stop. This is when the government decided, okay, fine, we're gonna take it up a notch. And they sure did. I mean, it's already pretty wild, but they just really take it up a fucking notch. First, government officials, they started killing most of the young, fit, able bodied, AKA healthy Armenian men. Because Turkish leaders believed if anyone was going to attack the the government, it would most likely be them. Maybe you're like me and you're wondering, well, how did they even know who like, these Armenian men were? Well, there was a few ways they could tell, like, by their accent. You could also tell if someone was Armenian by their last name. And also they could figure it out based on, like, what part of the empire they lived in. I know you'd probably just be lying. And being that my last name is Bob, I can't think of a last name all of a sudden. Blacksmith. I don't know. And listen, like, these men that they were going after, it's not like they belong to a resistance movement. These were just like innocent teenagers, young fathers, everyday workers, normal people. Okay? Nobody, quote, unquote, like, important. But the government didn't, like, want to take a risk in case that these men decided to, like, you know, flip or something. Sometimes the government allowed these men to live, but it's not because they felt bad for them or, like, gave them a pass. They would instead, like, kidnap them and force them to join something called a labor battalion. Now, these labor battalions were essentially war camps, mostly for Armenian men in the Ottoman Empire. They would be forced to transport whatever the military needed on their literal backs on foot, okay? Carry it to the fricking battlefront, which was hundreds of miles away. Now, they were essentially transporting anything that the Ottoman Empire military needed, like weapons, heavy building materials, heavy shit. Okay? Things that were also dangerous to transport. They could have used a wagon, but they didn't want to. No, no. Most of the time, being sent to these battalions was like a death sentence because the guards, they worked you until you dropped dead. Now, these men were given almost no food, no water, they were starving, they were dehydrated, and then obviously exhausted, on top of all the forced labor they had to do. Now, the point of these battalions was to get as much free labor out of the Armenian men as they could before they died. So either you joined the labor battalion or you were murdered. Which one do you want? Now you might be wondering, like, hey, what about all, like, the people who weren't able bodied? Young men, you know, the hundreds of thousands of women, children, elders, who weren't immediately killed or sent to the battalions like the men. Instead, they were sent to places called deportation camps. It's essentially a camp in a neighboring country where refugees waited until they hopefully found, like, somewhere to work and settle. So at first, you know, women and elders are thinking, you know, we just have to make it to these deportation camps. And, you know, if we can do that, then everything will be okay. You know, like, it was a survival goal. But they had no idea that the worst part of the deportation camps would be the fricking awful journey to get there. By 1915, Armenians started being murdered and deported by the thousands. They would then be forced to march across the desert to get to places called deportation camps. Now, you know, the people, they weren't rounded up, shoved in a car, and, like, taken there. Instead, they were forced to walk for hundreds of miles in scorching desert weather. And of course, they were given no food, no water, no nothing. So the march, extremely brutal. I mean, shit, I walked down to my mailbox the other day, and I was, like, dying in this heat. In fact, most of the people being deported weren't even given time to, like, pack their belongings. You know, they'd be in their house, minding their own business, and then all of a sudden, people would come in, force them, like, in their home, at gunpoint. And then whatever you were wearing is what you. Like, that was it. Okay, you gotta go. You gotta get out. You're being sent to the. The One of these camps. So obviously, if you're, like, I don't know, in your, like, pajamas or something, you weren't dressed properly for walking thousands of miles in the heat. And some people, like, they didn't even get a chance to, like, put on some shoes. Armed soldiers kept these people in line no matter what, you know, and along the way, they just were ignoring people's pleas for help, for water, for anything. It's definitely giving. Did you watch that dark history about the Trail of Tears? It's definitely giving that where it's just people having to walk really freaking far and assholes keeping them in their place. And if you complained, if you spoke up, if you said anything, you were just killed. So I was like, what the fuck were you going to do? You know, like, if a person decided, you know what, fuck this, I'm gonna make a run for it, or I'm gonna speak out and say something against these assholes. Most likely you were just gonna be killed, like, immediately, no questions asked. And because soldiers didn't wanna waste bullets on their prisoners, they would instead stab or beat them to death in front of everyone, I think because they wanted to make a fricking point. It was especially dangerous for children and young women because. Of course not, of course, but, like, you know, young women, they were often abducted and then they were raped by soldiers or criminals who attacked them during the march. Now, many parents were forced to make a really heartbreaking decision to pretty much part with their children. Like, some parents decided, okay, they can go on this march, or I can, like, leave them with a Turkish Muslim family that they trusted. And you know, at least they'll be safe with them. And, like, that was the best case scenario. And I'm sure at the time, parents were also thinking, like, hey, if I can survive this, you know, I can come back and get my kid when it's all over and, like, everything will be okay. Who knows? But either way, anything was better than being forced to march. So a lot of people ended up turning over their kids, and that was, like, best case scenario because what usually happened was actually much worse. In some provinces, kids under the age of 12 were just straight up kidnapped and then sent to Turkish orphanages. The kids were forced to convert from Christianity to the country's official religion, Islam. Now, the kids, you know, while they're there, they're taught the ways of Turkish culture and were instructed to ignore the fact that they were born Armenian. Armenian. They're like, get rid of that. You're not Armenian anymore. Kids who refused to speak in Turkish or embrace, like, their new life were physically punished. This is very, like, Trail of Tears. And those. That school episode, we did, too. Now, this was all part of the government's plan to essentially erase Armenians from the Ottoman Empire. They wanted to start with the young generation. I mean, they're easier to mold, right? To change them, to get them on the right track. If young girls didn't end up in an orphanage, they would be married off to Turkish men. Now, usually, I would say probably majority of them, it was done against their will, you know, and it was all just so terrifying. Families are being ripped apart. You're told you're not allowed to be Armenian. Now you're gonna marry this older man. Like, what the fuck? You know? Now sometimes, like, families actually wanted their kids to be married off because, again, like, it was way better than, like, having to go through one of those marches. Because, listen, these marches were not easy. People were either starving to death or. Or dying of dehydration, or they were just getting murdered because they tried to make a run for it. After days without water, many people dropped dead just right on the road. One survivor, a man named Edward Rakuppian, described the march conditions, saying, quote, we walked for many days, occasionally running across small lakes and rivers. After a while, we saw corpses on the shores of these lakes, lakes. Vultures circle the skies above us, waiting for their evening meal, end quote. According to Edward, he said that he and, like, some other people eventually found a pit that was, like, filled with a layer of mud at the bottom and that they were so thirsty that they tried to essentially kind of get water from that mud. So they used their shirts to try and drain the water into their mouths. I mean, even the smallest amount of water, no matter how dirty. I mean, this was key to them surviving. Of the 10,000 people who started on that march with Edward, only around 300 survived. That's a lot. That's a lot of people that died. Like many Armenian refugees, he was on this march with his family. Like, sadly, his aunt, sisters, brothers, they all died on the way to these deportation camps. Besides the exhaustion, the dehydration, starvation, people marching were constantly being attacked by criminals. I mean, they were in the middle of the desert, and the soldiers, they did not care about protecting them. It wasn't about that. Okay, so it was like a free for all, in my personal opinion. It just kind of felt like it was a joke to these criminals, okay? Because they would just rob the victims of everything they had. And, like, again, they were forced to leave and go on this march with nothing. So all they had was, like, their clothing. And these criminals would be like, give me your clothing and, like, just take everything from them. And it was like, for wood, you know, just to be a fucking asshole. But it wasn't just about losing your material possessions. Like, the Armenians would be tortured and murdered by these criminals for fun. It was all like a fricking game to them.
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Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David Duchovny, and Carice Van Houten. Jack Whitehall plays Adam. A charming Manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them. This edge of your seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery. In a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal, malice will constantly keep you on your toes. Why is Adam after the Tanner family? What lengths will he go to? One thing's for sure. The past never stays buried. So keep your enemies close. Watch all episodes of Malice on November 14 only on Prime Video.
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So let's say, like, hey, you're one of the lucky ones who survived the march. So you're like, okay, great. Like, you know, I made it like this. It's over, right? No. Once you arrived at a deportation camp, it's not like you could just, like, take a break and relax, maybe have a meal. No, there was no food or water there. Well, technically there was food, but let me tell you, the soldiers, they. They used to feed the prisoners bread made out of flour and sand. Yeah, it was the closest thing to food most of these prisoners had in God knows how long. So of course they ate it. Now, to be honest, the government they expected most of the people to die in the march. So when, you know, a lot of people started showing up every day at these camps, One, they were a little upset. Two, there wasn't any, like, infrastructure to feed and house that many people that were showing up. They were like, you were supposed to die. Shit. Now, inside these camps, horrible conditions, and it was crammed with people. So with that camera, tons of disease. Great. So people were constantly getting sick. Of course, there's no doctors available to help, so if you got some kind of sickness, most likely you were gonna die. Another survivor, RPR Misichian, described what the camps he'd been to looked like, saying, quote, 60,000 Armenians had been buried under the sand there. When a sandstorm hit, it would blow away a lot of the sand and uncover those remains. Bones, bones, bones were everywhere then wherever you looked, wherever you walked, end quote. That's so sad. For any women or girls who somehow survived the march, they pretty much had three choices. Get abducted and trafficked, married men from the local military, or work in a brothel. It's like, which one do you want? Now, we don't have many details or data about, like, women who worked in deportation camp brothels or many accounts from them, but it's safe to assume that it's. They didn't have a choice. But again, like, in this situation, just as a woman like you, really, you had to pick your poison. Now, most of the deportation camps were located in Aleppo, Syria. They were designed by one of the leaders of their Armenian massacres and death camps, Mehmet Talat. Now, let me tell you about this guy, because he is literally like, super villain Satan himself, maybe. Yep. Sorry. Talat believed the only way to make sure that the Ottoman Empire remained under the control of Turkish Muslims was again to get rid of the Armenians. So he was really, like, the mastermind of what became known as the Armenian genocide. Talat was known to be like, a number guy. He's like, yeah, numbers, math. He thought these mass deportations were a simple math equation. The Armenians weren't people to him. You know, they were a number and a problem to solve. So Talaat thinks, like, if he deported hundreds of thousands of Armenians to the deportation camps in Aleppo, most of them, again, they were not going to survive. So he was shocked to learn that actually he got it wrong. He was told that more than 400,000 people had survived the marches to Aleppo. And he was pissed and he was angry that he had underestimated the Armenian community. He was like, they were all supposed to die. What Are you telling me from what? No. Plus, in deportation camps, there was a small hope that people could, like, make it out or befriend people in Syria who might help them. You know, there's hope. Okay? Hope is really, like, keeping us, the Armenian people, going. And to Talat, that was unacceptable hope. No, no hope. Talat decided it was finally time to take that little spark of hope away from the Armenian people. Now, he knew he couldn't just, like, outright kill, you know, that many people, or else the Ottoman Empire might face another war or something from other countries. So he comes up with another idea, and he ends up creating, like, a final destination for these refugees, one that would make these deportation camps seem like Disneyland. One of the architects behind the Armenian massacres, Mehmet Talat, decided to take his deportation policies up a notch again. He was angry when he heard so many Armenians were surviving these death marches. You know, that was unacceptable. So Talat started deporting people at the Aleppo camps to other deportation camps within Syria. Now, his soldiers gave people, like, no warning before they did this. I mean, why would they at this point? Shit. Soldiers essentially told the prisoners, you know, start marching to the next camp or die right here, right now. So the people did, you know, they started marching, and they would get to the second deportation camp, and then once they got there, they were told, okay, you're being sent to another camp. So then they would be deported again to another camp immediately. So then they'd go to this other camp, and then they get there, and then the Armenian people were told, oh, guess what? We're sending you to another camp. You know, and they're like, okay. So then they start walking, walk in, go to another camp, and then they get there, and then, guess what? Oh, hey, you're being sent to another camp. So they're just, like, keeping them going, trying to run them down, trying to, like, get them to die, trying to just get rid of them. And, like, sometimes they would send people to all these different camps within the same day. Again, there was no car ride there. They had to walk there. Not down the street. Okay? These were long walks. The goal was to have the Armenians to just, like, waste away and die of exhaustion. I mean, they were literally walking and walking and walking and in hopes that they would just die. Now, if they did manage to survive, they would usually end up in a concentration camp. I know. It's like banger after banger here. Jeez, I don't know if banger is the right word, but. So there were multiple concentration camps, but the Most well known concentration camp at this time was a place called deirin Zor. Around 30,000 Armenians were marched to this camp. And when they got there, it was clear that this was essentially a death camp. This is it. We're going to die here, aren't we? There was nothing there, not even shelter. It was basically just dirt and corpses. They didn't even give the Armenians, you know, the sand bread that they were feeding them in the other camp. If they were lucky, you know, they would be able to eat grass or if they found a dead bird, they could eat that. If people didn't starve to death in this concentration camp, they were tortured to death by government guards or like random criminals who dropped by the camp to just kill them for fun. Now, this place eventually became a mass grave site for thousands of Armenians. At this point, it's around 1917, okay, and this had been going on for over a year. Over 1 million million Armenians at this point had been killed. And maybe you're like me and you're wondering, like, where the hell was the rest of the world? Like, did they know what was going on? Did they really have any clue, like, what was going on? Well, in 1918, there were some journalists, missionaries and other writers who were living in the Ottoman Empire. Now, these people, they kind of like, secretly were writing about what was really going on, and they managed to get their detailed stories out to the world. Now, when governments from nearby countries read about this, they were shocked. They were like, what. What the. What the fuck is going on? What? It became clear that the Ottoman Empire was using World War I as. As a cover. When the Turkish government found out that these stories made it out to the public, well, they were pissed. So what'd they do? They tracked down these, like, journalists and whatnot, and they sent out firing squads to find them and shoot them dead on site. Then the government tried to do some, like, PR damage control and essentially told the world, like, listen, listen, everyone. We're just temporarily resettling the Armenians. It's not that serious. Calm down, Have a cup of tea. The Ottoman Empire insisted that they were their own country and they had their own government and they could do whatever they wanted with their people, so shut up. But it wasn't that easy. So World War I had officially ended, okay? And now people were actually paying more attention to what was going on. This had nothing to do with the war. At this point. Between 1919 and 1920, on behalf of the Armenians, the new Ottoman Empire government brought several legal cases against the three leaders and other senior officials. Of these mass murders. Again, a lot kind of like led up to this. Okay, so yes, you get it. I only have 45. They only gave me like 45 minutes here. All right? But this led to something called the Istanbul, Istanbul trials. But before the trials and all that could even happen, the three pashas fled the country in the middle of the night. Even though they fled the Ottoman Empire, you know, they weren't like going into hiding and all scared. They were like vacationing around Europe, kind of high fiving themselves for getting away with it, escaping trial, and also escaping execution. Because they were like, never formally charged with anything. Other governments were not able to arrest them. 150 officials and other Turkish leaders were arrested, charged, and brought to trial in Malta, which was like a neighboring country. But after spending some time in jail, all of these men were released and returned to Turkey. They never faced trial, they never faced jail time. They were just completely free. Now, to the Armenians, it was clear that law and order was not going to apply to these people, Especially the pashas who escaped in the middle of the night. So you know what they were like. We're going to take matters into our own hands.
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Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David Duchovny, and Carice van Houten. Jack Whitehall plays Adam. A charming Manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them. This edge of your seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery. In a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal, malice will constantly keep you on your toes. Why is Adam after the Tanner family? What lengths will he go to? One thing's for sure. The past never stays buried. So keep your enemies close. Watch all episodes of Malice on November 14 only on Prime Video.
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After Ottoman empire leaders and officials got away with murdering over 1 million Armenians, 1 group called the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, or arf, decided to take matters into their own hands. The ARF was mostly made up of scholars or businessmen. Now they were actually in America. And as soon as it was clear that the government was not going to be facing any consequences for what they did, the ARF decided, you know, we're going to take justice into our own hands. They came up with an idea. They were going to kill the leaders responsible for the genocide themselves. They called this plan Operation Nemesis. It was called Operation Nemesis because Nemesis was the Greek goddess of retribution, AKA vengeance. But the leaders of arf, they weren't trained like assassins or spies. So it was like an idea they had. But they were like, how are we actually gonna do this. So they outsourced the work to find a better option, you know, to do the actual killings. So they hired a man named Solomon Tolarian. Solomon was desperate for justice after his entire family was killed in the the genocide. One of his first targets was the mastermind behind the deportation and concentration camps. The guy we talked about earlier, Mehmet Talat. Now, Talat was known to have, I guess, a big, like, ass mustache that, you know, was kind of like his look, his thing, and it gave away his identity. So, you know, he's trying to lay low. So he decided to shoot. And he fled to Berlin to avoid trial. But the arf, they were able to track him down. It's crazy to think, you know, you really gotta, like, Scooby Doo things back then because, like, there's no social media. There's, like, no Google Maps or anything. This is the 1920s. So they figured out they tracked him down. Members or allies of the the arf, they, like, hung out in different public places where former Turkish government officials were, like, known to hang out. And they would just, like, sit there and wait and, like, eavesdrop on, you know, their conversations, slowly gathering information to piece together clues about where to latte might be hiding in Berlin. So the arf, you know, they gathered all their information and they figured out where he was, and they sent Solomon to Berlin to kill Talat. So at first, they gave Solomon some, like, very specific instructions. First, they wanted Talat to be killed in public. And then second, they wanted Solomon to do something kind of risky. They asked him to stay at the scene of the crime and get caught. I know it kind of sounds crazy. You think they'd flee, but no, they want him to stay. They want to, like, make a point out of all of this. Okay, so it sounds crazy, but Solomon, he immediately agrees. I mean, he's lost everything. He's like, fuck it. I am. I don't have, like, what do I have to lose? Fuck, yeah. He knew this was, like, part of something much bigger than himself. So after doing some surveillance for a few weeks, Solomon learned Talat's regular routine. He had a routine everyone kind of does. He'd go on, like, a very specific walk every day. He would kind of just do the same thing. So Solomon felt like he was ready. And on March 15, 1921, Solomon followed Talat. Now, just as Talat walked into, like, a large crowd, Solomon came up behind him and point blank shot him in the head. I know it's a lot. Talat died instantly. Now, again, this was in Public. So people were, you know, freaking out. Cause they don't know the context. They're just like, just freaking out. But still, Solomon, he didn't let the screams faze him, he didn't run. And he just calmly stood at the scene of the crime, just waiting. Now eventually, you know, police show up, you know, they arrest him. And this was exactly what the ARF wanted. They didn't want to just quietly kill this guy off. No, they wanted this assassination to make the news so the whole world would be reminded of what happened to the Armenian people and who was responsible for it and exactly what the Turkish government had gotten away with. I think too, a lot of people who were like, maybe reading the news articles that were coming out about this Talat dying and what it was like kind of maybe the first time people were actually learning the why of it all, you know, it wasn't just like a random murder. It was like, no, this guy did X, Y and Z. And it was like he was putting the genocide back into the conversation. So Solomon was put on trial. He explained his side of the story and he told the jury that he felt he had a good reason to kill Talaq. You know, he started to tell the jury stories about how cruel and awful Talat was. He even had receipts in court. He was able to show messages from Talat with instructions to kill Armenian children, specifically the children who were forced into those orphanages. Now one of the messages said, quote, remove the children from orphanages in order to eliminate future danger from antagonistic elements. End quote. But Solomon is like telling his whole story, you know, everything. Many people in other countries knew that terrible things had happened to the Armenians, but majority had no idea about the real details. So all this was just shocking to hear. The news was picked up all around the country. Now at this point, the motivations of the evil men behind everything couldn't be denied. Their goal was plain and simple and seemed very clear. Exterminate the Armenians. The entire case took less than two days and Solomon was found innocent. And just like the ARF wanted, there was a ton of publicity and awareness brought to the genocide. A few other leaders and important people associated with the genocide, they were also assassinated during Operation Nemesis. Sadly, like this was pretty much the only legal justice the Armenians were handed. And then finally, listen, years had gone by, okay? By 1923, the Armenian genocide had come to an official end. Over 1.5 million Armenians had been murdered. Listen, that was more than half of the entire Armenian population. And that didn't even include, like many young women. Who are forced to, you know, get married to Sambozo or adopted by different families or forced to just convert? Does it include, like, the kids in the orphanages and also like, the Armenians who fled to other countries, you know, and had to, like, hide their identities? We just, like, don't really know how many lived or died. And for a long time, they tried to keep that number low. They were like, no, it was only like, 3,000 people. Like, no. But thankfully, after World War I ended, the Ottoman Empire was starting to be held accountable for our. Their actions. The American ambassador to Armenia described the situation saying, quote, when the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race. They understood this well, and in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact, end quote. The American ambassador also noted that religion hadn't really been the main focus for the genocide. It was used more so as an excuse. Most of the major leaders of the genocide were considered atheist. So, like, when you think of it, like, none of it makes sense. Okay? It was said they did it for political gain, not religion. Religion was just, like, an easy way to cover up up the situation. Still very confusing. We know what happened to the Armenians was called the Armenian Genocide, but for a long time, what happened to them didn't even have a name. The word genocide was invented by a man named raphael Lemkin. In 1941, Raphael was forced to leave his home in Poland as it was being invaded by the Nazis. Now, he escaped, but sadly, he lost most of his family in the Holocaust. Now, it was devastating to him that millions of people who were killed were just seen as collateral damage when the truth was they had been targeted for being Jewish. When Raphael learned about what happened to the Armenians in, you know, the Ottoman Empire, he decided to. He's like, hey, there needs to be, like, a name for this. So he came up with the word genocide. He combined the ancient Greek word genos, meaning race, tribe, and the Latin word side, meaning killing words. And it's thanks to him, in a really kind of in a dark way that we even have to come up with this word. But it's thanks to him that you, you know, we have the word genocide, and we call it the Armenian genocide. I live in Los Angeles, and every single year, there's like, a major march in remembrance of the Armenian genocide. Entire streets are shut down. There are thousands of marches and memorials across the world like this. But still, millions of people today, like, still deny or don't like to acknowledge that The Armenian Genocide happened. I know, it seems a little weird, huh? You think, like, you know, like, it happened. Just it happened. Like, Even today in 2025, the country of Turkey does not recognize that the Armenian Genocide happened. They don't like to talk about it, think about it, mention it, none of that. And maybe you're like me, and you think like, well, why not just admit what happened? You know, why not just acknowledge it? It just happened. The only way to, like, heal and move forward and be better is to acknowledge and move forward, forgive, hopefully, and write. Well, there's a reason, though, listen, because in my research, I learned that Turkey is an important ally to a lot of powerful nations, including the United States. And something else I learned. The United States did not officially call the events in Armenia a genocide for almost 100 years because they didn't want to piss off Turkey. But then In April of 2021, on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, President Joe Biden finally did. He issued a statement saying, quote, each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman era Armenian genocide, and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring. End quote. In 2023, California's Governor Newsom, he declared April 24 as a day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide to be acknowledged. I feel like at the end of the day, that's all people really want, is just to be acknowledged, just acknowledged it happened. But even though this happened so long ago, millions of families have suffered generational trauma because of this. There's still a lot of pain. And, yeah, I remember, like, growing up, I would hear about it, but, like, no one would talk about it. And it was always kind of like, how come? Like, why not? It was very confusing. And then during quarantine is when I really got into, like, working on a film family tree. And when it came to the Armenian side of the family, I was having such a hard time because so many records and everything just got lost and names got changed, and it was complicated. And I was like, what? What? And I just really dove deep into trying to understand, like, what happened because obviously I have no understanding of, like, what really happened. And it was cool. I found my great. I think it's my great, great grandpa, his, like, certificate. When he came to Ellis Island, I found that, and I was like, cool. I don't know. That's my story. Anyways. Lots of pain. But, you know, sometimes it leaves you thinking, like, you know, okay, well, what can I do? What can I do to help? I don't know, one of the most important things you can do is fight something called denialism. It sounds silly, but there are thousands of documents and photos about what happened. And keeping the memory of what happened in the genocide alive, as sad as it is, silences the deniers. Throughout history, I mean, genocides have tried to erase entire communities. You know, try to strip people of their voices, their culture, their communities, their humanity. But here's the thing. I mean, people are never defined solely by like, what's been done to them. You can try to bury people, but like seeds they rise. And what grows out of that pain is often. Sorry, I'm getting emotional. Don't cry. I don't want to ruin the makeup. I'm not sad. Disneyland. I'm happy bicycles. And what grows out of that pain is often something stronger, more united, more unbreakable. Sorry, I'm getting teary eyed just because like, you know what's going on in the world right now. I don't even need to say it. So it's just like a, you know, just fucking gen. Like it's just so lame. Genocides are lame. Put that on our shirt. So if there's a lesson here, it's that remembering matters. Telling the truth matters. Because when we give power to truth, we not only honor those who came before us, but like, we can also protect those who are coming after us. McDonald's. McDonald's. French fries. Happiness. Unicorns. And that, my friends, is how resilience becomes legacy. Anywho, Genocide, huh? Not great. But do you know what's great? Movies. There's a hard pivot here. Okay, for our next episode of Dark History. So one of my favorite movies growing up has a cult following. It was made in 1939 and it changed everything. Not only was this the biggest budget movie Hollywood had ever seen, but it tried some risky things that no other movie studio had ever dared to do. But you know what they say, no risk, no reward. There were crazy stunts, toxic makeup, drugs. Ooh, lots of drugs. And even munchkin raichers. I'm talking about the notorious, the violent, and the shocking history of the making of the wizard of Oz. Woo. I know. Genocide to wizard of Oz. How'd we do it? I don't know. Our show is wild. Should we dress up wizard of Oz? What do you guys think? Yeah, I think we should. Now listen, I'd love to hear your guys reactions to today's story. Be nice. Make sure to leave a comment below so I can see what you guys are saying. And your comment might even be featured In a future episode. Now, let's read a couple of comments that you guys have left me. Marie Louise Drouette090 left us a comment on YouTube saying, quote, hi, Bailey. Hi, Marie. Can we have some backstory details about your co hosts, Paul and Joan? Think this could be really interesting. Like, how did you guys meet? What have they done prior to working with you? End quote? We do go back, especially me and Paul. Me and Paul go way back. Joan showed up. She just landed on my couch one day in, like, season one of Dark History. She just landed and hung out. And like, I was like, okay. But I met Paul at Del Taco and, you know, I was in line and I was like, hey, can I get that? What is that? That eight layer burrito? That shit's fire. Or is it seven layers? You know what I'm talking about? And then Paul was there and he was like, ordering Diet Coke or something like that. And I was like, oh, my God, I love Diet Coke. So we just, like, really hit it off. And I was like, hey, we should be friends. Like, you should come over for dinner. So I invited Paul over for dinner, and I don't know if any of you guys follow me on Instagram. Like, many years ago, Paul used to sit with me at the dinner table. I was single, I lived alone, and he kept me company. And we just been by each other's side since then. And it's been beautiful. It's been a beautiful love story. Joan, she just flew her way in here and demanded a paycheck. And honestly, good for her. I can't seem to get rid of her. She's a heavy smoker. I don't know if you know that. We have to, like, stop every five minutes so she can go outside for her smoke break. If you could hear her talk. She talks like a freaking, hey, I can't do it. But yeah, she loves the Parliament light. The skinny ones, the one hundreds. Yeah, she's a little fancy. Maybe even a Virginia Slim from time to time. But, yeah, that's some backstory Del Taco sponsorship. Anyways, yeah, thanks for asking, friends. They're fun. Amy, Louise commented on our toxic baby products episode on Spotify, saying, quote, I have an empty bottle of the soothing syrup. Really? It's one of my favorite morbid items that I own. It's a beautiful embossed glass bottle. A sad reminder of the past, but a good point to show how far we've come. End quote. Wow. I'm one of those people where if I go thrifting or to an antique store. I love old, like, vintage bottles and stuff. Like medicine bottles and stuff. Oh, it's so cool. I love that. Back then, like, they were really fancy. Now medicine bottles, like, come in, like, those plastic orange things that, like, are just ugly. I feel like medicine bottles back then, like, you'd want to leave them out because they were kind of pretty. I say bring back the soothing syrup. It sounded lit. Just kidding. But that's so cool. I love that. I love that. Thank you for sharing. Tamaraeads3650 left us an episode suggestion. Hi Bailey. You should do an episode on the dark history of the Wonder Woman creator. He invented the lie detector. Love you. End quote. Love you too. Really? I feel like I've heard this somewhere and flashback is coming back. Interesting. What's the correlation there? Wonder Woman and lie detector. That's really random. Lie detector test. I don't even know why we still do them. Huh? Because, like, hasn't it been proven over and over again that they're not reliable but we still freaking do them? It's so annoying. But, like, it's crazy to invent that and then go from that to like, Wonder Woman. Or did Wonder Woman come first and then lie detector? Interesting. I have a lot of questions. I think that's a really good idea. Thank you for the suggestion and I will look into it. Thank you guys so much for hanging out with me watching engaging commenting. Make sure to leave a comment because maybe you will be feeling featured in a future episode. Also, did you know you can join me over on my YouTube where you can actually watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my Murder mystery and Makeup, which drops on Mondays. Hello. So don't forget to subscribe because I got something new for you all the time, baby. And hey, if you don't know, Dark History is an audioboom original. I want to give a big special thank you to our expert, Umit Kurt, professor of history and an affiliated member of the center of Study of Violence at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and the author of the Armenians of the Economics of Genocide in an Ottoman Province. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day today. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you guys later. Goodbye.