Legends 51: Royal

Summary

Lore: Legends 51 – Royal Host: Aaron Mahnke | Release Date: April 14, 2025

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Introduction

In the 51st episode of Lore, titled "Royal," host Aaron Mahnke delves into the dark and mysterious curses that have plagued some of the most powerful dynasties and figures in history. From Hollywood fiascos to ancient samurai swords and presidential misfortunes, this episode explores how legend and reality intertwine to create enduring tales of the supernatural influencing the highest echelons of power.

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The Curse of "The Conqueror" (01:07 – 03:01)

Aaron Mahnke opens the episode by recounting the ill-fated production of the 1956 film The Conqueror. Intended to be a grand portrayal of Genghis Khan, the film disastrously cast John Wayne, a Western actor, in the lead role.

“The entire filming process had been miserable, plagued with bad luck” (01:07).

Complications escalated as the crew filmed near Utah’s Escalante desert, inadvertently close to the Nevada Test Site where nuclear bomb tests were conducted. Contrary to assurances, the military’s oversight led to devastating consequences:

“Out of the 220 cast and crew for the Conqueror, 91 of them developed cancer, and 46 of that 91 died as a result” (02:27).

The film is now notorious not only for its poor quality but also as the most cursed production in Hollywood history, demonstrating that wealth and influence cannot shield one from fate or unforeseen disasters.

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The Habsburg Curse (03:01 – 16:16)

Transitioning from Hollywood tragedy, Mahnke explores the legend surrounding the Habsburg dynasty, one of Europe’s most powerful families. Central to the curse narrative is the tale of a Habsburg ancestor saved from vulture attack by ravens, leading to a pact between the family and these birds. However, the subsequent destruction of the raven’s sanctuary by a descendant invoked the wrath of the supernatural Ternfalcon.

“The Ternfalcon are said to have portended every single lost battle and every single Habsburg death” (05:24).

Several historical incidents are highlighted, including:

• Archduke Maximilian and Maria Betsera (05:46 – 07:10): After Ternfalcons ominously circled their garden visit, Maximilian was executed in Mexico, and his mistress later died under mysterious circumstances.

• Franz Josef’s Assassination (07:10 – 07:28): A Ternfalcon’s appearance preceded the assassination of Emperor Franz Josef’s wife, Sisi.

• Duchess Sophie and Archduke Franz Ferdinand (07:28 – 10:00): Sophie's recognition of the Ternfalcons led to the couple’s assassination in Sarajevo, igniting World War I.

Mahnke contrasts the supernatural explanations with historical realities of inbreeding within the Habsburg lineage, which led to genetic disorders and health issues, suggesting that the true "curse" was rooted in human choices rather than enchanted birds.

“Most scholars don't think that the Ternfalcon were the real curse. No, the real Habsburg curse was inbreeding” (05:45).

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The Grimaldi Curse: Grace Kelly and Monaco (10:00 – 14:19)

Shifting focus to the Grimaldi family of Monaco, Mahnke narrates the tragic marriage of Hollywood icon Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III. Their union, televised globally, appeared glamorous but concealed significant unhappiness, culminating in Grace Kelly’s untimely death in a car accident at age 52.

“Grace Kelly’s unhappiness was evident” (10:02).

The episode traces the Grimaldi curse back to Francesco Grimaldi in 1297, who seized Monaco through treachery, initiating a lineage believed to be doomed to unhappy marriages and tragic ends. Various historical marriages within the family illustrate this pattern:

• Prince Louis I and Catherine Charlotte de Gramont (13:08 – 13:25): Catherine’s repeated affairs led to a series of tragic separations.

• Princess Charlotte and Count Pierre de Polignac (13:25 – 14:19): An arranged marriage ended in misery and divorce, though Charlotte later found happiness post-separation.

These stories reinforce the notion that the curse has long influenced the Grimaldi family, affecting their personal lives and happiness.

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The Muramasa Katana: Japan’s Cursed Blades (14:19 – 18:16)

Mahnke delves into Japanese lore with the story of the Muramasa katana, legendary swords believed to be cursed. Renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship, these blades were feared for their supposed supernatural inclination towards bloodshed.

“It's certainly easy for us to laugh these superstitions off now… but the Muramasa katana rose to prominence during the Warring States period” (16:37).

The founder, Muramasa, whose identity remains partly mysterious, created katanas that were unparalleled in sharpness and strength. However, their reputation for causing excessive violence led to superstitions that they were imbued with demonic properties, driving warriors to madness or death if the swords were misused.

Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, fearing the blades’ influence on his lineage—having lost multiple family members to Muramasa swords—launched a fervent campaign to eradicate them:

“He outlawed them from his Shogunate. Anyone caught with A Muramasa blade would be sentenced to death” (16:20).

Ironically, this crusade contributed to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, as the swords became symbols of resistance during the mid-1800s civil war, ultimately leading to the restoration of power to the Emperor in 1868.

“The Shogun’s fear of Muramasa katanas cemented them in national memory… they destroyed everything that he had built” (23:02).

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The American Presidential Curse (18:16 – 33:05)

Transitioning to American history, Mahnke explores the alleged curse tied to presidents elected in years ending with a zero. The legend begins with President William Henry Harrison, who, after delivering the longest inauguration speech in history on a freezing day without proper attire, died just 31 days into his term.

“Any president whose term started in a year that ended in a zero died while in office” (23:05).

Subsequent presidents fitting this pattern faced untimely deaths:

• Abraham Lincoln (1860 – 1865): Assassinated during his second term.
• James A. Garfield (1880 – 1881): Shot by an assassin.
• William McKinley (1900 – 1901): Assassinated.
• Warren G. Harding (1920 – 1923): Died of a stroke or heart attack.
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1940 – 1945): Died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
• John F. Kennedy (1960 – 1963): Assassinated.

The curse seemingly broke with Ronald Reagan (1980), who survived an assassination attempt and lived until 2004, and continued with George W. Bush (2000) and Joe Biden (2020), both completing their terms without fatal incidents.

However, Mahnke critically examines the origin of such curses, highlighting the problematic nature of attributing misfortunes to Native American legends, which historically served to otherize indigenous peoples and absolve colonizers of guilt.

“...it was part of a long standing tradition among white Christian Europeans that blamed all of their own misfortune and setbacks on the work of the devil” (28:34).

Ultimately, the episode suggests that while the presidential curse is an intriguing narrative, it likely holds more sway as folklore than as an actual supernatural phenomenon.

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Conclusion

In "Royal," Aaron Mahnke masterfully weaves together various legends of curses impacting royals, dynasties, and even the American presidency. Through historical anecdotes and critical analysis, the episode underscores how these tales reflect deeper societal fears and the human tendency to explain tragedies through supernatural lenses. Whether driven by genuine belief or cultural storytelling, these royal curses continue to fascinate and caution us about the perils of power and the consequences of our actions.

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Notable Quotes

• “The entire filming process had been miserable, plagued with bad luck” – Aaron Mahnke (01:07)
• “Most scholars don't think that the Ternfalcon were the real curse. No, the real Habsburg curse was inbreeding” – Aaron Mahnke (05:45)
• “Grace Kelly’s unhappiness was evident” – Aaron Mahnke (10:02)
• “It's certainly easy for us to laugh these superstitions off now… but the Muramasa katana rose to prominence during the Warring States period” – Aaron Mahnke (16:37)
• “The Shogun’s fear of Muramasa katanas cemented them in national memory… they destroyed everything that he had built” – Aaron Mahnke (23:02)
• “Any president whose term started in a year that ended in a zero died while in office” – Aaron Mahnke (23:05)

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Final Thoughts

"Royal" offers a compelling exploration of how legends intertwine with historical events, shaping our understanding of power, legacy, and the supernatural. Whether these curses were real or mere folklore, they undeniably left an indelible mark on history, echoing the age-old adage that with great power comes great peril.

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For more detailed explorations of dark historical tales, subscribe to Lore on your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Chris Gethard]

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[Aaron Mahnke]

The entire filming process had been miserable, plagued with bad luck. From the very start, the making of the 1956 film the Conqueror had not gone well. It was consistently delayed and over budget, turning what should have been the studio's darling into their worst nightmare. Not even its famous producer, Howard Hughes, could save it from disaster. You see, the film was about Genghis Khan, but John Wayne had been cast in the lead role. Yes, the white gunslinging Western actor had been chosen to portray the Central Asian conqueror. On top of everything else, the crew filmed in Utah's Escalante desert, where the days were blisteringly hot and the nights were freezing cold. Making a movie in the desert isn't fun in the best of times, but in this instance it also wasn't safe. You see, the Conqueror was filming just 140 miles downwind from the Nevada Test Site, where the US government was testing hundreds of nuclear bombs. The military had told the crew that it was safe to film there, but they had lied. Or maybe they just didn't realize how bad the fallout from their tests really was. Because out of the 220 cast and crew for the Conqueror, 91 of them developed cancer, and 46 of that 91.

[Narrator]

Died as a result.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Today, the Conqueror is still considered by many to be one of the worst movies ever made, and it's also thought to be the most cursed film in history. No other Hollywood production has had as high a death toll, and hopefully none ever will again. All the collective wealth and power of Howard Hughes and John Wayne couldn't save the cast from nuclear fallout, as obvious as that may be. To Our celebrity obsessed culture. It almost seems wrong. After all, movie stars never seem to.

[Narrator]

Be touched by hardship.

[Aaron Mahnke]

From the outside, it looks like they have it all. The money, the fame, the perfectly white teeth. When someone has everything, how can anything ever go wrong? Well, as it turns out, even having everything you want is never a guarantee that you won't end up cursed. I'm Aaron Manke, and this is Lore Legends. The vultures were circling, but they weren't lurking over a man who was already dead. No, these vultures were so hungry that they would do anything, even eat a perfectly healthy victim. And so they circled lower and lower, and then they attacked. If you've never seen a vulture in real life, then you may not grasp how truly terrifying this would be. Each one can weigh up to 30 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 10ft. Their talons are like razors, and their beaks are like knives. So when they all ganged up on this lonely traveler, the poor man did not stand a chance.

[Narrator]

They tore at his cloak and pecked.

[Aaron Mahnke]

At his face, screeching for fresh meat. But then, just as quickly as they had descended, they were gone, chased away by a flock of ravens. The ravens had no way of knowing that they had just saved an ancestor of the Habsburg family, one of the most powerful dynasties in European history. Even we don't know who he was. We're never given his name. The legend simply claims that around 1000 CE, the Habsburg Royal lineage was almost brought to its knees by some hungry birds. And then it was saved by the ravens. The man was so grateful to the birds that he constructed a beautiful tower for them in the forest. And there they lived for generations, basking in the spoils of their good deed. But while history may have a long memory, humans do not. Only a hundred years after the raven saved this traveler, one of his descendants destroyed the tower to build himself a grand castle on the very same spot. A few of the ravens were even killed in the process. But the ravens got their revenge. They called upon the Ternfalcon. These supernatural birds look like ravens, but.

[Narrator]

Their feathers are pure white.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Depending on who you ask, they either brought about tragedy or simply predicted it. But regardless, the Ternfalcon are said to have portended every single lost battle and every single Habsburg death. If anything terrible were to befall the family, anything at all, then the Ternfalcon would be there. And trust me, the Habsburgs had their.

[Narrator]

Fair share of tragedy.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Those birds were hard at work. The Ternfalcon were seen before every major Habsburg Death. I can't recite every single instance for you today. We're talking about hundreds of years of history here, but I can share some of the most interesting sightings. In the mid-19th century, for example, the Ternfalcon were spotted flying over Archduke Maximilian and his wife Charlotte while they were taking a walk through the garden. One of them was reported to have even landed on the train of Charlotte's dress. Anyone watching the couple may have thought that these birds were a good luck symbol, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Only a short while later, Maximilian was executed by firing squad in Mexico. In January of 1889, the ternfalcon circled over Schonbrunn palace, screeching a warning cry. Soon after their visit, the Austrian Crown Prince and his teenage mistress, Maria Betsera, were found dead in his hunting lodge. As far as anyone could tell, it had been a murder suicide. But the investigation didn't reveal many details behind the crime. All that they could surmise was that the Prince had murdered her first and then turned the gun on himself. Less than ten years later, in September of 1898, the TernFalcon appeared outside the window of Austrian Emperor Franz Josef, flying across the blue sky and circling. A warning. The very next morning, the Emperor was.

[Narrator]

Told that his beloved wife Sisi had.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Been assassinated the night before. But the most famous Ternfalcon appearance came in the summer of 1914. The Duchess Sophie was walking through the streets of Vienna when she heard the crowd around her gasp. They were all whispering the Ternfalcon. And sure enough, when Sophie looked up.

[Narrator]

She saw a group of large white.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Birds circling overhead and screeching. The Duchess knew what they meant. Death was coming for her family. That night, she begged her husband to stay secluded, but he wouldn't hear it. The couple left Vienna only a few days later. And then Sophie and her husband, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, were both assassinated in Sarajevo, kicking off the First World War. The Habsburgs were some of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the world, but no amount of influence could save them from a worldwide conflict or from themselves. You see, most of the Habsburgs throughout history did actually believe that they were cursed by the Ternfalcon. But here's the thing, though, historians disagree. I mean, sure, maybe they really did see some giant white birds flying around before they died. But most scholars don't think that the Ternfalcon were the real curse. No, the real Habsburg curse was inbreeding. The Habsburgs were famous for intermarrying that's how they consolidated so much power. They just married other Habsburgs. Unfortunately, this had some pretty unfortunate side effects. Most famously the Habsburg jaw, which is a very polite name for their jutting jaws and their deformed facial features. Their inbreeding did more to their bloodline than give them physical deformities, though it also cursed them with a variety of congenital issues like epilepsy, infertility and insanity. All that said, we can't blame every Habsburg death on incest. After all, marrying their cousins had no bearing on whether or not they were assassinated. But many more Habsburgs died from illness and genetic disorders than they did from a bullet. And as the years passed by, it became harder and harder for most of them to have children. It's thought that the end of the Habsburg dynasty was finally brought on not by the raven's revenge, but by some poorly chosen family planning, motivated, of course, by Power. On April 19th of 1956, the entire world stopped and watched as Hollywood royalty married into a real royal family. When she met Prince Rainier III in 1955, Grace Kelly had already made a name for herself as one of the movie industry's greatest beauties.

[Narrator]

So it's no surprise that the Prince.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Of Monaco fell hard and fast following a whirlwind courtship. The two announced their engagement only eight.

[Narrator]

Months after their first meeting.

[Aaron Mahnke]

The wedding itself was lavish, taking place.

[Narrator]

Over the course of two days.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Over 700 guests attended the two ceremonies, and thousands attended the evening galas. Across the globe, over 30 million people tuned in on their television sets to see Grace Kelly graduate from actress to princess. The broadcast had been a stipulation from MGM Studios, which only allowed Grace out of her contract with them if they could televise the event. I'm sure that as she walked down the aisle, Grace felt that she was finally free. She had been released from her grueling Hollywood schedule, and she was marrying into one of the wealthiest nations on earth. Her veil may as well have been a pair of wings billowing out behind her, lifting her away from her troubles. Little did the new princess know that she was simply leaving one gilded cage for another. And those wings would soon be clipped. Despite their beautiful wedding, the prince and the princess went on to have a famously rocky marriage. No one knows all the details, but Grace Kelly's unhappiness was evident. Some say that Rainier humiliated her by keeping a string of mistresses. Others say that Grace was bored and wanted to work in Hollywood again. And still others say that after years in the spotlight, she longed for a private life that she could never have. It all came to a head when she was 52 years old. In September of 1982, Grace was driving home with her daughter when her car veered off the road and fell down a mountainside. The next day, she was pronounced dead. And once again, millions of people tuned in to watch yet another pivotal moment in Grace's life. Her funeral.

[Narrator]

The most widely accepted theory about her death is that she had a stroke while driving. Others were more skeptical, attributing the accident to anything from a suicide to an assassination. But the most popular conspiracy was that she had simply become another victim of the Grimaldi curse. Monaco's royal house of Grimaldi is an old one, stretching back to when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco's throne in 1297. And some people believe that the Grimaldi curse goes back that far. Originating with Francesco himself, known as Francisco the Malicious or Francisco the Spiteful, he was, unsurprisingly, not a very nice man. It's said that after being exiled from Genoa, he and his men snuck into Monaco, disguised as monks, then still dressed as holy men, they slaughtered all the castle's inhabitants, taking the fortress for themselves. From that point on, the Grimaldi line was cursed. And it still is, even to this day.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Another story claims that the curse originated with Prince Rainier I, Francisco's cousin. According to this legend, after defeating the Flemings in 1304, Rainier kidnapped and assaulted a Flemish woman. But then the woman morphed into a witch. As punishment, she cursed him and all of his descendants to never be happy in their marriages, and the curse seems to have stuck. There is very little evidence that Annie Grimaldi has ever had a happy, successful marriage. But there are many stories about deeply unhappy unions.

[Narrator]

In 1660, for example, Prince Louis I of Monaco married Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. Before their marriage, Catherine Charlotte had been involved in a passionate love affair with her cousin. Her family assured the Grimaldis that the affair was a thing of the past, but sadly, it was not.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Catherine Charlotte picked right back up with.

[Narrator]

Her lover and collected many more along the way. By 1665, she had secured the crown jewel of her collection, King Louis XIV of France. Her marriage to the Prince of Monaco ended only a few years later, and one last example can be found in 1920, when Princess Charlotte of Monaco entered into an arranged marriage with Count Pierre de Polignac of France. The the couple had two children together, but it was a miserable union. Pierre had multiple indiscreet affairs. By the mid-1920s, the couple had separated and they were officially divorced. In 1933. Fortunately, this story has a much happier ending than that of our leading lady, Grace Kelly. Once she was free from her marriage, Princess Charlotte went on to get a.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Degree in social work.

[Narrator]

Then she converted a Grimaldi family estate.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Into a halfway house for ex convicts.

[Narrator]

Where she lived with her lover, the infamous jewel thief, Rene Guerrier. As it turns out, you don't need a wedding ring to find happiness. But it never hurts to have a partner who's willing to steal one for you.

[Aaron Mahnke]

The Shogun didn't have the luxury of fear that was for lesser, weaker men.

[Narrator]

At least it should have been. But despite that, one fear had burrowed its way into his very bones until it had turned into a deep seated paranoia. Dying by the sword. And sure, I think any of us would agree, being cut in half is a pretty scary prospect.

[Aaron Mahnke]

But the Shogun wasn't afraid of just any old blade.

[Narrator]

No, Tokugawa Ieyasu was afraid of dying by one sword and one sword only. The Muramasa Katana. Muramasa was a Japanese sword maker. Or as some scholars believe he may have been, two sword makers working under the same name. Almost nothing is known about the man himself, but his swords would be remembered as legendary. Katanas with Muramasa engraved on the tang started showing up around the year 1500. They quickly spread through the country too, becoming the gold standard that all other blades would follow. Compared to other swords of that era, the metal was stronger and the blades were sharper. They were of such high caliber that they even became the preferred sword for Japan's samurai. Eventually, Muramasa started a sword making school, ensuring that his blades would be passed on to future generations. His legacy as the greatest sword maker in the history of Japan was cemented. But the swords themselves soon gained a very different kind of reputation. They were just so well made, and.

[Aaron Mahnke]

They were so incredibly good at killing people.

[Narrator]

Some became convinced that there had to be a supernatural explanation.

[Aaron Mahnke]

And so the rumors spread.

[Narrator]

Now, some people believe that Muramasa must have been a bloodthirsty madman who imbued.

[Aaron Mahnke]

His insanity into his blades.

[Narrator]

Others claim that he sourced his metal from bloody battlefields. And yet others believe that Muramasa had.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Made some kind of a deal with.

[Narrator]

A demon in exchange for his sword making skills. And among the warriors who actually used his swords, it was believed that a Muramasa sword craved blood so badly that if they ever failed to kill anyone in battle, then they would be forced to turn the blade on themselves. And if the sword remained sheathed for too long, then it would possess its owner to commit terrible acts of violence. There's even one specific legend about a samurai who tried to remove the Muramasa signature from the blade in an effort to disrupt its demonic powers.

[Aaron Mahnke]

But.

[Narrator]

But that night he woke up in a pool of blood. He had been pulled into a trance and murdered his own wife. And it's certainly easy for us to laugh these superstitions off now. They were swords, of course. Just hunks of metal. They weren't alive and they certainly weren't malicious. But let's take a step back here from our modern rationale. The Muramasa katana rose to prominence during the Warring States period. It was one of the most violent times in Japanese history. Essentially 100 years of civil war. For many, death was a constant companion.

[Aaron Mahnke]

So put yourself in their shoes and.

[Narrator]

Imagine seeing men do unspeakable things to your family and friends and doing it all with a blade that sliced and diced like nothing you had ever seen before. These swords beheaded entire families. They gutted villages. They cut down armies and experienced that way. It would be only natural to say that those blades were possessed by a demon. At least it might be easier to blame a sword rather than to admit that your fellow humans were capable of such evil. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu certainly felt that way.

[Aaron Mahnke]

That's why he went on such an.

[Narrator]

Intense campaign against them. He may have been superstitious about the blades, but he wasn't a weak minded man. This Shogun was the Shogun, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which kicked off the Edo period Under his rule, he reshaped Japan's entire political system. By the time Tokugawa rose to power in 1603, Muramasa was long dead. But his swords lived on. And that made the Shogun nervous. You see, he believed that there was a curse on his family. And that curse had everything to do with Muramasa katanas. According to the stories, a large number of his family members had been killed by Muramasa blades. His grandfather had been sliced from his hip to his shoulder by one in 1535. And when the Shogun was only six years old, his father was assassinated with a Muramasa. His own son even used a Muramasa to take his life in a suicide ritual called seppuku. Although considering the Shogun had been the one to order his son to die, I'm not really sure if that one counts. Regardless, the Shogun convinced himself that Muramasa blades had it out for his bloodline. So he outlawed them from his Shogunate. Anyone caught with A Muramasa blade would be sentenced to death. And he meant it, too. According to legend, a Nagasaki magistrate and his son were discovered to have been hoarding dozens of these blades. Both were forced to commit seppuku as punishment. Many of today's surviving Muramasa swords have missing or altered signatures on the tang. After the edict, most people had just tried to pass them off as blades from a different maker. After all, well made swords were expensive, and the right blade could be the difference between life or death on the battlefield. Tokugawa was a skilled warrior in his own right, so he clearly knew this. He even owned a Muramasa katana himself. But of course, he decided that that one was okay. In the end, though, his fears were unfounded. He didn't die by the blade at all. Instead, he passed away at the age of 73 from illness. But by then, the damage had been done. The Muramasa was a cursed blade. And it was a curse that made them incredibly valuable. It's very easy to assume that power and privilege guarantees happiness and long life. After all, those material trappings have a way of seeming, at least on the surface, like anyone's dream come true. But all one has to do is open a history book to realize just how misguided that assumption truly is. Power and wealth rarely buy safety. In some instances, in fact, it actually magnifies the risk. Abuse your power enough and you are bound to make yourself a target. As we've learned today, privilege has a way of tempting fate. And that was definitely true of the events in Japan. The Shogun's fear of Muramasa katanas cemented them in national memory, although probably not in the way that he hoped. You see, over the years, the curse of the Muramasa evolved. People no longer interpreted it as a curse against a single family. They came to believe that the swords were a curse against the entire Shogunate itself. And so, if they wanted to bring down the Shogunate, they needed Muramasa blades. During the civil war of the mid-1800s, those opposed to the Tokugawa Shogunate acquired a collection of Muramasa katanas as a symbol of their opposition to the dynasty. Some were real and some were forgeries. But the authenticity wasn't what mattered here. It was all about what they represented, destroying the Shogunate entirely. Muramasa blades, both real and fake, were used by the anti Shogunate faction throughout the civil war. And whether or not it was due to the curse, they had their victory. Power was returned to the Emperor in 1868, ending the Shogunate forever. In a roundabout way, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyesu had created a self fulfilling prophecy. The Muramasa swords did not cut him down, but they destroyed everything that he had built. I hope you enjoyed today's journey through the dangerous and frightening world of royal curses. It's fair to say that with great power comes great risk of losing everything. And while that has been true for most of history around the world it's often believed that Americans are immune.

[Aaron Mahnke]

One story, however, calls all that into question.

[Narrator]

Stick around through this brief sponsor break to hear all about it.

[Aaron Mahnke]

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[Narrator]

The rain poured down in sheets, filling the early spring air with a biting chill. The streets were gray with almost no foot traffic out or about. In short, it was an absolutely miserable day to be in Washington, D.C. regardless, about a thousand people were gathering on the National Mall, undeterred by the weather. After all, it's not every day that you get to see a president sworn in. The newly elected president, William Henry Harrison, was outside with the crowds braving the freezing rain to make the longest inauguration speech in history. It was a triumphant moment. Until it wasn't. You see, that day, President Harrison had famously elected not to wear a coat, and in doing so, he sealed his fate. Just 31 days later, he would be dead. Here in America, we fought a war for the right to never bow to hereditary royalty again. But that doesn't mean that the presidency doesn't have its fair share of curses. And believe it or not, some people think that our curse took its first victim right there on that blustery inauguration day. Those who believe in the curse say that it dates all the way back to 1811, nearly 30 years before President Harrison took office. When he was a much younger man, he led a thousand troops to destroy the Shawnee village of Prophetstown. Prophetstown was established by Tecumseh who dreamed of a new Native American confederacy where his people could live in peace. The little settlement had been the beginning of a dream, a dream that was crushed by Harrison. Legend has it that after Prophetstown was burned to the ground, Tecumseh laid a curse on Harrison and by association, the United States Presidency. Other versions of the legend claim that it was actually Tecumseh's brother who cursed Harrison in 1813 after Tecumseh was killed by Harrison's troops. And I think it's important to pause and remind folks for the reason behind the stereotypical Native American curse. It was common to demonize the indigenous people of North America by attributing supernatural powers to them. It was part of a long standing tradition among white Christian Europeans that blamed all of their own misfortune and setbacks on the work of the devil. And in the process, it allowed these colonizers to feel less guilty about what they were doing to those people. So whenever you hear a legend about a Native American curse or haunted ancient burial grounds, what's really on display is the othering of indigenous peoples. Now, this curse in particular, they say, was dormant for years. But then President Harrison took office in 1840 and died immediately. And in the decades that followed, a disturbing pattern emerged. Any president whose term started in a year that ended in a zero died while in office. Seriously, their prospects were incredibly grim. And they only got worse as the years went on. Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 and assassinated during his second term in 1865. James A. Garfield was elected in 1880 and shot by an assassin in July 1881. William McKinley won re election in 1900 and was assassinated in 1901. Warren G. Harding was elected in 1920 and died of either a stroke or a heart attack three years later. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected for his third term in 1940, and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage not long after the start of his unprecedented fourth term in 1945. And of course, John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960 and assassinated three years later. And then something odd happened. The trend was interrupted by Ronald Reagan, who was elected in 1980 and survived the entirety of his term. In fact, he didn't die until 2004, making him the longest living president in American history at the time. Anyway, that title has since been commandeered by Jimmy Carter. It's been speculated that when Reagan survived the 1981 assassination attempt, he broke the curse. Because ever since his tenure, the legend seems to have lost its teeth. George W. Bush was elected in the year 2000 and survived his term. So did Joe Biden, who was elected in 2020. Looking back, I think it's fair to say that if there really was any truth to the legend, that curse is now a thing of the.

[Aaron Mahnke]

This episode.

[Narrator]

Of Lore Legends was produced by me, Aaron Manke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Cassandra de Alma don't like hearing the ads? I've got a solution for you. There's a paid version of Lore on Apple Podcasts and patreon that is 100% ad free. Plus subscribers there also get weekly mini episodes called Lore Bytes. It's a bargain for all of that ad free storytelling and a great way to support this show and the team behind it. For more information about those ad free options, go to lorepodcast.com support of course, Lore is much more than just a podcast. There's the book series available in bookstores and online, and two seasons of the television show on Amazon Prime. Information about all of that and more is available [e-mail] and you can also follow this show on various social media platforms such as YouTube and Blue Sky. Just search for Lore podcast, all one word and click that follow button. And when you do, say hi. I like it when people say hi. And as always, thanks for listening.

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