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Taoyuan, Taiwan

Garden of the Generalissimos

A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.
Taoyuan, Taiwan

Mausoleum of Chiang Kai-shek

The final resting place of the dictator of Taiwan.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Islam Karimov Museum

An eccentric museum dedicated to Islam Karimov, the former dictator of Uzbekistan.
hotels

Podcast: Checking Into Hotel Imperial With Deborah Cohen

On the eve of World War II, the source for all good stories was an opulent hotel in Vienna.
The Podcast Team May 2, 2024
The memorial to the resistance of São Paulo building which was formerly the headquarters of the secret police
São Paulo, Brazil

Memorial da Resistência de São Paulo (Memorial of the Resistance)

The building that once housed the dictator's secret police is now a museum that documents the history of an oppressive regime and those who fought against it.
Tortura Nunca Mais
Recife, Brazil

'Monument Tortura Nunca Mais' ('Torture Never Again')

This haunting sculpture stands as a memorial to the torture victims of the Brazilian military dictatorship.
The mural was not part of the original brewery.
Pyongyang, North Korea

Taedonggang Brewing Company

An English brewery transported to North Korea.
Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram and his signature dish: pad Thai.
food

The Dictators Who Ruled Their Countries’ Cuisines

Authoritarian food obsessions can have a lasting legacy.
Alex Mayyasi July 7, 2021
boats

Podcast: Hitler’s Toilet

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange stories.
The Podcast Team May 20, 2021
mummies

Podcast: Communist Mummies

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team April 19, 2021
León, Nicaragua

El Fortín de Acosasco

This hilltop fort is a dark holdover from one of Latin America's bloodiest dictatorships.
A food truck fit for a prince.
food

The Exiled Prince Behind Los Angeles's Only Fresh-Pasta Food Truck

Bend the macaro-knee.
Luke Fater February 27, 2020
Dolmen of Guadalperal.
Peraleda de la Mata, Spain

Dolmen of Guadalperal

This 7,000-year-old megalithic wonder covered by a Franco-era reservoir emerges in times of drought.
Castro never said no to ice cream.
food

To Defy the United States, Fidel Castro Built the World's Greatest Ice Cream Parlor

The socialist establishment, which is still slinging scoops, seated 1,000 customers.
Alex Mayyasi November 8, 2019
Pad Thai for everyone was once the party line.
food

The Oddly Autocratic Roots of Pad Thai

The sweet and salty noodle dish started out in a prime minister's kitchen.
Alex Mayyasi November 7, 2019
Whale fat was widely used to wage war⁠—and make margarine.
animals

Hitler’s Secret Antarctic Expedition for Whales

Whales meant margarine, and margarine meant victory.
Luke Fater November 6, 2019
Behind the Iron Curtain, shelves were empty but champagne was affordable.
dictators

How Stalin and the Soviet Union Created a Champagne for the Working Class

In 1936, the Party suddenly switched from denouncing bubbly to mass producing it.
Jessica Gingrich November 5, 2019
Mao found mangoes to be too messy.
food

How a Fruit Basket From Mao Made China Mad for Mangoes

Regifting the fruit created a potent political symbol.
Jessica Gingrich November 4, 2019