On 23 October 1812, General Claude François de Malet walked into the heart of Paris with forged documents claiming Napoleon had died in Russia. For twelve hours, his audacious coup succeeded. Soldiers believed him. Officials obeyed. The Prefect of Police was arrested. The Military Governor was detained. Then someone asked about Napoleon’s heir, and the whole conspiracy unravelled. Clara Vale examines why it worked at all, what it revealed about the fragility of Napoleon’s empire, and why the emperor never forgot it. Also this episode: England’s most violent tornado on record, which struck Lincolnshire in 1666 with F4 intensity. Swatch’s 1998 attempt to abolish time zones with Internet Time, a single global clock measured in beats. And Archbishop James Ussher’s 1654 calculation that the world was created on this exact date in 4004 BC, a figure printed in Bibles for over a century.

• Intro What would you do if someone showed you official documents claiming the most powerful man in the country had died? In 1812, one man tested that exact question in Paris.
• The Man Who Killed Napoleon (Without a Weapon) General Claude François de Malet, a republican imprisoned in a Parisian nursing home, forged documents claiming Napoleon had died in Russia. On 23 October 1812, he walked into military barracks, arrested senior officials, and nearly seized control of Paris before someone asked about Napoleon’s heir. The coup lasted twelve hours. What haunted Napoleon afterwards was not the attempt, but why so many officials had believed it without questioning the succession.
• England’s Most Violent Tornado On 23 October 1666, Lincolnshire experienced the most intense tornado in recorded English history. Classified retrospectively as F4 on the Fujita scale and T8 on the TORRO scale, with wind speeds exceeding 213 miles per hour, it struck during an already catastrophic year that included the Great Fire of London and ongoing plague.
• Swatch and the Dream of Internet Time On 23 October 1998, Swiss watchmaker Swatch launched Internet Time with MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte. The system proposed abolishing time zones entirely, dividing the day into 1000 beats with midnight in Biel, Switzerland as zero. Despite real coverage and dedicated watches, the system faded as people preferred time aligned with the sun.
• The Date the World Began (According to One Very Specific Bishop) Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh calculated through biblical chronology that the world was created on the evening of 23 October 4004 BC. Published in 1654, his date was printed in King James Bible margins for over a century and represented the intellectual consensus of his era, before modern geology and astronomy arrived at rather different figures.
• Outro Four stories from one date explore human certainty and its limits, from a general who forged his way to the edge of history to a bishop absolutely certain about the universe’s birthday.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Malet
• https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/the-malet-conspiracy-1812/
• https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2241/the-malet-coup-of-1812/
• https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-storm-centre/index
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tornadoes_and_tornado_outbreaks_in_Europe
• https://www.torro.org.uk/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time
• https://www.wired.com/1999/02/swatch-2/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Ussher

On 23 October 1812, General Claude François de Malet walked out of a Paris prison with forged documents claiming Napoleon had died in Russia. For several extraordinary hours, senior officials believed him. Troops were mobilised. Ministers were arrested. The machinery of Empire ran on a lie. What stopped the conspiracy wasn’t loyalty or planning, it was a single sceptical question. The Malet affair revealed something Napoleon found more disturbing than the coup itself: remove him, even fictitiously, and the entire structure wobbled. Also on this date: England’s most powerful tornado tore through Lincolnshire in 1666 with winds exceeding 213 miles per hour. Swatch launched Internet Time in 1998, attempting to abolish time zones in favour of decimal beats. And according to Archbishop James Ussher’s 17th-century calculations, God created the universe on the evening before 23 October 4004 BC. Four stories about extraordinary confidence in the face of complexity, and what happens when someone finally asks to see the paperwork.

• Intro What do you need to overthrow an empire? An army, money, allies. Or, alternatively, one forged document and staggering confidence. On 23 October 1812, a man walked out of a Paris prison and nearly dismantled Napoleon’s empire before breakfast.
• The General Who Faked a Revolution With Napoleon deep in Russia and communication delayed, General Claude François de Malet escaped La Force prison with forged Senate documents declaring the Emperor dead. For hours, his invented provisional government actually functioned. Senior officials handed over troops, ministers were arrested, and the Prefect of Police was locked up. What finally stopped it was not loyalty but a single sceptical general asking to see proper authorisation. Malet was executed six days later. The conspiracy revealed something more troubling than rebellion: when told Napoleon was dead, officials did not think of succession or dynasty, they simply tried to work out what happened next.
• England’s Worst Tornado, 1666 On 23 October 1666, Lincolnshire experienced the most intense tornado ever recorded in English history. Classified as F4 on the Fujita scale, with winds exceeding 213 miles per hour, it remains the most powerful on record. This came just weeks after the Great Fire of London, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and shortly after the Great Plague. A reminder that the past was frequently terrifying.
• Swatch Internet Time, 1998 On 23 October 1998, Swatch launched Internet Time: a proposal to abolish time zones and divide the day into 1,000 decimal beats, with midnight in Biel, Switzerland, as the starting point. Backed by MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte, it was marketed with genuine enthusiasm and integrated into some software. Then everyone quietly stopped using it. The world was not ready to reorganise time around a Swiss watchmaker’s commercial interests.
• James Ussher’s Creation Date According to 17th-century Archbishop James Ussher’s biblical calculations, God created the world on the evening before 23 October 4004 BC. A Sunday. Ussher’s methodology was careful and internally consistent by the standards of his time, and his Annals of the World remained a respected text for over a century. Modern science places the universe at roughly 13.8 billion years old, but Ussher did what careful scholars do: committed to an answer and showed his working.
• Outro Four stories from 23 October across different centuries, united by a certain confidence in the face of enormous complexity. Malet believed conviction could reshape an empire. Ussher believed careful reading could date creation. Swatch believed they could fix time zones. History does not always arrive with trumpets. Sometimes it turns up holding forged documents and making a very strong case before anyone thinks to check.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Malet
• https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/tornadoes/uk-tornadoes
• https://www.torro.org.uk/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology

On 22 October, across four millennia, humanity has watched the sky with varying degrees of success and consequence. In 2137 BC, two Chinese court astronomers reportedly paid with their lives for failing to predict a solar eclipse under Emperor Zhong Kang, an event that may represent one of the earliest dated astronomical records in history. In 1739, British forces attacked the Venezuelan port of La Guaira in the opening salvo of the improbably named War of Jenkins’ Ear, a conflict sparked by colonial trade tensions and a preserved body part presented to Parliament. In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin became the first person to make a recorded parachute jump, descending violently but successfully from 1,000 metres above Paris in a frameless silk canopy. And in 2024, asteroid 2024 UQ became only the tenth space rock detected before atmospheric entry, burning up harmlessly over the Pacific. From ancient celestial divination to modern near-Earth object tracking, 22 October offers a peculiar thread through human attempts to understand, survive, and occasionally fall through the sky above us.

• Introduction Clara Vale introduces the episode’s theme: humanity’s relationship with watching the sky, opening with the consequences faced by ancient Chinese astronomers who missed a crucial solar eclipse.
• The Eclipse That Cost Two Men Everything The story of Hsi and Ho, two royal astronomers in 2137 BC China who were reportedly executed for failing to predict a solar eclipse during the reign of Emperor Zhong Kang. The episode explores the Mandate of Heaven, ancient Chinese astronomical sophistication, and the historical verification of this early recorded eclipse.
• Call to Action Clara invites listeners to follow the show and share it with others who enjoy unusual historical stories.
• The War of Jenkins’ Ear On 22 October 1739, British forces attacked La Guaira, Venezuela, in the opening engagement of the War of Jenkins’ Ear. The conflict stemmed from colonial trade tensions between Britain and Spain, famously catalysed when Captain Robert Jenkins presented his preserved severed ear to Parliament as evidence of Spanish brutality.
• André-Jacques Garnerin Falls With Style On 22 October 1797, French aeronaut André-Jacques Garnerin made the first recorded parachute jump, descending approximately 1,000 metres from a hydrogen balloon over Paris. Despite violent oscillation caused by the canopy’s design, he landed safely and pioneered the practical parachute.
• The Asteroid That Said Hello From California On 22 October 2024, asteroid 2024 UQ disintegrated harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean, becoming only the tenth asteroid in history to be detected and tracked before atmospheric entry, demonstrating advances in near-Earth object detection.
• Outro Clara reflects on four thousand years of humanity watching the sky, from ancient omen interpretation to modern asteroid tracking, and closes the episode.

• https://www.britannica.com/event/Xia-dynasty
• https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shujing
• https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-Jenkins-Ear
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andre-Jacques-Garnerin
• https://www.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch/
• https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/

On 22 October 2137 BC, a solar eclipse passed over China without warning. Two royal astronomers, Hsi and Ho, allegedly failed to predict it, and according to ancient texts, were executed for their negligence. Modern astronomical calculations confirm the eclipse occurred on this date, making it one of the earliest documented celestial events in human history. This episode also explores the War of Jenkins’ Ear, which began in October 1739 after a British sea captain presented his severed ear to Parliament as evidence of Spanish aggression, and André-Jacques Garnerin’s pioneering parachute jump from a hydrogen balloon over Paris in 1797. We close with a small asteroid detected and tracked before it entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific in October 2024, the tenth such object to be spotted in advance. From ancient China to modern telescopes, humans have been watching the sky, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but always with the understanding that it matters.

• Intro A solar eclipse in ancient China, two astronomers who missed it, and the high stakes of watching the sky when the emperor is watching you.
• The Eclipse, the Emperor, and the Astronomers Who Didn’t See It Coming On 22 October 2137 BC, a solar eclipse occurred over China during the early Xia dynasty. Royal astronomers Hsi and Ho allegedly failed to predict it, and according to the Shu Ching, were executed for neglecting their duties. Modern calculations confirm the eclipse, making this one of the oldest documented celestial events in human history.
• The War of Jenkins’ Ear In 1731, British sea captain Robert Jenkins claimed Spanish coast guards cut off his ear. He kept it in a jar and presented it to Parliament in 1738. Britain declared war on Spain in October 1739, with the first military action on 22 October targeting La Guaira, Venezuela.
• Garnerin’s Leap On 22 October 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin jumped from a hydrogen balloon at approximately 1,000 metres above Paris, making the first recorded parachute jump in history. His silk canopy oscillated wildly during descent, but he landed safely in a park.
• The Asteroid That Said Hello First On 22 October 2024, asteroid 2024 UQ was detected and tracked before entering Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, where it disintegrated harmlessly. It was the tenth asteroid in history to be spotted before atmospheric entry.
• Outro Four thousand years of watching the sky, from ancient Chinese astronomers to modern detection systems, reflecting on why humans keep looking up.

• https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhistory/SEhistory.html
• https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-Jenkins-Ear
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andre-Jacques-Garnerin
• https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/Tenth_asteroid_discovered_before_impacting_Earth

On 21 October 1997, a Swedish journalist performed a routine emergency swerving test on a brand new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. The car tipped over. The photographs went global, forcing Mercedes to halt deliveries and fit electronic stability control as standard across their small car range. That decision, born from acute embarrassment, eventually made stability systems mandatory across the European Union and saved countless lives. Also on this date: Fidel Castro fell down some stairs in 2004, producing headlines that briefly seemed to announce his political downfall. In 2015, the internet celebrated Back to the Future Day, the date Marty McFly arrived in a gleaming, absurd vision of tomorrow that got the flying cars wrong but the overwhelming noise of the future uncomfortably right. And in 1520, a Portuguese explorer named a cluster of Atlantic islands after eleven thousand martyred virgins, a figure that almost certainly began as a clerical error. Four stories about the gap between confidence and reality, and what happens when the two finally meet.

• Intro A Swedish test track, autumn 1997. A gleaming Mercedes-Benz is asked to swerve around a pretend moose and falls over. Clara Vale introduces four stories from 21 October about the recurring gap between human confidence and messy reality.
• The Mercedes A-Class and the Moose That Changed Motoring Mercedes launched the A-Class in 1997 as an ambitious compact car with a tall body and clever engineering. On 21 October, Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld ran it through a routine emergency swerving test at 60 km/h and the car tipped onto its roof. The photographs were devastating. Mercedes halted deliveries, modified the suspension, and fitted Electronic Stability Programme as standard. That decision changed the automotive industry permanently. ESP became mandatory across the EU in 2014 and the US in 2012, reducing single-vehicle crashes by around 30 per cent and saving millions of lives.
• Fidel Castro Falls Down the Stairs On 21 October 2004, Fidel Castro finished a speech in Cuba, stepped down from the platform, and fell down the stairs. He broke his kneecap and his right arm. The headlines read ‘Castro Falls’, a phrase that in Spanish carries the ambiguous meaning of both a physical fall and a political toppling. Foreign newsrooms briefly thought the announcement they’d been waiting for since 1962 had arrived. Castro remained in power for another four years and died in 2016.
• Back to the Future Day On 21 October 2015, the internet celebrated the date Marty McFly arrived in the future in Back to the Future Part II. The 1989 film imagined flying cars, hoverboards, and self-lacing trainers. The real 2015 had none of the first two, but Nike did produce limited-edition self-lacing shoes for the occasion. What the film got right was the emotional texture of the future: too fast, too crowded, too full of screens and information. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016, one year off the film’s prediction.
• The Islands of the Eleven Thousand Virgins On 21 October 1520, Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes claimed a cluster of rocky Atlantic islands and named them the Islands of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, after the feast day of Saint Ursula. The figure of eleven thousand martyred companions almost certainly began as a medieval clerical error. The islands are now Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the last remaining piece of French North America, sitting off the coast of Newfoundland with French licence plates and postboxes.
• Outro Clara wraps four stories from 21 October: a car that fell over and made roads safer, a leader who fell down stairs and made ambiguous headlines, a fictional future that became someone’s uncomfortable present, and some Atlantic islands named after a probable clerical error.

• https://www.teknikensvarld.se/
• https://www.mercedes-benz.com/
• https://www.bosch.com/
• https://ec.europa.eu/
• https://www.nhtsa.gov/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096874/
• https://www.nike.com/

On 21 October 1997, a Swedish journalist put the brand-new Mercedes-Benz A-Class through a routine moose avoidance test. The car tipped onto its side. The footage spread rapidly, and what followed was one of the most significant safety recalls in automotive history. Mercedes fitted electronic stability control as standard across the entire A-Class range, a decision that transformed ESP from a luxury feature into an industry-wide requirement. By 2014, the European Union mandated stability control on all new passenger cars. Studies suggest ESP reduces fatal single-vehicle crashes by up to a third. Also on this date: Fidel Castro fell down some stairs in 2004, prompting headlines that played rather loosely with the word ‘fallen’. In 2015, the world reached the future date depicted in Back to the Future Part II, assessed the lack of hoverboards, and felt quietly nostalgic. And in 1520, Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes claimed a cluster of North Atlantic islands and named them after Saint Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins, a name that lasted precisely as long as it took France to turn up and call them something more sensible.

• Intro A prestige German car falls over during a routine safety test, setting the stage for an embarrassing moment that became a turning point in automotive safety.
• The Moose Test The Mercedes-Benz A-Class tips onto its side during a standard Swedish moose avoidance test on 21 October 1997. Mercedes recalls the entire range, fits electronic stability control as standard, and accidentally triggers an industry-wide safety revolution that eventually saves thousands of lives.
• Fidel Castro Takes a Tumble On 21 October 2004, Fidel Castro falls down stairs in Santa Clara, fracturing his knee and arm. Headlines declaring ‘Castro falls’ carry double meaning, though the Cuban leader remains in power for another four years.
• Back to the Future Day On 21 October 2015, the world reaches the future date from Back to the Future Part II. The absence of hoverboards is noted. Nostalgia for a 1989 vision of the future dominates a perfectly ordinary Wednesday.
• Islands of the Eleven Thousand Virgins Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes claims a cluster of North Atlantic islands on 21 October 1520, naming them after Saint Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins. France later renames them Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and they remain French territory to this day.
• Outro A reflection on the 21st of October: cars that tip, leaders who stumble, futures that arrive quietly, and baroque place names that don’t survive empire. History moves in swerves, not straight lines.

• https://www.theguardian.com/business/1997/nov/12/1
• https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/electronic-stability-control
• https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/automotive-industry/safety_en
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-29716160
• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fidel-castro-fall-cuba-santa-clara-broken-knee-5351234.html
• https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/21/back-to-the-future-day-2015-nike-hoverboard
• https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saint-pierre-and-miquelon

On 20 October 1973, Richard Nixon attempted to shut down the Watergate investigation by firing special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Two senior Justice Department officials resigned rather than carry out the order. The resulting ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ accelerated Nixon’s downfall and became a definitive moment in the abuse of executive power. Ten years later, scientists in Paris redefined the metre using the speed of light, anchoring human measurement to a universal constant rather than a metal bar in a vault. And in 1995, a Mumbai cinema began screening Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a film that would run continuously for decades, becoming an institution in its own right. Three stories about moments when authority collapsed, precision improved, and audiences refused to let go.

• Intro Clara introduces the episode with a snapshot of Washington DC on 20 October 1973, the night Richard Nixon fired two senior law officers who refused to dismiss the Watergate special prosecutor.
• The Saturday Night Massacre Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox. Richardson refuses and resigns. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refuses and resigns. Solicitor General Robert Bork complies. The public reaction is swift and devastating, accelerating calls for impeachment and ultimately contributing to Nixon’s resignation in August 1974.
• Redefining the Metre On 20 October 1983, the General Conference on Weights and Measures redefines the metre using the speed of light in a vacuum, replacing the physical platinum-iridium bar and anchoring measurement to a universal constant.
• The Film That Never Stopped Running On 20 October 1995, Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai screens Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for the first time. The film continues to run continuously for decades, becoming a cultural institution and one of the longest theatrical runs in cinema history.
• Outro Clara reflects on three moments from 20 October: a president’s overreach, a scientific redefinition, and a film that refused to end.

• https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/watergate
• https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/watergate.htm
• https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cg/cgpm/17-1983
• https://www.bipm.org/en/measurement-units/history-si
• https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-running-film-release

On 20 October 1973, President Richard Nixon fired two Attorney Generals in a single evening in a desperate attempt to halt the Watergate investigation. The Saturday Night Massacre, as it became known, spectacularly backfired and set Nixon on the path to resignation. But the 20th of October also marks the 1995 release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, the Bollywood film that has played continuously at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema for decades. And in 1983, the world quietly redefined the metre, tying it to the speed of light rather than a metal bar in a Parisian vault. Clara Vale explores three moments from the same date: political self-destruction, enduring cultural impact, and the elegant precision of modern measurement.

• Introduction Clara introduces the Saturday Night Massacre of 20 October 1973, when President Nixon fired senior Justice Department officials in an attempt to stop the Watergate investigation.
• The Saturday Night Massacre A detailed account of the evening Nixon ordered the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Attorney General Elliot Richardson refused and was fired. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus also refused and was fired. Solicitor General Robert Bork carried out the order. The public reaction was immediate and catastrophic for Nixon, leading directly to his resignation in August 1974.
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Thirty Years and Counting The 1995 Hindi film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol opened at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema on 20 October and has played continuously there ever since, becoming a cultural institution and pilgrimage site.
• The Metre Gets a New Definition On 20 October 1983, the Seventeenth General Conference on Weights and Measures redefined the metre based on the speed of light in a vacuum, replacing the physical platinum-iridium bar standard with a universal constant.
• Outro Clara reflects on three disparate events from 20 October: political self-destruction, enduring cinema, and elegant scientific redefinition.

• https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-richard-m-nixons-resignation-letter
• https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/impeachment/nixon-1974.htm
• https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/exhibits/watergate/saturdaynightmassacre.asp
• https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cg/cgpm/17-1983
• https://www.bipm.org/en/measurement-units/history-si
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/ddlj-at-maratha-mandir-completes-1000-weeks/articleshow/50354482.cms