Rasputin

So today in Poly Sci we learned about Rasputin. And when I say learned about, I mean my Professor mentioned him for about 5 seconds in passing during a discussion about Tsar Nicholas. Anyway, he was a crazy, corrupt, pretend-monk, magic-practicing advisor to the Tsar. When I hear Rasputin, the villain from the movie Anastasia comes to mind (which, by the way, I can't believe they made a kids movie about an entire family being brutally murdered).

This is what I mean. How creepy is that dude?? When in fact this is the real Rasputin. Who is not much better than the cartoon.

So the thought train had started and I turned to the only place to find about random historical events:  Wikipedia. Because while kids' movies are awfully entertaining, they sometimes teach misconceptions about history. For example, Rasputin, however creepy he might be, didn't curse the Romanov's. It was the Bolshevik Secret Police at the order of Lenin (thanks, Wikipedia). And while we all love Dimitri, he either didn't exist or died with the rest of the servants in the basement of their prison house. So sorry to ruin Anastasia for you, but I think the historical account is pretty entertaining to. Fun fact: the last to die were all the Tsar's daughters because they had sewn 1.3 kilos of diamonds and precious gems into the lining of their dresses to keep them from Lenin, and the jewels deflected the bullets and bayonets. 

Sorry if this was a bit grim, but it fascinates me. So to lighten the mood, here is a video of everyone's favorite song from Anastasia.