Institutionalized since she was 11 years old, Lois Curtis was shuffled around psychiatric hospitals and facilities for decades — all while fighting to live independently. In 1999, she found herself at the center of a landmark Supreme Court ruling now regarded as a watershed civil rights moment for people living with mental disabilities.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1960s, Madalyn Murray took a principled stance against mandatory Bible study in U.S. public school systems. Her case made it to the Supreme Court and won — a historic outcome that forced Madalyn into the national spotlight. But as her popularity grew, so did the public outrage against her.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Born in an isolated Mayan village in 1959, Rigoberta Menchú has spent her life organizing indigenous Guatemalans to fight for their ancestral land and human rights. She’s teamed up with guerilla fighters, been chased out of her country, and thanks to decades of activism, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After claiming freedom from her enslaver in 1826, Sojourner Truth became a forceful orator and famed abolitionist. She published a memoir, met three presidents, and made her own career as a preacher. Truth’s advocacy put her among the first to center the experiences and rights of Black women in America.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was an impassioned playwright and activist in the 1970s and ‘80s, whose accolades include everything from an Academy Award nomination to co-founding one of the world’s largest AIDS service organizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, poet, educator and activist Audre Lorde used her incredible talent to uplift various marginalized groups: women, Black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The co-founder of the Black Panther Party was a revolutionary figure who advocated for radical political change in the 1960s and ‘70s. Huey P. Newton was inspirational in his goals, controversial in his tactics, and marred in scandal until he was murdered at just 47 years old.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lifelong defender of women’s rights, RBG’s deftness in constitutional law earned her a place on the Supreme Court. But it was her fierce dissents speaking truth to power that made her an icon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 20th century, Tulsa's Greenwood District was an enclave of Black entrepreneurship, business, art, and culture. But in June 1921, it was destroyed. Thousands of white Tulsans stormed the district, burning most of it to the ground in a brutal act of domestic terrorism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson played a pivotal role in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, and continued to advocate for LGBTQ rights throughout the following decades. But during her life, she was haunted by her own struggles with homelessness and mental health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disability rights activist Kitty Cone was an instrumental organizer for one of the longest sit-ins in U.S. history: the 504 sit-in. It not only paved the way for landmark legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, but it also fundamentally changed the public perception of people with disabilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, Bayard Rustin was an activist at the forefront of the movements for civil rights and gay rights. Despite the violence and discrimination he faced as an openly gay Black man, he persevered in his nonviolent organizing, even playing a pivotal role in the famous March on Washington in 1963. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1962, a farmworker named César Chávez proposed a bold new idea: California's agricultural laborers should organize into a union. But while he fought to improve work conditions for everyone, he faced discrimination and pushback at every turn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, Ida B. Wells was a fearless investigative journalist and Civil Rights leader who fought against lynching and advocated for the equal treatment and protection of Black people in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She’s a Black trans icon and legendary activist who’s spent over forty years advocating for trans visibility and civil rights. Miss Major dedicated her life to looking out for her girls, and continues to equip the next generation of leaders with uncommon generosity and insight.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls used a straw hat and an elaborate series of signals to commandeer a Confederate ship and sail himself, his family, and the crew to freedom. He had been an enslaved man—now, he was a Union hero. But his struggles were not over, and Smalls would have to use his unbelievable daring all throughout his life.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting September 9th, Season 3 of Famous Fates will begin right here on this feed! For sixteen weeks, Famous Fates: Movers and Shakers will explore the stories of the odds defiers… the rebels… the people who knew they were right, and were willing to push themselves to the brink to see the change the world deserved. Famous Fates: Movers and Shakers is a Spotify Original from Parcast, streaming only on Spotify.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Although Famous Fates has ended, the idea behind it lives on. Starting May 13th, season 2 titled Falls From Grace will begin right here on this feed! For twelve weeks, Falls From Grace will be streaming exclusively on Spotify. Two episodes will be released every Wednesday, each focusing on a different famous figure whose notoriety stemmed as much from their triumphs as it did from their shame. If you are already following Famous Fates, don’t do anything as new episodes of Falls From Grace will automatically appear beginning May 13th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first half of the 20th-century, Leon Trotsky was a revolutionary writer, a communist leader, and a man assassinated on the orders of Joseph Stalin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 400s, B.C.E. Socrates believed in provoking people into bettering themselves and society, but it was this very attitude that led to his execution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

His writing sparked a revolution and influenced some of the most significant political declarations—and tragedies—of the late 1700s. Jean-Paul Marat’s shocking death would then become one of the most memorable images of Revolutionary France. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remarkably, Vincent van Gogh completed most of his paintings in a span of about two years, just before he died. But whether van Gogh’s sudden death was by murder or suicide is still debated to this day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was one of the greatest—and most troubled—playwrights of the 20th century. Tennessee Williams was perhaps best known for the women in his life—the complex female characters present in his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For his book, “The Old Man and the Sea,” Ernest Hemingway was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. But despite his success, he was haunted by a deep sadness—and no amount of travel, women, or alcohol could ever help him escape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first century CE, the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, better known as Caligula, was infamous for his bloodthirsty ruthlessness. He did whatever he pleased, and was dead by 28. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An incredible military strategist, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to Emperor of France at his peak, but died with nothing but his name in 1821. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He only engaged in piracy for about 2 years before he was killed, from about 1716-1718. But Edward “Blackbeard” Teach’s legendary status proves those 2 years were enough for a lifetime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a law enforcer, gambler, and performer. When you picture an Old West Cowboy, Wild Bill Hickok is likely what comes to mind. And true to that image, he died after being shot in a saloon in 1876. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was America’s first-ever Public Enemy Number One, and the man behind the “Scarface.” Al Capone changed the face of crime in the 1920s before his ultimate arrest for tax evasion. And by the time Capone got out of prison, he had already entered his final years of decay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

His death was the spark that lit the wildfire of World War I. While Franz Ferdinand is most remembered for his final moments, he led a fascinating life of royal intrigue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A military general, Julius Caesar rose to power as part of the Roman Triumvirate, but then took power as a dictator in the first century BC. But this great power led to his infamous death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California—as a Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in 1977. Harvey Milk was a trailblazer, whose tragic death only cemented his legacy as an American hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She was an exotic dancer, courtesan, and one of the most famous female spies in history. Mata Hari changed the course of World War I and was killed because of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a man who dreamed of peace, but spent much of his life defending his people and his culture as they came under fire. That same fire led to Crazy Horse’s tragic death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While today he’s mostly known as the man on the twenty dollar bill, Andrew Jackson’s controversial life has led many to suggest removing him from the bill entirely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the 16th President of the United States, he was revered for tirelessly leading the US through the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was also the first American President to be assassinated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a Renaissance man well after the Renaissance ended, with a cadre of careers and controversies throughout his life. And Alexander Hamilton would have done even more, had he not traveled to New Jersey for a fatal duel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Her 1937 disappearance and presumed death remains one of America’s greatest mysteries. That’s due, in part, to Amelia Earhart’s groundbreaking life as a record-setting aviatrix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1400s, Joan of Arc claimed to experience miraculous visions, and was burned alive for her convictions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Her death is memorialized in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, but the Empress of the Nile’s life held an equal caliber of drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicknamed “The People’s Princess,” Princess Diana used her public profile to serve charities and work as an activist through the 1990s. But her bitter divorce from Prince Charles led many to believe her death was no accident. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Records say he was shot to death at age 21. But legends say otherwise. Ride deeper into the tales—tall tales—and iconic fate of Henry McCarty, better known as “Billy the Kid.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chrysippus of Soli was a Greek philosopher whose ideas still resonate today. It’s said that he died laughing. But is that really what happened to the Stoic thinker? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The circumstances of Anastasia Romanov’s death cemented her iconic status in pop culture. But in life, she was the playful youngest sister, a girl who never asked for her tragic destiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a Russian peasant who achieved incredible influence over the Russian Royal Family… up until the day they were murdered. And when revolutionaries came after him, killing Grigori Rasputin appeared impossible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Born in 1874, Harry Houdini would go on to become one of the most famous magicians of all time—known best for defying death. So when he finally died in 1926, there were many who believed it was just another magic trick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1950s, James Dean starred in hits East of Eden, Giant, and Rebel Without a Cause. Surrounded by fast cars, cigarettes, and adoring girls, Dean became synonymous with teen rebellion. But did this devil-may-care image lead to his death at age 24, or was it just a tragic accident? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Best known for his starring role in Casablanca—the American Film Institute named Humphrey Bogart the greatest male star of classic American cinema. With a hard-boiled appearance and presence, Bogart turned Hollywood on its head until he succumbed to esophageal cancer in 1957 at the age of 57. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a larger-than-life character with a heart of gold. Throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, comedian John Candy rose to stardom in blockbusters such as Stripes, Splash, and Uncle Buck. His shocking 1994 death at age 43 would rattle Hollywood and fans across the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s something you’ll only hear on Spotify! Starting December 11th, Parcast is re-releasing 45 exclusive episodes from the critically-acclaimed series, Remarkable Lives, Tragic Deaths, as part of the new limited series Famous Fates. From Julius Caesar and John Candy to Joan of Arc and Marilyn Monroe—discover the stories of incredible people whose grandiose lives were matched only by their shocking demise. Every Wednesday, Famous Fates will unveil 5 binge-worthy episodes centering around a common theme from history. Subscribe to Famous Fates, free and only on Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices