Out of the turmoil of Victorian London, seven men emerged from the shadows.

They each have the same target, the most famous woman in the world.

She threw herself into the arms of those in the carriage and was horribly frightened by this attack.

A Flintlock pistol has every chance of killing someone.

Whether she was a young bride or an elderly widow, Queen Victoria was a target.

But little is known about these would-be assassins and why they did it.

Listen to Killing Victoria.

Pushkin.

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, which only made it more shocking.

During morning rush hour on 20th March 1995, five men stepped onto five different trains on the Tokyo Metro.

Each of them had the same mission.

To draw up a couple of plastic bags wrapped in newspaper on the floor,

to puncture those bags with a specially sharpened umbrella,

and then to get off the train and make a getaway.

Each bag contained almost a pint of liquid siren,

a chemical developed by Nazi scientists in the 1940s.

Siren vapor can be breathed in or absorbed to the skin.

Even in small doses, it blocks the body's ability to control its muscles.

The symptoms of siren exposure are nausea and drooling,

followed by vomiting, twitching, and self-soiling as the bladder and bowels opened,

followed by death from asphyxiation.

Those who survive can suffer permanent nerve damage.

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