1,200 Streltsy executed
After the Streltsy mounted a second uprising in 1698, Peter the Great had over 1,200 guards brutally executed in Moscow.
Snapshot · Fin vs History
The Timeless Comedy of Baking Dwarves Into Pies | Peter The Great
Explore episode
Jul 27, 2026
Where this was said
Exposure Therapy
At 38:54 · chapter starts 34:48
The Dutch segment takes a darker turn when the hosts describe Peter's encounter with Western anatomy and body preservation — a new science that clearly blows his mind. His passion is so intense, sources claim he kisses a perfectly preserved dead infant's face. When any member of his entourage looks queasy, he orders them to take a bite of the corpse — framed as exposure therapy, but clearly also stag-do peer pressure. Fin connects this to a story from his schooldays about a boy who bit the head off a dead pigeon with no peer pressure at all, which everyone agrees is actually sadder. The seeds of Peter's future museum of preserved oddities — including a skeleton of a giant still on display — are planted here.
Kissing Dead Babies and Exposure Therapy
Peter the Great became so enthralled by Western science and anatomy that he reportedly kissed the face of a perfectly preserved dead infant. Any companions who looked squeamish were ordered to take a bite. He called it exposure therapy.
£3 million property damage in Deptford
Peter the Great's entourage caused approximately £3 million worth of property damage (in today's money) to the house in Deptford, England.
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