Top Secret Disasters

Our history is full of stories whose protagonists are not proud of them. The more powerful these protagonists are, the more deeply these stories are hidden. How is it that Chernobyl openly shows the consequences of the nuclear disaster to experts and tourists alike, while at Jaslovské Bohunice, another disaster means filming isn't even allowed in the information centre? How thoroughly was the story of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia turning into a terrorist organisation just before February 1948 swept under the rug? Where did the mysterious American parachutists who “brutally attacked” a military unit on Praha hill disappear to? How much did the Federal Minister of the Interior believe in the existence of Red Mercury and the philosopher's stone that he was willing to raid a military airfield for it? Why, in the 16th century, was being elected Bishop of Olomouc equivalent to a death sentence? How did the legendary London demon make its way to the streets of Jičín, and why did it steal underwear? A well-known Czech reporter seeks answers to these and other stories from our history.