POLL: Pick the Next Extra History Series! "Famous Figures"

 What? Another poll? Didn't we already have our vote last month???

We did! But because of some weirdness and gaps in the space time continuum, we've ended up running pretty tight turn arounds from the voting process, getting the results to Rob and Rob placing it in the writer's oven to bake properly. (That is how scripts are made, yes?)

So to give Rob enough lead time to write his scripts, we'll be changing the voting schedule to every month instead of every other month until we have a large enough lead time between our writing process and the series air date. That means you guys will have more opportunities to suggest and choose topics, so everyone wins!

So for this month, here are four famous figures you all suggested:

Peter the Great: Tsars Behaving Badly

In 1698 Peter the Great visited Britain, hoping to learn lessons that would help him modernize the Russian navy. Initially the toast of the town, he quickly wore out his welcome. Taking the helm of a British warship during a fleet review, he nearly crashed it. When fawning English hosts offered him their manor houses, he smashed the furniture and used their relatives' portraits for pistol practice. It was pure Peter—a man who modernized and industrialized his country while living a life of all-night benders we usually associate with rockstars. While Peter appeared in our Great Northern War series, this one will deal more with his domestic policies and shaping of modern Russia.

The Red Baron: Aces High

The most legendary fighter pilot in history, a man whose name became a shorthand for the greatest of air warriors, died at the age of 25 in a messy dogfight—while trying to save his cousin. In life, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was a consummate ace, with eighty air victories to his record. But this is not merely a tale of success in war and the development of areal tactics. Because as von Richthofen's fame grew, he became a tool of German propaganda—a fact which he chafed against, especially since it made him more of a target. Join us for tense dogfights, aviation technology, and the murky (and deadly) world of military celebrity.

Cleopatra VII Philopator: Queen of Conflict

One of the most famous women in world history—the Egyptian queen who killed herself with an asp—she's also one of the most misunderstood. Cleopatra was Greek, not Egyptian, her dynasty descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals. And it was poison rather than snakebite that took her life. What has not invented, however, was her intelligence and ruthlessness. Inheriting the throne jointly with her brother (whom she may have married) she embarked on an inter-family civil war only to tie her hopes to Caesar who was... also... in a civil war. Increasingly a kingmaker in Roman politics, she would later famously throw Egypt's weight behind Marc Antony. And we haven't even got to King Herod (yes, the one from the Bible). It's daggers in the desert and ancient politics galore.

Young Washington: Making a President

George Washington hailed from a wealthy family of Virginia land speculators... but he knew that to truly make his mark on the world, he would need to develop a reputation. That started with a job as a land surveyor, one that took advantage of the fact that though he lacked formal education, he was adept in mathematics and cartography. But his next chance at the advancement would end in blood—as a colonial militia officer, he blundered into a battle that started the French and Indian War, helped plan an operation that killed two-thirds of his men, and ended up being passed over for promotion in the regular British Army. It was that slight, as much as anything, that turned him against the crown. As he married and built a family—with no natural children, likely as a result of sterility—he entered revolutionary politics, grooming his reputation as a man who could lead. Yet when he took the reigns of the Continental Army, the results would be far messier than most textbooks portray. This series takes Washington from birth in Virginia to Revolutionary War general, exploring the formative events that shaped his character (and the myths he spun around himself).

What series would you like us to air on Extra History? Cast your vote(s) below and let us know! 

Friendly reminder: You can vote for as many choices as you want! This style of voting helps us see what people are most interested in without having to make tough decisions between a couple of close favorites. The poll will end at 11:59 PM PT on Thursday, May 21st.

Current Schedule:  The Pacific Islands --> Diocletian --> Your vote!