Dark History - 142: The Dark History of The Guinness Family: Your Favorite Beer is CURSED!

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! In the US, we have The Kennedys, but here are so many other families in history that are just as rich and influential. Sometimes more. And over in Ireland… they have the Guinness family. Yes, that Guinness. The beer your ex boyfriend loved… a little too much. Also the people who somehow became responsible for those World Record books? But when I started to get into it… I was shocked. I mean I thought the Kennedy Curse was bad. This was *WAY* worse. This family has been a part of some of the biggest events in Ireland’s history, and they have some serious skeletons in the closet.  I appreciate you coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History.  Want some cool Bailey Merch? Shop Dark History Merch: https://www.baileysarian.com _______ You can find the Dark History podcast on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcasts, and every Thursday here on my YouTube for the visual side of things. Apple Podcast- https://www.apple.co/darkhistory Dark History Merch-  https://www.baileysarian.com _______ FOLLOW ME AROUND  Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: [e-mail]  Business Related Emails: [e-mail] Business Related Mail:  Bailey Sarian  4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300  Burbank, CA 91505 _______ We have a special deal for our audience: Get your first visit for only five dollars at https://www.Apostrophe.com/DARKHISTORY when you use our code: DARKHISTORY.  There’s more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit https://www.audible.com/DARK HISTORY  Shop the SKIMS Soft Lounge Collection at https://www.SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "podcast" in the survey and select my show in the dropdown menu that follows. Go to https://www.Hungryroot.com/DARKHISTORY, to get 40% off your first delivery and get your free veggies.

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See kraken.com slash legal slash ca dash pru dash disclaimer for info on Kraken's undertaking to register in Canada. You know, when you think about it, most of like what we know about the world is your history's most famous families. And like those families are usually involved in politics or royalty. There are so many other families in history

that get looked over because, you know, they don't seem as important, but they are just as rich and influential. I mean, in the U.S. we have the Kennedys, and over in Ireland, they have the Guinness family. Oh yes, that Guinness. The beer your ex-boyfriend loved. Maybe a little too much.

As I started to look into the family, I expected it to be, I don't know, kind of boring. I mean, they made beer. You know, they're worth like a billion dollars. It's like, oh, what else is there? But when I started to get into it, I was shocked. I mean, I thought the Kennedy family deaths were bad. This was way worse. This family has been a part of some of the biggest events in Ireland's history and they have some serious skeletons in the

closet. Skeleton like Paul. Plus they have a family curse that sounds like it's straight out of a Final Destination movie. So welcome to the dark history of the Guinness family. Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring. I mean, it might. I mean it might be tragic, it might be happy, but either way it's our dark history. Now before we get into it,

don't forget to like and subscribe because I come out with that hot juicy history goss every week. And plus let me know what you think down below in the comment section. I love hearing from you. And you know at the end I read some comments. Maybe I'll read yours. Now, let's get into today's story. So let's start with the founding father of Guinness. His name is Arthur Guinness. In 1725, he was born in a small Irish town called Selbridge, and he grew up in a working class family and started working basically as soon as he could walk.

He and his whole family worked at a place called Carbury Malt House. A malt house back then is where like beer was made. The family worked for a local wealthy landowner and bishop and I guess they were pretty good at their job because once the landowner died he left 100 pounds each for both Arthur and his father. Now this equaled about like four years of wages at the time and you know it was a life-changing move.

I mean again it's the 1700s so 100 pounds was a lot of money. Like in today's dollars it would be kind of like 34,000 dollars. I mean great right? I mean most people were screwed over when their boss died. You know they had to go find work on another property, but the Guinness family basically got a fresh start in life and it was at the perfect time too.

So during this time Ireland was going through a serious financial crisis in the mid 1700s. The everyday person had very little money and the money they did have was used to feed their family. This meant there were tons of expensive buildings that were just kind of dirt cheap and ready to be scooped up. Arthur Guinness and his brother

used that money that they got to buy a brewery near Dublin. And they wanted to take a stab at the beer industry. Breweries in Dublin were kind of struggling because of imported beer from Britain, but Arthur believed he had a chance at standing out. He knew how to brew it himself. I mean, working in the beer industry

was practically like in his DNA. So he took a chance and he started that brewery and then it paid off. I guess right away it made a lot of profit. The taste was unique and people loved that they were drinking Irish beer and not English beer. So Arthur used the profits to make a bunch of other investments in real estate, flour milling and also insurance. And then in 1759, again Arthur takes advantage of the fact that he's got, you know, money in

his pocket and they're in the middle of like a huge financial crisis. So he leases a property called St. James Gate and he uses that as the main Guinness brewery. So when you think about like signing a lease today, it's usually like a year or two, right? But Arthur he wanted this lease to be the deal of a lifetime. So he signs a lease for 9,000 years and he'll only have to pay 45 pounds or $57 a year for it. So it's safe to say that Arthur was interested in building a dynasty from the very beginning.

It kind of reminds me of like Scientology. You know, you have to sign like a billion year contract. It's kind of what he did, but like 9,000 years. Same thing. That's not the point. The point is his personal life. It was kind of what he did, but like 9,000 years, same thing. That's not the point. The point is his personal life, it was kind of tragic. Like the rest of his life was like up and up and then his personal life, whoo, bad, just real bad.

So Arthur, he married a rich woman and her name was Olivia Whitmore. And Olivia was said to be like the backbone of the whole Guinness enterprise. She had connections to the Irish government, which was like a big plus for the family businesses. Other than that, not a lot is really known about her. But what we do know is that Arthur and Olivia had buckle in 21 children. That's a lot. I don't know if you know this, but that's a lot.

I don't know if you know this, but that is a lot, huh? Can you imagine pushing out 21? Tragically, 11 of them died before adulthood. I mean, this was the 18th century, so it's normal, which is sad to say, but it was kind of normal for like kids to be dying left and right. And then on the professional side of things, Arthur was very successful, but he was also

very messy when it came to politics. Because Guinness was such a big part of Irish society, Arthur became like an important figure in local politics. One of his big political moves was to petition the Irish House of Commons to lower its tax on beer. And I'm sure you can put two and two together. Like, of course he wants that. I mean, he's gonna get more money in his pocket. But the controversial part is his reasoning as to why. He believed that it's important for the government

to lower the taxes because there was a war being waged on the Irish people through liquor. Yeah, specifically gin and whiskey. So the British had introduced liquor to the Irish people. People got hooked on it and they're like, this is a lot of shit. The people who liked it the most were like the lower working class in Ireland.

The alcohol strength was higher and the quality was lower. At this time there was over like a thousand whiskey distilleries alone so entire towns of people were becoming addicted to this stuff. It was just a totally different situation from beer. I mean have you ever gotten drunk off of whiskey? It's a different kind of drunk than like beer drunk. You know summer is here and we're all ready to look and feel confident inside and out. One of the biggest things that's had to help boost your confidence is taking care of your skin, you know? That's why I'm always excited to partner with Apostrophe, the sponsor of this episode. Apostrophe's goal is to help you feel confident in your own skin so whether you're

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To get started, just go to apostrophe.com slash dark history and click get started. Then use our code dark history at signup and you'll get your first visit for only $5. A big thank you to Apostrophe for sponsoring today's episode. Now let's get back to the story. sign up and you'll get your first visit for only $5. A big thank you to Apostrophe for sponsoring today's episode. Now let's get back to the story. Arthur argued that by lowering the tax on beer, the government wouldn't just be helping

his company, it would be helping society. Fair. I mean, he was convincing because the government was like, yeah, okay. By arguing against the djinn in society, it was almost like an act of resistance against the British. So this was important because at this time in the 1700s, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. So it was under their royal government rule. But Ireland believed if they stayed under this rule, their culture and history would be erased. And there

was this fear that Ireland would be turned into another version of England. Most people in Ireland wanted their own country, you know, doing their own thing and not under control of the British. But Arthur, he was on his his own little path, you know, he's just building an empire. He knew he would never be able to grow his business beyond Ireland if he was anti UK. Okay, so he didn't want to come off as anti UK, but you know, he also wanted to keep his Irish customers. So he's trying to play both sides.

So there was this thing called the Irish rebellion in 1798 and allegedly Arthur spied on his fellow Irishman and then pass that information to British authorities. Allegedly. There were many other rumors surrounding Arthur and his like allegiance to the Irish people throughout his life, but it doesn't matter because despite all that, Arthur Guinness is really seen

as like an Irish icon. He did good. I mean, he was known for creating good working conditions and giving generous benefits for his workers all the way from like day one. So that's great. Don't hear about that that often, you know? Arthur, he died in 1803 at the age of 78 and he died leaving an incredible legacy. And I guess you could say in a way he definitely accomplished his dream. He left his family a profitable Guinness dynasty. Now the family, all they had to do

was take it to the next level and make sure that no matter what, the Guinness family or Guinness just like stayed on top. And the ways that they achieved that were shocking. that they achieved that were shocking. In 1839, Arthur's grandson, Benjamin Guinness, he stepped in and like took over the company. Benjamin was ambitious to say the least. He wanted to grow his family's company,

not only in Ireland, but he was thinking like internationally as well, you know? It's like thinking big, especially England, despite the tensions between the two countries. And after some smart business investments, Benjamin was able to do that. He actually made more money than his grandfather, but you know, he did it in like a really suspish way.

So kind of like his grandfather, Benjamin had some, you know, questionable politics. One of the reasons the Guinness family like popped off was because under his rule, there was like a tragedy happening in Ireland and he kind of like benefited from it. So in 1845, Ireland was struck by the potato famine. So there was a disease that infected potato crops

and it was like killing them all over the country. Those potatoes were what most of Ireland depended on for food. So at the same time as its population was starving, Ireland was still expected to ship large portions of its food to England. And if you weren't able to produce enough crops to sell, you and your family were kicked out of your home

and like left to just starve on the street. So it was not a great time. Most of Ireland was starving and living in poverty. Over 1 million people would end up dying of starvation over the course of this famine. And it was one of like the worst periods in Irish history. But if you were in the Guinness family, it was the opposite. They're like, this is the best time in history.

You know, the Guinness family, they had to grow crops just like everyone else. The main ingredient of their famous beer is barley or was barley, which is a plant that's similar to wheat. And the family had tons of barley crops in Ireland. You would think that they would help like the people out, you know, their people by giving out free beer or something, right? Like free beer for all.

Or maybe they would give out like some crops to survive. I don't know. You think they would just like help the people. But of course not, you know? You know what they did instead? So the landowners in charge of those fields hired armed guards to protect their precious barley. And then they made sure that this barley was shipped to England. So they were like prioritizing England

over their own people. And this crop brought in a ton of money for them. The family used this money to buy up cheap land and estates all over Ireland. So while most people were struggling to survive, they were thriving. Now the Guinness family wasn't like, they weren't crappy all of the time. In fact, in Irish society, one of the things that they are most famous for is financing the restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral. This was a big deal to them because like this place of worship was a huge symbol to the Irish people.

So it just really meant a lot. And they also threw the beloved Irish symbol of the arts onto their beer logo as well. It's the harp. Joan has a harp here. Play us a song, Joan, I'll wait. Good, that was great. I love that.

In 1868, Benjamin died at the age of 69. At the time, he was like the richest man in Ireland. So in just a few decades, the Guinness Brewery went from like a just a good old family business to this huge empire. By 1900, they were the biggest brewery in the world. Brewery is a hard word, isn't it? But look, you couldn't go into a bar without seeing their beer, it was everywhere, right? And it's like, you know, it's not all success and wealth. There was a dark side to all of this. In the next few decades, the Guiness family sees one tragedy over another. I'm talking like car accidents, overdoses, murder, freak accidents. Like those are just a few.

There was like this dark curse that seemed to be forming around this successful family and these I just have a few of the stories for you. What's that Joan? What? You want to know what I'm listening to? Oh my god let me tell you. Right now I'm listening to Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential. It's kind of old, but look I'm in my Anthony Bourdain era,

okay? I don't know what it is, but I'm into it and I can like see why people really like them. You should give it a listen too. Maybe. Okay, I mean look Audible has like the best selection of audiobooks without exception, along with popular podcasts and exclusive Audible originals all in one easy app. You can even find old stuff. You can find the genres you love and discover new ones. You can explore bestsellers, new releases, plus thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and originals that members can listen to all they want with more added all the time. It's never-ending. I love Audible because I can enjoy it while I'm

doing other things like chores, exercising, commuting, I don't know, you name it. Audible makes it easy to be inspired and entertained as part of your everyday routine without needing to like set aside extra time. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30 day Audible trial and your first audio book is free. Just visit audible.com slash dark history. By the 1920s, the Guinness family was pretty established. Like they didn't really have to fight for power or relevance.

I mean, at this point, like Guinness was one of the top beer brands in the world you know and the Guinness family was just living rich you know just enjoying all the benefits of being rich especially Maureen Guinness. Maureen was just part of the Guinness family okay got it good. So Maureen was just part of the Guinness family, okay? Got it? Good. So Maureen and her sisters were known as the Golden Guinness Girls. And you know, they're wealthy. So they grew up in like this massive mansion with money to burn. I mean, they were coming of age during the roaring 20s,

which was like a great time to be alive, I guess. The Golden Guinness Girls eventually moved to London and were just taking part in the wild nightlife. So at this time, like if you were young, wealthy, and you were part of like the partying elite, you were known as like the bright young things. Kind of creepy in a way. But like they became like celebrities because they were constantly being chased by photographers. So the golden genus girls were part of this, I guess, and became partying legends in London.

So Maureen in particular was like known as a social climbing party animal. She would host parties that were like super over the top and she loved to play practical jokes on her guests. And like, it sounds funny and cute, but it's like not because like the jokes were just weird. You know? For example, let me tell you.

One of her jokes was like to dress up as a drunk servant and you know, with like an Irish accent. So she would dress up like this and she would join the parties in this disguise. And I don't know, just be like sloppy or whatever. And then she would serve her guests wine and glasses with that had holes in them. So it would spill. And then she would serve like fake cheese.

I guess. I don't know. I guess that's like innocent right? It's not that bad. I think. I think one of the weirdest ones was like, she liked wearing a fake penis as a nose. Yeah, kind of like a chin strap, but on her nose. Face strap, were those called?

Anyway, the guests, I guess they loved her. They loved her jokes. They thought she was so funny. Ha ha ha ha ha. She was notorious for like throwing these ragers and I guess her love life was quite complicated. Oh she's a party girl you know you like you can't she's like I'm a free spirit you can't tie me down ah. She ended up getting married like three different times and she had four children that were all like from her first

husband. I guess her first husband was killed in World War II. So it left her with the responsibility of like raising these kids, but she's a party girl. So she's like, I don't know what to do. So according to her daughter, Caroline, Maureen did not have much of like a maternal instinct. The only thing Maureen would talk about was like her glory years on the London party circuit.

Her daughter Caroline would say like her childhood was not a happy one. Maureen didn't want to like stop partying and going out. So Caroline and her siblings were usually left to be raised with a nanny. Well, I guess no one was doing background checks on these nannies, you know, so uh oh. And according to Caroline, while their mom was out doing whatever she was doing background checks on these nannies, you know, so uh oh. And according to Caroline, while their mom was out

doing whatever she was doing, their nanny would just like not feed them and starve them. I guess to the point where like the kids would hop on their bikes and just ride around their massive estate begging people for food. So when Caroline got older, you know, she was beautiful, she was rich, and she even became a famous novelist at one point.

She was a girl that I guess everyone wanted to get with. But Caroline didn't care about getting the right husband. She was going through that stage where she wanted the bad boys and the sensitive artists. She was like, but Danny, I love him. Eventually, she stopped asking for permission and ended up running away from her home to get married to her hot lover, Lucien Freud. Maureen was not happy about this, of course.

So just like Caroline, Lucien came from like a famous family. His grandfather was Sigmund Freud. Oh yeah, small world, huh? The inventor of psychoanalysis. You know, the one who came up with the theory that most men have mommy issues. Yeah, you don't know that? Well, yeah.

So his grandson Lucian wasn't in the psychology business, but he was a painter. And I guess the two of them, Caroline and Lucian, were one of the most popular couples in society, and they were friends with everyone. But like most relationships started out of them, Caroline and Lucien, were like one of the most popular couples in society and they were friends with everyone. But like most relationships started out of rebellion, Caroline and Lucien's marriage would not last. She would go on to be in like multiple relationships including um like a Hollywood screenwriter. I don't know. I feel like with rich people like this is just my observation. I don't know anything but like they Never really are loyal to their partners

Right when the years 1977 rolls around Caroline would Experience multiple tragedies like all at once so Caroline like married a new guy. His name was Robert Lowe. Well, it doesn't matter We introduced him and now he's dead because he died of a heart attack So Caroline married a new guy, his name was Robert Lowell. Well, it doesn't matter. We introduced him and now he's dead because he died of a heart attack. Yeah, so she's like, shit. Now there was this rumor going around

that he died clutching a portrait of Caroline, which was painted by Caroline's ex-husband, Lucian Freud. Yeah, I don't know, but okay. I guess Caroline was like, well yeah, Caroline was devastated about this because it was her husband Bailey, like have a heart. But I'm like, I guess she was devastated. But she was, she was devastated.

And then the following year, tragedy strikes for the Guinness family once again. Normally when I'm at home working, or it's just like one of those days where I have to run errands, I just kind of like throw on whatever I touch first. Like roll out of bed. Whatever I touch first I put on, you know? And like honestly a lot of times I just kind of look like I rolled out of bed. Maybe because I did. And none of my pieces match. I'm a mess in real life is what

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and select my show in the drop-down menu that follows. Dark history. Select that. It lets them know. In 1978, Caroline, she had a daughter, right? Her daughter's name was Atalia and she was 18 years old just living her life being a rich Guiness heiress. She was kind of like her grandma. She liked to party. She was a party girl. She liked to go out. She likes to have fun. And you know, she just had endless money. So what are they going to do? They do everything. And like she definitely got sucked into the world of drinking drugs, partying, right? At some point, Natalia started to like dabble with heroin.

Yeah, not great. So I guess one night Natalia was in her bathroom and she was like preparing the heroin she was about to inject herself with. Now it's unclear, but like, I guess she lost her footing or something, but as she was injecting herself, she fell head first into a bathtub filled with water.

And then she ended up passing away. And then that same year, like again, some tragedy would strike. This time it was Natalia's cousin, a woman named Lady Henrietta Guinness. So I guess Lady Henrietta was dating this guy named Michael Beebe. I love that last name, Beebe.

Okay, sorry. But he was like a popular socialite. Okay, so they're dating at the time, the two are cute. They're together, great last name, BB. So they were going on a drive in Michael's red Aston Martin around the French Riviera. Wow, what a life. So they're driving and you know, oops,

they get into a really bad car accident and it leaves Lady Henrietta severely injured. So she gets like really hurt and she would survive the crash, but she would say like the injuries from the crash would plague her for the rest of her life and she never fully recovered from it. Years go by and Lady Henrietta,

she moves to Italy where she got married and she had this, you know, quote unquote, picture perfect life. She could have anything she wanted. It was beautiful. It's like that Britney Spears song. She's so lucky. She's a star but she cried cried cried something something something you know. She was living that but for reals though because she struggled with depression for years and then in 1978 at just 35 years old Lady Henrietta succumbed to that depression. She ended up taking her own life

by jumping off a bridge in Italy. That's so sad. She was once quoted saying, "'If I had been poor, I would have been happy.'" Okay, you know, low-key kind of eye roll. You know, it's like, all right. I'm sure if you tell that to someone who doesn't have money, they're gonna be like, shut the fuck up. But like, all right, I'm sure if you tell that to someone who doesn't have money, they're going to be like, shut the fuck up.

But okay, either way, like all of that trauma led Caroline Guinness to embrace the darkness and her drinking became more and more of a problem. You know, she used alcohol to cope with her feelings for years. And after multiple personal tragedies, she started to like lose control. So Caroline was like in and out of her kids lives, just like her mom Maureen did to her. And she was also said to have like let herself go. She was like neglecting her appearance and even her hygiene. Caroline was like suddenly known as being dirty and smelly, completely different from her reputation as like this beautiful young it girl.

She was also known for her wild behavior in public, which led to her being blacklisted from several hotels and cut off from most of her friend groups. In 1996, Caroline died at the age of 65, but she wouldn't be the last person to experience the Guinness curse. Nay nay. You know meal planning and grocery shopping used to feel like such a chore. Between work and like everything else,

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Don't forget to use our link so they know we sent you. Just a few years later, something bizarre happened to the Guiness family. On October 30th, 1998, the niece to the heir of the Guiness fortune, a woman named Rose Nugent, was in England celebrating her mom's birthday. I guess Rose wanted to do something

special for her mom's celebration. She's like, what should I do? I don't know. It was said that she was like very skilled when it came to riding horses and it was like her passion in life. She was a horse girl. She offered to drive guests to her mother's birthday in a horse-drawn caravan, which is like, it's like a horse carriage which is nicer I know it's the 90s like when you hear it the horse drawn caravan you're I'm thinking like oh must be the 1800s no this isn't the 90s so you know rich people huh so that afternoon she was like driving the caravan along a peaceful countryside road on her way to

like pick people up and with her she actually had her dog he's in the little caravan too so multiple people from town recall seeing her riding the caravan and she was like waving at them and letting them pass normal shit but then I guess something spooked Rose's horse and you know when it's when it gets spooked Rose's horse. And you know, when it gets spooked, it just like took off galloping full speed down a hill. The horse just went like crazy and Rose tried to stay calm as she was like grabbing the reins, you know?

But the horse was too freaked out and headed straight for a bend in the road. Whoa. So Rose like lost control of the horse and she was thrown from the caravan. So she was just thrown out there and then the caravan actually runs her over and she's crushed to death. What the f- on her mom's birthday? So it took seven men to like pick up the caravan and like pull her body from it. She's just- oof. Her death completely shocked the town, especially like since Rose was- she was so experienced with horses. Her death was just kind of considered

a freak accident and the media was all over it. They were publishing headlines like, never ending curse of the Guinness dynasty! In all caps, like yelling at you and you're like, okay. And then people wondered like, when the hell this curse was gonna end or was it gonna end? Most of the Guinness family deaths at this point were tied to their partying, their wealth, and even their influence that the family gained over generations.

John Henry Guinness, the next victim of this family curse. On April 8th, 1986, John Henry Guiness arrived home to find his wife, Jennifer, and one of his daughters tied up by masked men. Jennifer had been pistol-whipped and, you know, terrified for her life. So when John enters, he was like immediately tied up by the men.

And apparently another business associate of his showed up at the house. So the gunmen, they tied him up too. So the gunmen then kidnapped Jennifer and told John that they would return her after he paid the ransom, which was two million pounds. So after they left, the police were, they were called, and they got to work attempting to find Jennifer and these men who kidnapped her. So while Jennifer was being held captive, she pleaded with the kidnappers over and over again,

telling them her husband was not in the direct line to inherit the Guinness fortune. She told them there's no way he could pay the millions of dollars in ransom, so she's like, you got the wrong person. I mean, who knows if that was true, but she was trying. She has a Guinness last name,

like the captors didn't listen to Jennifer and they kept her in captivity for eight days. So she was finally found after a neighbor recognized Jennifer when she was being taken into a home by her captors. So the story of the kidnapping was like all over the news. And when the police showed up to free Jennifer, it turned into like an all night hostage situation. Eventually they were able to get Jennifer out

and they got her kidnappers and they were convicted. So you're probably thinking like, is it really a curse if Jennifer survived in the end? Well, only two years after the kidnapping, John Henry Guiness was with Jennifer and their children on a walk in Northern Wales. And John apparently like lost his footing and he like fell 3000 feet off of Mount Snowden.

And after surviving her kidnapping, Jennifer and her children watched John like tragically fall to his death. Jeez. So it's like, hey, I mean, what's going on with the Guinness family today? I mean, are they still cursed? So one of the current faces of the Guinness family

is Daphne Guinness. She's known as an icon of the fashion and beauty industry. But I guess her childhood was filled with the same darkness as many of her family members. When she was five years old, Daphne was taken hostage by a family friend named Tony. Tony was at Daphne's home looking for his own mother, who was friends with Daphne's mother.

Both of the moms were together out to lunch that day. So Tony, he wasn't like a family friend, so they didn't really think much of like letting him inside the house and like roam around. But as soon as Tony saw Daphne, he pulled out a knife and like held it to her throat. Tony was 25 at the time, so he could physically overpower Daphne.

He began walking through the house saying he wanted to kill all the women. And the family's housekeeper, I guess they jumped in and like tried to save her. And I guess it works because Tony eventually left the house and he actually ended up killing his own mother the next day. I don't know.

I guess you could say Daphne was just like another victim of the Guinness family curse, but maybe she was the one that actually broke it. Even though her family's wealth is what put her in danger, it was kind of like the thing that actually saved her too. So Daphne became like a major player in the world of London fashion. She was good friends with Alexander McQueen.

She worked as a Gucci consultant and created her own makeup lines with NARS and MAC. Plus she's done like a lot of charity work throughout the UK. And she once said quote, life is a comedy and tragedy in equal parts and the main thing is to try to pick yourself up and to create something that's worthwhile out of it. I know I was trying to do like the math on how many Guinness family members and friends died under this quote-unquote curse. Look after 12 you stop counting and that's like just the family.

It's not counting other people in like their inner circles. It's really freaky. But throughout their like history, the Guinness family has been known for more than just their tragedies or political influence or even beer. From the days of Arthur Guinness, they have always been charitable. I mean, we know that they gave back to Ireland when they helped with the reconstruction of St. Patrick's Cathedral,

but they also funded a medical research institute at Trinity College. And on top of that, family members from every generation have also donated to hospitals, universities, and so much more. And they've even made it like a point to take a stand when it comes to equal rights. In 2014, Guinness even pulled out of financially supporting the New York City-St. Patrick's Day

Parade, but they did so because they want to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA plus community. Apparently the parade banned any Pride organizations from like participating in the parade. Lame. Guinness like made a point to publicly stop or drop its funding. And then surprise, surprise, the following year, the parade changed its mind when Guinness started funding it again.

So yeah, it seems like they're doing their part. A lot of people today just kind of like talk about the Guinness family curse. I mean, I just did, hi. It kind of just feels like a made up story that you'd hear about in like, some kind of like, I don't know, scary book or something, or a B movie.

But with as much power and influence as this family has had for centuries, maybe it isn't surprising that they've dealt with like, this much crap. I mean, who knows how any of us would act if we got the same kind of privilege and access to the party scene like this family has. I don't know. Thanks for listening and next time you have a pint of Guinness, just remember you might be cursed too. Just kidding. Oh my gosh you guys, you know what?

I can't believe I'm saying this but we've reached the end of season three. Oops sorry Joan. Snaps. Isn't that nuts? We learned a lot this season. So you know what that means. Dig up your good bra, find a cute little black dress, pop the champagne, and join me next week for the dark history award show of the season. The Jonies! It's gonna be fun. I like the Jonies. So come back. I'm gonna see you guys there. It's gonna be fun. I like the Jonies. So come back. I'm gonna see you guys there. It's gonna be fun.

We're gonna give out some awards and we're gonna learn stuff, huh? Yeah. What are you gonna wear? Do you know what you're gonna wear yet? I don't know what I'm gonna wear. Anyways, thank you for hanging out with me today. You can actually join me over on my YouTube

where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can catch my murder mystery makeup on Mondays. And don't forget to subscribe because I'm here for you weekly with new content. I love to hear your guys' reactions to today's stories, so make sure to leave a comment below

so I can see what you guys are saying. And your comment might even be featured in a future episode. Now let's read a couple of comments you guys left me. Woo! Wallary Jade left me. Woo! Valerie Jade left me a comment. First of all, don't change a thing. But I want to tell you, I homeschool my kiddo

and we watch your dark history series as a part of our social studies. My son even knows when I click on YouTube, it's Bailey Sarian. Thank you for all you do. Aw, that's really sweet. Should I be teaching your kid though? I mean I think it's great like we do a lot of hard work here over at Dark History you know and we like come with the

facts you know and we're learning true history that we didn't learn in high school or school in general. So I think that's good right?? But I appreciate you, you know? Which episodes have you shown them? Let me know. NaomiH7954 had a reading suggestion for me. Bailey, have you read A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift? It's very you. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a read. I have not read it. But I'm always looking for good reading suggestions, so I will look into this and see what it's about. Clenzy Frim left us an episode suggestion saying, Bailey, you should discuss the dark

history of the Amish community. I think you'd find it super interesting. Smiley face. Clenzy, let me tell you, I go down rabbit holes all the time about the Amish community. Do you watch that show on TLC? It's like Amish something. It's about the Amish people who like left and like they're trying to go back and they're all... it's messy and I kind of can't stop watching it. But I also watch a lot of YouTube videos about people who left the Amish community. It's nuts, right?

We should do an episode on it. I think that's a good idea. Okay, thank you. I appreciate you guys so much for watching and for engaging. Keep on commenting because maybe you'll be featured or maybe you won't, I'm not sure. And hey, if you don't know,

Dark History is an audio boom original. A special thank you to our expert, Dr. Edward Burke, author of The Guinness Story, The Family, The Business, and The Black Stuff. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day, you make good choices, and I'll be talking to you next week. Goodbye.

Bye!