Hey mom, what's that new discovery about the Titanic?
Hey dad, what's going on in the Middle East?
Ugh.
If that is the sound of your internal panic alarm, grown-ups, I get it.
We want our kids to be curious and smart, but explaining global news events at dinner?
That is a tall order.
And that's why you need The Week Junior.
We'll see you next time.
The Week Junior doesn't just tell your kids what happened.
It encourages them to develop their own points of view, turning them into little dinner table experts.
See for yourself.
Just visit theweekjunior.com slash smart kid to sign up and try six issues risk free.
That's theweekjunior.com slash smart kid.
Hey, it's me, the secret host from the secret podcast you are currently listening to.
Today's adventure is a mystery over 100 years in the making.
It's all about royalty and secret imposters.
So put on your thinking crown and let's get to the bottom of it.
I'm Carly Q and this is Who, When, Wow Mystery Edition.
Our past is vast and wild.
Many things have brought us to this day, been compiled, some important details have slipped away in our spectacular shared existence and feeling better.
Hey, Carly, your hair looks amazing today.
Ooh, thank you, Carol.
Day one curls.
Carly Q, I just love that shirt.
Your style is so cool and neat.
What?
Thank you, Linda.
Hmm, compliments.
I feel great.
Nothing could ruin my mood today.
Unfortunately, my mood hit a bit of a snag when I got down to the basement.
Carly Q Louis Q Louis was waiting for me at my desk and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was pretty excited about something.
Which was never good news, because what's exciting to Louis is not necessarily what's exciting to me.
The Butthead Employee Newsletter wants to do a profile on us.
Us?
As in you and me?
I got added to the newsletter subcommittee last month.
They asked for some ideas on who to profile.
I suggested...
Me.
They said that was a little weird.
I said, no, it wasn't.
They said, yes, it was.
I was like, nope.
So then, I suggested you two.
Like, the both of us time-traveling compadres.
Wow, fun.
Wait, we're not going to talk about using the time elevator, though.
Or my secret podcast.
Of course not.
What podcast?
There's no podcast.
I've never even heard a podcast.
Wink.
Wink, nudge, nudge.
That's what I like to hear.
Or not hear.
Just make sure you don't mention anything about pie.
Okay?
The rest of the newsletter is all about healthy eating.
Oh, and maybe straighten your hair before the photo shoot.
Wait, what?
Oh, and definitely don't mention anything about Nibbles.
Nobody needs to know that your best friend is a disgusting ro- Oh, you're amazing.
Hi, Nibbles.
Didn't see you there.
Awkward.
I agree with Nibbles.
This whole thing seems weird.
I mean, change my hair and not talk about pie?
What else is there to even talk about?
But before Lewis could answer-
Something new came down the vacuum tube.
A new time seal file!
Play it!
Play it!
Event.
February 6th, 1920.
Russian Throne.
New York City.
New York City?
Russian Throne?
What is that?
Some trendy new caviar bar in Park Slope?
Let's see.
I pulled out my digital assistant device, H-Dad, and entered in the keywords from the event.
February 6th, 1928, Russian throne, New York City.
This file most likely refers to Anna Anderson, a woman who claimed to be Princess Anastasia Romanov, the heir to the Russian throne.
Russian nesting doll emoji, crown emoji.
Whoa!
On this date, her ship arrived in New York City and she held a press conference to announce herself.
Wait, claimed to be the heir?
Who was she really?
Maybe a distant relative with a score to settle?
Or an imposter who likes caviar and Russian stuff?
Or an alien body snatcher?
Or maybe it was actually her.
I know what you're going to say, H-Dad, but any chance you've got more... H-Dad to the rescue.
Analyzing.
Typical.
Analyze.
In case you hadn't guessed, Carly Q, I'm coming along on this one.
Always wanted to meet royalty.
Or fake royalty.
See you at lunchtime!
While H-Dad analyzed away, Lewis and I split up to get some work done.
And a few hours later... Attention, butthead employees.
Get out your yams and stretch those gams.
It's time for a calories and calisthenics... Lunchtime!
Okay!
Come on, you too, Nibbles.
Of course.
And with that, we took off for the elevator.
Lewis, what was that?
I'm doing voiceover training.
Okay, cool.
Hi, Odie.
Hello, basement companion.
Oh, Lewis is back.
I never left.
Uh-huh.
Another mystery today?
Yes, indeed.
This one is all about the missing Russian Princess Anastasia.
Ah, a classic mystery.
It all goes back to the Russian Revolution of 1917, when the Tsar and his family were all killed.
Tsar?
That's like a king, right?
Pretty much.
But there were rumors that one of his daughters, Princess Anastasia, somehow survived.
And if true, she would have been said to inherit the sizable fortune left behind by the Romanovs.
So who's this woman mentioned in the file, Anna Anderson?
Isn't that the question?
All I know is she was one of a number of women who claimed to be Anastasia, most of whom turned out to be imposters.
Oh, I've had imposters of my own before.
Why would anyone pretend to be you?
Uh, because who...
Wouldn't want to be me.
Right.
Well, let's review the time travel rules.
No changing the past.
No staying past lunchtime.
And the elevator's time cloak function will make our clothing more appropriate for the location.
Hashtag fashion.
That's exactly right.
Then let's get out of here, yeah?
Yes, but just remember, always stay true to the you-know-who.
The who and what now?
Wait.
Okay, here you go.
Why am I so over-surprised?
This ship is huge.
We were standing on the deck of a giant ocean liner with three huge smokestacks.
Ah, it is good to be home.
No smell in the world compares to the stench of New York City, baby.
Whoa, look at our clothes.
A bespoke suit and tie for each of us.
We look so good.
OK, not to rush your fashion show, I think something's happening.
Yes.
Hello, thank you.
Sure enough, on the other side of the ship, there were a bunch of reporters gathered around a stage, and it looked like something was just about to get started.
Let's get closer so we can hear.
We walked over right as a young woman stepped up to the microphone.
Hello, and thank you for the warm American welcome.
I am here now only because of the terrible tragedy that happened to my family ten years ago during the revolution.
But I was lucky enough to survive the tragedy, and then escape with the help of a friendly soldier.
Miss Anderson?
Miss Anderson!
Uh, yes.
You?
Gil Tager, the Washington Post.
What brings you to America?
During the attack on my family, I suffered an injury to my jaw.
I have come here for surgery to have it reset.
Miss Anderson!
Miss Anderson!
Yes, in the back.
Can you prove you are who you say you are?
Of course I can.
Louis and I pushed our way through the reporters raising our hands, but Louis got her attention first.
Right, okay.
Yes, you.
Young man.
Louis Marlowe.
From the, uh, perfectly tailored times.
How did you survive when the rest of your family didn't?
I believe I truly just got lucky.
Though I did not get out unscathed.
In addition to my jaw, I sustained other injuries.
I have many scars to prove it.
Can we see the scars?
Can we see the proof?
Unfortunately, that is all the time I have today, but thank you.
Where is she going?
I have more questions!
Two men escorted Anna off the stage, taking her over to the gangway to exit the ship.
We need to find out more info before she leaves for her surgery.
There's another way off the ship.
We followed Nibbles to another gangway and as we did H-Dad, can you find me some basic facts about Anastasia's life?
Why?
So we can quiz her to see if she's the real deal.
H-Dad gearing up for an Anastasia info dump.
Talking peacefully.
We raced down the gangway as H-Dad gave us some hints on the princess.
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, born 1901 in St.
Petersburg, Russia.
As a child, she and her sister were frequently referred to as princesses.
Come on, Nibbles.
There she is.
A few minutes later, we arrived on the dock next to the ship.
Let's go talk to her.
And a few paces away, we could see Anna waiting for her car.
Okay, let's see if this is really her.
Wait, Nibbles, where are you going?
To snoop around while you two question her.
This is New York City, baby.
Even in 1928, I know my town.
Booyah!
Okay, good luck.
Nibbles raced off as Lewis and I approached Anna.
My plan was to grill her with all the facts H-Dad had given me.
Hello there.
We're sorry to bother you, but... Reporter man, I told you all, no more questions.
Right, okay, but... But you, young lady, you are with the jaw surgeons, no?
You must be with that handsome suit you're in.
Yes.
Yes, I am.
I am a jaw surgeon.
And I am here to ask you a few questions before the surgery.
Go right ahead.
I'm told you speak English, Russian, and French, correct?
Oui.
Do you speak French?
I thought I did, but I'm realizing I only know how to ask for dessert.
Okay, forget the languages.
How about this?
Who are you named after?
Fourth Century Martyr Saint Anastasia.
Correct.
And what did your family call you and your sister Maria?
The Little Pear.
Also correct.
What did you do at the St.
Petersburg Opera House that got you in trouble?
Ate candies without taking off my white gloves.
May I ask, why is a jaw surgeon asking such personal questions?
Oh, it's just standard operating procedure for standard jaw procedures.
You are smooth as silk.
Are you sure you are with the jaw surgeons?
Yes.
Look at my suit.
And actually, we got to go.
Thank you, Anna.
I mean, Anastasia.
Whoever you are.
All right, come on.
We raced away before she could get any more suspicious.
Phew, close one.
Tell me about it.
Don't you feel like we're always running?
And immediately ran right back into Nibbles.
Oh, hope you two had as much luck as I did.
You're not going to believe what I found.
What?
See that guy over there in the bowler hat?
His name is Martin Knopft.
He's a private investigator following Anna.
No way.
He was hired by the Grand Duke of Hiss, Anastasia's uncle.
They must think Anna's lying.
Then let's go have a talk with him.
Nibbles hid underneath my suit jacket as we walked over, while I put on my best private detective accent.
Oh, hey there, fella.
We hear you're following the Russian princess gal.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah, because we are following her, too.
Is that right?
Yeah, it's right.
It is right, and don't you forget it.
Voice-over classes.
My partner and I here, we're having a little bet, see?
He thinks there's no way you could have learned more about her than we have, but I'm not so sure.
Well, what do you know?
What do you know?
I know that Anna is actually a Polish-German factory worker named Franziska Schanzkowska.
Wait, really?
I mean, yeah, we know that too.
What else do you know?
I know that Franziska went missing in 1920 and was later pulled out of a canal in Berlin.
She refused to tell anyone her identity and so was committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Whoa.
Great, yeah, we know all that too.
I know that she had a history of mental instability and that the scarring on her body was from a factory explosion in 1916.
So that's what happened to her jaw!
I mean...
And I know that after two years at the asylum she suddenly announced she was Anastasia and has been bouncing around Europe ever since.
Well, that is a lot.
Here's what I want to know.
Does Francisca know she's lying, or does she actually sincerely believe she's Anastasia?
Hard to tell.
She may have gotten a head injury from that factory blast.
All right, so what do you two know?
Oh, uh, you know, pretty much all of that, more or less.
Oh, come on.
You scratch my back, I scratch yours, right?
You know, actually, speaking of, we have an appointment at... The Back Scratch Store!
So we gotta get going, but thanks for the info!
That guy was a real detective.
He knew everything.
Oh, yeah, but he loved scratching backs, which was weird.
Wow!
What a story!
Do we really believe him?
That Anna is really Francisca?
Maybe.
What do you think, Nibbles?
I'm buying it.
Why would anyone make up a story like that?
Analysis complete.
Finally.
Yes!
Tell us everything, H-Dad.
What ended up happening with this Anna Francisca Anastasia person?
Anna Anderson continued fighting to be recognized as Anastasia for decades, but ultimately lost her case in German court with the judge saying she hadn't, quote, provided sufficient proof to claim the identity of the Grand Duchess.
So what happened to her?
She eventually moved to the United States and married a history professor, where she lived until her death in 1984.
And what about all the stuff the private investigator said about who she really was?
In 1991, teams of scientists in both England and the US conducted DNA tests and finally proved that Anna was almost certainly not a Romanov.
And other scientists noticed Anna's DNA had a lot of similarities with the great nephew of Franziska Shatskovska.
So the P.I. was right!
Anna was actually Franziska!
Which just leaves one question.
What actually happened to Anastasia?
Despite numerous other imposters making claims over the years, the real Anastasia most likely died along with her family back in 1918.
After the remains of two Romanov children were discovered in 2007, DNA tests proved that every member of the Romanov family had been accounted for, including Anastasia.
So all the imposters over the years were actually just that.
Imposters.
Wow!
Mystery actually solved!
Ding, ding, ding, ding!
Incoming message from Butt Headquarters.
And just in time, too.
Attention, employees.
Calories and calisthenics end in five minutes.
Finish lunging, finish lunging, and get back to work.
Here we go.
We went back to the ocean liner, found the elevator, and... Know something for once.
But I just don't understand.
Why would somebody for decades pretend that they are somebody else?
I know.
Who would do that?
Well, I guess it's kind of like acting.
Welcome back, you two.
Hi, Odie.
So, what did we find out about Anna Anderson?
Turns out she was actually a Polish-German woman who went through some very rough times.
And even though she may have genuinely believed she was Anastasia, she wasn't.
Because sadly, the real Anastasia died along with her family.
Impressive work.
My head is kind of spinning, though.
I feel like we pretended to have so many different jobs today.
Reporters, jaw surgeons, other private investigators.
Oof.
Wait, that's what you meant with your riddle, Odie.
Always stay true to the you-know-who.
The you-know-who is me.
Or you.
Or each of us.
It's yourself.
Ooh. that we shouldn't ever lose sight of who we really are inside.
Indeed, you should not.
Whoever Anna Anderson really believed herself to be, the lesson of staying true to ourselves is something we can all stand to remember.
And how.
Odie, we won't forget it.
Then have a pleasant rest of your day, you two.
Thank you, Odie.
This is just what I needed to hear.
Lewis, about that newsletter thing...
I think I'm going to have to turn it down.
What?
Not talking about pie, straightening my hair.
That's just not me.
Lewis and I kept hashing out the details, and I am pleased to report that we did finally come to an agreement.
I was so glad I stuck up for myself about the profile and doing it in a way that I felt comfortable with.
After exploring so many different identities today, not to mention the history of one very famous imposter, it felt extra good to really truly be myself.
Anyway, that's it for today.
Wondering what time-sealed adventure we'll get into next week?
Until then, this is Carly Q signing off.
And remember, you never heard this.
H-Day, initiating end credits mode.
Who Went Wow.
Mystery Edition is an original Tinkercast production with help from Gen Z Media.
Handshake emoji.
High-five emoji.
For Tinkercast, the executive producers are Guy Raz, Mindy Thomas, and Meredith Halpern-Ranzer.
The shows are written by Aaron Weissman, Danielle Nicky, Tom Van Kalken, Kenny Curtis and Mindy Thomas.
Carly Shiraki is a producing consultant.
Big shout-outs to Jed Anderson, Steph Sosa, Henry Moskal, Jessica Bode, Natasha Crandall, Rebecca Caban, Sona Ali-Mohamed, Anna Daniker, Anna Zagorski and the rest of the team at Tinkercast.
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Who Went Wow's theme song was composed and performed by The Pop-Ups.
For more information on their three-time Grammy-nominated all-ages music, find them at thepopupscom.
Producers for Gen Z Media are David Kreisman, Ben Strauss, Chris Terry, Claire McClanahan and Amy Cervini at gzmshowscom.
Sound design and editing is by Chris Terry and Oded Lev Ari.
Voice editing by Yodi Reckham.
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Original music was created by Jennifer Rohkamp.
And voice direction is handled by David Kreisman.
Our main cast features Carly Shiraki as Carly Q. Brandon Salerno as Louis.
Melissa Vanderschiff as Nibbles the Rat.
Kenny Curtis as H-Dad.
And Angela Desai as Odie.
Want to explore Who Went Wow's mysteries even further?
You can find free activities and resources to extend the wow at whowentwow.com.
And if you have a time-sealed mystery you want Carly Q to explore, email us at hello at tinkercastcom.
H-Dead, powering off. made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
Shh, it's starting.
GCM shows Imagination Amplified.
