How Sex Changed the World

From America's earliest days, sex has shaped and defined our country. From the Puritan "mandatory sex" rule for married couples to Ben Franklin's racy newspapers and even car design, these are the stories behind America's sex pioneers.

The world's oldest profession turns up in the places you'd least expect it: as a major source of revenue for the Catholic Church, the driving force behind America's first racially integrated neighborhood, and the launch pad for the most powerful woman in the history of the Roman Empire. Discover the truth behind how selling sex has changed the world.

From Ancient Rome to Washington DC and everywhere in-between, discover how the world changes when powerful people shamelessly shatter boundaries and break rules. In this episode, a Roman empress turns to prostitution for fun, the Marquis de Sade gains a big reputation and President Lyndon Johnson flaunts his manhood.

Sex is powerful force of nature and for some; it's like the end of world. These are the unbelievably true stories behind what happens when people treat sex like doomsday: from the little known sex cover-up in Pompeii, to J. Edgar Hoover's legendary Obscene Files used to keep politicians in check, to how a favorite breakfast cereal is supposed to help impose more self-control on lonely nights.

These are the surprisingly true stories about how the sex lives of the powerful have shaken up history: from Warren G. Harding's days as a playboy, to one women's time in a prince's modern day harem, to Rasputin's legendary status as a ladies man and the potential trigger point for the Russian Revolution.

Throughout history, there have been fearless men and women who have risked everything to reveal the mysteries behind our favorite subject: sex. From Leonardo Da Vinci's early work to Alfred Kinsey's revealing sex surveys to the man who discovered and translated the Kama Sutra for the world, these are the stories behind the "Superheroes of Sex.