You probably grew up with the legend of Balto, the brave sled dog who raced through a blizzard to save the children of Nome. But the real story is far messier than the shiny statue in Central Park lets on, full of bitter feuds, a fall into squalor, and a hero who was nearly discarded.

This episode unpacks the true history behind the 1925 serum run, from the diphtheria outbreak in Nome to the relay of over 20 mushers and 150 dogs. We explore how 1920s media manufactured a single hero, how that fame ruined friendships and erased the real champions, and how modern DNA testing finally set the record straight nearly a century later.

• How a deadly diphtheria epidemic and grounded open-cockpit planes forced a 674-mile dog sled relay in minus 23 degree cold
• Why Balto was considered a scrub freight dog by his own owner Leonhard Sep ...