{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthe-rest-of-history.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fthe-sneeze-that-saved-rome-_Wum6doL","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The Sneeze That Saved Rome","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/96a10b54-3566-4ae1-87fd-fd8bff7bd182/0e4303a1-2092-491e-a49a-e18cf4c76606/the-20rest-20of-20history.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/91003a82-91b9-4d04-8e51-00398621763d\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"The Sneeze That Saved Rome\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"In 590 AD, a mysterious plague was decimating Rome when Pope Gregory heard something extraordinary during a procession meant to beg God for mercy. What happened next became one of history's most famous gestures—but the real story involves a Germanic king's dinner party, a Byzantine spy, and the peculiar Roman obsession with sneezing etiquette."}