“I give you bitter pills in a sweet coating. The pills themselves are harmless, all the poison is in their sweetness.” (S. Jerzy Lec) The same compounds can be used to produce alcohol, fertilizers, medicines, and, if the wind direction is favorable, to destroy an entire army on the battlefield. A drop in a glass of wine is enough to change the ruling dynasty and change the course of history. They are cheap and can literally be made from toothpaste. They must be taken into account. The historical career of poisons began with arrows poisoned by the mucus of frogs and led to secret military substances, one drop of which could destroy an entire city. These are no longer Shakespeare's romantic poisons. The possibilities of modern poisons can capture the imagination of the most daring science fiction writers of the last century. This book will introduce you to the details of the loudest and most resonant poisonings of the century, which turned the tide of history; you will learn the shocking details of the case of A. Litvinenko, B. Berezovsky and the sensational case of S. and Yu. Skripal.