The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

The beautiful and charming Elizabeth Chudleigh had society wrapped around her little finger... until she made a fateful mistake. One night's impulsive decision to marry the man she met on vacation turned her life into a game of secrets, strategy, and spectacle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After three years of planning (and changing those plans) we embarked on a trip of a lifetime! With over 50 of our friends from the other side of the mic, we visited places we've only talked about for years! Join us and our traveling companions as we report on the places we visited and the lessons we learned. It's our How We Spent Our Summer Vacation report! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid has sidelined us this week, so instead of talking, we've remastered and combined our 2012 coverage of all the wives of Henry VIII into this one supersized episode. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr together! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love the Gilded Age here at The History Chicks! We have a special treat for you: a guest appearance by historian Carl Raymond of the Gilded Gentleman Podcast. In Act 1,"Invisible Magicians," he pays tribute to the world of the domestic servant, and in Act 2, "Golden Plates and Dinners on Horseback," he'll give you a peek into the over-the-top social events of the moneyed few. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a modern queen prepares for her Platinum Jubilee this month, we take a look back at another queen, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Taylor emerged from personal turmoil with a new mission; to be an advocate for the victims of AIDS. Her name became synonymous with humanitarian efforts for this cause. Not content with just one reinvention, she also put her tremendous energy into the foundation of a global perfume empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth's story isn't even close to over! We have several marriages, lots of drama, even more movies, some scary medical issues, and some very bold and brave moves ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One word simply won't do - Elizabeth Taylor was a daughter, an actor, a wife (a wife, a wife, a wife, a wife-wife, a wife, and a wife), an activist, a jewelry collector, an entrepreneur... and an icon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Susan's mom, and as a refresh as we all dive into the new HBO Max series, Julia, we revisit the life of this iconic and effervescent television personality and cookbook author who brought French cooking into American homes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kidnapped as a young girl and sold into slavery in a foreign land, Hurrem Sultan captured the heart of a king... and transformed the course of an empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to National Women's History Month and International Women's Day in March, we also celebrate National Social Work Month. With all that in mind, we've re-mastered and edited our coverage of Jane Addams, the Mother of Social work into one episode...an LP if you will. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edmonia Lewis broke barriers as the first African-American and Native American sculptor to achieve worldwide renown for her neoclassical works in marble and bronze. After her death, her most famous masterpiece lived on, incognito until its relatively recent rediscovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Keckley was born into slavery and turned a talent for design into her pathway to freedom. She bore witness to the American Civil War from a unique perspective within the White House as the confidante to her friend (and client) Mary Todd Lincoln. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Dickinson retreated from society as she got older, concentrating her passion and power into her work, though she did find love - and enjoy publication - at last! After her early death, her poetry took a convoluted route into the pantheon of beloved American literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Poet Emily Dickinson has often been painted as a recluse and an oddball by history, though she had a passionate nature and a rich inner life. She wrote some of the most beloved and enduring poetry in the world during her introspective lifetime, but her audience didn't find her until after her death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like her husband, Mrs. Claus makes an appearance every December at the top of your podcast queue when we shine the spotlight on this resilient, hard-working woman who wore many hats throughout history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During an era in which a woman showing her ankle was seen as transgressive, a group of radical women broke societal norms by using their bodies as canvases for their art, re-popularizing the ancient tradition of tattoo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We put themed music at the end of each episode - "dessert," if you will. In the spirit of this holiday season, where we give ourselves the joy of eating dessert first, we'd like to highlight the artists whose work has enhanced ours over the past few years . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fannie Farmer was written off by society at an early age due to her disability. She rallied as an adult and parlayed her talent in the kitchen into a spectacular culinary career, becoming a beloved household name in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some say she was a vicious killer, others contend that she was merely a victim of the patriarchy, but Countess Elizabeth Bathory is one of the most notorious figures in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National I Love Lucy Day is October 15th, so join us in celebrating the life of this iconic woman with a supersized episode that combines all of our previous coverage of Lucille Ball! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Bernhardt began her life in France as the unwanted child of a heartless courtesan. She found her first true home in the theater; and through hard work, sheer luck, shocking eccentricity and her indomitable spirit, she transformed herself into the first A-list international celebrity the world had ever seen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The worldwide eradication of smallpox was not Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's only claim to fame; she discarded the life she knew and set out to remake herself, acquiring a reputation for eccentricity, adventures worthy of a modern motion picture, and unwanted literary superstardom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was brought up to believe that it was her face that was her fortune, and her place to be simply decorative. However, her uncommon intelligence, influence among the powerful, and her willingness to accept new ideas about medicine would save lives, help end smallpox, and transform the entire world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are quite a few parallels between Mary Mallon's story (a series of typhoid outbreaks) and our present-day pandemic, and so there are things we can learn from it. But was Mary a villain? Or simply a victim of circumstances? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A summer announcement and a song Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olympias is known for being the mother of Alexander the Great and for being Very Fond Of Snakes. She was subject to centuries of slander by the historians who followed her - but in this episode, we right some of the wrongs, give you some context for her actions, and reveal her connection to the Olympic Games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, the Statue of Liberty's Little Sister is coming to the US for a lengthy stay. The 9' reproduction travels first to New York for the Fourth of July, then to Washington for Bastille Day...and the next ten years. We thought that this was a good time to revisit the OG, the icon, the symbol of freedom for millions over the last 135 years: Liberty Enlightening the World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marjorie Merriweather Post was a natural philanthropist and organizer. Her fortune may have come to her by chance, and she is perhaps most famous for her outward signs of wealth, but she was no mere society butterfly. Rather than her extensive collection of jewels and artifacts, her true legacy is the multitude of people she was able to help with grace, dignity, and her natural capability for genuine friendship. She was a monarch with a common touch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marjorie Post was not *born* with a silver spoon in her mouth, but breakfast cereal sure provided her with one before her tenth birthday! She parlayed her father's company into a major food conglomerate, and lived like royalty as the Duchess of Washington DC and the Queen of Palm Beach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was many things: an actress, a dancer, a chemist, an artist, and a pioneer in stage lighting and choreography. She was inquisitive and energetic, full of creativity and drive. She was always looking for ways to help her friends and was the belle of Paris and the Art Nouveau movement...but she is best referred to as La Loïe, THE Loïe, one of a kind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For International Nurses Day, we're revisiting our coverage of Mary Seacole. While, technically, she wasn't a nurse, she was very much a brave medical caregiver, a "doctress," an entrepreneur, and one heck of a jam-maker who served those fighting at the front of the Crimean War (and so much more.) If you are interested in a more directly related nurse episode, we recommend our coverage of Florence Nightingale (as well as several others, mentioned in this episode.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 3, Maya Angelou has stretched to fill many spheres of influence; she gathered accolades as she climbed and was generous with her experiences. Her lantern of wisdom shone all over the world, lighting the way ahead for others to follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2 is a roller coaster! Maya Angelou faced some of her greatest challenges during this period of her life, and handled them all with the true grit we've come to expect of her. And then she triumphed in three separate spheres, one right after another; theater, journalism, and political activism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where is Maya Angelou Part 2? Likely in a landfill. Let me explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout the twists and turns of her colorful life, Maya Angelou gathered the wisdom of the world and distilled it into a dynamic force with which to educate, to move, and to change society. Words have power! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Young and Tom Meyers, of The Bowery Boys New York City History podcast, share their 2020 coverage of early 1900s women's protests that were tied to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calamity Jane, Belle Starr, and Annie Chambers were contemporaries of our previous subjects, the Harvey Girls and Fred Harvey, but they led very...very different lives. We've combined three stories from our archives into one Women of the Wild West episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Harvey Girls were not "just waitresses," they were adventuring, trailblazing, refined young women who helped settle the American West. And the story of these brave and hardworking women can't be told without discussing the man behind them: Fred Harvey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a rough start on the streets of Harlem, to the Apollo stage, smokey clubs, years on the road and in recording studios Ella led the world through the trends and wild ride that was the musical scene during most of the last century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ten years ago, we met (literally MET!) to record our first episode. It's been a journey, and we thought as a milestone birthday celebration, we would ask listeners what The History Chicks have meant to you. Thank you so very much for the years of friendship. (sings) AND MANY MORE..... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once upon a time, there was a little moppet whose grit and optimism on screen gave the world the courage to endure the Great Depression. But time and fashion are fickle mistresses, and Shirley Temple had to reinvent herself as a star performer - in the world of diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's shine the spotlight on Mrs. Claus, she's not the one-dimensional support character most imagine, a revisit from 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlotte didn't let her circumstances and the discouragement of others stand in the way of her goal of becoming a published author; she got knocked down over and over before she was able to present the world with one of the most beloved heroines in literary history. Along the way, we have a chance to talk about the lives of her literary sisters: Emily and Anne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught. We revisit this 2017 episode to learn the real, not Disneyfied, story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After her creator died, Wonder Woman strayed quite a bit from where she began. She had her wings clipped by the censors in the 1950s, and lost her powers entirely in the 1960s. It took Gloria Steinem, Ms. Magazine, and the 1970s to bring Wonder Woman back to her feminist roots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was forged in the fires of the suffragist movement, and beneath her abbreviated costume beats the heart of a lion. Fighting for truth, equality, and justice, "By the Spear of Athena and the Thunderbolts of Jove!" - it's Wonder Woman! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finish up our two-part series on women who ran for the US presidency in days gone by. Belva Lockwood ran in 1884 and 1888, and Shirley Chisholm threw her hat into the POTUS ring in the 1972 election. Neither candidate won the office, but they were both victorious at shattering glass ceilings to make room for women to come. Remastered from 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in the US, voting for the 2020 Presidential election has begun so we're revisiting the life of the very first woman to run for the American Presidency in 1872. Victoria Woodhull crafted a life for herself from very raw materials, she traveled from an abusive childhood to an aristocratic end and, throughout it all, was a woman ahead of her time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once upon a time in the dark ages of podcasting, two friends set out on a quest to bring the stories of historical women to your ears. In this episode, we have some speculative history, a few predictions about the future, and a peek behind the curtain in this, our tenth year! Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices