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The History Chicks

<p>Two women. Half the population. Several thousand years of history. About an hour. </p>

The History Chicks /Wondery

Much has been made of hair-care mogul Madam CJ Walker, but before the Walker empire existed, there was her mentor Annie Turnbo Malone, whose innovation, drive, and concern for her fellow humans have been overshadowed by her more flamboyant protegée. We're going to tell you both of their stories today. 

Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam CJ Walker

Isadora was the purest of unconventional free spirits and one of history's most unique dance innovators. Many people only know how she died, but how she lived is a much more inspiring and fascinating story.

Isadora Duncan

In this second installment in the life of Mary Church Terrell, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the gloves are off! Mary makes societal change happen with persistence, a propensity for making influential connections... and sheer nerve.

Mary Church Terrell Part 2

Life got in the way of getting Mary Church Terrell Part Two out this week, we will post that episode as soon as possible, but Mary and Ida crossed paths several times so we thought a refresher of her life was in order.

Ida B. Wells Revisited, Not Mary Church Terrell Part 2

Mary Terrell was one of the first African American Women to graduate from college, and rose to prominence during the battles for universal suffrage and civil rights. With fiery speeches and a push in the back, she demanded that we all to go forth and do some good. We have a responsibility to lift each other up as we climb, she said, in order to make the world a better place for all. 

Mary Church Terrell (part 1)

Maria Montessori revolutionized education during the early 20th century with her approach to child-led learning, and was convinced that the children of the world were the key to peace on earth. 

Maria Montessori

Surprise! Our Traditional Bonus episode about the origins of Mrs. Claus, here for your listening pleasure on Christmas morning. Preview it before you share with the North Pole true believers in your life - and have a great holiday! 

Mrs Claus - A Biography

Just how biographical *is* Little Women? You'll see the echoes of Louisa May Alcott's real life within her most famous work after hearing this episode. 

Louisa May Alcott Revisited

Thanks to a couple of recent news stories about Rosa, we're heading back to 2012 and revisiting the life of this civil rights activist and icon.

Rosa Parks Revisted

Wilma Mankiller overcame obstacles in her life by being "of good mind," a Cherokee principle that guided her through her life of activism, community service, and her election as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Wilma Mankiller

We have a second podcast, The Recappery, making a guest appearance to recap Netflix's The Crown, Season 3, Episode 1. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to The Recappery on your favorite podcatcher.

Guest Episode: The Recappery, The Crown S3 E1

It's National Native American Heritage Month, a perfect time to recast our episode on the real story of Pocahontas.

Pocahontas, Revisited

The Winchester Mystery House has intrigued us for almost a century. Its story has always been a dramatic one, full of ghosts, guns, and desperation - but perhaps there is a simpler explanation buried within the life of Sarah Winchester herself. 

Sarah Winchester and the Mystery House

Florence Nightingale was forced to hide her light under a bushel until her thirties, when she broke free in spectacular fashion to become the world's beloved Lady With The Lamp - as well as a master statistician and the founder of modern nursing. 

Florence Nightingale

Mary Seacole didn't let the open ocean stop her, nor fire, war, discrimination or bureaucracy. She made *several* places for herself in a world that tried to shut her down, building a business while caring for thousands of soldiers with herbs, a hand on their foreheads, and a full heart. 

Mary Seacole

Louise Brooks made bridge-burning her hobby; as a result, this almost-forgotten star of stage and screen has only recently begun to shine again.  

Louise Brooks

We double time travel back to the Gilded Age and The House of Wood, 2011, for this combined revisit to look at the lives of servants and heiresses who shared a roof but whose lives were very, very different.

Gilded Age Servants and Heiresses, Revisited

We wrap up the story of Isabella of Castile with a few more of her long-lasting legacies (including supercharging the role of the queen in the game of chess) and the dispersal of her own pawns on the marital chessboard of Europe.

Isabella of Castile Part 2

Never before have we covered a woman with such far reaching influence. This determined woman began by pulling off a coup, then branched out into such far reaching endeavors as the Spanish Inquisition, the settlement of the Americas, and transforming the queen (in chess and in life) into the most powerful piece on the board. 

Isabella of Castile Part 1

We revisit the lives of seven women with amazing stories including Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland

Seven Women Revisited

Joan of Arc, Jeannette, Jean, The Maid, La Pucelle, Hero, Heretic, Visionary, Lunatic…that’s a lot of names and titles for a teenage girl who is remembered for events from only a short period of her life. 

Joan of Arc

"America's first female cryptanalyst" only hints at the contributions of this codebreaking war hero.

Elizebeth Friedman

Charlotte Brontë 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.

Charlotte Brontë

During the PodX Podcast Convention this month, we did a live show in which we explained the ways that the women of the past taught us valuable lessons about our craft... and about ourselves. 

Live from PodX!

Women's health is in the news this year - and historically speaking, women have always had to fight for proper care. Lydia Pinkham turned some herbs (and a wee bit of alcohol) into an empire, while advancing the progress of women's education about their own well-being.

Lydia Pinkham 2019

Babe's colorful personality, drive, and athleticism made her a role model for girls around the globe as an Olympian and multi-sport, professional athlete.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Twelve year old Mary Anning pulled a dinosaur out of a cliff, and set off a firestorm of philosophy and science that never seemed to include her, somehow. From the Loch Ness Monster to Jurassic Park, the world would never be the same. 

Mary Anning

Was Annie Londonderry a flim-flam artist or a true pioneer? Her trip around the world on a bicycle may have been controversial - but she was always up for both an adventure and a tall tale.

Annie Londonderry

Ching Shih was the terror of the seas during the Qing Dynasty in China. Although she was the most powerful and successful pirate in history, most of her story is yet to be fully discovered. 

Ching Shih

We'll talk about Audrey Hepburn's entertainment career, which gave people joy all over the world. But it was her humanitarian work with UNICEF which made her a true star. 

Audrey Hepburn (Part 2)

Audrey Hepburn was born a child of privilege and became a child of war. Although she reached superstar status in Hollywood, she became a shining example of the best of humanity through her work with UNICEF.

Audrey Hepburn (Part 1)

Born in Africa and transported as a slave to America, this Revolutionary War era poet became the darling of London and charmed notable figures of American history along the way. 

Phillis Wheatley

One of the world's most prolific serial killers... basically lives up to the hype. The only thing we can clear her of is her gruesome bathing practices!

Elizabeth Bathory

Most grade school kids will tell you that Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave and conductor on the Underground Railroad which is a great start--but she was so much more! A nurse, a spy, a military leader, a public speaker, a humanitarian, a wife and mother who did everything in her power to keep her family together...and she did it all with a traumatic brain injury.

Harriet Tubman

Barbie has inspired generations of children in her 59 years, always representing the historically novel idea that women have choices in their lives. She's both an icon and a record of just how far we've come.

Barbie

"Belle Starr" and "Calamity Jane" aren't even their given names!  We separate fact from fabrication in our coverage of these famous women of the Wild West.

Belle Starr and Calamity Jane

Even though her life was a short one, Anne Frank's account of her turbulent times has provided inspiration for millions of people all over the world.

Anne Frank

Jane's life of far-reaching social service and her work for peace didn't prevent her from being called "America's most dangerous woman."

Jane Addams (Part 2)

Later known as "The Mother of Social Work", Jane Addams took a circuitous route to find her life's calling.

Jane Addams (Part 1)

The life of Clara Barton was so full of humanitarian accomplishments it's worthy of another, refreshed, look.

Clara Barton Revisited and Refreshed

Georgia O'Keeffe is known as the mother of Modernism; she created a vast body of work, always finding a novel way to express what he wanted to say through her art.

Georgia O'Keeffe

Grainne Ui Mhaille (Grace O'Malley) was a terror of the open seas; living her life on her own terms during a turbulent time in her country. She defied society and carved out a niche for herself, but it was her meeting with Queen Elizabeth in 1593 that cemented her place in history.

Grace O'Malley

The life of an American icon from her birth at a French dinner table to her place in the hearts of people all over the world.

The Statue of Liberty

Mary Pickford was so much more than an adorable head of hair. She was a hard-headed businesswoman who broke new ground in a brand new industry - the movies.

Mary Pickford

We take a look back at one of our most delightful subjects with a remastered classic episode.

Beatrix Potter Revisited and Refreshed

The story of a Chinese concubine who rose to power from behind a curtain of yellow silk.

Dowager Empress Cixi of China

Louisa May Alcott fictionalized (and sanitized) her childhood reality in her novel Little Women; she left out life in a commune, starvation, 19th century action thriller stories, and becoming the family breadwinner at a young age.

Louisa May Alcott

Ada Lovelace was the world's first computer programmer long before computers existed!

Ada Lovelace

Jackie's life was far from over after her husband's assassination; in some ways, it had only just begun.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis (Part 2)

Jackie Kennedy changed the cultural outlook of the United States during her brief role as First Lady.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis (Part 1)

We're celebrating our 100th full-length episode and our 7th year by taking a trip back to visit some women and moments that we will never forget.

A Celebration of 100 Episodes

Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught.

Pocahontas

Once upon a time, Santa was a bachelor. But over the years, the folklore grew to include his wife, a beloved character of modern Christmas.

Mrs. Claus - A Short History of an Undersung Hero

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel not only reinvented women's clothing and accessories, she reinvented herself, too.

Coco Chanel

She was the first Queen to rule and the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, but Queen Lili'uokalani's story is the story of Hawaii. 

Queen Lili'uokalani

She was a slave, a freewoman, a preacher, a speaker, an abolitionist and a women's rights advocate in the Civil War era United States. Like a lot of women's history, Sojourner's truth may have been edited in history, but we can help to set it right.

Sojourner Truth

Hypatia was a mathematician, philosopher and astronomer who transcended gender barriers in the waning years of the Roman Empire.

Hypatia of Alexandria

Wallis Simpson's husband abdicated the throne to marry her, but how did her happily ever after work out?

Wallis Simpson (Part 2)

Puppet? Manipulating social climber? Misunderstood? Deeply in love? However you see her, the fact remains that a king abdicated his throne, defied his family and lived in exile to marry twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. 

Wallis Simpson (Part 1)

This famous sharpshooter surprised and delighted audiences all over the world with her skill and showmanship. 

Annie Oakley

Emily Post? All she did was write a book about etiquette? Ahhh, no. She did more, a lot more.

Emily Post

"Wherever you are is my home." We recap the last episode of Season One of this series

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 7

"Remorse is the Poison of Life" Sounds cheery, right?  We were crying because of snowflakes and hair ribbons.

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 6

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 5

Our third not-quite-annual question and answer episode.

Q&A, 2017

An Inward Treasure Born - Anne and Marilla are both challenged to identify their roles as women and Anne does a brave job no man stepped up to do.

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 4

Life is harder than any orphan or parent imagines...even meeting your future husband isn't as romantical as you would expect, it's all part of life's transitions.

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 3

How much of the New Orleans Voodoo Queen's legend is myth? (Hint: A lot)

Marie Laveau

We recap the episode of Anne with an "E" that best displays the scriptwriter's scope of imagination--book loyalists be warned. We argue about radishes, recipes, and the voices in Anne's head.

Anne with an E Recap - Episode 2

Our first recap of the new Anne of Green Gables adaptation, the Netflix show "Anne with an E"

Anne with an E Recap : Episode 1

She created Anne of Green Gables and wrote her way into all of our hearts. 

Lucy Maud Montgomery

We left Eleanor right after her divorce from her first husband and mysteriously married to her second in just a few weeks time. We cover how that happened and all the other twists and turns in the very long life of this 12th century Queen.

Eleanor of Aquitaine (Part 2)

She was the Queen of France, the Queen of England, the mother of royalty, gave us a long life of ruling to talk about, and she was the winner of our last Guaranteed Content Poll. Excellent choice!

Eleanor of Aquitaine (Part 1)

Being known as one of the greatest Baroque painters wasn't easy, but overcoming life obstacles that should have held her down only made her accomplishments that much greater.

Artemisia Gentileschi

Ida Wells worked as a pioneering journalist and activist who campaigned for anti-lynching legislation. 

Ida B. Wells

Lucille's life after the premiere of I Love Lucy was nothing anyone could have predicted.

Lucille Ball (Part 2)

This is not Lucille Ball, Part Two

Lucille Ball had a long climb up (and down) before she made history when I love Lucy debuted in 1951, and we cover those struggles and successes in this episode.

Lucille Ball (Part 1)

Mulan's story of her days as a Chinese warrior had simple beginnings and a whole lot of lasting power!

Mulan

The story of this powerful, 17th century African ruler was far from an ordinary Princess to Queen tale. 

Queen Nzinga

Is there a better time to revisit our favorite Victorian More-Than-Likely Murderess, Lizzie Borden, than right now? We think not.

Lizzie Borden, Revisited

We wrap up our short series of "women who ran for the US Presidency before Hillary Clinton" with Shirley Chisholm!

Shirley Chisholm

We continue our series of female Presidential candidates with Belva Lockwood, the woman who many regard as the first “legitimate” female nominee for the office., with groundbreaking campaigns in 1884 and 1888.

Belva Lockwood

Victoria Woodhull crafted a life for herself from pretty raw materials. She traveled from an abusive childhood to a very aristocratic end...  and in the middle, was the first woman to run for the American Presidency. In 1872.  She was a woman ahead of her time.

Victoria Woodhull

The second half of Marie's life was spent without Pierre but focused on a mission to apply science to help all humanity even while non-science drama swirled about her.

Marie Curie (Part 2)

A lot of people only know Marie Curie as a woman who won a Nobel prize (or two...spoilers) but that's just a small part of the life of this physicist, wife and mother.

Marie Curie (Part 1)

Agrippina the Younger lived a dramatic and dangerous life as the sister of an emperor, the wife and niece of another, and mother of a third in ancient Rome.

Agrippina the Younger

When we were researching Mary Lincoln we both admired her friend, Elizabeth Keckly, so much that we knew that had to talk about her. She was born a slave, eventually bought her freedom and built a very successful business (twice) all before she, too, realized her own White House dream. 

Elizabeth Keckly

Since the musical Hamilton opened on Broadway, we've been getting a lot of requests to cover the Schuyler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy. (You sang that, right?) But we couldn't make it work because there wasn't enough material available to us to fill a whole show in the way we would want to...so we met someone who could:.Author Amanda Vaill.Amanda has written several award winning biographies, scripts, articles and...be still our hearts...has been contracted to write a biography on the two most famous Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Eliza. She's begun her research and graciously agreed to talk with us and dish Schuyler. We talk about the three sisters, the family that they came from, the families that they created, the rumors that surrounded them...basically who lived, who died and with Amanda's help, we get to tell their story.

The Schuyler Sisters - a conversation with author Amanda Vaill

In our last episode we talked about Mary's childhood, education and life as the wife of Abraham Lincoln. She was described as, "amiable, accomplished, gracious and a sparkling talker," by members of the Republican Party before she got to Washington...so what happened afterward that left her without this glowing impression?

Mary Todd Lincoln (Part 2)

Mary Todd Lincoln's life can't be defined by who she married and her husband's legacy--she was a lot more than simply a southern born wife of a president. Actually, she wasn't simple at all.

Mary Todd Lincoln (Part 1)

When Madam C.J. Walker solved one of her own personal problems, she also created an opportunity to leave behind a life as a laundress for one as a successful businesswoman, philanthropist and civil rights activists and she was able to take thousands of women with her. Alaia Williams from the 18 to 49 Podcast graciously fills in as guest co-host with Beckett to talk about the life of this trailblazing role model who began to change her fate by changing the condition of her hair.

Madam CJ Walker

What would you serve Dorothy Parker for dinner? What are your favorite things from pop culture? When will you cover the Schuyler Sisters? Listeners' burning questions, answered.

Q and A

Zelda Fitzgerald - the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl, muse of F. Scott, has been remembered as a trophy, a fashion icon, a mental patient, an author, and an artist. This unique woman lived a complex life that defies simple labels.

Zelda Fitzgerald

We cannot get enough Beatrix Potter! Here is our coverage of the 2006 movie "Miss Potter," starring Renee Zellweger in the title role.

"Miss Potter" Moviecast

Though she's chiefly known for her charming illustrations, Beatrix Potter was more than an artist and author; she was a scientist, conservationist, and a philanthropist who used her talent to better the world.

Beatrix Potter

When we last left the Grand Duchess Catherine, she was feeling alone, unloved and unnecessary. She had just given birth and the child, Paul, heir to the Russian Empire, was ripped from her arms to be raised by Empress Elizabeth. Not cool, Elizabeth, not cool at all.

Catherine The Great (Part 2)

Life. It's funny, you know? Like the time both of us were sick for so long that we couldn't record Catherine the Great Part 2 for this week's show but, instead, have this conversation between Beckett and Carol Wallace?
Funny in a "well, that's a little different" way.
In 2010 one of us- Beckett- wanted to hear a podcast like her favorite book of all time, To Marry an English Lord, by Gail MacColl and Carol Wallace, but couldn't find one. So we made one.
In 2014 we had drinks with Carol Wallace.
In 2015 this conversation was recorded and lived in a computer until now.

A Conversation With Carol Wallace

The listeners have spoken! Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was the winner in our Guaranteed Content Poll - and in this episode, we take our innocent German princess from obscurity onto the world stage. 

Catherine the Great (Part 1)

Once upon a time there was a busy, yet highly compassionate and generous bachelor. He became known the world over, but lacked something in his life: a wife. Mrs. Claus often takes a back seat to her more famous husband, Santa, but it's time her history was told.