For the Love of History - world history, women’s history, weird history

What if surfing wasn’t just a sport—but a sacred form of healing, power, and rebellion led by women? 🏄‍♀️✨ In this archive episode of For the Love of History, we’re diving into the ancient Hawaiian origins of surfing, uncovering how it began not as a beach pastime but as a deeply spiritual practice rooted in Polynesian tradition. From volcano goddess Pele, the world’s first surfer, to Princess K...

Happy Spooky Season, dear one! This week, in our Season 11 Finale, we are exploring a question that has been on my mind for quite some time. What is the history of Halloween costumes?! 🎃 👻 When October 1st hits, my FYP gets flooded with creepy vintage photographs of Halloween’s gone by. They are honestly nightmare fuel, and every time I see one, I wonder, "Why are they so gosh darn creepy?!" Tha...

In this powerful episode of For the Love of History, we travel through time to uncover the history of breast cancer — from ancient Egyptian surgery manuals and Hippocrates’ wild “humor” theories to the modern breakthroughs that save lives today. Host TK shares the deeply personal story of her best friend’s diagnosis and remission, explores how breast cancer appeared in Renaissance art, and highlig...

In this powerful episode of For the Love of History, we travel through time to uncover the history of breast cancer — from ancient Egyptian surgery manuals and Hippocrates’ wild “humor” theories to the modern breakthroughs that save lives today. Host TK shares the deeply personal story of her best friend’s diagnosis and remission, explores how breast cancer appeared in Renaissance art, and highlig...

Ever wonder how cats went from desert hunters to divine house gods? In this episode of For the Love of History, host TK digs her claws into the fascinating history of cats — from their mysterious beginnings in the Fertile Crescent to their worship in ancient Egypt and beyond. Meet Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of cats who went from lioness warrior to goddess of home, music, and pleasure. Sail down...

Step aside, Gregorian chants—there’s a new nun in town. In this episode of For the Love of History, we uncover the wild, visionary life of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century nun who defied expectations to become a composer, mystic, healer, and all-around medieval rock star. You’ll hear how Hildegard went from being entombed in a convent as a child to dropping musical bangers that shook up chur...

Step aside, Gregorian chants—there’s a new nun in town. In this episode of For the Love of History, we uncover the wild, visionary life of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century nun who defied expectations to become a composer, mystic, healer, and all-around medieval rock star. You’ll hear how Hildegard went from being entombed in a convent as a child to dropping musical bangers that shook up chur...

Pharmacy didn’t start with white coats and sterile counters—it began with beer, clay tablets, and a lot of very questionable ingredients. In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive into the weird, messy, and fascinating history of pharmacy. From Neanderthals using flowers as medicine to the Egyptians prescribing crocodile dung in the Ebers Papyrus, the path to your neighborhood drugstore...

What do crocodile poop, crushed beetles, and whale brain goo have in common? They’ve all been smeared across human lips in the name of beauty. In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive into the wild, weird, and dangerous history of lipstick—from 5,000-year-old lip pigments in Iran to Cleopatra’s sparkling carmine concoctions, Roman crocodile dung gloss, Mayan beetle rouge, and Martha Was...

What do Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke and Japanese yokai have in common? A whole lot of wild spirits, messy gods, and deeper cultural roots than you might think. In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive into the myth and magic behind Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece. From the terrifying boar demons to the haunting kodama, Princess Mononoke isn’t just fantasy—it’s drawing on centuries of...

What happens when a troll on the internet calls you a “bleached hippo”? You make it your brand. After my first viral video came with its fair share of hate comments, one insult changed everything—it sparked my love affair with hippos. Today, that pettiness has come full circle as we dive into the myth, magic, and chaos of the Egyptian hippo goddesses Ammit and Taweret. In this episode of For the L...

Was Queen Ranavalona I really the “Mad Queen of Madagascar”… or just a brilliant ruler smeared by colonial propaganda? In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive headfirst into one of the most misunderstood figures in African history—and it gets spicy. Queen Ranavalona has long been labeled a tyrant, a murderer, even a monster. But when you follow the paper trail (and by paper, we mean wi...

Ever been killed by coffee? Poisoned by pepper? Drowned by molasses?! Welcome to the most unappetizing episode of the century. In this delightfully unhinged episode of For the Love of History, we're diving into the sticky, deadly, and downright absurd world of food disasters in the early 1900s. From lead-laced milk to spice-rack murder, we explore how everyday foods became instruments of death — a...

Ever felt so angry you could summon a lion-riding goddess with eight arms? Same. In this fiery episode of For the Love of History, we’re diving headfirst into the blistering mythologies of Durga and Kali—the Hindu goddesses of war, protection, destruction, and yes… unapologetic feminine rage. TK unpacks why these powerful deities shatter the Western ideal of the “demure mother goddess,” and instea...

Ever felt so angry you could summon a lion-riding goddess with eight arms? Same. In this fiery episode of For the Love of History, we’re diving headfirst into the blistering mythologies of Durga and Kali—the Hindu goddesses of war, protection, destruction, and yes… unapologetic feminine rage. TK unpacks why these powerful deities shatter the Western ideal of the “demure mother goddess,” and instea...

In this episode of For the Love of History, we dive into the dark and little-known history of the American Plan—a government-led campaign that led to the wrongful arrest, forced medical exams, and sterilization of thousands of women under the guise of “public health.” Follow the story of Nina McCall, an 18-year-old girl caught in this web of injustice, and discover how race, class, and gender shap...

Think Cinderella started with Disney? Think again. In this episode of For the Love of History, we’re diving deep into the ancient, magical, and sometimes slightly ridiculous world of fairy tales — and we’re going way past the Brothers Grimm. ✨ You’ll hear the oldest fairy tale ever recorded (hint: it involves the devil and a blacksmith), learn why stories like Beauty and the Beast and Jack and th...

Welcome to Season 11! In this episode, we’re diving into the truth behind Atlantis—no glowing crystals or ancient aliens here. Just mythology, philosophy, pseudoscience, and a wild detour into Nazi occultism (yep, really). Discover how Plato’s fictional allegory became one of the most misunderstood stories in history, how it fueled racist pseudoscience, and why people *still* believe in the Lost C...

Was Red Sparrow just a steamy spy thriller—or was it based on something real? In this episode, we dive deep into the Cold War’s most seductive secret: Russia’s alleged Sparrow School, where young agents were allegedly trained in sexpionage to seduce and spy on targets across the globe. From blackmail, honey traps, and sparrows in sexy lingerie to real operations that reached as far as the Obama ad...

💌 Episode Summary Before Instagram poets and moody notebook scribbles, there was Sappho—the original lyric poet who set hearts (and historians) on fire. This week, we dive into the life, love, and legend-level drama of the Greek icon whose poems gave us longing, lyricism, and one of the best ancient bisexual panics in literary history. From inventing an entire genre of poetry to possibly being ma...

Ever heard of a spy duo in their 60s walking three Cocker Spaniels around Nazi-occupied Paris by day and running a secret escape line by night? No? Then buckle in. In this episode, TK interviews bestselling author Matthew Goodman about his riveting new book, *Paris Undercover*—a deep-dive into the true story of two real-life badass women who defied fascism during World War II. We talk about the hi...

Welcome, delicious donuts! 🍩 In this episode of For the Love of History, we’re unraveling the fascinating story behind The Dressmakers of London with award-winning author and Emmy-nominated journalist Julia Kelly. It's part historical deep-dive, part emotional sister saga, and 100% packed with nerdy joy — just how we like it. 🧵 What You’ll Learn: 💙How women navigated fashion rationing in WWII (...

This week, we’re diving toga-first into the life and utter chaos of Caligula—the Roman emperor who ruled for just four years and made every single second a full-blown historical fever dream. From horse palaces and floating orgy boats to stabbing Poseidon and bullying his own guards, Caligula redefined what it meant to rule like a god (or at least think he was one). But was he really mad… or just t...

Forget everything you thought you knew about pirates—because this week, we’re telling the real story of the woman who ran the South China Sea and left Blackbeard in the dust. Meet Zheng Yi Sao: sex worker turned pirate queen, ruthless businesswoman, and literal nightmare of the Qing Dynasty. In this wild ride through 18th-century China, you’ll hear how a nameless girl from a fishing village built...

What do Catholic women in the Balkans, tattooed mummies in the Philippines, and Arctic medicinal ink have in common? They've all left their mark—literally and metaphorically—on the history of indigenous tattoo traditions. In this episode of For the Love of History, I sit down with renowned tattoo anthropologist Dr. Lars Krutak to explore his latest book: Indigenous Tattoo Traditions. We dive deep...