The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

As the last legitimate heir to a powerful family, Catherine de Medici was married at only 14 into one of the most powerful royal houses in Europe. The two halves of her story are VASTLY different, and here in Part 1, we are going to tell you about how she had no resources but INNER resources - and the character that developed from the circumstances in which she was placed. This episode is sponsore...

It's field trip time again! We took 50 listeners with us to the cradle of our country - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of a long weekend, we absorbed the sites and stories we'd learned about in school, and learned about those figures whose vital contributions have faded over time. Through our exposure to the artifacts, places and people at the heart of our country's founding, we began...

Suzanne Valadon was born on the wrong side of the tracks, and the wrong side of the blanket, but grew up to be one of the It Girls of the Impressionist era. She traveled a unique journey to stardom by parlaying her career as an artist's model into an artistic career of her own. This episode brought to you in part by: Honeylove Blueland OSEA Hungryroot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

The road to equality has never run smooth - in part 2, Alice Paul and the suffragists finally achieve their goal of a constitutional amendment giving women the vote - but not until a great deal of lobbying, schisms, sacrifice, and sheer willingness to go against the grain at every occasion. Never one to rest for long, Alice then had a greater aspiration - an Equal Rights Amendment that would enshr...

Years before Alice Paul was even born, the women's suffrage movement began with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and others at the first women's rights convention in the US in 1848. The efforts of these early suffragists laid the groundwork for Alice Paul and her peers, and their stories will give you a better understanding of the long struggle to recognize a women's right...

Alice Paul was one of the most prominent activists of the 20th-century women's rights movement, who believed that moral authority always trumps the letter of the law; injustices must be called out and resisted as a matter of principle. By hook or by crook; with personal sacrifice, determination, and a talent for spectacle, she moved the needle of public opinion through acts of resistance. This epi...

We lived the dream... and traveled to Paris in the springtime! Fifty of our friends joined us in the City Of Light for forays into history, art, wine, architecture, shopping, camaraderie, and SO MUCH FROMAGE! Some of our friends join us here on the show to tell you the tale of our adventures. (And the friendships we made along the way) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During our coverage of Miep Gies, we presented the story of the events that were happening in the world at large during WW2, closer in within the city of Amsterdam, and then to a smaller scale within the lives, offices and homes of the helpers. Susan has in fact taken a pilgrimage to Amsterdam to visit the attic where Anne lived and Miep worked so hard to keep her safe. But, since we cannot all be...

Miep Gies risked her life in order to help her Jewish friends hide from the Nazis during World War 2. In Part 2 of her story, we'll take you through the years of struggle and subterfuge, the dark day when the Secret Annex was raided, and how Miep saved Anne Frank's writings from destruction. Anne's diary is one of the most significant historical documents of the 20th century, providing a deeply pe...

In a land fraught with turbulence and oppression, Miep Gies helped to shelter and supply Anne Frank's family (and others) while they were in hiding from the Nazis; an act of civil disobedience that was, though illegal, the most moral of human endeavors. This episode is sponsored in part by: Show off your excellent taste in podcasts by grabbing your History Chicks merch at our Dashery Store, visit...

To leave you with a bit of lagniappe for Women's History Month, we broke our usual format to sit down for a talk with Anne Sebba, author of the new book The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival. Anne tells us about some of the women in the only entirely female orchestra in any Nazi prison camp. She talks about her process of learning about these women, organizing their stories into...

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 the twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. It sounds like a fairytale, but how does their happily ever after work out? This mega-episode combines both parts of our 2017 coverage of this controversial wo...

We continue the story of Nobel Prize winning environmentalist Dr Wangari Maathai, who defied convention, financial hurdles, and the violent opposition of her own government to make her Green Belt Movement into an enduring worldwide force for societal good. She and her colleagues planted almost 40 million trees and empowered tens of thousands of women across the world to discover their own power to...

Wangari Maathai understood the vital connections between living things and the Earth; of local communities and the wider world. It is true that many trees make a mighty forest, and Maathai's Green Belt Movement made it clear to us all that the most important change for the greater good is one that each individual makes in their own backyard... a philosophy which would earn her the Nobel Peace Priz...

How much of the New Orleans Voodoo Queen's legend is myth? (Hint: A lot) Happy Mardi Gras and, more importantly, Happy Women's History Month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sojourner Truth was an enslaved woman, 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 long ago, but we can help to set it right.  This episode is brought to you in part by: Blissy: Get better sleep, hair, and skin and use code HISTORYCHICKS to get an additio...

Georgia Gilmore was one of the unsung heroes of history during the Civil Rights movement in America; a prime example of how one person's contributions can change the course of a country. Her tireless fundraising efforts were critical to the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, and Presidents met with activists under her roof, comforted by Georgia's amazing food and her hearty welcome for everyon...

Josephine and Eugénie, related by marriage, and separated by only a generation, both rose from relative obscurity to become the Empress of France during tumultuous times. The paths of these very different women never crossed, but they both were stars in their own time and left their unique marks on history. Please join us on our Field Trip to Italy, October 2-11, 2025. Registration is now open at...

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we are again shining the spotlight on the remarkable life of Fannie Lou Hamer. As a small child, her hard labor was key to her family’s survival. She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist who would not be silenced by intimidation, violence, or the personal wishes of the President of the United States himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Charity Adams Earley was the first, and highest ranking, African-American officer in the Women's Army Corps. During WW2, she led the 6888th - The Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was sent to Europe to make sure that years of backlogged letters and packages were delivered at last to the waiting soldiers. Her work showed the importance of diversity, teamwork, and strong leadership in overco...

This story of Christmas' unsung hero has been our holiday tradition since 2014! We change bits of it every year, so no two years are exactly the same! If you have little ears with you, you may want to preview it so no secrets are spoiled! Happiest of holidays to you, we'll see you in 2025! Speaking of seeing us in 2025, we would love for you to travel with us on our Field Trip to Philadelphia June...

Katharine Graham was the head of the Washington Post empire during a turbulent time in American history. After a personal tragedy catapulted her into the public eye (and the eye of the hurricane), she took on the doubters and became the most powerful woman in media history. She was an icon of resilience and determination, as well as embodying the belief that a cantankerous, vibrant, and free press...

It's Thanksgiving and National Native American Heritage Month here in the United States so, this week, we continue our tradition of sharing this episode from 2017. Pocahontas' real story is much different than the romanticized versions of her life! At this time of year, here, when American History is told and retold over turkey and Ubiquitous Green Bean Casserole, we want to do our part to contrib...

We took fifty friends with us on our latest women's history tour to the City of Light! From a private nighttime tour of Versailles to a luncheon at Veuve Clicquot, through pastries shaped like apples at A. LaCroix patisserie and an ocean of glorious onion soup, we filled our suitcases with treasures and our hearts with joy. But perhaps the best souvenirs we all brought home were the lifelong frien...

Join us on this Halloween bonus episode as we revisit our 2019 coverage of Sarah Winchester! The Winchester Mystery House has intrigued people 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. We would love for you to join us on our Paris Field Trip i...