The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

Once again, we are dropping in to bring you the history of an unsung Christmas hero - Mrs. Claus. Where did she come from? What is her role in the festive season? We'll tell you all about her in this annual minicast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Line by line over the course of her life, Frances Perkins drew the blueprint for a better society; one that protected the weak, curbed the unethical, and provided a humanist framework for government. As the first woman ever to serve in a Presidential cabinet, Ms. Perkins was officially empowered to go ahead and build her vision of a better country, enacting reforms that affect each of us, even tod...

Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught. For both Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving, we revisit this 2017 episode to tell her real, not Disneyfied, story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was just a teen when she took on lighthouse keeper responsibilities and bravely began saving lives--and risking her own--while doing what she looked at as her daily responsibilities. She attracted (not necessarily welcome) worldwide attention, but would she ever get official recognition and compensation for her work? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forty travelers, four hosts, and thirty seagulls headed out to experience podcast-based adventures in historic and iconic New England. We laughed, we cried, we learned a lot - and made friends (and memories) that we'll keep for life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've combined our previous coverage of Empress Sisi of Austria because she's getting a lot of screen time these days and we found ourselves in need of a refresher, so we thought you might be, too. Both the Netflix series, The Empress, and a theatrical release, Corsage, cover different time periods in the life of this young noblewoman who was plucked from obscurity and shoved onto the world stage....

From a deprived childhood bereft of opportunities, Nell Gwynn endeavored to parlay her charm and talent in order to improve her lot in life. She captured the attention of a king, delighted the public both onstage and off, and became a folklore heroine who is still remembered today as the "pretty, witty" personality who might have been created especially to put her world into a good humor. Learn mo...

In this bonus episode, we both chat with Liza Powel O'Brien, host of Significant Others Podcast. We talk about a lot, but it's mostly like listening to a great conversation at the next table in a coffee shop where the people talking are all female history podcasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Britain's Queen Elizabeth 2 - we offer this homage, from our second show The Recappery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Mary Walker challenged society's ideas of what a woman should look like, how a woman should think, and what a woman could become. During her military service, and within the suffrage movement, she often had to seize what she wanted from unwilling hands... and her rivals in both realms attempted to erase her from history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Van Lew and Belle Boyd had a lot in common: They were born in the same state, they died the same year and they both were spies during the same war...but for opposing sides! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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...

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 y...

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