The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Do-over, Part One

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, back in 2011, we shared the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, beloved author of the Little House series and chronicler of life on the U...

Boudica

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Boudica (formerly known as Boadicea ) was a first‑century Celtic queen of the Iceni tribe in what’s now eastern England. After the Roman Empire se...

Bonus: History Chicks History

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th, and Women's History Month during all of March, we have a short message for you all. We couldn't p...

Dovey Johnson Roundtree

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dovey Johnson Roundtree grew up in the Jim Crow era South and carried her grandmother’s philosophy of "find a way or make one” as her armor into...

Odetta

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Odetta was one of the defining voices of American folk music. Though she had been trained in classical music, she was drawn to spirituals, work songs,...

Grandma Moses

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Grandma Moses spent most of her life living on family farms in upstate New York, raising a large family and running a household. She was known in her ...

Ona Judge, 2026

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ona Judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America in order to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her...

Mother Jones

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Mother Jones lived one of the most dramatic second acts in American history. Though her early life was shaped by poverty, immigration, and repeated pe...

Martha Gellhorn

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly ...

Martha Washington, 2025

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a tie-in to our coverage of Betsy Ambler and Ken Burn's American Revolution documentarty we decided to revisit Martha. Some called her The Mother o...

Sarah Rector

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, an eleven-year-old girl named Sarah Rector struck it rich with a discovery that was perfectly timed for the rise of the automobile a...

ITALY TRAVELOGUE - 2025

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Viva l'Italia! We took 50 listeners on an epic journey filled with history, architecture, camaraderie and SO MUCH delicious food! From the ancient lay...

BONUS - The American Revolution on PBS - Our interview with co-director Sarah Botstein

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American Revolution changed the way the world worked; the principles of governance in the new country laid the foundation for movements all over t...

Betsy Ambler - and an interview with Sarah Botstein from the PBS documentary The American Revolution

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Life during the Revolutionary War was more than military strategy; there were plenty of battles to be fought at home. Betsy Ambler was a young teenage...

Elizabeth Packard

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was committed to a mental institution by her husband - for YEARS - for the crime of speaking her mind . This practice was ...

Frida Kahlo, 2025

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're going back to our 2013 coverage of this iconic artist who turned her pain, passion, fear, and unique outlook on life into remarkable and memorab...

Catherine De Medici Part 2

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Catherine de Medici lived in a century defined by the the contributions of remarkable women, and she distinguished herself as one of the most remarkab...

Catherine de Medici, Part 1

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Philadelphia 2025 Travelogue

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 weeken...

Suzanne Valadon

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Impressionis...

Alice Paul Part 2

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Early Suffragists, 2025

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Alice Paul, Part 1

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 le...

Paris Field Trip Travelogue, 2025

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, win...

Anne Frank 2025

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Miep Gies Part 2

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Miep Gies Part 1

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 fr...

A Conversation with Anne Sebba: The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 bo...

Wallis Simpson, 2025

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Puppet? Manipulating social climber? Misunderstood? Deeply in love? However you see her, the fact remains that a king abdicated his throne, defied his...

Wangari Maathai Part 2

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We continue the story of Nobel Prize winning environmentalist Dr Wangari Maathai, who defied convention, financial hurdles, and the violent opposition...

Wangari Maathai Part 1

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wangari Maathai understood the vital connections between living things and the Earth; of local communities and the wider world. It is true that many t...

Marie Laveau, 2025

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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! ...

Sojourner Truth 2025

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Georgia Gilmore

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Josephine Bonaparte and Eugénie Bonaparte

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josephine and Eugénie, related by marriage, and separated by only a generation, both rose from relative obscurity to become the Empress of France dur...

Fannie Lou Hamer, 2025

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wa...

Charity Adams Earley

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Cent...

Mrs, Claus, 2024

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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!...

Katharine Graham

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Katharine Graham was the head of the Washington Post empire during a turbulent time in American history. After a personal tragedy catapulted her into ...

Pocahontas, 2024

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's Thanksgiving and National Native American Heritage Month here in the United States so, this week, we continue our tradition of sharing this episo...

Paris 2024 Travelogue

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ve...

Sarah Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us on this Halloween bonus episode as we revisit our 2019 coverage of Sarah Winchester! The Winchester Mystery House has intrigued people for alm...

New York City Travelogue 2024

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as we discuss our recent field trip to the city that never sleeps! Fifty friends joined us for a women's history extravaganza (and thirty more...

Victoria Woodhull, 2024

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's election season here in the US, so we're revisiting the life of the very first woman to run for the American Presidency in 1872. Victoria Woodhul...

Gertrude Ederle

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They said it couldn't be done; that the deck, and the odds, were stacked against her, but Trudy Ederle listened only to her heart during her record-br...

Fannie Lou Hamer 2024

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We reached back a few years to again shine the spotlight on this remarkable woman. Fannie Lou Hamer began life as a small child whose hard labor was k...

Emily Roebling

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Roebling stepped in to facilitate the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge after her husband, its chief engineer, fell victim to a mysterious ill...

Empress Maria Theresa of Austria Part 2

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maria Theresa was the only woman to rule the Hapsburg dominions in her own right and is considered to have been one of its most successful leaders. Ga...

Empress Maria Theresa of Austria Part 1

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Destined from her cradle for a seat on the throne, Maria Theresa had to fight both the prejudices of her age AND some of the greatest warriors of the ...

Austria Field Trip Travelogue 2024

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Please join us and our fellow Field Trip Friends as we tell you all about our adventures in Austria! From the glamour of the Habsburgs in Vienna to th...

The Statue of Liberty 2024

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we bring you our traditional Fourth of July holiday coverage of the life and times of the Statue of Liberty, from her conception at a dinner par...

Gertrude Bell

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, a daughter of privilege took her enormous intelligence, unfathomable bravery, and an entire set of Wedgwood china into the uncharted...

Georgia O'Keeffe

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 she wanted to say th...

Mary Cassatt

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Cassatt had always been an independent thinker. But once she became a member of the radical group of artists known as the Impressionists, she sid...

Clara Bow 2024

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A young woman named Taylor Swift, who we admire greatly, has just released an album that includes a track called "Clara Bow". We thought we would reac...

Babe Didrickson Zaharias

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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

Althea Gibson Part 2

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After decades of struggle against obstacles and expectations that would defeat most of us, Althea Gibson achieved international success in the world o...

Jessie Tarbox Beals

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

According to Jessie Tarbox Beals - the first female photojournalist in the world - the key to success is mostly HUSTLE. In her case, it looked like th...

Althea Gibson Part 1

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are quite a few lines on a tennis court; sideline, baseline, service line - all of which have their functions. But beginning in 1950, a powerful...

Maria Anna Mozart and Clara Schumann

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maria Anna Mozart and Clara Schumann were talented and musically gifted women. They were both child prodigies and both dazzled audiences across Europe...

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Part 2

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alice Roosevelt Longworth was once the most famous woman in the world. She graduated from youthful frivolity into the deadly serious role of behind-t...

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Part 1

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Theodore Roosevelt had many challenges during his career… corruption in the New York police force, the creation of the Panama Canal , the ...

Mrs. Claus, 2023

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mrs. Claus has a history as colorful as her husband's so we spotlight it in our annual visit to her life! Originally, this episode is from 2014, but i...

La Malinche

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a child, La Malinche was sold into slavery by her own family. Through a series of curious circumstances, she began working as a translator and cult...

France Field Trip Travelogue, 2023

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Please join us and our fellow Field Trip Friends, as we all tell you about our adventures in France! From the glitter of Paris to the Champagne countr...

Pocahontas

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As is our annual tradition for both National American Indian Heritage Month and Thanksgiving, we present you with a bonus episode this month, our 2017...

Frances Glessner Lee

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Frances Glessner Lee was the mother of modern forensic medicine; as an heiress and socialite, she might have been expected by her peers to live a stai...

London Tour Travelogue 2023

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The History Chicks met fifty listeners in London for the trip of a lifetime! From the coziness of Jane Austen's house to the grandeur of Westminster A...

Absinthe with The Gilded Gentleman (and Roosters!)

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While we're on a Field Trip, we turned the show over to the Roosters this week with a Veuve Clicquot adjacent subject: The History of Absinthe with Th...

Veuve Cliquot

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Barbe-Nicole Clicquot built a luxury empire amid the turbulent politics of post-Revolution France. After years of battling everything from Napoleon to...

Maria Montessori

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We dove into our archives for the story of Maria Montessori who revolutionized education during the early 20th century with her unique approach to chi...

Lillian Moller Gilbreth (and an announcement)

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lillian Gilbreth should be remembered for any of her life accomplishments: psychologist, industrial engineer, author, inventor, and pioneer in the fie...

Barbie and Ruth Handler: A History

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The live-action movie, Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig is opening and we're not only buying tickets and wearing our Barbie pink but we're also lookin...

Dido Elizabeth Belle and Sarah Forbes Bonetta

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While we couldn't confirm that Queen Charlotte was a woman of color, we can tell you about two women who were and who lived aristocratic lives in Geor...

The Statue of Liberty 2023

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we bring you our traditional holiday coverage of the life and times of the Statue of Liberty; from her conception at a dinner party in France to...

Queen Charlotte, Part Two

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As her world turns from cozy to chaotic, we conclude our series on the real life of Queen Charlotte of Great Britain. The truth of her story is even m...

Queen Charlotte Part 1

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the Season is now upon us, all the elegant individuals of the ton await news regarding their beloved queen. With scandalous fabrications confusing ...

Washington DC Field Trip Recap

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dozens of listeners joined us in our nation's capital for a whirlwind long weekend to visit sites, marvel at objects, learn from experts, and make new...

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mega-Episode

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Only the most iconic of women are known simply by their first name, and Jackie is one of them. Her life was a complicated collage of privilege, challe...

Ona Judge

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ona Judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America in order to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her...

Martha Washington

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some called her The Mother of the Country, some curtseyed and called her Lady Washington, but no one could doubt that she was uniquely capable to shou...

Mary McLeod Bethune, Part Two

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By modeling, educating, and encouraging others, Mrs. Bethune spent her life carrying a torch that shed a light on actionable ways to change hearts and...

Mary McLeod Bethune Part 1

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mary McLeod Bethune was born to carry the light for others to follow. Now known as "The First Lady of the Struggle", Mrs. Bethune dedicated her entire...

Queen Nzinga 2023

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nzinga was the warrior queen who held back Portuguese colonization in her African kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba, kept many of her people from being c...

Frances Perkins Part 3

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Miss Perkins travels to Washington to become Madam Secretary - and the architect of The New Deal. Her ferocious battles with the status quo during the...

Frances Perkins Part 2

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of our three-part coverage, Frances Perkins was galvanized by the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire tragedy to turn her talents for research into ref...

Mrs Claus - Our Holiday Tradition!

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 fes...

Frances Perkins Part 1

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

Pocahontas Revisited

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 revis...

Ida Lewis

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 look...

Boston Field Trip Travelogue

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Forty travelers, four hosts, and thirty seagulls headed out to experience podcast-based adventures in historic and iconic New England. We laughed, we ...

Empress Sisi, Mega-revisit

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Nell Gwynn

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 captu...

Bonus! A Conversation with Liza Powel O'Brien

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Queen Elizabeth II - The Crown Recap

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 podcastcho...

Doctor Mary Walker

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 milit...

Civil War Spies, North and South

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 sa...

Elizabeth Chudleigh

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The beautiful and charming Elizabeth Chudleigh had society wrapped around her little finger... until she made a fateful mistake. One night's impulsive...

Our Travel Tales: London Field Trip Recap

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 m...

The Wives of Henry VIII in Six Chapters: a mega-episode revisit

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...