The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast
Episodes
The Gilded Gentleman Presents: Invisible Magicians and Golden Plates
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Gentlem...
Queen Lili'oukalani, Revisited
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Elizabeth Taylor Part 3
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth Taylor emerged from personal turmoil with a new mission; to be an advocate for the victims of AIDS. Her name became synonymous with humanita...
Elizabeth Taylor, Part Two
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Elizabeth Taylor Part 1
16 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Julia Child
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 telev...
Hurrem Sultan ( Empress Roxelana )
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 empi...
Jane Addams Revisit
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Edmonia Lewis
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Edmonia Lewis broke barriers as the first African-American and Native American sculptor to achieve worldwide renown for her neoclassical works in marb...
Elizabeth Keckley
05 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Emily Dickinson Part 2
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Dickinson retreated from society as she got older, concentrating her passion and power into her work, though she did find love - and enjoy publi...
Emily Dickinson Part 1
15 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Poet Emily Dickinson has often been painted as a recluse and an oddball by history, though she had a passionate nature and a rich inner life. She wrot...
Mrs. Claus: A Biography, 2021
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Just like her husband, Mrs. Claus makes an appearance every December at the top of your podcast queue when we shine the spotlight on this resilient, h...
Tattooed Ladies
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During an era in which a woman showing her ankle was seen as transgressive, a group of radical women broke societal norms by using their bodies as can...
The Music Show #3
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We put themed music at the end of each episode - "dessert," if you will. In the spirit of this holiday season, where we give ourselves the joy of eati...
Fannie Farmer
13 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fannie Farmer was written off by society at an early age due to her disability. She rallied as an adult and parlayed her talent in the kitchen into a ...
Elizabeth Bathory
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some say she was a vicious killer, others contend that she was merely a victim of the patriarchy, but Countess Elizabeth Bathory is one of the most no...
Happy I Love Lucy Day!
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
National I Love Lucy Day is October 15th, so join us in celebrating the life of this iconic woman with a supersized episode that combines all of our p...
Sarah Bernhardt
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Bernhardt began her life in France as the unwanted child of a heartless courtesan. She found her first true home in the theater; and through har...
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Part 2
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The worldwide eradication of smallpox was not Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's only claim to fame; she discarded the life she knew and set out to remake he...
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Part 1
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was brought up to believe that it was her face that was her fortune, and her place to be simply decorative. However, her unc...
Typhoid Mary Mallon Revisited
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are quite a few parallels between Mary Mallon's story (a series of typhoid outbreaks) and our present-day pandemic, and so there are things we c...
Announcement: Gone fishin'
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A summer announcement and a song Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Olympias
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Olympias is known for being the mother of Alexander the Great and for being Very Fond Of Snakes. She was subject to centuries of slander by the histor...
The Statue of Liberty, Revisited
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This year, the Statue of Liberty's Little Sister is coming to the US for a lengthy stay. The 9' reproduction travels first to New York for the Fourth ...
Marjorie Merriweather Post Part 2
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marjorie Merriweather Post was a natural philanthropist and organizer. Her fortune may have come to her by chance, and she is perhaps most famous for ...
Marjorie Merriweather Post Part 1
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marjorie Post was not *born* with a silver spoon in her mouth, but breakfast cereal sure provided her with one before her tenth birthday! She parlayed...
Loïe Fuller
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
She was many things: an actress, a dancer, a chemist, an artist, and a pioneer in stage lighting and choreography. She was inquisitive and energetic, ...
Mary Seacole, Revisited
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For International Nurses Day, we're revisiting our coverage of Mary Seacole. While, technically, she wasn't a nurse, she was very much a brave medical...
Maya Angelou Part 3
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 3, Maya Angelou has stretched to fill many spheres of influence; she gathered accolades as she climbed and was generous with her experiences. ...
Maya Angelou Part 2
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 is a roller coaster! Maya Angelou faced some of her greatest challenges during this period of her life, and handled them all with the true grit...
A Message from the chaotic House of Wood
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Where is Maya Angelou Part 2? Likely in a landfill. Let me explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Maya Angelou Part 1
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the twists and turns of her colorful life, Maya Angelou gathered the wisdom of the world and distilled it into a dynamic force with which t...
The Bowery Boys and the Shirtwaist Strike of 1909
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Young and Tom Meyers, of The Bowery Boys New York City History podcast, share their 2020 coverage of early 1900s women's protests that were tied ...
Women of the Wild West, Revisited
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Calamity Jane, Belle Starr, and Annie Chambers were contemporaries of our previous subjects, the Harvey Girls and Fred Harvey, but they led very...ver...
The Harvey Girls
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Harvey Girls were not "just waitresses," they were adventuring, trailblazing, refined young women who helped settle the American West. And the sto...
Ella Fitzgerald, Revisited (and a request)
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From a rough start on the streets of Harlem, to the Apollo stage, smokey clubs, years on the road and in recording studios Ella led the world throug...
10th Birthday Love Letter
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years ago, we met (literally MET!) to record our first episode. It's been a journey, and we thought as a milestone birthday celebration, we would ...
Shirley Temple Black
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time, there was a little moppet whose grit and optimism on screen gave the world the courage to endure the Great Depression. But time and ...
Mrs. Claus, Revisited
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let's shine the spotlight on Mrs. Claus, she's not the one-dimensional support character most imagine, a revisit from 2014. Learn more about y...
Charlotte Brontë, Revisted
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Charlotte 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 d...
Pocahontas, Revisited
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught. We revisit this 2017 episode to learn the real, not Disneyfied, st...
Wonder Woman Part 2
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After her creator died, Wonder Woman strayed quite a bit from where she began. She had her wings clipped by the censors in the 1950s, and lost her pow...
Wonder Woman Part 1
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
She was forged in the fires of the suffragist movement, and beneath her abbreviated costume beats the heart of a lion. Fighting for truth, equality, a...
Belva Lockwood and Shirley Chisholm, Revisited
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We finish up our two-part series on women who ran for the US presidency in days gone by. Belva Lockwood ran in 1884 and 1888, and Shirley Chisholm thr...
Victoria Woodhull, Revisited
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Here in the US, voting for the 2020 Presidential election has begun so we're revisiting the life of the very first woman to run for the American Presi...
Q and A Number 3
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time in the dark ages of podcasting, two friends set out on a quest to bring the stories of historical women to your ears. In this episode...
Empress Sisi of Austria Part 2
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of our coverage, Empress Sisi helps to change the political climate in Hungary, experiences great personal tragedy, comes a little bit loose...
Empress Sisi of Austria Part 1
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sisi was a shy young noblewoman who was plucked from obscurity and shoved onto the world stage with very little warning. She found the limelight a dif...
Marie Curie, Double Episode Revisit
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If Amazon Prime's movie Radioactive has you curious about Marie's REAL story, we joined our two episodes of her, broke them into chapters, and created...
Lady Bird Johnson
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lady Bird Johnson was First Lady during a turbulent time in the US. While her methods and voice may not have been the loudest, she touched many lives,...
The Statue of Liberty, Revisited
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From her birth at a French dinner table to her place in the hearts of people all over the world, we revisit our 2018 coverage of the life of this Amer...
Aunt Jemima
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1889, Aunt Jemima crossed from the footlights to the grocery store, where she's been a fixture for 131 years. On the eve of her departure, we give ...
Fannie Lou Hamer
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fannie Lou Hamer began life as a small child whose hard labor was key to her family’s survival. She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist ...
Catherine the Great, Part Two *An entirely true story
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you're watching Hulu's, The Great, and wondering what parts are the "occasionally true," we finish the real Catherine's story in this, the second o...
Catherine the Great *An entirely true story
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you watched Hulu's series, The Great, and wondered what parts were true? Here is a revisit to part one of our coverage of the very true life of C...
Zephyr Wright
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zephyr Wright's spicy Pedernales River Chili made her one of the most famous cooks in America... and her peppery relationship with President Lyndon B....
Chicks Check-in
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A quick check-in, a catch-up...just a little chat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Margaret "Molly" Brown and the Titanic, Revisited
12 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We thought we could all use an example of a woman who faced an unexpected disaster of titanic proportions and not only survived, but used her brains, ...
Typhoid Mary Mallon
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are quite a few parallels between Mary Mallon's story (a series of typhoid outbreaks) and our present day pandemic, and so there are things we c...
Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam CJ Walker
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 innovatio...
Isadora Duncan
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Mary Church Terrell Part 2
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Ida B. Wells Revisited, Not Mary Church Terrell Part 2
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 pat...
Mary Church Terrell (part 1)
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Terrell was one of the first African American Women to graduate from college, and rose to prominence during the battles for universal suffrage an...
Maria Montessori
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Montessori revolutionized education during the early 20th century with her approach to child-led learning, and was convinced that the children o...
Mrs Claus - A Biography
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise! Our Traditional Bonus episode about the origins of Mrs. Claus, here for your listening pleasure on Christmas morning. Preview it before you...
Louisa May Alcott Revisited
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Rosa Parks Revisted
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
Wilma Mankiller
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Wilma Mankiller overcame obstacles in her life by being "of good mind," a Cherokee principle that guided her through her life of activism, community s...
Guest Episode: The Recappery, The Crown S3 E1
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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, pleas...
Pocahontas, Revisited
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's National Native American Heritage Month, a perfect time to recast our episode on the real story of Pocahontas. Learn more about your ad c...
Sarah Winchester and the Mystery House
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 - ...
Florence Nightingale
18 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Mary Seacole
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Louise Brooks
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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. Learn...
Gilded Age Servants and Heiresses, Revisited
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Isabella of Castile Part 2
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Isabella of Castile Part 1
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Seven Women Revisited
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We revisit the lives of seven women with amazing stories including Hedy Lamarr and Judy Garland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
Joan of Arc
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Elizebeth Friedman
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"America's first female cryptanalyst" only hints at the contributions of this codebreaking war hero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...
Charlotte Brontë
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 k...
Live from PodX!
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Lydia Pinkham 2019
19 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 (...
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Babe's colorful personality, drive, and athleticism made her a role model for girls around the globe as an Olympian and multi-sport, professional athl...
Mary Anning
20 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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, some...
Annie Londonderry
06 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Ching Shih
24 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
Audrey Hepburn (Part 2)
09 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Audrey Hepburn (Part 1)
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 examp...
Phillis Wheatley
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 Amer...
Elizabeth Bathory
27 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 practi...
Harriet Tubman
06 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 sh...
Barbie
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Barbie has inspired generations of children in her 59 years, always representing the historically novel idea that women have choices in their lives. S...
Belle Starr and Calamity Jane
27 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
Anne Frank
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
Jane Addams (Part 2)
13 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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." Learn ...
Jane Addams (Part 1)
23 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Later known as "The Mother of Social Work", Jane Addams took a circuitous route to find her life's calling. Learn more about your ad choices....
Clara Barton Revisited and Refreshed
02 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The life of Clara Barton was so full of humanitarian accomplishments it's worthy of another, refreshed, look. Learn more about your ad choices....