The History Chicks

The History Chicks episodes:

• 04.24.2024

  Clara Bow 2024

  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 reach back into the archives and bring you the story of Clara Bow, who...

  
• 04.10.2024

  Babe Didrickson Zaharias

  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 professional athlete. We've spoken so often about her lately that we thought it might be time...

  
• 03.27.2024

  Althea Gibson Part 2

  After decades of struggle against obstacles and expectations that would defeat most of us, Althea Gibson achieved international success in the world of tennis; breaking the color barrier at Wimbledon and opening the game to future generations of players. She...

  
• 03.13.2024

  Jessie Tarbox Beals

  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 this: arrive in a new town, set up a darkroom, canvas the populace,...

  
• 02.28.2024

  Althea Gibson Part 1

  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 and charismatic African American athlete named Althea Gibson began to smash tennis' color...

  
• 02.14.2024

  Maria Anna Mozart and Clara Schumann

  Maria Anna Mozart and Clara Schumann were talented and musically gifted women. They were both child prodigies and both dazzled audiences across Europe. While they were (and still are) often put in the shadow of a talented male relative, one...

  
• 01.25.2024

  Alice Roosevelt Longworth Part 2

  Alice Roosevelt Longworth was once the most famous woman in the world. She graduated from youthful frivolity into the deadly serious role of behind-the-scenes political engine and policy influencer; always the center of the action and (sometimes grudging) admiration wherever she...

  
• 01.10.2024

  Alice Roosevelt Longworth Part 1

  President Theodore Roosevelt had many challenges during his career… corruption in the New York police force, the creation of the Panama Canal , the Spanish American war, protecting the Grand Canyon and other national monuments, and groundbreaking anti-trust legislation But the greatest...

  
• 12.22.2023

  Mrs. Claus, 2023

  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 it's sort of a time-capsule episode: we've added things over the years,...

  
• 12.12.2023

  La Malinche

  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 cultural interpreter for Hernán Cortés, and became one of the most famous (or infamous)...

  
• 11.28.2023

  France Field Trip Travelogue, 2023

  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 country caves, we share all the highlights of our trip. There's also a...

  
• 11.22.2023

  Pocahontas

  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 coverage of Pocahontas. She did save lives, but her story is far from the fairy...

  
• 11.14.2023

  Frances Glessner Lee

  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 staid, placid life. Her immersion into the gory and sometimes alarming world of post-mortem...

  
• 11.03.2023

  London Tour Travelogue 2023

  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 Abbey, we left no stone unturned in this magical city. We wanted you to...

  
• 10.03.2023

  Absinthe with The Gilded Gentleman (and Roosters!)

  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 The Gilded Gentleman, Carl Raymond. Keep an ear out for cameos from Bowery...

  
• 09.14.2023

  Veuve Cliquot

  Barbe-Nicole Clicquot built a luxury empire amid the turbulent politics of post-Revolution France. After years of battling everything from Napoleon to Mother Nature herself, she finally rocketed to worldwide fame after one daring escapade, Raise your glasses to the Grande...

  
• 08.22.2023

  Maria Montessori

  We dove into our archives for the story of Maria Montessori who revolutionized education during the early 20th century with her unique approach to child-led learning. Maria was convinced that the children of the world were the key to peace...

  
• 08.09.2023

  Lillian Moller Gilbreth (and an announcement)

  Lillian Gilbreth should be remembered for any of her life accomplishments: psychologist, industrial engineer, author, inventor, and pioneer in the field of industrial psychology. From her collection of degrees to her equal partnership marriage to her work with Presidents and...

  
• 07.20.2023

  Barbie and Ruth Handler: A History

  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 looking back on our coverage of this iconic figure and the woman who created her: Ruth...

  
• 07.12.2023

  Dido Elizabeth Belle and Sarah Forbes Bonetta

  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 Georgian and Victorian England: Dido Elizabeth Belle and Sarah Forbes Bonetta. There is...

  
• 06.28.2023

  The Statue of Liberty 2023

  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 the symbol of hope she has become for the world. Learn more about...

  
• 06.10.2023

  Queen Charlotte, Part Two

  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 more dramatic than the fictional retelling in the Bridgerton Netflix series! Our...

  
• 06.02.2023

  Queen Charlotte Part 1

  As the Season is now upon us, all the elegant individuals of the ton await news regarding their beloved queen. With scandalous fabrications confusing even the most learned members of our society, we feel that it is our duty to...

  
• 05.18.2023

  Washington DC Field Trip Recap

  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 friends. Here, in their own voices, are the stories from our DC travelers in...

  
• 04.28.2023

  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mega-Episode

  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, challenge, balance, and reinvention. We've combined and remastered our two previous episodes on...

  
• 04.19.2023

  Ona Judge

  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 life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own existence on her...

  
• 03.31.2023

  Martha Washington

  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 shoulder the responsibilities and rigors of both war and diplomacy. Martha Washington's philosophy of...

  
• 03.09.2023

  Mary McLeod Bethune, Part Two

  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 minds and build bridges to education and equality for all. Her mission touched lives across...

  
• 02.23.2023

  Mary McLeod Bethune Part 1

  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 life to the causes of education and equality for all. She swept everyone...

  
• 02.07.2023

  Queen Nzinga 2023

  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 captured and traded, offered refuge to anyone who needed it, and used every move at...

  
• 01.26.2023

  Frances Perkins Part 3

  Miss Perkins travels to Washington to become Madam Secretary - and the architect of The New Deal. Her ferocious battles with the status quo during these years later led President Kennedy to call her "one of the most controversial, dangerous...

  
• 01.09.2023

  Frances Perkins Part 2

  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 reform. Her reputation for intelligence, thoroughness and honesty (and the connections she made along the way)...

  
• 12.24.2022

  Mrs Claus - Our Holiday Tradition!

  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...

  
• 12.16.2022

  Frances Perkins Part 1

  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...

  
• 11.23.2022

  Pocahontas Revisited

  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....

  
• 11.14.2022

  Ida Lewis

  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...

  
• 11.02.2022

  Boston Field Trip Travelogue

  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...

  
• 10.17.2022

  Empress Sisi, Mega-revisit

  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,...

  
• 10.06.2022

  Nell Gwynn

  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...

  
• 09.29.2022

  Bonus! A Conversation with Liza Powel O'Brien

  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...

  
• 09.19.2022

  Queen Elizabeth II - The Crown Recap

  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

  
• 09.05.2022

  Doctor Mary Walker

  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...

  
• 08.22.2022

  Civil War Spies, North and South

  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....

  
• 08.11.2022

  Elizabeth Chudleigh

  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,...

  
• 07.26.2022

  Our Travel Tales: London Field Trip Recap

  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...

  
• 07.10.2022

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

  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...

  
• 06.14.2022

  The Gilded Gentleman Presents: Invisible Magicians and Golden Plates

  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...

  
• 05.30.2022

  Queen Lili'oukalani, Revisited

  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

  
• 05.16.2022

  Elizabeth Taylor Part 3

  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...

  
• 05.02.2022

  Elizabeth Taylor, Part Two

  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