Asterisk History

Season 2 Episode 2: Alex tells Jay about Mary Mahoney, the first African American woman to be formally trained as a nurse.

Also, a small correction: in this episode, Alex refers to the Dred Scott case. She meant the Plessey v. Ferguson case, wherein the Supreme Court's decision lead to the idea of "separate but equal."

Season 2, Episode 1: Jay tells Alex about Suor Maria Celeste, a nun of the impoverished Order of St. Clare of Assisi who was industrious, surprisingly well educated, and whose records survived because she happened to have a famous father.

Alex tells Jay about "Queenie" Stephanie St. Clair, the classiest mob boss to grace New York City in the 20th Century.

Jay tells Alex about Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sánchez Loriga, who, through elaborate deception, became the first same-sex couple to be married by the Catholic Church.

Alex tells Jay about Elizabeth Freeman and Oney Judge, two women born enslaved, who freed themselves around the time of the American Revolution.

Alex and Jay explain their abrupt hiatus and let everyone know what they've been up to lately.

Jay tells Alex about three heroic women-of-the-army, all nicknamed Molly, from the American Revolutionary War.

In the second part of this two-part episode, Alex finishes telling Jay about Lucy Parsons, a turn-of-the-century Anarchist and labor reformer whose personal mantra (we assume) was "burn shit down."

In the first part of a two-part episode, Alex tells Jay about Lucy Parsons, a turn-of-the-century Anarchist and labor reformer who was born into slavery and lived most of her life in Chicago.

Jay tells Alex about Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade, a Victorian Romantic composer whose music we use for our opening and closing.