In 1125 Empress Matilda returned to England and the court of her father, Henry I. A string of tragedies and loss has befallen the royal family; Matilda is now a widow and Henry has lost his only son and obvious heir. Together, father and daughter will join forces towards a common goal: maintaining their family’s hold on the English throne. Their only recourse is to title Matilda as rightful heir, to rule as Queen upon her father’s death.

But will the nobles of England ever accept a woman as their ruler?

Centuries before Elizabeth Tudor was crowned Queen, another woman would rise up to claim her rightful place on England’s throne. 

Born in 1102 Matilda was an English princess at the dawn of a new dynasty, but her duties as a royal female would carry her far from home. Married and crowned Empress at only twelve years old, her function was to be a supportive consort to her husband and to give him sons. But fate would have other plans...

She is perhaps the most well known indigenous woman in American history, but the myths and legends surrounding her life often overshadow her truth. 

In this episode I will dive into what we really know about Sacagawea, her contributions to the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition, as well as who she was both before and after her moment in the historical spotlight.

Akhenaten (the Heretic King) has turned the religious order of Egypt on its head, having forsaken all other gods in the name of Aten, the faceless sun deity.

He has declared himself to be the living incarnate of god on earth and Nefertiti, his female counterpart. But was Nefertiti truly a goddess in her own right?  Or was she simply being used by her power-hungry husband.

Here we explore the later years of their reign, the triumphs and tragedies, and the mysterious end to this once forgotten queen.

Nefertiti is famously known for being perhaps the most beautiful woman who ever lived, but who was she really?

To this day her origins, her ultimate end, and even her final resting place remain a mystery. 

In this episode I will explore the dynasty that saw Nefertiti rise to power, the theories as to where she may have come from, and the early years of her union to the great Akhenaten, Egypt's Heretic King.

When looking back on the horrors of WWII we often think of the Holocaust, the blitz, atomic bombs and internment camps.  These events fill the pages of our history books and have been ingrained in our collective memory.

But would you believe there is another story from this era that is often overlooked and sometimes out right ignored...

Between 1931 - 1945 the Empire of Japan would conscript thousands of women into forced sexual labor.  These women came from Japan, Korea, the Philippines and across the Pacific region. Their purpose, to entertain Japanese soldiers and satisfy their "uncontrollable" masculine urges.

Once the war ended these women were quickly discarded and forgotten. And the fear of bringing shame on themselves and their families would keep them silent for decades.  It was not until the 1990's that survivors of the Comfort System began coming forward to speak their truth.

Today, very few of these former "Comfort Women" are still alive.  But their stories will remain long after they are gone.

In June of 1900 Carry Nation, 54 years old, a preachers wife and devout Christian, arrived in the unassuming town of Kiowa, Kansas.  Filling her hands with rocks and bricks she marched into several drinking establishments and began smashing the bottles behind the bars. After years of dedication to the Temperance Movement, Carry felt that god had called upon her to take this next, drastic step in the battle against the sinful destructions of alcohol.

She had been raised in a strict and patriarchal household.  She had spent most of her life trying to be the quiet and submissive woman society expected her to be. But having survived heartbreak, loss, financial ruin, and years on the edge of civilization she would come to represent the strong woman-hood of a new era.

Armed with her faith, determination (and eventually a hatchet), Carry Nation would march into the last bastion of male exclusivity: the saloon, and smash with righteous glee. 

The second (and final) part of my Edith Cavell series.

Summer of 1914, WWI has begun.  Edith leaves the safety of England to rush back to her nursing school in Brussels where she has been head matron for 8 years. Operating under the Red Cross she expects to treat wounded soldiers on both sides but the German army has other plans...Taking over the city of Brussels they will open their own hospitals to treat their own wounded.  Meanwhile, allied soldiers left behind enemy lines face either death or POW camps.

When the laws imposed upon a people rely on inhumanity, a simple act of kindness also becomes an act of resistance.

Unable to treat the wounded Edith is now called to another purpose to save the lives of these men. Working with an underground network she will shelter allied troops being smuggled out of the country. Her devotion to helping others will ultimately come at the cost of her own life.

Listen now for the story of Edith Cavell's bravery, her arrest, mock trial and hasty execution as well as the complicated legacy of propaganda created from her death.

On October 12th, 1915 Edith Cavell stands before a firing squad.  A British citizen who has been living and working as a nurse in German occupied Brussels, she has been convicted of "heinous crimes" against Germany and sentenced to death. Her crime: tending to allied soldiers and aiding in their escape from behind enemy lines.

To the Germans, she was a subversive rebel. The English would pronounce her a patriot and martyr. But Edith saw herself only as a nurse, doing nothing more than what her vocation required of her: saving the lives of her patients.

In Part 1 we will follow Edith from her tranquil childhood in the English country-side to her entering the new world of modern nursing, serving the most destitute and desperate patients in London.  From her achieving her dream of becoming a head matron and running her own nursing school in Brussels, right up to the frenzied start of WWI.

The final episode in my Harriet Tubman series!

Follow Harriet from the start of the Civil War, volunteering to go south to aid both union soldiers and refugees alike. She shows selfless bravery and valor, earning the respect of Union generals (even if she isn't being paid a cent).

And after the war, she continues her life of service.  Advocating for women's rights, civil rights and better treatment of those overlooked by society (black and white).  Even in her final years, Harriet would never waver in her devotion to helping others.  A true American hero.