In the 19th century, men could commit women to asylums for such stellar reasons as excessive thinking or novel reading. Elizabeth Packard was married to a real prince who committed her because she was smarter than him. Strange Country cohosts share her heroic tale, and Beth reveals an alarming secret about her cat.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

"Elizabeth Packard – Legal and Mental Health Reformer." Illinois History Lincoln Collections, 27 Mar. 2019, publish.illinois.edu/ihlc-blog/2019/03/28/elizabeth-packard-legal-and-mental-health-reformer/.

Moore, Kate. The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear. Sourcebooks, 2021.