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 herself, acquiring a reputation for eccentricity, adventures worthy of a modern motion picture, and unwanted literary superstardom.

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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 uncommon intelligence, influence among the powerful, and her willingness to accept new ideas about medicine would save lives, help end smallpox, and transform the entire world.

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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 can learn from it.

But was Mary a villain?

Or simply a victim of circumstances?

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A summer announcement and a song

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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 historians who followed her - but in this episode, we right some of the wrongs, give you some context for her actions, and reveal her connection to the Olympic Games.

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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 of July, then to Washington for Bastille Day...and the next ten years. We thought that this was a good time to revisit the OG, the icon, the symbol of freedom for millions over the last 135 years: Liberty Enlightening the World.

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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 her outward signs of wealth, but she was no mere society butterfly.

Rather than her extensive collection of jewels and artifacts, her true legacy is the multitude of people she was able to help with grace, dignity, and her natural capability for genuine friendship. She was a monarch with a common touch.

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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 her father's company into a major food conglomerate, and lived like royalty as the Duchess of Washington DC and the Queen of Palm Beach.

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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, full of creativity and drive. She was always looking for ways to help her friends and was the belle of Paris and the Art Nouveau movement...but she is best referred to as La Loïe, THE Loïe, one of a kind.

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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 caregiver, a "doctress," an entrepreneur, and one heck of a jam-maker who served those fighting at the front of the Crimean War (and so much more.) If you are interested in a more directly related nurse episode, we recommend our coverage of Florence Nightingale (as well as several others, mentioned in this episode.)

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