We're back to exploring the gritty unhinged history of WWII spies this week as Theresa shares the story of the war's most decorated spy, Odette Samson. This French-born woman left her three young girls in Britain and joined the war effort, as a courier (the fatality rate of couriers was over 40%). During this mission, she fell in love, got tortured, sent to Ravensbruck, and survived without giving the Axis powers any intel.

This all-around badass is a name we should all know.

This episode pairs with:

WWII Spy: Nancy Wake

WWII Spy: Toto Koopman

This episode has it all. Today, Angie takes center stage when she shares the correlation between sliced bread, the Normandy, and WWII. 

Come for Theresa losing her mind at how sliced bread relates to anything. Stay for a thorough retelling of Operation Underworld, or how the Italian mafia helped protect Americans, as the first line of defense from Axis U-boats.  

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You haven't heard it all until you've encountered the chaos of Tallulah Bankhead. This stage actress struggled to break into Hollywood while racking up over 500 lovers of both genders. Come for the unhinged antics of a starlet. Stay for her surprising activism.

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Tallulah's Ex-Girlfriend and WWII Spy: Toto Koopman

There is nothing Angie loves more than the drama, pomp, and circumstance of Charlie Two's court (Charles II). Today's story is another instance of royal gossip as she shares a possible love triangle between Queen Anne, Sarah Churchill, and Abigail Marshem.

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Another juicy moment from Charlie Two's Court: Nell Gwyn

There are certain things you can expect from this podcast and today's episode is no deviation.

Theresa shares the story of Toto Koopman, the first famous biracial model and WWII spy. Her list of lovers runs from Tallulah Bankhead to Winston Churchill's son. Because she was a hell of a lot more than her black book, she served the Italian resistance faithfully and survived the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Angie refuses to be outdone and shares the story of the gender non-conforming Queen Nzinga. This boss stood her ground against the Portuguese and made them regret tangling with her.

WWII Spy: Nancy Wake

WWII Spy: Josephine Baker

Sudan's Warrior Queens

Yaa Asantewaa

Happy Pride Month! We're kicking off June with stories that are meant to be told. Angie starts with Lucicus Beebe. This dandy of a gentleman did everything with the utmost panache. He toured the US and Europe in his own decked-out train car and remained fashionable, even when reporting on fires that broke out.

Theresa brings in the tragic story of the pink triangle, which started in concentration camps and is a potent symbol of the queer community. Many wearers of the pink triangle in these camps were not freed when the camps were liberated – instead, they remained imprisoned until the early 70s. After gaining freedom, they reclaimed this symbol, and it is now a positive symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community.

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Stonewall

This episode is yet another shiny example of something you never expected. Theresa starts off sharing the story of Wong Kim Ark, the US citizen you likely never heard of. He is the man who challenged the government, had his case heard by the Supreme Court, and established himself as the first person named as a recipient of birthright citizenship. Oh, this was back in 1898.

Angie, as flabbergasted as she is, somehow figures out a way to share the tragic tale of Torii Mototada. This samurai warrior made a fantastic stand in the late 1500s. Knowing he would likely die in his final stand, his sacrifice was honored by the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who dismantled the blood-stained castle and used the boards as ceilings in temples to ensure his deeds were never forgotten.

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The Blood-Soaked Battle Angel and the Battle at Aizuwakumatsu

Grab your weighted blanket and settle in with a mug of calming tea. You'll need it. Angie kicks things into high gear when she shares the story of the legendary female samurai, Tomoe Gozen. Listen along to Theresa thinking she knows more of the story than she actually does.

Theresa takes a sharp left turn by sharing the story of the Lone Fir Cemetery and the Chinese Immigrants who built Portland, Oregon. In true Theresa fashion, she gets us all aggregated before surprisingly ending on a ray of hope.

This episode pairs well with:

Yasuke

The Shanghai Tunnels

Since Angie took the entire episode last week, Theresa brought a hell of a story this week. Grab your popcorn and hunker down because she's sharing the story of the 442nd. This heroic group of Japanese-American soldiers in WWII bravely fought for five days and nights through freezing rain and dense fog to rescue 211 Texans pinned down by German troops.

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The Joshigun (women's army) fighting during the Battle of Wakimatsu

Dude. Brace yourself. Angie found a whopper of a story. Buckle up for her telling of Yoshiko Kawashima, a member of the Qing dynasty who was a gender-fluid spy for the Japanese in the early 1900s. Whatever you're expecting, this ain't it.  

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Aline Griffith