Aug 26

Virginia Hall

Virginia Hall wanted to be a diplomat, but the State Department kept shutting doors in her face …and then she lost her leg in a hunting accident, which seemed like she’d reached a dead end. Never one to accept defeat, she learned how to walk again on a wooden leg nicknamed “Cuthb ... Show More

1h 4m

Aug 13

Rosa Bonheur

Rosa Bonheur was a wild, animal‑obsessed kid who drew before she could read, and knew she was meant for the world of art from an extremely young age. She didn’t set out to shock anyone; she simply refused to be anything but herself, and the world eventually had to adjust to her. ... Show More

2h 15m

Jul 24

Mercy Otis Warren

Mercy Otis Warren’s life is one long argument for the idea that political courage isn’t just found on battlefields or in legislatures; it’s found in writing, in conversations, in friendships, and in the willingness to speak plainly (and loudly) when power grows dangerous. She bel ... Show More

1h 46m

Feb 2023

33. Lady Mary: Our Woman in Constantinople

She was a pioneering scientist, proto-feminist, and letter writer extraordinaire. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu escaped a marriage to Clotworthy Skeffington to become one of history's most incredible women. Listen this week as William and Anita are joined by Katie Hickman to tell the ... Show More

56m 6s

Apr 2021

The feminist who waged war on smallpox

Jo Willett tells the story of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who pioneered smallpox inoculation almost a century before Edward Jenner Mary Wortley Montagu is one of the most important figures in the battle to combat smallpox, so why is this 18th-century aristocrat so little-known t ... Show More

34m 33s

Jan 2019

Lady Mary Montagu's Smallpox Experiment

Naomi Alderman's Science Story reveals how Lady Mary Wortley Montagu experimented on her own child in a quest to prove that smallpox inoculation works. Born in 1689 in a position of some power and influence, Lady Mary travelled to Constantinople as the wife of the ambassador to T ... Show More

27m 37s

Dec 2021

SYMHC Classics: Christina of Sweden

This 2014 episode covers the life of a woman who was smart and learned, but not a particularly good ruler. Her entire life was marked by being kind of a contradictory, restless character - starting basically from the moment she was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https: ... Show More

31m 52s

Jul 2018

Strong Verbs, Short Sentences

“She was Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, and Florence Nightingale—all wrapped up in one.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39m 31s

Mar 2022

Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke

She was a patron of the arts, the first woman to publish an English-language play, and the first woman to publish pastoral poetry. Mary Sidney Herbert was also incredibly wily when it came to navigating the limitations and possibilities of being a woman in 16th century England.Se ... Show More

31m 30s

Jul 2019

Royal Treatment

Today, we meet a woman who survived a chilling ordeal, and take a look at a list of people that seems far too good to be true. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comJoin our Patreon for ad-free episodes!: https://www.patreon.com/grimandmildSee om ... Show More

9m 30s

Sep 2021

The Runaway Duchess

<p>Hortense Mancini is perhaps most famous for being a royal mistress, but her life was a series of adventures and scandals. Hortense was willing to do whatever it took to be a woman who lived on her own terms in the 17th century.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at < ... Show More

28m 28s

Aug 2020

Mary Willcocks Pt. 1: “Princess Caraboo”

In the early 1800s, Mary Willcocks was a young, restless woman struggling in poverty. Drifting around England as a beggar, she eventually donned a disguise and spoke in a made-up language, hoping to lure more charity. The ruse worked, and her bizarre alias was born. Learn more ab ... Show More

43m 27s

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Part 1