In 1917, Katharine Gibbs rebounded from personal tragedy in an unusual way: she decided to train a subversive, feminist army. Nearly broke and with only a high school education, Gibbs trained women as executive secretaries, building a famous school in just a few years. “Gibbs Girls” were so intelligent, competent, and polite, that no one could justify the dusty old notions that women belonged at home. The American workplace was changed forever. Our guest is …
Catherine Crowe was a wildly acclaimed Victorian novelist, playwright, social critic and …ghost hunter? Her novels were as popular as Charles Dickens’ and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Martineau, and George Eliot were her ardent fans. And her pioneering catalog of ghosts and the supernatural, The Night Side of Nature, was one of the first and most influential works to be adopted by the up-and-coming Spiritualist movement. So how did this incredibly talented, incredibly famous woman …
When a history-making Copper Age burial was unearthed in southern Spain in 2008, the world was stunned by the incredibly beautiful – and utterly unprecedented – artifacts found in the tomb of the so-called ‘Ivory Man.’ But fifteen years later, the archaeology world would be rocked by an even more astonishing discovery – that 5,000-year-old Ivory Man was actually an Ivory Lady! Archaeologist Marta Cintas Peña helps us dig into this remarkable ‘prehistorical mystery.’ Marta …
Violeta Parra needs no introduction in Latin America: not only did she record the greatest album in Chilean history, she also collected two thousand folk songs, danced in the Poor Circus, sang in the streets, and –incredibly– exhibited at the Louvre. Over the years she also broke …*checks notes*… 48 guitars over people’s heads. Discover the larger than life story of Violeta Parra with our guest Ericka Verba, author of Thanks to Life, A Biography …
Leonora Sansay lived through the last chaotic years of the Haitian Revolution – but the book she wrote about it would tell an entirely unexpected story. Join returning guest Dr. Maria Windell as we explore the fascinatingly “messy-complicated” life of novelist Leonora Sansay – and uncover a fascinating link with “almost-Founding Father” (and 21st century Broadway icon) …Vice President Aaron Burr? The text of Sansay’s novel Secret History is also available free on Project …
135 years ago, Norwegian immigrant Thea Foss lived in a ramshackle driftwood houseboat on the coast of Tacoma Washington. Kind, capable, and hard-working, she was an anchor for hundreds more immigrants during America’s Gilded Age. Thea built the largest maritime company west of the Mississippi- but more than that, she was the heart of the community. (Plus there’s a boat parade, a catastrophic fire, and a truly delightful cow.) Join Katie on location in Tacoma, …
In the 3rd century, a mysterious queen ruled the Kingdom of Yamatai (modern-day Japan) with a wise and steady hand. Her reign lasted almost 70 years – but what can we really know about her, when her people never wrote anything down? Anthropologist Laura Miller introduces Olivia to this elusive ancient queen. Read more about Queen Himiko’s continuing “rebirth” as a powerful cultural icon in Laura Miller’s fascinating articles “Searching for Charisma: Queen Himiko” …
What if we could reopen a primordial spiritual portal, and summon peace on earth? For Eva Palmer Sikelianos in 1920s Greece, world peace wasn’t a lofty dream — it was an achievable goal. The key, Eva believed, was ancient Greek art, returned to Delphi. She had a bold plan, and if she could pull it off, she just might save the world. Join Katie on location at the Benaki Museum in Athens, with Maria Dimitriadou, …
At the dawn of the Mughal Empire, a bold and brilliant Princess outlived three Emperors, and managed to create an adventurous, wildly unexpected life for herself during one of the most tumultuous eras in history. And luckily for the rest of us – she wrote it all down! Award-winning historian and author Dr. Ruby Lal is back to introduce us to THE VAGABOND PRINCESS, Gulbadan Begum. Ruby Lal is Professor of South Asian Studies at …
The Roman Republic is collapsing and everything hangs in the balance. It’s a political game of kill-or-be-killed, and Fulvia did not come to play. You’ve heard of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra. But have you heard of Fulvia, who was at the eye of that infamous ancient Roman storm? Our guest Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and author of The Missing Thread, A Women’s History of the Ancient World. Travel with us to …
