Two women. Half the population. Several thousand years of history. About an hour. Join us on an award-winning journey through herstory! The History Chicks celebrates the lives of remarkable women from ancient times to the modern day, exploring women’s history in engaging episodes full of deep research, pop culture references, and the occasional tumble down a rabbit hole.
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Ona Judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America in order to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own existence on her own terms; answering to no one, free at last. This episode was recorded just before our 2023 Washington D.C. Field Trip where we were able to visit Mount Vernon and pay our respects at the African American Burial Ground and Memorial. For more information on that, visit Mount Vernon...
Mother Jones lived one of the most dramatic second acts in American history. Though her early life was shaped by poverty, immigration, and repeated personal tragedies, she reinvented herself in middle age as a warrior for justice. She was a fearless labor organizer - an electrifying speaker who rallied coal miners, steelworkers, railroad shopmen, and exploited children to stand up for their rights. She once earned the label “The Most Dangerous Woman in America” for standing firm against powerful...
Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly every major global conflict - the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and more. In her work, she focused a compassionate eye on the lives of ordinary people caught up in turmoil beyond their control, and this made her coverage uniquely powerful. Her personal bravery and determination made her into a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
As a tie-in to our coverage of Betsy Ambler and Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary we decided to revisit Martha. Some called her The Mother of the Country, some curtseyed and called her "Lady Washington," but no one could doubt that she was uniquely capable to shoulder the responsibilities and rigors of both war and diplomacy. Martha Washington's philosophy of "duty over inclination" became the template for future First Ladies in the newly-formed United States of America. This episode sp...
Once upon a time, an eleven-year-old girl named Sarah Rector struck it rich with a discovery that was perfectly timed for the rise of the automobile and the expansion of American manufacturing. After hitting the jackpot, she had to escape the minefields of greed, racism, politics, and public opinion in order to build a satisfying life for herself at last. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Viva l'Italia! We took 50 listeners on an epic journey filled with history, architecture, camaraderie and SO MUCH delicious food! From the ancient layers of Rome through the castles and hilltop villages of Tuscany, the art and influence of the Medici in Florence, to the romance of Venice, this trip was unforgettable! The travelers join us, in their own voices, to tell you all about our adventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
The American Revolution changed the way the world worked; the principles of governance in the new country laid the foundation for movements all over the world. On November 16th, Ken Burns and his team premiere their 6-part documentary series on PBS called, as you might have guessed, "The American Revolution" We had the opportunity to sit down with co-director Sarah Botstein to talk about the inspiration and impact of this conflict. This is the interview that we previously posted at the end of ou...
Life during the Revolutionary War was more than military strategy; there were plenty of battles to be fought at home. Betsy Ambler was a young teenager during the turbulent years, and through her records and letters, we can see the conflict though a perspective that has been little examined. We also interview Sarah Botstein, the co-director (with Ken Burns) of the new documentary The American Revolution, premiering on PBS on November 16th, 2026. This series brings forward voices that have been u...
In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was committed to a mental institution by her husband - for YEARS - for the crime of speaking her mind . This practice was completely legal at the time, and she had no mechanism by which to free herself from confinement - despite the fact that she was completely sane. Her three-year ordeal would turn her into a powerful activist on behalf of rights for both the mentally ill and for married women, who at this time had few legal protections against those that would oppres...
We're going back to our 2013 coverage of this iconic artist who turned her pain, passion, fear, and unique outlook on life into remarkable and memorable art. Her bold subject and color choices (as well as her bold life choices) defied convention and sent her to the heights of international acclaim. Our 2026 Field Trip to London sold out in record time, but you can get your name on the waitlist at Like Minds Travel. Thanks to our sponsors: Audible : Listen to the new Pride and Prejudice at audibl...
Catherine de Medici lived in a century defined by the the contributions of remarkable women, and she distinguished herself as one of the most remarkable of them all. No longer an apprentice in the art of intrigue, she was sharp and strategic and brave in ways that defied cultural expectations Whatever her reputation became, her capacity for calculated action was matched by her courage in the face of adversity, all focused on one goal; to be the custodian of her family's legacy on the throne of F...
As the last legitimate heir to a powerful family, Catherine de Medici was married at only 14 into one of the most powerful royal houses in Europe. The two halves of her story are VASTLY different, and here in Part 1, we are going to tell you about how she had no resources but INNER resources - and the character that developed from the circumstances in which she was placed. This episode is sponsored by: OSEA : Use code CHICKS at OSEAMALIBU.COM for 10% off your first order. HONEYLOVE : Use this li...
It's field trip time again! We took 50 listeners with us to the cradle of our country - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of a long weekend, we absorbed the sites and stories we'd learned about in school, and learned about those figures whose vital contributions have faded over time. Through our exposure to the artifacts, places and people at the heart of our country's founding, we began to comprehend that the freedoms we enjoy today were the result of hard-won battles and sacrifices f...
Suzanne Valadon was born on the wrong side of the tracks, and the wrong side of the blanket, but grew up to be one of the It Girls of the Impressionist era. She traveled a unique journey to stardom by parlaying her career as an artist's model into an artistic career of her own. This episode brought to you in part by: Honeylove Blueland OSEA Hungryroot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
The road to equality has never run smooth - in part 2, Alice Paul and the suffragists finally achieve their goal of a constitutional amendment giving women the vote - but not until a great deal of lobbying, schisms, sacrifice, and sheer willingness to go against the grain at every occasion. Never one to rest for long, Alice then had a greater aspiration - an Equal Rights Amendment that would enshrine equality for women in the constitution , which she co-wrote in 1923. One hundred years later, th...
Explore the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, tracing her development from a privileged but limited childhood to a fierce advocate for women's rights. Learn about her pivotal partnership with Susan B. Anthony, the challenges she faced, and her critical role in initiating the women's suffrage movement at Seneca Falls in 1848 with the groundbreaking Declaration of Sentiments, ultimately contributing to the 19th Amendment.
Alice Paul was one of the most prominent activists of the 20th-century women's rights movement, who believed that moral authority always trumps the letter of the law; injustices must be called out and resisted as a matter of principle. By hook or by crook; with personal sacrifice, determination, and a talent for spectacle, she moved the needle of public opinion through acts of resistance. This episode is sponsored by: Blissy : Your hair and skin will thank you and save 30% with code HISTORYCHICK...
We lived the dream... and traveled to Paris in the springtime! Fifty of our friends joined us in the City Of Light for forays into history, art, wine, architecture, shopping, camaraderie, and SO MUCH FROMAGE! Some of our friends join us here on the show to tell you the tale of our adventures. (And the friendships we made along the way) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
During our coverage of Miep Gies, we presented the story of the events that were happening in the world at large during WW2, closer in within the city of Amsterdam, and then to a smaller scale within the lives, offices and homes of the helpers. Susan has in fact taken a pilgrimage to Amsterdam to visit the attic where Anne lived and Miep worked so hard to keep her safe. But, since we cannot all be there in person, here is our Anne Frank episode from 2018, the story of what was happening inside t...
Miep Gies risked her life in order to help her Jewish friends hide from the Nazis during World War 2. In Part 2 of her story, we'll take you through the years of struggle and subterfuge, the dark day when the Secret Annex was raided, and how Miep saved Anne Frank's writings from destruction. Anne's diary is one of the most significant historical documents of the 20th century, providing a deeply personal account of life during the Holocaust. Said Miep of her work during the war: "My story is a st...
In a land fraught with turbulence and oppression, Miep Gies helped to shelter and supply Anne Frank's family (and others) while they were in hiding from the Nazis; an act of civil disobedience that was, though illegal, the most moral of human endeavors. This episode is sponsored in part by: Show off your excellent taste in podcasts by grabbing your History Chicks merch at our Dashery Store, visit The History Chicks Shop Smalls Cat Food : Get 35% off plus an additional 50% off your first order wh...
To leave you with a bit of lagniappe for Women's History Month, we broke our usual format to sit down for a talk with Anne Sebba, author of the new book The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival . Anne tells us about some of the women in the only entirely female orchestra in any Nazi prison camp. She talks about her process of learning about these women, organizing their stories into this book, and about other biographies she's written in the past, about the past. Learn more about ...
Puppet? Manipulating social climber? Misunderstood? Deeply in love? However you see her, the fact remains that a king abdicated his throne, defied his family, and lived in exile to marry the twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. It sounds like a fairytale, but how does their happily ever after work out? This mega-episode combines both parts of our 2017 coverage of this controversial woman. This episode is brought to you in part by: Laundry Sauce : 20% off when you use code CHICKS, an...
We continue the story of Nobel Prize winning environmentalist Dr Wangari Maathai, who defied convention, financial hurdles, and the violent opposition of her own government to make her Green Belt Movement into an enduring worldwide force for societal good. She and her colleagues planted almost 40 million trees and empowered tens of thousands of women across the world to discover their own power to improve their own communities… from the ground up. This show is sponsored in part by: Wildgrain: Ge...
Wangari Maathai understood the vital connections between living things and the Earth; of local communities and the wider world. It is true that many trees make a mighty forest, and Maathai's Green Belt Movement made it clear to us all that the most important change for the greater good is one that each individual makes in their own backyard... a philosophy which would earn her the Nobel Peace Prize. This episode is brought to you in part by: Hungryroot : Get 40% off your first box of nutritious ...
How much of the New Orleans Voodoo Queen's legend is myth? (Hint: A lot) Happy Mardi Gras and, more importantly, Happy Women's History Month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sojourner Truth was an enslaved woman, a freewoman, a preacher, a speaker, an abolitionist, and a women's rights advocate in the Civil War-era United States. Like a lot of women's history, Sojourner's truth may have been edited long ago, but we can help to set it right. This episode is brought to you in part by: Blissy : Get better sleep, hair, and skin and use code HISTORYCHICKS to get an additional 30% off at BLISSY.com/HISTORYCHICKS Honeylove : Start the new year off right with Honeylove bras...
Georgia Gilmore was one of the unsung heroes of history during the Civil Rights movement in America; a prime example of how one person's contributions can change the course of a country. Her tireless fundraising efforts were critical to the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, and Presidents met with activists under her roof, comforted by Georgia's amazing food and her hearty welcome for everyone - black and white. She was unafraid to take on the establishment when she saw an injustice, workin...
Josephine and Eugénie, related by marriage, and separated by only a generation, both rose from relative obscurity to become the Empress of France during tumultuous times. The paths of these very different women never crossed, but they both were stars in their own time and left their unique marks on history. Please join us on our Field Trip to Italy, October 2-11, 2025. Registration is now open at Like Minds Trave l. We hope to see you there! This episode is sponsored by: Honeylove: Get 20% off t...
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we are again shining the spotlight on the remarkable life of Fannie Lou Hamer. As a small child, her hard labor was key to her family’s survival. She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist who would not be silenced by intimidation, violence, or the personal wishes of the President of the United States himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
