Zeynab Pasha was one of the most influential voices during several crises of 19th century Iranian history. From the Bread Crisis to the Tobacco Protests and the lead up to Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, she led the way in taking back the power of the people. She was legendary, and then she disappeared – literally and figuratively. Afarin Bellisario, author of the new novel Silenced Whispers, introduces us to the life of this incredible woman. …
When Sigrid Schultz was offered a job as a reporter in Berlin, Germany in 1919, she had no idea how her life was about to change – or how her work would change the world. Returning guest Pamela Toler introduces us to this indomitable woman, who was one of the first to raise the alarm about the Nazis, one of the last to leave as WWII made reporting impossible, and the first woman in history …
Whenever Teresa Lim asked about a striking woman she saw in old family photos, she was told ‘That’s Aunt Fanny; she was unfortunate.’ So naturally, Teresa Lim spent years excavating Aunt Fanny’s life in 1920s Singapore. It’s a story of three devoted sisters, ghost husbands, working-class Chinese feminists, and sworn spinsters. Turns out, Fanny was very fortunate indeed…until History arrived at her front door. Our guest is Teresa Lim, author of The Interpreter’s Daughter. All …
Throughout the 1920s, three sisters dominated the Australian film scene. The phenomenal filmmaking team of Isabel, Phyllis, and Paulette McDonagh reigned supreme as the undisputed Queens of Silent Cinema… until the talkies arrived to turn everything upside down. Our guest Mandy Sayer, award-winning author of Those Dashing McDonagh Sisters, reveals the hidden history of the remarkable women whose lives were every bit as dramatic (and every bit as complicated) as any Hollywood film. You’ll find …
Aleksandra Samusenko commanded a unit of Soviet tanks through some of the most brutal battles in human history. The Soviet Union never told her story. But an American paratrooper who’d escaped a Nazi POW camp never forgot her. In the final months of World War II, he joined her unit, and together they made the final push to Berlin. Guest Hayley Noble shares the story of THE TANK COMMANDER Aleksandra Samusenko. Haley Noble’s website on …
For decades, her remarkable achievements as United States First Lady have been overshadowed by her husband’s big mistakes. Returning guest Heath Hardage Lee is back to help change that! Olivia introduces us to the remarkable and unfairly forgotten Pat Nixon. All photos courtesy of the US National Archives unless otherwise indicated. Heath Hardage Lee is an award-winning historian, biographer, and curator. Heath’s first book, Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause, won the Colonial Dames …
What’sHerName goes LIVE! To launch our new book, What’s Her Name, A History of the World in 80 Lost Women, former episode guests convene in London from all over the world for a Night of Celebration! In rapid-fire succession, brilliant 3-minute performances of poetry, song, story, and dance take us chronologically through the history of the world. The magic is punctuated throughout with short readings from the new book by Katie and Olivia. The packed …
A charming Indonesian orphan danced her way to fame and fortune… except literally everything about Mata Hari was a lie. She said she wanted to live like a butterfly in the sun. So in the end, could she really have been guilty of espionage? Katie takes us to Leiden to marvel at the incredible life of Mata Hari. Listen to Frank Turner‘s beautiful song about Mata Hari, “Eye of the Day,” here. Josine Heijnen holds …
When Jewish mathematician Pepi Mehlberg was offered a new identity as Countess Janina Suchodolska in Nazi-occupied Poland, she leapt at the chance. And then used it – to join the underground resistance, feed thousands of the Nazi’s prisoners every week, and eventually rescue over 10,000 Poles from Majdanek concentration camp. And she was just getting started. Our guests are Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, authors of the new book The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman …
Frances Perkins, first female cabinet secretary in US history, was the mind (and the will) behind nearly every landmark policy of the Roosevelt administration’s New Deal – so why doesn’t anyone know her name? Award-winning author Stephanie Dray introduces us to the remarkable woman whose vision and relentless hard work would touch the life of every American for nearly a century. Frances Perkins’ childhood home in Maine has recently been designated a National Historic …
