Category: Europe

THE BIRD OF ILL OMEN Catherine Crowe: 2025 Halloween Special

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 …

19th century / England / Europe / First woman to... / Ghosts / Halloween Specials / Philosophy / Religion / Scotland / Special Episodes / True Crime / Writers

THE MYSTERY The Ivory Lady

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 …

Ancient / Archaeology / Europe / Government / Politics / Prehistory / Religion / Spain

THE FOLKLORISTA Violeta Parra

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 …

20th century / Chile / Composers / Dancers / First woman to... / France / Musicians / Performers

THE TUGBOAT PIONEER Thea Foss

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, …

20th century / Europe / North America / Norway / on-location / Travel / United States

THE PEACE WEAVER Eva Palmer Sikelianos

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, …

20th century / Activists / Archaeology / Artists / Dancers / Europe / Greece / LGBTQ+ / North America / on-location / Performers / Philosophy / Theater / Travel / United States

THE DOER Fulvia

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 …

Ancient / Europe / Government / Italy / Politics

THE SAUSAGE MAKER Johanna O’Brien

150 years ago, Irish farmer Johanna O’Brien created a secret recipe for black pudding. Today, her sausage is beloved by Michelin-star chefs across the world (and the recipe is still secret!) Join Katie and guest Rory Copplestone on location at ⁠Clonakilty Blackpudding⁠ in Cork, to hear about a penniless girl who survived the Great Famine, built a thriving farm, and in her sunset years, created one of Ireland’s iconic flavors. ⁠ Here⁠ is that charming …

19th century / Europe / Food / Inventors / Ireland / on-location

THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT WOMAN Sayyida al Hurra

Nobody knows her real name. But this “Uncontested Pirate Queen of the Western Mediterranean” certainly earned her title: the Sayyida al Hurra, the Free and Independent Woman. From child refugee fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, to ruling Governor of Tetouan, to the Sultana of Morocco – Sayyida was never one to follow the path society had laid out for her. Author Laura Sook Duncome helps us uncover the mystery of this one and only actual Pirate …

15th century / Africa / Europe / Government / Military / Morocco / Pirates / Politics / Religion / Rulers / Spain / Travel

THE ANCHORITE Julian of Norwich

She lived through the worst century in human history: the Black Death, famine, war, death and despair. So it was all the more surprising when Julian of Norwich rose from her deathbed saying she’d received a vision from God: All shall be well. How could that be true when the whole world seems to be falling apart? Travel with us to 14th century England, to visit famed mystic Julian of Norwich. I know it sounds …

14th century / 15th century / England / Europe / Philosophy / Religion / Writers

THE RELUCTANT EMPRESS Sisi

She prevented war and death on an immense scale, in acts that could earn the Nobel Peace Prize today. But History enshrined Sisi, Empress of Austria, as a vain beauty queen. The smear campaign was personal, not political: it started with her own tyrannical mother-in-law. Can Sisi conquer her own self-doubt, and drag draconian Austria into the modern world? Our guest is Nancy Goldstone, author of The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugenie of …

19th century / Austria / Europe / Germany / Government / Hungary / Politics / Rulers / Slovakia / You Think You Know Her