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 …
When world-famous strongman Eugen Sandow finally met his match, nobody expected it to be at the hands of an 18-year-old girl. But whether it was bending metal bars, beating horses in a tug-of-war, or hefting her own husband over her head with one arm, German strongwoman Katie Sandwina would continue to shatter records (and Victorian gender norms) for another forty years. Guest Haley Shapley, author of Strong Like Her, introduces us to this astonishing, unexpected …
How did two ordinary 18th century Anglo-Irish sisters end up gallivanting around the European continent, fraternizing with all the most radical and revolutionary minds of the Enlightenment, and becoming BFFs with a Russian Princess? Guest Alexis Wolf introduces Olivia to the astonishing lives of Katherine and Martha Wilmot. Alexis Wolf is a writer and researcher with an expertise on women’s lives in the 18th and 19th centuries. She earned her PhD from Birkbeck, University of London …
If you knew the recipe for an undetectable poison, would you use it? What about giving it to women with abusive husbands? Giulia Tofana’s legendary poison Aqua Tofana (brilliantly disguised as holy ointment) was famed and feared in 17th-century Rome. But just how many terrible husbands can drop dead, before the Pope gets suspicious? In this year’s Halloween Special, our guests are Gaia Aloisi and Ted Blackburn, the creators of Aqua Tofana, a new electronic …
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 …
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 …
She was one of the key figures of Irish Independence, known in her lifetime as The Irish Joan of Arc. But somehow, history only remembers Maud Gonne as the woman who wouldn’t marry WB Yeats. More recently, a BBC headline called her “Ireland’s heroine who had sex in her baby’s tomb.” Both those things are true, but… her real story is even more bonkers – and of course, so much more amazing. Join us with …
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the most famed and respected painters in 17th century Europe. But after she died, her story (and many of her works) were lost – and over the years, Artemisia has become better known for what was done to her than for what she did. Award-winning artist Lindsay Huss helps us try to change that. (Content warning: discussions of physical and sexual violence) All paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi unless …
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 …
From arriving at the port of Constantinople as a teenage bride to the heir to the Byzantine Throne, to exiling – and blinding – her own son, Constantine IV, to boldly crowning herself the first Empress Regnant of the Byzantine Empire, Irene of Athens’ life was a wildly unpredictable ride through one of the most tumultuous and fascinating periods of medieval history. Olivia interviews archaeologist and historian Judith Herrin, author of Women in Purple: Rulers …
