Marooned on a frigid island in 1641, a young French woman single-handedly fought off polar bears, starvation, and loneliness, buried her lover, her maidservant, and her newborn child, and spent almost two full years completely alone — except, of course, for the 100,000 demons whose screams were her nightly companions. That she lived through it all is a miracle – and a mystery: How did Marguerite de La Rocque survive the infamous “Isle of Demons” …
Over the course of her 87 years, self-taught British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman went on eight solo insect-collecting expeditions across the South Pacific, collected nearly 100,000 specimens, identified dozens (possibly hundreds!) of previously unknown species, and used her specialized knowledge of Oceania to save countless lives during WWII. Meet the indomitable genius who persevered against unimaginable odds to build herself the life she wanted – no matter what stood in her way. Our guest is Sarah …
After a lifetime of betrayal and abuse as an 18th century sex worker, Catherine Jemmat broke the ultimate social taboo: she wrote the truth about her life. Her “scandalous memoir” helped change the way readers thought about women’s lives, and her second book introduced a radical new idea into English society – that the true ‘perpetrator’ driving women into lives of so-called sin and degradation was, in fact, society itself. Returning guest Miranda Garno Rossa …
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 …
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, …
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, …
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 …
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 …
