When Alice Roosevelt’s dad became President of the United States, her family became the center of attention for the entire country (and the world) – and that was just how Alice liked it. Whether smoking on the White House roof, racing her bright red motorcar through the streets of Washington DC, or wearing her snake Emily Spinach as jewelry while attending Congressional Balls – Alice scandalized her parents and delighted the nation. But that was …
Come with us to peak Gilded Age America! We’ll watch a charmingly unconventional love story unfold, cure yellow fever, stare at some incredible wallpaper, and explore fascinating reasons why women should NOT vote. Katie takes us on location to Ethel Gibson Allen’s Boston mansion, now the Gibson House Museum. Learn more about Ethel Gibson Allen and the Gibson House museum here. Find resources about the anti-suffrage movement in the US at the Library of Congress …
Say you join a revolution in the name of liberty and equality – then someone hands you a crown. Could you do more good with that power? Or will everything fall apart? Come with us to Haiti and across Europe in the twisty-turny tale of the Queen of Haiti, Marie-Louise Christophe. Katie’s guest is Vanessa Riley, author of Queen of Exiles. To learn more about the sound recordings by anthropologist Alan Lomax, check out …
The day “Rattlesnake Kate” Slaughterback (armed only with a rifle, 4 bullets, and a “No Hunting” sign) successfully battled her way through hundreds of rattlesnakes to save herself and her son, a legend was born. But that’s just the beginning of her story… Olivia is on location at the Greeley History Museum with Grammy-nominated musician and composer Neyla Pekarek (formerly of The Lumineers), whose musical Rattlesnake Kate premiered in 2022 at the Denver Center for …
“I have only one favor to ask of people: to take care of their stories.” When Mary Kawena Puku’i was born, her grandmother named her the Puna Hele, the one who would carry their Hawaiian tradition and culture into the future. Not an easy task, since she was born in 1895 – the year Hawaii was overthrown and annexed by the United States! But she rose to the task, working tirelessly her entire life to …
When Clara Ford – a poor, Black, cross-dressing, pipe smoking, single mother – was arrested for the murder of dashing, young, white Frank Westwood, nobody expected her to avoid the noose. So how did this unexpected heroine talk her way out of the death sentence – even after she confessed? Olivia takes us to 19th century Toronto for a wild True Crime adventure with Carolyn Whitzman, author of the fascinating new book Clara at the …
In a deep dark underwater cave, Mexican divers found a mountain of prehistoric animal bones… and one human skeleton. It was Naia – the oldest skeleton ever discovered in the Americas. What can her bones tell us about our human origins? And more than that, what do they tell us about what it means to be human? Come with us on location to Dos Palmas cenote in Mexico, as Katie interviews returning guest Gabo Cemé. …
Her pioneering work on solar heat and solar energy would change science forever – but it was her passionate dedication to humanity that made her a true visionary. Meet the remarkable Maria Telkes, subject of the amazing American Experience documentary The Sun Queen with Olivia’s guests, Writer/Producer Gene Tempest and Director Amanda Pollack. You can watch The Sun Queen from The American Experience here, or you can find the trailer here. You can read more …
When the mothers of Love Canal learned that their neighborhood was built on a chemical dump, they launched into the fight of their lives – first to find the truth, then to escape their own homes. But without biologist Beverly Paigen willingly putting her career on the line, it never would have happened. Discover this inspiring – and infuriating – story with returning guest Keith O’Brien, New York Times bestselling author of author of Paradise …
When Lusia Harris convinced her parents to let her try out for High School basketball, she never could’ve anticipated she’d end up scoring the first basket in Olympic Women’s Basketball history. Facing unprecedented hurdles at every step of her career, she broke records, made history, and changed women’s sports forever – and that’s just the beginning! Olivia interviews Andrew Maraniss, author of Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First Us Women’s Olympic Basketball Team. …
