THE MUSE Carolyn Cassady

Carolyn Cassady was an artist, costume designer, writer, and critical influence on the members of the Beat Generation. Her marriage to Neal Cassady and her friendships with Jack Kerouac and other prominent members of the Beats have long overshadowed her own life and accomplishments, but with the recent publication of new manuscripts discovered after her death that is finally beginning to change. An astonishingly talented and prolific creative force, Carolyn Cassady’s legacy of determination, strength, …

20th century / 21st century / Artists / North America / Theater / United States / Writers / You Think You Know Her

THE SCULPTOR Edmonia Lewis

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What if you had a vision for your life, but absolutely everyone around you told you it was impossible? Edmonia Lewis lived a life so improbable, that if we didn’t have the actual evidence that she really existed, we’d never believe it! The orphaned daughter of a Native American mother and Caribbean father in mid 19th century America, she set out on the most unlikely path: to become a famed classical sculptor in Rome, all …

19th century / Artists / Black history / England / Europe / Indigenous Peoples / Italy / North America / United States

THE FLY GIRL Ruth Nichols

Ruth Rowland Nichols was a pioneer of early aviation, the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance, the first woman to attempt a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, the founder of the Relief Wings branch of the Civil Air Patrol and one of the most famous pilots of the 1930’s (even more famous than her friend and rival Amelia Earhart). Her courage and daring made her a national …

20th century / Athletes / First woman to... / North America / Transcripts / Travel / United States / War

THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2018 Ursula Bloom

Ursula Bloom wrote over 560 books, earning her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most prolific female writer. Born in 1892, Ursula spent her early years in Shropshire, England, the daughter of a clergyman. Her memories of childhood Christmases at the turn of the 20th century were published many decades ago in a local periodical, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Life. What’sHerName is pleased to revive Ursula Bloom’s charming memoirs of …

20th century / Christmas Specials / England / Europe / Special Episodes / Writers

THE AERONAUT Sophie Blanchard

On land, Sophie Blanchard was a timid, anxious woman who could hardly stand the noise and commotion of 18th century Paris. But after her first flight in a hot-air balloon, she was hooked, and would spend the rest of her life chasing the peace and freedom she found hundreds of feet in the air.  The first woman in the world to fly solo in a hot-air balloon, she became so famous for her skill and …

18th century / 19th century / Athletes / First woman to... / France / Performers / Transcripts

THE EMPRESS Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan was the only Empress in the history of the Mughal Empire. Reigning as an equal with her husband Jahangir, she was the only woman to issue executive orders, mint coins, or lead an army — and her tiger-hunting skills were legendary. Though she was one of the most influential leaders in 17th century Asia, for centuries her legacy has been reduced to a love story that ends where her real adventure began–at her …

16th century / 17th century / Asia / First woman to... / Government / India / Politics

THE AMBULANCE DRIVER Maud Fitch

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November 11, 2018 is the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I.  To mark this day, we bring you the story of one fearless woman and her ambulance.  Maud Fitch, a cowgirl from the desert between Nevada and Utah, wanted to join up when America entered WWI. Unable to enlist as a soldier (she was a woman, after all!) she purchased an ambulance and shipped it at her own expense to France, where …

20th century / Europe / France / Medicine / North America / United States / War

WITCHES & MEDIUMS & GHOSTS, OH MY! 2018 Halloween Special

The Pendle Witches – Pearl DeVere – Bess Houdini – Lily Cove Our very first Halloween Special brings back four of our most popular guests with four new stories of hauntings, mysterious deaths, witch hunts, and seances, to bring you many spooky returns of the season! The Pendle Witches: In 1612, ten people were hanged as witches in Lancashire, England, sentenced to death because of the testimony of a 9 year old girl. The eight …

17th century / 19th century / 20th century / Athletes / England / Europe / Ghosts / Halloween Specials / Madams / North America / Performers / Religion / Special Episodes / Theater / United States / Witches

THE REVOLUTIONARY Mae Mallory

Mae Mallory was a radical civil rights activist, Black Power movement leader, school desegregation organizer and strong proponent of Black armed self-defense. Her passionate dedication to “solving Black peoples’ problems” changed the world, but her name is mostly known because of her false arrest and conviction for kidnapping an elderly white couple in 1961. After the verdict was overturned by the North Carolina Supreme Court, Mallory continued to work for freedom, autonomy and security for …

20th century / Activists / Black history / North America / Politics / Tanzania / United States

THE TRUE LOVE Dorothy Osborne

In this episode, a 17th-century tale of true love and extreme patience. Dorothy Osborne and William Temple fell deeply in love, but her family forbade the match. For years, while Dorothy’s creepily overbearing brother presented her with suitor after suitor of his own choosing, Dorothy and William faithfully sent each other secret love letters. Dorothy’s letters survive, and reveal the story of her escape from the clutches of her possessive brother in pursuit of “happily …

17th century / England / Europe / Politics / Writers