The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was committed to a mental institution by her husband - for YEARS - for the crime of speaking her mind . This practice was completely legal at the time, and she had no mechanism by which to free herself from confinement - despite the fact that she was completely sane. Her three-year ordeal would turn her into a powerful activist on behalf of rights for both the mentally ill and for married women, who at this time had few legal protections against those that would oppress them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're going back to our 2013 coverage of this iconic artist who turned her pain, passion, fear, and unique outlook on life into remarkable and memorable art. Her bold subject and color choices (as well as her bold life choices) defied convention and sent her to the heights of international acclaim. Our 2026 Field Trip to London sold out in record time, but you can get your name on the waitlist at Like Minds Travel. Thanks to our sponsors: Audible: Listen to the new Pride and Prejudice at audible.com/janeausten Wayfair: Every style, every home. Wayfair.com Honeylove: Comfortable and innovative bras and shapewear, 20%off at honeylove.com/historychicks Blissy: Silk pillowcases for improved hair and skin, 30%off at blissy.com/historychicks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine de Medici lived in a century defined by the the contributions of remarkable women, and she distinguished herself as one of the most remarkable of them all. No longer an apprentice in the art of intrigue, she was sharp and strategic and brave in ways that defied cultural expectations Whatever her reputation became, her capacity for calculated action was matched by her courage in the face of adversity, all focused on one goal; to be the custodian of her family's legacy on the throne of France - against all opponents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the last legitimate heir to a powerful family, Catherine de Medici was married at only 14 into one of the most powerful royal houses in Europe. The two halves of her story are VASTLY different, and here in Part 1, we are going to tell you about how she had no resources but INNER resources - and the character that developed from the circumstances in which she was placed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's field trip time again! We took 50 listeners with us to the cradle of our country - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the course of a long weekend, we absorbed the sites and stories we'd learned about in school, and learned about those figures whose vital contributions have faded over time. Through our exposure to the artifacts, places and people at the heart of our country's founding, we began to comprehend that the freedoms we enjoy today were the result of hard-won battles and sacrifices from those who have gone before us; a torch we must pass to those who follow. You'll also hear stories of ghosts, museums, ice cream, gallivanting, and that most hallowed of indulgences; the Philly Cheese Steak. Thanks to all of the travelers who made this field trip a success, and we hope to see every listener on the bus someday. We call the back seat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Suzanne Valadon was born on the wrong side of the tracks, and the wrong side of the blanket, but grew up to be one of the It Girls of the Impressionist era. She traveled a unique journey to stardom by parlaying her career as an artist's model into an artistic career of her own. This episode brought to you in part by: Honeylove Blueland OSEA Hungryroot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The road to equality has never run smooth - in part 2, Alice Paul and the suffragists finally achieve their goal of a constitutional amendment giving women the vote - but not until a great deal of lobbying, schisms, sacrifice, and sheer willingness to go against the grain at every occasion. Never one to rest for long, Alice then had a greater aspiration - an Equal Rights Amendment that would enshrine equality for women in the constitution , which she co-wrote in 1923. One hundred years later, the ERA has yet to pass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Years before Alice Paul was even born, the women's suffrage movement began with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and others at the first women's rights convention in the US in 1848. The efforts of these early suffragists laid the groundwork for Alice Paul and her peers, and their stories will give you a better understanding of the long struggle to recognize a women's right to vote. This is a remastered revisit from 2013. This episode is brought to you by: Hungryroot food delivery service, 40% off first box with code CHICKS Osea skincare, 10% off first order with code CHICKS Blueland, clean-cleaning products, 15% off first order at this link: BLUELAND Honeylove, comfortable and innovative bras with 20% off sitewide at this link: HONEYLOVE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alice Paul was one of the most prominent activists of the 20th century women's rights movement, who believed that moral authority always trumps the letter of the law; injustices must be called out and resisted as a matter of principle. By hook or by crook; with personal sacrifice. determination, and a talent for spectacle, she moved the needle of public opinion though acts of resistance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We lived the dream... and traveled to Paris in the springtime! Fifty of our friends joined us in the City Of Light for forays into history, art, wine, architecture, shopping, camaraderie, and SO MUCH FROMAGE! Some of our friends join us here on the show to tell you the tale of our adventures. (And the friendships we made along the way) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During our coverage of Miep Gies, we presented the story of the events that were happening in the world at large during WW2, closer in within the city of Amsterdam, and then to a smaller scale within the lives, offices and homes of the helpers. Susan has in fact taken a pilgrimage to Amsterdam to visit the attic where Anne lived and Miep worked so hard to keep her safe. But, since we cannot all be there in person, here is our Anne Frank episode from 2018, the story of what was happening inside the secret annex, and in the hearts of the people who lived there. As Anne once wrote in her diary: "What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miep Gies risked her life in order to help her Jewish friends hide from the Nazis during World War 2. In Part 2 of her story, we'll take you through the years of struggle and subterfuge, the dark day when the Secret Annex was raided, and how Miep saved Anne Frank's writings from destruction. Anne's diary is one of the most significant historical documents of the 20th century, providing a deeply personal account of life during the Holocaust. Said Miep of her work during the war: "My story is a story of very ordinary people during extraordinary times, times the like of which I hope with all my heart will never come again. It is for all of us ordinary people all over the world to see to it that they do not." MIxtiles (Use code CHICKS) OSEA (Use code CHICKS) Blissy (Use code HISTORYCHICKS) Honeylove Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a land fraught with turbulence and oppression, Miep Gies helped to shelter and supply Anne Frank's family (and others) while they were in hiding from the Nazis; an act of civil disobedience that was, though illegal, the most moral of human endeavors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To leave you with a bit of lagniappe for Women's History Month, we broke our usual format to sit down for a talk with Anne Sebba, author of the new book The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival. Anne tells us about some of the women in the only entirely female orchestra in any Nazi prison camp. She talks about her process of learning about these women, organizing their stories into this book, and about other biographies she's written in the past, about the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Puppet? Manipulating social climber? Misunderstood? Deeply in love? However you see her, the fact remains that a king abdicated his throne, defied his family, and lived in exile to marry the twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. It sounds like a fairytale, but how does their happily ever after work out? This mega-episode combines both parts of our 2017 coverage of this controversial woman. This episode is brought to you in part by: Laundry Sauce: 20% off when you use code CHICKS, and make laundry day the best day of the week. Honeylove: Treat yourself to the most comfortable shapewear on earth and save 20% at honeylove.com/historychicks Lume: Smell fresher, stay drier, and boost your confidence with code CHICKS at lumedeodorant.com You can always show your excellent taste in podcasts at our merch shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We continue the story of Nobel Prize winning environmentalist Dr Wangari Maathai, who defied convention, financial hurdles, and the violent opposition of her own government to make her Green Belt Movement into an enduring worldwide force for societal good. She and her colleagues planted almost 40 million trees and empowered tens of thousands of women across the world to discover their own power to improve their own communities… from the ground up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wangari Maathai understood the vital connections between living things and the Earth; of local communities and the wider world. It is true that many trees make a mighty forest, and Maathai's Green Belt Movement made it clear to us all that the most important change for the greater good is one that each individual makes in their own backyard... a philosophy which would earn her the Nobel Peace Prize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How much of the New Orleans Voodoo Queen's legend is myth? (Hint: A lot) Happy Mardi Gras and, more importantly, Happy Women's History Month! This episode is sponsored by: Madam Ram: The woman who took on a man's world and won! Based on a true story! Listen wherever you get your podcasts! Wildgrain: The first bake from frozen subscription box for artisanal breads, pastries, and pastas! Get $30 off your first box with code CHICKS at WILDGRAIN.COM/CHICKS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sojourner Truth was an enslaved woman, a freewoman, a preacher, a speaker, an abolitionist, and a women's rights advocate in the Civil War-era United States. Like a lot of women's history, Sojourner's truth may have been edited long ago, but we can help to set it right. This episode is brought to you in part by: Blissy: Get better sleep, hair, and skin and use code HISTORYCHICKS to get an additional 30% off at BLISSY.com/HISTORYCHICKS Honeylove: Start the new year off right with Honeylove bras and shapewear-get 20% off at HONEYLOVE.com/HISTORYCHICKS Lume: Stay fresher, drier,boost your confidence and save 15% off all Lume products with code CHICKS at LUMEDEODORANT.COM Rocket Money: Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals at ROCKETMONEY.com/HISTORYCHICKS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Georgia Gilmore was one of the unsung heroes of history during the Civil Rights movement in America; a prime example of how one person's contributions can change the course of a country. Her tireless fundraising efforts were critical to the success of the Montgomery bus boycott, and Presidents met with activists under her roof, comforted by Georgia's amazing food and her hearty welcome for everyone - black and white. She was unafraid to take on the establishment when she saw an injustice, working until her very last day on earth for the cause of equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices