Unhinged History

Sometimes life is a weird mashup of stories. This podcast episode fairly encapsulates that. First Angie shares the History of Coffee and the times it's been banned – most notably by King Gustav III. Theresa resorts to comforting violence as she shares the story of when four sailors pick a fight at a bar for the LGBTQ+ community. The Black Nite Uprising was the first time in Wisconsin's history that members of the LGBTQ+ community stood up to oppression and this was eight years before events at Stonewall would spawn the Pride movement.

This week Angie and Theresa brought some completely unhinged stories. Theresa starts off with the tale of Christine Jorgeson, the WWII GI who underwent a sex change in the 1950s and went into entertainment. Angie didn't want to be outdone and shared Sally Stanford, the brothel-owning woman who would go on to be mayor of Sausalito.

First off, let us start by saying that Disney lied to us. Theresa attempts to address this issue by sharing the story of Mulan in the various ways it's gone through history, including the opera. Angie closes us out by sharing the story of Abigail Kawānanakoa, Hawaii's last princess. She covers HRH's philanthropic efforts and her marriage to her wife, Veronica Gail Worth.

Do you know the story of the Chinese Amelia Earhart, Kathrine Sui Fun Cheung? Let's fix that. Angie starts this episode off by sharing how this aviatrix entered the history books and became one of the fabled Ninety-Nines. Theresa continues this heart-warming trend by sharing the story of Seneca Village, the thriving Black community in what is now Central Park. She shares how one Black man, Andrew Williams, bought land in this community and homeownership provided generational wealth and changed the trajectory of six generations of the Williams family.

We all have bad days at work, but never, and I mean never have we struggled as hard as Rear Admiral Zinovy “Mad Dog” Rozhestvensky as he led the Russian Second Pacific Squadron from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean to do his part in the Russo-Japanese War. Theresa has way too much fun sharing what could only be the real-life basis for Mchale's Navy.

You ever learn about a guy so bold and self-assured *and* keeps winning?! Angie tells us the story of the Norwegian Hans Solo, Peter Wessel Tordenskjold. At one point he goes in for a court martial and comes out with a raise instead. Theresa then shares the Dancing Plague of 1518. You know, that time everyone just compulsively danced until they dropped dead? That one.

Grab a juice box and settle in. Theresa is telling the story of Nakano Takeko, her joshigun (women's army), and the battle at Aizu-Wakamatsu. Takeko leads this group of 20-30 trained female warriors, think samurai, into battle and shows everyone just what an alpha female looks like.

Okay, some sets of stories are so delightfully unhinged they will be shared in public, without warning. These are two of those tales. Angie sets things off with the retelling of the Ghost Army, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops from WWII. These men used inflatable tanks, set design, and everything theater instructors had ever taught to fool the Axis Powers. Then Theresa tells the bizarre tale of Pope Pius II. She shares his spy mission, the dirty book he wrote (The Tale of Two Lovers), and how he funded Vlad the Impaler's campaign against Mehmed II.

This episode has it all. The plague. Trebuchets. WWII. Ducks. Theresa starts us off with a rollicking tale of how the Golden Horde allegedly flung their plague-ridden corpses into the city of Caffa around 1345–1347 because Khan Jani Beg had some big feelings about losing. Thank goodness Angie takes it upon herself to lighten the load, so to speak. She shares the story of Marine Sergeant Jack “Siwash” Cornelius, the duck that fought in several amphibious assaults in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

Journey through the pages of medieval writing with Angie and Theresa as we learn about the Voynich Manuscript. Angie unpacks what we know about this unreadable text. She shares theories and touches on aliens. Yup. Aliens.

Come for the myth of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Stay for Theresa sharing the facts around what we really know about the Voudou Queen of New Orleans. If you're like us, the truth is far more compelling.

This last week of Women's History Month hits hard. Theresa shares the story of Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva, the Russian researcher who discovered Autism decades before Hans Asperger. Angie makes Theresa cry when she shares the story of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to make it to space.

You know these two love a good WWII spy story. Theresa serves up the tale of Aline Griffith, the Princess Spy. She served the Allies during the war while based in Spain before marrying into a noble family. Angie brings us all the way back to the California Gold Rush with the story of Eleanor Dumont, the French card player who earned the nickname "Madame Mustache" later in life.

Angie starts off strong telling the story of Margaret Skinnider. This strong woman had zero chill. She starts out as a school teacher and turns into a revolutionary in Ireland. She participates in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin as a sniper. Before we introduce Theresa's story, let's point out that she misspeaks and says, "Mexican-owned Canada" multiple times. She meant California. She's as sorry as she should be. Despite this glaring error, Theresa tells the story of Esther Short, the woman who found Vancouver, Washington.

Get a fresh cup of coffee, drink it black, and strap in. Theresa starts us off by sharing the tale of Queen Lili'uokalani, the first and last queen of Hawaii. Angie comes in hot with the tale of a lesser-known aviatrix, Beryl Markham. This woman does it all, including two princes.

Join us as Angie kicks off Women's History Month with an absolute doozy. Kick your feet up and listen to the story of Georgia's Queen Tamar. This absolute badass lived from c. 1160 – 18 January 1213 and was their first queen to rule in her own right.

Some stories just stick with you. In Episode 55, Theresa mentioned Nubian warrior queens in passing. This caused Angie to rabbit hole and dig that story out. So sit back and enjoy the history of the Kandake, or Candaces, Sudan's warrior queens. These women face down Rome, at its height. Theresa brings us back to the US as she shares the story of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the nation's first Black woman physician. She got her medical degree as the Civil War raged and became the only published Black woman in the 19th century.

This romp through history starts with Theresa returning to the 1980's in Brooklyn. She tells the tale of the Lo Life Crew. This group of men united through their passion and started boosting Ralph Lauren's Polo merch. From there they unknowingly changed the course of fashion. Angie balances out the episode by taking us back to the Wild West and telling us the story of Stagecoach Mary. Mary Fields (c. 1832 – December 5, 1914), was the first Black woman star route postwoman in the United States.

This was an incredible round-up of stories, as we celebrate Black History Month. Angie starts us off with a bang telling the story of Bass Reeves (July 1838 – January 12, 1910) the Black marshall who started his life as a slave. Theresa ponders the severity of travel warnings from the US State Department, as she shares the pyramids of Sudan.

Look, you're going to have some big feelings about this episode. This week, Theresa covers Henrietta Lacks and the medical racism that exists. While we have greatly benefited from Lacks' medical contributions, there are a lot of issues with the medical ethics around the HeLa cell line.