The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

Ona Judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America in order to escape the institution of slavery. Though she spent the rest of her life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own existence on her own terms; answering to no one, free at last.

This episode was recorded just before our 2023 Washington D.C. Field Trip where we were able to visit Mount Vernon and pay our respects at the African American Burial Ground and Memorial. For more information on that, visit Mount Vernon's website and our shownotes for...

Mother Jones lived one of the most dramatic second acts in American history. Though her early life was shaped by poverty, immigration, and repeated personal tragedies, she reinvented herself in middle age as a warrior for justice.

She was a fearless labor organizer - an electrifying speaker who rallied coal miners, steelworkers, railroad shopmen, and exploited children to stand up for their rights. She once earned the label “The Most Dangerous Woman in America” for standing firm against powerful corporate and government pressures. Her work can still be felt in the labor protections, organizing strategies, and economic just...

Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly every major global conflict - the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and more. In her work, she focused a compassionate eye on the lives of ordinary people caught up in turmoil beyond their control, and this made her coverage uniquely powerful. Her personal bravery and determination made her into a legend.

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As a tie-in to our coverage of Betsy Ambler and Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary we decided to revisit Martha. Some called her The Mother of the Country, some curtseyed and called her "Lady Washington," but no one could doubt that she was uniquely capable to shoulder the responsibilities and rigors of both war and diplomacy. Martha Washington's philosophy of "duty over inclination" became the template for future First Ladies in the newly-formed United States of America.

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Once upon a time, an eleven-year-old girl named Sarah Rector struck it rich with a discovery that was perfectly timed for the rise of the automobile and the expansion of American manufacturing. After hitting the jackpot, she had to escape the minefields of greed, racism, politics, and public opinion in order to build a satisfying life for herself at last.

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Viva l'Italia! We took 50 listeners on an epic journey filled with history, architecture, camaraderie and SO MUCH delicious food! From the ancient layers of Rome through the castles and hilltop villages of Tuscany, the art and influence of the Medici in Florence, to the romance of Venice, this trip was unforgettable!

The travelers join us, in their own voices, to tell you all about our adventures.

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The American Revolution changed the way the world worked; the principles of governance in the new country laid the foundation for movements all over the world.

On November 16th, Ken Burns and his team premiere their 6-part documentary series on PBS called, as you might have guessed, "The American Revolution"

We had the opportunity to sit down with co-director Sarah Botstein to talk about the inspiration and impact of this conflict.

This is the interview that we previously posted at the end of our Betsy Ambler episode, and we thought it was important...

Life during the Revolutionary War was more than military strategy; there were plenty of battles to be fought at home. Betsy Ambler was a young teenager during the turbulent years, and through her records and letters, we can see the conflict though a perspective that has been little examined.

We also interview Sarah Botstein, the co-director (with Ken Burns) of the new documentary The American Revolution, premiering on PBS on November 16th, 2026. This series brings forward voices that have been under-represented - as well as those figures that we think we already know- giving us a more...

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 through acts of resistance.

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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)

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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...

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...

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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. 

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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. <...

Josephine and Eugénie, related by marriage, and separated by only a generation, both rose from relative obscurity to become the Empress of France during tumultuous times. The paths of these very different women never crossed, but they both were stars in their own time and left their unique marks on history.

Please join us on our Field Trip to Italy, October 2-11, 2025. Registration is now open at Like Minds Travel. We hope to see you there!

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In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we are again shining the spotlight on the remarkable life of Fannie Lou Hamer. As a small child, her hard labor was key to her family’s survival. She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist who would not be silenced by intimidation, violence, or the personal wishes of the President of the United States himself.

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Charity Adams Earley was the first, and highest ranking, African-American officer in the Women's Army Corps. During WW2, she led the 6888th - The Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was sent to Europe to make sure that years of backlogged letters and packages were delivered at last to the waiting soldiers. Her work showed the importance of diversity, teamwork, and strong leadership in overcoming barriers of race and gender.

Please join us on our Field Trip to Philadelphia June 18-22, 2025, only a few spaces remain. If you're local or will be in the area...

This story of Christmas' unsung hero has been our holiday tradition since 2014! We change bits of it every year, so no two years are exactly the same! If you have little ears with you, you may want to preview it so no secrets are spoiled! Happiest of holidays to you, we'll see you in 2025!

Speaking of seeing us in 2025, we would love for you to travel with us on our Field Trip to Philadelphia June 18-22, 2025 OR if you are local-ish and would like to join our Meet-up dinner party at the Betsy Ross...

Katharine Graham was the head of the Washington Post empire during a turbulent time in American history. After a personal tragedy catapulted her into the public eye (and the eye of the hurricane), she took on the doubters and became the most powerful woman in media history. She was an icon of resilience and determination, as well as embodying the belief that a cantankerous, vibrant, and free press is crucial to the very principles of democracy.

Field Trip with us! We would love for you to join us in Philadelphia, PA June, 18-22, 2025! For...

It's Thanksgiving and National Native American Heritage Month here in the United States so, this week, we continue our tradition of sharing this episode from 2017. Pocahontas' real story is much different than the romanticized versions of her life! At this time of year, here, when American History is told and retold over turkey and Ubiquitous Green Bean Casserole, we want to do our part to contribute to that conversation (even if we aren't involved in the "Is It Dressing or Stuffing" debate with you all.)

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We took fifty friends with us on our latest women's history tour to the City of Light! From a private nighttime tour of Versailles to a luncheon at Veuve Clicquot, through pastries shaped like apples at A. LaCroix patisserie and an ocean of glorious onion soup, we filled our suitcases with treasures and our hearts with joy.

But perhaps the best souvenirs we all brought home were the lifelong friends we made along the way.

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Join us on this Halloween bonus episode as we revisit our 2019 coverage of Sarah Winchester! The Winchester Mystery House has intrigued people for almost a century. Its story has always been a dramatic one, full of ghosts, guns, and desperation - but perhaps there is a simpler explanation buried within the life of Sarah Winchester herself.

We would love for you to join us on our Paris Field Trip in April, 2025! Spaces are filling fast, so for more information and to register, please visit Like Minds Travel! We hope to see you there!

Join us as we discuss our recent field trip to the city that never sleeps! Fifty friends joined us for a women's history extravaganza (and thirty more dropped by for a celebration on the water)! From the gritty realities of the Tenement Museum to the excesses of America's Gilded Age - the sobering truths of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire to the glittering lights of Broadway, we'll tell you what moved us and surprised us with help from the friends who traveled with us on our whirlwind tour of New York City.

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It's election season here in the US, so we're revisiting the life of the very first woman to run for the American Presidency in 1872. Victoria Woodhull crafted a life for herself from very raw materials when she traveled from an abusive childhood to an aristocratic end and, throughout it all, was a woman ahead of her time.

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They said it couldn't be done; that the deck, and the odds, were stacked against her, but Trudy Ederle listened only to her heart during her record-breaking swim across the English Channel. She was the first woman to accomplish this feat - and her record would hold for another 24 years. Gertrude Ederle made women's history.

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We reached back a few years to again shine the spotlight on this remarkable woman. Fannie Lou Hamer began life as a small child whose hard labor was key to her family’s survival. She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist who would not be silenced by intimidation, violence, or the personal wishes of the President of the United States himself.

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