Shows / Her Half of History
Her Half of History
Women's history doesn't have be boring or depressing. I tell the stories of extraordinary women in history, including queens, slaves, spies, scientists, artists, wives, mothers, and more. But most women didn't leave us enough material for a biography, so I also tell you what it was like to be an ordinary woman, including what they wore, how they did housework, how they worked, and how they played.
In short, what were the women doing all that time while men were writing the standard history…
Episodes
Her Half of HistoryMrs. Santa Claus
For a very long time, Santa was a single man. His wife occasionally peeped out of the historical record, but not often. Until a host of magazine writers in the…
Her Half of HistoryLaundry: An Interview with the History Fix Podcast
I am currently on break preparing Series 14, The Woman Behind the Man. For today, I am bringing you an interview I did a few months ago with Shea LaFountaine…
Her Half of HistoryLaundry: An Interview with the History Fix Podcast
I am currently on break preparing Series 14, The Woman Behind the Man. For today, I am bringing you an interview I did a few months ago with Shea LaFountaine…
- Her Half of History
Announcement on Series 14
The voters have spoken! The topic of Series 14 will be: The Woman Behind the Man. I’ll be looking at women across the ages who had a hand (sometimes a major…
Her Half of HistoryAnnouncement on Series 14
The voters have spoken! The topic of Series 14 will be: The Woman Behind the Man. I’ll be looking at women across the ages who had a hand (sometimes a major…
Her Half of HistoryWomen Who Got Elected (bonus)
I make no comment on the current US election because this is a history podcast. But the entire concept of a woman running a country with even the semblance of…
Her Half of HistoryWomen Who Got Elected (bonus)
I make no comment on the current US election because this is a history podcast. But the entire concept of a woman running a country with even the semblance of…
Her Half of HistoryWhy Beauty Mattered (and has anything changed?) (ep. 13.14)
Throughout history and around the globe, women have routinely squeezed, bound, crushed, tweezed, poisoned, pricked, and stretched various portions of their…
Her Half of HistoryWhy Beauty Mattered (and has anything changed?) (ep. 13.14)
Throughout history and around the globe, women have routinely squeezed, bound, crushed, tweezed, poisoned, pricked, and stretched various portions of their…
Her Half of HistoryLosing a Breast to Gain a Life (ep. 13.13)
Most of the episodes in this series have been about shaping the female body in the name of beauty. But there is at least one major reshaping that has nothing…
Her Half of HistoryLosing a Breast to Gain a Life (ep. 13.13)
Most of the episodes in this series have been about shaping the female body in the name of beauty. But there is at least one major reshaping that has nothing…
Her Half of HistoryIn the Eye of the Beholder (ep. 13.12)
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and history proves it: blackened teeth, modified skull shapes, extended necks, lip plates, and piercings of…
Her Half of HistoryIn the Eye of the Beholder (ep. 13.12)
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and history proves it: blackened teeth, modified skull shapes, extended necks, lip plates, and piercings of…
Her Half of HistoryThe Witch's Mark (ep. 13.11)
Jane Wenham was accused of witchcraft in 1712. One of the trials was a search of her body. Did she or did she not have a witch's mark where her familiar sucked…
Her Half of HistoryThe Witch's Mark (ep. 13.11)
Jane Wenham was accused of witchcraft in 1712. One of the trials was a search of her body. Did she or did she not have a witch's mark where her familiar sucked…
Her Half of HistoryBody Art: Tattoos and Henna (ep. 13.10)
If you do have one, you are part of a very long-standing worldwide tradition. Tattoos have existed since prehistoric times in many cultures, where they were…
Her Half of HistoryBody Art: Tattoos and Henna (ep. 13.10)
If you do have one, you are part of a very long-standing worldwide tradition. Tattoos have existed since prehistoric times in many cultures, where they were…
Her Half of HistoryCosmetics in the Modern World (ep. 13.9)
Women continued to make their own cosmetics in the 18th century. Then it was suddenly immoral in the 19th century (not that some women didn't do it anyway)…
Her Half of HistoryCosmetics in the Modern World (ep. 13.9)
Women continued to make their own cosmetics in the 18th century. Then it was suddenly immoral in the 19th century (not that some women didn't do it anyway)…
Her Half of HistoryCosmetics in the Pre-Modern World (ep. 13.8)
Cosmetics are nothing new. Women (and sometimes men) were using them in Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and India. This is an overview of the art of making up your…
Her Half of HistoryCosmetics in the Pre-Modern World (ep. 13.8)
Cosmetics are nothing new. Women (and sometimes men) were using them in Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and India. This is an overview of the art of making up your…
Her Half of HistoryA Bad Hair Day in Ancient Rome (ep. 13.7)
I hope you’ve never had a hair day quite like that of Corinna, the mistress to whom the Roman poet Ovid wrote Amores, or The Loves. Corinna dyed her hair so…
Her Half of HistoryA Bad Hair Day in Ancient Rome (ep. 13.7)
I hope you’ve never had a hair day quite like that of Corinna, the mistress to whom the Roman poet Ovid wrote Amores, or The Loves. Corinna dyed her hair so…
Her Half of HistoryThe History of Hair (ep. 13.6)
To cover the history of hair would be a podcast in and of itself, and the host should not be me. But hair has been very, very important to a great many women…
Her Half of HistoryThe History of Hair (ep. 13.6)
To cover the history of hair would be a podcast in and of itself, and the host should not be me. But hair has been very, very important to a great many women…
Her Half of HistoryThe Quest for a Hairless Body (ep. 13.5)
Surely I am not the only woman who has ever eyed the razor and the shaving cream and wondered "Why?" Women have been questing for hairlessness at least since…
Her Half of HistoryThe Quest for a Hairless Body (ep. 13.5)
Surely I am not the only woman who has ever eyed the razor and the shaving cream and wondered "Why?" Women have been questing for hairlessness at least since…
Her Half of HistoryChinese Footbinding (ep. 13.4)
The origins of footbinding are lost in time, but I think it is safe to say that the first woman to do it could not possibly have imagined what was coming. This…
Her Half of HistoryChinese Footbinding (ep. 13.4)
The origins of footbinding are lost in time, but I think it is safe to say that the first woman to do it could not possibly have imagined what was coming. This…
Her Half of HistoryTo Boost or to Bind: A History of the Bust (ep. 13.3)
The mostly male writers of historical records were reasonably interested in breasts, but quite uninterested in the day-to-day management of them. For most of…
Her Half of HistoryTo Boost or to Bind: A History of the Bust (ep. 13.3)
The mostly male writers of historical records were reasonably interested in breasts, but quite uninterested in the day-to-day management of them. For most of…
Her Half of HistoryThe Corset (ep. 13.2)
Corsets are infamous as torturous devices, specially designed to keep women in their place and helpless. But reality is a little more complicated than that, as…
Her Half of HistoryThe Corset (ep. 13.2)
Corsets are infamous as torturous devices, specially designed to keep women in their place and helpless. But reality is a little more complicated than that, as…
Her Half of HistoryThe Ideal Body Shape, Historically Speaking (ep. 13.1)
Women have been chasing impossible beauty standards for at least hundreds of years and probably longer. But just what we think is beautiful keeps changing…
Her Half of HistoryThe Ideal Body Shape, Historically Speaking (ep. 13.1)
Women have been chasing impossible beauty standards for at least hundreds of years and probably longer. But just what we think is beautiful keeps changing…
Her Half of HistoryMayans, Aztecs, and Chocolate by Pamela Toler
What woman doesn't love chocolate? (Okay, I do know a few, but still.) Guest writer Pamela Toler tells us about the history of chocolate in this episode…
Her Half of HistoryMayans, Aztecs, and Chocolate by Pamela Toler
What woman doesn't love chocolate? (Okay, I do know a few, but still.) Guest writer Pamela Toler tells us about the history of chocolate in this episode…
Her Half of HistoryPeggy Shippen Arnold by 2 Complicated 4 History
For the 4th of July, learn about Peggy Shippen Arnold! She's the wife of Benedict Arnold, the most famous American traitor. Had things gone just a little…
Her Half of HistoryPeggy Shippen Arnold by 2 Complicated 4 History
For the 4th of July, learn about Peggy Shippen Arnold! She's the wife of Benedict Arnold, the most famous American traitor. Had things gone just a little…
Her Half of HistoryAin't I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth
I am on research break to prepare Series 13: Shaping the Female Body. But in the meantime, here is a beautiful speech by Sojourner Truth, the emancipated…
Her Half of HistoryAin't I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth
I am on research break to prepare Series 13: Shaping the Female Body. But in the meantime, here is a beautiful speech by Sojourner Truth, the emancipated…
Her Half of HistoryAlexandra Feodorovna, Last Empress of Russia (ep. 12.15)
Alexandra was born German, but she married into the Romanov dynasty of Russia. Her marriage is one of European royalty's few great love stories. But the world…
Her Half of HistoryAlexandra Feodorovna, Last Empress of Russia (ep. 12.15)
Alexandra was born German, but she married into the Romanov dynasty of Russia. Her marriage is one of European royalty's few great love stories. But the world…
Her Half of HistoryYaa Asantewaa, Last Queen of the Asante (Ghana) (ep. 12.14)
When the British came for her country, Yaa Asantewaa (aged nearly 70) rallied the Asante warriors and fought back. Though she lost in the end, she became one…
Her Half of HistoryYaa Asantewaa, Last Queen of the Asante (Ghana) (ep. 12.14)
When the British came for her country, Yaa Asantewaa (aged nearly 70) rallied the Asante warriors and fought back. Though she lost in the end, she became one…
Her Half of HistoryLili'uokalani, Last Queen of Hawaii (ep. 12.13)
Lili'uokalani did not grow up expecting to be queen, but once she was, she had no intention of being a figurehead. Unfortunately, that is what big business and…
Her Half of HistoryLili'uokalani, Last Queen of Hawaii (ep. 12.13)
Lili'uokalani did not grow up expecting to be queen, but once she was, she had no intention of being a figurehead. Unfortunately, that is what big business and…
Her Half of HistoryLakshmibai, Last Rani of Jhansi (ep. 12.12)
Lakshmibai is India's Joan of Arc. When the English claimed her country, she fought back. Her story is the most famous part of what the English called the…
Her Half of HistoryLakshmibai, Last Rani of Jhansi (ep. 12.12)
Lakshmibai is India's Joan of Arc. When the English claimed her country, she fought back. Her story is the most famous part of what the English called the…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Bitter End (ep. 12.11)
For Marie Antoinette, the end was more bitter than she could possibly have imagined. After four years of imprisonment, several failed escape plans, and an…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Bitter End (ep. 12.11)
For Marie Antoinette, the end was more bitter than she could possibly have imagined. After four years of imprisonment, several failed escape plans, and an…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Unfortunate Queen (ep. 12.10)
This is the 2nd of 3 episodes on Marie Antoinette. She is now queen, but it's not as fabulous as it sounds because her marriage needs counseling and her…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Unfortunate Queen (ep. 12.10)
This is the 2nd of 3 episodes on Marie Antoinette. She is now queen, but it's not as fabulous as it sounds because her marriage needs counseling and her…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Luckiest Princess (ep. 12.9)
There is so much written about Marie Antoinette, much of it contradictory, that I just could not squeeze her story down into a single episode, not even with…
Her Half of HistoryMarie Antoinette, the Luckiest Princess (ep. 12.9)
There is so much written about Marie Antoinette, much of it contradictory, that I just could not squeeze her story down into a single episode, not even with…
Her Half of HistoryZainatuddin Kamalat Syah, Last Queen of Aceh (Indonesia) (ep. 12.8)
The sultanate of Aceh enjoyed no fewer than four reigning queens in a row. They defended their country against rampant expansion by the Dutch and then the…
Her Half of HistoryZainatuddin Kamalat Syah, Last Queen of Aceh (Indonesia) (ep. 12.8)
The sultanate of Aceh enjoyed no fewer than four reigning queens in a row. They defended their country against rampant expansion by the Dutch and then the…
Her Half of HistoryArwa al-Sulayhi, Last Queen of the Sulayhids (Yemen) (ep. 12.7)
Yes! There have been Muslim queens who ruled their own countries! One of them was Arwa al-Sulayhi who ruled Yemen for 60 years in the 11th and 12th century…
Her Half of HistoryArwa al-Sulayhi, Last Queen of the Sulayhids (Yemen) (ep. 12.7)
Yes! There have been Muslim queens who ruled their own countries! One of them was Arwa al-Sulayhi who ruled Yemen for 60 years in the 11th and 12th century…
Her Half of HistoryXiuhtlaltzin, Last Queen of the Toltec (Mexico) (ep. 12.6)
The history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica is hard for historians because the best sources were all destroyed. Those that remain are of dubious historicity, but…