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 HistoryElizabeth Keckly: Slave to Entrepreneur (ep 4.9)
In 1868 Elizabeth Keckly published a remarkable book called Behind the Scenes, or Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House. It showed the…
- Her Half of History
Ellen Craft: A First Class Escape (ep 4.8)
Many slaves who ran away ended up sneaking through the woods at night. They were cold, wet, and hungry, heart thumping, ears ever strained for the sound of men…
Her Half of HistoryHarriet Hemings: Slave-Daughter of the President (ep 4.7)
Harriet Hemings was the daughter of Sally Hemings and her owner, Thomas Jefferson. Legally, she was a slave. But when she "ran away" at age 21, it seems that…
Her Half of HistoryElizabeth Freeman: Suing for Freedom (ep 4.6)
Elizabeth Freeman (also known as Mumbet) was a slave in Massachusetts when she heard that all men are created free and equal. If that's so, she thought, why am…
Her Half of HistoryRosa Egipcíaca: A Slave in Brazil (ep 4.5)
Rosa was born in West Africa around 1720, but brought to Brazil in a slave ship when she was six years old. She lived as a slave and prostitute until her…
Her Half of HistoryCatalina: A Native American Slave in Spain (ep 4.4)
Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a…
- Her Half of History
Roxelana: A Slave to the Ottomans (ep 4.3)
If there ever was a real life Cinderella, Roxelana might have been it. She was torn from her home in childhood and sold into slavery, but she ended up as queen…
Her Half of HistoryNeaira: A Slave in Ancient Greece (ep 4.2)
Details on ancient Greek women are scarce, but one of the few we do know about was Neaira, who grew up as a slave in a brothel in Corinth. In her twenties, she…
Her Half of HistorySlavery: An Enduring Institution (ep 4.1)
Our brand new series is "A Slave, But Now I'm Free." Most of the series will be biographical spotlights on women who escaped slavery, but I find that many…
- Her Half of History
Maggie Lena Walker, Bank President (ep 3.9)
Maggie Lena Walker was the first African-American woman to run a bank (and almost the first American woman of any color to run a bank). She led it successfully…
- Her Half of History
Hetty Green, Queen of Wall Street (ep 3.8)
Women have often had a hard time breaking into the world of high finance, but Hetty Green, the Queen of Wall Street, didn't let that stand in her way. She…
Her Half of HistoryNo Taxation Without Representation (in the USA) (ep 3.7)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton once gave a fiery speech urging all women to refuse to pay taxes until they got the vote. But that didn't really happen. Listen to hear…
Her Half of HistoryNo Taxation Without Representation (in Rome) (ep 3.6)
Hortensia of Rome successfully argued for no taxation without representation 1800 years before the Founding Fathers of the USA. Listen to hear how she did it!…
Her Half of HistoryHow Big Is Your Dowry? (ep 3.5)
Listen to learn why in many cultures a groom must pay a brideprice to the bride's family, why in many others the bride's family must pay a dowry to the groom…
- Her Half of History
Women and Credit (ep 3.4)
In this episode, I discuss how women used (and didn't use) credit in Mesopotamia, Rome, medieval Europe, 20th century USA, and finally into the microfinance…
- Her Half of History
Women and the GDP (ep 3.3)
GDP is a mysterious number on which politicians soar or sink, businesses thrive or tumble, and folks like you and me pay our bills or go bankrupt. Despite…
Her Half of HistoryWomen on the Money (ep 3.2)
Unless you live in the British Commonwealth, the bills and coins in your wallet are far more likely to be looking at men than you are at women. But it hasn't…
Her Half of HistoryThe Early History of Money (ep 3.1)
Like it or loathe it, we live in a world dominated by money. In the coming weeks I'll take a look at how women have fared under that system. I will talk about…
- Her Half of History
A Girl's Guide to Seizing Power (ep 2.7)
This episode is a retrospective look at Cleopatra, Wu Zetian, Elizabeth I of Russia, Catherine the Great, and Ranavalona. I discuss a three-step strategy that…
Her Half of HistoryRanavalona I, Queen of Madagascar (ep 2.6)
Life: 1787 to 1861 Reign: 1828 to 1861 Extremely Brief Summary: Ranavalona was born an insignificant member of a low-status tribe. She married into the royal…
Her Half of HistoryCatherine the Great, Empress of Russia (ep 2.5)
Catherine got to power by overthrowing her husband. She ruled Russia as an Enlightened despot. She held many high principles but had mixed results on putting…
Her Half of HistoryElizabeth, Empress of Russia (ep 2.4)
Life: 1709 to 1761 Reign: 1741 to 1761 Memorable Moment: As empress, Elizabeth held a ball every Tuesday night. The catch was the men had to dress like women…
- Her Half of History
Wu Zetian, Empress of China (ep 2.3)
Empress Wu shattered the glass ceiling in her rise from low level wife to de facto ruler to Divine Ruler in her own right. Sources on Wu give vastly different…
- Her Half of History
Cleopatra, Pharaoh of Egypt (ep 2.2)
Cleopatra inherited a joint throne, but pushed first one and then a second brother out of it to rule alone. In a world where rising Roman dominance was a fact…
- Her Half of History
Why So Few Women in Power? (ep 2.1)
Most of this miniseries will be biographical sketches of a few of the more daring power-grabbers in history. But this initial episode is on why there are so…
Her Half of HistoryQ&A on Women's Fashion (ep 1.8)
In this episode I take listener questions on women's fashion: When did athleisure become mainstream? What about the kimono? Why is pink for girls and blue for…
Her Half of HistoryRetro Fashions (No Comeback Needed) (ep 1.7)
Nothing says social status quite like ridiculous clothes, and throughout history, women have shown theirs with clothes that were sheer, huge, heavy, trailing…
- Her Half of History
How the Swimsuit Shrunk (ep 1.6)
Most women, if they swam at all, were probably skinny dipping. Regular beach goers with regular beach wear got going in the 19th century when they wore an…
- Her Half of History
The Hijab and the Sari (ep 1.5)
Veiling was invented thousands of years ago. It became very common, if not always required, for Muslim women within a few generations of Muhammad. Wearing the…
- Her Half of History
What Lies Beneath (ep 1.4)
Large numbers of women in history went free and easy, wearing nothing that resembles modern underwear, though some of them wore plenty of undergarments that…
- Her Half of History
The Little Mysteries: Pockets, Buttons, and Heels (ep 1.3)
The modern woman’s wardrobe contains many little mysteries. Why so few pockets? Why so many heels? And why are the buttons different on men’s and women’s…
Her Half of HistoryThe Rise and Fall of Your Hemline (ep 1.2)
Hemlines throughout history have ranged from nonexistent (that is, no clothes at all) to trailing 25 feet behind you, but for the most part they went to at…
- Her Half of History
Who Wears the Pants Around Here? (ep 1.1)
Women wore various versions of skirts or robes for most of history. A few brave women in pants traumatized their neighbors in the 19th century, but it wasn’t…