Episodes

  • Caroline Herschel, First Female Professional Scientist (ep. 16.10)

    Caroline Herschel, First Female Professional Scientist (ep. 16.10)
    Apr 23 2026
    Caroline Herschel and her brother William are sometimes called the discoverers of the universe. In the 18th century, they observed and catalogued the heavens. They were not the first astronomers, but they started with catalogues of hundreds of stars and expanded it into thousands. Caroline in particular was famous as a discoverer of comets. Along the way she was the first woman to have a scientific paper published by a major scientific entity. She also drew her own salary from the British crown. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • Jeanne Baret, First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe (ep. 16.9)

    Jeanne Baret, First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe (ep. 16.9)
    Apr 9 2026
    Jeanne Baret circumnavigated the globe by disguising herself as a man and working as a servant on a French scientific mission. Along the way, she collected and preserved an incredible array of botanic specimens, many of whom are named after ... the man she was working for. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Anne Marshall and Margaret Hughes, First Women on the English Stage (ep. 16.8)

    Anne Marshall and Margaret Hughes, First Women on the English Stage (ep. 16.8)
    Apr 2 2026
    Shakespeare wrote every word of his plays with the firm expectation that the female parts would be acted by men or boys. No female was allowed to act in a public theater. That would be shockingly indecent. In England, that expectation was dashed in a 1660 production of Othello. We know for sure that Desdemona was played by a woman. We're just not sure which woman it was. This episode explains how English theater came to accept women on the stage. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 mins
  • Remember the Ladies Says Abigail Adams

    Remember the Ladies Says Abigail Adams
    Mar 30 2026
    Abigail Adams was the wife of American founding father John Adams. In 1776, she asked him to "remember the ladies" in the new code of laws for a new country. So much is relatively well known, but much less well known is his response. Listen for the full exchange. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • Elena Cornaro Piscopia, First Woman with a University Degree (ep. 16.7)

    Elena Cornaro Piscopia, First Woman with a University Degree (ep. 16.7)
    Mar 26 2026
    The earliest universities only admitted men. Occasionally a woman was allowed to attend, but not to graduate. The first woman to buck that trend was Elena Cornaro Piscopia. But that didn't mean it was any easier for those who came after her. The battle for women's education had only just begun. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Cycle Round the World (ep. 16.f)

    Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Cycle Round the World (ep. 16.f)
    Mar 23 2026
    Annie Londonderry was the first international female sports star. But an unlikely one. When she decided to bicycle around the world, she did not yet know how to ride a bicycle. But her trip was a media sensation because she was even better at self-promotion than she was at bicycling. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    18 mins
  • Elisabeth Thible, First Woman to Take Flight (ep. 16.e)

    Elisabeth Thible, First Woman to Take Flight (ep. 16.e)
    Mar 19 2026
    Humanity dreamed of flight for a very long time, but the reality of it was mostly failure. The first woman to truly fly went up in a hot air balloon in 1784. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. If you support during March 2026, you'll be entered into a prize drawing for free Her Half of History merch. Join ⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • Pamphile of Epidaurus, One of the First Female Historians (ep. 16.d)

    Pamphile of Epidaurus, One of the First Female Historians (ep. 16.d)
    Mar 16 2026
    The Greeks invented history in the West, and to my very great surprise there was actually one female Greek historian. Pamphile of Epidaurus's work was still read and well-regarded 800 years after her death. Sadly, we lost it at some point after that. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This is a special bonus episode normally available only to subscribers, but in March 2026 available to everyone to celebrate Women's History Month. This show survives on the support of listeners like you. Support the show on my ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon page⁠⁠ (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and polls. Or make a one-time donation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Me a Coffee⁠. Your support helps me keep bring the stories of past women into the present. Join ⁠⁠Into History⁠⁠ for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit ⁠⁠Evergreen Podcasts⁠⁠ to listen to more great shows. Follow me on ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 mins