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PODCAST

Her Half of History

Evergreen Podcasts

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 books

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All Episodes

24:25

9.9 A Wife by Any Other Naming Convention

Her Half of History ·

2023/03/09

The majority of women in western countries change their surnames when they get married, but for most of human history that would have been a totally foreign concept. In this episode, I explore the naming conventions of women in ancient Greece, Rome, and China, none of whom took their husband's names at marriage. Then I move on to why the practice got started in Europe, and how feminists in France, Germany, England, and the USA fought back. I also explore how Mistress became Mrs and then Miss and

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30:35

9.8 The Mormon Polygamous Wife

Her Half of History ·

2023/03/02

From the 21st century it is hard to grasp just how big an issue polygamy was in 19th century America. From this distance, slavery was the big moral issue. But at the time, slavery and polygamy were linked. The very first Republican party platform, written in 1856, declared their prime objective: “it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism—polygamy and slavery.” This episode explores how Mormons began polygamy, how it

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28:01

9.7 The African-American Bride

Her Half of History ·

2023/02/23

In August 1619, a Dutch man-of-war came to Virginia shores with about twenty Africans. The Virginia colony was starved for labor. The sailors were starved for food, and so it began. By 1850, the US census reported over 3.6 million black and mulatto people. In all that time and among all those people, there were technically very few brides. Because technically speaking, there was no such thing as a slave marriage. There were free blacks and they had brides, but only 11% of that 3.6 million were

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13:05

9.6 The Solemnization of Matrimony (from the Book of...

Her Half of History ·

2023/02/16

Instead of telling you a story about what we can gather from historical documents, I am just going to actually read you a historical document. If that’s not your jam, give it a break and come back for the next regular episode on the African-American bride. In 1549, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, authorized the first Book of Common Prayer for use in the fairly recently formed Church of England. It included a section called “The Forme of Solemnizacion of Matrimonie.” Cranmer is generally

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21:09

9.5 To Be Your Lawfully Wedded Wife

Her Half of History ·

2023/02/09

There are as many different wedding ceremonies in world history as there are cultures, religions, and possibly brides. Technically, a couple may not really need a wedding ceremony. And yet, no one sends out invitations so everyone can come watch them sign some legal documents. There is a thrill to pretending that wedded life begins when someone says "I now pronounce you husband and wife" even if we all know that legally speaking it began with a signature a little earlier. The wedding ceremony has a

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25:20

9.4 What Did the Bride Wear?

Her Half of History ·

2023/02/02

The most noticeable thing about a modern wedding is often the bride's dress. And; yet in history, the bride's dress is rarely described. Nevertheless, here's a history of what the bride wore, from the six braids and veil of a Roman bride, to the silver and white ornateness of an early modern royal bride, to the service uniform of a bride in the World Wars, and right up to the gorgeous white fantasies so popular today. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and

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21:15

9.3 Have You the Ring?

Her Half of History ·

2023/01/26

Rings have been associated with marriage since Roman times, but they didn't necessarily look like the modern ones. This episode tracks the history of the ring from the Romans, through the middle Ages (with a brief diversion to JRR Tolkien), by way of the Anglicans and the Puritans, and direct to a huge 20th century advertising success that led us to the now more-or-less obligatory diamond ring on so many married women's fingers. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and

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21:12

9.2 How Big Is Your Dowry? (rebroadcast)

Her Half of History ·

2023/01/19

If you are a Jane Austen fan, you will know that being beautiful, witty, good natured, and accomplished is good, but having a dowry is better. Austen's impoverished heroines always get their man in the end, the sad truth is, it didn't work for Austen herself. She had no dowry. And she never married. So what is this dowry thing? And why, as Mr. Bennett said, should a father have to bribe worthless young men to marry his daughters? Is it not incredibly insulting to a girl to think that the punk in

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24:14

9.1 Will You Marry Me? (and other proposals)

Her Half of History ·

2023/01/12

If you are a member of modern Western society, then you likely have a definite idea of the traditional marriage proposal, even if you yourself have chosen to ignore portions of it. But the traditional proposal is not all that old. Several of its elements are very recent. One is even a deliberate invention of the bridal industry, and many a historic couple would have been surprised or possibly horrified at the whole idea. In this episode, I explore the marriage proposal as it existed in ancient

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19:44

Two Queens and Your Christmas Tree

Her Half of History ·

2022/12/15

The Christmas tree began as a German tradition. And it might still be just a charming local custom, if not for two English queens who elevated it to a global phenomenon. This episode will tell you about Queen Charlotte, Queen Victoria, and their Christmas trees.See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources.Support the show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235). Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the

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27:18

8.12 Ethel Rosenberg: Supposedly a Spy

Her Half of History ·

2022/11/10

Ethel Rosenberg was executed by electric chair for sending the secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. America felt justified in view of the impending nuclear holocaust. But that holocaust has not yet happened, and documents and confessions have been declassified in dribbles over the decades, and the story is now very, very different than the one the jury heard. See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, sources, and pictures.In the show, I mention the Rosenberg Fund for

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26:15

8.11 Noor Inayat Khan: A Spy for Britain

Her Half of History ·

2022/11/03

Not all the British spies fit the prototype. Noor Inayat Khan had an Indian father, an American mother, a Russian birthplace, and a French education. She was a timid, peace-loving mystic with an alarming tendency to expect everyone around her to be decent and good. She was also a phenomenally successful undercover radio operator for Britain, exceeding everyone's expectations, until she was betrayed to the Nazis.See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and more

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21:26

8.10 Lise de Baissac: A Spy in France

Her Half of History ·

2022/10/27

Lise de Baissac fled France when the Nazis marched in. But in Britain she went to genuine spy school, and then she parachuted back into France, where she helped arm and train the French Resistance. If you are a Marvel fan, you'll love it. Her story (and others like her) are definitely the inspiration for Captain Carter. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on

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21:40

8.9 Zheng Pingru: A Spy for China

Her Half of History ·

2022/10/20

Zheng Pingru is a Chinese heroine of World War II. Her story was tragically brief, and even today raises questions about the difficult role of women in war and occupation.Check out the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction.Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts

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30:18

8.8 Mata Hari: A World War I Spy

Her Half of History ·

2022/10/13

Mata Hari fit society's profile of a female spy so perfectly: beautiful, seductive, and duplicitous. That's why the Germans, and the British, and the French all thought she must actually be a spy. Even when they couldn't find any evidence of it. Here is the story of a woman who had many faults, but almost certainly not the one she was executed for. See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and

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23:49

8.7 Elizabeth Van Lew: A Union Spy (part 2)

Her Half of History ·

2022/10/06

Last week we got Elizabeth to the point of working directly for the Union army from inside Richmond. This week, she and the other Unionists aid a great prison breakout, give a fallen Union colonel a hero's funeral, and survive to see the Union army enter the capital of the Confederacy. With the war over, she takes a job that has rarely gone to a woman up until this point, but also faces the enmity of her Southern neighbors for the rest of her long life.See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a

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25:02

8.6 Elizabeth Van Lew: A Union Spy (part 1)

Her Half of History ·

2022/09/29

We have now arrived at the woman who inspired this whole series on spies! Because Elizabeth Van Lew is one of my absolute favorites, and her story is so good that I simply cannot squeeze it into only one episode. Elizabeth Van Lews was a daughter of the Old South, but also an ardent abolitionist. In this episode we take her from debutante to undercover agent in Richmond, Virginia.Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources. Visit the website

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26:13

8.5 Harriet Tubman: Freedom's Spy (rebroadcast)

Her Half of History ·

2022/09/22

I first covered Harriet Tubman last year in my series A Slave, But Now I'm Free, but some women are just too multi-talented to be slotted into only one series. Tubman was also a spy, officially for the Union army. Even before that, her efforts to free her family had all the elements of espionage: fake identities, coded messages, traveling through enemy territory, and more. See the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, pictures, and sources. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for

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17:44

8.4 Policarpa Salavarrieta: A Spy for Colombia

Her Half of History ·

2022/09/15

Policarpa Salavarrieta is a heroine and martyr of Colombian independence. Good sources are scarce, but here's what we know and a bit about her legacy.This episode is part of series 8, Women in Espionage.See the website (herhalfof history.com) for a transcript, sources, and pictures. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction.Join Into History for a community

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22:07

8.3 Agent 355: Washington's Mostly Mythical Spy

Her Half of History ·

2022/09/08

The Culper Spy Ring operated in British-held New York and funneled intel to General George Washington. Agent 355, the only woman among them, will probably never be conclusively identified. Was she Anna Strong? Was she a New York socialite? Was she someone else entirely? Here's the story of what we know.Please visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for a transcript, sources, and pictures. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patreon

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