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PODCAST

Womanica

Acast Creative Studios

Thinking back to our history classes growing up, we had one question: Where the ladies at? Enter, Womanica. In just 5 minutes a day, learn about different incredible women from throughout history. On Wonder Media Network’s award-winning podcast, we’re telling the stories of women you may or may not know — but definitely should. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

history

All Episodes

4:43

Go-Getters: Carrie Crawford Smith

Womanica ·

2024/12/02

Carrie Crawford Smith (1877-1954) placed hundreds of fellow Black women in jobs in and around Chicago through her employment agency. In an era when Black women faced intense discrimination and negative stereotyping in the workforce, Carrie made it her mission to ensure her clients were treated with dignity and respect. For Further Reading: Recognizing historic Black-owned businesses in Evanston Carrie Crawford Smith’s “Back Door Leadership” This month we're talking about Go-Getters. Women

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5:22

Women of Controversy: Prudence Mabele

Womanica ·

2024/11/29

Prudence Mabele (1971-2017) was a South African HIV/AIDS activist and a prominent advocate for women's rights. She became one of the first South African women to publicly declare her HIV-positive status in 1992, challenging stigma and discrimination. Throughout her life, she was dedicated to promoting access to healthcare, gender equality, and raising awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women. For Further Reading: Prudence Mabele Prudence Mabele: The life of the South African HIV

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7:06

Women of Controversy: Pearl Curran

Womanica ·

2024/11/28

Pearl Curran (1883-1937) was an author. She claimed to serve as the medium for “Patience Worth,” a spirit she first contacted via a ouija board. The phenomenon spawned great public interest and later backlash, as a range of psychologists, journalists, and general readers speculated about Patience and Pearl. As Pearl’s commercial success as an author dwindled, she supported herself with traveling ouija board demonstrations. For Further Reading: Patience Worth: Author From the Great Beyond When

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6:00

Women of Controversy: Nina Mae McKinney

Womanica ·

2024/11/27

Nina Mae McKinney (1912-1967) was a Black American actress who performed in Hollywood and internationally in the 1930s. She was dubbed “The Black Garbo” and was the first African-American performer to receive a five-year contract with MGM. Yet because of racism and miscegenation codes, she was unable to gain a mainstream status. Today, she’s known as the “The First Black Movie Star.” For Further Reading Nina Mae McKinney, Who Defied the Barriers of Race to Find Stardom - The New York Times “The

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4:06

Women of Controversy: Miyuki Ishikawa

Womanica ·

2024/11/26

Miyuki Ishikawa (1897 - c. 1987) was a Japanese midwife and serial killer. She is believed to be responsible for the death of 103 infants in the late 1940s. Her crimes highlighted the economic and social conditions of postwar Japan and the problems with its welfare system. For Further Reading: Miyuki Ishikawa: The True-Crime Story of the Demon Midwife Kotobuki Maternity Hospital Incident The Infant Killer of Tokyo This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of

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6:14

Women of Controversy: Mary Toft

Womanica ·

2024/11/25

Mary Toft (early 1700s–1763) was a poor English woman from outside of London who became the subject of considerable controversy when she tricked doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits. For Further Reading: The Curious Case of Mary Toft An Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits Why Historians Are Reexamining the Case of the Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits What Mary Toft Felt: Women’s Voices, Pain, Power and the Body Birthing Bunnies: An 18th-Century Woman’s Bizarre Medical

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5:04

Women of Controversy: Mary Magdalene

Womanica ·

2024/11/22

Mary Magdalene (fl. 1st Century AD) was a woman who, according to the New Testament, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection. Over time, her identity had become conflated with several other Marys in Christian scripture, and her veneration has reflected the shifting role of women in the church. For Further Reading: Who Was Mary Magdalene? Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven’t Tried Yet

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5:42

Women of Controversy: Marion Hammer

Womanica ·

2024/11/21

Marion Hammer (1939 - present) is the first woman to be president of the National Rifle Association. She served as one of Florida’s most dogged and influential NRA lobbyists. She expanded the political power of the NRA and has been behind laws such as Conceal and Carry and Stand Your Ground. For More Readings: Leader as Hard as Nails Is Taking the Reins of the NRA The NRA Lobbyist Behind Florida's Pro-Gun Policies NRA’s Marion Hammer stands her ground This month we're talking about women who

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4:19

Women of Controversy: Marie C. Bolden

Womanica ·

2024/11/20

Marie C. Bolden (1894-1981) was the winner of the first-ever national spelling bee in 1908. As a Black student competing against segregated schools, her victory was an important but largely forgotten moment in history. For Further Reading: NPR: When she won the first national spelling bee, Marie C. Bolden dealt a blow to racism Cleveland: Cleveland girl's spelling victory created racial controversy, national headlines in 1908 Longform: The Word Is ‘Nemesis’: The Fight to Integrate the National

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5:47

Women of Controversy: Linda Tripp

Womanica ·

2024/11/19

Linda Tripp (1949-2020) was an American civil servant who illegally recorded conversations with Monica Lewinsky about her affair with President Bill Clinton. She testified regarding the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and her role in exposing it before largely withdrawing from the public eye. For Further Reading: Linda Tripp, Key Figure in Clinton Impeachment, Dies at 70 Linda Tripp: A Catalyst of a Clinton Scandal Who Maintained She’d Done Right Linda Tripp, whose tapes exposed Clinton affair, dies at 70

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6:56

Women of Controversy: Julia Pastrana

Womanica ·

2024/11/18

Julia Pastrana (1834-1859) was a 19th century performer often referred to as the “Ape Woman.” She was born with hypertrichosis and gingival hyperplasia, and her physical appearance led her to become a popular attraction at circuses. The dehumanizing language used to promote her act encapsulates the racism and pseudoscience that defined the era of “freak shows.” For Further Reading: The Story Of Julia Pastrana, The 'Ape Woman' Sideshow Performer Julia Pastrana: A “Monster to the Whole World”

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6:33

Women of Controversy: Juana Barraza

Womanica ·

2024/11/15

Juana Barraza (1957 - present) is a Mexican amateur wrestler turned serial killer, known as "La Mataviejitas" ("The Old Lady Killer"). She was convicted of murdering elderly women in Mexico City between the late 1990s and 2006. Barraza was arrested in 2006 and sentenced to 759 years in prison for her crimes. For Further Reading: Juana Barraza Was A Pro Wrestler By Day – And A Serial Killer By Night Shocking story of Mexico’s first serial killer—a female wannabe wrestler Little Old Lady Killer

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6:19

Women of Controversy: Giulia Tofana

Womanica ·

2024/11/14

Giulia Tofana (c. 1620) was a 17th century Italian apothecary with a dark secret. Unhappily married women visited her shop in Rome to purchase her specially formulated, slow-acting poison. When their husbands mysteriously died of “sudden illnesses,” authorities struggled to trace the true cause of death—poison—back to Giulia. For Further Reading: Aqua Tofana: slow-poisoning and husband-killing in 17th century Italy | A Blast From The Past Aqua Tofana: The Poison That Killed Hundreds In

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5:48

Women of Controversy: Freydris Eriksdotter

Womanica ·

2024/11/13

Freydis Eriksdotter was a Viking explorer and sister to Leif Erikson. She is mentioned in the two quasi-historical, Nordic texts: The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. In both texts, Freydis set sail and explored the new land. For Further Reading: Women in the Viking World The Vinland Sagas The Greenland Saga This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy -- whether deserved or not. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for

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4:52

Women of Controversy: Ethel Rosenberg

Womanica ·

2024/11/12

Ethel Rosenberg (1915-1953) was an American citizen executed for alleged Soviet espionage during the Cold War. She and her husband, Julius, were convicted of couriering top-secret information about American technology, including nuclear weapon designs, to the Soviets. Their case was hotly debated and the source of intense controversy. Many believed that they were innocent victims of Cold War paranoia. Recently, decoded information was released pointing to Ethel’s innocence. For Further Reading:

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6:40

Women of Controversy: Dorothy Dandridge

Womanica ·

2024/11/11

Dorothy Dandridge (1922-1965) was an actress best known for the films Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, and Bright Road. She was the first Black woman to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award. Her autobiography, Everything and Nothing: The Dorothy Dandridge Tragedy, is a testimonial to the psychological and physical abuse she endured trying to break the barriers of her time as a Black actress in the entertainment industry. For Further Reading: NPR: Dorothy Dandridge: Hollywood Trailblazer,

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6:59

Women of Controversy: Catherine de’ Medici

Womanica ·

2024/11/08

Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) ruled France for decades, whether through her husband or her sons. Her attempts to create peace during the French wars of religion were futile– and, ultimately, undercut by her own reputation as the “Serpent Queen” and the possible conspirator behind the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. For Further Reading: Catherine de’ Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda The Many Myths of Catherine de’ Medici Queens of Infamy: The Reign of Catherine de’ Medici

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6:47

Women of Controversy: Cass Elliot

Womanica ·

2024/11/07

Cass Elliot (1941-1974) was a Grammy award winning singer and, most notably, a member of the group the Mamas & the Papas. She was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her work with the band and was a progressive advocate in the music industry. Her legacy was marred after a rumor spread that her cause of death was choking on a ham sandwich. For Further Reading: Cass Elliot, Pop Singer, Dies; Star of the Mamas and Papas About Cass Cass Elliot’s Death Spawned a Horrible

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7:23

Women of Controversy: Bettie Page

Womanica ·

2024/11/06

Bettie Page (1923-2008) was an early and iconic pin-up model. Working primarily with underground photographers and later featured in the earliest editions of Playboy magazine, Bettie, with her trademark bangs, became a sensation. After government anti-obscenity investigations, she largely retired from the public eye and became a devout Christian. Years later, she gained cult status in pop culture, and her photos remain in circulation today. For Further Reading: Los Angeles Times: A Golden Age for a

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7:03

Women of Controversy: Beatrice Sparks

Womanica ·

2024/11/05

Beatrice Sparks (1917-2012) was an American writer known for “Go Ask Alice,” “Jay’s Journal,” and “It Happened to Nancy.” The books were positioned as cautionary tales of “real” teens, but were almost entirely fictional. Her books stoked fears about drug use and the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s. For Further Reading: The New Yorker: How a Mormon Housewife Turned a Fake Diary Into an Enormous Best-Seller The Salt Lake Tribune: Here’s how a teen’s death took a reporter on a tour of a small town’s

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1,732 results

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