Her Half of History
131 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 48 ratingsWhy don't women's clothes have more pockets? Who are the female writers and artists my education forgot to include? How does a woman go about seizing control of her government? What was it like to be a female slave and how did the lucky ones escape? When did women get to put their own name on their credit cards? Is the life of a female spy as glamorous as Hollywood has led me to believe?
In short, what were the women doing all that time? I explore these and other questions in this thematic approach to women's history.
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Episodes
4.7 Harriet Hemings: Slave-Daughter of the President
October 21, 2021 05:00 - 26 minutesHarriet 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 she did so with Jefferson's permission. An enormous amount has been written about Sally, but Harriet remains elusive. This is her story as far as it can be pieced together from the scanty bits of evidence that survive. See the website for sources, images, and more details. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcript...
4.6 Elizabeth Freeman: Suing for Freedom
October 14, 2021 05:00 - 16 minutesElizabeth 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 I a slave? She sued, and she won.See more details on the website. 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 plus bonus content. Fol...
4.5 Rosa Egipcíaca: A Slave in Brazil
October 07, 2021 05:00 - 16 minutesRosa 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 dedication to God and visions brought her to the attention of a local priest. Her freedom was purchased and she went on to write the first book ever written by a black Brazilian woman and found a refuge for women very much like herself. See more details, sources, and images on the website. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources...
4.4 Catalina: A Native American Slave in Spain
September 30, 2021 05:00 - 20 minutesVisit 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 plus bonus content. Follow me on Twitter as @her_half. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4.3 Roxelana: A Slave to the Ottomans
September 24, 2021 02:00 - 24 minutesIf 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 of an empire.Check out the website for sources and images. 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 plus bonus content. Follow me ...
4.2 Neaira: A Slave in Ancient Greece
September 16, 2021 05:00 - 23 minutesDetails 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 was able to purchase her freedom with a little help from some friends. Sadly, we know her story only from the court records against her, when she was accused of having the temerity to live with an Athenian citizen as husband and wife, which was illegal for a non-Athenian woman. Listen for a rare glimpse of life for an Ancient Greek wom...
4.1 Slavery: An Enduring Institution
September 09, 2021 05:00 - 23 minutesOur 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 people have a mental image of slavery that is entirely based on the American antebellum south. Slavery is much older than that, and hasn't always looked like that, so this episode is an overview of the institution itself: when it began, how people became slaves, what rights slaves did (and mostly didn't) have, and how slaves fought back.See...
3.9 Maggie Lena Walker, Bank President
July 29, 2021 05:00 - 19 minutesMaggie 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 through a world war, a pandemic, and the Great Depression, and after her death it went on to survive as a continuously black-owned bank for almost a century. See the website for sources and more details. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episode...
3.8 Hetty Green, Queen of Wall Street
July 22, 2021 05:00 - 26 minutesWomen 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 started with a fortune and ended with a much, much bigger fortune through her own efforts in the 19th century.See the website for sources and more details. 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....
3.7 No Taxation Without Representation (in the USA)
July 15, 2021 05:00 - 19 minutesElizabeth 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 why "No Taxation Without Representation" really wasn't the main argument for American suffragettes and why even after the 19th amendment, some American women couldn't vote because of a tax.Check out the website for sources and more details. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show ...
3.6 No Taxation Without Representation (in Rome)
July 08, 2021 05:00 - 17 minutesHortensia 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!For more information, visit the website. 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 plus bonus content. Follow me on Twitter as @her_h...
3.5 How Big Is Your Dowry?
July 01, 2021 05:00 - 20 minutesListen 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, why in many modern societies we don't do either, and why in some modern cultures dowry prices just keep going up.See the website for sources and more details. 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-satis...
3.4 Women and Credit
June 24, 2021 05:00 - 20 minutesIn 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 world of southeast Asia and South America.See more details and sources on the website. 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 plus ...
3.3 Women and the GDP
June 17, 2021 05:00 - 21 minutesGDP 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 being considerably more important than the rules of football or the relationship status of your favorite celebrity, most of us know very little about its history. This episode explains how it came to be, how a whole lot of women's work got left out for multiple reasons, and some of the objections to our obsession with the GDP.See sources an...
3.2 Women on the Money
June 10, 2021 05:00 - 22 minutesUnless 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 always been like this. This episode is a brief history of women featured on the currency. See pictures and more details on the website. 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 Histor...
3.1 The Early History of Money
June 03, 2021 05:00 - 18 minutesLike 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 women and credit, women and the GDP, women and marital property, women and taxation without representation, and women in high finance. But this episode covers how we got to this state in the first place, starting with ancient Sumeria, the switch to precious metals, and just how baffling some other cultures found the whole money concept...
2.7 A Girl's Guide to Seizing Power
May 20, 2021 05:00 - 19 minutesThis 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 all of them used to get to power. Along the way, we hear about Musa of Parthia who also seized control, and Jeanne II of Navarre, who didn't. This wraps up the series Women Who Seized Power.Visit the website for more information. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patre...
2.6 Ranavalona I, Queen of Madagascar
May 13, 2021 05:00 - 21 minutesLife: 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 family and as a widow ousted her husband’s successor. She ruled Madagascar for 33 years with bloody, brutal efficiency. She successfully kept her country independent during a time of rampant European imperialism. Find out more on the website. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show...
2.5 Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia
May 06, 2021 05:00 - 25 minutesCatherine 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 them into practice. Her main legacy to Russia was that she transformed it from a relative backwater to a major player on the European stage.Life: 1729 to 1796 Reign: 1762 to 1796 One of many quotes: “What I despair of overthrowing, I undermine.” For more info and sources, visit the website. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for s...
2.4 Elizabeth, Empress of Russia
April 29, 2021 05:00 - 18 minutesLife: 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 and the women had to dress like the men. Oh, for a time machine and a camera! Extremely Brief Summary: Elizabeth seized power in a bloodless coup that she seems to have done only reluctantly. She loved parties, dresses, and horses, and her main legacy to her country was putting Catherine in position to become the fifth female ruler of R...
2.3 Wu Zetian, Empress of China
April 22, 2021 05:00 - 22 minutesEmpress 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 accounts of her, ranging from proud, capable feminist to seriously evil dictator. Either way she dominated for more than fifty years and became the only female emperor in 4,000 years of Chinese history. This episode belongs in the series Women Who Seized Power.Check out the website for more details and sources. Visit the website (herhal...
2.2 Cleopatra, Pharoah of Egypt
April 15, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutesCleopatra 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 of life, she managed to maintain control of her country by negotiating (in every possible way) with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Though she lost in the end, she still managed to close out 3000 years of Egyptian history on her own terms. This episode belongs in the series Women Who Seized Power. Check out sources and images on t...
2.1 Why So Few Women in Power?
April 08, 2021 06:00 - 24 minutesMost 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 few women in power anyway. I'll take a look at the evidence for more powerful women in pre-history, followed by the impact of the Agricultural Revolution and the rise of city-states.This episode is part of the series Women Who Seized Power.Please visit the website for sources and more info. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sou...
1.8 Q&A on Women's Fashion
March 25, 2021 06:00 - 17 minutesIn 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 boys? How did women express themselves in times of heavy fashion constraints? When did designer brands emerge and what impact did that have?This episode is part of the series What's in the Closet and How It Got There.Please visit the website for more details and pictures. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcript...
1.7 Retro Fashions (No Comeback Needed)
March 18, 2021 06:00 - 18 minutesNothing says social status quite like ridiculous clothes, and throughout history, women have shown theirs with clothes that were sheer, huge, heavy, trailing, constricting, and otherwise totally impractical. In this episode I introduce you to sheer dresses, huge dresses, heavy dresses, dresses with sleeves so long they drag on the floor, headpieces with horns so high you can't get through the door, shoes that make it impossible to walk, various small, dead animals to wear on your person, and ...
1.6 How the Swimsuit Shrunk
March 11, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutesMost 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 unbelievable amount of gear. In the decades since, the swimsuit shrunk in fits and starts, and even an occasional retreat. This episode belongs in the series What's in the Closet and How It Got There.See more notes on the website. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.Support the show on my Patreon ...
1.5 The Hijab and the Sari
March 04, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutesVeiling 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 veil became hotly contentious in the late 19th century. So much so, that at one point commentators thought it was dying out, but in fact the opposite has happened. Growing numbers of women wear the hijab, for a variety of religious, cultural, and political reasons. The sari is so ancient that its origin is murky, but it too is at least ...
1.4 What Lies Beneath
February 25, 2021 09:00 - 19 minutesLarge numbers of women in history went free and easy, wearing nothing that resembles modern underwear, though some of them wore plenty of undergarments that don’t resemble modern underwear. Knickers came in the early 19th century before evolving into briefs in the 20th century. Bras are generally also thought to be a 20th century invention, except it turns out that they may be quite a bit older than that after all.This episode belongs in Series 1: What’s in the Closet and How Did It Get There...
1.3 The Little Mysteries: Pockets, Buttons, and Heels
February 18, 2021 09:00 - 19 minutesThe 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 shirts? In this episode, I discuss the times when pockets were detachable, men wore heels, and buttons were a mystery (as they still are today). This episode belongs in Series 1: What’s in the Closet and How Did It Get There?Check out more details on the website here. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and p...
1.2 The Rise and Fall of Your Hemline
February 11, 2021 11:00 - 16 minutesHemlines 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 least the ankle and often the floor. Starting in the early 20th century, they started ricocheting up and down and up and down again until finally we have arrived at a point where you are free to look good in a skirt of pretty much any length you choose.This episode belongs in Series 1: What’s in the Closet and How Did It Get There?Check ou...
1.1 Who Wears the Pants Around Here?
February 04, 2021 11:00 - 20 minutesWomen 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 really acceptable in the western world until the 20th century, when women in sports, women in film, and women in fashion design took the bifurcated risk and gave us the right to wear pants (almost) everywhere we want to go. This episode belongs in Series 1: What’s in the Closet and How Did It Get There?Check out more details on the websi...