134 episodes

What’sHerName puts the women back into world history. Hosts (and sisters!) Olivia Meikle and Dr. Katie Nelson are professors by day, podcasters by night. Weaving interviews with experts into vivid, nuanced biographies, What'sHerName tells the stories of fascinating women you’ve never heard of (but should have). Fascinating and funny, thought-provoking and insightful. New episodes biweekly Wednesdays.

What'sHerName Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle

    • History
    • 4.9 • 21 Ratings

What’sHerName puts the women back into world history. Hosts (and sisters!) Olivia Meikle and Dr. Katie Nelson are professors by day, podcasters by night. Weaving interviews with experts into vivid, nuanced biographies, What'sHerName tells the stories of fascinating women you’ve never heard of (but should have). Fascinating and funny, thought-provoking and insightful. New episodes biweekly Wednesdays.

    THE BUTTERFLY IN THE SUN Mata Hari

    THE BUTTERFLY IN THE SUN Mata Hari

    A charming Indonesian orphan danced her way to fame and fortune... except literally everything about Mata Hari was a lie. She said she wanted to live like a butterfly in the sun. So in the end, could she really have been guilty of espionage? Katie takes us to Leiden to marvel at the incredible life of Mata Hari.
    Music featured in this episode provided by Doug Maxwell, Jesse Gallagher, Patrick Patrikios, Amulets, Offenbach, Jimena Contreras, BizBaz Studio, Wayne Jones, Quincas Moreira, ELPHNT and E’s Jammy Jams.

    Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here!
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    • 1 hr
    THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS Janina Mehlberg

    THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS Janina Mehlberg

    When Jewish mathematician Pepi Mehlberg was offered a new identity as Countess Janina Suchodolska in Nazi-occupied Poland, she took that chance and used it - to join the underground resistance, feed thousands of Nazi prisoners every week, and eventually rescue over 10,000 Poles from Majdanek concentration camp. And she was just getting started.
    Our guests are Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, authors of the new book The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust.
    Music featured in this episode provided by: Trialogo, Amanda Setlik Wilson, Kevin MacLeod, Esther Abrami, Myuu, Nico deNapoli, E's Jammy Jams, Adam Aston and Michael Levy.
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    • 1 hr 1 min
    THE VOYAGER Hannah Masury Howe

    THE VOYAGER Hannah Masury Howe

    In 1867, a ship bound for California with 400 Chinese passengers signaled distress as it drifted in the Pacific Ocean. The ship's captain was a woman, and her mutinous crew had refused to sail the ship even though they were running out of water. How did Captain Hannah Masury Howe come to be in such a predicament, and how could she possibly save herself and the ship?
    Our guest is NYT bestselling author Katherine Howe, in this real-life high seas adventure.
    Music featured in this episode by provided by: Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval, Jeff Cuno, Elphnt, Emmit Fenn, Jesse Gallagher, Chris Haugen, Kevin MacLeod and Doug Maxwell.
    Want to help us “make history”? Become a Patron or Donate here!
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    • 51 min
    THE SOLID CITIZEN Frances Perkins

    THE SOLID CITIZEN Frances Perkins

    Frances Perkins, first female cabinet secretary in US history, was the mind (and the will) behind nearly every landmark policy of the Roosevelt administration's New Deal - so why doesn't anyone know her name? Bestselling author Stephanie Dray introduces us to this remarkable woman whose vision and relentless hard work would touch the life of every American for nearly a century.
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    • 59 min
    THE EQUESTRIAN Anna Sewell

    THE EQUESTRIAN Anna Sewell

    "This was one woman with a very little life, who made the most enormous difference." Celia Brayfield shares with Katie the story of Anna Sewell who, on her death bed, wrote a story and changed the world.
    Black Beauty was no mere "horse book." It catapulted the cause of animal rights and became one of the bestselling books of all time. But Anna Sewell -a quiet, humble Quaker- didn't change the world by preaching: she changed the world by listening.
    You can find Celia Brayfield's new book, Writing Black Beauty, in our bookshop and support local indie sellers.
    Excerpts from Black Beauty were read by Cori Samuel and the whole book is free to download at Librivox.org.
    Music for this episode was composed and performed by: The Mini Vandals, Asher Fulero, Aakash Gandhi, Kevin MacLeod, Josef Suk, and Esther Abrami.
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    • 1 hr
    THE GUNG-HO ORIGINAL Helen Foster Snow

    THE GUNG-HO ORIGINAL Helen Foster Snow

    In 1931, a young American aspiring writer set off for what she thought would be a one-year adventure in China. Hoping to gain life experience so she could eventually write the Great American Novel - she would instead become famous as the "Voice of China" to the west, and improve the lives of millions of people in the process. Olivia talks with Helen Foster Snow's great-nephew Adam Foster and her friend and translator Professor An Wei in this unexpected and inspiring episode.
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    • 1 hr

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
21 Ratings

21 Ratings

veryunhappy9870 ,

A must listen- share this with everyone.

An incredible podcast! You will be entertained with knowledge and feel completely enriched for the experienced. Every young person needs to hear these historical events from human history. They are both inspiring, horrifying and nutrition for the mind + soul.

zowooly ,

Lovely listen

So well researched and gives such a beautiful insight to amazing women you’ve never heard of. You cry, laugh, learn from these incredible life stories

Hubes4ever ,

So glad I stumbled across this podcast!

One of the perennial questions is what have women done in history? The answer is been written out of it. This fascinating, sensitive, and illuminating podcast reveals the amazing impact that so many incredible women have had on the world and human life. I am constantly impressed by the creativity, fortitude and courage shown in these biographies while saddened at the almost inevitable regularity of these great people not being household names. As a man I enjoy history about men but I love history about women. I find it so much more interesting maybe due to it being overlooked and actively ignored for so long.

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