Wonder Woman! A Complicated Origin Story...

Wonder Woman, aka Diana Prince, is having a bit of a moment right now, but she's been on the scene for a lot longer than you might think, fighting for the feminist cause since the day she sprang forth from the pen of noted psychologist, lie detector inventor, polygamist, and women's rights enthusiast William Moulton Marston. Originally hired by the head of DC Comics to make sure the new medium of comic books was psychologically healthy for America's kids, Marston ended up creating the most popular and well-known female superhero of all time, who in her storied career has run for president, launched Ms. Magazine, been a United Nations icon, and of course saved the world countless times. Great Hera! 

Beauty Pageants: A History of Poise, Charm, and Spray Adhesive

The ancient Greeks might have come up with beauty contests (naturally), but modern America perfected them! An awful lot of stuff is crammed in to the history of the beauty pageant as we know it today: Atlantic City tourism, scholarships, segregation, Klingons, and yes, bikini glue. It's a controversial topic, but it's also awfully hard to resist the allure of a pageant queen!

Amelia Earhart: Feminism Flies High!

Amelia Earhart is certainly a well-known name, but you might not know as much as you think you do about this famous aviatrix! Did you know she nursed WWI soldiers in Toronto? That she was a social worker? A fashion designer? The aviation editor for Cosmopolitan magazine? There's so much to learn about this spunky role model for the liberated early 20th century woman, including the mysterious circumstances of her famous last flight and disappearance, and the ongoing search for the truth of what REALLY happened to Amelia on that fateful July day in 1937...

"Big Bertha" Heyman: Queen of the Con

Bertha Heyman loved to con people, and the more challenging the con, the more she loved it. She immigrated from Prussia in 1878, and then proceeded to take America (and Canada) by storm with a string of elaborate cons from coast to coast throughout the 1880s. She spent time in expensive hotels, draped in finery, and in prisons, where she plotted schemes from her cell. She might not have been strong in ethics, but she had moxie! 

Sojourner Truth: About as Inspirational as You Can Get!!

Sojourner Truth walked to freedom and to a life of passionate and outspoken travelling activism, at a time when women, especially Black women, were supposed to stay quiet and stay at home. She found inspiration in her faith in God and we find inspiration in her refusal to be cowed by anyone! We're pretty sure you'll love her as much as we do; let Sojourner Truth help you find the courage of your convictions! 

The Salem Witch Trials: Still Insane, After All These Years!

WHAT was going on in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692?? A pretty fair question! In the span of just a few months, a small colonist community went a little nuts and condemned and executed 20 people, mostly women, for witchcraft. At a time in Western history when witch hunts and trials had been winding down, they made a sudden big, if brief, comeback in New England. This week we give you the who, what, where, and when, as well as some pretty interesting theories on why, exactly, the whole mess happened. Frustrated teens? Mental illness? Could funky rye have played a part?? Historians are still divided!

Sacagawea: Teenage Adventurer!!

You've probably heard at least a little something about this intrepid interpreter who trekked with Lewis and Clark on their famous "Corps of Discovery" expedition in 1805, but there's a lot of myth and mystique surrounding the actual details of her life. This week we give you just the facts, ma'am, along with a look at the mystery and contentious debate around Sacagawea's death. This daughter of a Shoshone chief certainly made her mark on the history and national narrative of the storied American west. And she kept a remarkably cool head while doing it!

The Supremes: Supremely Talented, Supremely Important!

Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross were school pals who went on to change the face of pop music in the US. From crazy hit streaks to diva behaviour, these ladies and their successors packed an awful lot of excitement into just a few short years. OooooOOOoooo baby love, the Supremes are a force to be reckoned with!