How Mary Fields Became “Stagecoach Mary”
Born enslaved, she made her way to Montana and eventually became the first Black woman to deliver mail on a "star route."
The Princes of Saxony Collected These Kitschy Miniature Mountains
Struck with “Berggeschrey,” or “mountain clamour,” early modern nobles of Saxony dolled up the dirty and dangerous work of the mines with gold and glitter.
Backlash Then, Backlash Now
“No feminist ever said the women’s movement was about women ‘having it all,’” Susan Faludi said. “In the 80s, it was falsely held up as a feminist promise broken.”
Montserrat’s St. Patrick’s Day Commemorates a Rebellion
On March 17, 1768, the enslaved people of a Caribbean island planned a revolt, assuming the Irish slave owners would be drunk and distracted.
Mary Beard and the Beginning of Women’s History
She was one half of a powerhouse academic couple and an influential historian in her own right. But she's still often overlooked.
Lesbians in Prison: The Making of a Threat
A scandal at a Massachusetts women's prison marked a change in the construction of the "dangerous" female homosexual.
When Eartha Kitt Condemned Poverty and War at the White House
It was supposed to be a genteel luncheon with the first lady dedicated to discussing crime policy. The chanteuse had other ideas.
Scientists vs. Animal Welfare Activists in the 1920s
The movement against vivisection—experiments involving live animals—swelled with women. A group of scientists was determined to stop them.
Consciousness-Raising Groups and the Women’s Movement
In the 1970s, one of the most powerful tools of feminism came from speaking out loud the nature of oppression.
The Hellfire Preacher Who Promoted Inoculation
Three hundred years ago, Cotton Mather starred in a debate about treating smallpox that tore Boston apart.