Episode 162: Victoria Woodhull, Revisted

Victoria, deep in thought about…we have no idea.
Brandley Rulofson

The 2020 US Presidential election is officially underway so we that this was a perfect time to revisit the life of the very first woman to run for the US Presidency in 1872, years before women could legally vote. Victoria Woodhull crafted a life for herself from pretty raw materials. (more…)

Episode 161: Q&A Three

It’s been over four years since we last stepped from behind the curtain to answer questions from the other end of the mic. We put out a call in our private Facebook group, The History Chicks Lounge for questions not answered in either of our two previous Q&A episodes…and the response was fast and overwhelming! Unless you like six-hour podcasts, there isn’t time to answer all those questions in one episode, but we narrowed down the list, combined some similar ones, and then threw some of our own into the discussion after we hit RECORD. (more…)

Episode 160: Empress Elisabeth, “Sisi,” of Austria Part Two

Empress Sisi at 28 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, dress by Charles Frederick Worth (of course it was)  1865

Empress Sisi’s story often reads like a fairytale … usually because it’s fiction. The basics of her life do parallel those tales: a vivacious, beautiful young woman is chosen from all the lands as the love of the Austrian emperor. As a beloved Empress, she added a fresh energy to Viennese court while riding horses, maintaining her youthful glow, being a fashion icon, mingling with her people, and raising a family.

But the reality behind that lovely facade is s a little darker, a little sadder, and did not end in a “happily ever after.” (more…)