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Women of Controversy: Julia Pastrana
Season 6 Episode 55
Julia Pastrana (1834-1859) was a 19th century performer often referred to as the “Ape Woman.” She was born with hypertrichosis and gingival hyperplas…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Juana Barraza
Season 6 Episode 54
Juana Barraza (1957 - present) is a Mexican amateur wrestler turned serial killer, known as "La Mataviejitas" ("The Old Lady Killer"). She was convic…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Giulia Tofana
Season 6 Episode 53
Giulia Tofana (c. 1620) was a 17th century Italian apothecary with a dark secret. Unhappily married women visited her shop in Rome to purchase her sp…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Freydris Eriksdotter
Season 6 Episode 52
Freydis Eriksdotter was a Viking explorer and sister to Leif Erikson. She is mentioned in the two quasi-historical, Nordic texts: The Saga of the Gr…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Ethel Rosenberg
Season 6 Episode 51
Ethel Rosenberg (1915-1953) was an American citizen executed for alleged Soviet espionage during the Cold War. She and her husband, Julius, were conv…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Dorothy Dandridge
Season 6 Episode 50
Dorothy Dandridge (1922-1965) was an actress best known for the films Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, and Bright Road. She was the first Black woman…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Catherine de’ Medici
Season 6 Episode 49
Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) ruled France for decades, whether through her husband or her sons. Her attempts to create peace during the French wa…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Cass Elliot
Season 6 Episode 48
Cass Elliot (1941-1974) was a Grammy award winning singer and, most notably, a member of the group the Mamas & the Papas. She was posthumously induct…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Bettie Page
Season 6 Episode 47
Bettie Page (1923-2008) was an early and iconic pin-up model. Working primarily with underground photographers and later featured in the earliest edi…
1 year, 5 months ago
Women of Controversy: Beatrice Sparks
Season 6 Episode 46
Beatrice Sparks (1917-2012) was an American writer known for “Go Ask Alice,” “Jay’s Journal,” and “It Happened to Nancy.” The books were positioned a…
1 year, 5 months ago