Shows
The Inventing HerStory podcastInge Lehmann - Journey to the (Solid) Center of the EarthThink of the layers of the Earth as an onion, a slice of cake, or better yet, a Ferrero Rocher; a chocolate with a wafer outer crust, a creamy filling and a solid hazelnut in the center. If this analogy is true, then Inge Lehmann is the Danish seismologist who discovered the hazelnut in the center of the earth.Ok ok, it's not a gigantic hazelnut, but it's still a solid core! In 1936 Inge Lehmann deciphered the Earth's hidden structure by studying seismic waves from earthquakes, something no one else had noticed.But...2025-03-2549 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastMarie Tharp - Drifters vs. Mobilists: The Discovery of Continental DriftHave you ever looked at a world map and wondered HOW did the continents end up where they currently are, oceans apart? This week we’re diving deep—literally—into the life of Marie Tharp, the woman who mapped the ocean floor and turned the scientific world upside down. Before her, no one knew that continents could drift—now they can’t stop! Follow us in episode nineteen of The Inventing HerStory Podcast to learn all about Marie's detailed data analysis that changed the way the world is viewed. Spoiler: Her maps helped prove continental drift, but did she get the cre...2025-02-1147 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastCecilia Payne - Shine Bright Like A-Type StarsDid you know that the stars in the night sky are mostly made of hydrogen and helium? You can thank Cecilia Payne for that groundbreaking discovery! Despite her work initially being dismissed by male colleagues, Cecilia Payne’s genius unlocked the secret composition of stars, reshaping our understanding of the universe.But her journey wasn’t all starlight and brilliance, she had to fight against the odds as a woman in early 20th-century science. So, the next time you gaze at the stars and think "they are fireflies that got stuck up in that big bluish black thing...2025-01-2846 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastLizzie Magie - The Monopoly DramaDid you know that Lizzie Magie is the true inventor of Monopoly? Well, technically, she invented and patented The Landlord's Game, a board game initially deemed "too complicated" to achieve widespread popularity. Despite this, her creation started spreading across the U.S., with players crafting their own personalized versions of the game.That is, until someone stepped in, declared, "Hey, I've got a great idea!" and patented what we now know as Monopoly.Join us as we unravel the drama behind one of the most iconic board games of the last century. Meet Lizzie Magie: feminist, inventor...2024-12-3150 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastMaria E. Beasley - "Barrel-Loads" of Money (Wink, Wink!)Earning both public recognition for her inventions and making "barrel-loads" of money (wink, wink!), Maria E. Beasley was an inventor extraordinaire. With 15 patents to her name and millions of dollars in income, she is best known for her barrel-hooping machine, her revolutionised design of the life raft, and anti-derailment modifications made to trains. How exactly did this 19th-century American engineer such a wide variety of inventions?! Follow us in episode sixteen of The Inventing HerStory Podcast to learn all about Maria's trailblazing career in a male-dominated field, and how her legacy continues to impact modern engineering today.2024-08-2051 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastEva Ekeblad - Popularizing the PotatoEva Ekeblad, also known as the "potato pioneer", was (one of) the first female chemists in Sweden. She experimented with using potatoes in many cooking and household applications including making potato bread, potato starch, dying yarn using potato starch, and most notably, liquor distilled from potatoes! During a time when potatoes were new and not yet popular in Sweden (believe it or not), these discoveries made a huge impact. Historians even credit increasing popular use of the potato with preventing famine in Europe! Follow us in episode fifteen of The Inventing HerStory Podcast to learn all about the history o...2024-07-3042 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastJeanne Villepreux-Power - Dawning of the Age of "Aquariums"Known as the "Mother of Aquariophily," Jeanne Villepreux-Power invented the aquarium, allowing for groundbreaking studies of marine life in their natural habitats. But how did this invention come about?! Discover her remarkable journey from a seamstress in rural France to a self-learned naturalist whose innovative methods laid the foundation for modern marine research, not to mention aqua farming. Follow us as we explore the life and drama-filled journey of Jeanne Villepreux-Power in episode fourteen of The Inventing HerStory Podcast! Support the podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2173831/supportSources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne...2024-05-2836 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastJudith Love Cohen - Fly Me To The Moon (And Back)Not only the mother of a famous Hollywood star, Judith Love Cohen was working on stars....or at least as an electrical engineer working for a supplier to NASA! Among her greatest accomplishments, was her work on the Apollo abort guidance system which helped safely guide astronauts back to earth during the disastrous Apollo 13 mission. Learn all about what went wrong during this disastrous mission, the role of the abort guidance system during the mission, as well as Judy's other contributions to science including her series of inspirational children's books.Tune in to learn about Judy's work with...2024-05-1435 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastMaria Esperanza Martinez-Romero - Farming Using Bacteria, Not FertilizersUsing bacteria to give nutrients to crops rather than fertilizers, Maria Esperanza Martinez-Romero is making big steps toward creating sustainable farming practices. Her discoveries on nitrogen fixation in plants by bacteria is currently being implemented in Mexico and Peru. Known for her innovative work with bacteria, Maria has been instrumental in uncovering the complex relationships between microbes and their environments. Tune in to learn how bacteria might just be the key to solving some of our biggest environmental challenges, plus the parallels between plant bacteria and our own gut bacteria in episode twelve of The Inventing HerStory Podcast!2024-04-3047 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastHedy Lamarr - More Than a Movie Star; An Inventor!From her dazzling career as a Hollywood actress to her contributions to wireless communication, Hedy Lamarr's brilliance extended far beyond the silver screen. Her invention that used frequency hopping for a torpedo guidance system during World War II laid the groundwork for technologies we use today, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Inspired to help the war-cause through her invention, Hedy's inspiration drew from several different aspects of her life, including piano-playing! Join us as as we explore wireless communication with Hedy Lamarr in episode eleven of The Inventing HerStory Podcast. Support the podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.co...2024-04-1643 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastAlice Hamilton - The Original Toxic AvengerEver wonder how those rules about safety, such as wearing lab coats and gloves, came to exist? We have Alice Hamilton to thank for our safety at work! Acting as a medical doctor as well as a champion for poor and immigrant workers, Alice Hamilton spearheaded the public health movement in the US during the industrial revolution. Primarily focusing on the toxic effects of lead, Alice went head-to-head with the automotive industry in court, denouncing their addition of tetraethyl lead in fuel. Through her dogged determination and activism for industrial hygiene, her work led to the Occupational Safety and...2024-04-0248 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastPratibha Gai - Seeing the Unseen: A Microscopic MarvelDuring the nanoscale revolution, Dr. Dame Pratibha Gai not only studied chemical reactions at the nanoscale, but she co-invented the atomic resolution environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM). This powerful microscope allows extremely high magnification imaging of gas molecules which was not possible previously; equivalent to the magnification of a telescope that is capable of seeing a moving golf ball on the moon! The ETEM enables the visualization of gas-solid catalyst reactions on the atomic scale, leading to major developments in the fields of catalysts, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, and more. Follow us as we explore the fascinating world of environmental electron...2024-03-1945 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastZale Parry - Making a Splash, Scuba StyleIn the underwater world of scuba diving, which is a profession still heavily dominated by men, Zale Parry made a splash in a big way in the 1950's. Not only was she one of the first female scuba diving instructors, with record-setting depths she brought scuba diving into the spotlight with her Sports Illustrated cover and her acting in underwater films (that's right, movies filmed entirely underwater!) Not content to simply act in movies underwater, Zale also became an underwater photographer, an author, and worked with compression chambers to cure fellow divers from The Bends. Follow us as we d...2024-03-0550 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastJeanne Baret - A Voyage of (Plant) DiscoveryA little-known botanist who was also the first woman to circumnavigate the world, Jeanne Baret made a splash with her plant discoveries and her outlandish lifestyle. To be allowed on the French naval ship that planned a global expedition, Jeanne dressed like a man and masqueraded as "Jean" for years! During this expedition Jeanne and her coworker discovered and catalogued thousands of plants, including the famous, magenta floral vine called bougainvillea. Follow us as we explore the life and adventure-filled global expedition of Jeanne Baret in episode seven of The Inventing HerStory Podcast.Support the podcast! https...2023-09-1238 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastChien-Shiung Wu - The Spin Doctor of PhysicsNicknamed the First Lady of Physics and the Chinese Madame Curie, Chien-Shiung Wu was THE world's top experimental physicist for decades. Most frequently recognized for her experiment concerning the conservation of parity (also called simply, the "Wu experiment"), Chien-Shiung was involved with numerous other important projects within nuclear physics in the mid 1900s, including the Manhattan Project! Follow us as we explore the fascinating world of beta radiation, how nuclear fission works, and the contributions to nuclear physics by Chien-Shiung Wu in episode six of The Inventing HerStory Podcast.Support the podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2173831...2023-08-2237 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastMary Anning - Rocking the Fossil World, One Dino at a TimeAt the same time as the field of palaeontology was being invented, Mary Anning was knee deep in mud, uncovering new dinosaur fossils. Although she was scarcely credited by the Geological Society of London for her gigantic contributions to the field, Mary not only found a number of noteworthy fossils in England (some of which are still on display today at museums!), but she also assembled the skeletal structures and hypothesized about the purpose and lifestyle of the creatures.Follow us as we explore the life, history, and significance of Mary's fossil finds in episode five of The...2023-08-0849 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastMaria Montessori - Learning with A TwistHave you heard of Montessori schools but never knew about Maria Montessori, the inventor behind the Montessori method? Then you aren't alone! Originally trained as a doctor, Maria made scandalous waves in Italian society in the early 1900s as a champion of rights for women and the poor. Join us in our fourth episode of The Inventing Herstory Podcast as we learn all about the life and education of Maria, and how her method has revolutionized the education system worldwide. Support the podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2173831/supportSources:Maria Montessori - Wikipedia https://e...2023-07-2544 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastValerie L. Thomas - The Illusion Transmitter That’s No TrickHolograms are not just part of science fiction, but they actually exist thanks to Valerie Thomas! As part of her work with NASA, Valerie invented the illusion transmitter with the use of concave mirrors. Originally used to visualize satellite data in a 3D format, this super cool invention has been adapted for use in a number of different fields including surgery and is a precursor for modern 3D movies. Follow us as we explore the life, history, and optical illusions that inspired Valerie Thomas in our third episode of The Inventing Herstory Podcast!See a video of a...2023-07-1131 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastElsie Widdowson - Food For ThoughtInstrumental in developing a rationing diet for British civilians during World War 2, Elsie Widdowson is a pioneer in the field of nutrition science. She used chemistry to study food nutritional content, vitamins and minerals in food, and what constitutes a healthy diet before the field of nutrition was even invented. Eighty years later Elsie's work is still highly used today, cited informally as "the dietician's bible". Follow us as we explore the life, history, and the chemical reactions of food in our second episode of The Inventing Herstory Podcast!Support the podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2173831/support2023-06-2738 minThe Inventing HerStory podcastAda Lovelace - From Poetic to ProgrammaticCredited with writing the first computer program in 1843 (over 100 years before the first modern computers were even invented!) Ada Lovelace was a brilliant mathematician in Victorian era England. Although of noble birth and highly educated, her life was filled with many challenges and Ada wasn't given proper recognition for her work until decades later. Follow us as we explore the life, history, and of course details of Ada's computer program in our first-ever episode of The Inventing Herstory Podcast.**CORRECTION: Babbage's difference engine prototype was used for calculating insurance tables in 1859 NOT 1959.Support...2023-06-1334 min