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That's History, Babe!

Tales for the girls, gays, and theys 🌈


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  • 30. How the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal really began | Part One

    01:19:42||Ep. 30
    In part one of a two part special, we dig deep into one of the seediest political scandals in American history. A president, an intern, and a nosy secretary with an axe to grind plus a cast of other characters collide against a backdrop of totally 90s irreverence. We’re talking, of course, about THE LEWINSKY SCANDAL. Join us for part one, as we explore the rise of Bill Clinton, his history with women and the early scandals that rocked his administration. We’ll also take a closer look at the life of Monica Lewinksy and her arrival at the White House, discussing how a 22 year old intern became sexually involved with the most powerful man in the world. Tangents include our first ever slumber party, what goes on in a kangaroo’s pouch, and our 30th episode!! SOURCESShow Me The Money: The Clinton EraCBS | 60 Minutes | March 15, 1998Paula Jones Interview 1994Bill Clinton’s Scandal Spiral: How It All Unraveled (S1, E1) | The Clinton Affair | Full Episodehttps://play.aetv.com/shows/the-clinton-affair/season-1/episode-2 Secret Tapes Expose the Clinton Affair (S1, E3) | The Clinton Affair | Full Episode | Biographyhttps://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/13/us/clinton-settles-jones-lawsuit-with-a-check-for-850000.html https://www.npr.org/2016/10/09/497291071/a-brief-history-of-juanita-broaddrick-the-woman-accusing-bill-clinton-of-rape https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/08/06/lewinsky.profile/

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  • 29. The story of the OCTOMOM

    01:22:30||Ep. 29
    The labor pains are radiating through the mic this week on the pod as we explore the story of Nadya Suleman, aka the Octomom; a California woman who in 2009 gave birth to EIGHT BABIES at once. We explore Nadya’s life and origins, the cultural context of her record-breaking birth experience, as well as the misogyny, racism, and classism present across so much of the coverage of Nadya’s story. Tangents include the status of chili (soup, stew, or its own thing??), rainy day activities and our undying devotion to Ann Curry. SOURCESOctomom Natalie Suleman & Teen Octuplets Reveal the Truth About Life With 14 KidsThe Politics of Reproduction: The Troubling Case of Nadya Suleman and the Assisted Reproductive Technology by Dana-Ain Davis (2009)Social Factoring the Numbers with Assisted Reproduction by Bridget J Crawford (2009)"California Medical Board probes octuplet birth", Yahoo News, Feb 6, 2009"Her side of the story" Ann Curry interviews Nadya Suleman

  • 28. The MAGNIFICENT Sultan Who Conquered Europe

    01:19:52||Ep. 28
    It’s a regular harem in here this week on the pod as we explore the life and legacy of one of the most formidable leaders in European history: Suleiman the Magnificent. Hear about the rise of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman’s upending of the European political order, and the extraordinary influence of Suleiman’s wife Hurrem, a woman who rose from enslavement to the heights of power in the largest empire since Rome. Tangents include Abe meeting Bernie Sanders on the way to pick up hemorrhoid medication, Jared considering illegal immigration, and nature’s most lethal killing machine: the moose.SOURCESSüleyman the Magnificent, 1987 | From the VaultsHarem Suleiman the Magnificent Documentary | TimelineDede, M. (2026). The Image of Suleiman the Magnificent in Europe. Mukaddime Journal, 17(1), 107–127.Boer, H. R. (Harry R. (1972). Suleiman the Magnificent and the Protestant Reformation. Reformed Journal, 22(8), 11–14.Mclaughlin, D. (2016). Hungary: Unearthing Suleiman the Magnificent’s Tomb. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 35(6), OV-15-OV-16.Ágoston, Gábor, and Bruce Alan Masters (2009). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire.Merriman, Roger Bigelow (2013). Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566.

  • 27. A Brief History of PLASTIC SURGERY

    01:31:49||Ep. 27
    If beauty is pain, and pain is gain, then beauty is gain (thank you, transitive property). On this week’s ep, we go under the knife for a brief history of plastic surgery, exploring how changing or repairing appearances has been a tentpole of medical practice across the centuries. But how did these procedures develop? What is the social and psychological importance of appearance? And how does Kris Jenner get her face to look like that?? Tangents include Jared’s refusal to post on r/gayselfie, Abe getting hate comments from a guy named Bob Clude, and getting wisdom teeth removed while still awake.SOURCESRefashioning Race by Alka Vaid Menon (2023)Venus Unleashed: The Uncensored History of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, dir. Dr. Elliott Haimoff (2009) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMeO3DHHF_wEdwin Smith Surgical Papers - https://www.jameslindlibrary.org/edwin-smith-surgical-papyrus-c-1550-bce/ Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Prison Plastic Surgery by Zara Stone (2021)EURAPS at 20 years. A brief history of European Plastic Surgery from the Société Européenne de Chirurgie Structive to the European Association of Plastic Surgeons (EURAPS) by Riccardo F Mazzola and Moshe Kon (2009) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19913471/

  • 26. A Presidential Murder You Definitely Forgot!

    01:36:27||Ep. 26
    This week on the pod, discover a presidential assassination that history forgot! Join us as we discuss the life and death of William McKinley, one of several cornfed presidents from Ohio. We explore McKinley’s presidency, his personal life and beliefs, and how he met his end at the hands of a loner son of immigrants disillusioned with capitalism. Beneath the surface of the McKinley assassination, we dig deeper into the divisions of class, race, and ethnicity that ran through America at the turn of the twentieth century. Tangents include Jared post to r/gayselfie, Bunny and Deidre’s successful cat cohabitation, Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, and whether anyone deserves to die in Buffalo, NY.SOURCESWilliam McKinley and His America by H. Wayne Morgan (2003)“Robert Merry discusses his book President McKinley: Architect of the American Century”, Q+A, C-SPAN (2017) “Eric Rauchway discusses his book Murdering McKinley", Q+A, C-SPAN (2003)“Scott Miller discusses his book The President and the Assassin”, Q+A, C-SPAN (2011)Fine, S. (1955). Anarchism and the Assassination of McKinley. The American Historical Review, 60(4), 777–799. https://doi.org/10.2307/1844919 "An interview with the President's nurses". The Trained Nurse and Hospital Review. 27 (4): 222–223. October 1901.

  • 25. Mother Jones: The Little Old Lady Who Fought a Coal Mine War

    01:28:37||Ep. 25
    She may not have been a coal miner’s daughter, but Mary Harris Jones, aka “Mother Jones”, was a ‘coal miner’s angel’. Clamber into the coal cart with us as we learn how an old lady who loved swearing helped miners and their families battle it out in some of America’s bloodiest labor disputes. Hear how Mother Jones came back from not one, but two, life-altering tragedies to become a champion of the downtrodden, organizing and mobilizing working people into mass union movements. Tangents include Jared’s ruined birthday, the finale of Abe’s apartment-moving saga, and RUDE Parisians.SOURCES“The Mine Wars”, American Experience, PBS (2016)"Miner’s Day was born from tragedy, memorializing the dead and honoring the living", West Virginia Mine Wars Museum"Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America by Elliott Gorn", Book TV, C-SPAN, August 1, 2001Feurer, R. (2026). Illinois Coal Miners Fight for Democracy. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 119(1), 40–43. https://doi-org.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/10.5406/23283335.119.1.10Mari Boor Tonn (2011) “From the Eye to the Soul”: Industrial Labor's Mary Harris “Mother” Jones and the Rhetorics of Display, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 41:3, 231-249, DOI: 10.1080/02773945.2011.575325

  • 24. Lady Jane Grey vs. Princess Mary: TUDOR CAGE MATCH

    01:22:42||Ep. 24
    DING DING DING. Choose your fighter!! Will it be: a fifteen year old noblewoman you’ve never heard of OR a thirty-five year old princess who loves Spain and the Pope! Nine Days. One crown. Who will win??? Come with us this week as we explore early modern England’s greatest royal SMACKDOWN, the battle for the throne duked out between Lady Jane Grey and Princess Mary Tudor. Learn how these two dauntless Tudor women faced each other in a fight for the throne, revealing the religious and social divisions that were waiting to tear England apart. Tangents Abe’s moving nightmare, the Massachusetts initiation ceremony, and the name of the thing that you put your head on before they chop it off.SOURCESLady Jane Grey The Nine Day Queen Tudor Betrayal, BBC docuseries"The 'Nine Days Queen' is one of England's most controversial monarchs - here's why", HistoryExtra"The most important document in Tudor history? How a forgotten text triggered a royal crisis" | HistoryExtra"The Myth of the 'Tragic Victim': Reclaiming Queen Jane" | HistoryHit"Ruins of Nine Days' Queen's home to reopen" | BBCDudley, J. (1759). Translation of a Letter written by Lady Jane Grey, to her Sister, the Evening, before she was beheaded in the Tower. Royal Magazine, 1, 24–25.Duran, J. (2023). Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor dissenter and her work. Feminist Theology, 31(2), 226–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/09667350221135058