Kickass Women of History

The Angel Makers of Nagyrév - possibly the most extraordinary murder ring of the 20th Century.Amy is joined by journalist Patti McCraken to dive into this complex and morally-grey tale of death in an isolated and impoverished Hungarian village. Who was Aunie Suzy? What power did she have over the residents of Nagyrév? Was she a hero or the head of a conspiracy to murder possibly hundreds of men?Amy and Patti explore the roles of gender, poverty, and race in these deaths and ask the question, is murder ever justified?However, things aren't that

Did you know that all modern gynaecology practice is based on the experiments of one doctor, J. Marion Sims, in the 1840s? His patients... enslaved women who could not consent. This week, Amy is joined by Katja Holtz from the Vagina Museum to try and unpack these women's stories. Who were they? How much do we know about these women who were denied a voice, both in their medical care and in the historical record? Image is of "The Mothers of Gynaecology" by Michelle Browder, in Montgomery, Alabama.

Hope Bourne, the self-sufficient artist and writer, lived "off-grid" on Exmoor, long before the phrase was even coined.This week Amy is joined by journalist and writer Sara Hudston to explore Bourne's fiercely independent life. Together, they delve into Bourne’s profound connection to the land, her strikingly candid diaries, and her unconventional choices that defied the expectations of her time. They also discuss the new exhibition of Bourne's work at the Somerset Museum of Rural Life, which Hudston has helped to curate.This episode brings Bourne’s world vividly to life, revealing a woman who carved her own path through rugged landscapes and rural solitude, leaving behind a legacy as wild and uncompromising as the moors she called home.

In this episode, Amy explores the life and legacy of Kathleen Carpenter, a pioneering ecologist often hailed as one of the founding figures of freshwater biology. Joined by special guests Dr Catherine Duigan and Dr Daniel Mills from Aberystwyth University, Amy learns about Carpenter’s ground-breaking research across the UK and USA, her passion for river ecosystems, and the barriers she faced as a woman in early 20th-century science.

Sydney Owenson's best known novel, "The Wild Irish Girl". kicked off a merchandising revolution in the 1800s. Dr Devoney Looser from Arizona State University, tells Amy about Owenson's childhood as the daughter of a comic actor, her rise to literary fame, her married life as Lady Morgan, and her legacy as a proto-feminist.Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and Jane Austen all wrote about about Owenson, so why has so been been largely forgotten by modern readers?