#59 The Man Who Tried to Defeat Gravity & The Woman Who Secretly Joined the British Army (Roger Babson & Hannah Snell)

#59 The Man Who Tried to Defeat Gravity & The Woman Who Secretly Joined the British Army (Roger Babson & Hannah Snell)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by women, where Annie and Andrea bring you two bite-sized biographies of the forgotten people, overlooked oddballs, and unbelievable true stories history somehow forgot to put on the syllabus. If you enjoy funny history podcasts, British history, eccentric historical figures, and stories that sound completely made up but absolutely aren’t, you’re in exactly the right place. This week, Andrea introduces the wonderfully unusual Roger Babson, a businessman, economist, financial forecaster, and a man deeply convinced that gravity was humanity’s greatest enemy. Famous for correctly warning about the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Babson became one of the most talked-about financial minds in American history. But alongside predicting economic disaster, he also spent years trying to develop anti-gravity technology because, frankly, why not?  Then Annie brings us the remarkable life of Hannah Snell, an 18th-century woman who disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the British military. Fighting as “James Gray,” Hannah travelled across the world, survived battle, naval life, and some truly horrific medical situations - all while keeping her identity secret. When the truth finally emerged, instead of scandalised horror the public was absolutely fascinated. It’s a brilliant tale of military history, gender disguise, and sheer determination. Expect battlefields, bizarre inventions, Georgian drama, and plenty of laughs as we uncover two lives that prove history is far stranger than fiction. If you love history podcasts, forgotten women in history, British military history, unusual true stories, and eccentric historical figures, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. https://www.babson.edu/about/babson-at-a-glance/our-story/roger-babson/ [https://www.babson.edu/about/babson-at-a-glance/our-story/roger-babson/] https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2019/09/05/90-year-ago-roger-babson-predicted-the-market-crash-what-would-he-say-today/ [https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2019/09/05/90-year-ago-roger-babson-predicted-the-market-crash-what-would-he-say-today/] https://www.gravityresearchfoundation.org/historic [https://www.gravityresearchfoundation.org/historic] https://www.prohibitionists.org/History/Roger_Babson_bio.htm [https://www.prohibitionists.org/History/Roger_Babson_bio.htm] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Babson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Babson] For this episode Annie used these sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-68318251 [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-68318251] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Snell [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Snell] Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ [https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/] https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/] https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung] mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

#58 A Georgian Lady With A Ridiculous Amount of Scrapbooks & A Novelist With No Idea Of The Concept of Saving For A Rainy Day (Sarah Sofia Banks & William Beckford)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by women, where Annie and Andrea bring you two bite-sized biographies of the forgotten people, overlooked characters, and wonderfully strange lives history somehow left out of the textbooks. If you enjoy funny history podcasts, British history, social history, and fascinating true stories, you’re in exactly the right place. This week, we’re diving into the world of collectors, wealth, obsession, and spectacularly unusual hobbies with two unforgettable figures from British history. First, Annie introduces Sarah Sophia Banks. While others chased grand treasures, she was preserving the details most people ignored. It’s a brilliant story of women collectors, British social history, and why ordinary objects matter. Then Andrea brings us the gloriously dramatic life of William Beckford, he spent fortunes creating a fantasy world of architecture, luxury, and style. It’s a tale of Georgian wealth, scandal, eccentricity, and what happens when money meets absolutely no restraint. Expect grand houses, curious collections, British eccentrics, and plenty of laughs as we uncover two lives shaped by the urge to acquire… and perhaps show off a little. If you love history podcasts, forgotten women in history, Georgian history, stately home drama, and true stories stranger than fiction, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. This week Andrea used these sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Beckford-British-writer [https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Beckford-British-writer] https://outstoriesbristol.org.uk/people/biographies/william-beckford/ [https://outstoriesbristol.org.uk/people/biographies/william-beckford/] https://www.historytoday.com/archive/william-beckford-man-taste [https://www.historytoday.com/archive/william-beckford-man-taste] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beckford_(novelist) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beckford_(novelist)] This week Annie used these sources: https://sarahsophiabanks.com/ [https://sarahsophiabanks.com/] https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/people-behind-collection/sarah-sophia-banks [https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/people-behind-collection/sarah-sophia-banks] Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ [https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/] https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/] https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung] mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

#57 A Teacher Who Outwitted the Nazis & A Woman Full of Hot Air (Anna Essinger & Sophie Blanchard)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by women, where Annie and Andrea bring you two bite-sized biographies of the forgotten people, overlooked pioneers, and extraordinary lives history didn’t quite know what to do with. If you enjoy funny history podcasts, women in history, social history, and remarkable true stories, you’re in exactly the right place. This week Andrea tells the inspiring story of Anna Essinger, a head mistress who made a life-changing decision in the face of rising danger in Nazi Germany. Determined to protect her students, she relocated her entire school to England, helping dozens of children escape persecution in the years leading up to the Second World War.  Then Annie introduces the dazzling and daring Sophie Blanchard, one of the world’s first female balloonists and a true star of early aviation history. Performing breathtaking aerial displays across France, and for celebrities like Napoleon Bonaparte and LOUIS XVIII, Sophie became famous for her fearless flights… and a flair for drama that occasionally got a little too close to danger.  Expect wartime heroism, aviation spectacle, women’s history, and plenty of surprising moments as we dive into two lives that prove history is anything but dull. If you love history podcasts, forgotten women in history, World War II stories, early aviation, and inspiring true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-schoolteacher-who-spirited-her-students-away-from-the-nazis-180980393/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-schoolteacher-who-spirited-her-students-away-from-the-nazis-180980393/] https://45aid.org/carers/anna-essinger/ [https://45aid.org/carers/anna-essinger/] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/jul/18/schools.uk1 [https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/jul/18/schools.uk1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Essinger [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Essinger] Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ [https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/] https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/] https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung] mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

#56 A Woman Who Decided To Live In The Open & A Tudor Rock Star (Natalie Clifford Barney & Thomas Weelkes)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by two women, where Annie and Andrea each bring you a bite-sized biography of the forgotten people, overlooked icons, and gloriously chaotic characters history didn’t quite know what to do with. If you love funny history podcasts, women in history, LGBTQ+ history, and musical drama from the past, you’re in exactly the right place. This week, we’re travelling from the glittering salons of Paris to the slightly less glamorous but equally dramatic world of Tudor England. First, Annie introduces the fabulous and fearless Natalie Clifford Barney, an American writer and host of one of the most influential literary salons in early 20th-century Paris. A proud and unapologetic figure in queer history, Barney created a space where artists, writers, and thinkers could gather, share ideas, and occasionally cause a bit of scandal. It’s a story of literary history, LGBTQ+ history, and living life entirely on your own terms. Then Andrea brings us the wonderfully messy life of Thomas Weelkes, a talented Tudor composer known for his beautiful church music… and his slightly less saintly behaviour.  Drunken antics, run-ins with authority, and a career that proves genius and chaos often go hand in hand. It’s a brilliant glimpse into music history, Tudor England, and the realities behind the choir stalls. Expect Parisian glamour, Tudor mischief, queer history, and plenty of laughs as we uncover two lives that were anything but ordinary. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten women in history, LGBTQ+ stories, British history, and dramatic true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Weelkes [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Weelkes] https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/the-unruly-genius-of-an-english-renaissance-composer-8855/ [https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/the-unruly-genius-of-an-english-renaissance-composer-8855/] https://classiccat.net/weelkes_t/biography.php [https://classiccat.net/weelkes_t/biography.php] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Weelkes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Weelkes] For this episode Annie used these sources: https://guides.loc.gov/feminism-french-women-history/famous/natalie-clifford-barney [https://guides.loc.gov/feminism-french-women-history/famous/natalie-clifford-barney] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Clifford_Barney [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Clifford_Barney] Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ [https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/] https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/] https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung] mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!

#55 A Book Written In Eyeliner & Britain's Greatest Actor! (Nawal El Saadawi & Robert "Romeo" Coates)

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung the weekly comedy history podcast hosted by women, where Annie and Andrea bring you two bite-sized biographies of the forgotten people, overlooked icons, and wonderfully odd characters history didn’t quite know what to do with. If you love funny history podcasts, women in history, literary history, and true stories that make you laugh and think, you’re in exactly the right place. This week, we’re diving into two unforgettable figures from the worlds of literature, feminism, and sheer confidence. First, Andrea introduces Nawal El Saadawi, the groundbreaking Egyptian writer, doctor, and feminist who spent her life challenging injustice. Through her work in women’s rights, medicine, and literature, she tackled issues like gender inequality, social oppression, and freedom of expression often at great personal risk. It’s a powerful story of feminism, activism, and one woman refusing to be silenced. Then Annie brings us the truly baffling tale of Robert Coates, better known as “Romeo” Coates, a man often described as one of the worst actors in British history… who somehow became wildly popular anyway. His dramatic readings, love of diamonds, and absolute belief in his own genius made him a theatrical sensation. It’s a hilarious and slightly chaotic look at confidence, creativity, and how not all success makes sense. Expect feminism, literature, social history, and plenty of laughs as we explore two lives that prove history is as strange as it is inspiring. If you enjoy history podcasts, forgotten women in history, literary history, feminist history, and unusual true stories, Mostly Unsung is your new favourite weekly listen. For this episode Andrea used these sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-55048245 [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-55048245] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/22/nawal-el-saadawi-obituary [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/22/nawal-el-saadawi-obituary] https://africasacountry.com/2021/04/the-many-lives-of-nawal-el-saadawi [https://africasacountry.com/2021/04/the-many-lives-of-nawal-el-saadawi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawal_El_Saadawi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawal_El_Saadawi] For this episode Annie used these sources: https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/robert-romeo-coates/ [https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/robert-romeo-coates/] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Coates_(actor) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Coates_(actor)] Where you can find us: https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/ [https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/] https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/] https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung] mostlyunsungpodcast@gmail.com See you next Wednesday!