BadAss Women Throughout History

HEDY LAMARR, The Hollywood Star Behind Wi-Fi

The Genius Hidden in Plain Sight Before Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS… there was Hedy Lamarr. Known as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Hedy Lamarr was often dismissed as just a movie star. But behind the glamour was a brilliant, self-taught inventor who helped create one of the most important technologies of the modern world. Born in Austria, Hedy fled an oppressive marriage to a Nazi-affiliated arms dealer and made her way to Hollywood, where she became a global icon. But during World War II, she turned her attention to something far bigger than film. In episode 9 of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy tells the story of how Hedy Lamarr co-invented frequency hopping technology — a system designed to prevent enemy forces from jamming Allied torpedoes. The invention was groundbreaking… and completely ignored by the U.S. military at the time. Decades later, that same idea became the foundation for the wireless communication systems we rely on every single day. This is not just a story about beauty. It’s a story about intellect, timing, being underestimated, and a woman whose mind was far ahead of her era. Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com] SOCIAL MEDIA https://linktr.ee/BAWTH [https://linktr.ee/BAWTH] Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory] TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@bawthpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-92EPasdnxAt] Facebook: @BAWTH [https://www.facebook.com/BAWTH] Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.youtube.com/@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory] Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/] SOURCES Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017) directed by Alexandra Dean

JOSEPHINE BAKER, The Performer Who Fought Nazis in Plain Sight

The Performer Who Spied for Freedom Before she was remembered for the banana skirt, Josephine Baker was fighting fascism in plain sight. Born into extreme poverty in St. Louis, Josephine Baker survived by performing, hustling, and refusing to disappear. When America refused to see her humanity, she left. Paris gave her freedom, fame, and power. And when the Nazis occupied France, she used all three. In episode 9 of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy tells the full story of how Josephine Baker became one of the most unlikely spies of World War II. She smuggled classified intelligence for the French Resistance using invisible ink, sheet music, and her celebrity status as cover. If caught, she would have been executed on the spot. This is not just a story about fame. It’s a story about courage, strategy, joy as resistance, and a woman who understood the power of being underestimated. Social Media: https://linktr.ee/BAWTH [https://linktr.ee/BAWTH] Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory] TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@bawthpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-92EPasdnxAt] Facebook: @BAWTH [https://www.facebook.com/BAWTH] Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.youtube.com/@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory] Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com] Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/] Sources: • Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker (1986), directed by Christopher Ralling • Secrets of History: Josephine Baker (2021), France Télévisions • The History Chicks Podcast, “Josephine Baker” (2013)

ADA LOVELACE, The First Computer Programmer Before Computers Existed

Before Silicon Valley. Before computers. Before anyone imagined software. A 19th-century mathematician wrote the first computer program in history. Her name was Ada Lovelace. In this episode of Badass Women Throughout History, Amy explores the remarkable story of the woman who saw the future of computing a century before it existed. Born in 1815 as the daughter of the infamous poet Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was raised to think with logic instead of poetry. Her mother pushed her toward mathematics, hoping to keep her from inheriting Byron’s “dangerous imagination.” But Ada ended up with something far more powerful: A mind that could see machines as more than machines. When Ada encountered Charles Babbage’s revolutionary idea for the Analytical Engine, she realized something no one else had yet understood: A machine could follow instructions. A machine could manipulate symbols. A machine could process information(!) In 1843, Ada published notes on the Analytical Engine that were three times longer than the original paper—and within those notes she described what is widely considered the first computer program ever written. Even more astonishing: Ada predicted that computers could someday compose music, create art, and manipulate symbols beyond numbers. In other words, she imagined modern computing and artificial intelligence—100 years early. Ada Lovelace didn’t just understand machines. She understood the future … and she wrote it down. This is her story! Sources BBC documentary Ada Lovelace: The Enchantress of Numbers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgUVrzkQgds] Hosted by Dr Hannah Fry Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH [https://linktr.ee/BAWTH] Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory] TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@bawthpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-92EPasdnxAt] Facebook: @BAWTH [https://www.facebook.com/BAWTH] Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.youtube.com/@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory] Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com] Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/]

WANGARI MAATHAI, The Woman Who Planted 50 Million Trees and Changed a Nation

In episode 6 of BadAss Women Throughout History, Amy tells the story and celebrates the life of Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who led the Green Belt Movement. It explores her childhood, education, activism, and the impact of her work on the environment and women's empowerment. Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH [https://linktr.ee/BAWTH] Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory] TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@bawthpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-92EPasdnxAt] Facebook: @BAWTH [https://www.facebook.com/BAWTH] Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.youtube.com/@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory] Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com] Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/] Sources https://takingrootfilm.com/ [https://takingrootfilm.com/] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJtC-3DKwfM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJtC-3DKwfM] A video called “Wangari Maathai: the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Who Planted Trees”  from the Nobel Peace Center [https://www.youtube.com/@NobelPeaceCenter] YouTube account) DONATE TO THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT! https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/donate/ [https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/donate/]

JULIA MORGAN, The Architect Who Built California

In episode 5 of BadAss Women Throughout History, Amy covers the story of Julia Morgan, the trailblazing architect. She explores and highlights: Julia Morgans early years, challenges in Paris, innovations in architecture, impact of the 1906 earthquake, reinforced concrete innovation, designing for women's autonomy, Filoli as a turning point, designing Hearst Castle, structural order and extravagance, and Julia Morgan's overall legacy. Sources: KQED article and podcast episode of Bay Curious: "The Trailblazing Life and Career of Architect Julia Morgan" [https://www.kqed.org/news/12048156/the-trailblazing-life-and-career-of-architect-julia-morgan] Social Media https://linktr.ee/BAWTH [https://linktr.ee/BAWTH] Instagram: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.instagram.com/badasswomenthroughouthistory] TikTok: @BAWTHpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@bawthpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZT-92EPasdnxAt] Facebook: @BAWTH [https://www.facebook.com/BAWTH] Youtube: @BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory [https://www.youtube.com/@BadAssWomenThroughoutHistory] Website: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.com] Substack: https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/ [https://badasswomenthroughouthistory.substack.com/] More Julia Morgan sources: Books and work by Victoria Kastner [https://victoriakastner.com/buy-books/] Book: Julia Morgan, Architect - By Sara Holmes Boutelle [https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Morgan-Architect-Holmes-Boutelle/dp/0789200198] Links to continue supporting and elevating women in design: Support KQED and Bay Curious. [https://www.kqed.org/support] Support the National Trust for Historic Preservation [https://savingplaces.org/]. Support the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation [https://bwaf.org/].