Why don’t women’s clothes have more pockets? Who are the female writers and artists my education forgot to include? How does a woman go about seizing control of her government? What was it like to be a female slave and how did the lucky ones escape? When did women get to put their own name on their credit cards? Is the life of a female spy as glamorous as Hollywood has led me to believe?
In short, what were the women doing all that time? I explore these and other questions in this thematic approach to women’s history.
St Lucia’s Day is December 13th. It is celebrated in a number of countries, but today is specifically about the Swedish celebration. You may have seen a picture of a beautiful blond girl, dressed in a white dress with a red sash and a wreath on her head with burning candles? That is St Lucia, as celebrated in Sweden or countries influenced by Sweden.
But the origin of the story is in Italy. In 304 CE, the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered a persecution of Christians. That much is history. St Lucia is one of the martyrs, and her particular story is historically sketchy. But true or not, she became the patron saint of light and vision and she was celebrated on the winter solstice, which was December 13th at the time.
The Swedes were not yet Christian, but they had their own traditions surrounding the winter solstice. When Christianity did arrive, those traditions blended beautifully with the celebration of St Lucia.
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Feature image is by Claudia Gründer – Claudia Gründer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3221537
The 1860s blew new life into children’s literature, especially for girls. Alice in Wonderland (1865) has been called the first modern children’s book, and one in which moral didacticism was replaced by a fantastic and total disregard for the laws of physics. Little Women (1868) pioneered the intimate home life story and is still one of the best examples. On the trashier side, dime novels were also first published in the 1860s (and they were read by girls as well as boys). Children’s picture books became real works of art, and periodicals for girls exploded in popularity. By the early 20th century, libraries were welcoming children into their own special sections, and countries all over the world were producing their own native literature about girls. And by the early 21st century, children’s lit was split into children’s, middle grade, and young adult categories, with mixed results.
Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.
Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee.
Join Into History (intohistory.com/herhalfofhistory/) for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content.
Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows.
Follow me on Twitter (X) as @her_half. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History.
