This text has been revealed to coincide with an episode of Mashable’s new podcast, Historical past Turns into Her. Hear right here.(opens in a brand new tab)

Ladies account for round half of the world’s inhabitants. However they solely occupy round 0.5 % of recorded historical past.

Zing Tsjeng is the writer of the Forgotten Ladies (opens in a brand new tab)e book collection(opens in a brand new tab), 4 books which goal to deal with the erasure of ladies from recorded historical past. These 4 books present fascinating biographies of the leaders, scientists, artists, and writers who’re notably absent from our historical past books.

For these of us who grew up studying rather a lot about Henry VIII, Oliver Cromwell, Christopher Columbus, and Abraham Lincoln, you might need puzzled what girls had been getting as much as throughout this time. They had been very busy, it seems.

You’ll be able to take heed to the episode on Apple Podcasts(opens in a brand new tab), Spotify(opens in a brand new tab), Acast(opens in a brand new tab), or wherever you get your podcasts.

Writer and journalist Zing Tsjeng.
Credit score: christopher bethell

On this episode of Historical past Turns into Her, we study a number of the fascinating girls who modified the course of historical past however didn’t get a point out within the books we learn at college. You will study U.S.-based peace activist Concepción Picciotto, Chinese language pirate chief Ching Shih, and the Mirabal Sisters, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo within the Dominican Republic. You will hear the story of Mary Ann McCracken, a Belfast-born social reformer who championed feminine equality and campaigned in opposition to slavery.

“You is usually a hero in a really quiet, personal approach.”

Tsjeng additionally pays tribute to her grandmother, Julie Wong, who smuggled meals to British prisoners of warfare through the occupation of Hong Kong whereas elevating seven kids. “You is usually a hero in a really quiet, personal approach,” Tsjeng stated of her grandmother. “You needn’t discuss it, you needn’t brag about it. However folks nonetheless bear in mind you. It is about on a regular basis heroism.”

Tsjeng additionally talk about the function racism, classism, and sexism all intersect to erase girls of color and dealing class girls from historical past. “Actually I feel girls of color have been erased a lot from the historic narrative,” stated Tsjeng within the interview.

Subscribe to Historical past Turns into Her on Apple Podcasts(opens in a brand new tab), Spotify(opens in a brand new tab), Acast(opens in a brand new tab), or wherever you get your podcasts.