Womanica

4.4 (855)
HISTORY
UPDATED DAILY

Thinking back to our history classes growing up, we had one question: Where the ladies at? Enter, Womanica. In just 5 minutes a day, learn about different incredible women from throughout history. On Wonder Media Network’s award-winning podcast, we’re telling the stories of women you may or may not know — but definitely should.

3H AGO

Cultivators: Theodosia Burr Shepherd

Theodosia Burr Shepherd (1845-1906) was an American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer in plant breeding known as the “Flower Wizard of California”. She is known for developing new varieties of flowers including cosmos, poppies, and begonias. The most famous being the ‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory, and the ‘Golden West’ California Poppy.

7 min
3D AGO

Cultivators: Mary Vaux Walcott

Mary Vaux Walcott (1860-1940) was an American artist, botanist, and naturalist known as the “Audubon of Botany” for her detailed watercolor illustrations of North American wildflowers. She was also a pioneer in photography, glacial studies, and mountaineering.

6 min
4D AGO

Cultivators: Helia Bravo Hollis

Helia Bravo Hollis (1901-2001) was a pioneering Mexican botanist and the country’s first formally titled biologist, specializing in the study and conservation of cacti. She classified over 700 cacti species, helped establish UNAM’s Botanical Garden, and co-founded the Mexican Cactus Society.

7 min
5D AGO

Cultivators: Rachel Ruysch

Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) was a Dutch still-life painter from the Netherlands, specializing in depicting flowers. Her career spanned over six decades and earned her international fame. She is now considered the best-documented female painter of the Dutch Golden Age.

7 min
6D AGO

Cultivators: Tapputi

Tapputi is widely regarded as one of the first known chemists, and her name appears in a Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet dating to approximately 1200 BCE. She is believed to have worked in the Babylonian royal palace, where she held the title of “Belatekallim,” meaning a female overseer or supervisor. Tapputi is most famous for making perfumes, the descriptions of her work provide some of the earliest documented evidence of chemical distillation and solvent use—techniques that form the foundation of modern chemistry.

4 min
APR 7

Cultivators: Gloria Lim

Gloria Lim (1930-2022) was a mycologist known for her extensive work in the study of fungi, particularly in Southeast Asia. With a passion for exploring the diverse fungal ecosystems, she made significant contributions to the understanding of both native and rare species. Her research and advocacy helped raise awareness about the ecological importance of fungi and their role in maintaining biodiversity.

8 min
APR 4

Cultivators: Kono Yasui

Kono Yasui (1880-1971) was a Japanese biologist and cytologist who became the first Japanese woman to receive a doctoral degree in science. Her academic and scientific career defied gender norms of the time and made important advancements in genetics.

8 min
APR 3

Cultivators: Cubah Cornwallis

Cubah Cornwallis (c. 1700s) was a Jamaican nurse who lived from the mid to late 18th century until 1848. Cubah was likely born into slavery, but eventually gained her freedom and settled in Port Royal, opening a lodging house that doubled as an early hospital. She was known throughout the port city for her healing techniques that nursed many naval officers back to health. Her methods drew from Obeah tradition and practice. Cubah is considered one of the foremothers of modern nursing practice.

9 min

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Jenny Kaplan

Host

4.4

out of 5

855 Ratings

Octavia Butler Left Out

02/02/2024

arn22ska

How was the great Octavia Butler left out of a series on 31 women science fiction writers?? She was a legend!!
February

Feb 28

Latho717

I have really enjoyed the renaissance women of February. The guest hosts did a great job selecting and presenting the subjects, most of whom I am shamed to say I had never heard of. Great job ladies!
Ethnicity

Jan 4

NoviceWeatherGirl

I notice that for every description you describe each brilliant woman by her ethnic origin but you describe women of African decent as Black. Please stop this and honor these women with the same respect. Include their heritage as you do all the other women you celebrate. TY
iHeart Ads Have Destroyed This Podcast

06/27/2024

LnzLuv

I feel bad for everyone at WMN who works hard on this once-great podcast because iHeart has ruined it. I shouldn’t have to fast forward through 2-1/2 minutes of ads for a 5-min episode. Including the post-episode ads, the ads make up almost the same runtime as the episodes themselves now.

Thinking back to our history classes growing up, we had one question: Where the ladies at? Enter, Womanica. In just 5 minutes a day, learn about different incredible women from throughout history. On Wonder Media Network’s award-winning podcast, we’re telling the stories of women you may or may not know — but definitely should.

Channel

iHeartPodcasts
Creator

Wonder Media Network and iHeartPodcasts
Years Active

2019 - 2025
Episodes

1.6K
Rating

Clean
Copyright

2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Show Website

Womanica
Provider

iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc