Moving to Hamburg in 2009 I found myself a flat in Amalie-Dietrich-Stieg. Curious about the woman whose name was my new address I did a little research and found she really was quite a unique person… Amalie Dietrich became a well-known and respected naturalist at a time when scientific careers for women were anything but … Continue reading Amalie Dietrich: Fearless & eccentric naturalist – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
I first learned of Annemarie Schwarzenbach from a NY Times article a friend of mine shared on Facebook titled “Beautiful Tomboys of the 1930’s.” The photos of Annemarie were striking and intriguing. I instantly wanted to know more about her. Then I did as many do after reading an article, I saved it and added … Continue reading Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Tragic and Transcendent – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
If Frank Turner is a self-confessed history nerd, then mark me out as a self-confessed public health nerd. Yup, that’s my jam! Public health innovations have and will continue to change peoples lives for the better. From John Snow’s work in Soho (1) in 1854 identifying the transmission of cholera by the Broad Street Pump, … Continue reading Gertrude Tendrich – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Bertha von Suttner (9 June 1843 – 21 June 1914). Pseudonyms: B. Oulot, Jemand (translates to 'someone'). Photo via http://www.nobelprize.org Bertha von Suttner was born into a Bohemian aristocratic family. Her father, Count Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, died before her birth at the age of 75. She was raised by her mother and a … Continue reading Bertha von Suttner – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Was the muse, partner and eventually wife of the most famous Irish writer of the 20th century, James Joyce. Born in Galway. Her father was a baker and her mother a dressmaker. The marriage was not a happy one and she was mostly raised by her maternal grandmother. Two of the boys she fell in … Continue reading Nora Barnacle (1884-1951) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
A short 90 minute drive from both Kansas City, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas is a remarkable space in an unremarkable place. Fort Scott, Kansas was the home to the 1st and 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry during the United States Civil War and the birthday place of photographer Gordon Parks. It is also home to the … Continue reading Megan Stewart, Elizabeth Cambers, and Sabrina Coons discover Irena Sendler – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy was born on August 23, 1931 in Paris, France. Sounds like the beginning to a normal story, right? However, Jacqueline, better known by her stage name, Coccinelle (meaning ‘ladybug’), was anything but ordinary in her time. This Marilyn Monroe lookalike was a French actress, entertainer, and a pioneering transgender activist for LGBTQ+ … Continue reading Coccinelle: The Power of Being Unapologetically You – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Ellen Maria Langham (or Lingham, depending who you ask), marginally better known as Nelly Power, was a music hall and pantomime star in London in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, the only real reminder of Nelly these days is a blue plaque, used in the UK to mark places of historical significance, on her house in … Continue reading Ellen Maria Langham (aka Nelly Power) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
Although Hurrem Sultan, or Roxelana, may be a more well known historical figure, I decided to write about her basically because I hadn’t heard of her in any (of several) history classes. Her influence on the Ottoman Empire at its height is difficult to exaggerate, as one women transformed her position from slave to ruler, … Continue reading Hurrem Sultan, Roxelana (1502-1558) – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
One of the pioneers of the American civil rights movement was just fifteen when she made history, and you’ve likely never heard of her. Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger, Claudette Colvin took a similarly defiant action on another Montgomery bus. Colvin, however, … Continue reading Claudette Colvin – Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land
History Is Important 