Notable People in History

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Shaka Zulu. Before the ascendancy of King Shaka, Zulu referred to only one clan that recognized "Zulu" as its founding ancestor. After Shaka's mission of conquest and consolidation, the Zulu Empire’s population reached an estimated 250,000 and his state emerged as the largest in the history of Southern Africa.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Makeda, Queen of Sheba who ruled the Axumite kingdom for more than 50 years. She traveled to Jerusalem to witness the fabled wisdom of King Solomon and bore him a son named Menelik, the first Imperial ruler of Ethiopia.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Mansa Musa, the ninth ruler of the Mali Empire and considered the richest man to have ever lived. During his reign, the empire of Mali doubled in size, making it second in size only to that of the Mongol Empire at the time, and trade tripled.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Queen Amani. She’s remembered as having led her Kingdom’s army to fight back the Romans from 25 to 22 BC, halting their expansion into Kush. She captured three major Roman cities and brought back the bronze head of Augustus Caesar.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Leo Africanus. Born Al Hassan Ibn Muhammad Al Wazzan, he is best known for hisb book, Cosmographia et geographia de affrica (Cosmography and geography of Africa).

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Hatshepsut. Assuming the title King of Upper and Lower Egypt, she reigned Egypt as pharoah from 1478-1458 BCE, longer than any other woman of Egyptian dynasty.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Muḥammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi. His book, Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala or The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing, is generally considered to be the first written on the subject of algebra.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Queen Boudica, a Celtic queen of the Iceni tribe in England who led a rebellion against Roman occupation around 60 A.D.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Fibonacci. Traveling around the Mediterranean coast, Fibonacci met with many merchants, learning about their systems for doing arithmetic.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of  Wang Zhenyi. Despite societal norms which prohibited female education, she made accurate findings and observations as to the relationship between the lunar and solar eclipses. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Pythagoras. He’s credited with formulating the Pythagorean theorem, and the concept that music and harmony is present in the entire Universe.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Hypatia of Alexandria. She became the head of the Platonist school at Alexandria, lecturin on mathematics and philosophy. In 415 AD, she was attacked by a mob, and beaten to death with what are thought to be roofing tiles.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Euclid, the Greek mathematician, who lived and taught in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I. He’s often referred to as the “Father of Geometry.”

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Nakano Takeko.  Born into a family of the Aizu clan, Nakano Takeko was born in Edo. She led a warrior class of female samurais during the Battle of Aizu of 1868.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Vitruvius, the Roman architect, author and engineer. He is best known for his multi-volume treatise De Architectura ("On Architecture"), which is considered the first book on architectural theory and is the only one from antiquity to survive today.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Golda Meir, Israel's first female prime minister and the third female prime minister in the world. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of  Greek physician, Galen.  Universally known as Galen of Pergamon, he correctly pointed out that arteries were filled with blood, not air.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Grace Hopper.  She popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL, one of the first modern programming languages.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Hippocrates, the Greek physician often credited with developing the theory of the "four humors," or fluids, which include yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Their relationship, based on mutual interest in politics, turned from friendship to courtship. On November 4, 1842, a plain gold wedding band was placed on Mary's finger with the inscription "Love Is Eternal." 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, considered one of the most influential food writers of all time.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Deborah Read, wife of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. It’s said that she received little formal education. Almost nothing else is known about her childhood.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Plato. He was convinced that the idea of justice, no matter how people’s opinions might change, does not change in itself. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Sarah Livingston Jay, wife of American Founding Father John Jay. Considered one of the first socialites in the United States, she was exposed to American politics at an early age.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Plutarch. Born in Boeotia, educated in Athens, and made a priest at Delphi, Plutarch wrote over 200 works, among them Parallel Lives and the Morals.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Martha Jefferson, wife of James Madison. She is often credited with saving the portrait of George Washington when the British attacked the Capitol in 1814 when 4,000 British troops began landing in Maryland during the War of 1812.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of James Madison. He was the fourth American president, and the chief author of the Bill of Rights.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Martha Jefferson, wife of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. During the Revolutionary War, she raised money and made clothing for the soldiers of the Continental Army in Virginia at the suggestion of Martha Washington.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of James Madison. He was the fourth American president, and the chief author of the Bill of Rights.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Martha Washington, the first First Lady. As first lady, she initiated a weekly reception, held on Friday evenings hosting members of Congress, visiting dignitaries, and men and women from the local community.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Thomas Jefferson. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States, he also delivered the first inaugural address.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Elizabeth Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, American Founding Father and 1st U.S Secretary of the Treasury. She helped found New York's first private orphanage in 1806. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of American Founding Father, George Washington. He was the first American president, commander of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, and a farmer. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Abigail Adams, the first woman to serve as Second Lady of the United States and the second woman to serve as First Lady. She was also the mother of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Alexander Hamilton, American Founding Father and the 1st U.S Secretary of the Treasury. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Zora Neal Hurston. During her lifetime, Zora Neale Hurston published four novels; Jonah's Gourd Vine (1934), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939), Seraph on the Suwanee (1948) and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of American Founding Father and the 2nd President of the United States, John Adams. He served as the first Vice President under President George Washington.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Marian Anderson. Considered one of the best contraltos of the 20th century, Marian Anderson was still subject to the racial bias of the time. Denied the opportunity to perform in DAR Constitution Hall because of her race, she performed at the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 75,000 on Easter Sunday 1939 in Washington, D.C.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Medgar Evers, World War II veteran, civil rights leader, and NAACP's first field officer in Mississippi. He filed lawsuits and led initiatives to break down barriers of segregation, becoming a significant voice in fighting for civil rights and social justice before being assassinated at the age of 37.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Susan B. Anthony. Throughout the 1850s and 1860s, Susan B. Anthony honed her speaking and organizing skills, continuing her involvement with the temperance movement, fighting for equal wages, abolition of slavery and suffrage.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, he was a major voice for Black Nationalism in the 1960s. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life Indira Ghandi, India’s third prime minister and the first woman to lead the nation’s millions from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Yuan Mei. One of China’s most influential poets and painters, he was an advocate for women's education and helped publish their poetry at a time when it was suppressed.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Madeleine Albright, the 64th U.S Secretary of State. The journey to her confirmation spanned two continents and 20 years of government service. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid activist and the country’s first black president.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Florence Kelley, the first woman factory inspector in the United States. She fought for government regulation to protect working women and children.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of a successful Wall Street businessman and advisor to various US Presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt.

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Emily Dickinson, regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Some time after her death, her sister Lavinia found a locked box containing more than 1,700 short poems. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. His presidential administration coped with two of the most important events of the 20th century... the Great Depression and World War II. 

In this week's Notable People in History podcast, we’ll take a look at the life of Mary Riddle. She felt that public opinion was that women would never be successful pilots. She made her first solo flight on May 10, 1930 then earned her commercial pilot’s license in 1933.