2024 Women's History Recap

Good morning, and this is a list of some of the documentaries that were featured on the blog for March 2024.

Nefertiti: Where is Her Mummy? - YouTube (46:36)
Nefertiti was one of Egypt’s most famous queens.  She was renowned for her beauty.  However, the whereabouts of her mummy remains unknown.  There have been potential candidates for the Nefertiti mummy.  What can modern research do to shed light on this enduring mystery?  Was the mummy of Queen Nefertiti really discovered?  Or should Egyptologists continue to search for the mummy?  Will the Nefertiti mummy ever be found?  *Recommend for research purposes.*

The Beautiful Nefertiti: Who Owns Her - YouTube (42:25)
The Berlin Museum houses the bust of the famous Queen Nefertiti.  It is the museum’s biggest attraction.  However, there are questions about who really owns the bust.  The Egyptians miss having the bust in their possession.  Since 1924, both France and Egypt have been challenging Germany for ownership.  The Nefertiti bust was ancient Egypt’s best know discovery, so who really does own the bust?  Art historian Benedicte Savoy explores the ownership question.  *NOT RECOMMENDED FOR A HISTORY CLASS.*

Traces of Cleopatra - YouTube (50:29)
A group of scholars comes together to investigate new evidence that is emerging about the life of Cleopatra.  This investigation combines new techniques and technology to explore the mystery of Cleopatra.  Cleopatra was Egypt’s last ruler before it fell to Rome.  Who really was Cleopatra?  Where were her origins?  How did she come to power?  How did she exert her power?  Where was she buried?  *NOT RECOMMENDED for a history class.*

The Lake District - YouTube (42:57)
The Lake District is where Beatrix Potter, a children’s author found her inspiration.  Our hosts will explore this area as well as tell a tale of Beatrix Potter.  She not only was a children’s author she was also a savvy businesswoman who enjoyed living in the Lake District.  She would become an outspoken advocate for the Lake District.  On this trip as well, Oz Clarke meets a team at the Plant Conservation Center.  Jon Culshaw also explores the Snowshill Manor.  *Not recommended for a history class, has potential for an English Literature class and Plant and Animal Science class.*

The Brilliant Bronte Sisters - YouTube (46:49)
Shelia Hancock is an actress and writer who has been fascinated by the Bronte Sisters.  She seeks to answer her questions: “How did three spinsters write the most shocking books?”  Hancock begins her journey in Haworth and the moors that would have inspired Emily Bronte.  Her quest takes her to Brussels where Charlotte Bronte developed her writing style.  Then she ends her journey in Scarborough and learns more about Anne Bronte.  Along the way, she meets with the leading voices of the Brontës as well as the artists who continued to be inspired by the Brontës.   *Recommended for an English Class, please pair with Tony Robinson's Walking Through History episode about the Brontes.*

Calamity Jane: The Legend of the West - YouTube (52:42)
The west was a vast plain that was inhabited by the First Nations.  However, these lands would become invaded when gold was discovered.  Thousands of pioneers went out west to make a new life.  It was here that Calamity Jane found herself.  She was the first legendary woman of the West.  She had plays written about her.  She was the most famous woman in America and a living legend.  A peak in South Dakota was named for her.  New York depicted her as the Queen of the Plains.  Who was the real woman behind the legend?  *Excellent for research purposes.*

Citizen - YouTube (56:46)
Women for a time were considered the property of their husbands.  Women were not even allowed to own property or have custody of their children.  Women wanted to be considered citizens of this nation and fully participate in the decisions of the nation.  They wanted to have the right to vote.  This documentary looks at a variety of activists such as Gertrude Bonnin and Nellie Griswold Francis.  These women worked for the right to vote.  *Recommended for a local high school history class.*

Christabel and Sylvia: A Tale of Two Sisters - YouTube (43:51)
It was one of the biggest political changes in the Twentieth Century: women gaining the right to vote.  It had taken decades of successive governments before women obtained the right to vote.  The Pankhurst Family fought hard for the right to vote.  They campaigned in public and were militant suffragettes.  They would have many encounters with law enforcement.  However, behind the scenes, there were some serious tensions in the family which would lead to one member being expelled from the suffragette movement.  *Recommended for a history classroom and for research purposes.*

Emmeline Pankhurst: Making of a Militant - YouTube (51:20)
Emmeline Pankhurst led the suffrage movement in Britain.  Under her, an army of women took to the streets of Britain to demand the right to vote.  They acted at the time, contrary to what was expected of women at the time.  Sally Lindsay an actress takes a look at the life of Emmeline Pankhurst.  She takes a rare look at the woman whose personal loves and losses transformed her from a working-class woman into a militant activist.  Who was the real Emmeline Pankhurst?  *Recommended for a history classroom and for research purposes.  Can easily be mined for clips as well.*

The Secrets of a Suffragette - YouTube (46:52)
Emily Davison was a British suffragette who protested for women’s right to vote.  She stepped into history by stepping into the path of the King’s horse at the 1913 Derby.  She was fatally injured.  Claire Balding explores Emily Davison’s story.  Growing up she was told that Emily threw herself in front of the King’s horse and that it was the end of it.  However, Claire was to investigate the real story behind this episode in British History.  *Recommended for a history classroom and for research purposes.*

Amelia: A Tale of Two Sisters - YouTube (44:02)
Society was changing and men were now taking to the skies in airplanes.  Women were demanding more rights and were finding achievements in aeronautics.  One such woman was Amelia Earhart.  Earhart was attracted to aviation and through determination and hard work, she would become the most famous aviator at the time.  She would inspire female aviators in future generations.  Her sister Muriel would not only champion her sister Amelia but would keep Amelia’s legacy alive.  To this day, people are still looking to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.  *Recommended for both a history class and for research.*

A Tale of Two Sisters: Diana and Jessica Mitford - YouTube (44:25)
Jessica and Diana Mitford were two aristocratic young women who were part of the famous Mitford family.  There were four other sisters in the family and the sisters were fiercely competitive.  Jessica and Diana were separated by only a few years but they had wildly different political views.  Jessica would become a communist and Diana was a fascist.  Europe was divided at the beginning of the 20th Century and was full of political tension and citizens were forced to decide what political views they wanted to adopt.  This is the story of the two sisters and their political beliefs.  *Recommended for both a history class and for research.*

Stalin's Daughter - YouTube (52:13)
Svetlana Alliluyeva was Josef Stalin’s daughter and in the midst of the Cold War, she fled to the United States through India.  Her defection was a bombshell and sent shockwaves through the Soviet authorities.  While in the United States, she became a media rockstar.  Her arrival in New York was a sensation. However, she finds that she still cannot escape her father’s shadow.  How did this young woman become the most famous defector?  What drove this woman to defect to the United States?  *Recommended for both research purposes and for a history classroom.*

A Tale of Two Sisters: Jackie - YouTube (44:30)
Jackie Kennedy and Lee Radziwill were sisters who had a complicated relationship.  One sister would marry a future president and would become known for her impeccable style.  She would regularly appear on the front pages of magazines.  However, with all this success there was suffering.  The other sister was younger and would provide great support for the older sister.  Their lives were intertwined.  However, beneath the surface, there was a great rivalry.  *Recommended for research purposes.*

Outlier: The Story of Katherine Johnson - YouTube (54:12)
Katherine Johnson was an African American girl-wonder who was a mathematical genius.  She loved mathematics and would count the steps going into church.  Her genius helped catapult astronauts into space.  She was an integral part of NASA and was profiled in the movie “Hidden Figures.”  Her computations were important to the first missions to space.  Who was this woman?  Why did she have such an impact on history?  This documentary features an interview with Katherine Johnson.  *HIGHLY Recommended for a history and math class.*

The Women of Iran Let Their Hair Down - YouTube (51:56)
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-born journalist who lives in New York City.  She fights against the compulsory wearing of the headscarf in Iran.  She is the most prominent critic of the regime in Iran.  She is also under threat because there was an assassination attempt on her life.  She has called on women in Iran to film themselves taking off the headscarf.  She publishes the videos she receives and has more than seven million followers on social media.  This film follows Masih’s story. *Recommended for older high school students.*