Maria Sibylla Merian was born into a family of artists in mid-17th century Germany, so it's no surprise when she starts detailing fine illustrations of nature at just 13 years old, but what we're sure her parents didn't see coming was her vast collection of... CATERPILLARS!
That's right. Maria ends up becoming the foremost expert on our favorite very hungry insects, and whole bunch of other works of nature including a wide variety of plants and even frogs! Maria's research and drawings are so meticulously detailed that she ends up turning the world of etymology on its head, dispelling inaccurate myths and rewriting the bug-knowledge books of the time.
Maria is one of the most talented nerds we've ever talked about on this podcast, so you'd better tune in now to hear her fascinating story!
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A Broad is a woman who lives by her own rules. Broads You Should Know is the podcast about the Broads who helped shape our world!
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Broads You Should Know is hosted by Sara Gorsky.
IG: @SaraGorsky
Web master / site design: www.BroadsYouShouldKnow.com
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Broads You Should Know is produced by Sara Gorsky & edited by Chloe Skye
Kadambini Ganguly — First Female Medical Doctor in India
Mary Baker Eddy - Founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist (aka - Christian Scientists!)
Anna Dostoyevskava - Stenographer, Publisher and Writer (Married to Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
Sophia Tolstaya - Groundbreaking Photographer, Publisher & Businesswoman (Married to Leo Tolstoy)
Mary Shelley - The Mother of American Gothic Horror
Alexya Salvador — ”First Transgender Shepherd of Latin America"
Sarah Winchester — Millionaire Heiress, Builder of the Winchester Mystery House & Supernatural Legend
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Carrie Johnson - 17 Year Old Who Faced a Capital Murder Trial
Harriet Tubman - Mastermind Behind the Underground Railroad
Alice H. Parker - Inventor of the Natural Gas Heater
Constance Baker Motley — Lawyer, Judge, and ”Civil Rights Queen”
Yu Gwan-sun — Korean Teenage Activist Who Fought for Independence
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Dr. Jessica Wade - Our #1 Champion of Women in S.T.E.M.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke - New Zealand’s Youngest Māori MP
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Betsy Ross — Designer of the First American Flag
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