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!
—
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!
3 Ways you can help support the podcast:
—
Broads You Should Know is hosted by Sara Gorsky.
IG: @SaraGorsky
Web master / site design: www.BroadsYouShouldKnow.com
—
Broads You Should Know is produced by Sara Gorsky & edited by Chloe Skye
Kathrine Switzer — First Woman to (Officially) Run the Boston Marathon
Jean Nidetch — Founder of WeightWatchers [Lisa Callahan]
Dottie Frazier - The First Female SCUBA Diving Instructor in the US
Marian Anderson — African American Singer Who Broke Down Race Barriers
Broadly Speaking 14: Black History Broads - Part 2
Broadly Speaking 14: Black History Broads - Part 1
Bridget ”Biddy” Mason — LA Real Estate Entrepreneur Who Sued For Her Freedom From Slavery
Benedetta Carlini — Italian Mystic & Secret Lesbian [with Chloe Skye]
Frances Farmer — The Actress Who Forged Her Dreams and Lost Her Mind
Anne Heche — The Crazy, Brilliant Actress
Broadly Speaking #13: The Spectacular Broads of 2022
ReBROADcast: Yoko Ono — Avant-Garde Artist & Activist for Peace Who Definitively Did Not Break Up the Beatles [with Sam Eggers]
Hannah Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin’s Brilliantly Talented Mother
Mary Todd Lincoln - ”The Least Liked First Lady of the United States of America”
Margery Kempe - Medieval Mystic and Inventor of ”Chaste Marriage”
ReBROADcast: Sacagawea — Navigator, translator, & mother during Lewis & Clark expedition
ReBROADcast: Queen Ka’ahumanu — First Queen of Hawaii Responsible for Women’s Rights and Uniting the Islands
ReBROADcast: Suzan Harjo — Native American Activist Known For Repatriation & Anti-Racism Lawsuits Against USA [with Chloe Skye]
ReBROADcast: Pine Leaf Woman Chief - Two-Spirit Native American Chief Who Led With Peace [with Sam Eggers]
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Lore