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
Broadly Speaking #8 — Sara & Chloe look back on 100 Episodes
Ada Lovelace — World's First Computer Programmer [Chloe Skye]
Malala Yousafzai — Peace Advocate Who Survived a Taliban Assassination [Sara Gorsky]
Alice Guy-Blaché — The World's First Female Filmmaker & Studio Head [Chloe Skye]
Aaliyah — The Multi-Talented Superstar Still Changing the World Years After Her Death [Jupiter Stone]
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Sojourner Truth — First African American Woman to Beat a White Man in Court [Jupiter Stone]
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The 3 Queens of the Virgin Islands — Led Uprising Against Danish Empire [Sara Gorsky]
Broadly Speaking #7: Top 10 Broads of 2020
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Queen Ranavalona II — Converted Madagascar to Christianity [Jupiter Stone]
Florence Nightingale — Nurse Who Revolutionized War & Hospital Sanitation Practices [Sara Gorsky]
Fahma Mohamed — The Teenager Fighting Female Genital Mutilation [Chloe Skye]
Alison Bechdel — Lesbian Feminist Cartoonist Who Gave Us the Bechdel Test [Jupiter Stone]
Queen Ranavolona I (aka Ranavolona the Cruel) — The Bloodiest Queen in Human History [Sara Gorsky]
Anna Jarvis — Founder of Mother's Day (Who Tried to Have it Destroyed) [Chloe Skye]
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