Known today for its great beaches and tourism, Jamaica and the Bahamas were once home to a rough group of sailors. Some thought of themselves as privateers and some embraced the term pirates. Join us as we dive into the history of this area and take a breath of dead air with the real pirates of the Caribbean.

Sources

Kahler, Abbott. “If There’s a Man among Ye: The Tale of Pirate Queens Anne Bonny and Mary Read.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 9 Aug. 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/if-theres-a-man-among-ye-the-tale-of-pirate-queens-anne-bonny-and-mary-read-45576461.

“Who Were Anne Bonny and Mary Read?” Anne Bonny and Mary Read | Real Pirate Histories, www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/real-pirates-anne-bonny-mary-read. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Blackstone Audio ; Distributed by Recorded Books, 2015.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-cassette/death-of-the-whales

License code: MWZADA3Z25EWG8G0

In our society, we are told that when you get older that automatically means you get weaker - you are less capable, you can’t do big things. Yet, we see that isn’t always the case. Yuichiro Miura climbed Mount Everest at the age of 80. Sister Madonna Buder, known as the “Iron Nun”, finished Ironman triathlons in her 80s. Fauja Singh completed marathons past the age of 100. These people among many others show that age isn’t always a reason to stop them from completing difficult physical challenges. Among these is another woman named Emma Gatewood, nicknamed Grandma Gatewood. She went on to do something in her older years that many in their youth think they could not accomplish, and she did it without bells or whistles. Join us as we take a breath of dead air with Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail by herself.

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2015/01/05/grandma-gatewood-survived-domestic-violence-to-walk-the-appalachian-trail-alone-at-67/

https://grandmagatewood.com/

https://www.ohiohistory.org/ohios-most-famous-hiker-emma-grandma-gatewood/

https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/history/grandma-gatewood-the-first-woman-to-solo-hike-the-entire-appalachian-trail/

https://ohiofamilylawblog.com/2023/01/28/no-fault-divorce-laws-ohio/

https://lawyerscolumbusohio.com/a-brief-history-of-grounds-for-divorce/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/these-are-the-glory-days

License code: C3PUVBBD5RHUPTL3

A lady of grit and determination, Virginia Hall, became a noteworthy figure in history. Though many do not recognize her name, she had a significant impact, particularly in France. Join us as we take a breath of dead air with Virginia Hall.

Sources:

Purnell, Sonia. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II. Penguin Books, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020.

Purnell, Sonia. Agent Most Wanted. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2022.