In 1775, a baby girl entered the world with an unbelievable career ahead of her: ruling the high seas and terrorizing an entire empire.

In this episode of Never Heard of Her, we set sail with Zheng Yi (also known as Cheng Shih), the legendary mastermind who took a modest maritime gang and weaponized them into the unstoppable Red Flag Fleet. We explore how she turned a chaotic band of cutthroats into a tightly run corporate empire complete with strict codes of conduct, surprising rules on plunder-sharing and HR policies. Discover how this formidable commander brought the Chinese Empire to its knees, negotiated her own retirement package, and wrote her own rules from start to finish.

And what the heck could this Pirate Queen have in common with Jane Austen?!?

Tune in to find out about that and much more!

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro & guesswork

0:03:50 Zheng Yi - where her story begins

0:09:24 Forging of the Red Flag Fleet Alliance

0:10:40 New Alliances instead of losing power

0:13:30 Zheng’s background & family

0:16:26 Consolidating power & the professionalisation of piracy

0:23:10 Accounting for pirates (pirates with rules!)

0:30:28 Two years later: there’s a Pirate Empire!

0:35:40 The reaction of the Chinese Empire

0:42:10 The orderly end of an unruly life

0:51:31 Badass Scale & Wrap

You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod

And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com

✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜

Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy.

If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy.

Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨

💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk

Tags: #ZhengYi #ChengShih #PirateHistory #BadassWomen #Herstory #WomenInHistory #HistoryPodcast #FunHistory #TrueStories #NeverHeardOfHerPod

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Before 1983, American space travel was an all-boys club where astrophysics made total sense, but basic female biology was rocket science. Enter Sally Ride: physicist, tennis champ, and the woman NASA sent into orbit alongside a baffling packing list of 100 tampons for a six-day mission. (was there maybe an actual thinking behind it?)

Join us as we explore how Sally handled sexist press questions, operated the shuttle arm, helped investigate the Challenger disaster, and lived history on her own terms—with a quick pitstop to ask: Is Neil Armstrong’s lunar poo still out there?

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro & overview (all moonwalkers great and small)

0:05:00 Who was Sally Ride?

0:07:36 Setting the scene: NASA & women in space

0:19:42 Sally joining NASA

0:24:52 A little tangent: Is Neil Armstrong’s poo still on the moon?

0:28:27 Sally’s tasks in space & the press

0:30:42 Sally’s private life & relationships

0:33:45 A tennis tangent: Billy Jean King in 1981

0:37:24 1983: Sally goes to space (with lipstick and 100 tampons)

0:42:12 The 100 tampon story & some myth busting

0:49:00 Sally in space again, meets Tam & the Challenger disaster

0:58:23 Sally on the Challenger investigation & her later life

1:02:26 Sally’s last months & posthumous honours

1:10:12 Badass Scale & Outlook

A big Thank You to Stephen Slater for bringing us this fantastic story!

If you want to find out more about the documentary “Sally”, check out their imdb site and click here for more on the film “Apollo 11” Stephen Slater has worked on.

And credits to the fabulous Marcia Belsky for performing the “100 Tampons” song at Comedy Central Stand-up. You can watch her full video and the full song here.

You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod

And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com

✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜

Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy.

If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy.

Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨

💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk

Tags: #SallyRide #WomenInSTEM #SpaceHistory #NASA #Herstory #WomenInSpace #HistoryPodcast #QueerHistory #TrueStories #NeverHeardOfHerPod

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Born in a prison cell and destined to lead a revolution, Laskarina Bouboulina wasn't your average historical icon.

In this episode of Never Heard of Her, we sail headfirst into the wild life of the ultimate maritime commander who funded her own warships, outsmarted Ottoman officials, and gave patriarchal history a proper run for its money. From her cellblock arrival to commanding an entire naval force, we uncover the hidden history of a true legend. Tune in for the epic battle tales, stay for the chaotic family feuds, and find out how Laskarina Bouboulina dominates our official Badass Scale!

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro & overview: Yassas! (Γεια σου / Gia sou)

0:03:54 Setting the scene: Greece under the Ottomans

0:10:44 Enter Laskaria: A girl born in jail

0:17:44 The Siege of Nafplio & the start of the revolution

0:24:07 The true cost of a revolution

0:33:55 Greek Independence - the far away dream

0:40:30 More surprise facts about Laskarina

0:48:36 Bouboulina on the Badass Scale

0:56:00 How Trish came across Bouboulina

0:59:56 Wrap

You can also find and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raidersofthelostarchive_pod

And you can email us: raidersofthelostarchive.pod@gmail.com

✨ Our Mission Moment: We believe that therapy shouldn't be a luxury! 💜

Women + Health is a London charity that does fantastic work for people who can't afford therapy.

If you want to support them or care about women’s health, you can book a massage with Women + Health and help fund a woman's therapy.

Or organise a Team Event with them! Or just make a donation! ✨

💜 Look them up online: www.womenandhealth.org.uk

Tags: #FunHistory #WomenInHistory #PopHistory #Herstory #BadassWomen #HistoricalBiographies #GlobalHistory #TrueStories #NeverHeardOfHerPod #BadassWomenInHistory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.