Like Whatever Gen-X

Let's Go Girls

Heather Jolley and Nicole Barr Episode 49

Glass ceilings were made to be shattered, and throughout history, extraordinary women have been doing just that. From the tennis courts to outer space, from courtrooms to football fields, these trailblazers weren't just the first—they fundamentally changed what was possible for all women who followed.

Join us as we dive into the fascinating stories of female pioneers whose achievements opened doors and minds. We explore Billie Jean King's historic "Battle of the Sexes" victory that transformed women's tennis and Sally Ride's journey as America's first woman in space (where NASA thoughtfully offered her a "space makeup kit" and 100 tampons for a six-day mission). You'll learn about Sandra Day O'Connor's unanimous confirmation as the first female Supreme Court Justice—a reminder of a political climate so different from today's divided landscape.

We also celebrate lesser-known firsts, like Pat Palinkas, who became the first woman to play professional football in 1970 while facing physical intimidation from male players who tried to "break her neck," and Mary Ann Brown Patton, who commanded a merchant ship in treacherous waters while pregnant and managing a mutinous crew. From Oprah Winfrey creating a media empire to Simone Biles performing gymnastics feats previously thought impossible for women, these stories reveal the extraordinary determination it takes to be first.

What makes these achievements even more remarkable are the absurd obstacles these women faced—the dismissive questions, the institutional barriers, and the social resistance. Yet they persevered, creating new possibilities for generations to follow. Their stories aren't just about individual triumph; they're about expanding what's possible for all of us.

Subscribe, rate, and review our podcast to join our celebration of women who refused to wait their turn and instead made history on their own terms. Follow us on social media @likewhateverpod for more content celebrating Generation X perspectives on the world.

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Speaker 1:

Two best friends. We're talking the past, from mistakes to arcades. We're having a blast. Teenage dreams, neon screens, it was all rad and no one knew me Like you know. It's like whatever. Together forever. We've never done this, ever Laughing and sharing our stories. Clever, we'll take you back. It's like whatever.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Like Whatever a podcast for. By and about Gen X, I'm Nicole and this is my BFF, Heather. Hello, so that says it all. Yeah, yeah, we discussed the stuff we're not going to discuss on here prior to turning on the mics I need to keep my job.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes, I have to watch what I say.

Speaker 2:

Yes, so, but the tragic news came in today that Robert Redford passed away. Yes, 89. He died in his home. He was quite the stud. Like I think we're a little young for him, because when his movies were big we were little Little, but of course we know who he is and he was a great actor and he was a big environmentalist and he wanted to protect independent films. So it sounds like he was a pretty good guy. Yeah, so I'm sure he was. Yeah, I think so too. So, yeah, that sucked. And then Flo passed away.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, kiss my grits, kiss my grits, flo and one of the monkeys passed.

Speaker 2:

Kiss my grits, Hello. And one of the monkeys passed away this week too.

Speaker 3:

The songwriter.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it wasn't Mickey or Davey either.

Speaker 3:

Who was the other one? Peter Tosh, yes, and Mike Nesmith, yes, I knew there was a Mike Dolenz.

Speaker 2:

Peter Tosh, mickey Dolenz look at you monkeys nerd. I know I'm all. I thought I was a monkeys fan. I loved the monkeys the TV show. Yes, I know, it was hilarious it was hilarious, I enjoyed it. Yeah, and they had good music too. I love the monkeys. Yep, I always had a crush on Mickey of course I had Davey. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you have to Me and Marsha Brady.

Speaker 2:

I always liked the darker hair guys. I always preferred Luke Duke to Bo.

Speaker 3:

Duke. Oh, I had Bo Duke.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I never went for the blondes.

Speaker 3:

I'm not usually a blonde lover either, but Bo Duke, yeah, and Daisy is the reason I always wanted a Jeep.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yep, yep. She's the reason I always wanted Daisy Duke shorts.

Speaker 3:

We all did.

Speaker 2:

Let's see what else the Emmys were on this week. Yep, I didn't watch else the.

Speaker 3:

Emmys were on this week. Yep, I didn't watch them.

Speaker 2:

You did not watch, but a couple of shows I really liked that. I saw One and they're kind of obscure, like Somebody Somewhere. Have you ever seen it? Do you know what it is?

Speaker 3:

I don't.

Speaker 2:

So it's got three seasons. It's over now. I think it's on HBO. It is such a good show. It's um a lady midlife not really going anywhere. Bitchy sister um makes friends.

Speaker 2:

I was gonna make a comment, but I just I know what it was, um, but her, the guy who becomes her best friend in real life. His name's Tiller and he won the Emmy for the show and he's just so good in that show and it's a lot of LGBTQ plus support. She befriends him and then goes to this church that they all attend in the evenings and they do music and poetry and stuff and she makes friends through all of that and it's a really, really good show. It gets you in your feels.

Speaker 2:

I don't want to be in my feels. And then the other one I really loved that did really well was Adolescence Did you watch that one?

Speaker 3:

No, that's why I didn't watch it. I mean, I haven't watched any TV at all.

Speaker 2:

Adolescence, you watch that one. No, that's the. That's why I didn't watch the emmys I haven't watched any tv at all who? Adolescence is a tough one. It is dark, yeah, a little boy he's like 10 or 11, I think in the show is accused of murdering a female classmate. Um, I got goosebumps just thinking about it. It is excellent. I'm really glad that they won.

Speaker 3:

Did you watch the documentary Wrong Number, the one that was on Netflix that everybody's been talking about? I did watch that. What's it about? The girl gets bullied on text through text messages. Yes, wow.

Speaker 2:

Wow, holy moly. Like part of the way through that documentary you kind of figure it out but you're just like no, no way, there's no fucking way.

Speaker 3:

It's been on one of my true crime shows, I know, so I knew immediately.

Speaker 2:

When they first started, I was like oh, I know I know this one but yeah, holy shit, yeah that bitch, she just looks crazy and she's still crazy, like she takes absolutely no responsibility for it and her poor daughter is all screwed up now she's like I need my mom, like I want my mom I know like that poor dad must. Can you imagine?

Speaker 3:

it's got to be munchausen's right oh yeah, for sure, for sure, definitely.

Speaker 2:

But wow, that was awful and the stuff she was texting texting her graphic and gross I just I don't, I don't know yeah, I went crazy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I actually watched a really good documentary last night too. It was from 2021, but I was scrolling through um facebook and it was like one of those like consequence or you know, one of those random things that put stuff up and it was like this show, this documentary, left viewers, so you know, traumatized and blah blah. I was like, ooh, what is it? So I found it and it was from 2021 and it took place in 2017 and it's in India and a family of 11 is found dead in their house. Wow, like from grandparents, parents, teenagers, uncles, and they're all hung in the house. So it's three episodes. Crazy. I highly suggest it. It was amazing, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, if you're into that kind of thing, it was called House of Secrets, the Badarati Deaths, or something like that. I'll have to check it out.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. Really really good If you're into the true crime. I feel like most women are into the true crime. It's because we all fantasize about it Shh I don't talk about that. About it Shh. Don't talk about that. You know they all say it's well, because we have to be prepared, because you know, most of the time it is women getting killed. But that's not why we do it. We're learning Watch out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but besides that, I think my week was pretty uneventful. I went to my daughter and son-in-law's on Sunday to watch the Eagles game. Thank God they won. It was very stressful. Oh, 2-0. Mm-hmm, yeah, thank you to Taylor Swift's fiance for giving us the ball Turning point of the game. Yeah, that's his name, now who?

Speaker 3:

do you think is going to do the halftime show? They should be releasing it any time now.

Speaker 2:

I know, I definitely don't think it's Taylor Swift.

Speaker 3:

I don't think it's Taylor Swift either.

Speaker 2:

They keep rumoring that but it doesn't make any sense. Firstly, if Travis was in the Super Bowl, she'd want to be there to support him, not worrying about doing a show. She's got a new album come out, which means she has a tour coming out. She's got a wedding to plan. I mean, she's almost too big to do, too big right now. Like there have been big names, like Prince did it, but Prince was way past his prime when he did it. Does that make sense? Yeah, I get it.

Speaker 2:

So I just think she's too hot right now and people like I think something a little more neutral yeah.

Speaker 3:

I think she would be too divisive, yeah, because we know they should bring Gaga back.

Speaker 2:

That's what I said.

Speaker 3:

Hers was one of the best. That's what I was telling my friend and her National.

Speaker 2:

Anthem was one of the best I've ever seen too.

Speaker 3:

I was telling my friend that, and he was like why do I not remember the Lady Gaga and I was like I don't know. That was one of the best halftime shows I have ever seen.

Speaker 2:

Amazing. Yeah, and you remember her national anthem too? Yes, it was amazing.

Speaker 3:

It was right up there with Whitney's Holy moly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was amazing. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know who it would be. There's been a lot. I hope it's not her, oh. God I hope not, but she could be one.

Speaker 3:

It could be like a medley. I don't like when they do that. I think they'll probably go country this year.

Speaker 2:

I think they might too, because last year was Kendrick.

Speaker 3:

It's been a while or.

Speaker 2:

Kendrick. My boss's name is Kendrick. So, I'm conscious of the D and I'm usually trying not to say it. And then the year before was Fetty and Mary J and all them right yeah. Okay.

Speaker 3:

I think it's been a while since they've had a country. Yeah, so I think they're going to go country this year.

Speaker 2:

That'll give me plenty of time to do something else then, while I wait for the game to come back, on Puppy Bowl it is.

Speaker 3:

Maybe it'll be Trent Reznor. Ooh, I know, maybe it should be Trent Reznor and Rob Zombie. Yeah, I mean Marilyn Manson. Come on, just do it.

Speaker 2:

I think that would actually be pretty popular. Yeah, but you're probably right, it's going to be country. I think it's going to be country, but I don't know.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, but you're probably right, it's going to be country I think it's going to be country, but I don't know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm surprised they haven't announced it yet. I know.

Speaker 3:

I Googled it the other day because I was like why have they? Not said, and it's usually like the end of September, beginning of October, that they announce it.

Speaker 2:

Oh, okay.

Speaker 3:

Because I thought the same thing. I was like why have they not announced it yet? But usually yeah, so maybe next week, this time next week, we can talk about it. Watch it come out like right now. Watch it's coming out right now so that when this airs, everybody's going to be like you're idiots, yeah, duh. Anyway, let's get into it.

Speaker 2:

I have no idea what the topic is this week she didn't even bring her laptop.

Speaker 3:

I didn't. Do you want to say your find your oh?

Speaker 2:

yeah, yeah, yeah, Please like share rate review Anywhere that you listen to us anything on socials. We're up to 35 followers on Spotify, so that was pretty fun, that's exciting.

Speaker 2:

I know we're climbing up to that 2000 listen mark, so that's pretty fun. That's exciting. I know we're climbing up to that 2,000 listen mark, so that's pretty fun too. But yeah, find us anywhere that you listen to your podcasts. We are on all the socials and you can email us at like whatever pod at gmailcom, and the offer still stands for a free sticker If you send us an email or send us a message or a comment on Facebook.

Speaker 3:

Send us a wire.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, smoke signals, drone show, Just let us know you need a sticker and we will get that to you. Yes for sure, I have one on my water bottle.

Speaker 3:

I have to put one on my water bottle, but because, because I got these nails, I can't do any. I can't get them, gotcha, I can't unpeel it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to have to get my tweezers involved. Before we dive in, we want to take a moment to acknowledge that September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

Speaker 2:

And we especially want to speak directly to our LGBTQ plus listeners, because this year the 988 Lifeline removed its dedicated LGBTQ plus support option, which is not just disappointing, it's dangerous.

Speaker 3:

So here's the deal If you're struggling, you are not alone. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is still available 24-7. Just dial or text 988 for free confidential support from trained counselors.

Speaker 2:

And if you're LGBTQ plus and want to talk to someone who gets it, the Trevor Project is here 866-488-7386. Text START to 678-678 or visit the Trevor Projects Resource Center for chat and support.

Speaker 3:

We'll link both in the show notes. You matter, you're loved and we're so damn glad you're here, okay, so let's fuck around and find out. Oh God, wait first, let me boop First, let me go back Because of this last week or so, I decided that this is what I was going to do. So let's fuck around and find out about women breaking barriers. Oh, we need this. Yeah, I love it. So what I did and I didn't go into like in depth on all these women, I'm just going to list some women and then we can talk about it.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I love it.

Speaker 3:

This one I did talk about, though. On September 20th 1973, billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs, winning $100,000, which is $700,000 in today's money in what was dubbed the Battle of the Sexes. The match garnered huge publicity in front of 30,000 spectators and a television audience estimated at 50 million people in the US and 90 million in 37 countries. 29-year-old King beat the 55-year-old Riggs. The match is considered a significant event in developing greater recognition and respect for women's tennis. King said to author and photographer Lynn Gilbert in her book Particular Passions Talks with Women who have Shaped Our Times. I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self-esteem. And that to beat a 55 yearold guy was no thrill for me. The thrill was exposing a lot of new people to tennis. Riggs had been a top men's player in the 30s and 40s in both the amateur and professional ranks. He won the Wimbledon men's single title in 1939 and was considered the world's number one male tennis player for 41, 46, and 47. He then became a self-described tennis hustler who played in promotional challenge matches, claiming the women's game was so inferior to the men's game that even a 55-year-old like himself could beat the current top female players.

Speaker 2:

This is just. I'm already mad, like we just got started. And why didn't they put her against a 29 year old man? Like why does it have to be a 55 year old man?

Speaker 3:

well, I, he had challenged her before and she they had been trying to set this up and she kept um turning it down. But she because it was super awkward. But well, because he had said that he could beat anybody, even at 55.

Speaker 2:

So that's why yeah, and I'll bet that prize pool was so high because they never thought in a million years that the girl would win.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so they wanted to pay men's prices um billy jean king went on to win 39 grand slam titles 12 and single, 16 in women's doubles and 11 and mixed doubles. Um she is an advocate of gender equality and has long been a pioneer for equality and social justice. She was the founder of the women's tennis association and the women's sports foundation. She was instrumental in persuading cigarette brand Virginia Slim to sponsor women's tennis in the 70s.

Speaker 2:

Man, that was my shit in college, remember, I do.

Speaker 3:

Virginia Slim's ultralight. They were like a straw.

Speaker 2:

They really were. I thought I looked so cool smoking those things.

Speaker 3:

Virginia Slim's ultralight menthols? I definitely think you can't get cancer from those.

Speaker 2:

I don't think there's enough in them. No, they weren't 120s.

Speaker 3:

What were they? They were more than 120s.

Speaker 2:

Culture Slims.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, but they were like a straw, uh-huh, uh-huh. Yeah, they were the girliest cigarettes ever. They were.

Speaker 2:

I loved them. They don't make them anymore, do they? No, I think they do.

Speaker 3:

Oh okay. King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was bestowed on her in 2010. In 72, she was the joint winner with John Wooden of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award and was one of the Times Persons of the Year in 1975. She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In 2018, she won the BBC Sport Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, the Federation Cup was named the Billy Jean King Cup in her honor. In 2022, she was awarded the French Legion of Honor and in 2024, she received the Congressional Gold.

Speaker 2:

What an amazing legacy and good for all the powers that be that made sure to give her all the recognition that she deserved, because wow.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so that's what got me thinking of it, because September 20th is like the end of this week. So I saw that and I was like, oh, and then I was mad this week. So girl power and I'm not allowed to talk about it, no, no, no Girl power, and I'm not allowed to talk about it.

Speaker 3:

Nope, nope, nope. Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racing driver and model who competed in the IndyCar Series from 2005 to 2011 and the NASCAR Cup Series from 2012 to 2018. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open wheel car racing. Her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman in IndyCar. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. She became the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position by setting the fastest qualifying lap for the 2013 Daytona 500, finishing eighth lap for the 2013 Daytona 500, finishing eighth. She became the highest finishing woman in national NASCAR history at Las Vegas when she surpassed Sarah Christian's 62-year record to place fourth in the Sam's Town 300 race. So that's Danica.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and then she ruined it all by dating Aaron Rodgers. I forgot about that.

Speaker 3:

I totally forgot about that.

Speaker 2:

Nothing will ruin your reputation like dating Aaron Rodgers. I totally forgot about that, at least in my eyes. Poor.

Speaker 3:

Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 2:

Screw Aaron Rodgers. I love me. I used to love.

Speaker 3:

Sam Aaron.

Speaker 2:

Rodgers, you did he's baddie, though, although I do feel bad sometimes. I wonder if he has that CTE.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, oh, they all fucking do.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because I just think maybe his didn't go violent, maybe it just went nuts. Yeah, because he's out there.

Speaker 3:

He is out there.

Speaker 2:

And he needs to retire. It's just sad to watch him play now.

Speaker 3:

I don't know why they do this.

Speaker 2:

I think it's arrogance.

Speaker 3:

I think it's arrogance. I think you just can't bear the thought of people not seeing you every Sunday. You will get hired by any network anytime. He said some pretty crazy stuff.

Speaker 2:

I don't know about that. He even got kicked off that one guy show he could go join Number After Three and they can have a. They can steal money from charities. Everybody hates us Send dick pics to women that don't want them. Yeah, exactly, it'll be a good party.

Speaker 3:

I will not be tuning in for that, no, never. So this one's going to be hard for me to say. Svetlana Savitskaya I meant to ask how that was pronounced as a Russian former aviator and Soviet cosmonaut who flew aboard the Soyuz T-7 in 1982, becoming the second woman in space On her 1984 Soyuz T-12 mission. She became the first woman to fly to space twice and the first woman to perform a spacewalk in 1979. She participated in the selection process for the second group of female cosmonauts In June of 80, she was officially admitted to the cosmonaut group. Of the nine women selected, she was the only test pilot. The group's training was announced during French Air Force officer and astronaut Jean-Louis Christian's space mission. She passed her exams in 1982. February 1982 and she prepared for her first flight, a short-term flight to the space station. She held the position of research cosmonaut on the mission, the mission of the second visiting expedition of the salyot 7. See.

Speaker 3:

all this is russian to prove the russians russians really are the hardened, hardest language to figure out to prove the the Soviet superiority to America by flying another woman into space and to replace the Soyuz T-5 spacecraft, which the crew would use for their return, with a new vehicle. In December of 83, she was assigned her second flight including an extravehicular activity or an EVA. Three weeks after American astronaut Kathy Sullivan's flight, An EVA assignment were made public. The timing of her mission would become one of her last triumphs to further the Soviet propaganda agenda in performing the first woman's spacewalk ahead of the Americans.

Speaker 2:

It's so funny to me that the first was like so important back then and now everybody's just like we're bored with it, except for crazy elon, yeah but lana was chosen above other female cosmonauts due to her extensive flight experience and physical ability to perform the necessary operations in a heavy bulky space suit.

Speaker 3:

For multiple hours she participated in this flight as the flight engineer. Uh, then that was to bring in july of 84 she launched above soya's t12 together with commander vladimir yep and research cosmonaut Igor Volk.

Speaker 3:

That one I got Gotcha. Of the 57 Soviet Russian spacewalkers through 2010, she is the only woman and as of April 2020, was still the only woman well, the only Soviet Russian woman to walk in space. The return to Earth took place in 84. Upon returning to Earth, she was assigned as the commander of an all-female Soyuz crew in commemoration of International Women's Day. It's so weird how the Russians are so much more advanced in this manner.

Speaker 2:

International Women's Day happens to be the same day as my birthday. Yes, it is.

Speaker 3:

She was chosen for this duty because she was the only experienced female cosmonaut still on active duty at the time. In 85, radio contact with Salyut 7 was lost. The space station was rescued by the Salyut T-13 mission in the summer of 85, and the next mission had to be stopped in November of 85 due to an illness of commander vladimir yeah the woman's flight was finally canceled.

Speaker 3:

In addition, after two unsuccessful flights in 83 um, they didn't have enough spacecrafts, oh oh. Then they started space station mirror, which has also come down and then. But she couldn't go up because she was pregnant in 86 and the birth of her son.

Speaker 2:

Did I ever tell you that my father-in-law used to work at ILC making the spacesuits for NASA?

Speaker 3:

No.

Speaker 2:

He did. That's nice. There are pictures of him in spacesuits Yep that was all made here, right. Yeah. What is it? They did a story on it like outside of dover. I've driven past it.

Speaker 3:

Maybe it's milford they did a story on it not that long ago. I don't remember where or when, I think it's still yeah, up and running.

Speaker 3:

I think so too. Sally ride was an American astronaut and physicist. I can't put the Russians in there and not put the Americans in there. Exactly, she joined NASA in 1978 and in 93 she became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space. In 60 she was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space, having done so at the age of 32. She was selected as a mission specialist astronaut with NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first class of NASA astronauts to include women. After completing her training, she served as the ground-based capsule communicator, capcom, for the second and third space shuttle flights and helped develop the space shuttle's robotic arm. See, I couldn't remember if I had talked too much about her, and I think I did in the episode that we did about the space shuttle.

Speaker 2:

Shuttle Hubble Toil.

Speaker 3:

Trouble.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we did talk about her then, but she's a rock star, so we'll talk about her again. But she's a rock star, so we'll talk about her again.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, she. In June of 83, she flew in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger on the STS-7 mission. The mission deployed two communication satellites and the first shuttle Pallet Satellite. She operated the robotic arm to deploy and retrieve SPS-1. Her second spaceflight was the STS-41G mission mission in 84, also on board the challenger. She spent a total of more than 343 hours in space. She did leave nasa in 1987. As the first american woman to fly in space, she was subjected to media attention there were over 500 requests for private interviews, all of which were declined.

Speaker 3:

Instead, nas, nasa hosted the usual pre-launch press conference and she was asked this is why I included this part Just brace yourself for this one, oh God, yeah. She was asked questions such as will the flight affect your reproductive organs? As, will the flight affect your reproductive organs, and do you weep when?

Speaker 2:

things go wrong on the job. Wow, does it affect men's reproductive organs? Did?

Speaker 3:

anybody ask that. She insisted that she saw herself in only one way as an astronaut, but NASA was still adjusting. This is part two. Funny part two NASA was still adjusting to female astronauts, and engineers had asked Ride to assist them in developing a space makeup kit, assuming it would be something a woman would want on board. Wow, they also infamously suggested providing Ride with a supply of 100 tampons for the six-day mission.

Speaker 2:

She must have been a heavy bleeder.

Speaker 3:

From the mid-90s until her death, Ride led two public outreach programs for NASA. They allow middle school students to request images of the earth and the moon. She bought a house in La Jolla, California. She turned down offers from President Clinton to become NASA administrator, not wanting to leave California but agreed to serve as the president's committee of advisors in science technology. That involved flying to DC every few months for studies and presentations. That involved flying to DC every few months for studies and presentations.

Speaker 3:

Clinton appointed her to a PCAST panel chaired by John Holdren to assess the risk of fissile materials being acquired in the former Soviet Union by terrorists and the chaos following its breakup. From September 1999 to July 2000, she was the president of the Space News website, spacecom, a company that aggregated news about science and space on its website. She then became the president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company she founded with her partner, who served as the chief executive officer and chair of the board. She also served in 2003. She served on the columbia accident investigation board and was the only person to serve on both the panel that investigated the challenger disaster and that that investigated the columbia death disaster yeah, I just can't get past the hundred tampons and 60s.

Speaker 3:

I can't get past the makeup kit.

Speaker 2:

Are men really that oblivious Although? I yeah, I'm not even going to say it Anyway, but this just reminded me too. Not related, except that it's spacey. Did you see this week the video of the US trying to shoot down an unidentified object? And it just bounced off of it and the thing took off.

Speaker 3:

Oh, no it didn't.

Speaker 2:

The missile bounced off it and whatever the so nobody has said that it was aliens, but I'm sure that it I think. I don't think that the Earth has anything that would sustain a direct missile hit.

Speaker 3:

I think that they have decided to end the experiment. That's what I think is happening. I think that we, as the experiment, have gone too far.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and I think they're going to. I think yep.

Speaker 2:

Did you see the meme I posted this week with Jesus smoking a blunt and it says flooded again.

Speaker 3:

There are all these TikToks about asking atheist questions Like, and this one was like, just, and they're so very aggressive. It's like just give me one answer when you do die, and if God is real, what are you going to say to him? Like, why is that a question? Like, okay, was he going to come at me and be like bitch? Why didn't you believe? Well, a, if you're real, you made free will. Yeah, so what?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that if there is a heaven and actual God and Christianity and Jesus, you and I are safe Because we're actually good people.

Speaker 3:

A good life, exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and we don't pretend to be something that we're not. But I also loved your meme that you might have to work in heaven To work at the post office.

Speaker 3:

The heaven's post office. I will, or I'll be, making omelets for everyone.

Speaker 2:

Oh, there's no, we definitely need to go to hell for that. Yeah, omelets in hell would be amazing, amazing yeah we're not going to heaven, it's fine.

Speaker 3:

But that's like they're very aggressive about it too and it's like why is that your question? Like, who cares? Who is this guy and why is he such a dick about everything?

Speaker 2:

calm down, because he's created by humans. That's why he's a dick about everything. That's true.

Speaker 3:

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Speaker 2:

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Use code like whatever for 15% off at oldglorycom, because nostalgia should be wearable and slightly ironic. Okay, this one is going to be a fun fact for you, the whole thing. Oh, it's the summer of 70, 1970. Okay, steve palencast had just gotten back from serving in the army in germany and thought he'd pursue his dreams of playing professional football.

Speaker 3:

Kicker tryouts for orlando's minor league team, the Orlando Panthers, didn't go well. Then he immediately realized what he was missing. I told them let me do it again. Let me bring my holder, because when I practice I always use my wife, Pat. He made the team, but that wasn't all.

Speaker 3:

The coach signed Pat too, and she was the one who would go on to have the better known career in the sport. That's amazing. On august 15th 1970 she became forever known as the first woman to play in a professional football game when she held the ball for him during his extra point attempt at an exhibition game against the bridgeport jets. Pat also means point after touchdown, and that's what I was trying to make with my husband. She said the locker room will never be the same. Life magazine declared in an August 28, 1970 spread featuring a picture of the 27-year-old, 122-pound blonde being knocked down by the 235-pound jet linebacker Wally Florence, quoted as as saying I tried to break her neck. She's out here prancing around making folly with a man's game I bet she loved getting hit she said like bring it, bitch.

Speaker 3:

I still look at that and go ouch she. She also noted a very specific reason for the mishap. She had been so nervous that someone had recommended she take a tranquilizer, something she had never done before. Oh, that was a bad idea. I go out there and the first thing out of my mouth was are you ready, honey? Someone said you'll never hear those words in football again. Unfortunately, the ball was thrown to me from the center and I bobbled the ball and wally just came in and smashed me. But I got up and I stretched a little bit and I was fine.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because she was on tranquilizers.

Speaker 3:

And every conversation after that was successful. I blame it on the tranquilizer. Maybe that's why I was so loose. The Panthers would end up winning the game 26 to 7 and Pat was invited to appear on Walter Cronkite's CBS Evening News, the Merv Griffith Show what's my Line To Tell the Truth, and a local radio station show, nice, where she'd call in and give NFL predictions. We also interviewed with Howard Cosell.

Speaker 3:

That was the first year that Monday Night Football came out and all the people were afraid that women weren't going to watch Monday Night Football. The couple wouldn't play the sport for much longer. Steve only played two more games before injuring his thigh and Pat would only play a few more before deciding it wasn't as much fun holding the ball for someone else. He'd go on to be a salesman and she an elementary school teacher. She has fond memories of her private locker room aka the closet and teammates who gave her a lot of taps on the butt. Nowadays the retired couple roots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and play football in the front yard of their Clearwater Florida home.

Speaker 2:

I hope she tapped a lot of butts too.

Speaker 3:

And they have two grandkids, six and ten Aw. Sometimes she still gets fan mail and letters.

Speaker 2:

That is so sweet.

Speaker 3:

I had no idea.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I never heard of that when you hear about women breaking the glass ceiling in the NFL. Now, whether it's roughing or coaching, you would think that would come up.

Speaker 3:

You would think, yeah, I mean, it was minor league, but still it was perfect. Yeah, next up, sandra Day O'connor was an american attorney, politician and jurist who served as an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states from 1981 to 2006. Nominated by reagan, o'connor was the first woman to serve as a us supreme court justice. A moderate conservative, she was considered a swing vote Upon her nomination to the court, o'connor was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate. During her term on the court, she was regarded as among the most powerful women in the world. In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama. She presided over Bush v Gore in 2000. I don't know if any of you remember some hanging chads. She joined with four other justices on December 12, 2000 to rule on the Bush v Gore case that ceased challenges to the result of the 2000 presidential election. This case effectively ended Al Gore's hopes to become president.

Speaker 2:

I'm kind of glad Al Gore never won president.

Speaker 3:

I mean he invented the internet.

Speaker 2:

At the time. I mean, at the time I was like, yeah, but he's a little nutty, yeah. And have you ever seen the South? I know you don't watch South Park, but have you ever seen him? They do an episode with him from way back then and he's all about the environment and I'm cereal, I'm cereal Every time. Nobody will take him seriously. I'm cereal, it's so funny. But he is kind of a laughingstock. I don't think he would have represented the country very well, he's too, he's too, he's too.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, ruth Bader Ginsburg, who became the second female Supreme Court justice, described O'Connor as a trailblazer. The two worked together for over a decade and built a relationship of mutual respect, with Ginsburg noting that having O'Connor on the court made her feel a sense of relief at no longer being the only woman there.

Speaker 2:

It really just blows my mind that the Senate voted unanimously for her. It was probably a Republican.

Speaker 3:

Senate at the time, but still, and the Democrats just wanted a woman in there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but it's just inconceivable in this day and time that the government would come together for anything.

Speaker 3:

Anything. It's inconceivable at this moment that we could be on the same page for anything ever again. Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2:

That's why the aliens need to just it, just keeps getting worse and worse and worse.

Speaker 3:

The division keeps getting worse and worse. There's like it's bad.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly, people are becoming more and more extreme, and sometimes it's even hard in my own head to not do it, because you just you're like that's so ridiculous that you would say that, and then that makes me kind of go too far sometimes, and so I mean I feel like it's a natural thing. And so I mean I feel like it's a natural thing, like it's hard to not.

Speaker 3:

It's hard to not counter the total ridiculousness with your like. The total opposite of that it is hard.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean, I would like to comprehend, but I don't even know that people even know what they're fighting about anymore. It's just you're wrong, instantly. Boom, that's it.

Speaker 3:

There's no listening. There's no changing anybody's mind. That's the problem, right? That's the problem. Yeah, in 2018, betty White was recognized by Guinness World Records as the female entertainer with the longest television career, which, at the time, spanned nearly 80 years. She's the cutest. I know Just the cutest.

Speaker 3:

She died three years, which, at the time, spanned nearly 80 years. She's the cutest. I know Just the cutest. She died three years later, at the age of 99. She still retains this record. This is hardly surprising, given that she'd been on television nearly as long as the medium has existed. She was among the first women on TV, appearing on several experimental broadcasts in the 30s and in the early 50s. She became one of the first women to write, produce and star in her own nationally syndicated TV comedy. Over the years, she played beloved characters like Sue Ann Niven on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nyland on the Golden Girls. But her big female first happened in 1983, when she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. Big female first happened in 1983, when she became the first woman to win a daytime Emmy award for outstanding game show host for NBC's celebrity panel game show, just men.

Speaker 2:

I don't remember that.

Speaker 3:

I don't either, but she won an Emmy for it.

Speaker 2:

I've been catching golden girls here and there.

Speaker 3:

I need to go back and do it.

Speaker 2:

It's one of those when I catch it I'm like, oh, I'll leave this on and watch it, and I laugh so hard the whole time, but then I just don't think to watch it. It's really fucking funny. Yeah, like really funny. I need to go back and do it.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we really need to do a second podcast where we do a rewatch. We need to pick a show and do a rewatch. Oh my God, there's so many it we'll figure it out.

Speaker 2:

Stay tuned, kids you've been talking about that for a while.

Speaker 3:

I'm saying we should do it. We don't have to meet in person for to do it how?

Speaker 2:

what do we put it up on the screen and then sit there and talk about it like no you watch it and then I watch it.

Speaker 3:

We watch it separately and then we come back and like we take notes through it and then we talk about it. The episode.

Speaker 2:

We don't run the episode now. We're talking about it. You can't. That's against the rules. You have to pay for it yeah, see, that's why you're the business and it's a deal, something like that. I don't know who put me in charge of that, but I just show up and bring crappy scripts every now and then and drink wine. That's my role. Uh, oprah winfrey was the first woman to own and produce a talk show. She wasn't comfortable in her role as a tv news anchor woman and her empathy with her interviews.

Speaker 3:

Oprah Winfrey was the first woman to own and produce a talk show. She wasn't comfortable in her role as a TV news anchor woman and her empathy with her interviews earned her criticism rather than accolades from her bosses. But this iconic failure led to her being hired as the host of a morning talk show in Chicago in 1984. Within a year the network renamed the program the Oprah Winfrey Show and within two years the show entered national syndication. Almost immediately it became the highest rated talk show in television history.

Speaker 2:

Oprah Winfrey is. I mean, I don't care. I know that she has controversy around her every now and again, but she can do no wrong in my eyes. She's.

Speaker 3:

Are you going to crush that for me? Nope, I'm not crushing anybody. The same year, winfrey became the first black woman in the american entertainment industry to establish and own a production company, harpo studios. In 1988, harpo acquired the oprah winfrey show, making winfrey the first woman to own and produce her own talk show.

Speaker 2:

I mean it's just unbelievable. And what she comes from? She was a poor black girl In Baltimore, right? No connections, no money, no nepotism, no, nothing. I also am a huge fan of Gayle King, but Gayle King grew up pretty comfy, yeah, but Gail King grew up pretty comfy. Luckily, she has the look and the personality and the talent to do what she does. I think she's amazing as well.

Speaker 2:

But Oprah man, she can do and say whatever the fuck she wants. I don't care. You literally are the American dream. She is. I mean, that's it. Yeah, and she's done good. Yeah. And it's funny because when you read where people are trying to criticize her like I saw an article just a few weeks ago and they were talking about, um, what it was really like for you get a car and you get a car, yeah, um. And they kind of like just slid past the fact that Oprah had lawyers there that made sure all the taxes got paid, that like people left there owning that car free and clear, not owing anything on it, but then they had to put in there that she said something about like you may feel like you don't deserve this and you don't and I'm sure it's taken out of context, you know, but there's just trying to get digs at her Yep, when all she was doing was just being an awesome person and sharing her wealth. If it was through gifts, so what?

Speaker 3:

I will never understand trying to bring people down for doing good.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, especially women on women.

Speaker 3:

Women on women is the worst. The worst Like do better girls Exactly, do better girls Exactly, do better sis.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, if you're jealous that someone is being a better woman than you, then step up and do better.

Speaker 3:

The meme is fix her crown, fix somebody else's crown, don't step on the ball gown. Exactly, exactly In 2016,. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady, senator and Secretary of State, was nominated by the Democratic Party as the presidential candidate, the first woman from a major party ever to achieve this feat.

Speaker 2:

Your voice is oozing in sarcasm. And I do love Hillary Clinton too. I know that we have talked about her a lot and there's no reason she should have run because most people don't like her, they hate her.

Speaker 3:

It was a horrible mistake to run her.

Speaker 2:

It was. I'm sorry, it was.

Speaker 2:

I do like Hillary, I think you know, whatever, they all have done something wrong is incredibly smart and incredibly talented and powerful, but I really think what ruined her is that her husband got a blow job from another girl and the whole world found out about it. And if you think these rich, famous men are not cheating on their wives and I'm not saying they all do, but I would be willing to bet 80% or higher are yeah Well then that's a flaw in you. If you believe that and the whole thing of.

Speaker 3:

It is a shame because I have no doubt in my mind that that Clinton marriage is a marriage that they both is a business deal. Yes, that is a business deal, and she knew the whole time she probably had something going on the side and she just he just got caught doing it. Yeah, exactly, I mean you shouldn't do it to interns.

Speaker 3:

Let me roll that back. It was a bad look. Yeah, bill, yeah, yeah, yeah, release the Epstein files Anyhow. Clinton holds the distinction of being the first woman to win the popular vote in an American presidential election. Clinton, however, clinton was not, however, the first woman to run for president of the United States. That distinction goes to Victoria Woodhull, who ran unsuccessfully in 1872 as a member of the Equal Rights Party, and that's only one reason Woodhull made history. She was also the first woman to own a brokerage firm on Wall Street.

Speaker 2:

Wow, I don't think I know her either.

Speaker 3:

The first woman to start a weekly newspaper and a prominent activist for women's rights and labor reforms. I didn't go too far back into history just because I figured we better keep it like in our lifetime and I'm terrible with american history yeah, and there's like a lot of women that you know.

Speaker 3:

Of course you got madam curie and yeah, but so I tried to stick to like our time, um, but my thought on Hillary Clinton the stakes were too high. Everybody hated Clinton for their own reasons, whatever the reasons, they just hated her. And I think had they literally run anybody else against Trump the first time, they would have won. And I get it, joe Biden didn't want to run, but had they run Joe Biden, we would be in a whole different world.

Speaker 2:

And I question if Joe Biden didn't want to run or if they were like can you just step aside?

Speaker 3:

Because his son died right before that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but he also promised his son he would be president one day.

Speaker 3:

And he did Goddamn. I love Joe Biden.

Speaker 2:

I love him. And he announced, not that we didn't already know, but the presidential library will be in Delaware.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I figured Up there. Oh, I figured it was either going to be up there or down here.

Speaker 2:

I feel like I read Rehoboth.

Speaker 3:

Where are they going to put it?

Speaker 2:

There is no room.

Speaker 3:

They'll probably tear down some classic historical building that we've known and loved our whole lives, boo They'll tear down his house and put it. I mean, I guess they should put it in Dover, to be honest, because that's right in the square, in the middle of the state.

Speaker 2:

And it is the capital.

Speaker 3:

But he does have to. Who knows?

Speaker 2:

I don't know where they're going to put it, but Kent County's never been his thing.

Speaker 3:

No he does not. Anyway, I think that we would be living in a whole obviously Better, yeah, obviously, for whatever reason, this country is not ready for a woman. They voted for a black man over a white woman, and that should tell you everything, because this country is hella racist, but apparently they're hella more misogynistic than racist.

Speaker 2:

And we proved it. Trump ran against a woman and he won. Trump ran against a man and he lost. Trump ran against a woman and he won. There you go. It's called science and data, folks. A lot of us have forgotten about that as well.

Speaker 3:

I love Kamala. It was another mistake. It was the stakes. Obviously, we're nine months in and the stakes were too high, too high.

Speaker 2:

I'm sorry, god, I really would have loved to have had Kamala as the president.

Speaker 3:

I mean I'd love her.

Speaker 2:

God. I really would have loved to have had Kamala as a president. I mean, I'd love her and I think it broke her. I don't think she'll ever run again.

Speaker 3:

I don't think she will either.

Speaker 2:

She won't even run for governor. I don't blame her. Remember when your biggest decision was which Lisa Frank folder to bring to homeroom? Well, now it's which handcrafted spirit to sip while doom scrolling your ex's LinkedIn. Now it's which handcrafted spirit to sip while doom scrolling your ex's LinkedIn, Introducing Garden State Distillery, where every bottle is grown here, made here and tastes like New Jersey finally got its act together.

Speaker 3:

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Speaker 2:

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Speaker 3:

Moving on. Okay, simone Biles, the first woman gymnast to land a Yurchenko double pike in competition. What were you going to say?

Speaker 2:

Nothing. No, I was, but I forget what it was.

Speaker 3:

now Think about it Moving on With 30 medals, 23 of them gold. Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history. She's also the first woman to have landed the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition, and a feat she accomplished at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship on October 1st 2023. The difficult move, which previously had been done only by men, involves a series of intense acrobatics, a round off into the springboard, a backhand spring onto the vault table and a piked double backflip to land. She is also my niece's favorite gymnast, because my niece is a gymnast.

Speaker 2:

I can picture as you describe that. I can picture it. I'm not necessarily big into gymnasts, but Simone Biles is amazing.

Speaker 3:

And adorable.

Speaker 2:

And adorable, and the universe put her on this earth to amaze us with gymnastics. She is, yeah.

Speaker 3:

She's awesome. Yeah, my niece is a competitive gymnast and her idol is Simone Biles.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, I love that though.

Speaker 3:

So back to this one, kamala Harris. I guess I should have put her up with Hillary. I love that. So back to this one, kamala Harris. I guess I should have put her up with Hillary. On January 20th 2021, kamala Harris stepped into history as the 49th US vice president, shattering not one but three glass ceilings. She was the first woman, the first black American and the first Asian American to rock the VP office.

Speaker 2:

Nice.

Speaker 3:

Once more she's like Tiger tie your woods.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Once more, harris broke another barrier in November 2021, when she took over as US president. For 85 minutes, the presidency passed to her while President Joe Biden underwent a medical procedure that required anesthesia. I totally forgot about that.

Speaker 2:

I did too, but I just think that's the coolest thing. Oh no, and she can say she was president.

Speaker 3:

She can say she was president for 85 minutes.

Speaker 2:

I'd wear it on my license plate, on my car I was president for 85 minutes bitch.

Speaker 3:

How long were you president? That's right, None.

Speaker 2:

None minutes.

Speaker 3:

Zero minutes, zero seconds. Susan B Anthony, the first woman in America depicted on a US coin. She was a powerhouse of temperance. Oh see, she's before our time too.

Speaker 2:

She is, but we all know who she is.

Speaker 3:

She's on her coins.

Speaker 2:

She's like the one female we learned about in American history. We learned Betsy Rolfe Because she could sew.

Speaker 3:

Powerhouse of temperance. Abolition that word does you know how you're looking at a word and you're like what the fuck is that word? That just happened to me abolition, labor rights and equal pay crusades. She lit up the women's suffrage movement, partnering with fellow activist elizabeth caddy stanton to travel and champion women's right to vote. But Anthony Susan B Anthony wasn't just a trailblazer in active activism in 1979. Thanks to President Jimmy Carter, oh, Jimmy's back.

Speaker 3:

And Susan B Anthony dollar coin act. She became the first woman to have her face grace a circulating US coin.

Speaker 2:

Pretty sure Jimmy Carter's the only one who could have gotten away with doing that. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Patricia Robert Harris began breaking barriers at a young age. In 1960, she not only aced her studies at the George Washington University Law School, but also graduated at the top of her class. President John F Kennedy even made her co-chair of the National Women's Committee for Human Rights. In 1965, Harris made history as the first black woman named a US ambassador to Luxembourg, appointed by Lyndon B Johnson. Appointed by Lyndon B Johnson. But after her diplomatic triumph, she became the first black dean of a US law school when she joined the Howard University faculty.

Speaker 2:

Wow.

Speaker 3:

In the 70s, president Jimmy Carter made her secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This made her the first black woman to serve as a cabinet secretary, and in 1980, presidentter named her the first secretary of the newly revamped department of health and human services. You know why?

Speaker 2:

because she did not have a brain worm I was gonna say I wonder if she did a better job than the one that we have now. Like just curious she also if a black woman was actually capable of doing something better than a white man with a brain worm. I really love the memes that are like that drake one where it's like um, um using needles for, um, uh, vaccines and he's like no, using needles for heroin. Yes, he's awful, he's fucking nuts. Yeah, he is.

Speaker 3:

He cut the head off of a dead whale, strapped it to the top of his car, drove it home with the dead whale juices dripping on his children. That's fucking insane. And the whole dead bear thing in central park. It's just, he's fucking insane.

Speaker 2:

And the whole dead bear thing in Central Park. It's just he's fucking nuts, he is and it's. I don't get it. I was listening to NPR today and they were talking to a pediatric doctor and she said she is more and more seeing parents refusing vaccines for their kids. And she said the unfortunate thing of it is they're going to have to see the results of their kids not getting vaccines before they're going to listen to science. We're all going to have polio again. We are Disney World in Florida and Florida is big on pushing no vaccines. Aye, aye, aye.

Speaker 3:

You may have seen vanessa williams in some of your favorite tv shows and movies. You may remember her save the best for last hit song, but she was uh. In 1983 she became the first black woman in the pageant's six decadedecade history to win the Miss America title. She conquered Miss New York, then she owned the stage in Atlantic City, where the Miss America pageant had a history of shutting out black contestants. So Trump was in charge of it back then. I can't say anything about him because I need to keep my job. Sadly, williams had to give up her Miss America throne only 10 months after her win when nude images from a past photo shoot were published without her consent.

Speaker 2:

Of course they have to find something wrong with her. And, mind you, the first time I'm not worried about my job. The first time our president ran, I had to see naked pictures of Melania Trump all over the Internet that. I did not need to see, no, but there she was.

Speaker 3:

There she was.

Speaker 2:

Apparently, you can be the first lady, but not Miss America. You know what?

Speaker 3:

I can't say. Despite the storm, she gracefully stepped down from the Miss America title and dove headfirst into her passion for music and acting. So actually, probably it worked out better for her.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but that had to be devastating.

Speaker 3:

I'm sure. Just like oh my God, America, fucking grow up.

Speaker 3:

Just grow up Grow up of February 1977, the legendary Helen Hayes scored a Grammy for best spoken word recording for great American documents, making her the first female EGOT winner. I don't know if you know that the EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. I did. I figured Well into her 70s, Hayes claimed the final piece, earning the title of EGOT winner and first lady of American theater. She began in 1905, at the tender age of five. She soared to stardom in 1927 with the play Coquette and 1932, she won a Best Actress Oscar for her Hollywood debut, the Sin of Madeline Claudette. A Tony victory in 1947 for Happy Birthday added to her impressive collection, which she rounded out in 1953 when she clinched a Best Actress Emmy for a TV appearance on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Very cool.

Speaker 3:

President Reagan awarded her the Presidential medal of freedom in 1986 for her outstanding contributions to the arts nice though it's becoming increasingly common for women to be elected president of a country other than our own, someone had to be the first. That accolade goes to iceland's big dis.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's another god's here. I am so sorry it's a lot of consonants and very few vowels. Yeah, typically.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, june 29, 1980, she became the first woman to be democratically elected as president of any country. After serving for 16 years, she also became the longest serving elected female head of state. Although iceland has elected two female prime ministers, since, she remains the only woman to have been president of the country.

Speaker 3:

That's awesome, yes pretty badass this one I thought was cool. This is not our time, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Okay, because it's my podcast, I'm gonna do whatever the fuck I want. Yeah, sarah breedloff was born in in 1867 to parents who had been enslaved. This groundbreaking black entrepreneur created a line of hair care products formulated for black women dealing with hair loss. In 1906, she married Charles J Walker and began referring to herself professionally as Madam CJ Walker. In addition to creating hair products, she established distribution centers to ensure that her 3,000 door-to-door salespeople, most of whom were black women, had plenty to sell, and she founded a cosmetology school to train them. She was the first woman to become a self-made millionaire in the United States. As Walker found financial success, she became a well-known philanthropist, funding scholarships for women at the tuskegee institute and donating to social services for orson, orphans, the elderly and migrants wow it, just like her and oprah.

Speaker 2:

Um, it's just amazing because the things that they accomplished are hard enough. As a white man, like they are very hard things, yeah, to do. Um, then, for a woman to do it is huge. And then a black woman on top of it, especially these years that you're talking about that. They did it. Like, how hard did you have to work to persevere past all the obstacles? Yep, I don't know that. I the I don't want to say driver motivation, but the stamina, yeah, just it's incredible that she created this huge business with 3,000 employees for a product that was needed, that no one cared about except for black women. So it's astonishing that she even got any sort of funding to make her product. Yeah, it's mind-blowing.

Speaker 3:

It really is, and in the early 1900s.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's what I mean, like she's the daughter of slaves. Yeah, crazy, insane, right yeah.

Speaker 3:

We're just going to try and erase that whole thing from there yeah, take it out of the museum, though, god forbid.

Speaker 3:

Should we know what happened in this country? In 1997, president bill clinton appointed madeline k albright the 64th secretary of state of the united states. The appointment made her the highesting woman in the federal government's history. In 2004, condoleezza Rice became the second woman, as well as the first black woman to hold a job. She's a badass. Five years later, hillary Rodham Clinton became the nation's third female Secretary of State. Nice, and I'm going to run through these. Don't try and be quick, because I know we're going to run into another two and a half hour, but you know what. So what? Just suck it up.

Speaker 2:

Just hit pause and listen to the rest later. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

In July 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders hired attorney Sandra Douglas Morgan to be the team's president, making her the first black woman to hold that title for an NFL franchise. Prior to her current role, morgan was also the first person of color to serve as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the first black city attorney in Nevada Damn. In 1961, mary Wallace Wally Funk became one of the first women to undergo the physical and psychological testing NASA required to become an astronaut At just 22, she was the youngest of 13 so-called fellow lady astronaut trainees, or FLATs.

Speaker 2:

Fellow lady. Astronaut trainees, flats.

Speaker 3:

Unofficially known as the Mercury 13, a nod to Project Mercury, nasa's first human space flight program. Despite the fact that funk and other women perform better than any of the men of project mercury, including john glenn shocker, president lyndon b johnson ended the program in 1962, preferring the optics of sending men to space at the height of the Cold War. Although she did not become the first woman to go to space, she did briefly become the oldest person to travel to space, doing so on July 20th 2021, at the age of 82. William Shatner, who was 90, earned the title in October of 2021. Yeah, but I think William Shatner had to go to space. It's like a rule.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

It's a law.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm shocked. I think William Shatner had to go to space. It's like a rule, yeah, a law. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm shocked it took that long to get him up there.

Speaker 3:

In 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I love her.

Speaker 2:

The late Queen of Soul may be most famous for her reworking of Otis Redding's Respect, which the Hall of Fame views as Franklin's assertion of selfhood in the woman's movement. Yeah, every time I think of Aretha Franklin, I think of the movie the.

Speaker 3:

Blues Brothers, have you ever?

Speaker 2:

seen that movie Okay yes, well, it was my mom's favorite when I was young, so I've seen it a million times, but I usually watch it like once a year because it is just so good, you know.

Speaker 3:

Carrie Fisher. I haven't watched it in a million years.

Speaker 2:

It's been a long time so good, and Aretha Franklin sings respect in that movie and she's just so good. Oh my gosh, I love her. I love her too her voice is amazing yeah yeah, because she's a fairly little lady, like she's short and for all that voice to come out of her mouth, wow.

Speaker 3:

Deb Holland made history in March 2021, when she was confirmed as the Secretary of the Interior of the United States, the first indigenous person of any gender to hold a cabinet position.

Speaker 3:

I bet she's been fired, no doubt A member of the Pueblo of Laguna, holland, has spent much of her career focused on environmental justice and climate change. When Indira Noya was named the CEO of Pepsi in 2006, she became the first woman of color and the first immigrant to helm a Fortune 500 company, a position she held for 12 years for 12 years. Born in India in 1955, noyi earned her MBA in 1974 from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, followed by a master's degree in public and private management in 1980 from Yale. She spent the next 14 years working as a corporate consultant before getting job offers from Pepsi and General Electric in 1994. She chose Pepsi, gradually working her way through the company's ranks until her historic appointment as CEO in 2006.

Speaker 2:

Another extremely impressive achievement, I mean 2006,. Ceos, corporate America was, I mean, it still is, but white male dominated. So to be an immigrant and a female amazing. Yep, to be an immigrant and a female amazing.

Speaker 3:

Yep Jean Kirkpatrick first served as President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy advisor during the 1980 presidential campaign. A year later, reagan appointed her to be the US representative to the United States to the nine nations, making her the first woman to hold that position. But she wasn't the first to make diplomatic history. In 1949, helen eugenia moore anderson became the first american woman to serve as the chief for a mission abroad with the title of ambassador. Anderson continued her diplomatic career throughout the 50s and 60s and in 1965 she was appointed to be an ambassador to the us delegation, to the unitedS delegation to the United Nations, becoming the first woman to sit on the Security Council. Born in I'm going to fuck this up Talaquay, oklahoma, I know Oklahoma, it's Oklahoma, but you should see how it's written, I think, because you'll find out why in a minute. Okay, wilma Pearl Mankiller grew up as a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Speaker 2:

So I'm assuming that that is Gotcha yeah that's why I blew it.

Speaker 3:

Another hard one to figure out. Her family was relocated to San Francisco in 1957 as part of a federal program to urbanize indigenous Americans, but in 1974, she returned to her home state where she immediately got to work, improving rural services for her community with initiatives in housing, healthcare and education. She continued to take public service roles and in 1985, she was elected chief of the Cherokee, the second largest indigenous nation in the United States. She was reelected in 1991 and served as principal chief until 1995. Three years later she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Very cool, of course. I think we know that. I didn't go into this one because she is extremely controversial. Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and she earned the distinction of being the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. And this was after she bet against herself and every other woman in 1969, predicting that no woman would become prime minister or foreign secretary during her lifetime. It's kind of what we feel about our country time.

Speaker 2:

It's kind of what we feel about our country, serena williams, who announced her plans to retire from tennis in august.

Speaker 3:

Total baddie oh my god, I love serena williams and she's gorgeous I love, love, love.

Speaker 2:

If I could pick anyone to be my friend, it would be serena williams.

Speaker 3:

Yes, she said, august spent the past three decades making history. This includes being the first and only professional tennis player of any gender to accomplish a career golden slam in both singles and doubles. You might not know I don't know anything about tennis. Williams completed her singles golden slam on August 4th 2012, when she won her first singles gold medal at the London Olympics. A decade earlier, williams and her sister Venus completed their doubles Grand Golden Slam at the 2001 Australian Open a year after winning Wimbledon and a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Speaker 2:

Yep, and again, people trying to tear down women. She's in a lot of controversial trouble right now because of this rogue company that she's supporting. It's weight loss and she's a woman who has had two babies and it's hard to lose weight after that, even if you are a star athlete.

Speaker 3:

Even if you're a star athlete.

Speaker 2:

yep, and she used it and her husband happens to be an investor in it. But why wouldn't you use your world famous wife as your spokesperson? Like, but everybody wants to attack her for it.

Speaker 3:

Like again grow the fuck up For real. Just don't worry about it. Just worry about yourself. How does Serena Williams advertising anything affect you, even a little bit Exactly?

Speaker 2:

It doesn't Exactly.

Speaker 3:

Grow up. Yeah, I'm going to go through these are.

Speaker 2:

I have Because your life is so amazing. I know right, you just. How could Serena not be more like you, not you specifically, I know.

Speaker 3:

Sally Presan is the first woman rabbi in the United States. Golda Meir was the first woman to serve as prime minister in the Middle East in 1969.

Speaker 3:

Shirley Chilsholm is the first black congressman, her district in New York State and the US House of Representatives for seven terms. What year was it 68. Wow, that's Representatives for seven terms. What year was it 68. Wow, that's impressive. Lauren Hubbard is the first openly transgender Olympic athlete. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games were rescheduled for the following year. It was also the first time an openly transgender athlete competed in an individual event in the Olympics. Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, failed to advance to the finals of her event, but that didn't take away from the significance of her inclusion.

Speaker 2:

But we can't have transgender athletes because they'll dominate everything, right? Yeah, because she didn't win. Does anybody know that?

Speaker 3:

Okay, okay so you may know that. Okay, okay, uh, antonio novella is the first female us surgeon, general katie sowers, the first female coach at the super bowl, february 2nd 2020. Katie sowers made history as the first woman and first openly gay coach to lead a team at the Super Bowl as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Speaker 2:

I don't feel like I remember that. That's okay, I don't remember a lot.

Speaker 3:

Junko Tabby stood just five feet tall and weighed only 92 pounds, but in 1975, she co-led a group of 15 women to the summit of Mount Everest. So fuck you Damn. Of course we know about Amelia Earhart. Yes, she was the first woman to successfully make it around the world flight.

Speaker 2:

Another thing I'm fascinated with, like I'm fascinated with the Bermuda Triangle. Where did she go?

Speaker 3:

They think they did find her.

Speaker 2:

Wasn't it on an island, yeah yeah, where, like cannibals lived or something.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and it would make sense that if there were land, that's what she would try to get to if she were having issues. Yes, so yeah, I agree with that. Or she's in the vast ocean. I mean, who knows, the ocean is very big. I was watching something about shipwrecks mysteries at the museum one of my very favorites and they found a treasure from a ship that had sunk, and it just blows my mind that they can find that stuff on the bottom of the ocean, like it is just mind blowing. It's insane.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, edith Wilson is the first female secret president. She was married to Woodrow Wilson. Yeah, I know this one Also made her the first woman to have made executive decisions on behalf of the United States. This earned her the moniker secret president, Nancy Nancy Reagan, I believe is also a secret president. Nancy, Nancy Reagan, I believe is also a secret president, nancy Nancy Sacagawea is the first and only woman to accompany Lewis and Clark. She was a member of the Shoshone tribe Barely a teenager and a brand new mother.

Speaker 2:

Also got on a coin.

Speaker 3:

Yes, lydia Taft is the first woman to vote legally in America. Good name. Barbara Streisand became the first woman to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. The film was Yentl, in which she played a woman pretending to be a man.

Speaker 2:

A lot of those kind of movies made back then. It's funny they were trying to out themselves without yeah. Like, hey, look at this, it's not so bad, right? Can I be who I am? No, okay.

Speaker 3:

It wasn't until 1998 that a woman won a Tony Award for Best Director of a musical. That was Julie Taymor, who won for the Lion King. In 2013, Cindy Lauper became the first woman to win a Tony Award solo for their best original score for Kinky Boots.

Speaker 2:

Very cool.

Speaker 3:

Sylvia Rivera is the first transgender person featured in the National Portrait Gallery. I'm sure she no longer is Born in the Bronx. In 1951, Sylvia Rivera spent much of her life as an activist for LGBTQ plus rights, especially LGBTQ plus people of color. Along with her friend and fellow activist, Marsha P Johnson, they made history in 1971 when they established the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries or STAR, America's first youth shelter for trans youth. After several more decades of campaigning, Rivera died in 2002 from complications related to liver cancer. 2002, from complications related to liver cancer. 13 years later, she became the first transgender person to have their picture hung in the National Portrait Galley in Washington DC, and I'm willing to bet my whole self on it that she no longer does.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean if they took it off the website. Yeah, I mean the president probably replaced her picture with a picture of himself. He did for Hillary Clinton On the first lady's wall. Do you remember when he did that a few months ago?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I can't keep up. I just can't. It's only been fucking nine months and I can't keep up. All right, that's it. That's my ladies, that's the ladies that I did that was super amazing.

Speaker 2:

I had a ton more, but we would be here all day. Thank you so much. It's something that my soul needed in this day and age. It's scary, but anyway, you also reminded me. And if I could add one more, lady, 100%, just because, again, mysteries at the Museum, I was watching and this story, I was just so intrigued by it.

Speaker 2:

So the first American ship captain was Mary Ann Brown Patton. She commanded the merchant ship Neptune's Car in 1856 when her husband, who was the captain, fell ill with tuberculosis. She had to navigate through dangerous waters around Cape Horn, which is an extremely dangerous place to drive through While managing the mutinous crew and bringing the ship to San Francisco safely. She was also pregnant at the time san francisco safely. She was also pregnant at the time, um, and she became a legend as a feat of courage and skill in maritime history, though she received little official, official recognition at the time.

Speaker 2:

But she was just so badass and the whole time I'm watching it on mysteries in the museum they'll show you, like um, an item, and then that's the uh, what they talk about and so, and then they do a reenactment. But just watching it I was just like that's so badass. And you know why that worked? Because women are so level-headed, yes, and she was able to say okay, my husband's dying below deck. Everybody on the crew hates me. I got a fucking life growing inside of me and I'm in some of the worst waters that you have to navigate. But let's get this bitch San Francisco, because I have a kid to protect here and that's why women should rule the world. That's all I'm going to say.

Speaker 3:

Can I add to that Please? Do and Mary Reed are the first female pirates in the Caribbean. There was an Asian in the South China Sea also, but those two and they have a lot of documentaries on them they were not nice.

Speaker 2:

I love it. Yeah, they were. Yeah, I mean, women are level-headed and logical, but they also like revenge and you know, I don't think revenge is a bad thing.

Speaker 3:

And we never forget.

Speaker 2:

And we don't forgive, and you know what my therapist and I talked about this a few weeks ago Is forgiveness really a necessary thing?

Speaker 3:

The only reason they say is to free yourself from it.

Speaker 2:

But to me, letting you get away with it and letting you know it's okay, you got away with it. What does that do for me? That makes you feel better? That doesn't make me feel better. I agree with you, and I told my therapist I'm atheist, um, and I feel like forgiveness is a construct of christianity, because jesus forgives you and all these christians can run around and fuck around on their spouses and do horrible things and then just say, oh god, forgive me.

Speaker 2:

okay, good, on to the next one so that's why forgiveness is so prevalent in our country. But to me, fuck you. Why am I gonna forgive?

Speaker 3:

you.

Speaker 2:

I agree with you I'm definitely never gonna forget, so so, yeah, no, I'm not. I'm not about that life. Don't come to me looking for an apology or giving me an apology, looking for forgiveness.

Speaker 3:

I'm not here for it no fuck off. Yep, so all right. So, ladies, if you're listening, or you know, ladies, if you're not listening, um, we can do it like just do it, just do it if you want to, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

If you want to, and if you don't want to and you know some woman that is doing it, fucking support her, yeah, don't we got to stick together and women just don't get that. It's especially nowadays too. It's like how are you just going to surrender your rights? It's insane to me that in 2025, we are fighting for our rights To party, and it's well the Beasties took care of that for us. We are allowed to party. Yes, Thank God.

Speaker 2:

But it was. I posted a meme about this like a month ago and it was a picture of a woman punching herself, a cartoon punching herself in the face that said women these days that vote for trump or women who voted for trump, and it's a cartoon of a woman punching herself in the face. But they don't even get that. They think they're strong and independent because they got their guns and they drive a pickup or a big SUV and they're white, you know. So life is pretty easy for them. They're privileged.

Speaker 2:

Yeah you know, and they're creepy dads, creepy friends always were creepy with them, so it's just the norm for them. I had creepiness my whole life but that was one of the things that got me out of waitressing as a cocktail waitress. I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't, because men assume a lot. I had money. How much to go up to my hotel room with me? Just bluntly asked somebody I've waited on for years, you know, and you think you have a good little relationship going on, just chatting with them. And if they hit on for years, you know, and you think you have a good little relationship going on just chatting with them, and if they hit they might give you $10. And you know what they drink, so you bring it every time and then one night they're just like so how much to go upstairs? And I'm like, what Is $300 enough? What? Well, I mean, some of it was cute.

Speaker 2:

Like we had this drug dealer that we all loved and we loved his mom. He always came in with her and he would tip us 10 bucks to grab her ass. You know, whatever, I was like 20 something and we all did it and it was just funny and fun. And then he went to jail. That was the end of that, but not that I didn't feed into it. But what else was I supposed to do, you know, really. And then I have the men who, you know, don't make that face when I'm saying these nasty, disgusting things to you, because my wife is on the other side of this aisle and if she runs the corner she's gonna know what we're talking about, like friends of a guy I dated, hey, hey, wait, we all hang out all the time and your wife is here, you know. So it's hard out there for women and it's just. I love that, I love that. I mean, I know these things, but it never hurts to hear it over and over again because it's so badass and it's so much harder than anyone even knows.

Speaker 3:

And to all the men, because it's not all men and it's the majority of men are good people who are just trying to do. The problem is they're not vocal enough. They are becoming more vocal, I feel like.

Speaker 2:

I felt like they were for a while.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I don't know that.

Speaker 3:

I feel that now you should come to the TikTok side they're all over TikTok.

Speaker 2:

You've already got me on the gambling website. Just leave me be okay alright, I'm gonna leave this.

Speaker 3:

Be we gotta leave this topic be for now maybe we'll do another one, oh yeah, soon, when we no longer have the right to, when you can't do this podcast anymore because we're women. We'll do another one, oh yeah, soon, when we no longer have the right to, when you can't do this podcast anymore because we're women.

Speaker 2:

We'll do it underground. Yeah, we'll post it on the dark web.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, Dark web. Thank you for listening. Like share rate review. Please Find us where you listen to the podcast. Follow us on all the socials. At likewhateverpod, you can send an email about your favorite first time woman at likewhateverpod at gmailcom. Or don't Like whatever, whatever. Bye. Bye, bye.

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