Hello everyone!
I think I’m starting to get the hang of this whole Substack thing!
By the time this post goes out, the second half of the third Season of Bridgerton will have aired! There’s a whole conversation going on about it in the ‘Let’s Talk About Bridgerton!’ post here. I really enjoyed this Season of Bridgerton, and talking about it here on Substack has been really fun! Please feel free to join in on the conversation!
In the meantime, it’s already time to start thinking about what historical show or movie we’d like to talk about next! While the conversation about Bridgerton is open to everyone, this feature is meant to be for paid subscribers. So paid subscribers, be on the lookout for a poll I’m going to be sending out to you so you can vote on what show or movie we talk about next!
History nerd heaven: House of the Dragon
Season 2 of House of the Dragon has started, and I’m loving it! The show is based off a book by George R.R. Martin: Fire and Blood.
Martin often pulls from real history for his novels, and he often does it in surprising and interesting ways. So imagine my delight when I saw the new opening credits for House of the Dragon! The credits show a tapestry being embroidered, and seeing it, I immediately thought of the Bayeux Tapestry.
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It’s an actual tapestry that’s thought to have been made within a few years of the battle, possibly as a gift for William the Conqueror himself. This tapestry is currently at the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Bayeux, Normandy, France. Learn more about it here.
The tapestry in the opening credits of House of the Dragon tells the story of the Targaryens coming to Westeros and taking over the same way the Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest.
I know I’m not the only person to have made this connection, but I had to talk about it here, because I absolutely love it when shows make shout-outs to real history like this! What other shout-outs to real history have you noticed in House of the Dragon? Let me know.
All about Sally Ride (NEW episode alert!)
June is Pride Month, and Door Key is celebrating that by talking about Sally Ride!
Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. She joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 she became the first American woman to fly in space! She was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space. Sally Ride is also the first astronaut known to have been part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Something very special
When I posted on social media that I was doing an episode of Door Key about Sally Ride, my friend Bruce Boyce, who is host of the fantastic history podcast I Take History With My Coffee commented that he’d actually met Sally Ride at a conference!
Here’s what he had to say about this encounter:
“In 2007 or 2008, I attended a teacher conference hosted by the Sally Ride Science Academy. (Yes, I was teaching science then, not history). It was a workshop to introduce teachers to Sally’s line of books and other materials about science and careers in science. It was focused on exposing school-aged children to the diversity of scientists. Sally Ride was the keynote speaker and attended the social functions of the conference. I did have the opportunity to talk with her during one of those times. She was a wonderful person, and she shared many stories with us. Though she was this famous and inspiring person, she came across as unpretentious and very down-to-earth.
She spoke passionately and sincerely about her mission to help young girls and other underrepresented groups to go into STEM careers. It was a memorable time with a genuine role model.”
How amazing is this??!
Bruce, thank you so much for taking the time to write this first-hand account out! It really warms my heart that Sally Ride was as wonderful in real-life as all the stories I’ve heard about her!
I Take History With My Coffee info:
A personal tidbit:
My dad is in the habit of naming pets after famous people. This is something that I - the lady who named her cat after George Harrison - seem to have inherited from him. All of that to say that when I was a little girl, we had a dog named Sally, who was named after Sally Ride.
You can listen to the episode here:
Also, in the episode I mention that Sally Ride had a very special object with her on the shuttle as she went into space: a silk scarf that was owned by Amelia Earhart! I absolutely love the idea of the first woman Astronaut bringing a piece of the first woman to circumnavigate the globe with her to space - what an amazing and meaningful way to honor Amelia’s legacy! These two trailblazers were kindred spirits, and I absolutely love it!
There’s an episode of Door Key about Amelia Earhart, you can listen to it here.
Other Pride Month worthy Door Key episodes
If you’d like more gay history content this Pride Month, Door Key has an episode about Baron von Steuben and Oscar Wilde.
Queer History podcast list: Earbuds Podcast Collective
Arielle Nissenblatt from Earbuds Podcast Collective sends out a great newsletter with a collection of podcast recommendations. The theme of this month is: Queer Histories Through Time. You can find that list of recommendations here.
Podcast editing and marketing
This episode of Door Key was edited by Stephanie Fuccio of Coffeelike Media. She’s also helping us with the marketing side of the podcast. (An exciting update on this coming in July!)
You’ve had such great content for pride month! Keep it up 💗