Josephine Baker: life of the week

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

History

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Showbusiness, spying and civil rights - the extraordinary life of Josephine Baker had it all. From difficult beginnings, Baker transformed herself into the world's first black superstar, before turning her talents to espionage on behalf of the French Resistance. Hanna Diamond tells Ellie Cawthorne more about Baker's showbiz lifestyle, tireless campaigning, troupe of 12 adopted children and pet cheetah. (Ad) Hanna Diamond is the author of Josephine Baker's Secret War: The African American Star Who Fought for France and Freedom (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Josephine-Bakers-Secret-War-American/dp/0300279981/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This Sister Extra podcast is sponsored by Ancestry. On the 8th of May, 1945, peace was declared in Europe.
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1:16.4	Hello and welcome to Life of the Week from History Extra, where leading historians delve into
1:21.4	the lives of history's most intriguing and significant figures.
	...

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