Welcome to the history tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

And here's your 30-second summary.

One of the judge defied one of the most revered historical figures in America to escape the institution of slavery.

Though she spent the rest of her life as a fugitive, she managed to direct her own

existence on her own terms answering to no one free at last. The end. Let's talk about

Ona Judge. But first, let's drop her into history. In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed commander

in chief of the French army, and then he got busy with war with Austria. For starters,

the first elephant arrived in the United States from India. President George Washington paid

to see it in Philadelphia. Edward Jenner inoculated an eight-year-old boy with the very

first smallpox inoculation. Tennessee was admitted as the 16th state in the United States,

and John Adams was elected the second president. Walter Hunt, the future inventor of the safety

pin, and Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales,

future history chick's subject number 13, were both born. Catherine the Great, and

Ald-Lang-Zine writer Robert Burns, died. And in 1796, a woman enslaved by Martha Washington

took her future into her own hands.

Hello and welcome to the show. During our last episode, we covered the life of Martha Washington. And while it is of course not strictly necessary to listen to that one first,

we did give more context as to politically what was going on in the outside world. That would be very helpful for context during

today's story. So up to you, either do or do not go back. We will refer to some things that

happened. And if you would like to know more details, go back one episode on your podcast player.

Also, you should know that here during recording day, there's literally nothing we can do about it.

Gale Force winds are blowing everything about, and my neighbor has a collection of wind chimes.

So if you hear them, it's just a delightful reminder of the power of nature, and there's nothing I could do about it.

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