The Marvels of Madam C.J. Walker

History's Heroes

BBC

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.8 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When Sarah Breedlove begins to lose her hair, she starts a business that will make her one of the wealthiest African American Women of her time.

Stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.

A BBC Studios production.

Producer: Elaina Boateng Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann Executive Producer: Paul Smith Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're dead to me.
0:05.0	No, no, that's the name of our podcast. Sorry.
0:08.0	And we're back for a brand new series.
0:11.0	Not only is it British history, it was a quill drop.
0:15.0	With more fun and facts from history without taking it too seriously.
0:19.0	Empress Matilda, what is she going to do now?
0:21.6	She decides to take back some of the jewels with her.
0:25.0	I'm taking these as well!
0:26.7	I'm going to come back for Tuscany one day as well.
0:29.2	You're dead to me.
0:30.6	Again, not you.
0:32.0	Name of the show.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.4	BBC Sounds.
0:39.6	Music, radio, podcasts.
0:45.7	St. Louis, Missouri, United States, the early 1900s.
0:51.2	In front of the mirror, Sarah Breedlove took off her headscarf.
0:53.3	She began to pray. She told God she was on the verge of becoming entirely
0:57.3	bald. She confessed to feeling ashamed. She'd tried everything. At Sarah's time, just having hair
1:06.0	that on the weekends or for celebrations, you could comb out, pull out, style into some kind of approximation
1:14.4	of fashionable.
1:16.1	Because literally, 98, 99% of black women worked outside the home most of the time.
	...

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