The Truth About The Minotaur

This is the story of Marguerite Steinheil, the woman who shook Paris at the turn of the 20th century with one scandal after the next…one of which involving the French president apparently dying in the midst of a sex act.Marguerite is an ambitious woman, but being born into a middle-class family and trapped in a marriage with a failed artist 20 years her senior, she knows her life choices are limited.So how did Marguerite, who became known as ‘the Red Widow’, find herself at the centre of a scandal (and it’s not even the one involving the president) with both her husband and mother dead?Author Sarah Horowitz joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to share Marguerite’s story.You can find out more about Sarah’s book here.*WARNING There are adult themes and explicit descriptions about sex and death in this episode. *Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Jun 202238min

Who was Sarah Baartman? Why was she paraded across Europe as part of a 'freak' show? And why did it take until 2001 for her remains to be repatriated to her birthplace of South Africa?Born around 1770, Sarah, who was derisively named as the 'Hottentot Venus', was publicly examined and exposed inhumanly throughout her life. Her brain, skeleton and sexual organs remained on display in a French museum until 1974.Dr Robin Mitchell from joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to discuss the tragic life of Sarah Baartman.You can find out more about Robin's book here, or follow her on Twitter here.*WARNING this episode includes adult themes, explicit words, and graphic discussion about slavery and racism featuring words which are now rightly deemed as offensive.*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Jun 202242min

From goddesses to demons, witches to saints, women have held power of many shapes and sizes throughout history and around the world. Whether they were bringers of chaos, salvation, desire or justice, this year these women are being given the spotlight.On this Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Kate went to see the British Museum’s new exhibition ‘Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic’.Curator Belinda Crerar joins Kate Betwixt the Sheets to explore some of the most powerful items on show, and the women that they represent.More information on the exhibition can be found here. *WARNING this episode includes themes of an adult nature*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Jun 202233min

Have you ever been told you’re bringing women’s rights back one-hundred years because of what you’re wearing?The guest on Betwixt the Sheets today has. And it was a corset.Dr Alanna McKnight has dedicated her career to researching the social and cultural history of corsets, and to challenging the idea that corsets were imposed on women as a tool of patriarchal control.Find out why people started wearing corsets, whether men ever wore corsets, what were they made of, and how they’ve paved the way for shape wear like Spanx and waist-trainers.Find out more about Alanna’s work here, and read her article on Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala corset here.*WARNING this episode includes some fruity language*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from the Public Health Film Goes to War from the National Library of Medicine 1945. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Mai 202235min

Genital warts fashioned into necklaces, teeth harvested from the battlefield and blood vessels eternalised in wax: these are some of the things that you might find inside Edinburgh’s Surgeons’ Hall Museums.But who did they belong to? Kate is talking to Thomas Elliot, head of learning and interpretation, to find out.*WARNING this episode includes themes of an adult nature*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Lewis Mason.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Mai 202244min

What do you think of when you think of birth control? Is it condoms, IUDs, the pill? What about vasectomies?From monkey testicles to possible cancer treatments to ties of honour, over the past 150 years ‘the snip’ has had a few variations and uses … not all of them scientifically sound. But what is it? And how did it come about?Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Georgia Grainger (https://twitter.com/sniphist) to discuss the vasectomy’s place as a contraceptive, as well as its relationship with eugenics and masculinity.*WARNING this episode includes mentions of mental illness, eugenics and themes of an adult nature* Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Pete Dennis. Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Singer Sewing Machines “Three Smart Daughters” advertisement, 1940, and Beich Whiz Bar “Party Magic” commercial, 1938. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Mai 202250min

Using leeches to suck the blood from patients, mercury pills, and removing limbs with NO anaesthetic - healthcare throughout history hasn’t been the most…appealing.But have you ever thought about the difference in how men and women were treated?From witch trials to hysteria to wandering wombs, today Betwixt the Sheets Kate speaks to Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of 'Unwell Women' to find out about gender bias in medicine.*WARNING this episode includes fruity language and themes of an adult nature*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.This podcast includes music from Epidemic Sound and an archive clip from Body-care and Grooming public video 1948, and Good Grooming for Girls, 1946 (GlamourDaze). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Mai 202240min

Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Was sex always just for the love of their country and the want of an heir, or were some royals into different kinks?And what about outside marriage? From an official mistress who does not have sex with the king, to one who put laxatives in her rival’s food, what does it take to get and keep this position?Kate is Betwixt the royal Sheets with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out the nitty gritty from the royal bedchambers.This episode includes archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938 and The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933.Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Mai 202242min