The Wonder Woman of DC Comics
Witness History2 Apr 2025

The Wonder Woman of DC Comics

In 1976, Jenette Kahn took on one of the biggest roles in comic books - publisher of DC Comics, home to superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. She was only 28, and the first female boss.

Her first mission was to change the company name. For decades it had been known as National Periodical Publications but, with sales stalling, Jenette reverted back to the original name: DC Comics.

It wasn’t her only shake-up. The illustrator Milton Glaser created a new logo, and rules were brought in to make sure artists kept the rights to their own characters and ideas.

The changes worked, bringing in more comic titles, new characters and a wider readership. Jenette was later promoted to president of the company, and then editor-in-chief, eventually leaving in 2002.

By the time she left, the staff had grown from 35 people to 250, half of whom were women. Jenette tells her story to Jane Wilkinson.

With movie trailer excerpts from the Warner Brothers films: Superman (Dir: Richard Donner, 1978), Batman Forever (Dir: Joel Schumacher, 1995) and Wonder Woman (Dir: Patty Jenkins, 2017).

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: The DC Comics superheroes. Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images)

Avsnitt(2000)

Italy's 'poison ships'

Italy's 'poison ships'

In September 1988, protests broke out in Manfredonia, Italy, after the arrival of a large ship carrying toxic waste of Italian origin. The Deep Sea Carrier had arrived from Nigeria, after a protracted...

11 Juli 20249min

The 1968 Mexico City massacre

The 1968 Mexico City massacre

On 2 October 1968, thousands of students protested in Mexico City, 10 days before the Olympics.The students wanted the government to free political prisoners and respect their right to protest.More th...

10 Juli 20249min

The day Celia Cruz returned to Cuba

The day Celia Cruz returned to Cuba

In January 1990, Cuban singer Celia Cruz, known as ‘the Queen of Salsa’, went back to Cuba. Banned by Fidel Castro for opposing his regime, it was the only time in her 43 years of exile that she was a...

9 Juli 20249min

How the air fryer was invented

How the air fryer was invented

In 2006, Dutch engineer Fred van der Weij invented a kitchen device that changed the way many of us cook today: the air fryer.Fred’s first prototype was nearly as big as a dog kennel and made of wood ...

8 Juli 202410min

Conservative wipe-out in Canada

Conservative wipe-out in Canada

In Canada's 1993 election, the governing Progressive Conservative Party was routed, ending up with just two seats.In the 1980s, the party won the largest majority in Canadian history. But by 1993, it ...

5 Juli 20249min

Fight the Power: The song that became an anthem of protest

Fight the Power: The song that became an anthem of protest

It's 35 years since the release of one of the most provocative songs in music history.Fight the Power by hip-hop group, Public Enemy, was radical both politically and sonically.The song was written at...

4 Juli 20248min

Georgia’s political crisis

Georgia’s political crisis

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the newly independent state Georgia found itself on the verge of a civil war. Rebel groups in Tbilisi came together to overthrow the newly ...

3 Juli 20249min

Executed in Stalin’s Great Terror in Georgia

Executed in Stalin’s Great Terror in Georgia

Between 1937 and 1938, Soviet leader Josef Stalin carried out his most severe purge in Georgia. Known as the Great Terror, thousands of political rivals, intellectuals and ordinary citizens were execu...

2 Juli 20249min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
aftonbladet-krim
badfluence
p3-dokumentar
en-mork-historia
mardromsgasten
nemo-moter-en-van
blenda-2
skaringer-nessvold
killradet
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
hor-har
flashback-forever
kod-katastrof
p3-historia
p1-dokumentar
vad-blir-det-for-mord
historiska-brott
svenska-fall