24 episodes

Who built the modern world? The answer to that question might surprise you. (Or maybe not...) There's a long list of global innovators and trailblazers who haven't gotten their due in the history books because of who they were; women, people of color, LGBTQ+ and more. Each week They Did That tells one of these people's stories and how their life’s work has changed our lives for the better. Hosted by Takara Small.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

They Did That Sony Music Entertainment

    • History
    • 5.0 • 2 Ratings

Who built the modern world? The answer to that question might surprise you. (Or maybe not...) There's a long list of global innovators and trailblazers who haven't gotten their due in the history books because of who they were; women, people of color, LGBTQ+ and more. Each week They Did That tells one of these people's stories and how their life’s work has changed our lives for the better. Hosted by Takara Small.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    Unveiling the Unsung Heroes: Draptomaniax Shines a Light on History's Overlooked Innovators

    Unveiling the Unsung Heroes: Draptomaniax Shines a Light on History's Overlooked Innovators

    From Dean of Black Twitter, Michael Harriot, comes a Black history podcast like you've never heard before. Using a recipe that includes detailed research, barbershop humor and a little seasoned salt, a parade of cookout-certified celebrity guests helps Michael Harriot serve up a compelling, hilarious and more accurate version of Black history that was conveniently whitewashed from your social studies book.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 2 min
    The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement: Judy Heumann

    The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement: Judy Heumann

    Without Judy Heumann, it’s hard to see how we would ever have achieved the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Disabled by polio at just 18 months old in 1949, Judy grew up in a time when nothing prevented discrimination against people with disabilities. In fact, so-called “ugly laws” even outlawed the appearance in public of people who were “diseased, maimed or in any way deformed.” But Judy didn’t let any of this stop her. Instead, she became a trailblazer that transformed the state of disability rights in the United States and the rest of the world. In this special episode, we speak with the legend herself: Judy Heumann.

    Judy Heumann passed away on March 4th, 2023. Her life’s work has sparked a growing movement that continues to this day. You can learn more about Judy’s legacy in her memoir Being Heumann, the documentary Crip Camp, and her podcast the Heumann Perspective.

    May her memory be a blessing.



    A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 41 min
    The Double-Agent Abolitionist: Mary Ellen Pleasant

    The Double-Agent Abolitionist: Mary Ellen Pleasant

    Mary Ellen Pleasant was a Black conductor of the Underground Railroad, and she was on the run. But in 1852, when her boat arrived on the shores of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, she walked off as someone else. Someone white. Her mission: Expand the Underground Railroad westward—and use her ability to pass to get it done. She’d spend the next decade living a mysterious double life and would go on to be known as “The Black City Hall” of San Francisco. Today, the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant, the double-agent abolitionist who shook up the west coast in the name of liberation.



    A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.




    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    The Secret Identity of Hollywood’s first Asian Oscar Nominee: Merle Oberon

    The Secret Identity of Hollywood’s first Asian Oscar Nominee: Merle Oberon

    Before Michelle Yeoh’s historic win at the Oscars, there was another Asian actress nominated for the prize. Merle Oberon, the famous Golden Age actress, was the first Asian woman to ever be nominated for her performance in the 1935 film, “The Dark Angel.” The only thing was - no one knew she was Asian... In this episode we get into Merle’s complicated but fascinating story and learn about the problematic systems within Hollywood that caused Merle Oberon to hide her Asian identity to get cast in leading roles. 



    A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 39 min
    Tunisia's Rising Star: Ons Jabeur

    Tunisia's Rising Star: Ons Jabeur

    Ons Jabeur plays some of the most exciting tennis out there. But for most of her career, Ons has been told that to succeed, she needs to change—to conform to how the mostly white western bubble of tennis approaches the game. But Ons has consistently stuck with her Tunisian team. In the last few years, Ons has been climbing the rankings. And she's been doing it with her own team, by following her own playbook. In this episode, we get into Ons' story, and ask, is it possible that your greatest obstacle could also be your greatest strength?



    A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com




    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 36 min
    The Mother of Paleontology: Mary Anning

    The Mother of Paleontology: Mary Anning

    Before Darwin and evolution, there was Mary Anning and her mysterious fossils. Mary was a working class girl on the Jurassic Coast of England, and she loved to hunt for fossils on the beach. But when her dad died unexpectedly, Mary was forced to turn her hobby into a job. Her discoveries were so big they called theories about life on earth and even God into question. On this episode, the story of the mother of paleontology: Mary Anning.



    A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

    To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 34 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
2 Ratings

2 Ratings

Top Podcasts In History

The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
British Scandal
Wondery
Empire
Goalhanger Podcasts
The Spy Who
Wondery
The Curious History of Your Home
NOISER

You Might Also Like

Womanica
iHeartPodcasts and Wonder Media Network
History Daily
Airship | Noiser | Wondery
Podcast Playlist
CBC
Patented: History of Inventions
History Hit
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
[REDACTED] History
Andre White