Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What happens when women gather?
Throughout the eighteenth century, women across Europe began creating intellectual communities where they could discuss science, mathematics, philosophy, politics, literature, and medicine. During the Enlightenment, these gatherings helped women challenge the idea that intellectual discovery belonged exclusively to men.
Women such as Laura Bassi, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Émilie du Châtelet, Catharine Macaulay, Caroline Herschel, and many others built on one another's work and created a path for future generations of women in science.
And that path matters far beyond science. When women gather, exchange knowledge, encourage one another, and make room for the next woman, they can change science, politics, education, and society.
Resources
• Read the original “When Women Gather” article • Download my list of eighteenth-century women in science • Laura Bassi, University of Bologna • Émilie du Châtelet’s translation of Newton’s Principia, Bibliothèque nationale de France • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Library of Congress • Caroline Herschel, Royal Astronomical Society
A Note from Gabrielle After seven years of making Math! Science! History!, I am putting the podcast on hiatus.
This isn't goodbye. It is a pause, and a chance to step back, breathe, and think about what comes next.
Thank you for gathering with me all these years. As this episode reminds us, when women gather, we share knowledge, empower one another, and create paths for the women who come after us.
And that is a pretty wonderful place to pause.
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🌍 Let’s Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social
YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube
Instagram: Instagram.com/GabrielleBirchak
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Until 2027, carpe diem!
What happens when women gather?
Throughout the eighteenth century, women across Europe began creating intellectual communities where they could discuss science, mathematics, philosophy, politics, literature, and medicine. During the Enlightenment, these gatherings helped women challenge the idea that intellectual discovery belonged exclusively to men.
Women such as Laura Bassi, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Émilie du Châtelet, Catharine Macaulay, Caroline Herschel, and many others built on one another's work and created a path for future generations of women in science.
And that path matters far beyond science. When women gather, exchange knowledge, encourage one another, and make room for the next woman, they can change science, politics, education, and society.
Resources
• Read the original “When Women Gather” article • Download my list of eighteenth-century women in science • Laura Bassi, University of Bologna • Émilie du Châtelet’s translation of Newton’s Principia, Bibliothèque nationale de France • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Library of Congress • Caroline Herschel, Royal Astronomical Society
A Note from Gabrielle After seven years of making Math! Science! History!, I am putting the podcast on hiatus.
This isn't goodbye. It is a pause, and a chance to step back, breathe, and think about what comes next.
Thank you for gathering with me all these years. As this episode reminds us, when women gather, we share knowledge, empower one another, and create paths for the women who come after us.
And that is a pretty wonderful place to pause.
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🌍 Let’s Connect!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social
YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube
Instagram: Instagram.com/GabrielleBirchak
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Until 2027, carpe diem!
