{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Powerful Woman Behind 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'","description":"\u201cMary had a little lamb\u2026\u201d Be honest. Did you go, \u201clittle lamb\u201d again after you read that? Those five words are so catchy, they were the first words Thomas Edison ever recorded in the phonograph (making them the first words ever recorded on a machine). Not only that, but they were also some of the first words Alexander Graham Bell spoke into the telephone! It\u2019s astonishing to me that a mere century (or so) after her death, Sarah Josepha Hale \u2014 the creator of this nursery rhyme \u2014 has faded into obscurity. It would be one thing if her accomplishments had also faded, but we\u2019re still hugely impacted by her legacy. And I\u2019m not just talking about \u2018Mary Had a Little Lamb.\u2019 In fact, if you\u2019d asked Sarah to list what she was most proud of, \u201cMary had a little lamb\u201d probably wouldn\u2019t even make the first page! The only reason I know about this woman is that I\u2019m lucky to be (very) loosely related to her. But it got me thinking, how many other stories of remarkable women have been forgotten? In episode 70 of the Vocabbett podcast, I share the (very abbreviated) story of Sarah Josepha Hale in a new \u201cForgotten Women\u201d mini-series. I\u2019m still boosting your vocabulary throughout; I\u2019m just finding new, fun stories to incorporate while doing it! : ) You can listen to the podcast for free on your favorite player, and I\u2019ve included a sneak peek of the members\u2019-only podcast accompaniment below. Become a Vocabbett member to watch the whole video if you haven\u2019t already! ","author_name":"Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories","author_url":"https:\/\/www.vocabbett.com","html":"